On August 31, 1984, Kermit Alexander's world turned upside down in an
instant. This former San Francisco 49ers football player saw
his entire family changed when three men walked into his
mother's home and coldly executed his mother, sister, and
nephews. Alexander opens up and tells the inside
story of his devastating loss and how he finally finds
hope once again in THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF
DEATH.
Alexander immerses readers into a dark, sometimes
despairing story as we are plunged headlong into the
questions, grief, and anger that surround any loss, never
mind one so disturbing. Alexander eloquently
intertwines the history of his own family and the history
of South Central Los Angeles into the storyline. However,
it is his stark portrayal of the killers, particularly
Tiequon Cox, that broke my heart - not for the man Cox
became, but for the missed opportunities by school
officials and coaches along the way.
Tiequon Cox, along with the other convicted killers of
Alexander's family, shows absolutely no remorse. Alexander doesn't shy away
from relaying to the reader the horrors that Tiequon Cox faced as a child,
horrors no child should ever face, as he paints a portrait of a
child forgotten and ultimately hardened by the gangs. My
heart aches for Alexander's struggle even as I cheer for the subsequent
redemption and hope he discovers after his loss.
I rarely read true crime but THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF
DEATH caught my eye because it features a former 49er
football player. Little did I expect to also find a story
that reaffirms my work as a school social worker. Kermit
Alexander's painful but inspiring story reminds us of how
we can find hope even after the grimmest of times.
In this heart-wrenching memoir, former NFL star Kermit
Alexander tells the devastating true story of the horrific
massacre of his family and his subsequent years of despair,
followed by a spiritual renewal that showed him a way to
rebuild his family and reclaim his life.
On the morning of August 31, 1984, in the South Central
section of Los Angeles, three armed men broke into a house,
brutally murdering two women and two young boys.
The victims were Ebora Alexander, Dietra Alexander, Damani
Garner, and Damon Bonner—the mother, sister, and nephews of
retired All-Pro cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers
Kermit Alexander.
In his own words, Kermit Alexander finally shares the full
story of what happened to his loved ones and the aftermath
of that tragic day. He recounts the hours leading up to the
massacre, and how afterward he lost himself in the LA
underworld, pleading, bribing, and threatening in a search
for answers. He describes his journey through the
“wilderness” of despair—the years of isolation living out of
his car, broke, depressed, and sick. We also learn about his
coming-of-age in 1950s LA, the following decade he spent in
the NFL, the events leading up to that fateful August day,
and finally the shocking truth behind the murders. Kermit
opens up about his darkest hours, but also what it took to
turn his life around, rebuild his family, and ultimately
find peace.
Ominous and intense, powerful and uplifting, tragic and
triumphant, The Valley of the Shadow of Death is more than a
rendering of one man’s adversity; it’s testament to the
value of family and the resilience of the human spirit in
the face of overwhelming loss.
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