The Ghost of a Confession

The convictions were a big win for Tom Spodas' career. Many people in the community were outraged by the belief that those verdicts were the result of police abuse and shotted detective work. The loudest and angriest complaint was over Peter Quattarara's confession. He'd recanted almost immediately. Also troubling was that following Peter's confession, detectives had driven him to the school and instructed him to reenact what had allegedly happened to Johnny. In the late 70s, the Suffolk County Police Department's confession rate was so high it was practically unmatched anywhere else in the nation.