Famous Crimes #15

Eddie Frasker earned his reputation as "Born Rotten" early, starting as a petty thief and escalating through armed robbery and car theft across multiple states, each crime shadowed by violence and narrow escapes. When a routine traffic stop threatens to unravel his criminal past, Eddie makes a desperate choice that seals his fate. This raw crime story from the police files shows how a young man's refusal to change his ways leads inevitably toward reckoning.

After being fleeced once, Coker Axler became obsessed with diamonds—learning to spot the flawless "blue-white" stones that would make his fortune. In July 1931, Coker and his partner Joe Handy devise an audacious scheme: posing as stagehands at the Detroit Municipal Opera, they plan to rob the valuable diamonds from Mrs. Van Horndee's private box during the opening performance. But Coker's relentless greed for the perfect stone may exact a far deadlier price than he bargained for.