The Devil's Garden: A War Crimes Investigator's Story

by John R. Cencich

In 2002 John Cencich traveled to a safe house in Belgrade to interview the former head of a Yugoslav secret intelligence agency. In less than an hour, Cencich had what he corroboration of information provided by another spy. This evidence would be used against Slobodan Miloševic in his war crimes trial at The Hague. For the veteran United Nations war crimes investigator, however, the mission was business as usual. The Devil’s Garden is the inside story of the investigation and indictment of Slobodan Miloševic and the identification of fifteen coperpetrators in the joint criminal enterprise (JCE) that had resulted in the massacre of thousands of civilians. As the senior American investigator at The Hague, Cencich drew up the investigative plan, codeveloped the prosecution theory of the JCE, and wrote the first significant draft of the indictment. He also led the international team of police investigators, detectives, and special agents on the case against Miloševic and his inner circle of secret police, assassins, spies, terrorists, underworld figures, and murderous paramilitary leaders for crimes committed throughout Croatia. Here, readers will travel alongside Cencich as he journeys to The Hague and will see how these once-in-a-lifetime experiences affect him to this day. Detailing one of the largest international criminal investigations ever undertaken, this book is a unique blend of history, international law, and true crime in Europe’s deadliest battles since World War II.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Crime, Mystery

264 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

JOHN R. CENCICH, J.S.D., is a career law-enforcement professional who writes about his experiences investigating and leading investigations of war crimes and crimes against humanity as a senior international war crimes investigator for the United Nations at The Hague in the Netherlands. In his official capacity, he carried out missions in a number of countries to include the United States (Washington, D.C. and New York City), England, Scotland, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, and throughout the Balkans including all of the former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; he has directed many others all over the world. He previously served as a member of the Organized Crime Committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Wrongful Convictions, and a number of working groups of the Virginia State Crime Commission Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Reform. He is currently serving as vice chair of the International Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. In 2005, the Senate of Virginia passed a formal resolution commending him for his outstanding contributions to the Commonwealth, the nation, and the United Nations. He obtained his doctorate in Juridical Science from the University of Notre Dame and is an alumnus of executive education programs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Cencich lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Trevor Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

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