In For Life
by Elaine Alice Murphy
Finalist
BEST MEMOIR OF 2023
“ForEword INDIES” awardS
independent + university presses
NOMINEES ARE SUBMITTED AND JUDGED BY LIBRARIANS.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 26, 2024
Sean K Ellis was convicted in 1995—at his third trial, after two prior hung juries—of the murder and robbery of controversial Boston detective John J. Mulligan. Age nineteen at the time of the crime, Sean insisted he was innocent. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Sean was a childhood classmate and close friend of the author's son. In for life is Murphy's riveting account of her journey through a corrupt Boston justice system in a quest to exonerate him. The police misconduct she uncovered was instrumental in Sean’s release from prison in 2015, after 22 years of incarceration.
The Ellis case garnered international attention as the subject of Netflix’s acclaimed series, Trial 4. But In for Life goes far deeper than the documentary. Woven throughout are insights from Murphy's two decades of prison conversations with Sean that deepened their bond—a bond that became life changing for both.
“A remarkable story beautifully told ... of what it takes to make the criminal legal system fair – dogged determination, years and years of work, and a clear-eyed vision of what is right.”
—Honorable Nancy Gertner, U.S.District Court, D. Mass (ret.), senior lecturer, Harvard Law School
“ Beautifully written, heartfelt in its delivery, and thought-provoking … author Elaine Alice Murphy’s “In For Life” is a must-read true crime thriller. ANYONE wanting a better understanding of both the justice system and society’S IMPACT on young Black men in the United States SHOULD grab their own copy of this worthwhile book.”
— Author and book reviewer Anthony Avina.
A Message From Sean Ellis
At Elaine Murphy’s 70th birthday celebration, I expressed to her family and friends how much she and her family mean to me. I’d like to share these words now.I first met the Murphy family in 1982, when I was in third grade and became Mark Murphy’s classmate. They opened their home and their family to me, and I felt welcomed like part of their family.
Some years later, unfortunate circumstances caused a hiatus. And I ended up sitting in a not so pleasant place. And to get a business ticket in 1998 saying Elaine was coming to see me was simply amazing. First, I got a letter from her after not seeing her for so long, and I remember she asked, ‘Do you remember me and Mark and our family?” And I said to myself how could I forget… Red Sox game, ice cream parlors … That was the place in my life she and her family held.
To see her again after so long was kind of a flashback. And for me to be standing here today, able to celebrate her birthday with her family and friends, I cannot speak to how much my freedom is dependent on Elaine – how important she was to it … She never stopped believing. She never stopped helping. She never stopped pushing.
But what resonated for me, what I saw in it all, was the love of a mother. It isn’t as though she tried to replace my mom, but the love that I saw was the love that a mother would have for her children. And she helped me to get my mother involved and active and feeling comfortable, not so pressured and down with all we were experiencing.
Elaine’s involvement wasn’t just about the law. She did so much else. Being on the West Coast and coming to the East Coast for a day or two and taking time out of her schedule to come and see me, to see how I was doing. It helped keep me going during those hard times.
And I definitely feel like an adopted son. That’s why I call her Godma. Because I feel that she entered my life as a result of a higher power, and that the love she’s shown me is like the love a mother shows her child.
So, thank you Godma,
Sean Ellis
About Elaine
Elaine Alice Murphy, a retired freelance writer, began her career as a Boston Public Schools English teacher and subsequently became an education specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Education.
She holds an honors B. A. in English literature from Boston College and an M.Ed in human development from Harvard University. Her work on the Ellis case earned her a Senior Justice Fellowship at Brandeis University’s Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism.
Elaine, recently widowed, has three children and four grandchildren and divides her time among Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Puerto Rico.
