BLOOD WILL TELL

The most interesting aspect of the 1984 New Orleans ``baseball bat murder'' of Janet Myers is that, despite two convictions, it's still not clear exactly who killed the woman—and why. Meanwhile, this cumbersome, detailed examination by Bosco (The Boys Who Would Be Cubs, 1990) raises as many questions as it answers. Myers's husband, Kerry, and his best friend, Bill Fontanille, had different versions of what went on during the bloody struggle that resulted in Janet's death. Fontanille, who readily admitted sleeping with Janet, said he stopped by the house to retrieve his baseball bat and Kerry began stabbing him, talking incoherently, and battering Janet, who was apparently unconscious. By contrast, Kerry stated that Fontanille bludgeoned Janet and shattered Kerry's arm with the bat—but that Kerry managed to stab Fontanille several times. Neither man could explain how the couple's toddler son sustained a severe head injury, resulting in coma. Bosco recounts Kerry's 911 call in its entirety; repeats police and medical reports, as well as court testimony; offers fresh statements from friends and relatives; and adds updated comments by many of the investigators, medical personnel, and attorneys involved in the subsequent six years of legal wrangling. Blood spatters placed both men near Janet during at least one of possibly three separate beatings. One series of blows apparently occurred after she expired, and Bosco notes that, technically, Janet died of coronary arrest caused by an air embolism. Moreover, the ``arbitrary air bubble'' probably didn't kill her until two hours after the initial beating: She could have been saved had either Kerry or Fontanille called for an ambulance. Though a sole ``batman'' was never established, both Kerry Myers and Fontanille were found guilty of the murder. Fontanille received 21 years for manslaughter, while Myers got life without parole for second-degree murder. Bosco captures the bizarre, frenetic nature of the case, but repetitive and extraneous material only adds to the confusion. (Sixteen b&w photos—not seen)