Author of ‘Murder at Rocky Point Park’ at book signing

Posted 11/18/14

Kelly Sullivan Pezza will be at Barnes & Noble for a book signing for her book, Murder at Rocky Point Park: Tragedy in Rhode Island’s Summer Paradise, this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at 1350 Bald …

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Author of ‘Murder at Rocky Point Park’ at book signing

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Kelly Sullivan Pezza will be at Barnes & Noble for a book signing for her book, Murder at Rocky Point Park: Tragedy in Rhode Island’s Summer Paradise, this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at 1350 Bald Hill Road, Warwick.

Pezza’s book tells the true story of little Maggie Sheffield, who was murdered one summer day in 1893. Maggie’s own father did the unthinkable against a backdrop of laughter and barrel organ music at Rocky Point Amusement Park. The tragedy aroused a strange reaction from the peaceable community of Warwick. Many seemed to be more concerned for the murderer, Frank Sheffield, than for his young victim. Frank was rumored to be insane or addicted to drugs, and after a trial he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The murder did not tarnish Rocky Point’s reputation as a premier destination, and the park operated until 1995. Investigating official records and newspaper archives, author Kelly Sullivan Pezza uncovers the facts and oddities behind a grim crime in Rhode Island’s summer paradise.

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