Lightning Thunder and the Peril in the Wind

This book is a true story about a young lawyer, Danny, who shoots and kills his wife, Shannon, at night during a summer storm. Danny was charged with manslaughter. His first trial ended in a mistrial. His second trial ended with him entering a plea of involuntary manslaughter and being sentenced to three years in prison.

This book was written and put together by Gerald C. Parker Sr., stepfather to Danny. Gerald was co-counsel for Danny in his first trial and a witness for him in the second trial. The author is naturally biased in favor of Danny, so the reader should keep this in mind in evaluating the story and the arguments made by the author and others about errors made by the court in both trials. The author has used the narrative summary of the testimony of witnesses as prepared by Danny for the first trial. For the second trial, the author used the actual transcript, question-and-answer form, to report the testimony as well as the interaction of the attorneys with the trial judge.

In the chapters before and after the two trials, the author has told about Shannon and Danny and their families. In writing about this tragic event, the author confesses that he had to fight back tears from time to time.

What was the real cause of Shannon's death? Was it the storm, or Shannon's bladder problem, or Danny's negligence-or all of the above, or none of the above? By the end of the book, the reader may reach his or her own conclusion.

-- Gerald Parker