The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town

Ron Franscell

Dec 2014 · Sold by Macmillan

About this ebook

Casper, Wyoming: 1973. Eleven-year-old Amy Burridge rides with her eighteen-year-old sister, Becky, to the grocery store. When they finish their shopping, Becky's car gets a flat tire. Two men politely offer them a ride home. But they were anything but Good Samaritans. The girls would suffer unspeakable crimes at the hands of these men before being thrown from a bridge into the North Platte River. One miraculously survived. The other did not.

Years later, author and journalist Ron Franscell—who lived in Casper at the time of the crime, and was a friend to Amy and Becky—can't forget Wyoming's most shocking story of abduction, rape, and murder. Neither could Becky, the surviving sister. The two men who violated her and Amy were sentenced to life in prison, but the demons of her past kept haunting Becky...until she met her fate years later at the same bridge where she'd lost her sister.

Ratings and reviews

This is a heartbreaking story.... my girls were the same ages when I first read this. I felt nothing but pain for these girls. If you like true crime, this is a must read.

Very sad story of 2 sisters and 2 animals not even animals just trash I respect animals. Just goes to show the world cares more about prisoners rights than their victims. The book was very hard to put down very well written and easy to follow.

50 years later....Amy, Becky and all of the people whose lives intersected. I pray with all my heart that you have some measure of peace. This book was written in a way that dares you to put it down. At times, I thought I could smell the dust, feel the wind and walk down Main St. Wonderfully composed. Thank You to the author.

About the author

Ron Franscell is a journalist whose work regularly appears in publications such as the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, San Jose Mercury-News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He is also a novelist, whose books include Angel Fire and The Deadline. He grew up in Wyoming and currently lives in Texas.