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Blind Love : The True Story of the Texas Cadet Murders
A handsome overachiever...
A beautiful honors student...
Together they would commit savage murder...
A Teenage Love Pact Sealed In Blood
Outside a small Texas town by the side of the road, high school sophomore beauty Adrianne Jones lay with her skull bashed in and two bullets in her head. She had been driven to an isolated spot outside of Mansfield, Texas by star student David Graham while David's girlfriend, Diane Zamora, hid in the trunk. First David tried unsuccessfully to break Adrianne's neck, then Diane came out of the trunk to attack her with a set of weights. To finish off the job, David shot her between the eyes. For months, there were no leads on the killing until Diane confessed to her military school roommates about the secret she and her boyfriend would take to their graves...
Tainted Love
The brutal killing shocked the entire town of Mansfield. Even more shocking were the killers, David and Diane, model teenagers, devoted high school sweethearts, military academy-bound honors students-- and desperate lovers who feared that Adrianne's sexual encounter with David had come between them. Killing Adrianne was "the only thing that could satisfy [Diane's] vengeance," said David in his confession to police-- the only way, she told David, to restore the 'purity' of their love...
Pure Vengeance
Here is the unbelievable true story of a macabre love triangle-- and the startling lengths one couple went to in the name of...
Blind Love
A beautiful honors student...
Together they would commit savage murder...
A Teenage Love Pact Sealed In Blood
Outside a small Texas town by the side of the road, high school sophomore beauty Adrianne Jones lay with her skull bashed in and two bullets in her head. She had been driven to an isolated spot outside of Mansfield, Texas by star student David Graham while David's girlfriend, Diane Zamora, hid in the trunk. First David tried unsuccessfully to break Adrianne's neck, then Diane came out of the trunk to attack her with a set of weights. To finish off the job, David shot her between the eyes. For months, there were no leads on the killing until Diane confessed to her military school roommates about the secret she and her boyfriend would take to their graves...
Tainted Love
The brutal killing shocked the entire town of Mansfield. Even more shocking were the killers, David and Diane, model teenagers, devoted high school sweethearts, military academy-bound honors students-- and desperate lovers who feared that Adrianne's sexual encounter with David had come between them. Killing Adrianne was "the only thing that could satisfy [Diane's] vengeance," said David in his confession to police-- the only way, she told David, to restore the 'purity' of their love...
Pure Vengeance
Here is the unbelievable true story of a macabre love triangle-- and the startling lengths one couple went to in the name of...
Blind Love
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
21 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Peter Meyer
81 books10 followersPeter Meyer is a former News Editor of Life magazine and the author of numerous nonfiction books, including the critically acclaimed The Yale Murder (Empire Books, 1982; Berkley Books, 1983) and Death of Innocence (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1985; Berkley Books, 1986).
Over the course of his three-decade journalism career Meyer, who holds a masters degree in history from the University of Chicago, has touched down in cities around the globe, from Bennington to Baghdad, and has written hundreds of stories, on subjects as varied as anti-terrorist training for American ambassadors to the history of the 1040 income tax form. His work has appeared in such publications as Harper's, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, New York, Life, Time and People.
Since 1991 Meyer has focused his attentions on education reform in the United States, an interest joined while writing a profile of education reformer E.D. Hirsch for Life. Meyer subsequently helped found a charter school, served on his local Board of Education (twice) and, for the last eight years, has been an editor at Education Next. His articles for the journal include “The Early Education of our Next President” (Fall 2008), “New York City’s Education Battles: The mayor, the schools, and the `rinky-dink candy store’” (Spring 2008), “Learning Separately: The case for single-sex schools” (Winter 2008), and “Can Catholic Schools Be Saved?” (Spring 2007).
Meyer also writes and edits, mostly on education, for the American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, where he is a Senior Visiting Fellow.
Over the course of his three-decade journalism career Meyer, who holds a masters degree in history from the University of Chicago, has touched down in cities around the globe, from Bennington to Baghdad, and has written hundreds of stories, on subjects as varied as anti-terrorist training for American ambassadors to the history of the 1040 income tax form. His work has appeared in such publications as Harper's, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, New York, Life, Time and People.
Since 1991 Meyer has focused his attentions on education reform in the United States, an interest joined while writing a profile of education reformer E.D. Hirsch for Life. Meyer subsequently helped found a charter school, served on his local Board of Education (twice) and, for the last eight years, has been an editor at Education Next. His articles for the journal include “The Early Education of our Next President” (Fall 2008), “New York City’s Education Battles: The mayor, the schools, and the `rinky-dink candy store’” (Spring 2008), “Learning Separately: The case for single-sex schools” (Winter 2008), and “Can Catholic Schools Be Saved?” (Spring 2007).
Meyer also writes and edits, mostly on education, for the American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, where he is a Senior Visiting Fellow.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 25, 2014
David Graham was my best friend in elementary school. It blew my mind when I heard about this years later, although my mom had always said something wasn't right about him. Anyway I wrote him in prison and he responded. He said this book was the most accurate book written about their story.
May 12, 2014
On facebook someone mentioned a book called The Cadet Murder case by AW Gray. The title vaguely sounded familiar so I looked it up and discovered i was right. I had read a book about the so called cadet murder but searching my shelves on Goodreads I did not get any result. So I went back to bookcrossing where I registered my books before GR and bingo. I had read it.
This is my what childish review. Bare with me please :)
on Sunday, December 26, 2004 I wrote
7 out of 10
Well I read this book pretty quick and it left me a bit disappointed.
It has never happened to me before that the writer does not even tell what punishment the criminals received so I was surprised.
You read and read, From the beginning when the name Diana Zimona was mentioned it sounded so familiar. I think I saw a documentary on discovery Channel about this case and I remember watching her testify at the trial. To bad I do not remember the outcome but after reading this book I still feel she is the one who started all this, because she was so jealous. I also believe her parents did know about it, that she confessed it to them and they did nothing but pray.
I was very pleased the book was about this story because I did not know that when I accepted but the book let me down though.
The writer continually repeats himself. I also agree with Scram about the "Gee, he was such a nice guy and Gee she was so determined to succeed stuff"
I think this book was written mainly to earn some quick money ,and it was not the main goal to write a good book.
It was a quick read though but a big disappointment to the end. I think it was all hear say this writer has based this book on.
Anyway I am happy to have been able to read it my friends
I will give this book a 7 only because it is a very interesting story
This is my what childish review. Bare with me please :)
on Sunday, December 26, 2004 I wrote
7 out of 10
Well I read this book pretty quick and it left me a bit disappointed.
It has never happened to me before that the writer does not even tell what punishment the criminals received so I was surprised.
You read and read, From the beginning when the name Diana Zimona was mentioned it sounded so familiar. I think I saw a documentary on discovery Channel about this case and I remember watching her testify at the trial. To bad I do not remember the outcome but after reading this book I still feel she is the one who started all this, because she was so jealous. I also believe her parents did know about it, that she confessed it to them and they did nothing but pray.
I was very pleased the book was about this story because I did not know that when I accepted but the book let me down though.
The writer continually repeats himself. I also agree with Scram about the "Gee, he was such a nice guy and Gee she was so determined to succeed stuff"
I think this book was written mainly to earn some quick money ,and it was not the main goal to write a good book.
It was a quick read though but a big disappointment to the end. I think it was all hear say this writer has based this book on.
Anyway I am happy to have been able to read it my friends
I will give this book a 7 only because it is a very interesting story
January 24, 2021
A twisted tale of teen love and obsession gone terribly wrong!!
A Quick read at 284 pages. The writing is thorough and gets to the point, using the original confessions of of both David Graham and Diane Zamora, and statements from many surrounding the three teens.
A Quick read at 284 pages. The writing is thorough and gets to the point, using the original confessions of of both David Graham and Diane Zamora, and statements from many surrounding the three teens.
March 20, 2008
I totally watched the lifetime movie with Holly Marie Combs and just HAD to read the true-crime book. Very typical crime book, but just a very sad story.
October 11, 2015
I do wish this would have included the trial, so we knew the outcome of this story, Thankfully I was able to look it up on the Internet.
February 28, 2016
2 good kids who came from great families that had everything, who murdered and innocent girl
February 26, 2021
After over a decade of searching for a physical copy of this book I finally obtained it. I was in 8th grade and was attending a junior high that was on the border of Arlington and Grand Prairie. Literally across the street from my school was considered Grand Prairie property that was farm land where it was not unusual to see cows grazing through the front entrance windows while I walked to choir class.
The day Adrianne’s body was found one of the side streets to that farm was closed off and a cop was there all day detouring traffic. Of course later that day I learned of her body being found just over a mile from my school. My boyfriend at the time was a freshman at Mansfield High School and knew Adrianne. Once Graham was arrested it scared him because he knew who Graham was too. My cousin went to Crowley High school and lived in the neighborhood across the street from the school and we had both realized that we had both seen Diane several times while doing practice for cross country as they would run a lot of times through the neighborhood. So needless to say I had close ties to this story myself and wanted the most accurate telling.
I came across a review of this book by someone who had known David Graham and had wrote to him in prison asking him what book about the murder he believed was the most accurate portrayal of events. Graham told him he had read all the books done and that to him this book was the most accurate.
That is why I read this and I’m glad I know the story fully now as an adult. It is a sad and frightening story of the destruction of three teenagers that were part of my community. The book is not dramatic but written as the facts and information were presented and I appreciate that. There is no embellishments or exaggerations. Just the story and that is tragic and dramatic enough on its own.
The day Adrianne’s body was found one of the side streets to that farm was closed off and a cop was there all day detouring traffic. Of course later that day I learned of her body being found just over a mile from my school. My boyfriend at the time was a freshman at Mansfield High School and knew Adrianne. Once Graham was arrested it scared him because he knew who Graham was too. My cousin went to Crowley High school and lived in the neighborhood across the street from the school and we had both realized that we had both seen Diane several times while doing practice for cross country as they would run a lot of times through the neighborhood. So needless to say I had close ties to this story myself and wanted the most accurate telling.
I came across a review of this book by someone who had known David Graham and had wrote to him in prison asking him what book about the murder he believed was the most accurate portrayal of events. Graham told him he had read all the books done and that to him this book was the most accurate.
That is why I read this and I’m glad I know the story fully now as an adult. It is a sad and frightening story of the destruction of three teenagers that were part of my community. The book is not dramatic but written as the facts and information were presented and I appreciate that. There is no embellishments or exaggerations. Just the story and that is tragic and dramatic enough on its own.
January 11, 2017
This book was an interesting read, I occasionally like to read true crime and I remember when Diane Zamora's trial was televised on court tv. It's an interesting book, however, it was published before Zamora and Graham's trials and I believe some of the information in this book turned out not to be factual. My understanding is still not clear but if I'm not mistaken, it turned out that David Graham was never intimate with Adrianne Jones. This book is based on the premise that Graham cheated on Zamora and that was the motive for the murder. It depends on what source you read, but I don't think this book turned out to be an accurate telling of the story.
With all that said, this book is easy to get absorbed in and is interesting, and it's unbelievable how two teenagers can just take a life and go on with theirs. My heart goes out to the family of Adrianne Jones, and this crime has just been something that I have never forgotten, I still ponder it occasionally. My heart especially goes out to Adrianne's mother, twenty years later and I still feel for her.
The book is an easy read, it's well written, I just wish authors wouldn't publish books about crimes before trials. But not nearly as much as I wish that people would respect the lives of others!
With all that said, this book is easy to get absorbed in and is interesting, and it's unbelievable how two teenagers can just take a life and go on with theirs. My heart goes out to the family of Adrianne Jones, and this crime has just been something that I have never forgotten, I still ponder it occasionally. My heart especially goes out to Adrianne's mother, twenty years later and I still feel for her.
The book is an easy read, it's well written, I just wish authors wouldn't publish books about crimes before trials. But not nearly as much as I wish that people would respect the lives of others!
January 10, 2024
I knew this case like the back of my hand before I began reading this book, and I’m so glad I read it. As with most true crime cases, no one unboxes all sides of the story like a skilled writer.
It’s very interesting to see how David and Diane interacted in prison and how Diane acted during her trial. The letter transcripts and documents included in this book will really make you wonder who the manipulator was in the Adrianne Jones murder.
A great choice for my first true from read of 2024 👏🏻.
It’s very interesting to see how David and Diane interacted in prison and how Diane acted during her trial. The letter transcripts and documents included in this book will really make you wonder who the manipulator was in the Adrianne Jones murder.
A great choice for my first true from read of 2024 👏🏻.
May 23, 2017
Good book without editing
This book was a good read, but the wording could have been better. There were sentences that were too short. The writer also had run on sentences. It's the reason I gave it four stars.
This book was a good read, but the wording could have been better. There were sentences that were too short. The writer also had run on sentences. It's the reason I gave it four stars.
July 2, 2019
So devastating. Two successful young people with so much opportunities ending the life of a young girl and destroying their own future for nothing. You wouldn‘t believe that it actually happened. So sad, but the book was really well written.
Read
December 25, 2023True crime story recounted in an easy to read style. Good thing these two never made it to positions of power, as were their original plans.
August 2, 2012
I have seen the "made for television movie" countless times, mostly on the Lifetime network, so I knew the story pretty well. The book claimed that the movie got it wrong, and this presented the truth. I hate to break it to the author, but the movie was relatively accurate, only changing a few details around for dramatic purposes.
What happened is this...on a December night in 1995, high schooler David Graham and his fiancee Diane Zamora lured 16 year old Adrianne Jones into David's car, took her to a remote area, smashed her skull in with a barbell, shot her in the face and left her for dead. Adrianne's crime? She had sex with David when he was also seeing Diane. Diane, when finding out that her fiancee had cheated on her, tried to kill herself, then told David that he had to kill Adrianne. So he did.
Both Graham and Zamora were headed for greatness. Graham to the Air Force, and Zamora to the Navy. Neither told anyone what they had done, and swore to take it to their graves. But, Zamora cracked. She first told her superior, a man she seemed to be into romantically, at the Naval Base that she had convinced her fiancee to take a girl's life. She then told the same thing to her two roommates. Her roommates, as part of the honor code, and because they were scared of Zamora, told the head, and from there, things spiraled out of control for the two.
What shocked me is that Zamora felt no remorse. She felt that because she had prayed to G-d and confessed her sins to Him, she was absolved of the crime. She couldn't understand why she was now facing a life sentence.
While well written, this was an incredibly dry read. Also devoid of any real emotion. I felt like I was reading about two robots, in a community full of other robots. Because of the media coverage of this case, and the movies and countless articles, I felt that this book would either bring new insight (it did not) or at least shed some light on the personalities of the three parties involved. I didn't know either character better after reading this than I did before.
However, this was still an interesting, if not totally entertaining read.
What happened is this...on a December night in 1995, high schooler David Graham and his fiancee Diane Zamora lured 16 year old Adrianne Jones into David's car, took her to a remote area, smashed her skull in with a barbell, shot her in the face and left her for dead. Adrianne's crime? She had sex with David when he was also seeing Diane. Diane, when finding out that her fiancee had cheated on her, tried to kill herself, then told David that he had to kill Adrianne. So he did.
Both Graham and Zamora were headed for greatness. Graham to the Air Force, and Zamora to the Navy. Neither told anyone what they had done, and swore to take it to their graves. But, Zamora cracked. She first told her superior, a man she seemed to be into romantically, at the Naval Base that she had convinced her fiancee to take a girl's life. She then told the same thing to her two roommates. Her roommates, as part of the honor code, and because they were scared of Zamora, told the head, and from there, things spiraled out of control for the two.
What shocked me is that Zamora felt no remorse. She felt that because she had prayed to G-d and confessed her sins to Him, she was absolved of the crime. She couldn't understand why she was now facing a life sentence.
While well written, this was an incredibly dry read. Also devoid of any real emotion. I felt like I was reading about two robots, in a community full of other robots. Because of the media coverage of this case, and the movies and countless articles, I felt that this book would either bring new insight (it did not) or at least shed some light on the personalities of the three parties involved. I didn't know either character better after reading this than I did before.
However, this was still an interesting, if not totally entertaining read.
February 9, 2022
Captivating story of an unfortunate love triangle
Being a graduate f the naval academy, I was naturally interested in this story. I don't believe the honor code required the three men midshipmen to turn in Zamora, but it is fortunate they did so out of perhaps a sense f right and wrong. I find the love David and Diane shared to be satanic if it was the cause of the murder of Adrianne Gray.I won't be around when these two are released from prison but I think it would be interesting to see if their love s rekindled after 40 or more years .
Being a graduate f the naval academy, I was naturally interested in this story. I don't believe the honor code required the three men midshipmen to turn in Zamora, but it is fortunate they did so out of perhaps a sense f right and wrong. I find the love David and Diane shared to be satanic if it was the cause of the murder of Adrianne Gray.I won't be around when these two are released from prison but I think it would be interesting to see if their love s rekindled after 40 or more years .
December 31, 2014
I remember following this story in the news and seeing the tv movie. I absolutely loved the movie for it's drama.
The author's prologue put a damper on the whole book because I finished the book disappointed. The author states up front in the book that the movie didnt get it right. I dont see many differences between the movie and what is known to have really happened. IMHO the movie was for entertainment and told a story....it was not a documentary and didn't say it was a documentary.
The author's prologue put a damper on the whole book because I finished the book disappointed. The author states up front in the book that the movie didnt get it right. I dont see many differences between the movie and what is known to have really happened. IMHO the movie was for entertainment and told a story....it was not a documentary and didn't say it was a documentary.
September 2, 2015
This book was interesting it tells about the murder of a 16 year old girl by two teenages. The one thing I really disliked about this book is the author tended to repeat things over and over. Another problem is he tried to fit so much in a book with less then 300 pages that sometimes it was hard to get through all the excessive stuff. I saw no reason for the pages full of bits and pieces from different magazines, newspapers, and interviews.
March 8, 2010
About love obsessed teens that killed a person that was a "rival" between them. The guilt tore them up and brought them down.
June 30, 2014
Interesting who done it. One of the most mixed-up love affair.
April 7, 2012
This book was very well written.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews