Manifest Injustice is a true story regarding a convicted murderer and the people who tried to bring him freedom. It is a compelling and disturbing read and a perfect one to write about on the 4th of July. The story is captivating in that it illustrates the complexities of our legal system and how certain evidence can change the overall picture. How this man was able to get convicted still amazes me, as the amount of doubt in the story was incredible. I was deeply disturbed throughout the book at the number of obstacles and people not interested in at least hearing all the facts of a case (another person’s confession to the same murders). Though it is truly difficult to evaluate he said, she said situations, especially when those in charge of the investigation were so sloppy in gathering evidence and recording “confessions”. His ex-wife was able to both testify against him and had access to evidence.
The beauty of this story was the number of people who were fighting for his case. The people at the Arizona Justice Project fought for his story to be heard, and spend years trying to investigate his case and bring justice. Perkins Coie also joined the fight (I used to work here – too funny). Eventually one of his sons reunited with him, and became one of his advocates. The accused, Mr. Bill Macumber was portrayed as a strong inspiring man, trying to make the most of a bad situation.
Barry Siegel is an incredible writer, bringing to light difficult issues to process. He brings you into the lives of the people, pulls you into the story emotionally and intellectually. You can’t finish reading this book, without a greater understanding of the complexities and fallacies of the legal system.
Posted by Elissa T 
Chronic Pain Journals 