Lost in Clover by Travis Richardson Read Free Book Online Page A

ads and billboards from his campaign. Ever since he became lead prosecutor on the case, he had been on the radio, TV, and papers discussing the case.
    Carson kicked off the opening arguments detailing the savagery that the accused “Mr. Eddie Cooper” had committed when killing fine upstanding young men of Clover. He asked the jurors to consider the families that lost their sons to such a heartless murderer and to give them the justice that was rightfully theirs. Crazy Eddie didn’t help himself either, staring cold hateful looks at Carson.
    “The evidence will show that this is not a case of accidental homicide, ladies and gentlemen, but rather of a wicked and sadistic man without remorse or conscious, who committed the most heinous crime in the history of Clover. You must find Eddie Cooper guilty of first-degree murder not only for the victims’ families, but also for the citizens of Clover and all of Kansas. We cannot as a society have a man like Eddie walking the streets ever again.”
    Carson walked back to his table with a half-cocked, self-satisfied smile.
    The defense was led by Lawrence Elliot, a young man who had graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law a few years earlier and was rumored to be a card carrying ACLU member. Who else but an ACLU freak would want to free a killer? Crazy Eddie had been given a couple of public defenders, but had refused to cooperate with them. Then Lawrence stepped up out the blue and took the case pro bono. He declared to the media that “a travesty of justice was happening” and he was going “to salvage what I can and make sure that Eddie Copper gets the best representation possible.” In a baffling twist, he had demanded that the trial be held in Clover instead of Paola as originally scheduled.
    People in Clover initially scoffed at the twenty-seven year old upstart trying to take on a seasoned prosecutor like Carson McKinney. But when Lawrence stood for his opening argument, some women in the audience leaned forward with rapt attentiveness they neglected to give Carson. Jeremy noticed Carrie’s longing look. Lawrence was tall and handsome. His trim body was accentuated in a tailor-cut suit. Where Carson came across as salt of the earth, Lawrence had a debonair confidence unknown to Clover. Even before he opened his mouth, Jeremy hated him.
    Lawrence argued that Crazy Eddie was at home fast asleep, when he was awakened by a rowdy bunch of boys looking for him. “Yes, perhaps they came from good families, unlike Eddie’s own background, but at that moment in time, those boys were drunk and hell-bent on hurting young Eddie.
    “Please keep in mind that although he is large, Eddie Cooper was only fifteen years old at the time of this incident. How was he supposed to know that, according to the prosecution, those young men, whose average age was twenty-two, weren’t intending to do any harm? Alcohol was found in all the deceased bodies. If you look at the criminal records of the deceased, all except one had been charged with either drunken driving or assault and battery, and in some cases both. Yes, the acts that Mr. Cooper did may seem heinous, but take a step back and consider that Eddie was scared for his life.” He let the last word linger.
    “Imagine a gang of seven drunk and rowdy adults calling out your name on your property in the middle of night. You’re in a house full of women, and your father is passed out drunk. What would you do? Seriously, ladies and gentlemen, what would you do? You would do like any proper Kansan would do and defend yourself and your property. That’s for certain. And I ask you, what was the intent of those young men who drove onto the Cooper’s private property ? Honestly, we do not know. We can only speculate, as the prosecution has done. Randall Cochran is the only witness who knows the original intent of his colleagues. He knows the reason why they decided to antagonize Mr. Eddie Cooper on his property and what they