A Mothers Torment -- True Crime

[shirley dicks]

How far would you go to save your child’s life? Would you write hot checks to pay attorney fees, sell your home, attempt a-jail break as a last resort and, - be on the run for a year with two young children? This mother did.

Fighting the system while running from the law, living on the lam with her eleven year old son, Trevor and baby granddaughter Maria, A MOTHER’S TORMENT is a testimony to family love; a system’s indifference; a mother’s desperation; and finally, an unjust death.

Jeffrey Dicks, who languished on death row for twenty three years for a robbery he didn't commit and a murder he didn't even see. A Mothers Torment, told by Shirley is the tense, personal and highly moving true story of the bloody crime of which eighteen year old Jeffrey was accused of.

At the trial, they watched in horror as VITAL evidence was never presented to the jury. Jeff, who had no history of violent or criminal behavior was convicted of a murder and sentenced to die in Tennessee's electric chair. Jeffrey Dicks is one of the many victims of our legal system who became trapped in the over burdened and insensitive cracks of our time. Without the weapons of MONEY, Savvy, or Connections, Jeff was defenselessly slaughtered by an obsessed detective and a judge who disallowed pertinent testimony that would have proven him innocent.

Read of this mother’s dramatic battle with the system to save her innocent son from the state’s execution. A family’s thrilling true-life adventure trying to save a son, and brother, on death row. A poor, but law-abiding family originally from Concord, NH, now living in the state of Tennessee, Shirley breaks the law to raise money for the defense of Jeffrey Dicks, a beloved son and cherished brother.

Strong bonds between mothers and their children, especially their sons, is the emotion that grabs the READER, and squeezes him in a stranglehold. Read on in a crescendo of heartbreaking pain until the bitter end And a bitter end it is for the author, fighting to save her innocent son in any way she can, as the legal clock ticks toward the final hour.



A dramatic page-turner written about a family running from the law, living on the lam, while, all the while, fighting the legal system. It’s an inspiring story of strength and determination of a woman, her eleven year old son, and baby granddaughter, trying to keep mind and family together.

Ms. Dick’s most gripping legacy in the book indeed arises from the contemplation that while Jeff sat in prison and his trial turned into an unbelievable travesty with only one possible outcome, it is a scenario that has no doubt played countless times throughout the United States, exacting as its toll the anguish of countless mothers and sons like Ms. Dicks and Jeff.

Fighting the system while running from the law, living on the lam, and trying to keep mind and family together, Shirley Dicks own story is as heart piercing as the one she tells of her son. Shirley continues to fight for her son's life and the abolishment of capital punishment. Her warning of petty crime and getting involved with the wrong people is something every young person should read.

Shirley spent the next twenty five years speaking out against the death penalty and talking to teens about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and hanging with the wrong person. Her youngest son Trevor also went to the colleges and schools speaking with her, warning kids how easy it was for him to get involved in drugs and alcohol himself over the years. He married and had three children himself, visiting his big brother Jeff who sat on death row. Their story is one crisis after another until the ending.

Shirley lost the battle to save her son and the death of Jeff Dicks due to medical neglect while on death row had a devastating effect upon Shirley and her family. Not just one son, but she lost three sons in all from this one battle to save Jeff. Yet from this devastation, she has risen to dedicate her life to helping others avoid this pain. She had the courage and strength to pen A MOTHER’S TORMENT, a tremendously candid and passionate account, in the hope of saving others. She has had ten books published, mostly on crime and the justice system.

Shirley Dicks now speaks at schools, colleges and churches to educate and inspire others. In addition, she has produced a video called, The Choice Is Yours, in which five men on TN death row talk about the mistakes they made and now find themselves waiting to die. Shirley uses the video to educate children. Through her wonderful book and dramatic video Shirley Dicks hopes to make a difference in the lives of people in danger of traveling down the wrong road

Jeff Dicks was killed in 1999 due to medical neglect and Trevor Dicks was killed in 2006 in a one car crash in NH. www.jeffdicks.org www.trevordicks.com