Trestle of Death

Murder Unpunished

By: Bob Holderbaum

Narrated by: Jeff Lechtanski

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

1985. Kalamazoo, Michigan. Young, openly gay Wayne Watson is beaten to death under a dark, secluded railroad trestle.

The two neighborhood toughs are in jail within 24 hours. It's an open-and-shut murder case.

Or, is it?

In Trestle of Death: Murder Unpunished, Bob Holderbaum explores this intriguing, "new twist at every turn" case. Meticulously researched, sensitive, and tragic, Wayne Watson's story is one that deserves to be told.

©2019 Bob Holderbaum (P)2019 Bob Holderbaum

Compelling account of lesser known true crime.

While I found the story very well written and important to tell. I found some of the author's numerous comments regarding things that could be found later on in either the book or appendices annoying.

I think that those asides or semi explanatory text made the narrator's job more difficult. I also think the narration was a bit stilted. But I did find the narrator's voice pleasant.

For a crime with no court transcript one has to applaud the "Team" in its diligence in researching and ultimately pulling together a very compelling narrative.

Another concern I have is the reference to the Book of Matt , no matter how many years the author of that book investigated the case he still could only rely on third party hearsay evidence. As with Wayne , Matthew is not around to share is thoughts on the allegations claimed in that book. I think one only read the in depth research done by Moise Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater who went to Laramie and did in depth interviews with key figures in the case while the facts were still fresh. Having met Matthew's friend and Founder of Angel Action Romaine Patterson and watched her in an audience talk back about Matt's murder I feel confident that anti gay bias was the leading contributor to the events that night. Not drug dealing or drug usage. The secondary factor was financial. As in the Shepard case Wayne had beer and the 2 nitwits would assume money. I think in no way other than suggesting the possibility of oral sex would any gay man just reach out and grab at a straight guys crotch. He most likely would wait to see some clear affirmation that the guy he just worked up thr nerve to proposition really wanted the act and was making his genitals available. This was a pretty clear case of Roll the Queer ..that got really out of hand due to alcohol. The travesty is in the return to finish what they started . To me that is clearly provable and shows premeditation. Murder 1.

PS Stonewall happened in 1969 not 1963. I'm pretty sure I heard that date used. And the bar just has US Landmark Status ( I think) and a plaque. There is no memorial per se. There is however a sculpture of 2 gay couples in Sheridan SQ Park directly outside Stonewall. Ironic that a Park named for a Union General whose statue no one even bothers to notice has been across from a Gay Bar that shares a name with a famous Confederate General. Funny World. All in all A great job!