The Seattle Times has published a book, “The Other Side of Mercy,” on the case of Maurice Clemmons,who killed four police officers in Lakewood, Wa., last fall. Maurice Clemmons left no doubt what he was thinking, the newspaper says. From the time he was a teenager, he produced a trail of documents and recordings stunning in their detail. They include 1,800 pages of prison records, showing what happened when he entered one of the country’s most notorious prison systems at age 17. They include 100-plus hours of recorded telephone calls, made last year when he was 37 and determined to kill.
The Times is running a five-part series this week adapted from the book. The story includes Clemmon’s time on a prison farm, “swinging a hoe and accumulating enemies; a plea for mercy to a preacher-turned-politician with designs on the White House; dreams of riches fired by the likes of Donald Trump and a self-proclaimed prophet in New York City; a newfound faith in God coupled with a descent into madness; and marriage to a bold, like-minded woman who stood by him almost to the end.” The Times says its book debunks myths that surround the posting of bail and exposes holes in the safety network for moving parolees from one state to another.