James S. Liebman

I did not go into this book naive to the faults of our 'justice' system. Even so, I was astounded by the absolute failure and incompetence of the so-called professionals at every step of this case.

The authors do an excellent job of laying out the facts of Wanda Lopez's murder, as well as giving us background into the early lives of both Carlos DeLuna and Carlos Hernandez. Much of the text reads like a crime novel. The narrative flows well and the authors avoid the complicated legal jargon as much as possible. When needed, the issues are explained so that the casual reader without a law degree understands.

Details are not spared here. Wanda Lopez's murder was brutal and vicious, and the authors make sure we 'see' that. This story is not for the squeamish. But I do not fault the authors for providing the gory details. In fact, I believe those details were necessary for this case to be fully understood.

There is no doubt that an innocent man was put to death, murdered by our justice system, by us. While that in itself is appalling, the injustices run far deeper. During the time an innocent man was persecuted, the guilty man went along his destructive path unimpeded. His name and reputation were fully known to law enforcement. He flaunted his crimes, bragged about his killings. Innocent people died and lives were forever altered. Had even one person done his/her job correctly along the way, lives could have been spared.

Because this case is old, you might think things have improved. But, despite our scientific advancements, the core problems still exist. Eye witness accounts are notoriously faulty. Wealthy have advantages over poor. Prejudices form opinions and therefore alter the course of investigations. Incompetence does not exist in a vacuum. And Carlos DeLuna is not the only innocent person society has or will fail to protect.… (meer)