Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Deliberate Intent is the riveting account of the landmark Hit Man case, by noted First Amendment attorney Rod Smolla, who risked reputation and career when he took on a cause that seemed to oppose his strongest beliefs.
Early in 1992, Lawrence Horn hired a contract killer to execute his ex-wife and his severely brain-damaged son. On March 3, 1992, the man he hired, James Perry, traveled to Silver Spring, Maryland, and murdered Horn's ex-wife and child and the boy's nurse. Perry used a book called Hit Man as an instruction manual for the murders. The subsequent criminal trial became known as the Hit Man case, and after Horn and Perry were convicted of murder, the victims' families surprised the nation by filing an unprecedented wrongful death suit against Paladin Press, publisher of Hit Man. In a controversial turn of events, Paladin was being blamed for the murders.
Distinguished attorney Rod Smolla, First Amendment expert and vigorous advocate of free speech, was approached to represent the victims' families in the civil suit against Paladin. Smolla initially declined, but after reading Hit Man and likening it to "a loaded pistol or a vial of poison," he decided to take on the case, even though it seemed to go against his abiding belief in the First Amendment. Smolla argued that if Paladin Press knew and intended that its murder manual Hit Man would be used in the actual planning and execution of contract killings, Paladin was not entitled to immunity under the First Amendment. In an appeal that stunned the legal world, Smolla's argument prevailed and was affirmed by the Supreme Court. Deliberate Intent is the dramatic story of the events behind this landmark case--a story that includes murder, trials, and appeals and, most important, raises fascinating and difficult questions about our most cherished freedom.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Previews available in: English
Showing 2 featured editions. View all 2 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Deliberate Intent: A Lawyer Tells the True Story of Murder by the Book
August 1, 2000, Three Rivers Press
in English
0609805630 9780609805633
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
Deliberate intent: a lawyer tells the true story of murder by the book
1999, Crown Publishers
in English
- 1st ed.
0609604139 9780609604137
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Edition Notes
Includes index.
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?February 14, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | remove fake subjects |
October 29, 2015 | Edited by Shelley W. | Added description |
January 25, 2012 | Edited by BorrowBot | Adding to In library |
January 19, 2011 | Edited by ImportBot | add subjects from new record |
December 9, 2009 | Created by WorkBot | add works page |