Sanding The Wood: A True Story of Greed, Lies, and Murder in Paradise

by Denny Dee

Everyone dies in the end. When it's your turn who honestly cares? - Denny DeeThe Sosua killings of August of 2013 and November of 2014 are two of the most hideous, savage murders in the history of the Dominican Republic, made seemingly worse by the beautiful location at which they took place. Due to the location of these murders and the lack of international media attention, these crimes have gone mostly unnoticed. If these stories had taken place in the U.S., they would have undoubtedly been two of the biggest stories of this time period and they would have gotten airplay on all of the networks. But the lack of international media attention surrounding these cases doesn't make these crimes any less tragic. These crimes were of unimaginable circumstance and truly heartless actions of deranged individuals.These crimes are in no way connected. Each crime was perpetrated by different sets of criminals on separate occasions. The only links between these crimes are the geographical location. The victims were neighbors. However, the circumstances surrounding the sudden and bizarre murders of Rolf Erich Kobesch Manfred aka Rasputin and Brent Lewis share similar sinister overtones. Both crimes carried an underlying theme of criminals seeking revenge for what they believed to be acts of disrespect.The brutality of these crimes is not common. The fact that both murders happened because of a need for money does not tie these crimes together. It can be said that the killer of Rasputin had valid reasoning for his crime. He worked for his money and Rasputin failed to compensate him. The murder of Brent Lewis does not share this quality. His murder was out of sheer greed along with racial overtones.The Dominican Republic is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Its sandy white beaches, beautiful mountainous regions, hidden reservoirs, secret waterfalls, and all other natural marvels God created is an adventure traveler's paradise. If stuff to do is what you're after, please move the DR to the top of your bucket list. It won't disappoint. You may find yourself loving it here.Sosua is a town that has a lot of the above and more. By day, the beautiful, stunning beaches in Sosua, Dominican Republic are hot spots for sun seekers, swimmers and those looking to frolic by the sea. The glittering ocean is contained within the magnificent Sosua Bay, wide soft sandy beach sneaks slowly towards the gift shops and restaurants located on the beach's edge. The scattered sounds of Caribbean music can be heard as Dominican couples dance the Merengue and Bachata by their favorite groups. Sosua has several restaurants with fine cuisine from all over the world. There are hotels and other types of accommodations plus home or land investment opportunities.The murders of Sosua were not committed by or against tourists. These were heinous acts carried out by people who lived in the community and knew each other. In the case of Rasputin, it was a Haitian day worker whom he employed. In the case of Brent, it was his personal assistant, Maria Geraldine de la Rosa Batista, who confessed to the crime implicating her boyfriend, the American Frank Sorichetti, and their Dominican lawyer, Eduardo Arturo Heinsen Quiroz in the murder and dismemberment of Brent Lewis, in a conspiracy steal his properties throughout the Caribbean.The author gives readers a first-hand perspective of both murders and the steps that the community took to try and resolve these heinous crimes. He is able to give you such an inside view because he was there, on the ground in Sosua as everything played out.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1983359319
• ISBN13: 9781983359316
• Release Date: July 2018
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 558 Pages
• Weight: 2.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.4" x 6.0"