LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Accused is considered a true crime novel – written by local attorney Brittany Ducker.
Ducker never worked on the Trey Zwicker murder case but it was a case that spoke to her.
She had a son who was Zwicker's age and she was a single mom.
Ducker grew up near Liberty High School where 14-year-old Zwicker was found beaten to death in a wooded area behind the school.
Two people would be charged for Zwicker's murder – his stepbrother Josh Young and Young's father Josh Gouker, who dated Zwicker's mother.
Gouker was a hardened criminal described as a sociopath who was just released from prison and back in his son's life.
He had just received custody of Josh Young, who all by accounts barely knew his father.
Ducker says had Josh Young not gone back with his father, we might not be talking about this case.
Ducker says Zwicker was the true victim but Josh Young was a secondary victim in a system that failed to protect him from his father.
A jury found Young not guilty of his stepbrother's murder and Ducker says her book wasn't written to say he was or wasn't guilty.
She says the book was written to show flaws in our system that didn't protect Josh Young.
Zwicker's father Terry says Josh Young shouldn't have been back with his father which was one point of agreement with Ducker.
Terry says he's not happy about the book saying he lived the nightmare and doesn't need to read about it.
He says the case was chosen because it would sell books and he doesn't want anyone profiting off of his son's murder.
Ducker says her publisher will donate some of the proceeds to charity and so will she.
