here's a link to the Blade article I wrote, published today (Oct. 29, 2006):

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/NEWS02/61029011

The article is a good one, in my humble opinion, not necessarily because of my writing but because it was the first time that any of the jurors in the Robinson case spoke to the media. And even though it was rather lengthy by newspaper standards, there was a lot that I had to leave out.
First, it was amazing how both Beth Como and Cathy Shrader ended up at the same book signing event at the same time, yet had not seen each other or talked since the trial ended. Beth is a very straightforward and businesslike person, yet she laughed quite often and has a great sense of humor. Cathy is a little more reserved, a deep thinker but also quick with a smile. Actually, they both were a lot like you or me -- average citizens who took their job as jurors very seriously.
Here are a few things that I couldn't fit in the article:
1. Motive: Neither felt it was important to have a motive for the murder. Dean Mandros, assistant Lucas County prosecutor, offered one possible motive during the trial, saying he realizes that some jurors find it hard to put all the pieces together without having some motive in mind. But legally, it was not required. The motive Mandros offered was that Robinson was mad at Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, mad at the church, and mad at God. He had taken a lot but he could not take any more. And a man got angry at a woman and a woman died. In Como's and Shrader's view, they didn't put much weight on that theory and it did not affect their judgment or the verdict.
2. Why the cold-case squad reopened the 1980 case: It was interesting because Cathy had not read my book but Beth did. When we got to this subject, Cathy said she wondered and they never explained it in court, they just made reference to a letter. Beth told her she'll understand when she reads the book. For those of you who don't know the story, here's a Cliff Notes version: a Toledo nun had written a letter and testified to the diocese of Toledo in 2003 saying she had been abused by a satanic cult that included several priests. One of the priests she named was Robinson. When the letter was handed to the prosecutor's office, one veteran investigator recognized Robinson's name from the 1980 murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl and decided to take another look at the evidence. That led to Robinson's arrest in April, 2004.
3. DNA evidence: Neither juror felt that DNA was important in this case. The amount they had was so small, and degraded over time, and the crime scene had been contaminated by so many people, and police did not use or preserve DNA in 1980 when the murder occurred. But both Beth and Cathy were amazed at J. Christopher Anderson's understanding of DNA and forensics. "What a mind," Beth said a couple of times. Cathy said she assumed it must be his area of specialization, which it is.
4. "Reasonable Doubt": Asked if there was a moment when the defense team seemed to create anything close to reasonable doubt, which was its stated goal all along, both Beth and Cathy said John Thebes got them thinking when he said the image of the U.S. Capitol building found in blood on the altar cloth did not necessarily come from Robinson's letter opener, but could have been made by a nickel. The doubts were erased when assistant prosecutor Chris Anderson told the jurors not to accept any nickels from Mr. Thebes because the image on the back of a nickel is Jefferson's home at Monticello, not the Capitol. That remark drew laughs from the entire courtroom and, as Beth Como put it, "blew Thebes away."

Well I guess that's enough for now. I'll add more soon. I had two signings this weekend, one at the Open Book in Fremont and one in Toledo at Calvary AG, my home church. The Fremont one went very well, thanks to the superb effort of owner Barbara Jeane Fisher, an author as well as a book store owner. Today was fine at church, there were about 30 people there, although to be honest I was hoping for a few more. The point today was to share the excitement with my "brothers and sisters" and to explain to them why I wrote such a book.
On a side note, the Tigers lost pretty badly in the World Series... but overall they achieved far more than anyone had expected, including knocking out the mighty Yankees, so you have to be glad for that. Baseball used to be important to me but these days it's just a little diversion. I began losing interest years ago when I went to a car customizer in Tampa who told me that he had put 10 stereos in 10 cars for Dwight Gooden, each of the stereos costing $10,000. The money in pro sports these days is so out of control it has ruined the game, in my opinion. While I still go to ballgames and enjoy some of the action, my view of professional sports has been permanently diminished. I know it's pretty much the same for college sports but I enjoy them more. The Michigan Wolverines are looking fearsome and the Nov. 18 showdown with Ohio State is shaping up as one of the best ever -- let's hope both teams keep winning. I also can't wait to see Duke play some b-ball this year!

Oct. 29, 2006, Sylvania, Ohio