Troy, IL, March 21, 2024 — Don Weber, who has previously co-wrote several true-crime books, two of which were nationwide bestsellers and selected by the Book the Month Club for their true-crime readers, has completed his new book, “Historic Criminal Trials and Errors”: a fascinating guide that utilizes the author’s wealth of experience in the courtroom to help readers gain a better understanding of criminal trial law and courtroom proceedings, contextualized through the lens of actual, historical cases.
Author Don Weber has served on the faculty at St. Louis University Law School and was elected Madison County State’s Attorney. He has taught at the National College of District Attorneys in South Carolina, lectured at the Great Hall of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, and is an unprecedented three-time winner of the Illinois State Police Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement Award. Currently, Weber is on the board of directors of SILEC, the Southwest Illinois Law Enforcement Commission.
In “Historic Criminal Trials and Errors,” Don Weber brings his fifty-plus years of experience in writing and criminal law to the reader. This book is a must-read for true-crime enthusiasts, Ripperologists, and anyone interested in increasing their knowledge of crime and criminal trials. The bestselling author gives the reader the details of forensic science and the criminal law in simple, easily understood language.
Weber has tried hundreds of criminal jury cases, both as a prosecutor and a defense lawyer. He details the real-life use of DNA science, psychological profiling, bite-mark comparison, gunshot analysis, and many other aspects of forensic evidence. The book also explains most aspects of criminal law and procedure, such as the little understood Felony Murder Rule and the valuable but often overlooked use of the Grand Jury and the prior consistent statement rule.
Along the way, real trials, and historic trials that never happened, are detailed. From the badly botched murder of the Czar and his family to the forensic evidence that saved Wyatt Earp from the gallows, historic crimes are described and autopsied. The fictional trial of Robert Kennedy for the murder of Marilyn Monroe and the trial and execution of Jack the Ripper are based on actual facts taken from the historic evidence.
“All the anecdotes in this book are true, although some names or murder weapons have been changed to protect the guilty,” shares Weber. “The characters depicted are all real-life human beings, but events or murder details may have been slightly altered. Reality is always more interesting than fiction. The stories related in this book actually happened. After all, truth is stranger than fiction, and one cannot make this stuff up.
“The original intent of this book was to give the reader the inside story about real-life investigations and courtroom procedures using real anecdotes from actual police investigations and courtroom dramas. The original intent, giving the reader a simple lesson in trial strategies for beginners, changed into a more in-depth look at the steps in the prosecution and defense of crimes. As the content and purpose of the book changed, the title changed. The title went from ‘A Handbook of Criminal Trials and Procedure for Beginners’ to the more commercial ‘Criminal Law for Dummies’. But the content was always aimed at amateur sleuths who watch murder investigations and court trials on TV but never really realize the real-life foibles of judges, cops, defendants, pathologists, and prosecutors.”
