Startling Confession to the Murder of Jack Deegan

In a sudden and rapid turn of events, the Los Angeles Police Department has obtained a confession in the death of Jack Deegan. The case is now officially classified as murder.

After forensics identified a partial fingerprint in the blood smear on the nightstand drawer in Mr. Deegan's bedroom, the perpetrator confessed to the crime.

A myriad of reporters clamored around the self-avowed murderer, asking countless questions, often repeating themselves in their eagerness to get the whole story - "How did you get into the apartment?" "Did you know he had a gun?" "How did you know where he kept it?" And perhaps the most pressing question of them all, "Why did you kill him?"

The alleged murderer answered, "Okay, okay, one thing at a time. Let me start at the beginning. And then I can try to answer any questions you might have."

The suspect's lawyer sat sulking in the corner of the pressroom in the police station. Although he was a competent attorney, he was unable to persuade his client to be quiet.

"As far as getting into the apartment, I was able to unlock the door with a credit card. It's a skill that I regret learning a long time ago as a juvenile."

One of the reporters interrupted, "How did you get his gun?"

Another joined in, "Why did you do it?"

"Hold on! Patience, my dear friends. I will tell you the whole story," said the suspect as his lawyer cringed in the background.

"Although I only met him a few times, I knew Jack Deegan well enough to know what to do. I knew where he lived. I knew he not only owned a gun but several of them. He talked about them all the time. He often bragged about his love of the 2nd Amendment and how no one, especially me, could take his guns away. He annoyed me about that. And what gun owner doesn't keep a small firearm at his bedside? He's even said so."

He continued, "It was early morning, before sunrise. I knew he would be sound asleep. I quietly entered the room and took his gun out of the nightstand drawer. As he woke, he began to turn to his side. That's when I shot him point-blank in the chest."

"But why?" someone woefully asked.

"Lots of reasons. Like I said, there was the gun thing. I favored moderate gun control. He was adamantly against it, and me as well. We disagreed about almost everything. But the thing I could never forgive him for was defending that filthy, no-good, son-of-a-bitch who slaughtered my beautiful wife in cold blood many years ago. I thought I would get over it, but I never did."

When reporters asked the Mayor why he put the gun back in the nightstand, he replied, "I don't know. I was so pissed I didn't know what to do with it. I guess I didn't think it through."   

Story and Cover Illustration Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco