In 1958, 19-year-old Charlie Starkweather went on a murder spree that paralyzed Nebraska, shocked the nation, and left 11 people dead. With him when he was captured was his 14-year-old ex-girlfriend Caril Fugate. The question soon arose, was Caril a kidnapped victim, or a heartless accomplice? Appointed to her case, Attorney John McArthur initially accepted the assignment out of a sense of constitutional duty. But as he delved deeper, he found that the truth was far more complicated than anyone was letting on. Up against incredible odds, and with a strong conviction of her innocence, McArthur remained with Caril and fought for her freedom for 18 years. For this service, he took no pay, accepting the case pro bono. This book follows the long struggle of McArthur, his partner Merril Reller, and John's son James as they took on the Nebraska legal system and a public that had already determined Caril's guilt before ever hearing a word of testimony. The story continues through all it influenced, such as Stephen King, who became a horror writer because of it, Bruce Springsteen, who wrote a whole album about it, Terrence Malick, Oliver Stone, Martin Sheen, and Peter Jackson, who wrote his first major movie based on the Starkweather-Fugate incident. Pro Bono explores aspects of this incredible story that have never been revealed before, and sheds new light on these terrifying and complex events.
Jeff McArthur grew up surrounded by the story related in Pro Bono. His grandfather was John McArthur, who represented Caril Fugate through the '50s and '60s, and his father represented Caril through her parole in the 1970s. Jeff McArthur then moved on to New York where he went to school studying film. Afterward, he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in the film industry for 15 years before coming back to the story with which he grew up and placed it into a book entitled Pro Bono. He has also written the drama 'The Table of Truth' and the sci fi series 'Relic Worlds'. He has also made the documentary 'The Forgotten Grave', all available on Amazon.
