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Death and Justice: An Expose of Oklahoma's Death Row Machine ―An Investigation of Controversial Executions and Innocence by America's Most Famous Detective
Controversy rages about capital punishment as innocent men and women are being released from death rows all over the country. Are innocent people being executed? Is capital punishment justice or is it revenge? Into the debate steps Mark Fuhrman, America's most famous detective, and no stranger to controversy himself. Fuhrman seeks to answer these questions by investigating the death penalty in Oklahoma, where a "hang 'em high" attitude of cowboy justice resulted in twenty–one executions in 2001, more than any other state. Most of these cases came from one jurisdiction, Oklahoma County, where legendary DA Bob Macy bragged of sending more people to death row than any other prosecutor, and police chemist Joyce Gilchrist was eventually fired for mismanaging the crime lab. Examining police records, trial transcripts, appellate decisions and conducting hundreds of interviews, Fuhrman focuses his considerable investigative skills on more than a dozen of the most controversial Oklahoma death penalty cases.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
23 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Mark Fuhrman
10 books96 followersFormer LAPD detective, true crime writer and talk radio host.
He is primarily known for his part in the investigation of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and his subsequent felony conviction for perjury.
He is primarily known for his part in the investigation of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and his subsequent felony conviction for perjury.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 24, 2018
No matter what you think of Fuhrman as an individual, one has to give him credit for his true crime books.
I live in Oklahoma and this book hit home. I have been against the death penalty for many years on both principal and its uneven application racially and by gender. Even more are the number of wrongfully convicted who were given the death penalty.
This book documents how prosecutors and law enforcement have colluded (quite a topical word) to convict those quite possibly innocent. Evidence was at times fabricated or compromised, exculpatory facts were not given to the defense and people went to death row. Some may have been guilty but "may" is not the way our justice system (a gross misnomer if ever there was one) is supposed to work. Reasonable doubt was often denied the opportunity to be seen and certainly in some cases the individual convicted and executed was innocent of that crime. As of April of this year 162 people have been released from death row.
What amazes me is how hard prosecutors fight to keep someone on death row in spite of new and exonerating evidence. It's as if the conviction rate is more important than a person's life. It's as if. . .
So far more than the author or the author's literary acumen it's the subject matter of this book that makes it a must read for anyone with any sense and compassion.
I live in Oklahoma and this book hit home. I have been against the death penalty for many years on both principal and its uneven application racially and by gender. Even more are the number of wrongfully convicted who were given the death penalty.
This book documents how prosecutors and law enforcement have colluded (quite a topical word) to convict those quite possibly innocent. Evidence was at times fabricated or compromised, exculpatory facts were not given to the defense and people went to death row. Some may have been guilty but "may" is not the way our justice system (a gross misnomer if ever there was one) is supposed to work. Reasonable doubt was often denied the opportunity to be seen and certainly in some cases the individual convicted and executed was innocent of that crime. As of April of this year 162 people have been released from death row.
What amazes me is how hard prosecutors fight to keep someone on death row in spite of new and exonerating evidence. It's as if the conviction rate is more important than a person's life. It's as if. . .
So far more than the author or the author's literary acumen it's the subject matter of this book that makes it a must read for anyone with any sense and compassion.
September 13, 2013
First read this right after it came out in 2003. Just read it again as we (Oklahoma) executed another soul this week. Although the Macy-Gilchrist machine described in this book are long defunct, regretfully the death penalty in OK is alive and well, poor pun intended. Don't get me wrong, I am not soft on crime, not in the least. As the author's eleven year old daughter said about Timothy McVeigh's execution, “They shouldn't have killed him. They should have left in him jail for the rest of his life so he could think about what he did.” Many victim's family members felt the same way.
‘Earlier in our nation's history, executions were held in public. The citizens attending the execution had a mix of complex emotions concerning the killing of one of their own. They truly believed that the death penalty was a just punishment. At the time, they pitied the condemned, praying for them, even turning them into folk heroes—without forgetting the crimes they’d committed. Back then, people saw the condemned as human beings, in part because they saw the man or woman standing on the gallows. Still they supported the state’s decision to kill them and saw it as a moral necessity. There was a ritual aspect to public executions, in which the public was purged of collective guilt at the same time the person directly responsible was punished. There was also an element of theater; an execution drew bigger crowds than any other public event. Now we hide our executions. ... We aren’t squeamish about other forms of violence. Yet executions trouble us. We aren’t comfortable with them so we avert our eyes and thereby avoid responsibility.’ p.248
Dated but still relevant. Would like to read something more up-to-date, however, working through my own library right now.
‘Earlier in our nation's history, executions were held in public. The citizens attending the execution had a mix of complex emotions concerning the killing of one of their own. They truly believed that the death penalty was a just punishment. At the time, they pitied the condemned, praying for them, even turning them into folk heroes—without forgetting the crimes they’d committed. Back then, people saw the condemned as human beings, in part because they saw the man or woman standing on the gallows. Still they supported the state’s decision to kill them and saw it as a moral necessity. There was a ritual aspect to public executions, in which the public was purged of collective guilt at the same time the person directly responsible was punished. There was also an element of theater; an execution drew bigger crowds than any other public event. Now we hide our executions. ... We aren’t squeamish about other forms of violence. Yet executions trouble us. We aren’t comfortable with them so we avert our eyes and thereby avoid responsibility.’ p.248
Dated but still relevant. Would like to read something more up-to-date, however, working through my own library right now.
June 12, 2023
I initially wanted to read this book because of the case of Richard Glossip. He's an Oklahoma man who is sitting on death row. His case is bizarre though because he didn't actually kill anyone. He's accused of having a coworker kill their boss for money. The actual killer isn't on death row, but got a life sentence instead. It doesn't make much sense.
Anyway, I was intrigued about death row in Oklahoma because I've been following the Glossip case, so I decided to pick this one up. It covers a variety of death row cases, particularly ones that were very questionable, had weak evidence, or were later reversed because of proof that the accused was innocent. It also discussed a particular crime lab chemist who tended to sway evidence to side with the prosecution. In general, I have always believed in our criminal justice system, but this book showed me how very flawed it can be at times.
This book was written in 2003 so it was a bit outdated and left some cases unresolved that I believe have been resolved by now. Despite its age though, I still found it to be extremely thought-provoking. It definitely revealed some corruption that has shaken my beliefs a bit.
All in all, this was eye-opening and revealing. It made me wonder about my own thoughts and beliefs pertaining to criminal justice. I think it's a great thing when a book can show you another point of view and open your eyes to things that are going on in our world. That said, I'd recommend this one to fellow true crime fans, or anyone interested in the death penalty.
Anyway, I was intrigued about death row in Oklahoma because I've been following the Glossip case, so I decided to pick this one up. It covers a variety of death row cases, particularly ones that were very questionable, had weak evidence, or were later reversed because of proof that the accused was innocent. It also discussed a particular crime lab chemist who tended to sway evidence to side with the prosecution. In general, I have always believed in our criminal justice system, but this book showed me how very flawed it can be at times.
This book was written in 2003 so it was a bit outdated and left some cases unresolved that I believe have been resolved by now. Despite its age though, I still found it to be extremely thought-provoking. It definitely revealed some corruption that has shaken my beliefs a bit.
All in all, this was eye-opening and revealing. It made me wonder about my own thoughts and beliefs pertaining to criminal justice. I think it's a great thing when a book can show you another point of view and open your eyes to things that are going on in our world. That said, I'd recommend this one to fellow true crime fans, or anyone interested in the death penalty.
July 11, 2007
Before you say anything, I know...hi, everyone, it's Mark Fuhrman, racist cop from the mid 1990s. Ugh.
Anyway, this book provides a good glimpse into the process, failures and weaknesses in the way the death penalty is handled in the United States. Fuhrman knows his stuff, no doubt.
It's great fire for opponents of the death penalty, which is suprising, because in the beginning of the novel Fuhrman is hawkish and pro-death penalty. However, as his research into how the Oklahoma County (OK) DA's office and crime lab botched so many death penalty cases, misled juries in court, tampered with or hid evidence, and used junk science to influence outcomes of penalty trial phases, Furhman becomes decidedly against the death penalty.
The research is suprisingly good. The writing is pedestrian. This expose was written shortly after Illinois placed a moritorium on the death penalty, and I get the feeling that Furhman was trying to cash in on the ensuing controversy. If you are interested at all in law and order, or crime and punishment (hehe), it's worth a read.
Anyway, this book provides a good glimpse into the process, failures and weaknesses in the way the death penalty is handled in the United States. Fuhrman knows his stuff, no doubt.
It's great fire for opponents of the death penalty, which is suprising, because in the beginning of the novel Fuhrman is hawkish and pro-death penalty. However, as his research into how the Oklahoma County (OK) DA's office and crime lab botched so many death penalty cases, misled juries in court, tampered with or hid evidence, and used junk science to influence outcomes of penalty trial phases, Furhman becomes decidedly against the death penalty.
The research is suprisingly good. The writing is pedestrian. This expose was written shortly after Illinois placed a moritorium on the death penalty, and I get the feeling that Furhman was trying to cash in on the ensuing controversy. If you are interested at all in law and order, or crime and punishment (hehe), it's worth a read.
July 21, 2019
Not at all what I expected but very good!
July 22, 2010
Had no idea Fuhrman was doing this now - quite the career change. Actually his writing, whilst straightforward prose, isn't bad and he is well placed to offer a persepctive as a former cop.
i read this after reading Innocent Man by Grisham, whose writing is more fluent and it seems that, whatever you think about the death penalty, the process in OK leaves (or left) quite a bit to be desired.
It is interesting to read Fuhrman's take as a pro-death penalty advocate, at least when he set out. Statements like 'if he didin't do that he probably did a lot of other bad stuff' are concerning to say the least.
Will make you think about the issues around capital punishment other than the straightforward eye for an eye arguements - any innocent person executed should fill us all with horror.
i read this after reading Innocent Man by Grisham, whose writing is more fluent and it seems that, whatever you think about the death penalty, the process in OK leaves (or left) quite a bit to be desired.
It is interesting to read Fuhrman's take as a pro-death penalty advocate, at least when he set out. Statements like 'if he didin't do that he probably did a lot of other bad stuff' are concerning to say the least.
Will make you think about the issues around capital punishment other than the straightforward eye for an eye arguements - any innocent person executed should fill us all with horror.
May 22, 2012
An investigation into justice system abuses and mistakes by an Oklahoma City DA and criminologist. Although decently written, well analyzed, and thought provoking, I didn't think the arguments concerning the death penalty were stated as cogently as they could have been. Also, I think a more thorough characterization of the the criminologist, and, to a lesser extent, the DA would have added to the story.
March 20, 2013
Subtitled "An expose of Oklahoma's death row machine", the book exposes the empire of Bob Macy and Joyce Gilchrist and their desire to get a "win" at all costs--sending innocent people to prison and even death row in Oklahoma.
May 14, 2009
I had to read this for a crime and punishment class. For being a racist sleezeball he is a good writer and it is a good book. So good it changed my perspective and view on the death penalty.
Read
May 7, 2010It is difficult to imagine anyone supporting death penalty after reading this book.
May 21, 2014
boring
July 1, 2016
I didn't want to like this book but I did. Fuhrman's experiences inside the Oklahoma capital punishment machine turned him into an abolitionist.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews