"Cold cases, especially old historical ones, need to be meticulously researched and written about in order for justice to have the opportunity to swing its prophetic hammer. Kimberly [Tilley] has made sure that has been done properly here." -Detective Kenneth Mains, host of the Unsolved No More show and the History Channel's Hunt for the Zodiac Killer
Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1906. When a young white woman is assaulted in a dark cemetery, the town erupts.
Despite questionable evidence and a flawed trial, a black man named Ed Johnson is convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. Before he can be executed, the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes. Despite their order, a bloodthirsty mob attacks the county jail, and lynches Johnson.
The infuriated high court is determined Ed Johnson's murder will not go unpunished, and they charge Joseph Shipp, the county sheriff, with contempt. Desperate to save his political career and fearful of the reckoning he faces, the ambitious sheriff deteriorates under the strain of the case against him.
After failing to solve another shocking crime, Shipp does the unthinkable. He gambles on the ability of Dave Edwards, a notoriously violent inmate in his jail, to solve the high-profile cold case. Despite a pending trial for first-degree murder, the sheriff releases Edwards.
It's not long until Dave's madness manifests itself, with dreadful consequences.
