Justice in Jeopardy: The Unsolved Murder of Baby Deidre Kennedy

by Debi Marshall

The shocking story of the unresolved murder of baby Deidre Kennedy. As her parent's slept on Friday April 13, 1973 17-month old Deidre Kennedy was snatched from her cot. Tossed like trash on top of a toilet block in a nearby park, dawn revealed the obscenity of her murder. Dressed in women's underwear, her chubby thigh showed bruising inflicted by bite marks. She had been bashed, sexually assaulted and strangled. There was no eyewitness. No motive. No confession. No closure for Deidre's family. Three decades on, they are still waiting. In 1985 - eleven years after her death - former RAAF technician Raymond John Carroll was found guilty of her murder and later acquitted on appeal. In 2000, he was found guilty of perjury on the grounds that he lied when he said he did not kill the baby. Acquitted for the second time - this time on double jeopardy - the case went all the way to the Australian High Court, which dismissed the Crown's appeal. He could never be re-tried again. A bewildered Australian public, at a loss to understand the technicalities of the law clamoured for explanations. Late in 2003 the United Kingdom successfully passed a Bill that modified the rule of double jeopardy. The Crown now has a right to appeal acquittals when 'new and compelling evidence' comes to light - laws which operate retrospectively. In Australia, change has been excruciatingly slow. This is an intensely personal story about the casualties of murder: private lives thrown open to public scrutiny, families shattered by grief and a loss of faith in the judicial system. Against legal advice and for the first time, Raymond John Carroll and his family spoke to Debi Marshall about the crime for which he has been twice accused and which, despite two acquittals, continues to haunt him. Informed by interviews with Deidre's shattered family, police, lawyers and forensic scientists,Justice in Jeopardy is a thought-provoking and harrowing true story that will make you weep. For Deidre, whose short life and appalling death spearheaded the call for an overhaul of an ancient law called Double Jeopardy; for her heartbroken family whose lives have been ruined by her murder and for justice denied.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2005

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unsolved Australian crime. Two families ... at least ... torn to shreds. A toddler murdered by some sicko ... who still walks free. The author does all the research, and lays it out for the reader.

As I read, I often referred to the autopsy photo ... not because I had forgotten what it looked like ... but because my heart kept crying 'just a baby .. just a chubby little baby' and I would be drawn to that infinitely sad photo ... again and again and again. I've read about murdered children before, but something about this one touched me deeply. The photo. The chubby legs. It just hammered this death into my brain, my heart.

This was also an important case to the Australian legal world. Deidre's mum, Faye, has spent decades pursuing justice, and was heavily involved in helping to change the 'double jeopardy' policy, which does not allow the prosecution, or punishment, of a person twice for the same offence.

Just look. Look at this child. MURDERED. It makes me ashamed to be a member of the human race. Will we ever stop killing each other??


4 Stars = It touched my heart, and/or gave me much food for thought.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

“THE LAW IS TRULY AN ASS”

So this book is interesting because only about 25% in the reader is already attending the trial and what I find astounding because I forgot just how prevalent this was back in the day was the forensic bitemark theories. THAT ARE STILL BEING USED IN COURT TO THIS DAY! Uuummm WHY!?!? It’s junk science and has been debunked. I read somewhere in the south forgot the state that once that happened 25% of the murderers who were convicted on that testimony alone were released. TWENTY FIVE %
One particular man had spent 8 years on death row. You know I get so conflicted because I am for the death penalty, esp in Utah where you can be shot by a firing squad, but then more and more esp lately you read about these horror stories (and they are often cast against minorities) and I get so pissed off. I need to google the Caucasian statistics because I guarantee they are lower. America lately has become just one big NO it’s a monstrous DON’T EVEN and we need fixing
I should have prefaced my last paragraph is focused on USA whereas the book takes place in Australia. If y'all read any of my sporadic crime reviews I constantly state Australia has some amazing crime to bite one's teeth into. This particular story has totally thrown off my third shift schedule because I can't put this book down.

[Baz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I had previously read a book by this author which I was also disappointed in.
The main reasons I'm so harsh on this book are because it claims to be an unbiased account (false) of facts (also false).
The writing is very heavily weighted against the defendant, with the exception of a couple of chapters.
While the facts of the investigation are presented, you can tell this is written by a journalist. As mentioned in my previous review of this author, 'facts' are discussed that couldn't possibly be known. Facts that were never presented to the author. Such as what a character was thinking at a certain point in the day, or which way the wind was blowing the on another day, 30 years prior.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked, and didn't like this book. The crime was pretty stomach-turning and the police work that followed made for compelling reading, but the endless court hearings that followed nearly killed my interest in reading it -- especially since the chapter headings told me how the hearings were going to come out. So what was the point in following every detail? It picked up at the end when we finally got to hear from some of the parties involved. I was amazed that the author was able to spend hours interviewing the defendant and his family as well as the victim's family. This book raises all kinds of excellent questions about the legal system, the people who pass through it and the forgotten ones -- the victims ground under its wheels. If the defendant is as innocent as he claims, he was pretty well ground up as well. What a nightmare.

[David Gagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched investigation on unsolved murder. Raised interesting legal questions.

[Amy Ryals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by Debi Marshall. This book yet so tragic was just unbelievable with the laws of double jeopardy. To the family and beautiful Mum Faye who lost her beloved daughter, my heart breaks for you every time I think of your baby. A must read.

[Jennie Bell · Rating 1 out of 5]

didnt finish this book