I Don’t Believe in Coincidence

In the early 1990s I attended every session of a trial in the case of a brutal summer afternoon murder of a young woman living alone, forty or so miles from my residence. As I considered writing a book about it, I drove to another town for the selecting of the jury and followed the case in person through the day of sentencing. During the time between the man’s capture and that opening day, I traveled by train for a week’s stay in another state, to interview the man’s soon-to-be ex-wife, and a few others. During recesses at court, and the lunch hour, I picked the brains of several of the victim’s friends who were there. On the last day of the trial, while the jury was out, I stayed in the courtroom, along with eight or so others. The sad lady who sat in front of me, remained seated too. I soon tapped her on the shoulder. Let’s say her name was Ruby.

Ruby was perplexed, it soon proved. I asked why.

“He is so little and looks so neat and innocent,” she said.

I explained that the defendant was not in the least undersized, but that his lawyer had seen to it that his client’s chair was lowered to make him appear small and innocent beside the larger attorney. This is routine on the part of defense lawyers.

“But we knew [the victim] and when we first heard about the murder, my husband prayed all night that this villain would be caught and punished.”

“Why, then, do you not think this man is guilty?” I asked.

“The only answer to my husband’s prayer was a likeness of the murderer. He had a ponytail.”

What a relief that that was all, for I had news for her.

I put my arm around Ruby’s shoulder and told her, “Rest assured God did not make an error. Neither has the court. This man, on the day of the murder, had a ponytail. His wife told me so, when I interviewed her.”

If the real reason I attended the trial was nothing more than to relay this information to this lady, it was worth the whole effort and cost. Ruby could hardly wait to get home and tell her husband the news. And though I have written about this murder in shorter form, my book on the case still waits to be written, along with several others.

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