Newspaper Reports Rewritten For Book
Review by Kim Cantrell
I have read my fair share of books that were written in a rush to be the first published about a high profile case, but none can match the quickness of that written by Joe Treen and Maria Eftimiades about the Katie Beers case titled My Name Is Katherine.
Katie Beers was the 9-year-old who disappeared in December 1992, just a day or so before her tenth birthday.
Katie’s, or Katherine as she preferred to be called, story even before her abduction is a very sad one.
Born to a single mother who did not even known the identity of her father (a one night stand following a night of bar hopping), Katie was often left to fend for herself at a very young age. And when she wasn’t managing her own survival, she was used as an errand and servant to her mother, Marilyn Beers, and godmother, Linda Inghilleri.
Before she was abducted, Katie was molested by Linda’s husband, Sal. Although he was charged with the crime, Linda filed for custody of Katie; claiming Marily unfit.
And there is John Esposito, a family friend of all parties. Despite allegations of sexual abuse by John Beers, Katie’s older half brother, at the hands of Esposito, Katie was frequently allowed to accompany Esposito to his home and on shopping trips.
Then Katie disappeared. For 16 days, police searched for her with a strong focus on Esposito; where eventually they would find her buried in a bunker beneath the his home.
To even call Treed and Eftimiades authors would be a gross overstatement. These two people, both in the writing business, should be ashamed of themselves. My Name Is Katherine is nothing but the rewriting of published newspaper accounts and police records of the case.
No interviews. No research. Absolutely no originality whatsoever.
Even a majority of the photos are taken from newspapers.
And remember my pet peeve about books written before trial date? It most definitely applies here.
Don’t waste your time or effort with this one.
Updates from this case:
Katie Beers: At last report, she had changed her name and was enrolled in college.
John Esposito: In June 1994, he pled guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced to fifteen years to life. He is currently incarcerated at Sing Sing Prison in New York. His next schedule parole hearing is in September 2011.
Sal Inghilleri: After serving only 12 years for the molestation of Katie Beers, Inghilleri was paroled in 2006. However, when he failed to notify authorities of his address, he was returned to jail in 2007. He died, while still in jail, in February 2009.
Linda Inghilleri: As of 2002, Linda was the resident of an assisted living complex in New York.
