Chapter 6, Ghosts Summary and Analysis

A case called Nettie V. Brown versus the State of Oklahoma set a precedent in which a trial can be held against a defendant in a murder case even if there is no body. Thanks to this ruling, District Attorney Bill Peterson could go forward with his case against Ward and Fontenot even though the body of Denice Haraway still had not been found. All Peterson had to do was present enough evidence that a murder had taken place without the use of the confession tapes. However, the missing body and the reluctance of Ward and Fontenot to tell police where the body was continued to haunt both the district attorney and the police. Both continued to search for the body despite a discouraging lack of evidence.

The author presents the story of Nettie Brown at the beginning of...