David Parrish, a retired tech writer, was a part-time baseball coach many years ago. When he learned that one of his former players, Jon Bowie, had died, Parrish was stunned. As a friend, he talked to friends and family, trying to understand what police and the medical examiner had ruled a suicide. Jon had been found hanging from the backstop at the local high school’s baseball field, although it seemed unlikely for a variety of reasons (including logistics, Jon’s personality, and the possible role of the police. Thanks to Kensington Books/Citadel and NetGalley for an advance copy of Parrish’s book, Losing Jon, in exchange for an honest review of this book, subtitled A Teen’s Tragic Death, A Police Cover-Up, a Community’s Fight For Justice.
Some months prior to Jon’s death, he and his identical twin brother Mickey were with a group of young people (apparently most of whom were under the legal age for drinking in Maryland) at a party in a motel room rented by a friend. When police came, several of the males behaved like the drunk teens they were, and the police responded with force that was WAY over the top. Following “the incident,” the Bowies filed complaints against two of the officers, citing excessive force and claiming it wasn’t necessary for them to have been kicked, beaten, and choked. The young man who rented the room was later abducted and dragged by the neck, allegedly by police officers, which didn’t surprise those who were familiar with the months of harassment and intimidation by police that the Bowie twins had endured – the abduction occurred the night before he was scheduled to testify about the incident.
Most of those who, like the author, lived in Columbia, Maryland, didn’t believe that Jon would commit suicide. Community feelings ran high, and there were calls for an investigation into the death as well as the actions by police. As part of his investigation into the matter, David Parrish came to the conclusion that Jon was murdered. This book is an extremely detailed documenting of the incident, the author’s investigation, and the cover-up(s) on the part of the justice system in Maryland.
As someone who has read books and listened to podcasts over the past several years dealing with the criminal justice system in the Baltimore area, I found the story disgusting but sadly not surprising. Mr. Parrish has done a good job documenting this complex story and capturing the community’s response to the events. I love true crime when it is done well, and this one is done well! I deducted one star because while I found the parts about Mr. Parrish’s mother being able to “see” things and the role of the psychic near the end being interesting, they seemed somewhat…not sure what. Possibly out of place? Jarring? Lacking clarity? Can’t quite put my finger on it but for me they detracted from the story of corruption and malfeasance just a bit. Four stars.