Homicide by the Rich and Famous: A Century of Prominent Killers

Many
people express shock and horror when they hear of a wealthy or famous
person killing another person. As a society, we seem to expect the rich
and famous to behave better, to commit fewer crimes, to be immune to the
passions that inspire other, less prominent people to kill. After all,
the rich and famous have everything―why would they need to murder? But
the rich and famous kill for the very same reasons others do: love,
power, money, jealousy, greed, revenge, and rage. Here, Scott takes us
on a tour of murders committed by the rich and famous during the last
century, looking at the motives, the responses of the community and
local law enforcement, the media, and the outcomes. She argues that the
rich and famous may kill for the same reasons as others, but they
receive vastly different treatment and are often able to get away with
murder.

Homicide by the rich and famous is not
new in this country, nor is fascination with the crimes committed by
our most revered citizens. But being among the upper echelon of society
does afford such suspects with a greater ability to escape punishment.
They have greater access to better respresentation, they have the means
to flee the country, they have influential friends in high places
willing to put themselves on the line, and they are generally treated
better by law enforcement and the criminal justice system. This book
profiles the many ways in which homicides committed by the rich and
famous are similar to other murders in their motives, but differ from
those committed by everyday citizens in their outcomes. Scott provides
readers with a showcase of crimes that will infuriate and fascinate
readers.