true crime
True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events.
The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 pe ...
book by
Joe McGinniss
Joseph Ralph McGinniss Sr. (December 9, 1942 – March 10, 2014) was an American non-fiction writer and novelist.
The author of twelve books, he first came to prominence with the best-selling ''The Selling of the President 1968'' which describe ...
, based on the 1984 case in which American businessman
Robert O. Marshall
Robert Oakley Marshall (December 16, 1939 – February 21, 2015) was an American businessman who in 1984 was charged with (and later convicted of) the contract killing of his wife Maria.
The case attracted the attention of true crime author Joe ...
On the night of September 7, 1984, insurance broker Marshall and his wife, Maria, were traveling home from Atlantic City, New Jersey, when, according to Marshall, he pulled over at a picnic area with a flat tire. Marshall alleged that he was then knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of his head, and approximately $15,000 worth of casino winnings was stolen. He stated that he awoke to find his wife with two gunshot wounds, dead across the front seat. After a police investigation, Marshall was arrested on December 19, 1984. The prosecution theorized that Marshall had hired two men to kill his wife so that he could collect on a $1.5 million insurance policy. Marshall was convicted of capital murder for the
murder-for-hire
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
on March 5, 1986 and sentenced to death by lethal injection.
''Blind Faith'' maintains that to the affluent residents of
Toms River, New Jersey
Toms River is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Its mainland portion is also a census-designated place of the same name, which serves as the county seat of Ocean County. McGinniss attended the Marshall trial, and used court transcripts, extensive interviews with family and friends and general research to recreate the events surrounding the murder of Maria Marshall, the subsequent trial and eventual conviction of her husband. McGinniss changed the names and some personal details of most of the real people involved in the case, except for the Marshall family themselves, Judge Manuel Greenberg, assistant prosecutor Kevin Kelly, and a handful of others. McGinniss wrote that by the time Marshall was convicted and sentenced to death in 1986, everyone who knew him, including two of his three sons, believed him guilty. The book concludes with a status update of key players (including the Marshalls' three sons) in 1987, a year after the conviction.
''Blind Faith'' was a bestseller.
Rebuttal
In 2002, Marshall wrote the book '' Tunnel Vision: Trial & Error'', in which he challenged the conclusions McGinniss drew in ''Blind Faith''. While pointing out flaws in the judicial process he believed failed him, Marshall also alleged that his trial was contaminated by police
misconduct
Misconduct is wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts. It is an act which is forbidden or a failure to do that which is required. Misc ...
and compromised
testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter.
Etymology
The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness.
...
In 1990, ''Blind Faith'' was adapted by screenwriter John Gay into an Emmy Award-nominated TV miniseries starring
Robert Urich
Robert Michael Urich (December 19, 1946 – April 16, 2002) was an American film, television, and stage actor, and television producer. Over the course of his 30-year career, he starred in a record 15 television series.
Urich began his ca ...
,
Joanna Kerns
Joanna Kerns (born February 12, 1953) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy ''Growing Pains'' from 1985 to 1992.
Early life
Kerns was born Joanna Crussie DeVarona in San Franc ...
,
Dennis Farina
Donaldo Gugliermo "Dennis" Farina (February 29, 1944 – July 22, 2013) was an American actor. Often typecast as a mobster or police officer, he is known for roles such as FBI Agent Jack Crawford in '' Manhunter'', mobster Jimmy Serrano in th ...
,
Johnny Galecki
John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975) is an American actor. He played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom '' The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and David Healy in the ABC sitcoms ''Ro ...
, and
Joe Spano
Joseph Peter Spano (born July 7, 1946) is an American actor best known for his roles as Lt. Henry Goldblume on ''Hill Street Blues'' and FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell on '' NCIS''. He also voiced the Chuck E. Cheese (at the time Chuck E. Che ...
.
See also
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Robert O. Marshall
Robert Oakley Marshall (December 16, 1939 – February 21, 2015) was an American businessman who in 1984 was charged with (and later convicted of) the contract killing of his wife Maria.
The case attracted the attention of true crime author Joe ...