Was Justice Served?
For the Brutal Murder of Former TIME Magazine Writer/Reporter Julie R. Grace
by
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No matter how long I live, I’ll always be haunted and tormented by the horrible news I received at approximately eight o’clock the morning of Tuesday, May 20, 2003. Hearing the phone ring, I quickly went over, picked up the receiver and said, “Hello,” confident that I would be hearing my daughter Julie respond back with, “Hi, Mom.” It had been a few days since I had spoken with her, and I was very excited that she had finally called, as I was beginning to really worry. She and I typically spoke one or more times a day, and even though I had tried numerous times to reach her, she never answered her phone. I thought, finally, she’s calling to let me know why I hadn’t heard from her since last week. I believed my worries were over. I could now relax, knowing everything was okay.
However, that was not the case, and my excitement soon turned into horror and shock. Instead of hearing Julie’s voice, what I heard was the voice of Edward Heerdt, a detective from the Chicago Police Department. My heart sank and my body went numb as he told me the news that Julie was dead, and the cause of her death was under investigation. He went on to say that George Thompson had been arrested and taken into custody.
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About the Book
During her career, Julie Grace worked for several political icons, including Paul Simon, Alan Dixon, Joseph Kennedy, Walter Mondale, and Jimmy Carter. In 1991, she accepted a job with TIME magazine, where she specialized in social issues and was touted as one of TIME’s best human drama reporters.
Although Julie appeared to have a solid career, her world began to crumble when the stresses of her job became more than she could handle. In order to cope, she turned to alcohol. Eventually her addiction cost her the job. It was then that she sought help in an alcohol rehabilitation program. There, she met George Thompson, and they soon developed an extremely close relationship.
Unfortunately, the relationship was rocky and George physically abused Julie on numerous occasions. Tragically, on May 20, 2003, the abuse ended when Julie died three days after one of their abusive encounters. George initially confessed to her murder but when his case went to trial, he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter rather than first degree homicide.
Ruth Grace, Julie’s mother, was shocked. She blamed the Illinois judicial system for miscarriage of justice. Now, with the help of author Nancy Hoff man, she examines her daughter’s case in detail. Read the witnesses testimonies and judge for yourself—Was Justice Served?
About the Author
RUTH GRACE and NANCY HOFFMAN reside in Eustis, Florida. In 2009, they wrote Julie’s story together. Ruth daily endures the heartache from tragically losing her daughter in 2003. Because she wants no parent to suffer as she has, Ruth felt compelled to tell Julie’s story and to speak out on the topic of domestic violence.