Overview
The murders that shocked Michigan
In the early morning of Tuesday, August 11, 1931, a Washtenaw County farmer found the smoldering remains of a car. Inside were the bodies of four teens burned almost beyond recognition. Police immediately began an investigation, even tapping Harry Bennett, head of the Ford Motor Company Service Department, for assistance. The three killers stood trial two days later as a mob gathered outside the Ann Arbor courthouse clamoring for a lynching. With the mob held back by the Michigan National Guard, Bennett delivered the killers to Jackson Prison by midnight Thursday. At the time, the so-called Torch Murders were deemed the most gruesome murder in Michigan’s history—and perhaps the nation’s.
Peeling away myth from truth, author James Mann tells the story in full for the first time ever.
This book title, The Torch Murders (The Brutal Slaying of Four Teens in Rural Michigan), ISBN: 9781467158756, by James Thomas Mann, published by Arcadia Publishing (October 7, 2025) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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