Julie Young

I'm a resident of Indiana but I don't remember these murders at all. (guess I was too busy with my first job) So, to abate my curiosity, I picked up this book and quickly read it. The research was well done and thorough, even as it was repeated constantly throughout the story.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story was whether there was any connection to the murders and two other unsettling events that happened to the small burg of Speedway during the summer of 1978. One was the unsolved murder of a resident as she interacted with visitor in her garage and a number of random bombings throughout Speedway.
The author completely details the grisly kidnapping and murders of the 4 young Burger Chef employers as they ended a Friday night shift. She also does a creditable job providing background and family information on each victim. There are copious characters that readers might have difficulty keeping straight. Thank goodness there is a listing in order of appearance of all those mentioned in the book.
The reason that it is still a cold case in Indiana today is hard to accept for many, even though most immediate family members of the victims are no longer with us. Was it the perfect crime or did the different police agencies responding to the event botch evidence recovery so badly that it greatly hampered progress toward finding the killer or killers? 1970s limitations in forensic technology certainly didn't help the situation. Was it just a robbery gone wrong or was there a direct connection between one or more of the victims and the killer(s)?
You'll need to decide for yourself as you plow through this book.… (altro)

I wasn't alive when the Burger Chef murders occurred, but over the years I've heard the murders come up in conversation and having grown up by Chicago; I wasn't all that familiar with what actually happened. Julie Young does an excellent job of setting the scene and not attempting to "solve" the crime four decades later; she's not trying to do a disservice to the police and authorities who toiled over the case, she's merely bringing it to life and trying to make the most comprehensive outline of what is actually known about the gruesome murders. Four young adults and teenagers were abducted from their work and later found murdered. No one has ever been tried or convicted for their deaths. It's dark and fascinating and I'm glad I actually know about this infamous Hoosier quadruple homicide. As a Franklin resident who works in New Whiteland; it was also fascinating to learn about all the Johnson County connections that I didn't know existed in this case. A must read for true crime fans!… (altro)