Award-winning Journalist and Author of
Vengeance and Mercy in Parkland and
The Lost Sons of Omaha
Watch: A Killer Story
Joe Sexton, a veteran, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist formerly with The New York Times and ProPublica, serves as both a producer and the primary narrator/guide of the docuseries. He effectively bridges the gap between the professional world of journalism and the chaotic realm of citizen sleuths. ~ Newsweek
The series is now available for streaming on HBO Max.
Pre-order Joe's upcoming Book
On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and killed 17 students and staff members. It was a devastating tragedy that reverberated nationwide. After pleading guilty, Cruz faced the death penalty, setting off a four-year legal battle over whether he should live or die.
In VENGEANCE AND MERCY IN PARKLAND: The Trials of a School Shooter (Scribner; January 26, 2027), acclaimed journalist Joe Sexton takes readers inside Cruz’s defense team’s effort to save him from execution, asking what place mercy has in the pursuit of justice after an unthinkable crime.
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In The Lost Sons of Omaha, Joe Sexton examines the 2020 killing of James Scurlock, a young Black protester and father, by Jake Gardner, a white Marine veteran and bar owner, amid protests following George Floyd’s death. The conflicting investigations, Gardner’s indictment and subsequent suicide fueled misinformation, political division, and competing narratives about race and justice. Sexton unravels the complex events to separate fact from fiction, revealing a deeply divided nation grappling with racial injustice, a broken criminal justice system, the neglect of veterans, and the dangers of social media. Ultimately, the book is a powerful call for truth, fairness, and healing.