Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald

Betrayal

What followed was the development of a friendship between the two men where McGinniss stayed in MacDonald's condo, they drank, ate and played together.  McGinniss sat in on all of the meetings with the defense team.  Repeatedly and persistently, McGinniss volunteered to MacDonald and others, including MacDonald's mother, that he believed in MacDonald's innocence.

MacDonald with the Press in 1980

For the three plus years between their deal in 1979 until a few months before the publication of the book in 1983, McGinniss led MacDonald to believe that he continued to champion the doctor's innocence.  During this time, he had MacDonald surreptitiously make audiotapes in violation of prison policy about the details of his relationship with his wife and children. 

All the time, McGinniss continued to lament the unfairness of MacDonald's trial and sympathize with his plight.  "Total strangers can recognize within five minutes that you did not receive a fair trial...What the f—k were those people thinking of?  How could 12 people not only agree to believe such a horrendous proposition, but agree, with a man's life at stake, that they believed it beyond a reasonable doubt?" (excerpts from McGinniss's letters to MacDonald).  McGinniss was provided with all of the exculpatory materials that were being brought to light by private investigators working on MacDonald's appeal.

The reality of the situation is that once MacDonald was convicted, McGinniss could either take the position that MacDonald had been unfairly convicted or that MacDonald was really guilty and had tricked people for nine years into thinking he was innocent.   The story of an evil monster masquerading as an upstanding doctor sells many more books than a crusade to get Jeffrey MacDonald a new trial.  While McGinniss claims that he changed his mind about MacDonald's guilt after the trial, it was a decision that was financially very rewarding.

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1. The Fairy Tale
2. The Horror Story
3. MacDonald's Story
4. Crime Scene Fiasco
5. Investigative Incompetence
6. Helena Stoeckley
7. Segal Defends MacDonald
8. The Army Plans Revenge
9. Starting Over
10. The Army Doesn't Forget
11. Deck Stacked Against MacDonald
12. The Physical Evidence, Part 1
13. The Physical Evidence, Part 2
14. The FBI Laboratories
15. The pajama Folding Experiment
16. The Physical Evidence, Part 3
17. Helena Stoeckley Reemerges
18. The Issue of MacDonald's Character
19. What Really Happened
20. Greg Mitchell
21. Enter Joel McGinniss
22. Betrayal
23. The Mother of Invention
24. The Civil Suit
25. Appeals
26. New Evidence of Innocence
27. New Chapter — DNA Evidence
28. New Chapter — Hope of a New Trial
29. Bibliography