Anyone's son - Unknown Binding Author:Roberta Roesch The Harry De La Roche family was, seemingly, the perfect family next door. They were civic-minded churchgoers, and seemed to most of their neighbors to be a warm and loving family. Pictures of Harry, Jr., and his younger brothers Ronnie and Eric playing ball, in Scout uniforms, beside the Christmas tree, could have been taken from their own fami... more »ly albums.
Yet, on a Thanksgiving weekend the entire family was murdered except for Harry, Jr., who was eventually convicted for four first-degree murders and sentenced to life in prison. What went wrong with this family? In this unprecendented first-person account by a young man of the murder of his family, readers will track the deadly symptoms of a family life gone wildly awry.
Was it Harry, Sr.'s own insecurity and insistence on strong discipline? Or his penchant for guns and teaching his boys riflery? Or his wife Mary Jane's diffidence to his authority? Or was it Harry, Jr.'s ungainliness and the cruel teasing of his classmates? Or the vicious hazing at The Citadel that drove him to the brink?
Harry De La Roche tells his story of a troubled teenager with heartbreaking conflicts. The power and drama of his story lie in the common experiences that his family shared with thousands of others blessedly touched by violence. This is a horrifying story of brutal murder, but it is also an extraordinary inside picture of murder's aftermath -- bungles and delay, the loss of key evidence, controversial defense tactics, and crucial psychiatric testimony.
Based on hundreds of hours of in-depth jail interviews substantiated by heavy research and documentation, this is the only book that offers a first-hand account of the De La Roche tragedy. A powerful portrayal of an unforgettable character whom everyone knows from somewhere -- and whom some will find uncomfortably close to home.« less