After stabbing a defenseless gas station attendant 19 times during a robbery, Willie Horton was arrested and sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. Eleven years later Horton was given a "weekend pass" from prison, and his unexpected freedom resulted in another sadistic rampage. Did Michael Dukakis, the liberal governor of Massachusetts, lose his bid to become president because of his support for this supposedly rehabilitative furlough program for first-degree murderers?
Willie Horton: True Crime and Its Influence on a Presidential Election, by Steve Takesian, explores this question, as well as Horton's crimes, arrests, trials, and the furlough program that became a pivotal issue during the 1988 presidential election. The author, a police lieutenant from Horton's former hometown, offers a unique perspective of the events surrounding Michael Dukakis's ultimate defeat as well as an insider's perspective of law enforcement and its foibles.
Willie Horton:
True Crime and Its Influence on a Presidential Election