Title Synopsis: In March 1960, two students at Divine Word Seminary in East Troy discovered their 15-year-old classmate, Kenneth "Red" Rudnitski, hanging from the clothes hook in a bathroom stall. He was barefoot and dressed in his pajamas.
Walworth County botched its one-hour investigation into Red's death. Although the manner, mode, and circumstances were highly suspicious, Walworth County ruled suicide. The County Sheriff did not request an autopsy. He did not advise the county prosecutor to open a suspicious death investigation. There was a sexual predator at the seminary high school. The religious superiors responsible for the education and the physical and mental health of the students knew he was a serial criminal. Nonetheless, they conspired to protect him. No one was ever charged or convicted of a crime.
Did Red commit suicide?
If so, why?
Or was he murdered?
Richard Rashke answers those questions in his new book A Boy Named: A True Crime Story. He details the events leading up to Red's death, the subsequent cover ups, and the trauma endured by Red's fellow seminary students.
The book calls on the Wisconsin State Attorney General to admit to the injustice and to reopen the case of Kenneth Red Rudnitski.
About the Author: Richard Rashke is a lecturer and author of non-fiction books, including The Killing of Karen Silkwood, Escape from Sobibor, Useful Enemies, A Boy Named Red: A True Crime Story, and The Whistle Blower’s Dilemma: Snowden, Silkwood and Their Quest for the Truth. His works have been translated into thirteen languages and have been the subject of films for the screen and television. Rashke worked with Sobibor survivor Esther Tenner Raab on a powerful play called Dear Esther, and he has recently released a new book for all ages, Wounded Wing. Rashke’s Feet to the Fire: The Catholic Church, the Sexual Abuse of Children, and Accountability, a sequel to A Boy Named Red, will be released in the fall of 2026.
Author: Richard Rashke
Narrator: Kristi Burns
Publisher: Red Rabbit Books
Copyright: 2023 Richard Rashke
Audiobook Release Date: 2026-08-05
Original Book Release Date: November 13, 2023
Running Time: 05:11:33
Track Count: 45
Word Count: 43,000
Audiobook ISBN: 9781971980348
