The Velvet Hammer

Judge Belvin Perry, Jr.'s Capital Murder Cases and Memoir

De: Amy Mitchell, Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr.

Narrado por: Arnell Powell

After retiring from twenty-five years on the bench, former chief judge Belvin Perry Jr. reveals a rare and disturbingly vivid firsthand perspective of the most gruesome death penalty cases in which he played a key role, including the infamous Casey Marie Anthony, who was dubbed “America’s Most Hated Mom” after her shocking acquittal.

The Velvet Hammer is the gripping, true-crime memoir of former Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr., who sentenced some of Florida’s most evil and notorious murderers to death, fulfilling his oath to uphold justice. Perry provides a clear, accurate description of America’s criminal justice system and explains why the death penalty can, and should, work and how it was applied to certain capital murder cases he either prosecuted or presided over.

Perry discusses his journey as an African American growing up in the segregated South, his life as a prosecutor and chief judge, and how he ended up presiding over one of the world’s most intriguing capital murder trials of the century: State of Florida v. Casey Marie Anthony.

From the widow who slowly poisoned her lovers; to the lust murderer who mutilated his victim while she was still alive; to the serial killer who slayed a family of four, including his own child; as well as several other violent and frightening murders, Perry spares none of the gory details when bringing each case back to life in his debut, true crime memoir.

©2024 Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. and Amy Mitchell (P)2024 Recorded Books

Great storytelling

Fantastic writing and very interesting the whole way through. I live in Orlando so I wanted to read this book about an Orlando native.

Compelling material, told dully

This should be a compelling story, told by a jurist who was there. And yet it’s not told in a way that keeps your attention. The judge describes cases that weren’t before him, and draws conclusions from them that distracted from what I had hoped would be the inside dope from the cases that were heard in his courtroom. This could have been an interesting book. It wasn’t.