Lies and Consequences: Covering the Trials of Kerry Max Cook

In 1991, an assignment covering the appeal of a death row inmate landed on journalist Vanessa Curry’s desk. She would spend the next thirty years entrenched in one of the most infamous capital murder cases in Texas history—that of Kerry Max Cook.

Kerry Max Cook was accused and convicted of brutally murdering and mutilating Linda Jo Edwards, a young secretary living in the town of Tyler, Texas. He was sent to death row in 1978 and spent two decades fighting for his freedom before the conviction was first overturned in 1991.

Drawing from court records, news reports, and personal interviews and observations, this story is equal parts legal drama and murder mystery. It follows Cook’s first trial, multiple appeals, his two retrials, the plea deal that would finally release him from prison, and his quest for actual innocence.

Told from a journalist’s perspective, readers get an intimate look at what really happens in and out of the courtroom. The responsibility reporters grapple with to provide a fair, unbiased accounting of events is a recurring theme throughout the book.

A Gold Medal Man: Biography of Kenneth “Tug” Wilson

“Vanessa Curry presents an illuminating biography of Tug Wilson. . . . Her exhaustive research shows why Wilson is an important figure in college athletics and Olympics history.”
—Ed Sherman, author of This is B1G: How the Big Ten set the standard in college sports

If not for her love of auctions and her curiosity, author Vanessa Curry may never have learned about one of the most influential people in the history of amateur sports—Kenneth “Tug” Wilson—who just happened to have been born in her hometown of Atwood, Illinois.

What she found in a box she purchased from an Atwood estate started Curry on a path of discovery about the remarkable life of a local farm boy whose career took him all over the world. Wilson never forgot his roots, but his historic contributions in promoting the benefits of amateur sports were nearly lost. Honoring his accomplishments through this biography ensures his legacy enriches the lives of generations to come.

About Vanessa Curry

Vanessa E. Curry is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience in writing and photography. Her career includes 15 years as a journalism instructor and collegiate newspaper advisor.

She earned a bachelor’s of science degree in mass communication from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with emphasis in journalism, criminal justice and political science from The University of Texas at Tyler.

Curry’s coverage of legal issues earned her recognition as the Liberty Bell Award winner from the Smith County Bar Association in Tyler, Texas; two Gavel Awards from the State Bar of Texas; the James Madison Award from The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas; investigative reporting, Freedom of Information honors from Texas Associated Press Managing Editors; Media Excellence in Public Awareness from Texas Corrections Association; Dallas Press Club Katie Award; and the Tennessee Press Association.

She also has appeared on “City Confidential”, “Forensic Files” and Oxygen Channel’s “Accident, Suicide, or Murder” — all television programs broadcast nationally — for her coverage of a high-profile murder case in Smith County, Texas.

Curry also enjoys history and was instrumental in obtaining an official marker from the Illinois State Historical Society for Kenneth L. “Tug” Wilson, an Olympian, commissioner of the Big Ten conference and president of the U.S. Olympic Committee. She researched and wrote a biography of Wilson’s achievements for the marker, which is located in Atwood, Illinois. Curry’s book about Tug, A Gold Medal Man, was awarded a certificate of excellence from the Illinois State Historical Society

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