still existed on the law books a statute known informally as “the blood relative law.” Dating to 1784, the law was enacted at a time when the family was more important than the state. What it said, in essence, was that a person could not be prosecuted for harboring a blood relative who had committed a felony, not even for assisting said relative in concealing the crime. The law is generally interpreted to mean that a husband, wife, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother , or sister cannot be prosecuted as an accessory after the fact. Apparently, in lawyer Perenyi’s view, this was Matthew’s legal lifeline. Even if he admitted involvement with Chuck, Perenyi apparently reckoned, Matthew could not be made to face charges.
But Matthew’s decision may not even have been the major topic of discussion among the Stuart siblings. The major issue among them may have been how they were going to handle the inevitable disclosures. Since there is no evidence that the Stuarts approached the situation with anything but cynicism in the past, there is no reason to suspect they acted anything but cynically then. This was, unhappily, underlined a few days later when Shelly, Neysa, Michael, and Mark held a news conference with their flamboyant attorney, Richard Clayman, to announce their official position: They were not legally responsible for anything that had happened up until then. Moral responsibility, however, was something else.
January 2, 1990
Tuesday
Shelly, the oldest of the Stuart children, was particularly concerned about the impact the revelations could have on her father, Charles, and her stepmother, Dorothy, neither of whom was in good health. She felt the children were going to have to make a decision on what and how they were going to tell their parents. But no decision was made on January 1.
The next day, still not having heard anything from the family about breaking the news to Charles and Dorothy, Shelly called Michael at home to force the issue. Matthew’s deadline was approaching; in twenty-four hours the whole world would know. Michael was on duty at the fire station, and his wife, Maria, called him there. Shelly needed to talk to him, she said: “It’s an emergency.”
Michael, perhaps forgetting that telephone calls to and from the fire station are recorded, called Shelly at her home.
“Hi,” he said, sounding somewhat less than cheerful.
Shelly did not waste time with preliminaries. “We’re all meeting here right now,” she said. “We’re going to Mom’s.”
Michael shilly-shallied. “Well, you know what it is. I can’t leave here until I talk to the deputy.”
“When will that be?” Shelly pressed.
“Well,” Michael continued to dawdle, “he’s on the road right now. I wouldn’t even begin to tell you.”
The answer didn’t satisfy his sister. “Can’t it be an emergency crisis at home?”
“I suppose I could say that,” Michael conceded, “but—”
Shelly interrupted. “Say it, Mike, because it is.”
Michael, resignedly: “What’s going to happen?”
“We’re going to tell Mom and Dad,” Shelly said.
“What are you going to tell them?”
“We’re going to tell them we know that Chuck was involved,” Shelly said. “We’re not going to say that he killed her.”
“Wow,” Michael replied.
“I know, Mike,” Shelly said. “Get ready.”
In response to a question from Michael, Shelly said the delegation to the elder Stuarts would consist of her and her husband, Steve, Janet Monte forte, Mark, and Matthew. “And Neysa’s coming over,” she added.
Michael sounded surprised. “Neysa doesn’t know?”
That was right, Shelly responded, Neysa had not yet been told.
“Oh, Christ,” said Michael. After giving the issue a few minutes of thought, he agreed that he would claim an emergency, leave the fire station, and join them. His wife, Maria, would want to go as well, he added.
“Tell her to come,” Shelly said, “but you guys have to be
But Matthew’s decision may not even have been the major topic of discussion among the Stuart siblings. The major issue among them may have been how they were going to handle the inevitable disclosures. Since there is no evidence that the Stuarts approached the situation with anything but cynicism in the past, there is no reason to suspect they acted anything but cynically then. This was, unhappily, underlined a few days later when Shelly, Neysa, Michael, and Mark held a news conference with their flamboyant attorney, Richard Clayman, to announce their official position: They were not legally responsible for anything that had happened up until then. Moral responsibility, however, was something else.
January 2, 1990
Tuesday
Shelly, the oldest of the Stuart children, was particularly concerned about the impact the revelations could have on her father, Charles, and her stepmother, Dorothy, neither of whom was in good health. She felt the children were going to have to make a decision on what and how they were going to tell their parents. But no decision was made on January 1.
The next day, still not having heard anything from the family about breaking the news to Charles and Dorothy, Shelly called Michael at home to force the issue. Matthew’s deadline was approaching; in twenty-four hours the whole world would know. Michael was on duty at the fire station, and his wife, Maria, called him there. Shelly needed to talk to him, she said: “It’s an emergency.”
Michael, perhaps forgetting that telephone calls to and from the fire station are recorded, called Shelly at her home.
“Hi,” he said, sounding somewhat less than cheerful.
Shelly did not waste time with preliminaries. “We’re all meeting here right now,” she said. “We’re going to Mom’s.”
Michael shilly-shallied. “Well, you know what it is. I can’t leave here until I talk to the deputy.”
“When will that be?” Shelly pressed.
“Well,” Michael continued to dawdle, “he’s on the road right now. I wouldn’t even begin to tell you.”
The answer didn’t satisfy his sister. “Can’t it be an emergency crisis at home?”
“I suppose I could say that,” Michael conceded, “but—”
Shelly interrupted. “Say it, Mike, because it is.”
Michael, resignedly: “What’s going to happen?”
“We’re going to tell Mom and Dad,” Shelly said.
“What are you going to tell them?”
“We’re going to tell them we know that Chuck was involved,” Shelly said. “We’re not going to say that he killed her.”
“Wow,” Michael replied.
“I know, Mike,” Shelly said. “Get ready.”
In response to a question from Michael, Shelly said the delegation to the elder Stuarts would consist of her and her husband, Steve, Janet Monte forte, Mark, and Matthew. “And Neysa’s coming over,” she added.
Michael sounded surprised. “Neysa doesn’t know?”
That was right, Shelly responded, Neysa had not yet been told.
“Oh, Christ,” said Michael. After giving the issue a few minutes of thought, he agreed that he would claim an emergency, leave the fire station, and join them. His wife, Maria, would want to go as well, he added.
“Tell her to come,” Shelly said, “but you guys have to be
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