[Black & White Edition]The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice is published on the 25th anniversary of, arguably, Dayton, Ohio’s most shocking murder spree. The crimes were so horrifying that they captured the attention of the national and international press. Known as The Christmas Killings, this series of events became a worldwide news story in the print media and early days of cable news. This true-life crime drama opens Christmas week 1992 in a Dayton, Ohio, a declining major industrial U.S. city. The first murder to come to the attention of the four-man Dayton police homicide squad occurs on the evening of December 24, 1992. The ensuing complex criminal acts, including multiple perpetrators, victims, and locations, span 40 consecutive hours until they are resolved only through the tenacity of the detectives and uniformed officers. The full narrative unfolds through the four-day holiday weekend and then presses onward into the weeks and months that follow. Although the story details the atrocities committed by a local gang of teens - the self-proclaimed Downtown Posse - who inflict acts of brutality on unsuspecting members of the local community, The Christmas Killings - is a unique portrayal. It is told from the perspective of four homicide investigators - Sgt. Larry Grossnickle and Detectives Wade Lawson, Tom Lawson, and Doyle Burke - both in the way the murders unfold for them in 1992 and in the way these distinguished officers recall the tragic events. Author Dennis Murphy, himself a former Dayton police homicide detective, wanted The Christmas Killings told from the point of view of the investigators - the protagonists. He believed there was no better way to recount these tragic events than to tap into the thoughts and feelings of the men who were called out to investigate the homicides over a holiday weekend when most citizens were otherwise engaged in joyous holiday festivities and oblivious to the danger lurking in their city streets. On the 20th anniversary of the murder spree in 2012, Dennis gathered his two coauthors, a camera operator, and the four now-retired homicide detectives to share their memories of those 40 hours by way of an interview, originally film recorded with the intent to create a documentary. However, at the suggestion of a friend and local author who recommended the interview transcripts would provide for a fascinating written account, it was decided to place a film production on temporary hold and a book was written … this book. The account is delivered as if by screen narration and is filled with the visual imagery that one would expect in a documentary thanks to the author’s access to the investigative case file, a local television station’s file footage and more. The transcribed, verbatim police audio transmissions between uniform Sgt. John Huber and dispatch Sgt. Moises Perez add a truly riveting dimension to the book. The most compelling element of the story is the four detectives’ recollection and insight to the crimes and the killers. If only a book could be heard! The actual filmed interviews are captivating. The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice, is designed for visual and audio presentation and is the framework for a film production. Moving forward to produce a documentary is the endgame.
