On March 28, 1966, Peace Corps personnel in Tanzania received word that volunteer Peppy Kinsey had fallen to her death while rock climbing during a picnic. Local authorities arrested Kinsey’s husband, Bill, and charged him with murder as witnesses came forward claiming to have seen the pair engaged in a struggle. The incident had the potential to be disastrous for both the Peace Corps and the newly independent nation of Tanzania. Because of the high stakes surrounding the trial, questions remain as to whether there was more behind the final ‘not guilty’ verdict than was apparent on the surface.
Peter H. Reid, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania at the time of the Kinsey murder trial, draws on his considerable legal experience to expose inconsistencies and biases in the case. He carefully scrutinizes the evidence and the investigation records, providing insight into the motives and actions of both the Peace Corps representatives and the Tanzanian government officials involved. Reid does not attempt to prove the verdict wrong but examines the events of Kinsey’s death, her husband’s trial, and the aftermath through a variety of cultural and political perspectives.
Meticulously researched and replete with intricate detail, this compelling account sheds new light on a notable yet overlooked international incident involving non-state actors in the Cold War era.
Table of Content
Introduction
A Volunteer is Dead
A Lovely, Creative Woman and an All-American Boy from the South
A Tale of Three Cities
Government Officials Clarify the Situation: Autopsies Are Performed
Peace Corps Officials Visit Scene, Bail Is Sought, Peppy’s Body Is Flown to Dar es Salaam
Life in Prison for Bill
The Peace Corps and Tanzania
Peace Corps Officials Assess the Situation and Plan Future Action
Syracuse University Training and Marriage
Peace Corps Training in Tanzania, Binza Upper Primary School
Friends of Peppy
The Peace Corps and Criminal Defense
The Preliminary Inquiry
Peace Corps Faces Challenges
Tanzanian Criminal Law
Mc Hugh and Singh Re-create the Scene of Peppy’s Death
Trial Preparation after the Preliminary Inquiry
Medical Analysis by Dr. Tom Mc Hugh
The Trial Begins in Mwanza
Trial Day One: Friday, August 26, 1966
Trial Day Two: Saturday, August 27, 1966
Trial Day Three: Monday, August 29, 1966
Trial Day Four: Tuesday, August 30, 1966
The Peace Corps Book Locker
Trial Day Five: Wednesday, August 31, 1966
Trial Day Six: Thursday, September 1, 1966
Trial Day Seven: Friday, September 2, 1966
Trial Day Eight: Saturday, September 3, 1966
Trial Day Nine: Sunday, September 4, 1966
Trial Day Ten: Monday, September 5, 1966
Trial Day Eleven: Tuesday, September 6, 1966
Trial Day Twelve: Wednesday, September 7, 1966
Trial Day Thirteen: Thursday, September 8, 1966
Trial Day Fourteen: Friday, September 9, 1966
Trial Day Fifteen: Saturday, September 10, 1966
Trial Day Sixteen: Monday, September 12, 1966
Trial Day Seventeen: Friday, September 16, 1966
Trial Day Eighteen: Monday, September 19, 1966
Conclusion
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Dramatis Personae
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Peter H. Reid, retired founding director of the Community Law Clinic at Stanford Law School, previously served for more than thirty years as executive director of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. He lives in Olympia, Washington, and Santa Cruz, California, with his wife Barbara.
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