Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom

ISBN: 0806542799

Author: Poston Jr., McCracken

Condition: New

Finalist, CrimeCon Clue Award, True Crime Book of the YearWinner, Georgia Independent Author of the YearWinner, Georgia Spotlight AwardLike a nonfiction John Grisham thriller with echoes of Rainman, Just Mercy, and a captivating smalltown Southern setting, this is the fascinating true story-sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking-of an idealistic young lawyer determined to free an undiagnosed neurodivergent man wrongfully accused of murdering the wife no one knew he had.An inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice for readers of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Just Mercy.Was this small-town TV repair man a harmless eccentric or a bizarre killer (Atlanta Journal Constitution). For the first time, Alvin Ridleys own defense attorney reveals the inside story of his case and trial in an extraordinary tale of friendship and an idealistic young attorneys quest to clear his clients name-and, in the process, rebuild his own life.In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridleys house-and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had.McCracken Poston had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider, the Zenith Man, as Poston knew him, hardly seemed capable of murder.Alvin was a difficult client, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvins curious marriage and her cause of death-which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts, testimony from Alvin himself, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvins junk-strewn house, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense in a courtroom fight that revealed the truth and allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle, a free man.Years after his trial, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle-and shows how easily those who dont fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood. Part true crime, part courtroom drama, and full of local color, Zenith Man is also the moving story of an unexpected friendship between two very different men that changed-and perhaps saved-the lives of both.