Shattered (book)
 | |
| Author | Kathryn Casey |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | True crime, Biography |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 2010 |
| Pages | 384 pp (Paperback ed) |
| ISBN | 0-06-158202-6 |
| OCLC | 2010484377 |
SHATTERED: The True Story of a Mother's Love, a Husband's Betrayal, and a Cold-Blooded Texas Murder, by author and novelist Kathryn Casey, is a true crime account of the killing of a pregnant woman whose body was discovered in 1999 in an upstairs closet in her home in Katy, Texas, near Houston. The book was published by HarperCollins in June 2010.
Case information
Belinda Lucas and David Temple dated as classmates at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. David became a high school coach, and Belinda a teacher. They married and had one child, a boy. On January 11, 1999, when their son was 3 years old, Belinda, 30 years old and eight months pregnant with their second child, was killed by a single gunshot blast to her head. The weapon, a 12-gauge shotgun, was never found.[1]
The case remained long unsolved; eventually the investigation revealed a history of cruelty and domination by Belinda’s husband, a respected member of his town’s close-knit community.
Despite being represented by Dick DeGuerin, a renowned Texas defense lawyer, David Temple was convicted of murder in the deaths of his wife and unborn baby girl in November 2007. Belinda had planned to name their daughter Erin.[2] He was sentenced to life in prison, to be eligible for parole after 30 years. He has appealed the conviction.[3]
Reception
Shattered was given True Crime Book Reviews' Reader’s Choice Award in 2010.[4] The book has stayed on Amazon.com's Top 100 bestseller list since its release in June 2010.[5]
Crime Magazine wrote that "Casey brings all the participants in this tragedy, both heroic and villainous, vividly to life."[6] The Daily Sentinel called the book a "heartbreaking story of the murder of a young pregnant mother and a frustrating investigation... ."[7]
‘’Shattered’’ made the Book of the Month Club listing upon its release.[8] It also made Doubleday’s Book Club under the true crime and drama genres.[9]
CBS News’ “48 Hours Mystery” covered the case in a December 2008 segment titled “A Guessing Game."[10]
References
- ↑ KPRC Local 2, "Shotgun Becomes Focus Of Murder Trial," October 30, 2007
- ↑ KPRC-TV Local 2, "David Temple Guilty Of Killing Pregnant Wife," November 15, 2007
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Temple sentenced to life for pregnant wife's murder," November 20, 2007
- ↑ True Crime Book Reviews Awards Winners, January 5, 2011
- ↑ Amazon.com, "Bestsellers in True Crime"
- ↑ ‘’Crime Magazine’’, “Book ‘Em Volume 33: Crime Magazine's Review of True-Crime Books,” May 30, 2011 (scroll down)
- ↑ Daily Sentinel, “Shattered: Murder of Belinda Lucas chronicled,” June 25, 2010
- ↑ Book of the Month Club listing
- ↑ Doubleday Book Club listing
- ↑ CBS News, "48 Hours Mystery," "A Guessing Game," December 8, 2008