Thursday, June 21, 2007; Posted: 4:42 p.m. (CDT)

Craig Key was the judge who ruled that Kelsey Smith-Briggs be returned to her mother's custody.  It was just four months later that two-year-old Kelsey died, a victim of child abuse.

Thursday Key spoke to the public for the first time about the trial.  He also announced the release of his new book "A Deadly Game of Tug of War: The Kelsey Smith-Briggs Story."

Key says, "I want to give people a chance to know the truth, because at this point there are so many misconceptions regarding this case."

The book is Key's view of the child abuse hearings involving Kelsey Smith-Briggs.

Many people gathered at the press conference in hopes that Key would reveal more about his decision.

David Randall, who supports Craig Key, says, "I think it's very important to get the truth and understand what really went on."

Teri Sigman, one of Kelsey's paternal grandparents, says, "I do hope there are answers in the book that we didn't get today."

Key says he wrote the book because he thinks records on cases like this should be released.

He says, "It's extremely important that no other judge ever goes through what I've gone through."

He wants readers to decide for themselves if his decision was right.

Key says, "I simply provide you with the truth and you can decide where to put the blame."

He says after Kelsey was released to her mother DHS continued to visit the home.  There were 33 recorded visits between the end of the hearings in June and Kelsey's death in October.  One of those visits was on the day Kelsey died.

Key says, "I would say this was the most checked child during that four month period ever, no doubt about it."

He also thinks people should know the pictures seen on television were not all shown to him.

Key says, "The pictures of Kelsey with broken legs, I never saw them.  They were never shown."

But Sigman disagrees.

She says, "The video was presented in court and it was from the maternal side."

What she agrees the judge might not have seen were pictures of bruises covering Kelsey's face.

Key says he stands by his ruling, based on the evidence he had.  However, he does regret what's happened.

He says, "I would have done anything to have Kelsey alive."

He's asking the public not to blame him.  He says the family did have a choice after his decision was made.

Key says, "All they had to do was stand up and object and that child would not have been returned until another judge reviewed the records.  No one did that."

Sigman says, "We never, the paternal side, we never were trying to rip Kelsey away from Rae Dawn.  We never wanted to get full custody because we knew that Rae Dawn was her mother and that Kelsey loved her mother."

She says the family just wanted Rae Dawn to get the help she needed so Kelsey could be returned to her.

As for the book, she does plan to read it so she can form her own opinion about what Key has to say.

The book is only available online at this time.  It will be available on store shelves after Rae Dawn Smith's trial has concluded.

The book can be found on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and JudgeKey.com.