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Reasonable Doubt: The Fashion Writer, Cape Cod, and the Trial of Chris McCowen
In January 2002, forty-six-year-old Christa Worthington was found stabbed to death in the kitchen of her Truro, Cape Cod, cottage, her curly-haired toddler clutching her body. A former Vassar girl and scion of a prominent local family, Christa had abandoned a glamorous career as a fashion writer for a simpler life on the Cape, where she had an affair with a married fisherman and had his child. After her murder, evidence pointed toward several local men who had known her.
Yet in 2005, investigators arrested Christopher McCowen, a thirty-four-year-old African-American garbage collector with an IQ of 76. The local headlines screamed, “Black Trash Hauler Ruins Beautiful White Family” and “Black Murderer Apprehended in Fashion Writer Slaying,” while the sole evidence against McCowen was a DNA match showing that he’d had sex with Worthington prior to her murder. There were no fingerprints, no witnesses, and although the state medical examiner acknowledged there was no evidence of rape, the defendant was convicted after a five-week trial replete with conflicting testimony, accusations of crime scene contamination, and police misconduct—and was condemned to three lifetime sentences in prison with no parole.
Rarely has a homicide trial been refracted so clearly through the prism of those who engineered it, and in Reasonable Doubt, bestselling author and biographer Peter Manso is determined to rectify what has become one of the most grossly unjust verdicts in modern trial history. In his riveting new book he bares the anatomy of a horrific murder—as well as the political corruption and racism that appear to be endemic in one of America’s most privileged playgrounds, Cape Cod.
Exhaustively researched and vividly accessible, Reasonable Doubt is a no-holds-barred account of not only Christa Worthington’s murder but also of a botched investigation and a trial that was rife with bias. Manso dug deep into the case, and the results were explosive. The Cape DA indicted the author, threatening him with fifty years in prison.
The trial and conviction of Christopher McCowen for rape and murder should worry American citizens, and should prompt us to truly examine the lip service we pay to the presumption of innocence . . . and to reasonable doubt. With this explosive and challenging book Manso does just that.
Yet in 2005, investigators arrested Christopher McCowen, a thirty-four-year-old African-American garbage collector with an IQ of 76. The local headlines screamed, “Black Trash Hauler Ruins Beautiful White Family” and “Black Murderer Apprehended in Fashion Writer Slaying,” while the sole evidence against McCowen was a DNA match showing that he’d had sex with Worthington prior to her murder. There were no fingerprints, no witnesses, and although the state medical examiner acknowledged there was no evidence of rape, the defendant was convicted after a five-week trial replete with conflicting testimony, accusations of crime scene contamination, and police misconduct—and was condemned to three lifetime sentences in prison with no parole.
Rarely has a homicide trial been refracted so clearly through the prism of those who engineered it, and in Reasonable Doubt, bestselling author and biographer Peter Manso is determined to rectify what has become one of the most grossly unjust verdicts in modern trial history. In his riveting new book he bares the anatomy of a horrific murder—as well as the political corruption and racism that appear to be endemic in one of America’s most privileged playgrounds, Cape Cod.
Exhaustively researched and vividly accessible, Reasonable Doubt is a no-holds-barred account of not only Christa Worthington’s murder but also of a botched investigation and a trial that was rife with bias. Manso dug deep into the case, and the results were explosive. The Cape DA indicted the author, threatening him with fifty years in prison.
The trial and conviction of Christopher McCowen for rape and murder should worry American citizens, and should prompt us to truly examine the lip service we pay to the presumption of innocence . . . and to reasonable doubt. With this explosive and challenging book Manso does just that.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2011
61 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 21, 2012
To get into this book, I think you should really read Invisible Eden by Maria Flook first. Otherwise the names of characters and timeline can get a little confusing. Invisible Eden describes the murder of Christa Worthington, and Reasonable Doubt describes the arrest and trial of the "killer." Whether you believe Christopher McCowen to be guilty or not is really up to you, though.
There are a lot of typos in this book which can be distracting and makes me think it didn't have a good final edit. Other than that, I found it to be an interesting follow up to my reading Invisible Eden and would recommend you read it if you are interested in the murder of Christa Worthington or the history of Cape Cod at all.
There are a lot of typos in this book which can be distracting and makes me think it didn't have a good final edit. Other than that, I found it to be an interesting follow up to my reading Invisible Eden and would recommend you read it if you are interested in the murder of Christa Worthington or the history of Cape Cod at all.
March 5, 2018
After watching the recent documentary about Christa Worthington's murder, I realized that even though I'm a true crime "fan," I knew almost nothing about the story other than the broadest strokes. So I read the two major books about it. Unfortunately, neither one of these is Cape Cod's "In Cold Blood," to say the least. Both are badly written and the authors are full of petty invective towards not only each other but towards many of the major and minor players in this tragic story. The great book about this interesting woman and her murder is yet to be written. Perhaps it will be some day, when the full story is known.
November 12, 2011
Story of the arrest and conviction of Christopher McCowen for the murder of Christa Worthington. Despite the clear presence of reasonable doubt, Mr. McCowen was convicted and this book does an excellent job describing the political corruption and rascism that played an integral role in the jury's decision.
August 28, 2017
Cliché riddled account of a real Cape Cod murder. A lot of detail and an almost verbatim account of the trial, and then the author ruins everything trying to stir up controversy and taking the focus off the crime.
October 14, 2011
Yet another case of justice gone off the rails.
February 9, 2019
It could be slow at points, but overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the case or even just to anyone who has any interest in racial issues and the criminal justice system. It was a heavy read and definitely took a while to get through, but it was very thorough, and I really liked it.
July 29, 2011
I know a book is phenomenal when it elicits such emotions from me that I find myself "talking" to the book. That was this book. I probably should not have read this book, also, on the heels of the Casey Anthony verdict because I found myself really being angry, not only at the author of the book, but also the "reviewers" on the back cover. I must say I didn't know alot about this "story" from the start, as there are "true crimes" and miscarriages of justice which I have followed much more closely.
Do I think this man committed this crime? I honestly don't know. I know his DNA was found at the scene, but so were several other mens' DNA. He admitted to being at the victim's home. Well,yes, for consensual sex and this was a woman who admittedly had that type of relationship with married or unmarried men. Her prerogative, however, I am sure there was a line of people who really didn't cry when she was murdered. Sorry, I know it is a cold way to put it, but it does go to the title of the book. Was there inappropriate actions on the side of the jury? Hell, yes! However, and this is where I come to the cusp of my review, because this is where the book really irritated me, because the feeling that I got from the book was about the injustice of the jury system. When Casey Anthony was acquitted, we were forced to listen to defense attorneys basically telling outraged Americans to "suck it up" that is what is wonderful about our justice system. Well, here we are with a situation where, in my opinion, the defense team failed to do its' job for its' client in assessing potential jurors to exclude them...when the verdict failed to go their way, our justice system sucks. My question...which is it??
On a side note, I have to say that this book not only got the 5 star rating becomes of the emotions it ellicited out of me, but it is a well written book, as well. Def. an author I will continue to seek out.
Do I think this man committed this crime? I honestly don't know. I know his DNA was found at the scene, but so were several other mens' DNA. He admitted to being at the victim's home. Well,yes, for consensual sex and this was a woman who admittedly had that type of relationship with married or unmarried men. Her prerogative, however, I am sure there was a line of people who really didn't cry when she was murdered. Sorry, I know it is a cold way to put it, but it does go to the title of the book. Was there inappropriate actions on the side of the jury? Hell, yes! However, and this is where I come to the cusp of my review, because this is where the book really irritated me, because the feeling that I got from the book was about the injustice of the jury system. When Casey Anthony was acquitted, we were forced to listen to defense attorneys basically telling outraged Americans to "suck it up" that is what is wonderful about our justice system. Well, here we are with a situation where, in my opinion, the defense team failed to do its' job for its' client in assessing potential jurors to exclude them...when the verdict failed to go their way, our justice system sucks. My question...which is it??
On a side note, I have to say that this book not only got the 5 star rating becomes of the emotions it ellicited out of me, but it is a well written book, as well. Def. an author I will continue to seek out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2013
This meticulously researched book by Peter Manso reads like a crime thriller. Unfortunately, it's not. It's a detailed account of a crime that shocked Cape Cod residents, and many others around the country, in January 2002. The media pounced on the story that had it all: sex, money, racism, violence and the heart-wrenching image of a little girl found beside her mother's bloody body.
Christa Worthington was the fashion writer referenced in Manso's subtitle, a Vassar graduate who'd spent her twenties in New York freelancing for the New York Times, Elle and other national magazines. But Christa had a dark side. And a wild side.
She returned to Truro, MA, living off her family's wealth and an occasional published article. Unmarried at 42, she discovered she was pregnant. The father was a local fisherman, married for 27 years and the father of six. At the time of Christa's murder, her daughter Ava was 18 months old. Police believe Ava had spent 24 hours alone in the house with her dead mother's bloody body.
Who killed Christa? There was no shortage of suspects. Her most recent lover, with whom she'd broken up, found the body. Another former lover was grilled by the police. Her father was involved with a young female drug addict who was bilking him out of money; unbeknownst to him, she had a heroin addict boyfriend. Take your pick. But the suspect list didn't stop there. Eventually, a black man, Chris McCowen was charged with the crime. He claimed he and Christa were having an affair. But few people could picture the Vassar graduate having sex with a black garbage man.
Few people in this book come out looking good: not the local cops, not the State Police, not the District Attorney, and not Christa's vulture-like mercenary relatives. The only person who appears to have any integrity is Robert George, McCowan's defense attorney.
Tis a sad tale indeed, convoluted and often contradictory, but I highly recommend it.
Christa Worthington was the fashion writer referenced in Manso's subtitle, a Vassar graduate who'd spent her twenties in New York freelancing for the New York Times, Elle and other national magazines. But Christa had a dark side. And a wild side.
She returned to Truro, MA, living off her family's wealth and an occasional published article. Unmarried at 42, she discovered she was pregnant. The father was a local fisherman, married for 27 years and the father of six. At the time of Christa's murder, her daughter Ava was 18 months old. Police believe Ava had spent 24 hours alone in the house with her dead mother's bloody body.
Who killed Christa? There was no shortage of suspects. Her most recent lover, with whom she'd broken up, found the body. Another former lover was grilled by the police. Her father was involved with a young female drug addict who was bilking him out of money; unbeknownst to him, she had a heroin addict boyfriend. Take your pick. But the suspect list didn't stop there. Eventually, a black man, Chris McCowen was charged with the crime. He claimed he and Christa were having an affair. But few people could picture the Vassar graduate having sex with a black garbage man.
Few people in this book come out looking good: not the local cops, not the State Police, not the District Attorney, and not Christa's vulture-like mercenary relatives. The only person who appears to have any integrity is Robert George, McCowan's defense attorney.
Tis a sad tale indeed, convoluted and often contradictory, but I highly recommend it.
July 19, 2018
The author KNOWS that dupe Christopher McCowan is indeed innocent and of course he is right. He's an old-school writer so the writing is very good and I really enjoyed the portions where he really let his personality shine through his writing...it made it a fun and enjoyable read even though the subject matter just isn't funny at all. There are so many cases like this where the person convicted is just not the real killer but somehow still gets lost in the ether (ask Wayne Williams in GA). This case SHOULD be revisited again because the killer isn't the dupe in prison. Always "circumstantial" evidence, always (from the get-go) stating they are not guilty. Usually charged and convicted because they are good enough to close the case and slam the prison door and then forget about it. I could tell the political leanings of the author though as I read the book...that was somewhat distracting but also made me laugh at some points. Important case, important book.
January 4, 2024
The definition of "railroaded" is in this book. I read this while living on the Cape, and while experiencing the STAGGERING racism that exists there. No doubt in my mind the "other" guy is the one who actually murdered Christa. Engrossing story, though infuriating. Peter Manso is a trip, and I could hear his voice while I read.
July 30, 2014
Reasonable Doubt is an account of Christa Worthington’s murder its' botched investigation and a biased trial. The author dug deep into the case, and the results were explosive. The Cape DA indicted the author, threatening him with fifty years in prison. A very interesting novel of mis-justice and how local bias can impact all participants in a trial.
August 22, 2011
It has begun as a well-written true story. It is also very contemporary. More about it after I finish.
I fear the justice system is in bad shape on Cape Cod. There certainly seems to be cause for an appeals. A definite work about injustice.
I fear the justice system is in bad shape on Cape Cod. There certainly seems to be cause for an appeals. A definite work about injustice.
July 11, 2013
The author writes with passion about this case. He's got great details, great writing and I believe it all matters a lot to him. But it never quite mattered that much to me. I think it was the lengthy account of the trial that occupied the middle of the book that did me in.
November 6, 2020
This murder took place down the street from where we stay on the cape. Really captivating and sad...
Want to read
October 28, 2011Read about 100 pages over three days. Just couldn't get into it. Had a hard time following what was going on and keeping all the players straight.
October 13, 2011
Excellent.
October 5, 2011
excellent book of all the true crime books i have read I Firmly believe the man who was convicted of this crime was "railroaded" because of his race an because of politics....
February 24, 2012
Reasonable Doubt lost its thunder for me, too many characters and typos for me to continue reading. Maybe some other time....
February 7, 2012
Interesting subject, horrible writing -- as if no one edited it! Couldn't get past the first 100 pages.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews