Double Jeopardy

by Bob Hill

In America, it is illegal to prosecute a person for the same crime, no matter what the circumstances. It is a law intended to protect the innocent from unfair harassment and persecution.But sometimes it protects the guilty as well.



Guilty As Sin
The circumstantial evidence against southern businessman Mel Ignatow was solid -- effectively damning him for the savage 1988 sex torture/slaying of his former girlfriend, Brenda Schaefer. There was motive, unimpeachable forensic evidence . . . even testimony from an eyewitness who took photographs of the gruesome, horrific crime. But in a Kentucky courtroom, frustration, ignorance, incompetence and fate pulled a supposedly open-and-shut case in shocking, unexpected directions -- and tied the concept of American justice into knots that might never be undone.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, True Story

370 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember when I first heard about the Brenda Shaffer crime. Everyone in Louisville, I think, followed this one very closely because of the sheer horror. Mel Ignatow was accused of the sex murder of his ex fiance with the help of his former girlfriend. This happened in a house that backed up to my old high school. Everyone botched this case! He was not convicted for the crime because of a lack of evidence. However, he did later spend some time in jail for perjury against the court. Some time after he was found innocent contractors were in his old house putting in new carpet. In a heating duct they found some unprocessed film. Once it was developed there was the evidence they needed to prosecute him. The only problem is that once you have been found not guilty they cannot try you for the same crime again. This is so wrong, especially where they have evidence that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the crime really was committed. I didn't know these people, but I can truly say that I always was fascinated by the case and hated Mel Ignatow with a passion. He had tied Brenda to a glass coffee table where he carried out some of his torture. It is pure irony that when he died a couple of years ago, that he died after falling through a glass coffee table and bleeding to death.

[Evan]

I have this sitting in the basement. It was written by a longtime local newspaper columnist and documents the most notorious murder case in Louisville's history. It happened about 20 years ago. An older man, Mel Ignatow, murdered a young receptionist with whom he was having a bizarre relationship and with the help of his other older girlfriend tried to get rid of the body. He was obviously guilty but somehow was acquitted and the city was outraged. Right after Ignatow was freed horrific pictures of the murder taken by the killer were found in the ductwork of his home, but because of double jeopardy he couldn't be retried for murder. However, he was put on trial for perjury related to the earlier trial, and convicted. After he died recently (after being released), Ignatow was arguably retired as the most hated man in the city with the capture and conviction of Cecil New, who a couple years ago killed and dumped a little Guatemalan boy into a garbage truck.

From reading the papers through the years, I know the case fairly well but getting the whole thing in book form might make for guilty-pleasure lurid entertainment.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of my mother’s books that came to my house after she passed away. Even though I was early elementary school-aged when these events occurred, I clearly remember the TV and newspaper coverage, the verdict, when they found the photographs (one of the St. Barnabas school buses would pass the Florian Road house and all the children would hop the aisle to gawk as we drove by), the aftermath of the confession and a community dealing with a judicial system that is so painfully flawed. I did have trouble keeping up with all of the characters and courtroom maneuvering in this book (the judicial branch is my weakest area of knowledge) but I vividly remember when my mother read this book because she would paraphrase things and share them as she made progress. I don’t know if she was into true crime before this but she certainly was afterwards - and had lifelong admiration for this author. I think we resolved a lot of the community-trauma by hoping that forensic science (what I originally went to college for) would advance justice beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Bonnie Thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those of us from Kentuckiana were mortified, horrified, and stunned by this grisly murder. It didn't take too many degrees of separation to connect back to Brenda Sue Schaefer, Mel Ignatow, the contractors who ultimately found the evidence, the author Bob Hill, etc. The cast of characters, however, seems so different than we imagine living next door. At that time, typical citizens weren't getting breast implants, dripping with diamonds, riding around in new Corvettes, weekending locally on large boats etc. The women Ignatow chose didn't appear to fit this description either. They lived in modest homes and worked modest jobs. Yet with Ignatow's influence, they were soon treated to these extravagances. He was revealed as such a manipulative monster, with inexplicable power over these women. He never came clean, even getting a large local church behind him. Bob Hill provides a well researched, accurate account of this tragedy.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read one book about this crime several years ago and then picked this one up at the library, in the throes of a slide toward the black hole of depression that is signaled by the tendency to pick up crap like this. What is it about the 364.1523 Dewey number that calls out to people who are bummed?

Anyway, this author REALLY painted the victim as this innocent thing. I think she was horribly tortured and killed and I hated myself for being angry at the author who went on and on about her naivete etc. which somehow didn't mesh with her loads of jewelry and boob job. Whatever. It kept me company when awake from 1 - 5 AM

[Jessie Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used for research for a podcast. Really well researched and very helpful to me. The victim lived just a few streets from my house and it was wild reading about all the local spots involved in the case. Bob Hill did a wonderful job

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a gift from my dad, who lived around Louisville during the time of the murder and trial. I knew the broad strokes of the story from my conversations with my dad when he gave me the book, but learning the details was a wild experience. Bob Hill is a journalist first, and although his narrative voice shines through at times, the book is written like a very detailed news article. I appreciated learning a bit of Louisville history and am now fascinated by the pitfalls of double jeopardy cases.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re from the area (or for some reason want to make yourself really really angry) I’d recommend, otherwise, meh.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched account of the notorious Louisville murder case. What the victim and her family suffered is horrific.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reputation of this case precedes the book. I moved to Louisville a little over ten years ago and even though this crime occurred over ten years before that, details of the case were stuff of urban legend. Mr. Hill delves into the character of each person who plays a part in this story and the reader is hooked from chapter one. This is a very engaging book about a truly horrific crime.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the heartbreaking and lurid account of a sadistic murder that took place in Louisville, KY, and the frustrating twists and turns of the legal system in prosecuting the perpetrator. It is well written and paints a vivid picture of the entire tale. It was surreal to read a story about an infamous murder that I grew up watching on the nightly news, set in places in my hometown.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth is stranger than fiction! You couldn't make a story like this up. Even though I knew the ending all along, it was still a very compelling read, and that says something about how well this book was written.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy story. Well told. It was even better because I work with the author. "Every journalist has a book in them. You just have to find the right story." -- Bob Hill. We'll see.

[Cindy Truluck · Rating 3 out of 5]

scary how the system can be manipulated.