A man in a dark suit stands before shelves of law books, smiling at the camera. — Author and attorney McCracken Poston Jr., whose new book revisits the Alvin Ridley case, poses in front of law books.

Before McCracken Poston Jr. defended Alvin Ridley against a murder charge, he knew him as the man who repaired his family’s television.

Poston’s father was a loyal customer. As a boy, Poston had heard Ridley talk about meeting the wrestler Andre the Giant. When Ridley repeated the story more than 25 years later, the memory brought back a person Poston had known long before the criminal case.

It “made me remember him more fondly,” Poston told North Atlanta Star in written answers ahead of his October 15 appearance at Poe & Company Bookstore in Milton.

Poston will discuss Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom, his account of defending Ridley, a reclusive television repairman in Ringgold who was accused of murdering his wife, Virginia. Ridley was acquitted in 1999.

The book takes its title from the Zenith televisions Ridley sold and repaired. For Poston, the story also records the long process of understanding a client whose behavior frequently frustrated him.

Book cover with a black-and-white photo of a couple and the title 'Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom.' — The cover of McCracken Poston Jr.’s book, Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom, appears as the story turns to the case itself.

A diary changed the case

Virginia Ridley’s death in 1997 brought scrutiny to a marriage largely hidden from the surrounding community. As Poston prepared the defense, her own writings helped him understand the couple’s life together.

Asked which discovery most changed his understanding of the case, Poston pointed to her extensive looseleaf diary.

The writings answered persistent questions about where Virginia had been, why she did not go out and how she spent her time, he said. They gave him an account of the household from the woman whose death was at the center of the prosecution.

Working with her husband remained difficult.

“I was extremely frustrated with Alvin almost the entire fifteen months of the representation,” Poston said.

He recalled twice losing his temper and immediately regretting it. The pressure was considerable, he said, and much of it was self-imposed.

“It’s like an inner voice was telling me that maybe he couldn’t help it,” he said.

Understanding came years later

Poston and Ridley shared their story through television programs, radio and magazine coverage, including Forensic Files, American Justice, Snap Judgment and People. Poston said he remained dissatisfied with the condensed accounts and struggled to explain Ridley fully.

More than two decades after the trial, a former juror suggested that Ridley be evaluated for autism spectrum disorder. His subsequent diagnosis offered another way to understand difficulties that had shaped his life and his relationship with his lawyer.

Poston said the book also changed how people in their community treated Ridley.

“He felt genuine affection from so many who once feared him,” he said.

That response is part of what Poston hopes readers carry away from the case. He remains concerned about undiagnosed autistic adults whose behavior may draw suspicion or accusations.

“The intersection of undiagnosed autism and our criminal justice system is a dangerous place,” he said.

Meet the author in Milton

Poston’s October 15 appearance at Poe & Company will include a reading or presentation, audience questions and a book signing, according to his publicist, Jonathan Shipley.

The event begins at 6 p.m. at 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, in Milton. General admission is free, and a $20 option includes a copy of the book. Readers can reserve a place through the bookstore’s event listing.