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FAILURE OF JUSTICE: A Brutal Murder, An Obsessed Cop, Six Wrongful Convictions; A True Crime Thriller By John Ferak

Failure Of Justice - True Crime about the Beatrice 6 by John Ferak

‘MAKING A MURDERER’ TIMES SIX!

If the dubious efforts of law enforcement that led to the case behind MAKING A MURDERER made you cringe, your skin will crawl at the injustice portrayed in FAILURE OF JUSTICE: A Brutal Murder, An Obsessed Cop, Six Wrongful Convictions. Award-winning journalist and bestselling author John Ferak pursued the story of the Beatrice 6 who were wrongfully accused of the brutal, ritualistic rape and murder of an elderly widow in Beatrice, Nebraska, and then railroaded by law enforcement into prison for a crime they did not commit. FAILURE OF JUSTICE is the story of the crime, the flawed investigation and rush to judgment, as well as one man’s refusal to accept an unjust fate, and the incredible effort it took to make the state admit it was wrong.

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Synopsis…

Thomas Winslow

One of the Beatrice 6: Thomas W. Winslow.

Feb. 5, 1985 marked one of the coldest nights on record that winter in small-town rural Nebraska. That chilly evening, tenants in one downtown three-story apartment building hunkered down for a night of restful sleep. The next day, they were horrified to see several police cars lined along North Sixth Street. A demented, dangerous predator had bound, raped and suffocated an older widow who lived in unit 4.

Helen Wilson

Victim Helen Wilson

The local Beatrice police force made a gallant effort to identify the killer rapist who had been preying upon vulnerable older women since two summers ago. A specially trained FBI profiler, Peter Klismet Jr. was flown into Nebraska to determine the killer’s traits. After all, victim Helen Wilson was one of her tight-knit town’s nicest ladies. She enjoyed bingo. She babysat the children at her Methodist church. Who want to harm her, everyone wondered?

At the time of the revolting murder, Gage County hog farmer Burt Searcey was three years removed from the Beatrice police force. He quickly became obsessed with solving the gruesome murder after the sickening news was broadcast on the local radio. Years later, as a county sheriff’s deputy, Searcey arrested six lost souls for the terrorizing rape and murder. All six of the codefendants went convicted and sentenced to prison in 1990.

Then in 2008, the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office faced a conundrum. One of the accused, Joseph White was fighting for a chance to allow DNA testing. Would the DNA tests cement his guilt or lead to a shocking new revelation: Helen Wilson’s twisted rapist and killer was still out there somewhere, waiting to be identified?

John Ferak

Author, John Ferak

From the book…

“A deal’s a deal especially when it involves the criminal justice system. James Dean was now obligated to plead guilty in the death of Helen Wilson thanks to the failed polygraph test results. But there remained a giant problem: Dean remained forceful in his claims of innocence – even after being told he flunked that dubious polygraph test. The prosecutor and sheriff reached the conclusion that Dean needed a friendly visit from “Doc” Wayne Price, the clinical director at the Blue Valley Mental Health Center. These men knew Price was their secret weapon. Perhaps Price, moonlighting as Sheriff’s Deputy Price, could use his powers of persuasion to manipulate the vulnerable young man to come to terms with what the law enforcement professionals were sure was his guilt. Just three days after Dean supposedly flunked his polygraph test, the young man fraught with anxiety attacks and a troubled upbringing met with Price for a so-called emergency psychiatric evaluation.”

Outlaw Radio

Outlaw Radio

John Ferak Discussed the Background of Beatrice 6 Case On True Crime Uncensored On Outlaw Radio With Burl Barer.

Acclaim for John Ferak and FAILURE OF JUSTICE…

“How could not just one person, but six people who hardly knew each other, all be in the wrong places at the wrong times, and all get railroaded into convictions for a murder they did not commit? In John Ferak’s riveting account, FAILURE OF JUSTICE, the common denominator was an overzealous police investigation that generated false confessions and false evidence. The unbelievable story of the Beatrice Six provides a wake-up call at a time when serious wrongful convictions continue to come to light with disturbing frequency.”–Brandon L. Garrett, Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law

“John Ferak has carved his necessary true-crime niche with another fascinating exploration of unalloyed evil in overlooked places, and a dysfunctional judicial system. A chilling piece of journalism.”Ron Franscell, author of THE DARKEST NIGHT and MORGUE: A LIFE IN DEATH

Filed Under: John Ferak Books, Recent Releases, True Crime Books Tagged With: Beatrice, Beatrice 6, Brandon Garrett, Brandon L. Garrett, Burt Searcey, Deputy Burt Searcey, DNA, DNA testing, FAILURE OF JUSTICE, FBI Profiler, Gage County, Helen Wilson, Homicide, innocence project, Investigative Journalism, John Ferak, Joseph White, making a murderer, Murder, Nebraska, Peter Klismet Jr., Ron Franscell, Steve Avery, The Beatrice Six, True Crime, wrongful conviction
May 11, 2016 By John Ferak

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Burl Barer Interview

Burl Barer interviews John Ferak about the "Beatrice 6" case and FAILURE OF JUSTICE .

Posts by John Ferak

Brandon L. Garrett Is Now Helping To Free “Making A Murderer’s” Brendan Dassey

Read On About WildBlue Press Author John Ferak's Connection To The Case WildBlue Press author John Ferak has done extensive work on the Steven Avery case featured in Netflix's "Making A Murderer." … More...

John Ferak True Crime TV Interview 1/2

WildBlue Author John Ferak’s Latest Work On the Steven Avery “Making a Murderer” Case

Investigative journalist and WildBlue Press author John Ferak has done extensive work on the Steven Avery Case, which has been detailed on the Netflix original "Making a Murderer." Check out John's … More...

FAILURE OF JUSTICE’s John Ferak: Cutting Wrongful Conviction Book Can Be Challenging

Since embarking on this wrongful conviction book project in January of 2014, A FAILURE OF JUSTICE underwent multiple revisions. One of my early drafts contained a curious older gentleman named Earl. … More...

Jury Verdict Is In; $28.1 Million Goes to the Wrongfully Convicted Beatrice 6

A federal civil rights jury in Nebraska has dinged Gage County, Sheriff's Corporal Burt Searcey, deputy/psychologist Wayne Price and the estate of late sheriff Jerry DeWitt to the tune of more than … More...

Reflections From FAILURE OF JUSTICE Author on Week 1 of Beatrice 6 Trial

Lincoln, Nebraska. That's where the media spotlight returned this past week. A handful of journalists are covering the plight of the Beatrice 6. It's now been eight years since Beatrice, Nebraska, … More...

John Ferak’s Media Appearances

WildBlue Press 2018 Year in Review

In 2018, WildBlue Press released 29 new titles! Among those titles, twenty-one were under the true crime genre, four were thrillers, two mysteries, and one business book as well as one fantasy book. From winning awards to being featured on

True Murder Dan Zupansky Logo

FAILURE OF JUSTICE’s John Ferak on True Murder Radio Show With Host Dan Zupansky

John Ferak, author of WildBlue's hit true crime book FAILURE OF JUSTICE, was recently featured on the True Murder radio show with host Dan Zupansky to discuss his book. FAILURE OF JUSTICE details the case of the Beatrice Six, which is the largest

Watch John Ferak’s Interview With Al Warren on The House of Mystery

Watch John Ferak's interview with Al Warren on The House of Mystery Radio Show. John discusses his new true crime book, FAILURE OF JUSTICE, which details the largest wrongful conviction case in U.S. history! Get your copy of FAILURE OF JUSTICE

All of John Ferak’s WildBlue Press Books

TERROR TOWN USA John Ferak Kindle Cover

TERROR TOWN, USA

During the early morning hours of July 17, 1983, fatigue became a factor for the young couple from central Illinois who spent their day under the hot sun at Marriott’s Great America amusement park

WRECKING CREW Kindle Cover

WRECKING CREW Gives An Inside Look Into Kathleen Zellner’s Efforts To Free Steven Avery

“Ferak chronicles the long and sordid history of the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s department and the reason Sweaty’s license was suspended. Framing Avery was just par for the course." -- Kathleen

FAILURE OF JUSTICE: A Brutal Murder, An Obsessed Cop, Six Wrongful Convictions; A True Crime Thriller By John Ferak

'MAKING A MURDERER' TIMES SIX! If the dubious efforts of law enforcement that led to the case behind MAKING A MURDERER made you cringe, your skin will crawl at the injustice portrayed in FAILURE OF

Body of Proof Cover-Final

Discredited CSI Commander At The Heart of John Ferak’s True Crime BODY OF PROOF

Tainted Evidence In The Murder of Jessica O'Grady? Jessica O’Grady was a tall, starry-eyed co-ed in search of finding her Mr. Right. Christopher Edwards was a 19-year-old deceitful and

Dixie's Last Stand Cover

Readers Asked To Decide “Was It Murder Or Self-Defense?” in DIXIE’S LAST STAND

A WildBlue Press True Crime By Award-Winning Journalist John Ferak Dixie Shanahan had a terribly troubled and abusive marriage in the sleepy little town of Defiance, Iowa. Then one summer day in

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FAILURE OF JUSTICE: A Brutal Murder, An Obsessed Cop, Six Wrongful Convictions; A True Crime Thriller By John Ferak

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