Three Bullets Sealed His Lips

by Bruce A. Rubenstein, Lawrence E. Ziewacz

The gangland style slaying if State Senator Warren G. Hooper on January 11, 1945, three days before he was to testify before a grand jury investigating alleged corruption in the Michigan legislature, forced coverage of Allied war triumphs from the state's newspaper headlines. National media representatives flocked to Michigan to join local reporters in following the efforts of grand jury special prosecutor Kim Sigler and the State Police to apprehend the killers. Because no arrests ever were made, a 1951 journalistic prediction has proven "The Hooper case will continue to come back to remind the people and politicians of Michigan of the black days of 1945 when almost every official of the state had his price." For this reason, the Hooper murder has endured as one of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries in the annals of Michigan crime.
     Utilizing interviews, trial transcripts, State police files, and a collection of grand jury testimony long thought to have been destroyed, Professors Bruce A. Rubenstein and Lawrence E. Ziewacz set forth the reason for Hooper's assassination. Written in a lively style, using dialogue taken from court records and correspondence, Three Bullets Sealed His Lips demonstrates that historical writing need not be dull.

236 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1987

Reviews

[Benton Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of the true crime genre, but I read this book because it featured locations in Mid-Michigan where I spent part of youth. Still, it was well researched and relied on primary sources and the sometimes emotionally extravagant reporting of mid-century sensationalist journalism. Overall it was a story of political cynicism and corruption that was endemic in American life before the professionalization of corrections and the civil service. Would recommend to anyone interested in the intersection of crime and politics in Michigan history.

[Chriss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic story involving the 1945 death of Michigan Senator Warren G. Hooper and the scandal that surrounded the explosive testimony he was about to give. That testimony would never be heard because three days before he was to go on the stand, he was murdered in Jackson County. Suspicions have pointed towards Purple Gang members but the authors of this book came across an archival box filled with information never intended to be released publically. With that, the fingers all seem to point towards the one man who had the ability, the means and the most to lose if Hooper talked. Well researched!!!

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a real story of murder in michigan