MUSKOGEE — Attorneys for a district attorney and a former Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent said they will file a lawsuit today against author John Grisham over his book, "The Innocent Man.”
The book chronicles the trial and lengthy imprisonment of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, who were wrongly convicted of the 1982 rape and murder of Deborah Sue Carter of Ada.
DNA evidence later cleared both men and implicated Glen Gore, who was a key witness at their trial. Gore was convicted last year of Carter's murder.
Grisham's book is critical of investigators and Pontotoc County District Attorney William Peterson, who prosecuted Fritz and Williamson.
Peterson was so incensed by Grisham's book, he launched a Web site earlier this year. Much of the site, billpetersondistrictattorney.com, lays out why Peterson thinks the book is inaccurate.
A lawsuit to be filed on behalf of Peterson and former OSBI agent Gary L. Rogers accuses Grisham of libel and conspiracy, according to a media advisory from attorney Gary Richardson.
The lawsuit also will target author Robert Mayer, who wrote "The Dreams of Ada.” That book is about a similar murder in Ada and subsequent prosecution, incarceration and exoneration of Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot.
According to Richardson's media advisory, other targets of the lawsuit include Fritz; attorney Barry Scheck, who helped free Fritz and Williamson; and publishing companies involved with the two books.
Richardson plans a news conference after filing the lawsuit this morning.
