When Father and Son Conspire: A Minnesota Farm Murder

by Joseph A. Amato

When Father and Son Conspire examines in depth the September 29, 1983, murders of two southwestern Minnesota bankers by 46-year-old James Jenkins and his 18-year-old son, Steven, on a farm mortgaged to the bankers and abandoned by Jenkins. The crime led to a nationwide search, the apparent suicide of James, the surrender of Steven, and a case for Steven's defense based on the bizarre relationship between father and son.

Was their crime really the desperate act of desperate men caught in the farm crisis, as the media espoused? Or was it the eruption of both men's growing mental illness fed by mutual delusions of reality, rootlessness, divorce, loneliness, and obsessive behavior?

When Father and Son Conspire examines the men, their myths, the murders they committed, and the motivation of it all—considering facts not taken into account at the trial and concluding that the farm crisis was a convincing excuse but not the real reason for this ruthless crime.

Author Bio: Joseph A. Amato, Dean of Southwest State University's Center for Rural and Regional Studies, has authored many books on rural life and the contemporary countryside. They include Countryside, Mirror of Ourselves; When Father and Son Conspire: A Minnesota Farm Murder; The Great Jerusalem Artichoke Circus: The Buying and Selling of the Rural American Dream; Servants of the Land: God, Family, and Farm, the Trinity of Belgian Economic Folkways in Southern Minnesota; The Decline of Rural Minnesota; To Call it Home: The New Immigrants of Southwestern Minnesota; and Community of Strangers: Change, Turnover, Turbulence and the Transformation of a Midwestern Country Town. In addition to books on a range of diverse topics including golf, death, and bypass surgery, he has written extensively on European intellectual history and culture.

244 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1988

About the author

Joseph A. Amato was an American author and scholar. Amato was a history professor and university dean of local and regional history. He has written extensively on European intellectual and cultural history, and the history of Southwestern Minnesota. Since retiring, he has continued publishing history books, as well as five poetry collections and his first novel.

Reviews

[Kendra Webb]

It was a very descriptive book. The beginning was boring. It talked about the landscape of southwestern Minnesota. As the trial came along. The book became more interesting when the author talked about the early life of the son and father.

The son did end up guilty of the murders. It never really gave any suspense to the end of the trial though. He tried to portray the trial and mysterious and that anything could happen, but there was no suspense. I didn’t feel myself wanting to read constantly. When the author described the early life of the son and father was the only part I felt that was interesting.

[Nicky]

Great read, led to alot of googling to know more.

[Troy Espe]

A college roommate grew up within a few miles of these murders. It's a fascinating incident. The author debunks the myth that the murders stemmed from the farm crisis. Unfortunately, the writing is repetitive. The author uses the word "stories" ad nauseam. A professor at the time, the writer invokes Greek mythology for fear of losing tenure.

[Eunys]

I found this book of true crime to be a gripping read. The author develops psychological and sociological insights to the persons involved.