Monday, August 26, 2024

While Idaho Slept by J. Reuben Appelman

 

Kaylee Goncalves.  Madison Mogen.  Xana Kernodle.  Ethan Chapin.  These were the four University of Idaho students whose murders stunned the nation.  Who could do such a horrific act?  Kaylee had finished with school and was about to start her first adult job.  She had come back for the weekend.  Ethan was Xana's boyfriend and didn't live at the house where the murders occurred but was there that night.  

The act sent the university and town into panic.  Streets were deserted at night and restaurants were empty, with home delivery of food skyrocketing.  Everyone demanded answers but the police were taking their time and working the case methodically, determined that any case they built would stand up in court.  Rumors were rampant and one was that the police weren't really working on the case or weren't up to the job.  The local police had immediately called in the state police and the FBI were also involved so there was plenty of expertise and resources.  

The police actually had fairly good clues early on.  The murderer had left a knife sheath at the scene which had his DNA.  There were camera shots of his car and going back, showing that he had staked out the house far before the actual murders.  As the suspect was investigated, he turned out to be a man who was heavy as a child and bullied.  He had managed to turn himself around physically but women could tell that there was something off about him and he had few if any relationships.  

J. Reuben Appelman is known for his work in the true crime genre.  He wrote and produced a series for television about the Detroit Area child killings that won great acclaim and he is a private investigator in Idaho who specializes in human trafficking.  In this book, he devoted chapters to each victim, giving the reader a look into their lives.  He then described the police investigation and how they narrowed in on the suspect although many of the facts of the case won't be available until the trial.  He has written a sensitive account of this tragedy making his focus the personalization of the victims. This book is recommended for true crime readers.  

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