patfish1's Full Review: James Neff - Unfinished Murder: The Capture of a S...
Ronnie Shelton is a handsome fellow who is locked away, if God is in His heaven, in a jail cell for the rest of his life.
Shelton is a serial rapist who raped an unknown number of women from 1983 through 1988 in the Cleveland area. Thirty women testified in his trial against him and common sense indicates there are many more.
This was an interesting book both in terms of the details of the perp’s perversion, the Keystone Kop attempts to catch the guy and the surprising end to his trial. The book’s title is how rape is often characterized, ie as “unfinished murder” as the crime kills the psyche of the victim in so many manners.
First note here, True Crime books almost always have a montage of pics in the middle, pics of the perp, pics of the victim(s), pics of prosecutors, and so forth. There was NO picture of Ronnie Shelton in this book about him. That’s odd as all get out. For Shelton was described throughout the book as handsome and all-American looking, this in direct contradiction to his horrifying behavior. A picture was desperately needed. However, I did a search of the Internet and found no images of anybody with this name. Why keep the pics of a RAPIST from the public eye? Are we trying to protect the guy?
Next, like so many parents of horrible criminals, Ronnie’s parents stood by him. I could never defend in any way a son of mine who so brutalized women like this handsome All-American guy did. Some might say that his parents believed him innocent but come on…thirty women testified against the guy. Further, when they finally got this pervert behind bars the rapes stopped! Imagine that!
The most intriguing of this story is the prosecutor’s tactics in trying this guy.
Shelton did not kill any of his rape victims and for that, well hey he didn’t get the death penalty. But you’ve got a young fellow here who somehow managed to sneak into 30 women’s homes and rape them. Shelton’s modus operandi was to watch the activities of a potential victim, note her comings and goings, how she locked the house, when the males in their lives left them alone. He would plot how to get at the woman and most times he managed to do it.
What, you think after he got out of jail for the 30 rapes for which he was charged he’d stop? His fine parents supported the guy so all he had to do with his life is plot how to brutalize women.
The prosecutor took a different but very effective tact. Instead of choosing the best and most evidence-filled rape case, or even just a few, prosecutor McGinty had over 30 women testify against the guy. Woman after woman after woman got on that stand and told her story. It wasn’t easy for the prosecutor to get all these women together and agree to testify and indeed, the defense, even the judge, complained about all the victims.
Shelton got over 3000 years in jail as a result of this prosecutorial tactic. Even with parole he’ll be in jail over a thousand years.
This guy is a bad apple. He’s the type who should be locked behind bars, FOREVER. His mental disease is simply too great, he is too consumed with his crimes, he’ll never stop. To give this guy another chance to walk the planet is to put more innocent women in jeopardy for his pleasure.
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