Abstract
On Monday, October 23, 1989, a pregnant Massachusetts attorney was brutally murdered by a gunshot wound to the head. Two and a half weeks later, her infant son, delivered by Caesarian section, also died. And this murder of Carol Stuart shocked and appalled much of the nation. It was a murder bound to catch national attention-a white, suburban woman supposedly killed in cold blood by an unidentified black man. An area manhunt was launched; rewards were offered; scholarships to the victim's alma mater were established; and Boston-area residents demanded that the murderer be caught.
But nearly every week, not far from where Carol Stuart was shot, black men and women lose their lives. They are poor, often unmourned, with useless lives (according to the professionals who are our decision makers or news gatekeepers), and their passing, while sometimes noted, rarely stirs the kind of anger which Carol Stuart's death engendered.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Speech Communication
Volume
22
Issue
1
First Page
25
Last Page
35
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Geisler, Deborah M.
(1990)
"Hercule Poirot V. Reality: Murder Mysteries as an Epistemic Force,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 22:
No.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol22/iss1/7
Copyright
©1990 Iowa Communication Association
