Accused: A Heartbreaking Death and the Quest for Justice

Accused tells the story of family dysfunction that resulted in a brutal act of murder. On the afternoon of May 11, 2011, students at Liberty High School in Louisville, Kentucky, discovered a body, facedown in a drainage ditch. Within minutes, police officers descended upon the school grounds and encountered one of the most violent scenes in their careers. In the hours that followed, the body was identified as 14-year-old Terrence (Trey) Zwicker. Trey’s stepfather, Joshua Gouker, and his 15-year-old stepbrother, Joshua Young, would be charged with arguably one of the most heinous crimes in that area’s recent history. Young, a former honor student and high school wrestler, stood accused of murdering his own stepbrother at his father’s bequest . But who was really guilty? Louisville criminal defense attorney Brittany Ducker provides illuminating insights and revealing details into the backgrounds of Trey Zwicker, Joshua Young, and Joshua Gouker. The author reveals the concealed elements of the crime, including the erratic testimony of Gouker himself as he attempted to control witnesses and scam jurors. As the trial progressed, followers of the saga began to wonder: was Joshua Young a cold-blooded killer or the innocent victim of a sadistic psychopath?