Author: Dave Shive

Publisher:

Published: 2021-06-15

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781935911548

This is not your typical crime story. It doesn't address the usual questions prominent in "crime genre," questions like "Who did it? What did they do? Why did they do it?" The crime has been known and solved for over six decades. The perpetrator was arrested the following day and confessed to the crime the day after his arrest. The real story is actually concerned with loftier probing questions like "How could this have happened? What could have been done to prevent it?" and "What lessons can be learned from such a tragedy?" Though the answers are elusive, the questions must be asked.This is a true story, not a work of fiction. It has lain dormant and neglected for over sixty years. While the general details of the crime have been available to the public from the beginning, the story has remained mostly unresearched and untold until now. Investigating a decades-old crime is fraught with complications. Many of the parties involved - perpetrator, lawyers, police, witnesses, family - are deceased, others are unwilling to talk. Accessing records and information is challenging due to legal restrictions as well as limitations imposed because of COVID. Many individuals who have knowledge of these events are not interested in dredging up painful memories. Evidence is no longer available for examination. Without the help of others, I would not have been able to write much of what is in this book. Perhaps when current regulations limitating access to documents are eventually lifted, others may be able to uncover details that will help to bring this story into even greater focus.Port Jervis, NY is a small dot on the map, an unpretentious town seemingly existing in a time warp. It was there that two families converged in the 1950s, each on their own unique journey and yet inexorably drawn together. The intersection of the principal members of these families would result in great tragedy. Here we learn that the best of human intentions can result in terrible misfortune. From such an excruciating narrative powerful lessons can emerge and the finest of human qualities can...