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Book Review of May God Have Mercy : A True Story of Crime and Punishment

May God Have Mercy : A True Story of Crime and Punishment
reviewed on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6


If you only examined the case from the author's viewpoint you would think his execution was a gross miscarriage of justice. DNA tests have confirmed the guilt of a Roger Coleman. He proclaimed he was innocent of murder and rape even as he was strapped into the electric chair and executed more than a decade ago. The results stunned and disappointed those who have fought a 25-year crusade to prove that Roger K. Coleman was innocent. They also dashed hopes among death penalty foes that the case would catalyze opposition to capital punishment across the country. The tests show there is a one in 19 million chance that semen found on the victim's body belonged to someone other than Roger Coleman. As fiction, it would have been a good read. Unfortunately, this is nonfiction and misses the mark.