Harry MacLean

Starkweather by Harry N. MacLean is a very highly recommended true crime story.

In the eight days from January 21-29, 1958 nineteen-year-old Charles Starkweather and (possibly) his fourteen-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate, murdered 10 people the majority in or near Lincoln, Nebraska. (Another man was killed weeks earlier by Starkweather.) The killing spree began with Caril's mother, stepfather, and little sister. The reverberations of the case were immediate and Starkweather has been called the first modern-day mass killer. Caril's involvement has never been settled. Both were convicted. Charlie Starkweather was executed, while Caril Fugate served 18 years before her parole.

In Starkweather, MacLean re-examines official documents, interviews, and notes to provide a new account of this case. The book is broken down into six parts. Part I introduces Charlie and Caril. Part II, The Killings, sets forth two versions of the killings, one from Charlie's point-of-view and another from Caril's. Charlie gave at least 10 different versions and changed key facts in each version. Caril's version stayed pretty much the same. Part III. The Trials, details both trials. Part IV, Guilt or Innocence, MacLean shares his own analysis of what he believes happened. Part V, The Consequences, describes the effect of the killings on various people involved. Part VI, Impact, he discusses the impact on American culture. As the author grew up in Lincoln during the crimes, he saved the personal effect his research had for his epilogue.

Presenting the conflicting points-of-view of Charlie and Caril as well as then presenting the many changes Charlie made to his recounting of what happened is a smart move. MacLean's own analysis is quite interesting and he made some good points. This is a very well written account of a case many are familiar with and crime enthusiasts will appreciate the care taken to the story.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Counterpoint via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/11/starkweather.html… (altro)

Fascinating true crime published in 1988. The town bully Ken McElroy terrorized the town of Skidmore (pop 487 & then down to 284) Indicted over 20 times & not serving jail time (rape, molestation, bigamy, attempted murder) & then going after people who spoke out against him. The town had enough & he was shot (murdered) in broad daylight with over 20 witnesses in 1981 that didn't see anything. Still an unsolved case. A new series now on Sundance TV called "No One Saw A Thing" Almost 40 yrs later & still no one will talk. BEST KEPT SECRET EVER. Interesting story on vigilante justice & small town secrets & failings of the judicial system… (altro)

On July 10, 1981, as the residents of Skidmore, Missouri watched, Ken McElroy was shot to death. When the police interviewed the witness, their statements were more or less identical,

“Where were you when he was shot?”

“Standing in front of the tavern.”

“Did you see anything?”

“No, I didn’t see a thing. I heard something, a couple of shots and then I hit the ground. There were more shots and, by the time I got up, it was all over.”

There were forty-five witnesses to the shooting and none of them saw anything. Of course that was impossible, most of them knew who shot McElroy.

In a news report about the killing, the announcer reported the Ken was “the most hated and feared man in Nodaway County.” Even the police and at least one judge were afraid of him. He had a history, he robbed, raped, burned (as in committed arson), and shot the citizens of Skidmore, Missouri. If anyone pressed charges, while waiting to go to trial, his lawyer would delay the trail as long as possible and McElroy would terrorize the witnesses. In one case, the bedroom window of a witness faced the road. He and his wife would wake to find a bright light flashing around the walls. When the husband would peek out the window, he say McElroy’s car parked on the road. As a result of these tactics, many times witnesses changed their stories or simply disappeared. Often the victims trying to get justice felt isolated because everyone was too afraid of McEroy to support them.

With all this it is easy to see how the townspeople felt the only way they could get justice was to take matters into their own hands. And so they did. The media called the shooting a vigilante killing which the town objected to, and in the strictest sense of the word it wasn’t, but still …… there is no denying the fact that some people made themselves judge, jury and executioner.

MacLean interviewed the people of Skidmore, he also consulted interviews that were taken right after the shooting, by a person who was not law enforcement. We get the full life story of Ken McElroy, MacLean also takes us through the year so we get a feel for the type of community it was. He also explains the idiosyncrasies of Missouri law, which is another reason people may have felt McElroy was getting away with his crimes. The fear and inaction of some people may have also fueled the towns peoples frustration and while you may not agree with their actions, you can certainly understand it.

One person I felt sorry for, which some may not understand or agree with was McElroy’s wife Trena. I feel she is another of Ken’s victims, her actions after he was killed are understandable and can be explained.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it to true crime fans.… (altro)