I'm a resident of Bloomington, Illinois and vividly remember these murders. I personally know people involved in the investigation and followed it closely. We've visited the grave site and find it odd that there's not a space reserved for David. Even though I don't think he did it, who else could have? A good one for Unsolved Mysteries!!

Steve Vogel's accounting of the horrid Hendricks family murder was laced with controversy when it first came out. At the time, those following the crime believed David Hendricks was guilty, but Vogel's book challenged the thoroughness of the police, questioned their biases and their understanding of religious matters.

The story details the events surrounding the murder of three children and their mother, and whether or not the father was guilty. The father, out of town when the police discovered the bodies, claimed an alibi. The police determined, through statements from models he used for his catalog for his company, that perhaps David Hendricks was not faithful to his wife. No affairs were discovered, but the model statements still showed a poor light on Hendrick's commitment to his wife.

Hendricks was a lay leader in a relatively small, conservative group of evangelical Christians called the "Plymouth Brethren". The police did not realize that this group, though small, shared its basic theology with many Baptist denominations, as well as other better-known Christian groups. Instead, the police surmised that since divorce was discouraged in the Plymouth Brethren, Hendricks felt he needed to kill his family in order to be free of the marriage. Vogel describes the small-town ignorance of the police detectives and prosecutors by using their own trial testimoy. The prosecutor's logical jump was proposterous, but it played heavily into the trial.

The town, in a near OJ Simpson trial like frenzy, fed off the news, and the story became both local scandal and national news.

Confusing the matter was Hendrick's intense demeanor. He was well-read, and well-thought out, and by no means a man to react over-emotionally. His seemingly calm response, which may have been based on his faith or general personality, caused the police to see Hendricks cynically. Though they weren't country bumpkins, they weren't on the intellectual caliber of Hendricks, a star graduate of Northwestern University and inventor of a top-selling piece of medical equipment.

At issue in the trial was if Hendricks had the opportunity to have been at home at the time of the murders. He claimed no, the police claimed yes. The key evidence was the time of death as determined by the digestion of food the children ate. If that could be verified, then the suspect Hendricks was either cleared or very likely the culprit.

I fully recommend "Reasonable Doubt" for readers looking to think in this older, yet continually popular true crime book.

Anthony Trendl

Couldn't put this book down! A definite read for those true crime fans who like to think for themselves.

An update to the book is in order since much has happened since it was first published.

Still worth it to own!

Bravo to the author for not letting anyone sway his opinions in this case. He is truly objective in this book, giving both sides their time to "present their cases"...

Pick it up, you won't be sorry.