Jennifer Thompson was a senior in college planning to get married
when the unthinkable happened. One evening a man broke into her
apartment and raped her at knifepoint. Jennifer memorized his face
and her quick thinking allowed her to escape. She was able to come
up with a composite drawing with the police and later was able to
pick out Ronald Cotton in a lineup. Her testimony put him away in
jail for a life sentence. A later re-trial would give Ronald two
life sentences.
After eleven years Cotton was allowed to take a DNA test which
cleared him. Under overwhelming evidence, the perpetrator
eventually confessed.
Two years later Jennifer met Ronald and forged a friendship. This
may all seem like a great plot for a fiction book but this is an
amazingly true story.
Jennifer and Ronald come together to tell their sides of the story.
Jennifer's account shows how frail eyewitness accounts can be. She
was totally convinced she had the right man. The justice system
unfortunately does have flaws and Jennifer and Ronald are aiming to
fix some of them. Jennifer's account also shows how hard it is to
find 'closure'. Even though the trial is done, there are appeals
and appeals and it never goes away.
This book is about faith and forgiveness. Ronald had faith he would
be found innocent and his forgiveness of Jennifer is uplifting and
touching. He does speak about his initial rage but he overcomes
this and never loses hope. I was amazed by the forgiveness by
Ronald. He is an unbelievable person. Both Ronald and Jennifer
speak of being the victims of the perpetrator. Jennifer and Ronald
show us all what human grace is all about.