Blue Eyed Six - Controversies

Controversies

There are several factors that make the case of the Blue Eyed Six controversial;

• When Joseph Peters returned home from the army, AWOL in fact, he found his wife Lena (Drew's daughter) was having an affair with one of the six, Frank Stichler.

• Peters was able to identify the two "murderers" even though it was dusk at the time and he had been drinking and was looking out a broken window that was covered over.

• Because all six decided to be tried together the district attorney chose to prosecute them not only for murder but also for conspiracy to commit murder. His decision is what set the legal precedent. Five men (all except George Zechman) were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to hang, even though only two men did the actual killing. There is still some controversysurrounding the fact that Zechman wasn't hanged.

• The rumor has persisted that the insurance company was involved in arranging Peters' testimony in order to avoid paying off the policy.

• It would only be natural for Peters to hold a grudge against Frank Stichler, the man sleeping with his wife. Peters might have been tempted to paint Stichler as a murderer.