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Reasonable Doubt: A True Story of Lust and Murder in the American Heartland
In November 1983, David Hendricks's wife and three children were found butchered in their Bloomington, Illinois, home while Hendricks was away on business. Hendricks soon became the prime suspect in the murders of his family. Reissue.
Hardcover
First published May 15, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
February 25, 2019
This was an even better read the second time around, with the new information added. This story followed me all the years after I read it when I first came out, because it was so odd and I just couldn't get it to fit together neatly into a picture of what must have happened to the Hendricks family. It still doesn't really fit, but I was astonished on this second reading, during the exemplary closing argument by defense counsel, to have the accused man's attorney draw me a picture of how his client could have managed to kill the kids without alerting their mother to the danger and vice-versa. That was the biggest problem for me all along. In the updated information, I also finally found out where the author himself stood on the question of the accused's guilt or innocence. (Like me, the closest he could come was an answer that included the word "probably.") People who hate reading a lot of courtroom transcript will suffer through this book, and readers who want a nice, clear answer at the end will come away very unsatisfied.
July 12, 2018
This may be considered to contain spoilers but then again, you already know the family was killed and the father was convicted of it, so there's nothing like that to spoil.
No new evidence is presented that was disallowed at trial either, so it's not there are any surprises so to speak or previously unknown circumstances. Essentially this book is a bit of background and then the majority of it just covers the trial; basically the narrative of the transcripts.
I an not convinced there is any reasonable doubt after reading it. David Hendrix has to be the man. His motive is weak to us "normal' folks, especially these days where divorce is so commonplace. But don't forget, he is part of a small, fundamentalist Christian group and in my opinion, religious zealots like fundamentalist Christians warp their members brains, especially those who grew up in it and have never had the opportunity to know any other way of thinking or be exposed to any other belief system or way of life.
Who leaves on a business trip at midnight when it involves a drive of over 6 hours when you don't have some deadline meeting or appointment to make no less?
Anyone who says that he/she has never been frustrated with their kids is full of shit. I don't care how much you love them, I don't care how patient of a person you are, if you are a parent you have been frustrated with your child. If you have been in a relationship of any kind, be it a sibling, parent-child, spouse, or even close friend, again, no matter how much you love them, you have been frustrated with them at some point. Anyone who says otherwise is definitely hiding something.
Then we have these models. If they were making it up, why wouldn't they have made up something a little more salacious, a little more aggressive, a little more "classic creeper" advances? What did any of them have to gain by making anything up? Clearly Hendrix had no "game" and it's so incredibly believable his awkward idea of a sexual advance.
Then there's the argument that the lack of blood in his car/watch/clothing/etc. The thing is, there was obviously a lot of blood spatter in the kids' room which mean blood went somewhere, but thee was like virtually no blood tracked anywhere. Thing is, if it were an actual burglary then it would have had to been an opportunity murder, meaning the thief didn't bring his own weapon since he used a knife and ax found in the house. It could not therefore been a premeditated murder so he wouldn't have had a plan set out for blood spatter issues. I doubt he would have been so meticulous.
If it were a premeditated murder by a stranger, why would the killer have not had his own weapons?
Clearly it was premeditated and Hendrix had plenty of time to plan and execute the murders, prevent a mess throughout the house and had that whole drive to Wisconsin to dispose of any bloody clothing, etc.
No new evidence is presented that was disallowed at trial either, so it's not there are any surprises so to speak or previously unknown circumstances. Essentially this book is a bit of background and then the majority of it just covers the trial; basically the narrative of the transcripts.
I an not convinced there is any reasonable doubt after reading it. David Hendrix has to be the man. His motive is weak to us "normal' folks, especially these days where divorce is so commonplace. But don't forget, he is part of a small, fundamentalist Christian group and in my opinion, religious zealots like fundamentalist Christians warp their members brains, especially those who grew up in it and have never had the opportunity to know any other way of thinking or be exposed to any other belief system or way of life.
Who leaves on a business trip at midnight when it involves a drive of over 6 hours when you don't have some deadline meeting or appointment to make no less?
Anyone who says that he/she has never been frustrated with their kids is full of shit. I don't care how much you love them, I don't care how patient of a person you are, if you are a parent you have been frustrated with your child. If you have been in a relationship of any kind, be it a sibling, parent-child, spouse, or even close friend, again, no matter how much you love them, you have been frustrated with them at some point. Anyone who says otherwise is definitely hiding something.
Then we have these models. If they were making it up, why wouldn't they have made up something a little more salacious, a little more aggressive, a little more "classic creeper" advances? What did any of them have to gain by making anything up? Clearly Hendrix had no "game" and it's so incredibly believable his awkward idea of a sexual advance.
Then there's the argument that the lack of blood in his car/watch/clothing/etc. The thing is, there was obviously a lot of blood spatter in the kids' room which mean blood went somewhere, but thee was like virtually no blood tracked anywhere. Thing is, if it were an actual burglary then it would have had to been an opportunity murder, meaning the thief didn't bring his own weapon since he used a knife and ax found in the house. It could not therefore been a premeditated murder so he wouldn't have had a plan set out for blood spatter issues. I doubt he would have been so meticulous.
If it were a premeditated murder by a stranger, why would the killer have not had his own weapons?
Clearly it was premeditated and Hendrix had plenty of time to plan and execute the murders, prevent a mess throughout the house and had that whole drive to Wisconsin to dispose of any bloody clothing, etc.
April 5, 2022
** 4 stars**
I feel like I am now almost an expert in a crime that I had never heard of before reading this book.
I listened to the audiobook of Reasonable Doubt: A Shocking Story of Lust and Murder in the American Heartland, which was a recommendation after listening to many true crime audiobooks. This was my first delve into a Steve Vogel book, and I don't think it will be my last. I think it was very well researched, and I liked how he was not afraid to not have an opinion, but presented all of the facts and outlined the inconsistencies in the prosecutions case and the issues with David Hendrix's story.
The story of the Hendrix family is really very heartbreaking- Susan (30), Rebekah (9), Grace (7), and Benjamin (5) where brutally murdered (with an axe and butcher knife) while asleep in their beds. Police suspicion immediately falls on David Hendrix who was out of town at the time of. the murders. The prosecution assembles a case based on circumstantial evidence and pseudo science, that did not convince me that David Hendrix was guilty... however, the defence also failed to present an alternate theory of what might have happened.
I am unsure of what happened to the Hendrix family. I want to believe that David did not brutally murder his family, but there is no other logical theory! I don't believe there was evidence to convict David, but I am also not sure that he wasn't guilty.
Great book, looking forward to reading more by Steve Vogel in the future.
I feel like I am now almost an expert in a crime that I had never heard of before reading this book.
I listened to the audiobook of Reasonable Doubt: A Shocking Story of Lust and Murder in the American Heartland, which was a recommendation after listening to many true crime audiobooks. This was my first delve into a Steve Vogel book, and I don't think it will be my last. I think it was very well researched, and I liked how he was not afraid to not have an opinion, but presented all of the facts and outlined the inconsistencies in the prosecutions case and the issues with David Hendrix's story.
The story of the Hendrix family is really very heartbreaking- Susan (30), Rebekah (9), Grace (7), and Benjamin (5) where brutally murdered (with an axe and butcher knife) while asleep in their beds. Police suspicion immediately falls on David Hendrix who was out of town at the time of. the murders. The prosecution assembles a case based on circumstantial evidence and pseudo science, that did not convince me that David Hendrix was guilty... however, the defence also failed to present an alternate theory of what might have happened.
I am unsure of what happened to the Hendrix family. I want to believe that David did not brutally murder his family, but there is no other logical theory! I don't believe there was evidence to convict David, but I am also not sure that he wasn't guilty.
Great book, looking forward to reading more by Steve Vogel in the future.
August 7, 2018
An interesting read, with a dubious outcome.
Although i skip read a lot of the trial transcript I was still fascinated with this story.
At times the grammar is a little annoying (particularly the capital letters which are overused) but on the whole this book is well researched and presented fairly - leaving you to make your own conclusions about the perpetrator/s.
For fans of true crime this is a 4* read.
Although i skip read a lot of the trial transcript I was still fascinated with this story.
At times the grammar is a little annoying (particularly the capital letters which are overused) but on the whole this book is well researched and presented fairly - leaving you to make your own conclusions about the perpetrator/s.
For fans of true crime this is a 4* read.
October 5, 2023
I first heard about this case on a podcast. I was able to find the audiobook on Hoopla. Most of the book is court transcripts from the trial, but it wasn’t dry at all. The story held my attention the entire time. The book had 2 sections of updates at the end.
September 1, 2021
I'm not sure why I took this on, as I'm not really a fan of the true-crime genre - with the exceptions of Helter Skelter and Fatal Vision. Anyway, not surprisingly, this tome became tedious when the author included so much actual testimony from the trial, with the lawyers' endless questioning of 'expert' witnesses and then the other 'experts' who rebutted what the first ones said.
So it was a long slog. The story of what really happened to David Hendricks - a devout Christian and from all accounts a devoted husband and father - when he was accused of murdering his wife and three children with an ax and knife in 1983 is actually a compelling one. It's just that this rendition included far more than I wanted to know.
From now on if I want to know about any real crime story, I'll get the condensed version from Wikipedia.
So it was a long slog. The story of what really happened to David Hendricks - a devout Christian and from all accounts a devoted husband and father - when he was accused of murdering his wife and three children with an ax and knife in 1983 is actually a compelling one. It's just that this rendition included far more than I wanted to know.
From now on if I want to know about any real crime story, I'll get the condensed version from Wikipedia.
February 25, 2019
Even better on a second reading
This story followed me all the years after I read it when it first came out, and with the updated re-release I have more to think about than ever. What a head-scratcher of a story this is. It never quite adds up as satisfactorily as I would like. Did he do it? If he did do it, why? There's a lot of food for thought here, but I can't recommend it to readers who want everything wrapped up tidily with a bow on top when they reach the last page...
This story followed me all the years after I read it when it first came out, and with the updated re-release I have more to think about than ever. What a head-scratcher of a story this is. It never quite adds up as satisfactorily as I would like. Did he do it? If he did do it, why? There's a lot of food for thought here, but I can't recommend it to readers who want everything wrapped up tidily with a bow on top when they reach the last page...
March 10, 2013
I read this book when it first came out in 1990 and have been trying to find it since then. This book was UNBELIEVABLE. Frequently, I had my mouth open while reading it. What makes this stranger than fiction, that I just found out trying to locate the name of this book, is that the murderer had his conviction overturned and relocated down to Orlando.
July 23, 2014
Good, solid account of an interesting case. More trial-based than many other true-crime books. I appreciated the fact that the author waited until the epilogue before inserting himself into the narrative.
July 14, 2018
Great writing.
This book is a “can’t put down book. I believed David Hendricks to be innocent. Glad he went on with his life.
This book is a “can’t put down book. I believed David Hendricks to be innocent. Glad he went on with his life.
March 29, 2023
I lived in Bloomington for 2 years and this case always blew my mind. This book is amazingly written and has so much good information. Such a good read!!!
June 20, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
September 10, 2018
Well done. An innocent man!
I became so angry while reading this book; and I have to be clear here, the very heart of this book is the trial itself. If I were David Hendricks, I would have elected to have a bench trial, decided by the judge, NOT a jury trial
We're these jurors LISTENING? I could not believe their ridiculous verdict. I expected it, due to the way this book begins, but I was still shocked.
There is no way David Hendricks killed his wife and three children, then drove to Wisconsin for business. He would have had to have been a magician.
No motive. No fingerprints. No blood. No weapon. Not one single thing connected this poor man to the horribly gruesome murders of his family. Why smash his adored son's face to pieces, and slash it some more? No reason. No reason was really given by the prosecution that EVER held water. Mr. Hendricks SLAUGHTERED HIS ENTIRE FAMILY because he had " lustful thoughts? " Lustful thoughts that are so incredibly LAME in a world full of cheating and extramarital affairs?
David Hendricks never ever cheated on his wife. He never would have, in my opinion. His life was wonderful. Why ruin it, AND become a monster who slashes beats his family to death? There is NO REASON,, unless you want to believe that detective who must have walked around all day, every day, wearing blinders. The detective never even considered another suspect! He wasn't even decent to the man he had decided was responsible for the murders! No pat on the back, no " I'm sorry you've lost your family", no sympathy, just one angry (and who knows why) detective with a baffling case to solve. Either this detective was stupid, mean, lazy, incompetent, or all of the above.
This "Brethren" religion or whatever it is strikes me as being awfully odd, not to mention ridiculous when it comes to how they treat women. Yet David Hendricks treated his wife and children like the treasures they were to him. Apparently , that meant NOTHING to the prosecution hell bent on convicting an innocent man.
If the deciding factor in this trial came down to how long the food had been in the victim's stomachs, then to me, there's no case. Where's the weapon? Never found. Motive? David was " somewhat attracted " to a couple of women he had to fit for his orthopedic back braces. OK! DID HE ACT ON THOSE FEELINGS? Not even close. He was so innocent he felt terrible that he even thought anything "impure" and even apologized to two of the women for "seeming out of line", which he never was! Even the women/ models said this!
David's defense attorneys were too notch. He could not have asked for better representation. Yet...THAT STUPID JURY. If I had been in that jury I would have hung it. No doubt in my mind. There was BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT.
Yet those bumpkins convicted. Shame on them. Weren't they LISTENING?
My father is a Homicide detective. He'd have rolled his eyes at this. No WAY was David Hendricks guilty. This book was very well written. Usually I tend to skip a bit reading all the trial transcripts. Not here. It's fascinating. Oh, and Dr. Michael Baden. that egomaniac, can go pound salt. His testimony was made irrelevant by VERY WELL TRAINED PATHOLOGISTS. HOWEVER, the jury was swayed by a famous name, : and he was not only wrong, it was pretty much established DURING the trial that his testimony was iffy at best. Plus he was PAID OF COURSE.
Read this book. The ending will have you on the edge of your seat, and you'll root for David Hendricks. And you should. Well done. Remember, it's not over until it's over!
I became so angry while reading this book; and I have to be clear here, the very heart of this book is the trial itself. If I were David Hendricks, I would have elected to have a bench trial, decided by the judge, NOT a jury trial
We're these jurors LISTENING? I could not believe their ridiculous verdict. I expected it, due to the way this book begins, but I was still shocked.
There is no way David Hendricks killed his wife and three children, then drove to Wisconsin for business. He would have had to have been a magician.
No motive. No fingerprints. No blood. No weapon. Not one single thing connected this poor man to the horribly gruesome murders of his family. Why smash his adored son's face to pieces, and slash it some more? No reason. No reason was really given by the prosecution that EVER held water. Mr. Hendricks SLAUGHTERED HIS ENTIRE FAMILY because he had " lustful thoughts? " Lustful thoughts that are so incredibly LAME in a world full of cheating and extramarital affairs?
David Hendricks never ever cheated on his wife. He never would have, in my opinion. His life was wonderful. Why ruin it, AND become a monster who slashes beats his family to death? There is NO REASON,, unless you want to believe that detective who must have walked around all day, every day, wearing blinders. The detective never even considered another suspect! He wasn't even decent to the man he had decided was responsible for the murders! No pat on the back, no " I'm sorry you've lost your family", no sympathy, just one angry (and who knows why) detective with a baffling case to solve. Either this detective was stupid, mean, lazy, incompetent, or all of the above.
This "Brethren" religion or whatever it is strikes me as being awfully odd, not to mention ridiculous when it comes to how they treat women. Yet David Hendricks treated his wife and children like the treasures they were to him. Apparently , that meant NOTHING to the prosecution hell bent on convicting an innocent man.
If the deciding factor in this trial came down to how long the food had been in the victim's stomachs, then to me, there's no case. Where's the weapon? Never found. Motive? David was " somewhat attracted " to a couple of women he had to fit for his orthopedic back braces. OK! DID HE ACT ON THOSE FEELINGS? Not even close. He was so innocent he felt terrible that he even thought anything "impure" and even apologized to two of the women for "seeming out of line", which he never was! Even the women/ models said this!
David's defense attorneys were too notch. He could not have asked for better representation. Yet...THAT STUPID JURY. If I had been in that jury I would have hung it. No doubt in my mind. There was BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT.
Yet those bumpkins convicted. Shame on them. Weren't they LISTENING?
My father is a Homicide detective. He'd have rolled his eyes at this. No WAY was David Hendricks guilty. This book was very well written. Usually I tend to skip a bit reading all the trial transcripts. Not here. It's fascinating. Oh, and Dr. Michael Baden. that egomaniac, can go pound salt. His testimony was made irrelevant by VERY WELL TRAINED PATHOLOGISTS. HOWEVER, the jury was swayed by a famous name, : and he was not only wrong, it was pretty much established DURING the trial that his testimony was iffy at best. Plus he was PAID OF COURSE.
Read this book. The ending will have you on the edge of your seat, and you'll root for David Hendricks. And you should. Well done. Remember, it's not over until it's over!
January 18, 2023
I read this book and at some point in the 90's and remembered it being really good and it lived up to that expectation. I really prefer my true crime in the Truman Capote style where the author just tells the story and doesn't insert himself into the narrative and have been re-reading some older books because of this. Anyway, this is a really interesting book, however it is heavy on the trial information. About half the book is recounts the first trial, so you have to be somewhat interested in trials to enjoy this book. It was great having the updates of what has transpired since the first trial.
This was a really weird crime. A mother and 3 young kids were all killed with an axe as they slept. Somehow what must have been a very bloody crime didn't leave a lot of evidence to follow. It seems like the crime scene could have been cleaned up or partially cleaned up, or at least that's what I inferred from the fact that additional blood spatter was found using Luminol. All of the weapons were from the house. Killers who break in for a burglary gone wrong or a thrill kill don't often forget to bring their own weapons and then try to clean up. So yeah, it makes sense that David Hendricks would have done this. But what was the motive for such a vicious and heinous crime as killing your own children with an axe?!?! One thought I had was that I could see parallels with the Watts family murders, where Chris Watts seemed like this loving husband and father and perfectly nice guy but in actuality was a narcissist who was able to dispose of his own family. Certainly there were moments that were recounted when David Hendricks seemed like he had some narcissistic tendencies. I think we also know at least a little bit more today about religious trauma and the negative impact of needing to adhere to very fundamentalist beliefs and expectations, and maybe Hendricks did have extreme fear and guilt over what he had done with his advertising models. (Although I have to say that Hendricks' religion, which was characterized as being very unusual in 1983, seems very similar to me to current Evangelical Christianity, which does not seem very uncommon today.) It's also interesting that Hendricks was divorced twice after this happened. He must have shed his fundamentalist Biblical beliefs at some point.
I had to agree with Judge Baner that it seems likely to me that Hendricks did this but there isn't any evidence. The real problem is that this crime was not thoroughly investigated when it happened. It sounds like the police, who probably weren't used to investigating complex crimes like this one in sleepy, little Bloomington, got tunnel vision, decided it had to be Hendricks and then didn't investigate any other theories. The fact that Hendricks was indicted in less than 2 months for such a complicated crime as the axe murder of 4 people tells me that they did little, if any, investigating. It's very sad that there is still no justice for Susan Hendricks and her 3 kids and will probably never be.
This was a really weird crime. A mother and 3 young kids were all killed with an axe as they slept. Somehow what must have been a very bloody crime didn't leave a lot of evidence to follow. It seems like the crime scene could have been cleaned up or partially cleaned up, or at least that's what I inferred from the fact that additional blood spatter was found using Luminol. All of the weapons were from the house. Killers who break in for a burglary gone wrong or a thrill kill don't often forget to bring their own weapons and then try to clean up. So yeah, it makes sense that David Hendricks would have done this. But what was the motive for such a vicious and heinous crime as killing your own children with an axe?!?! One thought I had was that I could see parallels with the Watts family murders, where Chris Watts seemed like this loving husband and father and perfectly nice guy but in actuality was a narcissist who was able to dispose of his own family. Certainly there were moments that were recounted when David Hendricks seemed like he had some narcissistic tendencies. I think we also know at least a little bit more today about religious trauma and the negative impact of needing to adhere to very fundamentalist beliefs and expectations, and maybe Hendricks did have extreme fear and guilt over what he had done with his advertising models. (Although I have to say that Hendricks' religion, which was characterized as being very unusual in 1983, seems very similar to me to current Evangelical Christianity, which does not seem very uncommon today.) It's also interesting that Hendricks was divorced twice after this happened. He must have shed his fundamentalist Biblical beliefs at some point.
I had to agree with Judge Baner that it seems likely to me that Hendricks did this but there isn't any evidence. The real problem is that this crime was not thoroughly investigated when it happened. It sounds like the police, who probably weren't used to investigating complex crimes like this one in sleepy, little Bloomington, got tunnel vision, decided it had to be Hendricks and then didn't investigate any other theories. The fact that Hendricks was indicted in less than 2 months for such a complicated crime as the axe murder of 4 people tells me that they did little, if any, investigating. It's very sad that there is still no justice for Susan Hendricks and her 3 kids and will probably never be.
May 5, 2018
REASONABLE DOUBT:A SHOCKING STORY OF LUST AND MURDER IN THE AMERICAN HEARTLAND BY STEVE VOGEL.
This is the second time I have read the book,or rather the second version of the book I have read. I have read the original copy many years ago and was more than curious as to what has happened since that terrible time. For you see, I lived in Bloomington Illinois during the time of the Hendricks murders and many of us who did ,will NEVER forget waking up in the morning and hearing the horrible news of the crime. It did change the atmosphere in our sleepy little town. Up to that point, crime was here, but not really talked about. The Hendricks murder not only opened our eyes to the realization that murder could happen but it took a town that thought nothing of leaving doors unlocked and woke us up to the real world! Like everyone else I watched the news and saw Mr.Hendricks look into the camera and tell the whole audience he forgave the person who butchered his family. Like most of us, I had decided early on that he was the killer. Like the rest of Bloomington Illinois, I started making sure all the doors and windows were locked and I have never felt safe again.
Reasonable Doubt is a very very graphic book. It describes in details not only the murder scene but the trial step by step. If you are squeamish think twice about reading this book.
The book dives into the lives of David and his family . It does have its dull spots here and there but if you want the real feel of a murder investigation Reasonable Doubt is for you.
Mr Vogel the author worked as a local reporter and along with other reporters, carried the story. Mr. Vogel took the story and took it further by writing this book and the original book .
With the revised book he has taken and added various different opinions from officers, and various family and friends of Hendricks as well as new information , especially about Hendricks and his life after the murders. I think with this book, the revised edition he has taken the original book a step further allows the reader to decide for themselves: Guilty or Innocent. Even after all these years , this book sets my nerves on edge. The main questions after reading Reasonable Doubt is Did Hendricks kill his family? Did the States Attn make a good enough case? If Hendricks did not do it who did? Has justice been served for Susie and her children? And why the Hendricks home if it was random why did it not happen again?
Needless to say REASONABLE DOUBT is still as intense as it was when first published.
This is the second time I have read the book,or rather the second version of the book I have read. I have read the original copy many years ago and was more than curious as to what has happened since that terrible time. For you see, I lived in Bloomington Illinois during the time of the Hendricks murders and many of us who did ,will NEVER forget waking up in the morning and hearing the horrible news of the crime. It did change the atmosphere in our sleepy little town. Up to that point, crime was here, but not really talked about. The Hendricks murder not only opened our eyes to the realization that murder could happen but it took a town that thought nothing of leaving doors unlocked and woke us up to the real world! Like everyone else I watched the news and saw Mr.Hendricks look into the camera and tell the whole audience he forgave the person who butchered his family. Like most of us, I had decided early on that he was the killer. Like the rest of Bloomington Illinois, I started making sure all the doors and windows were locked and I have never felt safe again.
Reasonable Doubt is a very very graphic book. It describes in details not only the murder scene but the trial step by step. If you are squeamish think twice about reading this book.
The book dives into the lives of David and his family . It does have its dull spots here and there but if you want the real feel of a murder investigation Reasonable Doubt is for you.
Mr Vogel the author worked as a local reporter and along with other reporters, carried the story. Mr. Vogel took the story and took it further by writing this book and the original book .
With the revised book he has taken and added various different opinions from officers, and various family and friends of Hendricks as well as new information , especially about Hendricks and his life after the murders. I think with this book, the revised edition he has taken the original book a step further allows the reader to decide for themselves: Guilty or Innocent. Even after all these years , this book sets my nerves on edge. The main questions after reading Reasonable Doubt is Did Hendricks kill his family? Did the States Attn make a good enough case? If Hendricks did not do it who did? Has justice been served for Susie and her children? And why the Hendricks home if it was random why did it not happen again?
Needless to say REASONABLE DOUBT is still as intense as it was when first published.
November 13, 2022
On November 7th 1983, Susan Hendricks and her three children, Rebekah, Grace, and Benjy were all killed with an axe while they slept in their beds. Susan's husband, David, and the father of their children was out of town on a business trip but returned immediately and was almost immediately cast under a cloud of suspicion by the town police. He was arrested about a month later and tried for the murders. This is their story.
I ordinarily love true-crime stories, but I didn't care for this one. The author must have spent every single day at the trial because the entire book is about the trial. Like there is almost no discussion of the crime scene, except what was testified about at the trial. There was a nice chapter about David and Susan and how they met and fell in love and all that, but it was way too short. There was entirely too much dependence on the trial. And the trial itself was flawed. The police it seemed had decided that David Hendricks was guilty, to the exclusion of any other possibility and so they railroaded him into court. They tried him with next to zero evidence... the major thing they had on him was opportunity. They didn't have hardly anything tying him to the actual crime scene: fingerprints or footprints or blood spatter. This book was wholly unsatisfying. And the outcome has since changed (and for the better) for Mr. Hendricks. So, read this book if you must, but then go look on Wikipedia.
I ordinarily love true-crime stories, but I didn't care for this one. The author must have spent every single day at the trial because the entire book is about the trial. Like there is almost no discussion of the crime scene, except what was testified about at the trial. There was a nice chapter about David and Susan and how they met and fell in love and all that, but it was way too short. There was entirely too much dependence on the trial. And the trial itself was flawed. The police it seemed had decided that David Hendricks was guilty, to the exclusion of any other possibility and so they railroaded him into court. They tried him with next to zero evidence... the major thing they had on him was opportunity. They didn't have hardly anything tying him to the actual crime scene: fingerprints or footprints or blood spatter. This book was wholly unsatisfying. And the outcome has since changed (and for the better) for Mr. Hendricks. So, read this book if you must, but then go look on Wikipedia.
May 2, 2018
Nice book from a talented writer.
The narrative details the early years and subsequent marriage of the Hendricks family up to the tragic night when Susan Hendricks & her children were murdered brutally with an ax and a butcher knife. After the murders, the narrative shares the investigation and trial of David Hendricks, Susan’s husband, who was charged with the murder. Hendricks was initially convicted but was later acquitted. He is now free man.
Vogel does an excellent job of clarifying the fact that, while Hendricks may have killed his family, the prosecution failed to prove it beyond a “reasonable doubt”. He hits a high point in the epilogue where he disputes the prosecution’s case quite convincingly. Additionally, this writer served as journalist and followed the high profile case in real time, which allows for an expert and intimate pov of this trial. Recent news states that this book will be reissued with updated material and more photos. The case was also covered in a recent episode of “20/20 on I.D. “
Expect to come away from reading feeling truly uncomfortable.
The narrative details the early years and subsequent marriage of the Hendricks family up to the tragic night when Susan Hendricks & her children were murdered brutally with an ax and a butcher knife. After the murders, the narrative shares the investigation and trial of David Hendricks, Susan’s husband, who was charged with the murder. Hendricks was initially convicted but was later acquitted. He is now free man.
Vogel does an excellent job of clarifying the fact that, while Hendricks may have killed his family, the prosecution failed to prove it beyond a “reasonable doubt”. He hits a high point in the epilogue where he disputes the prosecution’s case quite convincingly. Additionally, this writer served as journalist and followed the high profile case in real time, which allows for an expert and intimate pov of this trial. Recent news states that this book will be reissued with updated material and more photos. The case was also covered in a recent episode of “20/20 on I.D. “
Expect to come away from reading feeling truly uncomfortable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2018
I listened to this book on Audible in the car and I think that was a good choice. It was super long and I made excuses to drive places just to listen to the next bit. I found the story fascinating, full of detail and shocking in the outcome. I really appreciated that it had been updated so we heard about what had happened to this man since he was found guilty. That was a lot more information than I had found on the internet when I got impatient halfway through and googled to see if he was found guilty!
The section with the trial was a little drawn out and I felt it could have been condensed. I suspect if I had read the book I might have skipped over parts of the trial. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys true crime. I enjoyed the narrator, too.
The section with the trial was a little drawn out and I felt it could have been condensed. I suspect if I had read the book I might have skipped over parts of the trial. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys true crime. I enjoyed the narrator, too.
June 3, 2018
Kept me guessing
I enjoyed this book a lot. I kept going back and forth trying to decide if Hendricks was guilty of not. I didn't come to my final conclusion until the last pages of the book.
I do think that the section dealing with the trial could have been condensed quite a bit. There was too much repetition and the discussion of stomach contents as evidence was WAY too long. I finally ended up skipping through that part. This was the only reason I have the book four stars instead of five.
All in all, though, I thought the book was very interesting and I highly recommend it to true crime readers.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I kept going back and forth trying to decide if Hendricks was guilty of not. I didn't come to my final conclusion until the last pages of the book.
I do think that the section dealing with the trial could have been condensed quite a bit. There was too much repetition and the discussion of stomach contents as evidence was WAY too long. I finally ended up skipping through that part. This was the only reason I have the book four stars instead of five.
All in all, though, I thought the book was very interesting and I highly recommend it to true crime readers.
December 15, 2019
I started this book several months ago, read about a third of it, and laid it down. I struggled to really get into it. I decided to give it another try. I did not enjoy this book. I will say they did a good job of sticking to the facts which allows the reader to make their own determination at the end on Mr Hendricks guilt or innocence. But the getting there is dry, and in my opinion they spent way too many pages talking about the reliability of using a victims stomach contents to determine time off death. Read the first few chapters and the last few chapters and you have the same story without all the ramblings.
August 19, 2020
Exhaustively Researched
Having just finished an equally well researched book on serial killer Israel Keyes, who specifically targeted complete strangers, I don't find it at all unfeasible that the murders of Susan Hendricks and the children could have been perpetrated by someone unknown to the community. David Hendricks may be guilty, but I don't understand how the first jury could decide that beyond a reasonable doubt.
Having just finished an equally well researched book on serial killer Israel Keyes, who specifically targeted complete strangers, I don't find it at all unfeasible that the murders of Susan Hendricks and the children could have been perpetrated by someone unknown to the community. David Hendricks may be guilty, but I don't understand how the first jury could decide that beyond a reasonable doubt.
January 26, 2019
Gripping Read
This lengthy, detailed and unpredictable story is a fascinating read. I loved the inclusion of the in-depth arguments presented
by both the prosecution and defense teams. The book is epic and excellently framed, in chronological order. Also, the many
expert testimonies are included. In the end, the reader is still
left with some doubt. Guilty or innocent?
This lengthy, detailed and unpredictable story is a fascinating read. I loved the inclusion of the in-depth arguments presented
by both the prosecution and defense teams. The book is epic and excellently framed, in chronological order. Also, the many
expert testimonies are included. In the end, the reader is still
left with some doubt. Guilty or innocent?
May 3, 2018
True Crime
had read a short summary of this case years ago and had always wondered what finally had happened. I the book and decided to check it. It was the same case and I was interested in reading it. It is a good true crime book and one which I find will surely enjoy.
had read a short summary of this case years ago and had always wondered what finally had happened. I the book and decided to check it. It was the same case and I was interested in reading it. It is a good true crime book and one which I find will surely enjoy.
September 6, 2018
I am very interested in crime, psychology, murder, etc. You get it all in this factual based book. It is a true story, updated at the end to include the present day. ''Who Done It''. I am still debating, whoever did the murders which were horrific certainly made a great job of covering evidence. I felt that the police in the small town honed in too quickly on the husband, without looking for any more suspects. There was no evidence to convict the husband I felt ''Without a reasonable doubt''. It was a very long drawn out trial, with some ridiculous, and not necessary witnesses, who witnessed nothing. I personally would not wish to have been a juror. I got the impression that by the end they got bogged down with too much unnecessary trivial nonsense. At one point a juror falls asleep, for me that tells me something. In the beginning I am of the opinion this man is innocent, sentenced to 7 years for a crime he did not commit. There was talk of one of the family having had reason to commit the murders, and 'frame' the husband, yet there appeared no proper follow up. They were into a quite strict religious group, that had men in control, women were irrelevant apart from remaining a virgin until marriage. After marriage to a man within their 'faith' having babies, COD for housework, no TV/Radio, books. They could do knitting, sewing, and read the bible. Divorce was out, if you left the religion you forfeited everything including family. The men seemed to be able to do what they liked under the heading ''What one does not see, one does not know''. He marries 3 times after getting his appeal, and has 2 more children. Do I think he did the murders?? One day I think ''Yes definitely''. Next day I think ''Probably not, it was the relative who was never chased up''. Read it, and you decide for yourself. I gave it 3 stars, because at times like the juror I too nodded off while reading, which is very unusual for me being a prolific reader.
April 5, 2022
I read this book (well, I listened to the audiobook) at the suggestion of a teacher friend. I'd never heard anything about this case, which took place in 1983 just 2.5 hours from where I grew up, so I didn't read anything about it until I finished the book.
My thoughts:
The story focuses on the trial of a man who was being charged with murdering his wife and three kids. Most of the narrative is simply the court transcripts, testimony which is long and repetitive. There could have been more summary...because there is A LOT about gastric contents. A LOT. So much talk of stomach juices and solids.
I kept thinking that the guy probably did kill his family but that he would have to be found not guilty because there wasn't any real evidence presented. There was too much reasonable doubt. I mean, isn't it better to let a guilty man go free than to lock up an innocent man?
The prosecution's closing arguments are pretty good. Compelling. The defense attorney kept saying "the play's the thing" in his closing argument, a Hamlet allusion that doesn't really make sense in this context. I wonder if he's ever actually read Hamlet, because "the play" is a metaphor for guilt. It's meant to reveal the King's guilty conscious over murdering his brother. I can't figure out why the DEFENSE would make that reference. Am I missing something?
Later, I started to think the guy/husband/father was a sociopath and probably actually did kill his family.
Then again, maybe not.
But wait! There's a twist. Or two! Or three!
Who's going to make the true crime documentary of this case?
My thoughts:
The story focuses on the trial of a man who was being charged with murdering his wife and three kids. Most of the narrative is simply the court transcripts, testimony which is long and repetitive. There could have been more summary...because there is A LOT about gastric contents. A LOT. So much talk of stomach juices and solids.
I kept thinking that the guy probably did kill his family but that he would have to be found not guilty because there wasn't any real evidence presented. There was too much reasonable doubt. I mean, isn't it better to let a guilty man go free than to lock up an innocent man?
The prosecution's closing arguments are pretty good. Compelling. The defense attorney kept saying "the play's the thing" in his closing argument, a Hamlet allusion that doesn't really make sense in this context. I wonder if he's ever actually read Hamlet, because "the play" is a metaphor for guilt. It's meant to reveal the King's guilty conscious over murdering his brother. I can't figure out why the DEFENSE would make that reference. Am I missing something?
Later, I started to think the guy/husband/father was a sociopath and probably actually did kill his family.
Then again, maybe not.
But wait! There's a twist. Or two! Or three!
Who's going to make the true crime documentary of this case?
June 17, 2019
This book was very hard to rate. On the one hand, I think the book itself is pretty good, but on the other hand the prosecution in the case was horrible, and I don't know whether it's actually the prosecution that was horrible or simply the writing! How anyone could have found him guilty with absolutely no evidence whatsoever is totally baffling!
Clearly, I was not there was a trial, and I may have been swayed by the presentation, and the fact that they feel and the Illinois Supreme Court were both against him must say something, but as represented in this book, I am in total agreement with the judge about lack of presentation without reasonable doubt! The case itself is questionable from the start, in my point of view; when the prosecutors need to make up a case, that even if it were true is NOT enough to present conviction "beyond reasonable doubt", there is definitely something wrong with the system! Whether or not he came on to the models, and even whether or not he actually slept with them (which NO ONE contended…), with lack of any blood evidence and questionable time of death evidence, the defense fell down on the job! I am glad that the second state Supreme Court found the strength to finally absolve him. I am not saying that he could not have done it and is definitely innocent; I am simply saying that there was MORE than reasonable doubt, and the writers should have found a way to make the guilty findings believable and reasonable.
Clearly, I was not there was a trial, and I may have been swayed by the presentation, and the fact that they feel and the Illinois Supreme Court were both against him must say something, but as represented in this book, I am in total agreement with the judge about lack of presentation without reasonable doubt! The case itself is questionable from the start, in my point of view; when the prosecutors need to make up a case, that even if it were true is NOT enough to present conviction "beyond reasonable doubt", there is definitely something wrong with the system! Whether or not he came on to the models, and even whether or not he actually slept with them (which NO ONE contended…), with lack of any blood evidence and questionable time of death evidence, the defense fell down on the job! I am glad that the second state Supreme Court found the strength to finally absolve him. I am not saying that he could not have done it and is definitely innocent; I am simply saying that there was MORE than reasonable doubt, and the writers should have found a way to make the guilty findings believable and reasonable.
June 24, 2023
I was interested in this case - which, because of the overturned verdict, remains essentially unsolved - but not necessarily in this book's retelling of the case.
Steve Vogel is obviously an excellent journalist, which is to say that he's great at recording and relating salient facts in a linear fashion to relate the bones and sinews of a story. But he often gets bogged down in details - there are huge sections of the book which are just straight transcripts of various testimonies or interviews, and which were unnecessary and poor storytelling. Too much show, not enough tell.
As a result, the natural drama is more or less lost or diluted. I appreciated basically neutral viewpoint - although it's shaded perhaps a bit towards the defense - and by the end of the book I simply couldn't decide what actually happened. Much of that, of course, is also because of poor police work and prosecution, although I felt the relatively crude state of forensics in the early 80s was also to blame.
Murky "What on earth happened here?" true crime books are very common, with the most infamous of this era (early 80s) being Fatal Vision by Joe McGinnis which I think is better, even though it's not very widely read anymore. This will certainly give you lots to think about, but it's really for people who want a COMPLETE picture, rather than a simple and well-told fascinating crime story.
Steve Vogel is obviously an excellent journalist, which is to say that he's great at recording and relating salient facts in a linear fashion to relate the bones and sinews of a story. But he often gets bogged down in details - there are huge sections of the book which are just straight transcripts of various testimonies or interviews, and which were unnecessary and poor storytelling. Too much show, not enough tell.
As a result, the natural drama is more or less lost or diluted. I appreciated basically neutral viewpoint - although it's shaded perhaps a bit towards the defense - and by the end of the book I simply couldn't decide what actually happened. Much of that, of course, is also because of poor police work and prosecution, although I felt the relatively crude state of forensics in the early 80s was also to blame.
Murky "What on earth happened here?" true crime books are very common, with the most infamous of this era (early 80s) being Fatal Vision by Joe McGinnis which I think is better, even though it's not very widely read anymore. This will certainly give you lots to think about, but it's really for people who want a COMPLETE picture, rather than a simple and well-told fascinating crime story.
April 4, 2025
A well reported account that focuses on trial testimony. An oddly unemotional read. Reminds me of the Jeffrey MacDonald case. Except McD is plainly guilty. Not sure about this guy. Hence, the title.
The trial seemed to hinge on two things (stomach contents and David’s sexual indiscretions), neither of which felt all that relevant to me. Did anyone check gas receipts, car mileage? What time did he check into the hotel? Tracking David’s movements would have been solid evidence. His location would be enough to convince me of guilt.
I realize cell phone records didn’t exist back then, but could landline records show calls? Did he call home looking for his family or did he just call everyone ELSE saying he couldn’t reach them?
The most bizarre moment for me came during sentencing when the lawyers debated whether the murders qualified as “heinous.” Yeah, axing kids to death is heinous. If that’s not heinous, I don’t know what is. Leave it to a lawyer to argue it was “quick and painless.”
I’m disappointed this investigation / trial didn’t lead to justice with any degree of certainty. If David is guilty, someone should have asked the right questions and turned up better evidence.
The trial seemed to hinge on two things (stomach contents and David’s sexual indiscretions), neither of which felt all that relevant to me. Did anyone check gas receipts, car mileage? What time did he check into the hotel? Tracking David’s movements would have been solid evidence. His location would be enough to convince me of guilt.
I realize cell phone records didn’t exist back then, but could landline records show calls? Did he call home looking for his family or did he just call everyone ELSE saying he couldn’t reach them?
The most bizarre moment for me came during sentencing when the lawyers debated whether the murders qualified as “heinous.” Yeah, axing kids to death is heinous. If that’s not heinous, I don’t know what is. Leave it to a lawyer to argue it was “quick and painless.”
I’m disappointed this investigation / trial didn’t lead to justice with any degree of certainty. If David is guilty, someone should have asked the right questions and turned up better evidence.
July 11, 2019
I thought the author did a pretty good job with a LOT of material.
My only gripe was that I think there was a ton of info that didn't need to be hashed out as much as it was....seems like he includes some court testimony in its near entirety, rather than the highlights like most true crimes do. This became cumbersome....I can only read so many pages of testimony on stomach contents and gastric emptying.
However, my absolute favorite part of this edition was the very detailed updates in the end--a rare find in the true crime world. He has not one, but several epilogues wherein he continuously updates the case and clearly keeps tabs on the suspect, including current photos. Pretty cool.
He also gives his own thoughts on the case, which I thought was unique an interesting.
My only gripe was that I think there was a ton of info that didn't need to be hashed out as much as it was....seems like he includes some court testimony in its near entirety, rather than the highlights like most true crimes do. This became cumbersome....I can only read so many pages of testimony on stomach contents and gastric emptying.
However, my absolute favorite part of this edition was the very detailed updates in the end--a rare find in the true crime world. He has not one, but several epilogues wherein he continuously updates the case and clearly keeps tabs on the suspect, including current photos. Pretty cool.
He also gives his own thoughts on the case, which I thought was unique an interesting.
September 4, 2020
Great read...about an unforgettable case...and no ultimate resolution. Only problem is there are an awful lot of characters to be digested. Have Amazon and Audible now such a mammoth share of the market that they've become complacent? Whether reading a Kindle or listening to a audiobook, if a few days lapse, how are you supposed to remember who such a character is? I keep a notebook to remember the List of Characters myself so I'll remember. A list of characters should automatically be supplied with every ebook and audiobook!
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