Murder in Little Egypt

Murder in Little Egypt tells the true story of Dr. John Dale Cavaness, a respected physician in southern Illinois, who was charged with murdering his son Sean in December 1984. When Cavaness was arrested, the community of Little Egypt rallied to defend the admired medical practitioner. During the trial that followed, however, a starkly different picture of Cavaness emerged. Over three decades of earning his community's admiration and respect, he had privately abused his family, mistreated employees, and made poor financial decisions. As author Darcy O'Brien details the case, he also reveals the hidden darker aspects of rural America, including its history of violence. O'Brien combines narrative technique with investigative research to examine both the specifics of the Cavaness case and broader questions about community complicity in violence.