Fear No Evil

by Thomas Henry Jones

They were the golden boys of Huntington, Jarrod Wall, a 17-year-old Sunday school teacher, track star, top student,a and local heartthrob, and his friends Erick Esch, a high school football hero, and John Jesus Valasquez. They were well-liked, all-American teens. Until one night when Jarrod and Erick entered the house of a local car collector Eldon Anson and burglarized the bachelor's home--and Jarrod murdered him with repeated hatchet blows to the skull...

At first, the stunning crime seemed an unmotivated, inexplicable act. But in fact it was the premeditated, cold-blooded slaying of a man none of them knew. So why Anson? Wall's private demons erupted years later in prison, revealing his overwhelming shame and perverse sense of family honor that drove him to enact revenge upon an innocent stranger--a crime that stunned the community, and forever stripped the mask of innocence off the face of evil.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

259 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 19, 2002

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the unusual story of an extraordinarily vicious murder in Huntington, Indiana, committed by someone everyone thought of as an all-American boy, perfect in every way. Still waters certainly run deep in his case. The authors hammered us over and over about what great guys the killer and his main accomplice were. I couldn't help noticing how much more time and less consideration the third guy got, the one who had almost nothing to do with it but who went into the situation with a bad reputation and paid for that for the rest of his life. It's as if the individual's reputation were more important than the acts he committed. R.I.P. Eldon Anson, the murder victim who was almost entirely lost in the sauce. Well-written and more than worth your time if you are interested in social criticism, true crime, psychology, or what makes kids go wrong.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that makes you wonder when the seeds of rage are planted. In the womb? Life experiences? As the debate rages on we are still left with child killers and still left wondering why. We wonder what burden our youth carry to keep such a secret and remain loyal even to their detriment.

What cause a “Golden Boy” to be so vicious? His motive for the killing does not ring true to me. It is something more, hidden deep in his physic. Something he may have been born without. Were there warning signs? I think not as the book really uncovers none. Even his friends did not see the killer in him. Yet one must believe that youth of this age would be experienced enough to recognize the signs if there were any. How much maturity would our youth have to have had to see behind his cover? Even the adults in his life saw nothing out of the ordinary in this privileged and popular teen. He was admired by many and adored by others. Yet lying just beneath the surface was an explosive anger waiting for the right circumstance to erupt. And erupt it did on a perfectly innocent victim.

[♥ Marlene♥]

Damn.I can't find my book. I hate it because I was just at the point of the crime.
Who stole my book? I think it must have been one of my cats. I am sure one of them has stolen it and is reading it in the middle of the night while I am asleep.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it is a true story from my hometown, and I actually know people in the book. It is rather chilling but very good.

[Patricia Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huntington Indiana 2 teenagers go to Eldon anson to rob his house of guns and drugs that were told were there. jarrod wall 17 and john velasquez was to go with him but had to babysit his little sisters so he asked Erick esch to go in his place. Eldon was a car collector . jarrod shot him and then took a hatchet to him Erick was there but was not involved . this was one of the most brutal crimes I have ever read with such detail involved. the crime was committed by a star football player and helped teach the small children at his church that he attended regularly with his family..where did it all go wrong and come to this...

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know, I know ... you're wondering why a nice little blogger like me is reading a novel with a big ole hatchet on the cover, right?

A little history is in order. I moved here in August 1989, to teach in a small rural community. In February of that year, a man who lived just a few miles from the school where I taught had been brutally murdered, with a gun, and yes - an axe. The authorities were stumped as to who could have committed such a heinous crime. Imagine the shock when a month later, 3 boys from the local high school were charged with the crime. The main perpetrator was an honor roll student, athlete, and Sunday School teacher.

Throughout my years teaching in the town, there would often be references to this crime. I would rarely drive by the victim's house with someone without them mentioning it. So, when good friend and commenter Leona told me that a book had been written about the crime, I thought it would be interesting to read.

Fear No Evil was - I recognized many places and names in the book, and it was a fascinating look into the hidden lives many (well, maybe/hopefully just a few) people out there are living.

Could you brutally murder someone, and then open up the local McDonald's where you work just a few hours later? Some people could.

[Brad Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very real and true story. I actually worked with the guy who called this into the police. He is mentioned in the book as well. (the renter) The only thing that he disagrees on is some of the photos are not accurate. The author tends to sensationalize some of the story. My guess is that he was focusing on a Hollywood. Other then that. I enjoyed reading the book and talking to John B. about it after reading each chapter. Huntington,IN is 40 miles from me.