{"product_id":"9780997848496","title":"Finishing Machine: Was it Road Rage Murder or Self-Defense? A Trained Killer's Fight for Justice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Mike Arnold, criminal defense attorney\/author: \u003c\/strong\u003eMore often than not, a defense attorney's clients are guilty. Gerald Strebendt certainly looked guilty of the January 2014 road-rage murder. \u003cstrong\u003eMarine sniper\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003eBlackwater\u003c\/strong\u003e operative. \u003cstrong\u003eMMA fighter\u003c\/strong\u003e with a 9-7 win-loss record, including an appearance in \u003cstrong\u003eUFC 44\u003c\/strong\u003e. Strebendt was a trained killer, in other words, \u0026amp; one who just happened to be known for his hothead tendencies. It didn't help that his truck was a rolling armory that dark night on a rural road in Springfield, Ore., or that the weapon he used to shoot the other \u003cstrong\u003eunarmed\u003c\/strong\u003e driver wasn't anybody's idea of \"the right gun\" to be carrying around town. It was an AR-15-type rifle, a long, black semiautomatic that the world loves to label a \"\u003cstrong\u003emilitary assault rifle\u003c\/strong\u003e.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes, he sure looked guilty to many. \u003cstrong\u003eBut he told me he was innocent\u003c\/strong\u003e. He told mean unbelievable story about what happened.And I believed him. In the end, a single shot rang out \u0026amp; only Strebendt was left standing. \u003cstrong\u003eSo, was it road rage? Self-defense? Or, some combination of the two?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI'm Mike Arnold, attorney for the defense, \u0026amp; this book isn't just the story of this shooting, or of Gerald Strebendt's guilt or innocence. It's also my story.\u003c\/strong\u003e Because,for the first time, I saw myself in one of my clients. And I realized that, in this case, neither one of us was likely to get a fair shake from the judicial system.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFROM THE PUBLISHER:\u003c\/strong\u003e (WARNING:Contains Crime Scene Photos)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe true crime thriller of UFC fighter veteran Gerald \"The Finishing Machine\" Strebendt, who in 2014 shot \u0026amp; killed an unarmed man after a minor traffic accident. Police detectives called it road rage. Gerald's attorneys called a press-conference, taking a unique step in a high-profile case in changing the narrative. Within days, self-defense became the key media issue \u0026amp; Gerald awaited a charging decision by the Oregon prosecutor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharge: Murder with a Firearm, \u0026amp; thus began the next stage of Gerald's life. He had served the Marine Corps proudly as a Marine sniper. He had done two tours of duty in Afghanistan as a Blackwater (Academi) mercenary. He had fought mixed martial arts professionally \u0026amp; had a successful MMA-training gym. However, the next stage of his life was a fight for justice \u0026amp; a fight for his life. Was it going to be a murder conviction \u0026amp; a life in prison? Many in the community wanted that, claiming that a trained killer like Gerald couldn't possibly need to shoot an unarmed 55-year-old man with an AR-15 military-style assault rifle.But the truth was much more nuanced.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFinishing Machine\u003c\/em\u003e is a book about choices. Gerald made choices in his life to fight \u0026amp; compete. Some of these instincts carried on in his post-military life when he was accused of years of prior road-rage incidents that the Oregon prosecutor wanted to introduce as evidence at his trial. His attorneys, Mike Arnold \u0026amp; Emilia Gardner, set out to disprove these allegations \u0026amp; get to the truth with science \u0026amp; hard work. Gerald also made a choice that night to use his firearm rather than to run or fight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLive the tension of the lawyers \u0026amp; the accused yourself by stepping into the mind of a criminal defense attorney \u0026amp; into the mind of \"The Finishing Machine.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Versus Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47010365473008,"sku":"9780997848496","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780997848496_p0.jpg?v=1763943397","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780997848496","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}