Anyone's Son

by Roberta Roesch

The Harry De La Roche family was, seemingly, the perfect family next door. They were civic-minded churchgoers, and seemed to most of their neighbors to be a warm and loving family. Pictures of Harry, Jr., and his younger brothers Ronnie and Eric playing ball, in Scout uniforms, beside the Christmas tree, could have been taken from their own family albums.

Yet, on a Thanksgiving weekend the entire family was murdered except for Harry, Jr., What went wrong with this family? In this unprecedented first-person account by a young man who was accused of the murder of his family, readers will track the deadly symptoms of a family life gone wildly awry.


Based on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews substantiated by heavy research and documentation, this is the only book that offers a first-hand account of the De La Roche tragedy. A powerful portrayal of an unforgettable character whom everyone knows from somewhere -- and whom some will find uncomfortably close to home.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

294 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Fishface]

This was a really interesting read that managed to tell me about the history of the murdered family, the details of the crimes, the interrogation, the long wait in jail and the day-by-day of the trial without ever bogging down once. The defendant wrote most of this story himself, which helps. I didn't feel I came away knowing exactly what happened, due partly to withheld information and partly due to police bungling, but I have enough now to make an educated guess.

[Suzanne]

Harry De La Roche got out on parole 6/29/23. The murders of his family was tremendous news in Bergen County in 1976. I know he endured bullying in school and at home from his father who would be considered abusive today. He didn't want to go back to the Citadel where he was being bullied again. He should have packed a bag and taken his car and left to make a life he wanted. His murder of his 12 year old brother was sickening. I think he should have remained in prison for the rest of his life.
This book is very well written and very informative. I highly recommend it. The author did excellent research and talked many times with Harry De La Roche.

[Shana]

THREE AND A HALF STARS. I've been wanting to read this for a long time and I finally got it for Christmas. I guess it was pretty hard to find since it's such an old book. The story was interesting but was slow to get through in places. I felt like there must be more background info to explain this crime, but perhaps it can't be explained. It seems to me that this crime would not have happened if this family didn't have guns in their house. It seems like the crime of an impulsive, unhappy 18 year old whose brain was still forming who grabbed a pistol and shot everyone without thinking it through. The book is definitely sympathetic to him and his situation. I did see online that Harry got out of prison in 2o23 after 45 years.

[Gary]

The Harry De La Roche family was, seemingly, the perfect family next door. Yet, on a Thanksgiving weekend the entire family was murdered except for Harry, Jr.
What went wrong with this family? In this unprecedented first-person account by a young man of the murder of his family, readers will track the deadly symptoms of a family life gone wildly awry.

Harry De La Roche tells his story of a troubled teenager with heartbreaking conflicts. This is a horrifying story of brutal murder, but it is also an extraordinary inside picture of murder's aftermath -- bungles and delay, the loss of key evidence, controversial defense tactics, and crucial psychiatric testimony.

Based on hundreds of hours of in-depth jail interviews substantiated by heavy research and documentation, this is the only book that offers a first-hand account of the De La Roche tragedy. A powerful portrayal of an unforgettable character whom everyone knows from somewhere -- and whom some will find uncomfortably close to home.

[Karen]

I read this true crime book about a boy who returned from his freshman fall at The Citadel and murdered his entire family because it was written by the mother of a friend. Although this story is now over 30 years old and the book is out of print, the issues (parental pressure, bullying) are still current and the story is truly compelling; I could not put it down!

[Steven Hong]

This book grabbed my attention not only because it was a family murder, but because it occurred a couple streets away from my house. The narration coming from Harry himself, the supposedly killer, was an interesting perspective to read. It was a great book to read and anyone would enjoy it. It is not much about the murder itself, but about the family relationship prior and afterwards.

[Lolly]

I'm not really sure what to rate this. It's very disturbing and not my style book but I read it because my grandfather is mentioned as he knew the family. Basically it's a story about a murder if you enjoy crime books.