No Heroes, No Villains by Steven J. Phillips

No Heroes, No Villains

The Story of a Murder Trial

Steven J. Phillips

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · February 12, 1978

On June 28, 1972 in a South Bronx subway station, John Skagen, a white off-duty policeman on his way home, suddenly and without apparent provocation, ordered James Richardson, a black man on his way to work, to get against the wall and put his hands up.

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Who it’s for
A former assistant district attorney recounts the steps of James Richardson’s murder trial.
Themes
Murder trial, Criminal justice, Police shooting
Genres
Murder & Homicide, Criminal Procedure, Historical True Crime

About this book

On June 28, 1972 in a South Bronx subway station, John Skagen, a white off-duty policeman on his way home, suddenly and without apparent provocation, ordered James Richardson, a black man on his way to work, to get against the wall and put his hands up. Richardson had a gun, and the two exchanged shots. In the melee that followed, Skagen was fatally wounded by a cop who rushed to the scene.

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In the ensuing trial, William Kunstler handled Richardson's defense and the author of this book, then assistant district attorney, prosecuted the case. Here is a first-hand, behind-the-scenes account of every step of the proceedings.

Richardson’s Trial

A former assistant district attorney recounts the steps of James Richardson’s murder trial.

Come here for

  • A South Bronx subway-station shooting and the trial that followed
  • The prosecutor’s first-hand account of the proceedings

Expect

  • The June 1972 shooting involving John Skagen and James Richardson
  • William Kunstler’s role in Richardson’s defense

Where it sits

Criminal Procedure51%
Murder & Homicide36%
Historical True Crime22%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Courts & the Judiciary
  • Criminology
  • Murder & Homicide
Authors
Steven J. Phillips
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published
February 12, 1978
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Murder trial · Criminal justice · Police shooting
Reading lane
Courts & the Judiciary