Even after a childhood of abuse and fear, Stacey M. Kananen was shocked when her brother, Rickie, admitted his guilt in the cold-blooded murder of their terrifying father, and years later, their helpless mother.
But the greatest shock was to come--when he claimed that Stacey had helped him. In 1988, when Rickie and Stacey's father, Richard Kananen Sr., apparently left their home in Orlando, Florida, the family was so relieved that they never reported him missing. Fifteen years later to the day, their mother disappeared. When police became suspicious, Rickie admitted to Stacey that their father's body was under the cement floor of their mother's garage, and their mother was buried in Stacey's own backyard.
Overwhelmed by grief and horror, Stacey's brother convinced her that they should commit suicide. After a failed attempt, she woke to discover her brother arrested--along with the realization that he had probably never intended to kill himself at all. But his betrayals were not yet over: On the eve of his trial in 2007, he suddenly claimed Stacey had been in on it, and she found herself charged with murder with a gung ho rookie detective who was convinced she was involved.
This is the tragic and triumphant account of one woman's struggle to overcome her past, clear her name in what would become a dramatic public spectacle of a trial, and finally escape the nightmares that had haunted her entire life.
Stacey Kananen is the adult survivor of child abuse and murder. After being accused by her brother of helping him to murder their parents, Stacey went on trial for her life. After being found not guilty, Stacey decided to share her intensely personal story and plans to use proceeds to develop a new kind of abuse advocacy program, in an effort to raise awareness, help repair the system, and to eventually create a safe haven for abused kids and their families to get the help they need. She is vitally interested in creating change in the social structure of how child abuse is handled in the court system. Her long term goals include the creation of the Marilyn Kananen Foundation, in honor of her mother who would be alive today if not for domestic violence and abuse.
Lisa Bonnice was an award winning writer/producer for MSNBC.com, and worked as an on-air Internet reporter during her five years at WKJG-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She received two Excellence Awards from MSNBC.com during her tenure there. She has written two self-help books, and her pet project is a series of humorous fantasy novels. In addition to numerous guest appearances on radio and television interviews, she hosted her own show on BlogTalkRadio.com, with a focus on human consciousness and self-help. Lisa shares Stacey's desire to develop a new kind of advocacy program, and is working closely with her to do so.
