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Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey berichtete die Angelegenheiten an die Behörden und die sozialen Geräte wurden involviert. Aber John negierte die Angelegenheiten stark und es gab keine formellen Angelegenheiten gegen ihn. Ein bitterer Divorz und eine Verwaltungsbattel stürmten, die für viele Jahre dauerte, auch nachdem Tracey und John wieder verheiratet waren und andere Kinder hatten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
At the time of the home invasion, the custody battle was still ongoing. John Pittman lived with his second wife over a thousand miles away in the state of Virginia, but as far as Tracy was concerned, John had the motive to want her out of the picture and was capable of orchestrating an attack against her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The evening of Thursday December 13 2001 started out like any other for married couple Ken Lee and Jane Showmaker. The two were relaxing at home in the rural town of Early, Iowa, when suddenly at around 7.07pm their pages started frantically beeping.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Als Tracys Mann Michael Roberts von seinem Geschäftstrip zurückkehrte, um seine Frau und Kinder im Krankenhaus zu beurteilen, verabschiedete er sich, dass John Pittman ein potenzieller Verbrecher sein könnte. Es war Michael eine ständige Anerkennung, dass John weiterhin für die Beurteilung von Bert kämpfte, trotz dessen, was er gegen ihn beurteilt hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Nach einem besonders fehlenden Tag im Gericht, hat John Michael allmählich angerufen und gewarnt, dass nichts ihm geben würde, indem er sagte, dass er sehr tiefe Knochen hat. Aber trotz dessen war John Pittman nicht der erste, den Michael gedacht hat, wenn es darum kam, dass ich seine Frau verletzen möchte. Vier Jahre zuvor hatte Tracey etwas zu Michael, das er nicht schütteln konnte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Es war ein Ereignis, das gerade nachdem er und Tracey verheiratet waren. Michael lebte damals noch in Australien und war in der Prozesse, sich in die Vereinigten Staaten zu belegen, während Tracey in Chicago lebte und part-time als Assistent für einen Oralärztin namens Dr. Jonathan Spencer arbeitete, nicht sein echter Name.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy hat Michael erzählt, dass Dr. Spencer sich für die Schmerzen, die sie erlebt hatte, verabschiedet hat. Er hat ihr ein bisschen Gas gegeben, um sie für die Prozedur zu sedieren, aber die Maske ist halbwegs weggeflogen und Tracy hat ihre Bewusstsein wiederentwickelt. Sie hat Dr. Spencer auf ihr gefunden, die sie masturbiert hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracys Unterhaut wurde entfernt und sie hat sich in hohen Hüften mit einem Paar hohen Hüften gekleidet, die zu klein waren. Realisierend, was los war, hat Tracey Dr. Spencer in den Genitalen geschlagen und zu ihren Beinen gesprungen. Nachdem sie ihre Beine bekommen hat, hat sie ihre Pfefferspray genommen und sie verwendet, um ihn zu entlasten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
An diesem Punkt hat Tracey mehrere Polaroid-Fotos auf der Kante bemerkt. Sie waren provokative Bilder von ihr, die sie, während sie unbewusst war, genommen hat. Dr. Spencer, der verheiratet war, beugte Tracey nicht, jemandem zu erzählen. Er sagte, er hätte Freunde in hohen Orten und es würde nicht gut für sie enden, wenn sie die Pressebefragung ausüben würde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Endlich, nach einigen Negotiierungen, kamen die beiden zu einem gemeinsamen Vertrag. Um Tracys Stille auszutragen, würde Dr. Spencer ihr 150.000 Dollar geben. Er hat sich auch für Tracey bezahlt, um eine jährliche Konferenz in Florida anzutreten, sowie für die Rückkehrsaufgaben für sie und Michael, um das kommende Weihnachtsfest in Australien zu besuchen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Weiterhin würde Tracey von der Rückzahlung von 18.000 Dollar, die sie letztlich von Dr. Spencer bezahlt hatte, für ein neues Auto kaufen, nachdem sie in einem Unfall war, entschuldigt werden. Tracy verabschiedete sich von der Bedingung, dass Dr. Spencer all das geschrieben habe.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The couple volunteered as emergency medical technicians for the early fire department and the page announced that there had just been a home invasion at a residential address a few doors down. Gunshots had been fired and at least one intruder was injured while another had fled the scene. The showmakers were stunned.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie haben ein Kontrakt zusammengelegt, in dem Dr. Spencer verabschiedete sich von Tracy, um zu verabschieden, dass sie bedroht war. Er verabschiedete sich, dass er, Quote, "...geheimnisvoll um Artikel von Tracy Roberts Kleidung zu entfernen und zu verändern, ihre Brüste und Genitalien zu verkleiden, Fotos von ihr zu nehmen und subliminare Vorschläge zu machen."
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Er hat auch verurteilt, dass er ein Problem mit dem derartigem sexuellen Verhalten und pharmazeutischen Drogen hatte, für das er sich ermutigt hatte, Hilfe zu suchen. Tracey hat Michael nicht über die Verbrechung oder den Kontraktionsvertrag erzählt, bis Dr. Spencer ihr versichert hat, sie zu bezahlen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hat dann gegen ihn eine zivile Verurteilung für medizinische Verletzungen eingeführt, aber er hat trotzdem nicht auf seine Hände gehalten. Dr. Spencer disputierte die Zivilsuche und schlussendlich verabschiedeten sich er und Tracey außerhalb des Gerichts. Spencer verabschiedete sich, Tracey nur 6.000 Dollar zu bezahlen, um für sie die Zivilsuche komplett zu verlassen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Die Verabschiedung wurde am Donnerstag, Dezember 9 2001 erreicht, nur zwei Tage bevor der Angriff auf Tracey. Police investigating the home invasion couldn't ignore the potential significance. They looked into Dr. Jonathan Spencer's whereabouts at the time of the crime, but he had an airtight alibi.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Furthermore, he was still located in Chicago, which was roughly 450 miles from Early, and they could find no link between him and Dustin Weedie. Das selbe ging für Tracys Ex-Husband, John Pittman, der am Abend des Verbrechens nicht mehr so früh vorhanden war. John sagte den Polizisten, er habe Dustin Weedy noch nie kennengelernt und hatte überhaupt keine Verbindung zu ihm.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Aber ein Objekt, das in Dustins Fahrzeugen gefunden wurde, zeigte es anders. Auf seinem Vorderseite war ein rot-pinkes, spiralgebundener Notebuch, das sechs Seiten von seltsamen Worten und konvolutem Handwerk enthalten hatte. It appeared to be Dustin's journal. The first undated posts began with the words, One day, about 20 years ago, a boy was born into a middle-class life.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Directly underneath that was a series of numbered entries in which Dustin said that a mysterious fellow named John Pittman had offered him some work. Dustin schrieb, dass er einen Journal starten wollte, damit es einen Rekord von diesem Mann gab, den er dann als JP bezeichnete. Er listete mehrere seltsame Fakten über JP, z.B.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
dass er ein weißer Mann aus Virginia war, der in seinen 40er Jahren alt war und dass er als ein Art Doktor arbeitete. Dustin schrieb, dass JP, Quote, »hat a thing for strippers and hookers« und that he tortures victims with household items from their homes. He claimed that JP had an obsessive hatred for both Tracy Roberts and his current wife, whom he wanted to divorce.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Dustin schrieb, dass er, während JP seinen Sohn liebte, ihn tot wollen wollte. Er erklärte, JP will, dass ich seinen Ex, TR, töten möchte, um seinen Sohn Bert zu töten und dann Suizid zu verurteilen. Wenn dieser Plan verfehlt wurde, war Dustin, um zu sagen, dass TR den Mord ihres Sohnes verurteilt hat und dann Suizid verurteilt hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Such an incident was completely out of the ordinary for the small town of roughly 650 residents, where serious crimes were virtually non-existent. They rushed to the property in question, a blue two-story Victorian-style house that they knew was home to married couple Michael and Tracy Roberts and their three young children.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Wenn der Plan funktioniert, schrieb Dustin, dass JP ihn dann zu JPs Eltern töten würde und seine Frau für das Verbrechen verurteilen würde, um einen Sicherheitsausgleich zu erhalten. Das Notbuch implizierte auch JPs Arbeiter, einen Mann namens Stephen Comey, in der Mörder-für-Hirte-Szene, zu sagen, dass er die Bezahlung auf JPs Behalt ermöglichen würde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Ungewiss, was aus dem Notebook zu machen ist, hat die Polizei schnell entschieden, niemandem außerhalb des Untersuchungsraums darüber zu erzählen. Sie haben einfach ein Sammel der Handzeichen zu Dustins Eltern, Mona und Brett Weedy, gezeigt, die es sofort als ihre Sohnes bestimmtes Schriftstück erkannt haben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Doch die Weedys haben nicht geglaubt, dass ihr Sohn in Roberts Zuhause mit irgendeiner schlechten Intention reingekommen wäre. While Dustin had a history of mental illness and had always struggled to fit in, his mother Mona described him as a sweet boy with a huge heart. She felt he'd been misunderstood from a young age.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Diagnoses for various conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, had led others to unfairly label him. Having been bullied throughout his childhood, Dustin had very few friends and he was therefore thrilled when Tracy's husband, Michael Roberts, offered to take him under his wing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He looked forward to their paintballing trips immensely and was constantly asking Mona when he could go out with Michael again. Es hat also keinen Sinn gemacht, dass Dustin nichts tun würde, um Michael's Familie zu schaden. Wenn etwas wäre, wüssten sie, ob Dustin in der Wohnung war, weil er tatsächlich versucht hat, Tracy und ihre Kinder zu schützen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Vielleicht hat er etwas Schreckliches gesehen, das runterging und versucht hat, sich zu retten. Doch eine Suche nach Dustin's Zimmer schlug ein weiteres Notbuch ein. Darin schlug Dustin zwei Wörter ein, die ausgesprochen haben, dass er Killer Pittman war. Da Burt's letzte Name Pittman war, fragten sie sich, ob das weitere Beweise war, dass Dustin Burt oder Tracy töten wollte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
They searched the Wheaties' home and ran forensic checks on Dustin's computer, but uncovered nothing to indicate a link between Dustin, John Pittman or John's lawyer, Stephen Comey. There were no suspicious online searches, nor was there any evidence that Dustin had been corresponding with anyone, let alone planning the home invasion or any other crimes.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Police also checked the Weedy family's phone records from Thursday December 13 2001. At 4.34pm a call had come through that hadn't been answered. Police traced it to a local man, 28-year-old Jeremy Collins. Jeremy was an army vet who'd been discharged from service after suffering a traumatic brain injury and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
More recently, he worked as a delivery driver for a frozen food company. Jeremy Collins vaguely fit the suspect description of the second intruder, in that he was of similar age, height and had dark hair. When confronted, Jeremy said he knew who Dustin Weedy was, but he denied that the two had ever spoken or spent any time together.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The Roberts family had moved there from Chicago two years earlier, seeking a change of pace from the big city. Michael, an Australian expat, was a computer security expert who ran a computer business out of the property next door to their home. They were an upstanding Christian family who fit in well with the close-knit community. The showmakers arrived before law enforcement did.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Police canvassed neighbors and local businesses, but nobody had witnessed anything suspicious on the evening of December 13. As days passed with no arrests or breakthroughs in the case, Tracy Roberts gave an interview to a local reporter from the Storm Lake Times, speaking at length about the attack.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
She rejected the possibility that Dustin Weedy could have entered her home with good will, saying... Struggling to understand it all, Tracy told the reporter, A lot of things don't make sense. Why were they there? They never asked for money or jewelry. Why me and why my family?
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Despite the trauma of her ordeal, Tracy stated, I want the Wheaties to know that we care about them, that our heart goes out to them. That empathy was shared by the local community, with hundreds of residents gathering at the early United Methodist Church for Dustin's funeral. The Reverend told those in attendance,
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
There can be a moment of shock, disbelief and even anger when we learn of the violent death of a loved one. Dustin enjoyed his short life. This is such a tender, delicate hour, probably for the Robertses too. It's time to acknowledge a fractured community, a town once known for its safety, that suddenly reels for answers.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Early was the kind of place where residents trusted one another and rarely bothered to lock their doors. But, with the second intruder still on the loose, the tight-knit community was gripped by fear. They commended Tracy Roberts for her bravery, with many labelling her a hero for doing what she needed to protect herself and her family. The accolades did little to quell Tracys anxiety,
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Verärgert, dass der zweite Verurteilte wieder nach ihr kommen würde, begann sie, einen Panikknopf zu tragen, der zu einem Alarmsystem verbunden war. Um sicherzustellen, dass die Bewerber ihre Arbeit machen, fuhr sie in die Nacht nach dem Bürgermeisteroffizier, um zu beurteilen, ob das Offiziellicht noch anwesend war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy sagte den Polizisten, dass sie nicht aufhören konnte, zu denken, wer das für sie getan hätte. There's a hundred possibilities running through my head, she said. And right now, I'm afraid of all of them. Tracy remained convinced that her ex-husband John Pittman had something to do with it. Her son Bert thought so too.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
According to a report released by Dateline, in the weeks following the crime, Bert told a social worker that John didn't call in the wake of the attack to see how he was doing. Bert said, If you were actually like a good father, I think if you're worried, you'd call.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Während die Polizei weiter suchte für mögliche Verbindungen zwischen John Pittman und Dustin Weedy, kontaktierte Dustins Mutter Mona sie, indem sie sagte, dass sie etwas brauchte, um sich aus ihrem Körper zu entfernen. Mona Weedy wurde von ihrem Sohn unheimlich getötet und war bereit, alle möglichen Erklärungen darüber zu überlegen, wie er in Roberts Zuhause am Tag, an dem er getötet wurde, war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hat also den Polizisten ermittelt, dass sie ein Verhältnis mit Jeremy Collins hatte, dem 28-Jährigen, der ihr Homephone gehalten hat, vordem Dustin getötet wurde. Doch Mona war überrascht von Jeremy's kommender Anruf. Sie war am Donnerstag, Dezember 13, 2001, auf Weihnachtsmarkt, von dem Jeremy wusste.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Warum würde er ihr Haus an einen Ort nennen, an dem er wusste, dass sie nicht verfügbar wäre? Just hours after Dustin was killed, Jeremy had called Mona to end their relationship. He'd also quit his job as a delivery driver days before the attack. Although Mona didn't think it was plausible, she told the police she was concerned Jeremy could have been the second intruder.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
As EMTs, they'd been taught never to enter a home until it had been cleared by police. So they waited across the street for several minutes until the first officer arrived. The officer approached cautiously with their weapon raised, scouring the property for any sign of danger.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Maybe he'd gotten involved with the Dustin somehow. Die Anwesenden verabschiedeten sich, dass die Zeitungen ausgesprochen waren. Sie sprachen zu Jeremy's Wife, die sagte, dass sie an Jeremy auf dem Abend des 13. Dezember angstig war, weil er zu Abend nicht aufgehört hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hat ihn mehrere Male angerufen und entdeckt, dass er trinkt in einer Bar in der Stadt Eidergrove, eine 30-Minuten-Fahrt nach Südwesten von Erli. Jeremy hat seine Frau dazu eingeladen, ihn dort zu treffen, aber sie war so wütend, dass sie ihre Kinder an der Nacht an ihrer Mütter zu Hause verbracht hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Auf der Fahrt dort ist sie um 7 Uhr vor der Bar vorgekommen und hat ihr Fahrzeug vorbeigelegt. Telefonnummern haben ihre Geschichte bestätigt, was Jeremy ein solides Alibi gab. Weiterhin fand die Polizei nichts, das Jeremy Collins zu John Pittman verbindet, noch gab es keine Beweise, dass er mit Dustin Weedy verbunden war, außer dass er ein Verhältnis mit seiner Mutter hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Als die Tage mit keinen Entwicklungen im Falle passierten, plastierte Tracys Mann Michael Roberts Flaschen um die Stadt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Er erhielt eine Reise von 10.000 Dollar für jemanden mit Informationen, die den Angriff und die Verurteilung des zweiten Verbrechers führten, der, wie er sagte, versucht hatte, Quote, Michael sagte den lokalen Berichtern, dass er dachte, dass der zweite Verbrecher derjenige war, der hinter dem Angriff war, während Dustin Weedy nur unter ihrer Influenz arbeitete.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Mit der Verhandlung über Bert weiter, war Michael nun überzeugt, dass Tracys Ex, John Pittman, etwas mit dem Verbrechen zu tun hatte. Andere in der Zwischenzeit waren nicht so sicher. Während Michael auf einer Geschäftsreise auf der Nacht von Donnerstag, Dezember 13, ausgeschlossen war, kam ein früherer Besitzer vor, um sonst etwas zu sagen. Casefile will be back shortly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
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Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The homeowner, 35-year-old Tracy Roberts, appeared on the back porch, telling the officer that two men had broken into her house and launched an attack. She'd managed to escape into her bedroom and grab one of her husband's guns, which she'd used to shoot one of the intruders. The other had fled on foot, though she wasn't sure in which direction.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. In 1996 Australian businessman Michael Roberts began frequenting online dating sites and crossed paths with the recently divorced Tracy in a chat room for Christian Singles.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Online-Dating war damals ein neues Konzept und limited technology bedeutet, dass die Benutzer nicht sofort Fotos und Chat via Video teilen konnten, wie sie es heute tun können, aber die beiden haben es schnell ausgelöst. Tracey hat Michael überzeugt, dass sie ein Modell war und dass er nicht überrascht werden würde, wie sie aussieht.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie haben regelmäßig gesprochen, als Tracey plötzlich erklärte, dass sie nach Australien fliegt, um Michael zu besuchen. 18 Tage nach ihrer Ereignis waren sie verheiratet. Michael hat sich in Chicago gewechselt, um mit seiner neuen Frau zu leben. Die Paare sind bald zurückgekehrt, um ihre Familie zu eröffnen und Michaels Computer-Business zu starten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Auf der Außenwelt präsentierten sie sich als das perfekte Paar, das eine erfolgreiche und glückliche Leben lebt. Hinter geschlossenen Türen war es eine andere Geschichte. In Dezember 2000, ein Jahr vor der fadalen Heim-Invasion, glaubte Tracey, dass ihr Manns Geschäft gut ging.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie war deshalb erschrocken, dass ein Anruf von der Bank kam, um ihre Signatur auf einen 75.000 Dollar Geschäftslohn zu fragen, den Michael gegen ihre Hausaufgabe gefordert hatte. Furchtbar, konfrontierte Tracey Michael in seinem Büro, aber er verabschiedete ihre Gefühle, sagte, dass der Lohn nichts ihres Geschäfts war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
According to Tracy, she went into the office kitchen and took out her frustration by kicking a hole in the wall. Michael ran in and threw her onto the ground. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the drywall, yelling, you fucking bitch. Tracy was so shaken by the incident that she called the police to lodge a report.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Als die Offiziere nach Roberts Haus kamen, um Tracys Statement zu nehmen, beklagte junger Bert, dass er auch ein Verbrecher von Michaels physischem Verbrechen gewesen wäre. Michael wurde dann mit Domestik-Violenz verhaftet und für die Nacht in Gefängnis genommen, während die Kindes-Protektiv-Service zu Berts Angelegenheiten schauten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Aber wenn er weiter gedrückt wurde, klarifizierte Bert, dass er nicht über Michael Roberts gesprochen hätte, als er sagte, dass sein Vater ihn verabschiedet hatte. Er hätte seinen biologischen Vater, John Pittman, gemeint. The following day, Michael pleaded no contest to the lesser charge of disturbing the peace and was free to return home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Although the domestic incident was kept on the down low, the following year, when news broke that Tracy had been the target of a potential murder plot, many townsfolk were quick to point the finger at Michael Roberts. Some felt there was simply something strange about him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Es war ein Gefühl, das von den Polizisten, die Michael von der Angelegenheit ihres Untersuchungsausschusses wütend waren, geteilt wurde. Sie dachten, es sei seltsam, dass ein australianischer Geschäftsführer die kleine Stadt von early Iowa aus allen Orten zurückkehren würde. Sie fragten sich, ob Michael von etwas verstecken könnte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Die Polizei sprach zu Tracys Freunden, die Michael als kontrollierend beschrieben hatten, Er war auch die einzige Person im Roberts-Haus, die eine direkte Verbindung zu Dustin Weedy hatte. Given, dass Dustin nicht viele Freunde hatte und nicht nahe zu seinem eigenen Vater war, fragten die Polizei, ob Michael davon Vorteile bekommen hätte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
More officers arrived and cleared each room of the house before waving the EMTs inside. The showmakers raced upstairs to the main bedroom. Numerous empty shell casings were scattered near the doorway and the air reeked of gunpowder. On the floor at the bottom of the bed, a young man wearing a brown leather jacket lay slumped in a thick puddle of blood, his body resting in the fetal position.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Vielleicht hätte er Dustin überzeugt, Tracy auf seine Seite zu töten, oder er hätte ihm Geld bezahlt, um das zu tun. Tracys Leben wurde für eine Million Dollar gesichert. While Michael claimed that he was out of town on a business trip on Thursday December 13 2001, a local doctor came forward to report having seen him at a bank in early that morning.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He remembered it because Michael seemed to be in a hurry. Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Er wurde mehrere Mal in den Kopf geschossen, einer der Schüsse schlug ihn direkt durch den Augenzucker. Blutstärke schlug die nördliche Wand des Schlafzimmers. Kenleys Schauspieler schaute für einen Puls, aber fand keinen. Er erklärte dem Mann, dass er gestorben sei. Seine nächste Priorität war, auf die Roberts-Familie zu schauen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung. BR 2018 If this was the case, Agent Villeter wondered how Tracy had managed to strike Dustin with such accuracy.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey und ihre drei Kinder wurden in der Unterkümmelung, um den Bürgern zu erzählen, was passiert ist. Während die Kinder unverletzt waren, gab es einen roten Mark, ca. 2-3 Inch dick, der horizontal über Tracys Nacken ging. Sie erklärte, dass einer der Verletzten versucht hatte, sie zu zerstören, und sie hatte Probleme, sie zu zerstören.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
While Tracy had initially appeared relatively calm, she was becoming increasingly hysterical. Her husband Michael was away on a business trip, but Tracy said she was expecting him home any minute. It dawned on her that the man she'd shot could have been Michael. Oh God, is it my husband? she asked, her breathing becoming short and shallow as the panic in her voice grew.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Looking at the crime scene, Agent Villeter could see no other signs of a violent struggle. Tracy claimed she'd reached the gun safe while fighting Dustin off, yet nothing seemed to be out of place. Villeter fand es schwer zu glauben, dass Tracey es in solchen Verhältnissen überhaupt zu den Waffen sicher gemacht hätte, wenn sie es öffnete und nicht eine, sondern zwei Waffen erhielt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Weiterhin würde eine Waffe, die so nahe zu ihrem Ohr liegt, ihr Ohrdraht zerstört oder zumindest das Gehirn zerstört haben. Tracey hat aber keine solche Sache berichtet. Für Agent Villeter sah es nicht so aus, als ob Dustin in Selbstverdienung geschossen hätte. Es sah so aus, als ob er direkt ermordet worden wäre.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Dann gab es die Frage, wo der zweite Verbrecher war, während das geschehen war, und Burt sagte, dass Tracys Hände gleichzeitig verbunden waren. The more Agent Villeter learned about the case, the more convinced he became that Tracy hadn't been telling the truth about what happened that night.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
When he discovered that Tracy and Michael were now divorced and in the middle of a bitter custody battle, Agent Villeter recognized his chance. If either of them knew more than they were letting on, this just might be their time to talk. Agent Villeter begann, mit Tracey via E-Mail zu sprechen, und es war nur die Anmerkung von Michaels Namen, um sie aufzuheben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
In den Jahren nach ihrer Verabschiedung, hatte Michael in seinen Kindertagesstätten verabschiedet und seine Beziehung zu Tracey wurde immer stärker. Tracey, die sich zu ihrer Frau-Name Richter bezeichnete, sagte, Michael habe sie ständig verabschiedet.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie war überzeugt, er sei derjenige, der die Heim-Invasion ausgestattet hatte, und sagte Agent Villeter, dass sie Geräusche gehört hatte, dass Dustin Weedy und Michael ein Verhältnis hatten. Aber als die Bewerber Michael Roberts anmerkten, emergierte eine sehr andere Geschichte. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy's 11-year-old son, Bert, chimed in. No, he said. I think it's Dustin Weedy. After being taken to the hospital for assessment, Tracy Roberts was given the all clear to provide her full version of events to the police. Tracy explained that she'd been upstairs giving her one-year-old daughter a bath when she heard two men talking at the bottom of the stairs.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Vielen Dank für's Zuhören. According to Michael Roberts, he'd only been married to Tracy for a couple of months when the cracks began to show. Michael claimed that shortly after he moved from Australia to be with Tracy, he discovered that she was having an affair.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Michael was a born-again Christian who didn't want to be yet another statistic in the divorce rates, so he decided to do his very best to make the marriage work. There were a few happy years as they settled down and had children, but Michael remained wary of Tracy's behaviour.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Things came to a head in December 2000, after Tracy discovered that Michael had applied for a business loan against their house. At the time, Tracy told the police that after she'd kicked a wall in frustration, Michael had violently thrown her to the floor, slammed her head into the drywall and verbally abused her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Speaking to Agent Villeter following their divorce, Michael claimed this was an outright lie. He said that Tracy had become so enraged that she'd kicked holes in the drywall, in turn damaging a 220-volt heater. Scared she was going to electrocute herself, Michael forced her to the floor. It was only after Tracy went home and had a bath that she decided to report him for domestic violence.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
According to Michael, things took a turn after the home invasion that resulted in Dustin Weedy's death. Michael became so convinced that Tracy was going to try and implicate him in coordinating the attack, that he eventually started mentally preparing himself for the prospect of facing prison time.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
When he later found out that Tracy had applied for several life insurance policies against him, he was certain that she was going to kill him. Then, in March 2004, with their marriage barely hanging on by a thread, Tracy suggested they participate in what she called a trust-building exercise. Desperate to regain Tracy's trust, Michael agreed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey hat ihn verabschiedet, auf einem reichen Schuh mit seinen Armen an seiner Seite zu schlafen. Sie hat ihn dann in den Schuh befestigt, so tief wie sie konnte, leaving only his head exposed. Sie hat den Schuh mit Sicherheitspinseln versorgt, damit Michael sich nicht bewegen konnte, und hat dann seine Augen mit einem Blatt gefüllt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey hat Michael allein auf dem Schuh gehalten, während sie sich um Geheimnisse handelte. Sie kam etwa 45 Minuten später zurück mit einem Plastikpack und setzte es über Michales Kopf, drückte es fest um seinen Nacken und schlug zwei kleine Luftschläge neben seinen Mund. Tracey ermutigte Michael, tief zu atmen, versicherte, dass sie den Pack entfernen würde, bevor er rausging.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie glaubte, das würde Michael beweisen, dass sie ihn nicht töten würde, auch wenn sie die Chance gegeben hätte. It didn't take long for Michael to panic. As he started seeing stars, he begged Tracy to take the bag off. She refused, telling him to remain calm.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
In a fit of desperation, Michael managed to break free of the bedsheet cocoon, but just as he went to rip off the bag, Tracy reached over and removed it first. Days later, Michael filed for divorce. He claimed Tracy had been trying to ruin his life ever since, taking custody of their children while painting him as the bad guy and sullying his reputation.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Mit dieser Information kamen Agent Villeter auch zu Dr. Jonathan Spencer, dem Oralärzten, den Tracy in 1997 verhaftet und sexuell verhaftet hatte. Dr. Spencer meinte, dass Tracys Angelegenheiten gegen ihn nicht weiter von der Wahrheit gehören könnten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He claimed the two had already had consensual sex a couple of times when Tracy showed up at his office one evening and asked him to go into one of the private rooms with her. She said she wanted to live out a fantasy of hers, which involved the two of them having sex while high on nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas. Dr. Spencer agreed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He got into the chair first and started inhaling the gas, at which point Tracy suggested he inject some midazolam instead. Midazolam is a common sedative used in dental procedures to help patients relax, while also having a retroamnesic effect. Again, Dr. Spencer agreed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The last thing he remembered was Tracy walking towards him with his bag of medical supplies, holding the handle with a napkin, presumably so she didn't leave any fingerprints. Dr. Spencer woke up alone in the chair at 4am with a band-aid on his arm where an IV had been and no signs of any sexual activity having taken place.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The next day he checked his mailbox and found a copy of the contractual agreement that he'd apparently made with Tracy, in which he admitted to drugging and sexually abusing her and agreed to pay $150,000, as well as other expenses, in exchange for her silence. Dr Spencer was stunned. Not only was the entire contract full of lies, he'd never signed any such document.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He then remembered that Tracy had previously convinced him to provide his signature on a blank piece of paper. She'd claimed she was going to scan it to his computer so that his assistants could send paperwork on his behalf. Dr. Spencer was mortified by the entire experience.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Nach der Befugnis von seinem Arzt, hat er den Geld nicht bezahlt, aber hat sich entschieden, Tracy nicht zu berichten, dass er sich mit der Polizei verabschiedet hat. Nachdem Tracy einen zivilen Verbrechen gegen ihn verabschiedet hat, hat er sich schlussendlich für 6.000 Dollar verabschiedet, um die Situation hinter ihm zu stellen. Dr. Spencer war über eine Sache bedroht.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey Richter war nicht die ungewöhnliche Gefühle, die sie sich dargestellt hat. Aus dem Anfang der Investition wurde Tracys Ex-Husband John Pittman als Interessenten genannt. Aber als Agent Trent Villeter über das Statement gelesen hat, das Tracy der Polizei sofort nach Dustin Wheatys Schuss gegeben hat, hat er bemerkt, dass sie sehr ehrgeizig war, Johns Namen zu nennen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Initially, Tracy thought it was her husband Michael and his business partner, as she was expecting them home from their business trip that evening. She bundled her daughter up and carried her out to say hello. That's when she realized the man climbing the stairs wasn't her husband, but a complete stranger. Terrified, Tracy yelled out to her eldest child, 11-year-old Bert. Someone's in the house.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Ohne zu werden gefragt, hatte Tracy große Details über ihren Verabschiedung, insbesondere die Angelegenheiten, dass John ihren Sohn, Bert, sexuell verabschiedet hatte. Dies alleine hat Agent Villeter überrascht. Given everything Tracy had just gone through, why was she so eager to talk about John? Furthermore, since Tracy and Michael had divorced, Bert had gone to live with John in Virginia.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
It was hard to believe Tracy would willingly agree to such a thing if she genuinely believed John had been abusing their son. Agent Villeter picked up the phone and dialed John Pittman's number. Like Michael and Dr. Spencer, he was eager to set the record straight when it came to Tracy's allegations against him. According to John, he hadn't harassed and abused Tracy, it was the other way around.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He claimed that Tracy had a history of acting erratically and that he'd long held concerns about her mental state. John beklagte, dass Tracey auf ihn gefeuert hat, während ihrer gesamten Beziehung, eine Beziehung nach der anderen zu haben, während sie John verurteilt hatte, unfaithvoll zu sein. Statt ständig zu lügen, verbrannte sie durch ihr Geld frivolös und ohne Erklärung.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hat einmal Johns Kreditkarte benutzt, um teure Geschenke für einen ihrer geheimen Freundinnen zu kaufen. Als John sie darüber konfrontierte, beklagte sie, dass sein Kreditkarte verloren worden sei. Every job she had ended in drama or controversy, with Tracy always claiming to be the victim.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
John recounted one story in which Tracy had accosted him one night in a fit of rage after he left a pair of dirty shoes in their house. She threatened to kill him and ordered that he leave the house. Scared of what she might do, John was walking out the door when he heard a gunshot. He went into the lounge room and found Tracy sitting calmly on the couch with a bullet hole in the ceiling.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
She told him, I tried to kill myself, but I'm fine now. Worried about Tracy's mental health, John called 911. When paramedics arrived, Tracy begged them not to take her away. Ein Sozialarbeiter kam heraus, um eine Bewertung zu machen, und John sagte, dass sie bleiben könnte. Nachdem das so war, war es ein bisschen langweilig, aber Tracey ging bald zurück zu ihren alten Wegen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Als John entdeckte, dass sie eine Lebensversicherungspolizei auf ihn genommen hätte ohne seine Aufmerksamkeit, hat er einen Privatbewerber eingeladen, um sie zu folgen. The PI confirmed that Tracy was dating several other men, including a bodybuilder. He also claimed that she had stolen one of Johns prescription pads and used it to fraudulently obtain steroids, which she then sold.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The PI warned John that his life might be in danger and advised him to leave the marriage. John initiierte Divorce-Proceedings und das war, als die Dinge wirklich dreckig wurden. Als er und Tracey versucht hatten, eine Behandlung zu erreichen, hat John bemerkt, dass Bert oft für Besuche in Schmerzen gefangen wird.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Eines Tages kam Bert mit einem Schmerz auf seinen Gesicht und sagte, dass Tracey ihn verletzt hatte. Verrückt, dass Tracey sich physisch verabschiedet und ihren Sohn verletzt hat, hat John die Alarm aufgenommen. Es war nur dann, dass Tracey sich umgekehrt und begann, ihn sexuell zu verabschieden. Sie nahm ihn zu einem Arzt, der ihre Begrüßungen unterstützte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Bert wurde von den Sozialversicherungen überprüft und von einem independenten Arzt überprüft, der keine Beweise gefunden hatte, um Tracys Begrüßungen zu unterstützen. John verabschiedete sich gegen Tracey, weil sie versucht hatte, seine Besucherrechte zu verhindern. Keine Anzeichen wurden gegen John Pittman verabschiedet und er wurde von Burt zusammengehalten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Als Tracey wieder verheiratet wurde und Burt mit ihr und Michael Roberts in Iowa lebte, begann John die Verhandlungen gegen die Seoul-Verwaltung. Als Dustin Weedy getötet wurde, gab es ein Verhandlungsgespräch und Tracey stand nicht nur bei Burt in der Hauptsitzung, sondern auch bei 1.000 Dollar pro Monat in Kindertagesstätten von John.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie blitzte nach Berts Zimmer, wo er und Tracys dreijähriger Sohn die TV-Serie gesehen hatten. Tracy schlug das Baby in die Zimmer, als plötzlich der Mann sie von hinterher gefangen hat und sie in den Wohnraum gejagt hat. Tracy klingelte an Bert, seine Tür zu schalten und innerhalb zu bleiben. Sie begann, gegen den Mann zu kämpfen, mit all ihrer Macht, so hart, dass sie ihn in die Wälder stürmte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Was John Pittman betrifft, hat Tracey ihn in der Mörder-für-Hirte-Szene beschrieben, damit er verhaftet wird und das Verhandlungsgespräch nicht weitergehen könnte. John glaubte, dass jeder, der die verbreitete Heim-Invasion ausgestattet hätte, Dustin Wheatys Tod, Tracey wäre. Während Agent Villeter in die Begründung hineingegangen war, war die Begründung zwischen Tracey und Michael Roberts weiter.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey sprach oft zu Agent Villeter, um Michael als den Mastermind der Heim-Invasion-Szene zu beurteilen. In early 2009, Tracy called 911 to report that someone had broken into her car and left a disturbing photo of Dustin Weedy's dead body on the front seat. She accused Michael, telling officers on the scene that he was trying to terrorize her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Offiziere haben sofort gespürt, dass Tracey lügen würde. Nicht nur gab es keine Beweise für eine Ausbrechung, Michael hatte letztens einen Schutzantrag gegen Tracey erhoben und in der Antwort hatte sie einen gegen ihn gefeuert. Die Beratung war am nächsten Tag vorgesehen, um die Polizei zu beurteilen, dass sie versuchen würde, Proceduren zu verhindern oder zu beeinflussen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Begründet worden waren, dass die Polizei eine Suchwahrnehmung für Tracys Wohnzimmer erhielt. Auf der Harddrüse ihres Computers entdeckten sie einige bedrohliche Fälle, z.B. das, was als bizarre Pornografie beschrieben wurde, und Bilder von toten Körpern. Sie haben auch einen Passwort gefunden, der Tracys Foto bezeichnete, aber in dem Namen von Sophie Edwards veröffentlicht wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hatte auch einen Iowa Driver's License und ein Social Security Number in demselben Namen. Die Polizei entdeckte, dass Tracey diese Produkte erhalten hatte, indem die Iowa Transportation Department mit geformten Dokumenten mitgebracht hat, die auch in ihrer Wohnung gefunden wurden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey beklagte, dass sie ihren Namen verändert hätte, um von Michael Roberts ungeheuer zu verurteilen, aber die Gerichtsverwaltung bemerkte das nicht. Beliebte, dass sie versucht hat, das Land zu verlassen, um das Wetter des Dustin-Weedy-Besuches zu vermeiden, wurden sie mit Verbrechung und krimineller Verbrechung beurteilt, was eine Verbrechung war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
In late 2010 nahm Special Agent Trent Villeter alles, was er entdeckt hatte, an den neu eingeladenen County Prosecutor Ben Smith. Nach der Beobachtung von allen Fällen, hat Ben verabschiedet, dass das Geheimnis das erste Mal verabschiedet worden war und dass Tracey über das, was in ihrem Haus geschehen ist, die Nacht, als Dustin getötet wurde, verabschiedet war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Die Beobachter haben verabschiedet, dass Tracey den ganzen Angriff verabschiedet hat, um John Pittman zu implizieren, um ihr einen Vorteil in ihren zukünftigen Verwaltungsprozessen zu geben. Sie hat Burt irgendwie verabschiedet, sich auf ihr anzunehmen. With that plan and her second marriage failing, she turned suspicion onto Michael Roberts instead.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
But as convinced as the investigators were, they lacked the evidence to prove it. If they were going to press charges against Tracey, they'd need something more concrete. Back in December 2001, the police had spoken to Tracey's friend Mary Higgins, who had defended Tracey. Knowing that loyalties change over time, in 2011 the new investigation team summoned Mary in for another interview.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
This time, Mary admitted she had many lingering questions of her own about the supposed home invasion. Tracy had told Mary that the second intruder had been wearing a ski mask. If this was the case, Mary wondered how Tracy had provided a description of his face.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Mary had also been taken aback by the nonchalant, emotionless way that Tracy spoke about the shooting, as though she was reading items off a grocery list. Mary accused Tracy of being a terrible mother who was physically abusive towards Bert. She detailed one occasion when she and Tracy were discussing the home invasion and Bert entered the room.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
You fucking bitch, he scowled, yelling out to the other man, get her. At that point, Tracy felt something tighten around her neck and she was yanked back by her ponytail. All she could think about was protecting her family. She managed to break free and race into her bedroom, where her husband kept a safe full of guns under the bed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Mary claimed that Bert became extremely agitated and started banging his head on the table, saying, Why did you go back up there? You didn't have to shoot him. Mary said that in the wake of the home invasion, Tracy had told her that police suspected her ex-husband John Pittman hired Dustin to murder her. Mary explained to the investigators that
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy told me all the stuff in the notebook showed that Dr. Pittman was behind it. At this, Agent Trent Villitar and Prosecutor Ben Smith exchanged a look. For all these years, the pink notebook found in Dustin Weedy's car had been concealed from anyone outside of law enforcement, including Tracy. Das Einzige, was sie über das Notebook wusste, war, ob sie selbst etwas damit zu tun hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Bis zu diesem Punkt hatte Agent Villeter eine Menge E-Mails zwischen sich selbst und Tracy Richter. Schauend über sie, hat er bemerkt, dass Tracy ihren Ex-Husband John Pittman als einen Spaß am Mindgames spielte. She wrote that he'd wanted to be a psychiatrist, but his parents wouldn't allow it. Agent Villeter realized this sounded familiar.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He looked over the pink notebook and noticed that when describing John, Dustin had not only written that he liked to play mind games, but also that he, quote, wanted to be a shrink, family disapproved. Die Berichterstatter waren überzeugt, dass Tracey den Inhalt des Notbuchs zu Dustin gesteuert hat, sie waren einfach nicht sicher, wie oder wann.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Es gab keine Beweise, dass der Paar jemals gesprochen oder Zeit alleine zusammengebracht hat. Yet, if Mona was correct in claiming that Tracy had offered Dustin some work for their business, then this provided a window where Tracy could have manipulated Dustin into writing in the notebook, possibly using money or sex.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The police who first investigated the crime had found a notebook in Dustin's house, which they believed contained the words, I kill a pitman. Zu dem Zeitpunkt hatte das weiteres Beweis gegeben, dass Dustin Teil eines Plotts war, um Tracy und Bert zu töten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Prosecutor Ben Smith blieb durch Dustin Wheaties Highschool-Jahrbuch, als er eine Bildung eines fremden Ausgleichsstudenten namens Ilka Dittmar beobachtete. Etwas über ihre Name sah sich bekannt an. Ben bezeichnete ihre Namen zu Dustin's distinct Handwriting und dachte, der sogenannte I Kill a Pitman Text hätte Ilka Dittmar so einfach gelesen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Er sprach zu Mona Weedy, die bestätigte, dass Dustin auf Ilka gefreut war und ihr zu Hause einmal Blumen geliefert hatte. Ein unabhängiger Mediziner wurde mit der Beobachtung der Fotos von Tracys Nackenschmerzen beschäftigt. He determined that the marks on Tracy's neck weren't consistent with ligature marks, but friction burns.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
In some accounts, Tracy claimed she'd passed out from the strangulation attempt, yet the friction burns were positioned in such a way that they wouldn't have caused a loss of consciousness. As far as the medical examiner was concerned, it was entirely possible that Tracy had staged being choked.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Ballistik-Experten und ein Blutspatter-Analyst sind zurückgekehrt zur Szene des Verbrechens, um eine Reconstruktion durchzuführen. Sie haben beurteilt, dass die ersten Schüsse von dem Raum zwischen Tracys Bett und der Wand getötet haben, aber sie wurden nicht über ihre Schulter geschossen, wie sie beurteilt hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Through the dark, she dove into the space between her bed and the dresser, got her hands on the safe and pulled it out. She tried to enter the combination, but her glasses had been knocked off during the scuffle and she couldn't see what she was doing. The safe wouldn't unlock. She tried again to no avail. Then one of the men grabbed her by the neck from behind.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie wurden getötet, während Tracy entweder nach unten oder nach unten kreuzte, und es war möglich, dass sie an der Zeit Eingriffen war. Tracey hatte immer gesagt, dass sie Dustin in den Kopf mit der zweiten Waffe geschossen hätte, weil er anfing zu bewegen und sie dachte, er würde versuchen, sich aufzuhalten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Die Blutspatter-Analysen bestätigten, dass diese Schüsse tatsächlich in kowaguliertem Blut geführt wurden, während Dustins Kopf auf dem Boden war. Das bedeutet, dass Dustin bereits tot war, als Tracey über ihm stand und ihn in den Kopf geschossen hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Not only did this prove that Tracy lied about what happened, it also proved that Dustin was no longer a threat when she shot him again, thus debunking her claims of self-defense. The Cold Case team had spent three years diligently sifting through the cracks in Tracy Richters' story before they finally felt they had enough evidence to make their move.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Im letzten Juli 2011 wurde Tracey zu einem Starbucks-Koffeeshop verhaftet unter falschen Vorwürfen, wo Mitglieder der Gesetzesverwaltung aus sowohl Iowa als auch Nebraska den jetzt 45-Jährigen verhaftet haben, für den Erstausdruck-Mord von Dustin Weedy. Tracey hat die Angelegenheiten stark verurteilt und die Angelegenheit wurde im letzten Oktober 2011 verurteilt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy's Defence Team discounted the importance of the pink notebook recovered from Dustin's car, saying it didn't provide any information about what transpired inside the Roberts' home on the night that Dustin was killed. They argued that Tracy was a heroic mother who'd acted purely in self-defence during a terrifying home invasion.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Der Fehler, den zweiten Verurteilten zu fangen und den Boden des Plotts zu kommen, wurde in den frühen Tagen des Untersuchungsjahres auf unkomplizierte Polizisten verurteilt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Die Verteidigung schlug eine Überraschung auf Jeremy Collins, dem Mann, mit dem Mona Weedy damals ein Verhältnis hatte, während sie Dustin als einen unbedeutenden Mann mit einer Geschichte von psychischen und körperlichen Problemen beschreibt. Burt Pittman stand als Star-Witness für seine Mutter. Der jetzt 21-Jährige war so unterstützt von Tracy bei der Trial, wie er die ganze Investition war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Er hat dem Gericht gesagt, er hatte keine Angst, dass Dustin Weedy schlechte Intentionen hatte, als er in ihre Heimat kam, bestätigend, dass Dustin angstig und bedrohlich aussah. Burt sagte, dass er sehr, sehr, sehr Angst hatte, und dass er dachte, dass er und seine Brüder sterben werden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Burt negierte Mary Higgins' Begrüßung, dass er mit seiner Mutter für Dustin schießen würde, und sagte, dass er keine Angst hatte, dass Tracys Aktionen die Leben von sich und ihrer Familie retten würden, und sagte, dass er nicht hier sitzen würde, wenn es nicht für das, was meine Mutter getan hätte. Dann, für das erste Mal, hat Burt eine schreckliche Aufmerksamkeit gemacht.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Er hat behauptet, dass er Dustin, nachdem Tracey ihn das erste Mal umgegriffen hat, aufhören würde, dass Dustin bereits tot war, als Tracey ihm in den Kopf geschossen hat. Für die Befugnis hat das nur noch mehr Kraft gegeben, dass sie glauben, dass Burt lügt, um seine Mutter zu schützen. Unter Cross-Examination fragten sie Burt, welche Versionen von Verlässlichkeiten er bestätigt hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Burt sagte, dass das Bestätigendste war das Statement, das er an der Nacht des Schutzes an die Polizei gegeben hatte. Die Verwaltung zeigte dann, dass er all die Ungleichheiten hatte, die er bis dahin entdeckt hatte. Sie fragten, warum er keine dieser Details während seines ersten Statements erwähnte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Burt's explanation was that he might have given those details, but the interviewing officer might not have written them down. After hearing all the evidence, it took the jury less than five hours to reach a unanimous decision. They declared Tracy Richter guilty of Dustin Weedy's murder.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Her hands still clutching the safe, she pushed in the numbers one more time. This time it clicked open. Tracy hat die erste Waffe, die sie getroffen hat, eine 9mm Beretta, sie hat sie über ihre rechte Schulter geämmt und hat den Trigger gedreht. Etwas hat geschnallt, aber es hat nicht gefeuert.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey schlummte vorwärts, als das Verdienst geliefert wurde, brachte sie in Tränen, während ihr legales Team wirklich erschrocken aussah. Bert saß störend fest, bevor er anfing zu weinen. Am nächsten Tag schlug Tracys Vater, 69-jähriger Bernard Richter, der nicht für das Trial präsent war, aus einem Herzinfarkt in seinem Zuhause und starb.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Für Dustin Weedys Familie war Tracys schuldige Verdikt eine große Erleichterung. Seit Dustins Tod und seines Vaters folgendem Suizid hat Mona mit Depressionen und Alkoholverletzungen kämpft. Es schmerzte sie, Dustin als jemand, der andere schmerzt, zu hören.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
While Dustin had his own unique set of challenges, Mona had never known him to be violent and she resented Tracys claims that Mona had been afraid of him. The guilty verdict brought some justice in restoring Dustin's good character and the family were able to speak on his behalf at a subsequent sentencing hearing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
The experience was too much for one of Dustin's sisters, who became too overwhelmed with emotion and was unable to deliver her victim impact statement. His other sister addressed Tracy directly, as she said, The worst part of all this is that you cheated my brother Dustin out of his future. Mona hat dem Gericht gesagt, wie viel sie in den Jahren seit Dustins Mörder geübt hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Seine Hände schüttelten, als sie sagte, Addressing Tracy, Mona said, Tracy, who had chosen not to testify at the trial, was also given the opportunity to speak at the hearing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie behauptete, dass sie Dustin in Selbstverdächtigkeit getötet hätte und ihre Sympathie für die Weedy-Familie ausgedrückt hätte, indem sie sagen würde, dass sie den Rest ihres Lebens hinter den Bars verbringen würde, um ein Verbrechen, das sie nicht verursacht hat, zu verhindern, als eines ihrer Kinder zu verlieren.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hat weiter auf ihren Ex-Husband Michael Roberts' Überraschungen gehalten und versucht, unvergessliche Beweise zu geben, bevor der Gericht sie in die Linie gerufen hatte. Mit dem hat er Tracy Richter in Gefängnis verurteilt, ohne die Möglichkeit des Parols. In der Wache von Tracys Verurteilung fehlte Michael Roberts für sein Leben.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Er sagte dem Fernsehprogramm 60 Minutes, dass die Mitglieder von Tracys Familie ihn langweilig verabschiedeten. Having been granted custody of his and Tracy's two children, Michael moved around constantly in an attempt to keep them away from Tracy's family. He wanted to take his children to live in Australia, but Tracy refused to sign their passport applications.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Desperatly trying to remember how the gun worked, Tracy clocked the hammer back and aimed it over her shoulder a second time. This time a loud shot rang out, but the man continued to struggle against her. Tracey ging auf die Knie, drehte sich so weit wie sie konnte nach rechts und drückte den Trigger mehrere Mal mehr. Dieses Mal hat der Attaker nicht mehr bewegt.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
He was also required by a court order to take the children to visit Tracy in prison. The entire situation left Tracy and Michaels oldest son feeling conflicted. He told 60 Minutes that all he wanted was to get on an aeroplane and leave, but he didn't want to leave his mother behind, regardless of what she'd done, remarking, There's a war going on inside my head.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Mona Weedy sagte 60 Minutes, dass sie Michael's Campaign unterstützt hat, um die Kinder nach Australien zu bewegen, indem sie sagte, Tracy kommt nicht wieder raus. Sie hat keine Rechte zu ihren Kindern. Sie gab ihre Rechte auf, als sie den Trigger auf meinen Sohn gelegt hat, soweit ich mich interessiere.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy Richter hat eine dedizierte Gruppe von Unterstützern, die fortsetzen, ihre Unwissenheit zu protestieren. Among them is her son Bert, who maintains that he's telling the truth about what happened on the night of the home invasion. On Bert's torso, he has a large tattoo depicting the home invasion.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Inked in grey wash, it shows a guardian angel with the head of a demon, being embraced by a woman who is meant to be Tracy. Burt zeigte das Tattoo den Produzenten von Dateline, die sagten, Ich weiß für ein Fakt, dass wenn meine Mutter nicht das gemacht hätte, würde ich tot sein.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Bis 2021 hat Burt eine Facebook-Page genannt, die sich genannt hat, Free Tracy Richter, in der er für Tracys Verabschiedung aus dem Gefängnis petitioniert hat. Die Facebook-Gruppe hat sich temporär gedreht, mit Burt, die erklärte, dass eine neue Website in den Arbeiten ist. Whether that website will ever be launched is unknown.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Mona Weedy has no doubt that Tracy killed Dustin to gain advantage in the custody battle over Bert. Through tears, Mona told 60 Minutes, Das ist einfach so hart. In meiner Meinung, hat sie meinen Sohn auch getötet. He didn't just go out to our son's gravesite and put a bullet in his heart because he had no pain. She did that to him. She drove him to that.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Brett Weedy was buried directly behind Dustin, his gravestone highlighted by a heart-shaped ornament on Dustin's grave. Mona does her best to remember the good times. Speaking to author M. William Phelps for his comprehensive book on the case, titled Beautifully Cruel, she relived a fond memory from Christmas morning when Dustin was just two years old.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Mona and Brett had bought Dustin the most complicated Transformer toy they could find, but when they opened it up, they realised just how difficult it would be to put together. Brett hat angefangen, die Instruktionen zu lesen, um es herauszufinden, als sie sich über die Tür gelegt haben, um Dustin in der Kante des Raumes zu finden.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Der Tochter hat irgendwie die ganze Transformer auf seinem eigenen Weg zusammengebaut. Für Mona war das nur ein Moment, der beobachtete, wie intelligent Dustin war. Sie sagte Phelps, «Die Leute nennen meinen Sohn slow und ein spezialistisches Kind.» Aber er war nicht. Er war nur speziell.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey konnte nicht viel durchs Dunkel sehen. Verrückt, sass sie still und hörte. Der Mann war immer noch stark atemlos, aber sie konnte nicht sagen, wo er genau war. Then, towards the doorway, Tracy saw a silhouette dart away, followed by the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. Tracy grabbed a second gun, a six-shot revolver, and tried to summon the courage to leave the bedroom.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
She saw something lying on her bedroom floor, but couldn't tell if it was the man or something else entirely, like a duffel bag. Eventually, she got the nerve to stand up. Both guns raised, she turned on the light. The man she'd shot was lying face down on the bedroom floor. Tracy carefully approached him, when suddenly he moved. Stay there, she warned.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
It looked like he was trying to either get up or roll over. He moved again. Tracy pulled the trigger on the Beretta, but it was empty. She pulled the trigger on the revolver instead. Several bullets shot into the back of the man's head until the weapon clicked empty.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
11-jähriger Bert sagte der Polizei, er hätte einen Film mit seinem kleinen Bruder in seinem Zimmer gesehen, als Tracy ihre Schwester an sie zerstörte und sie sagte, sie sollen in der Wohnung bleiben. Bert tat, was er gesagt hatte, erhielt einen Ballon aus seinem Zimmer und drückte sein Auge an die Tür. Er konnte die Verwirrung draußen hören, zusammen mit den Stimmen von zwei Männern.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
While he couldn't be sure exactly what the men were saying, Bert told the police it sounded like one of them said, okay boss, followed by something about an axe. Bert thought it was a prank. He yelled out to his mum, asking if she was okay. One of the men opened Bert's bedroom door and warned, shut up or you're next.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
In the hallway, Bert heard the man discussing something about his dad being killed. He recognized one of their voices. It sounded like Dustin Weedy, a 20-year-old friend of the family. Shortly after this, Bert heard a gunshot. A man's voice said, holy fuck. Then there were several more gunshots, followed by the sound of someone running.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy rushed into Bert's room and told him to take his siblings downstairs and call 911. Bert did as he was told, telling the operator. My mum, somebody came into our house and they tied her up and they were, they were choking her. My mum got the gun and shot the other one and one ran off.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Außer dem Schmerz an Tracys Nacken, welches von einem Paar Pantyhosen verursacht worden war, und einer kleinen Schmerzung an der linken Arme, waren sie und ihre Kinder nicht verletzt. Aber Berts Überzeugung war korrekt. Der Verrückte in Tracys Zimmer wurde 20 Jahre alt Dustin Weedy bezeichnet. Als Tracey davon berichtet wurde, war sie überrascht.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hat den Polizisten gesagt, dass sie Dustin kaum wusste. Seine Mutter Mona arbeitete part-time für das Computer-Business der Robertsons und ihr Mann Michael hatte Dustin unter seinen Rücken genommen. Dustin war sozial seltsam und hatte nicht viele Freunde, also hat Michael ihn ein paar Mal aus dem Paintballen eingeladen, um seine Vertrauen zu stärken.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy hat den Polizisten erzählt, dass Dustin mehrere Stunden vor der Heim-Invasion auf ihre Tür geklopft hat, um zu fragen, ob sie irgendwelche seltsamen Jobs hätte, die er machen könnte, weil er Geld benötigt hätte. Tracy fühlte sich nicht zufrieden, dass Dustin alleine war, weil Mona ihr erzählt hatte, dass er physisch gewalttätig war, sowohl für sie als auch für ihre zwei Töchter.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracy hat Dustin gesagt, dass er zurückkehren würde, als Michael von seinem Geschäftstrip am nächsten Tag zurückkehrte. Sie hat den Polizisten gesagt, dass sie keinen Grund gehabt hätte, warum Dustin sie verletzen würde. Die Verletzung war ein offensichtlicher Motiv, aber nichts wertvolles wurde verloren, trotz der teuren Jewelry, Geld und Feuerzeuge, die auf der Prämisse gehalten wurden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Das einzige, was verletzt wurde, war ein alter Computer, der nichts wertvolles hatte. Police found the computer packed neatly into the back of Dustin's car, which was parked outside of the Roberts' business, and the hard drive contained nothing to indicate a motive. Tracy had never seen the other intruder before.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
She described him as being around 35 to 40 years old, tall and of average build, with dark wavy hair. He wore a black leather jacket, was good looking and spoke with a Chicago accent. Searches of the property and surrounding areas turned up no sign of him or any clue as to who he might be.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
But when the police asked if Tracy could think of anyone else who might wish her harm, one person immediately sprang to mind. Her ex-husband, John Pittman. Tracey hatte John getroffen, als sie nur 20 Jahre alt war. Damals arbeitete sie als Radiographin in einem Lehrheim in Chicago, wo 30-jähriger John das vierte Jahr ihres Medikamenten verabschiedet hatte.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Die beiden haben zusammengearbeitet, bevor es sich um eine romantische Sache handelte und sie verabschiedeten sich 1988. Aber wie Tracey den Polizisten erklärte, dauerte es nicht lange, John seinen kontrollierenden Teil zu erwecken. Tracey glaubte, John sei abusiv und domineerend und hatte auch einige seltsame sexuelle Habits.
Casefile True Crime
Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Tracey sagte, sie habe sich damit verabschiedet, weil sie jung war und eine geschlossene Leben gelebt hatte. Sie wurde geboren, um zu glauben, dass diese Art von Verhalten normal war. Als die Zeit überging, gab Tracey das Kind zu Bert, das das erste und einzige Kind des Paares war. Tracey war überrascht, dass sie eine Mutter war, aber sie hat bald herausgefunden, dass John sie verheiratet hat.
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Case 312: Dustin Wehde
Sie hat versucht, Dinge zu machen, aber 1992 war sie am Ende ihrer Täter. Das Paar separierte sich und begann die Verwaltung von Bert zu teilen, bis das 3-Jährige eine schockierende Erklärung erklärte. Sein Vater hatte ihn unabhängig getroffen. Tracey nahm Bert an, um einen Arzt zu besuchen, der glaubte, dass der Junge sexuell verabschiedet wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Two senior police constables from the town of Mafra headed to the Wanangatta Valley, Russell's last known location. After checking the general store at Lakola, they combed local campsites but found no trace of the missing man. They alerted the people they came across to watch for signs of a lone elderly camper.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
While beginning their investigation into Russell Hill's disappearance, the police came across a tip that had been reported several days earlier. A man named Andrew Marquardt had notified authorities that he'd come across a burned out campsite on Saturday March 21, the morning after Russell was last heard from.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
On Saturday March 28, the day after Russell was reported missing, officers set off for Buck's Camp to follow up on the lead. What they found confirmed their worst fears, a white Land Cruiser matching Russell's. The campsite itself was a wasteland of twisted metal and ash, covering a precise three metre square.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
In the middle were the charred remnants of Russell's tent, mattress, table and camp chairs. The toilet tent Russell had set up in front of his Land Cruiser was mostly undamaged, though its zips had melted. An esky beneath the vehicle was also intact. The fire's intensity puzzled investigators.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Though it had consumed everything within reach, the esky and the Land Cruiser's tyres were unmarked, suggesting an accelerant-fuelled blaze that had been deliberately contained. Neither smartphones nor Russell's drone were found among the debris, though an older mobile phone sat in the ute's centre console. Through the vehicle's windows, police officers spotted not one, but two open wallets.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Both had been stripped of cash and credit cards, and their contents scattered across both footwells. While one wallet confirmed Russell Hill's identity, the other, containing a health insurance card and a driver's license, drew intrigue. It belonged to someone named Carol Clay, a woman no one had reported missing. Russell's family hadn't mentioned he was camping with anyone.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The discovery forced investigators to confront an uncomfortable reality. They weren't looking for one missing person, but two. Case File will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
73-year-old Carol Clay resided in the outer Melbourne suburb of Pakenham. A former president of the Country Women's Association, or CWA, Carol spearheaded a diverse range of programs and actively sought to recruit younger members, telling the Pakenham Gazette on the CWA's 85th anniversary that it was a modern organisation of women looking out for women.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Her tenure as President saw her rubbing shoulders with dignitaries at Government House, traversing Australia and the South Pacific for conferences, and holding positions on the boards of several high-profile organisations. In 2018, Carol's tireless efforts were recognised when she was inducted as a Member of Honour of the CWA. Carol's influence extended far beyond the Association.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
A white Toyota Land Cruiser ute, apparently new, was parked in the clearing. All along its passenger side canopy were black scorch marks. On the ground beside the vehicle was what Andrew first took to be the remains of a campfire, but the blackened area sprawled far larger than any responsible camper would allow.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
She volunteered with hospital auxiliaries and the Red Cross and sat on various committees. She was also so well known for her baking that she was in high demand for lessons and demonstrations. Generous with her time, if a friend was sick, Carol would be there every day, dropping off hearty meals until they got better.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Described by one friend as a glamour queen, Carol was never seen without her signature red lipstick, stylish steel grey hair, and pearl earrings. Though her children had grown and had families of their own, she remained actively involved in their lives, doting on her grandchildren from her newly downsized house near the shops and train station.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The discovery of Carol's wallet in an abandoned ute nearly 400 kilometres away at Buck's Camp was both puzzling and deeply concerning. Police now faced the difficult task of advising Carol's daughter Emma that her mother had disappeared seemingly while in the company of 74-year-old Russell Hill. The news came as a shock to Emma.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
She had known her mother was away camping, but Carol wasn't expected home until the following day of Sunday March 29. The fact that Carol had been with Russell, however, was not a surprise. The pair had known each other since they were teenagers, and Russell had been Carol's first boyfriend. They'd ultimately broken up and married other people, but stayed in touch.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell and his wife Robin had even attended Carol's first wedding. However, Russell had lied to Robin, introducing Carol to her as his cousin. Robin had believed this ruse for years. It wasn't until the early 2000s, during joint camping trips with Carol and her then-husband Linton, that Robin noticed how Russell and Carol would frequently break away from the group for private walks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Though this made her uneasy, Robin pushed her doubts aside, wanting to believe in her husband's fidelity. The deception unravelled when a neighbour confronted Russell after witnessing Carol's visits whenever Robin was away. The neighbour gave Russell an ultimatum, confess to Robin or she would expose the affair herself.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Backed into a corner, Russell admitted everything to Robin and their daughters, swearing to end the relationship and repair his marriage. Robin had believed him, but the affair had secretly continued. Russell's solo camping trips provided perfect cover for his and Carol's continued liaisons.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He maintained the facade with a separate burner phone registered in Carol's name, ensuring no suspicious bills would reach home. The couple spoke of separating from their respective partners to be together, but only Carol ultimately went through with it. She divorced her husband to be with Russell and told her daughter Emma about the affair.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Emma felt awkward knowing about the relationship, but her mother assured her that it was very caring and loving. Carol had also confided in one of her sisters and a friend. She appeared content with the arrangement, which allowed her to maintain an intimate relationship as well as her independence in the aftermath of her divorce.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Drawing closer, Andrew realised he was looking at a campsite that had been entirely cremated. Chairs, awning, mattresses and a tent had all been reduced to twisted metal and dash. The only thing left standing was a toilet tent set apart from the main site. It had largely escaped the inferno save for some melted zips. The scene was cold, there was no smoke or embers, and the ash had long cooled.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Most of the time Russell and Carol spent together was on their clandestine camping trips. Although camping hadn't always been an interest of Carol's, she embraced the pastime if it meant spending time with Russell. Their routine of private getaways was broken only once in January 2019, when Russell suggested meeting his friend Jim Francis.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Jim was travelling around Australia in his caravan when Russell called, warning that he'd be bringing a woman who wasn't his wife. Though surprised, Jim didn't pry. The trio camped together for two weeks. To Jim, Russell and Carol seemed like any other couple, freely sharing their history around the campfire.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Carol had been on another camping trip with Russell for Valentine's Day, one month before their Wanangatta expedition. As she prepared to leave with Russell again in mid-March, Carol asked some neighbours to water her plants until she returned on Sunday March 29. On the morning the couple left for their trip, Russell was seen loading Carol's bags into the boot of his Land Cruiser.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Carol got into the vehicle carrying a pink floral overnight bag and a clear plastic bag holding three large lever arch folders full of CWA materials. Carol had made two phone calls during the journey and had been sighted both in the Land Cruiser and at Buck's Camp. While Russell collected firewood, maintained the solar setup and secured the site, Carol managed the camp kitchen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
As Russell operated his drone or amateur radio, Carol would read. She always made sure to keep quiet during Russell's 6pm radio chats so no one listening in would know she was there. To the other campers who encountered them, Russell and Carol seemed like any other ordinary older couple.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
After finding the burnt out campsite and confirming that Carol had been with Russell, investigators informed the Hill family that not only had Russell gone missing in unsettling and suspicious circumstances, he'd been having an affair. Despite their personal shock, both families agreed to media appeals.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
On Sunday March 29, police announced the search for the elderly pair, citing concerns about their welfare and lack of contact. The media statement had the intended effect. Witnesses came forward, including weed sprayer Robert Williams, who reported seeing Russell's drone in the area before he went missing. The drone had been conspicuously absent from the campsite.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Andrew Marquardt forwarded on the photographs he'd taken of the burnt site, and another witness also made contact. Nicholas Linden had been camping in the Wanangatta Valley with his 11-year-old son on Wednesday March 25, two days before Russell was reported missing. The father and son had been walking downstream after fishing when they came across the charred campsite.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
It was a disturbing sight, and the following day when Nicholas had mobile reception again, he reported the discovery to police in the northeast city of Wangaratta. Unfortunately, his report had gotten lost among paperwork and wasn't passed on to the relevant station.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Media interest in the story took off when Robin Hill publicly confirmed that she had originally believed her missing husband was camping alone. What began as a missing persons case became a tabloid sensation. The tale of a CWA stalwart secret romance with a married man turned their high country disappearance into front page news. Meanwhile, the investigation kicked up a gear.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Police deployed drones and helicopters, while dog squads and mountain cattlemen scoured the dense scrub below. Initial theories centred on misadventure. Even skilled bushmen could lose their bearings in thick vegetation. Investigators focused on Russell's missing drone, wondering if perhaps he'd wandered off searching for the expensive device, with Carol following.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Maybe one or both of them got hurt, and the other was unable to find their way back to raise the alarm. After 10 days, wild weather forced operations to halt, while emerging COVID-19 restrictions hampered efforts to marshal large volunteer search parties. The pandemic's first wave hit Victoria just as Russell and Carol went missing. Investigators focused on the couple's final known movements.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The Land Cruiser stood locked and empty. Deciding to keep moving, the Marquards pressed on upstream, eventually finding a suitable spot to settle near a suspension bridge. But the memory of the burnt-out camp nagged at Andrew throughout the night. The next morning, he walked back to the incinerated site alone. Nothing had changed, yet something felt wrong.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
According to Russell's friend Rob Ashland, he had seemed relaxed during his last radio contact at 6.40pm. Whatever happened to Russell and Carol had occurred between then and Andrew Marquardt's discovery the next morning. When weather cleared on Tuesday April 14, searchers returned to explore rougher terrain, But three weeks had passed and hope of finding the couple alive was fading.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The missing person squad took charge, conducting standard proof of life checks through banks, hospitals and phone records. No evidence emerged of accessed bank accounts, active phones or a second vehicle. Detectives gathered DNA samples and investigated financial records, including insurance policies.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Though reports occasionally surfaced of elderly couples matching Russell and Carol's descriptions, none proved credible. By Wednesday April 22, Russell Hill and Carol Clay had been missing for a little over a month. Police notified the public that their hopes of finding the couple alive had dimmed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Potential witnesses were urged to come forward and assured that they wouldn't face COVID-19 fines for camping during restrictions. Both families released statements expressing their anguish. Russell's family described him as our brother, husband, dad and pa, while Carol's family emphasised the disappearance was very out of character as the pair were well prepared and Russell knew the area well.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Police appealed for witnesses who had been in the region between March 19 and 24. Various accounts emerged. Road workers reported an erratically driven white twin-cab ute, diesel had been siphoned from machinery, and, most intriguingly, there were reports of a midnight encounter the night Russell and Carol vanished.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Tom Matthews, who had been camping a few kilometres southeast of Buck's camp, recalled being woken around midnight on Friday March 20 by an older model four-wheel drive towing a rattly old trailer. The vehicle stopped at the river crossing's road closed sign, having seemingly not realised they wouldn't have access to the road. The driver then performed a difficult U-turn and departed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Tom, experienced in bush sounds and vehicles, found the late hour activity highly unusual. As the case spread online, news sites and social media buzzed with theories. Some were far-fetched, such as the suggestion that people who disapproved of the affair had sent a hitman after the couple. Police dismissed this notion altogether.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Other theories seemed more plausible, like the idea that the couple had staged their disappearance to run away together. But both Russell and Carol were financially secure with close family ties, making an elaborate elopement plan unlikely.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
A friend of Carol's also told the television program A Current Affair that Carol wouldn't have intentionally disappeared as she had been eagerly planning a cruise with her sister. Police also dismissed this theory given the lack of activity on their bank accounts. Another theory posited was that of a murder-suicide.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Three hunters who recognised Russell from news coverage came forward to say they'd met him at nearby King Billy No. 2 campsite a week before his disappearance. They described Russell as a knockabout sort of guy who'd asked permission to fly his drone near their camp. The hunters noted Russell's expertise with his drone and dedication to his radio setup.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When he mentioned building the Zika spur track, they sensed pride in his former work. Though friendly, Russell revealed a darker side when discussing retirement. Now I'm retired and it really fucked me up, he'd told them. His comments about retirement and home life concerned them enough to suggest suicide to investigators.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
A lead trailed from the Land Cruiser's canopy to the ground. The vehicle's passenger side mirror was missing, as though ripped off, and empty bourbon and cola cans lay scattered behind the rear wheel. Peering through a window, Andrew spotted a pink bag on the front seat. There was an esky tucked under the ute. When Andrew lifted its lid, he saw food inside that looked fresh.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
While police considered their observations, they found no other evidence suggesting Russell was suicidal, let alone capable of involving Carol in such a plan. But forensic evidence did indicate that something violent had happened to the couple. Russell and Carol's DNA had been found throughout Russell's Land Cruiser.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
There was blood on the driver's armrest and DNA recovered from a map under the passenger seat. There were also six bloodstains on the inside of Russell's vehicle canopy that matched Carol's DNA. There had long been whisperings that something sinister was happening in Victoria's high country. Although strikingly beautiful, the region has somewhat of a dark history.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Near where Russell and Carol had gone missing stood Wanangatta Station, where station manager James Barclay was found shot dead in 1917. The simultaneous disappearance of his cook, John Bamford, led to Bamford becoming the prime suspect, until he was discovered months later with a bullet in his head. These murders were never solved.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
More recently, several high-profile disappearances have occurred in the region. In 2008, 57-year-old father Warren Meyer went missing without a trace during a day hike, despite an extensive search effort. Three years later, former prison governor David Pradeau disappeared while deer hunting, sparking speculation about possible revenge killings.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
In 2018, the body of Trace Lee Whittaker was found alongside strange items, but her cause of death remained undetermined. And in 2019, experienced hiker Niles Becker vanished during a planned trek, joining a growing list of those who entered the high country and never returned. The high country's unforgiving elements play a role in concealing evidence and thwarting investigations.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Extreme weather, treacherous terrain and dense vegetation can easily obscure trails and hide remains. There are also concerns that the region's isolation harbours illicit activities like illegal cannabis farms, which could potentially be linked to some disappearances.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
While tragic accidents are certainly possible given the risks, the repeated failure to find any trace of those who have gone missing fuelled suspicions that more sinister forces may be at work. Among High Country locals there are persistent tales of what they call Hill People, former miners who have retreated into the wilderness to live untouched by society.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
As detectives investigated the disappearance of Russell Hill and Carol Clay, there was one character who kept recurring in their information reports. The so-called Button Man. Described as an elderly but athletic man, the Button Man had wiry, weathered skin covered in tattoos and bone-stretched earlobes that gave him an otherworldly appearance.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He had established a camp on a remote mountainside which allowed him to observe visitors entering the park and keep count of each one by building stone pyramids to mark their passage. The reports painted the picture of an unsettling figure who appeared to take pleasure in intimidating campers and hikers.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The button man's moniker came from his traditional bushcraft of fashioning buttons from deer bones and antlers. Witnesses reported he had an unnerving gaze and could, quote, easily dispose of bodies. His reputation grew through reports of disconcerting encounters. The button man's interactions with campers followed a pattern.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He would silently materialise at their campfires, steer conversations to troubling topics and sometimes offer to show off his axe collection. His presence was felt even when unseen, as local bushmen found their hidden firewood supplies and food rations raided overnight. More and more stories spread. A sleeping marine had woken to find a tent erected noiselessly beside him during the night.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Increasingly uneasy, Andrew returned to his family to talk the matter over. They wondered whether there had been an emergency and a second vehicle had taken the Land Cruiser's campers out for medical attention or supplies. With no phone reception and unable to do any more, Andrew photographed the scene. Once he was back in mobile range, he would report the discovery to the police.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Another camper woke to find mysterious photographs on their mobile phone's camera roll. Others found inexplicable ski tracks leading from their campsite away into the alpine distance. Detectives working the hill and clay case were able to track down the almost mythic character to his camp and found him to be quite different from the stories that had sprung up about him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He had been cooperative, phone records placed him far from where Russell and Carol disappeared and he never became a serious suspect. Yet, the media's fascination had already taken hold, with tabloids branding the button man as spooky and bloody scary. Locals defended him. They knew him as an eccentric but civil bushman who asked only for privacy.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The button man has been tried, found guilty and hung out to dry by Metro Media, wrote a journalist for the Mansfield Courier. The publicity proved devastating. Tourists flocked to the area in search of the butterman's sanctuary, forcing him into temporary relocation. Though investigators cleared him, he had become an urban legend, distracting from the real mystery of Russell and Carol's fate.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When Victoria entered winter, the Wanangatta Valley grew more forbidding, putting a halt to physical searches for the couple. Though the searches paused, investigators pursued every other lead, including alleged sightings at supermarkets that were checked against CCTV footage. Detectives also looked into reports of a reclusive illegal hunter with security cameras and an unsolved death in his past.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Phone data quickly eliminated him as a suspect, but detectives suspected that hunting might have still played a role in the case. The high country attracted both legal and illegal hunters pursuing sambar deer, whose antlers attracted high prices. While stalking was permitted year-round, strict regulations prohibited hunting near campsites and spotlight hunting.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
High Country musterer Lachlan Cullican had helped in the search for Russell and Carol and noticed an unusually high number of deer carcasses with antlers removed. This seemed to indicate that there was illegal poaching going on.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The Sporting Shooters Association expressed concern about organised poaching operations, stating these criminals are labelled as hunters when they are nothing more than criminals carrying out illegal activity. Detectives wondered if perhaps Russell had captured evidence of illegal hunting on his drone, leading to a confrontation.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Friends had described Russell as someone who didn't take crap from anyone, making it plausible that he could find himself in an altercation. An alternative possibility was that either Russell or Carol had been mistaken for prey through unclear thermal imaging equipment and accidentally shot, The panicked hunters might then have eliminated witnesses and destroyed evidence.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
But without any proof of such crimes, detectives had nothing to support their theories. A year passed without answers. A brief spark of hope flared in March 2021 when a drone matching Russell's was found in the area, but investigators confirmed it was not his. Cadaver Dog searched the rugged terrain again, yet still found nothing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell's wife Robin told the Australian newspaper she believed her husband was dead, but hoped the pair would be found to, quote, face the music. The Country Women's Association, apparently finding the entire situation distasteful, quietly removed Carol's name from their honour roll. Police publicly stated that they believed the couple was dead and had been the victims of foul play.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
They also made an appeal for information about their most puzzling lead. During their investigation, they had been able to identify almost every vehicle that had been in the area when Russell and Carol went missing, all but one. A Nissan Patrol, possibly white, hadn't been tracked down.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
In April 2021, investigators suddenly shifted their focus to Mount Hotham, 80 kilometres northwest of the burned campsite, where they retrieved two shovels designed for moving loose material. Police were tight-lipped about the shovel's significance. Following this, the case dropped from the headlines once again and seemed destined to fade into mystery.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
until six months later in October 2021, when police announced they were making significant headway. Soon after, advertisements ran for an episode of current affairs program 60 Minutes that would be covering the case. Tantalising soundbites suggested that police were finally closing in on a resolution.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
On Sunday November 7, 60 Minutes aired what appeared to be a simple recap featuring Russell's daughters Debbie and Colleen and Carol's sister Jill. But Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper had an ace to play. Central to this case are these roadside cameras, he revealed, indicating footage from the valley's access roads. We've accounted for every vehicle that left that weekend, except one.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
That vehicle, a dark blue mid-90s Nissan Patrol with distinctive modifications, had now become their primary focus. The grainy image showed only a side view, its occupants and number plate unclear. This revelation appeared related to investigators' earlier appeals for an unidentified Nissan Patrol, though that vehicle had been described as possibly being white.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell's daughter Debbie made a raw appeal to the public, stating, If someone watching knows what happened, surely your conscience is telling you that you need to speak up. Even if it's only a tiny thing, even if you only have a slight suspicion, you need to come forward so both our families can put this to rest. Casefile will be back shortly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
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Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Two days before Andrew Marquart discovered the burnt-out campsite, a 74-year-old named Russell Hill was preparing to go camping in the Wanangatta Valley. This would be Russell's third visit to the area in a month. Just one week earlier, he had camped for a single night in the Alpine National Park.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. A month after Russell Hill and Carol Clay went missing in March 2020, the missing person squad took over the case, with detectives Brett Florence and Abby Justin taking the lead. They began trying to trace the couple's possible movements via technology.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Two months in, Detective Florence obtained Russell's phone records. The data revealed crucial information about Russell's movements on the day he went missing. Between 9.26am and 9.50am on the day the burnt-out campsite was discovered, Russell's phone briefly connected to towers along the nearby Great Alpine Road, a more than 300km road through eastern Victoria.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Because it connects to multiple ski resorts, the road features automatic number plate recognition cameras installed to monitor resort access permits. Analysis of the number plate data showed 12 vehicles had passed through during the period when Russell's phone connected. By late June, detectives had isolated one vehicle of particular interest, a four-wheel drive wagon towing a trailer.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The timing aligned with witness Tom Matthews' report of being woken in the middle of the night by a four-wheel drive and trailer attempting an awkward U-turn after encountering a closed road in the middle of the night. Two cameras had captured the vehicle. While one showed only a blurred side view, the other had captured the number plate clearly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
It was registered to a white Nissan Patrol, though the footage showed what appeared to be a darker coloured vehicle, possibly blue. The owner's name was Gregory Lynn and he resided in the suburb of Caroline Springs, 20 kilometres west of Melbourne. On Tuesday July 14 2020, detectives Florence and Justin paid a visit to Lynn's home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
In the driveway sat a Nissan Patrol bearing the number plate from the footage. But rather than the white of its registration or blue as captured on camera, the vehicle was beige. Detective Justin activated her recording device as Florence knocked on the front door. A middle-aged man answered, and Detective Florence assured him he wasn't in any trouble.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
They were simply making some inquiries relating to the missing old couple up in the Wanangatta area. They were following up with everyone whose cars had placed them in the region at the time. Gregory Lynn was polite and well-spoken as he invited them inside.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When asked why his vehicle wasn't white as per its registration, Lynn explained that he'd painted it blue in 2016 after returning from Central Australia. Four years later in 2020, he'd painted it beige as a COVID project with his children, using leftover Dulux metal shield in sandbank colour he'd had handy.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
It was a six-hour round trip from his home in the West Gippsland town of Druin, but Russell relished his time in the great outdoors. A former forestry worker who'd later worked as a truck driver, Russell had embraced camping even more after entering retirement. He was an experienced outdoorsman and still relatively fit for his age, though he moved more deliberately than he had as a younger man.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When asked about the trailer he had been towing, a 7 by 4 foot box trailer, Lin told them he had sold it months earlier via the classifieds website Gumtree, along with a van he'd owned and an antique sleigh bed. It was all part of a lockdown-inspired spring clean. The buyer was, quote, an Asian man, but Lin couldn't recall his name or location.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When asked about his trip to the Wanangatta Valley in March 2020, Lynn's account placed him at different campsites on different dates to Russell and Carol. He denied ever seeing the elderly couple. The detectives deliberately withheld their knowledge about the correlation between his vehicle's movements and Russell's phone data.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When detectives Florence and Justin left Lynn's home that day, they turned their attention to finding out everything they could about Gregory Lynn. Gregory Stuart Lynn was a 55-year-old commercial airline pilot. Decades earlier, he'd worked for the now-defunct Australian airline Ansett. While he came across as charismatic, some of Lynn's co-workers had found him unsettling.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
One described him as a dead-set weirdo with a wicked temper. Lynn had married a woman named Lisa who was a flight attendant and colleague. They built a sprawling family home in Mount Macedon, had two sons, and, inspired by the movie Babe, bought a piglet they named Pig. To outsiders, it seemed idyllic. Behind closed doors, a darker story emerged.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Lisa's family and friends described Gregory Lynn as increasingly controlling and abusive. Lisa's mother would later detail frequent incidents of physical and mental abuse. She said that on one occasion, Lynn had exploded into a fit of uncontrollable rage after another man spoke to Lisa and her mother while they were out for dinner at a pub.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He verbally attacked the man in the bar, then redirected his rage at Lisa after they left. A former neighbour later told 60 Minutes about a punishment meted out by Gregory Lynn when Lisa had drunk too much. Lynn's own unsworn statement corroborated this account. He described wanting to teach Lisa a lesson for her drunkenness.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
"'I bound her hands and feet with masking tape and carried her outside into the backyard.' I put her near the back steps and hosed her down with water from a garden hose, and she got extremely cold. I agree this action was quite unusual, but my intentions were for her to never drink to excess like that again. Lisa was left to freeze overnight. The allegations grew more sinister.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
After Pig dug up Lynn's prized plants, Lynn allegedly killed the beloved pet with an axe, leaving its head on the doorstep for Lisa to find. Neighbours reported finding their dog strung up on their fence, its throat slit, after Lynn had complained about its barking. In another incident, he allegedly killed a stray pig with a shovel when it wandered onto his property.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The marriage crumbled after Lisa discovered photos confirming Lynn's affair with another flight attendant in his pilot bag. Lisa subsequently sought help through the family court for child maintenance. An interim intervention order was imposed in March 1999 preventing Lynn from assaulting, harassing or threatening Lisa.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He would later plead guilty to breaching this order twice, once by breaking in and stealing the family car, purposely leaving Lisa stranded. Though Lisa documented the abuse in a diary, she feared pressing charges. On Tuesday October 26 1999, she was found dead in their Mount Macedon garden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The coroner found she had died from a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, with a blood alcohol reading of 0.21. No suicide note was found, and Gregory Lynn had a solid alibi. However, Lisa's family never believed she would take her own life, citing her religious beliefs and devotion to her children. After Lisa's death, her parents fought desperately for custody of their grandchildren.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
His wife Robin didn't mind that Russell often went camping without her. He had struggled after he stopped working, confiding in a few close friends that his new phase of life was more difficult than anticipated. They had suggested he take up hobbies such as panning for gold or joining a social men's club, but these suggestions hadn't worked out.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
However, Gregory Lynn maintained custody of his children and emerged financially secure from property settlements. Following his father's death and the collapse of Ansett Airlines in 2001, Lynn moved his sons overseas to Qatar, where he met Melanie, his second wife.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Returning to Australia in 2007, Lynn joined Jetstar Airways, rising to check and training captain, a prestigious position that involved conducting flight proficiency tests and certifying other pilots' competency. Colleagues described him as methodical and precise, essential traits for the role. That same year, Gregory and Melanie Lynn welcomed their own child.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Between flying jobs, Lynn had worked as an asparagus picker and as a river guide in Tasmania. His passion for the outdoors saw him regularly camping and fishing alone, often sleeping under the stars rather than in a tent. For Lynn, membership in elite outdoor clubs formed a crucial part of his identity.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He enjoyed shooting and was particularly proud about being a member of the Little River Raiders for Single Action Shooting Club and the Melbourne International Shooting Club. His acceptance into exclusive clubs and prestigious memberships were badges of pride that he guarded jealously. His latest outdoor pursuit was beekeeping, which began as a COVID project.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He and Melanie tended their backyard hive in white protective suits until one day the bees penetrated his mask. The resulting allergic reaction threw his heart out of rhythm, requiring four adrenaline shots and hospitalisation. Grounded from flying until his heart stabilised, he took on duties in simulation training.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The more detectives discovered about Gregory Lynn, the more they questioned the wisdom of him having been responsible for safely transporting hundreds of airline passengers at a time. It was lucky the bees had grounded him, or they might have had to step in. Between July and December 2020, investigators continued connecting Gregory Lynn to the Hill and Clay case, piece by piece.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
They tracked his financial records, finding that fuel receipts placed him in the area at the crucial time. They also gathered additional footage from CCTV cameras and interviewed witnesses. Though the evidence was circumstantial, it was enough to convince a court to grant warrants for phone taps and surveillance devices.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Pandemic restrictions meant the Lynn family was at home a lot more and prevented investigators from waiting until their house was empty. Instead, a specialist team crept into the household in the dead of night while the family slept. They planted listening devices throughout the rooms and car, then vanished, leaving Gregory, Melanie and their son none the wiser.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The surveillance quickly revealed Lynn's habit of talking to himself, especially while driving. He muttered cryptically about little old people, about courts and who got to decide what was right and wrong, and the supposed persecution of white people. He also wondered aloud about why ballistics experts hadn't requested samples of his ammunition.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Travelling out into the wilderness, however, seemed to be something that helped him. Early on the morning of Thursday March 19 2020, Robin helped her husband pack his bags, including a bottle of Bundaberg rum and some cans of Cougar bourbon and coke. She waved him off at 7am as he cheerfully drove away in his 2017 white Toyota Land Cruiser four-wheel drive.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
After the bugs revealed that Lynn and his wife Melanie regularly watched current affairs show 60 Minutes, investigators came up with a plan. They orchestrated a special episode with the show's producers with the aim of provoking Lynn.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
On the evening of Sunday November 7 2021, detectives listened intently as the sound of the distinctive 60 Minutes clock ticked through the Lynn's lounge room speakers. When a grainy photograph and artist's sketch of the suspect vehicle appeared on screen showing a distinctive awning, Melanie's laughter rang out in a loud cackle. It looks like your car. It really does, she said.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The police had deliberately withheld their clear number plate photo. It's not funny, sweet pea, Lynn responded. His voice had an edge to it. Shortly after, an outdoor surveillance camera captured Gregory Lynn removing the awning from his car. Despite the mounting evidence, investigators still lacked their smoking gun.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
They had no bodies, no motive, and no direct evidence linking Lynn to Russell Hill or Carol Clay. On Monday November 22 2021, Lynn left for another solo camping trip. He had told friends he was heading to the Grampians, but instead he drove towards Wanangatta, the area where Russell and Carol had gone missing. A detective monitoring the bug in Lynn's car grew increasingly alarmed at what he heard.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Lynn spoke tearfully in the past tense about his wife being left with three children. His musings about mortality became more specific. A snake bite, he suggested, would be a good way to go. The combination of his armed state, remote destination, and increasingly dark thoughts forced the investigator's hands. A decision was made to intercept Lynn before he reached his destination.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Police deployed the Special Operations Group, or SOG. Victoria Police's elite tactical unit, the SOG was typically reserved for armed offenders or terrorism incidents. Deploying them for a missing persons arrest was unprecedented. But Lynn's situation warranted the risk. When the SOG stormed Lynn's camp with their guns drawn, they found him preparing dinner.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He calmly denied carrying weapons, though they found his forgotten Damascus knife in a sheath during the pat-down. Lin was arrested and driven a two and a half hour journey to the regional city of Sale for questioning. Lin was calm and relaxed during the drive, saying he didn't want a lawyer. He said he was looking forward to sorting the situation out, then returning to his camp.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
But after a two-hour interview that night, during which he denied knowing anything about Russell Hill or Carol Clay, Lynn appeared to change his mind. He consulted a legal counsel by phone and the following morning he adopted their advice to respond no comment to any questions. The detectives pressed on, presenting maps and photos, questioning his vehicle's movements.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Lynn occasionally broke his silence, at one point accusing them of playing games, before returning to his refrain of no comment. When questioning turned to his trailer, Lynn's composure cracked. I can see where this is going, he said. Well, you think I've done it, and I haven't. Detectives continued to press Lynn, encouraging him that talking was in his best interest.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
They reassured him that they didn't think he was a bad person, stating, It's not like you've gone out of the bush to kill anyone. But when somebody comes into your space, it's an invasion. You think I'd kill someone over a campsite? Lynn asked. No, but there's been some disagreement, one of the detectives suggested.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The Land Cruiser had been expertly fitted out for Russell's adventures and was ideal for driving to the Wanangatta Valley Considered one of the iconic drives in the Victorian high country, the journey included striking panoramic views and challenging four-wheel drive tracks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
There's been something that has gone wrong, and if the person has fallen over, hit his head, that's not to say that you've murdered a person. For the entire day, Lin maintained his silence. Then, on the third day, after another consultation with legal aides, he stunned detectives by announcing, ''I'm going to ignore my solicitor's advice and tell you what happened, right from scratch.''
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Gregory Lynn requested paper and sketched a calendar of events. His story began on Monday March 16 2020 when he arrived in the high country late at night, heading for the Howard Hut campsite. Finding it full, he asked the nearby family for alternatives. They directed him to Vallejo, west of the Zika Spur Track, a remote area accessible only by four-wheel drive.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
After brief encounters with a friendly ranger with a beard and weed sprayers, Lynn settled at Buck's camp. He had two days of solitude before a white Land Cruiser skidded into the entrance. Lynn noticed the female passenger's alarmed expression and watched as another white four-wheel drive slowed behind them, its passenger glaring at the Land Cruiser before speeding away.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The Land Cruiser's elderly driver, Russell Hill, emerged chatty and very jovial. He explained how these donkeys had been pursuing him into the valley, attempting to overtake and hooning onto the grass, forcing him to race to the campsite. Though Russell set up camp closer than etiquette suggested, Lynn claimed he wasn't bothered. It's a free country, he thought to himself.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Lynn drew the detectives a diagram showing the thick forest, river and both camps. His site was in prime position near the water. Russell and his companion Carol Clay had settled just inside the entrance near the drop toilet with a lone tree between them.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The next morning, as Lynn prepared for deer hunting, Russell approached to say he liked the deer and was actually in the area to remember a friend who had been killed deer hunting. Lynn recalled Carol adding from behind, accidentally killed, while Russell stared at him with hostility. Though disturbed, Lynn left to hunt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Returning empty-handed, he was unloading his gun when a drone buzzed overhead. I only had gazed on it for a couple of seconds and then whoosh, it moved, like, gone, he said. Passing their camp, he saw Russell with a controller, the drone briefly rising to eye level before landing. Concerned about being filmed, Lynn confronted Russell, whose demeanour had shifted dramatically.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell wound the Land Cruiser through Lacola, a small town on the banks of the Macalester River, before facing the more challenging tracks, which were only accessible to all-terrain vehicles. This was Russell's territory. During his work as a forestry worker, he'd helped build many of these tracks, including the notoriously tricky Zika Spur.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell accused Lynn of firing his gun through their camp and threatened to show police the drone footage. That's just ridiculous, Lynn replied. He believed Russell was trying to force him from the prime riverside camping spot, hoping he would pack up and leave. Lynn's response was, by his own admission, childish.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He opened the doors of his Nissan Patrol and blasted music, from my era, not his, choosing the most irritating songs possible. His firearms, a rifle and a Barathrum Arms straight-pull shotgun lay packed in gun bags on the back seat with ammunition on the front. After blaring music for hours, darkness had fallen when Lynn heard a rustling sound.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He looked up to see Russell walking away from Lynn's car with his shotgun loading the magazine into it. When Lynn demanded its return, Russell replied fuck off and fired shots into the air. Lynn took cover in the darkness behind Russell's Land Cruiser. He described crouching in the shadows as Russell approached him. He heard Carol yell, Russell, stop it!
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When the shotgun barrel appeared over the bonnet, Lynn lunged, grabbing it with his right hand. The two men rustled across the vehicle's bull bar. Russell's finger was on the trigger when the gun discharged, the shot travelling through the left side mirror and straight into Carol Clay's head as she cowered beside the vehicle. Russell released the shotgun as he ran to attend to his lover.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Lynn returned to his camp, firing once to ensure the weapon was safe before stowing it out of harm's way. As he turned around, Lynn saw Russell bearing down on him, a knife in his right hand, screaming, she's dead. Lynn described the ensuing struggle in detail, his defensive stance, blocking Russell's left-handed swing, grabbing the knife hand. As Russell pushed forward, they fell together.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The knife pierced Russell's chest and the men rolled before Lynn got clear. Russell crawled a short distance before collapsing face down. By some extraordinary stroke of fate, Russell had fallen onto his own knife at precisely the perfect angle, the blade positioned laterally through his chest, just right of the sternum. Checking Russell's vital signs confirmed he was dead.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Carol was also clearly dead, half her skull was missing. Standing between their bodies, panic overwhelmed Lynn. Although he claimed the deaths were accidental, his thoughts immediately turned to the consequences that would follow. Losing his firearms license would mean losing his aviation security card and his pilot's career.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
From there, he'd lose his mortgage, his family's financial security, and his beloved exclusive club memberships. As Lynn told investigators, An event like that, I would just be instantly banned for life. And this at a time when I was actually just finding a really happy place in the world with family, career and my personal life outside of work. And so this, for me, was a disaster.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Terrified of having his life ruined, he decided to cover up the couple's deaths instead. Lynn concealed Russell and Carol's bodies under his trailer's wooden top before methodically sanitizing the scene. Worried that the couple's tent might contain contaminated items, he doused it with petrol and set it alight.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Despite the remoteness of the location, Russell's journey didn't go unnoticed. Multiple people in the area saw Russell's vehicle, including a weed sprayer named Robert Williams who was working along a track.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He scattered their wallet's cards and contents to suggest robbery, removed the damaged mirror, and burned his bloodied clothes. A closed road disrupted his planned escape route, forcing an awkward U-turn later noted by a witness. Lin recounted a tense, long night drive to Union Spur Track, an overgrown and seemingly abandoned road where he left the bodies covered loosely with sticks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Lynn then drove to Lake Buffalo's southern end to dispose of the couple's mobile phones, stopped in Mansfield for fuel, then spent the night at Big River where he burned Russell's drone. The next day, after washing his trailer in Healesville, he headed home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
His wife Melanie, distracted by emerging COVID lockdown news, didn't ask about his trip, so he didn't mention leaving two bodies on Union Spur track. As COVID restrictions dominated headlines alongside reports of the missing campers, Lynn waited daily for news of the body's discovery. It never came.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
During a brief easing of lockdown restrictions on Wednesday May 13 2020, he returned to Union Spur Track to check on the remains. After 54 days, the bodies remained untouched but were badly decomposed. Surprisingly, no animals had interfered. Lynn added more sticks and rocks before leaving. Even though Lynn hadn't been under surveillance then, he became increasingly paranoid.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When the president of one of his clubs and a previously dismissive manager suddenly took an interest in his camping habits, he became suspicious. Then the police approached him at home and Lynn decided he needed to act. He waited through winter, knowing Russell and Carol's bodies would remain undetected due to the snow-blocked roads.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When restrictions finally eased, he again returned to Union Spur Track at sunset on Wednesday November 18 2020. Nine months had passed since the killings. Russell and Carol's bodies remained where Lynn had dumped them, though they had now been ravaged by wild dogs. Lin described dousing the remains with two litres of kerosene, then setting them alight.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Robert admired the Land Cruiser as it approached, noting that it was fitted out with a custom-made canopy, but was less impressed when Russell roared past him without a customary greeting or friendly wave. Robert had reason to be wary of strangers in the valley. The day before, he'd encountered what he described as a creepy fella, dressed in a singlet, shorts, and gaiters.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He sat beside the makeshift pyre through the night, feeding the flames. At times, he became sick from the experience. At dawn, he crushed the brittle bones to powder, pulverising the fragments until the largest particles left were no more than two centimetres. He scattered them before retreating to a state forest campsite south of Walhalla to recover.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The detectives found much of Lynn's story implausible. Russell Hill had been an elderly man who hadn't owned a firearm in 20 years. How could he have loaded a shotgun while walking barefoot in the darkness?
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
That Russell had accidentally shot Carol directly in the head while wrestling with Lynn seemed equally unlikely, as did the odds of Russell landing perfectly on his own knife during a second attack. While Lynn had been in custody, police had searched his home in Caroline Springs. Beyond camping gear, hunting licenses, and a toll tag, they found an impressive weapons collection.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Knives, daggers, swords, axes, a silencer, tomahawks, and a small pick. The firearms included a semi-automatic pistol, two six-shot revolvers, a semi-automatic rifle, a semi-automatic shotgun, another 12-gauge shotgun, and two lever-action rifles, along with magazines of ammunition. All were legally owned and stored.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
At 6 o'clock the next morning, detectives travelled 185 kilometres through heavy fog to Union Spur Track. It matched Lynn's description perfectly. Though no identifiable human remains were visible, evidence of fire prompted police to cordon off the area for examination. Forensics teams ultimately discovered approximately 2,100 human bone fragments.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Also discovered were fragments of metal and glass, a ring belonging to Carol, and a complete watch. Dental records confirmed the remains were Russell and Carroll's.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
When investigators would later return to Buck's camp to test Gregory Lynn's story, they conducted a methodical grid search and recovered more bone fragments, glass, plastic, and a distorted shotgun slug matching the weapon Lynn claimed had killed Carroll. Lynn said Carroll was killed while cowering beside Russell's Land Cruiser.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The shot had initially struck the Land Cruiser's passenger side mirror before ricocheting into Carol's head. Notably, the mirror had been torn from the vehicle and burnt with the campsite, so police couldn't confirm this part of Lynn's story. Six bloodstains on the inside of the Land Cruiser's canopy had matched Carol's DNA.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Bloodstain pattern analysis indicated a forceful event involving liquid blood forward of the canopy's interior partition. Police tested Lynn's account with a series of experiments using a shotgun to see whether Carol could have really been killed, as Lynn said. They found that she could have been, but they remained sceptical of Lynn's story.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
There was no way to test whether Russell Hill had died the way Lynn described, though forensics indicated he too had died at Buck's camp, and his blood had been found in the Land Cruiser as well. At 6pm on Wednesday November 25 2021, over a year and a half after Russell Hill and Carol Clay were killed, Gregory Lynn was charged with their murders.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
In January 2023, the Melbourne Magistrates Court determined that there was enough evidence for Gregory Lynn to face trial. However, the prosecution was barred from presenting much of their evidence, including covert recordings they had made of Lynn and portions of his multi-day interview at Sale Police Station.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The man had pulled up in a four-wheel drive hauling a trailer, his clothes stained with sweat, and asked about camping spots. Robert and his fellow sprayers had a joke to darkly about the man's resemblance to infamous Australian serial killer Ivan Malat, whose crimes were covered in episode 109 of Case File.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Nor were the jury permitted to hear about Gregory Lynn's alleged violence towards his first wife or her mysterious death. Lynn's trial began in Victoria's Supreme Court in May 2024. The prosecution outlined their case, alleging Lynn shot Carol Clay in the head and killed Russell Hill by unknown means on Friday March 20 2020 at Buck's camp.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The prosecution believed the murders had taken place in the reverse manner to Lynn's claims, with Russell likely killed first and Carol then eliminated as a witness. Witnesses described discovering the burnt campsite, while police detailed evidence from phone towers, surveillance footage and interviews. Experts testified about bone fragments, bullet trajectories, DNA and insect larvae.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell Hill's wife, Robyn, gave poignant testimony. Due to limited mobility, she sat in the media box rather than the podium. Robyn recalled listening for Russell's nightly radio calls and growing alarmed when his voice went silent on Saturday March 21. Her composure remained intact as she recalled realising her husband was missing and the subsequent tabloid coverage exposing his affair.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Robin was stoic as she testified, jotting down details in a notebook. After four weeks of prosecution testimony from 49 witnesses, the defence called just one witness, Gregory Stuart Lynn. It is rare for an accused murderer to take the stand given the risks of cross-examination. However, the move signalled confidence in Lynn's ability to present his version of events and create reasonable doubt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Speaking softly and precisely, Lynn described the deaths as accidental. He repeated his claims of the fight over the gun, Carol being shot, and Russell falling on his own knife almost word for word as he had in his police station confession. He apologised to the victim's families, acknowledging his actions to conceal the deaths were despicable, but maintaining his innocence regarding murder.
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Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
I'm very sorry for your suffering, he said. The prosecution highlighted the few inconsistencies in Lynn's account, including conflicting descriptions of the weapon involved and the implausibility of his story about a struggle across Russell's vehicle. a photo showed a guy rope attached to the car that would have obstructed the alleged fight. Lin calmly stated he didn't remember the rope.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He might have slipped under it, he said, but he never noticed it. When pressed on why he hadn't called for help or come forward sooner, Lin said he was paralysed by fear and hoped the situation would blow over. He admitted his actions destroyed his career and family, but remained adamant he was not guilty of murder, saying, I'm guilty of other things, but not murder.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Later, Robert spotted the same vehicle at a nearby campground known as Buck's Camp, which was a small group of sites on Dry River. It was reversed deep into the bushes with only its bull bar visible, as though its owner wished to remain unseen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
During closing arguments, the prosecution pointed out that Lynn had more than a year to construct a story for the day he was finally caught, and that he had practiced it so often that he repeated the story almost word for word over two days of police interviews. The accused's story is indeed a series of very unfortunate events, the prosecution said. It is also a complete fiction.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
you can and should readily reject it beyond reasonable doubt. The defence countered with a scathing critique of the prosecution's case, labelling it a shambles. They highlighted 17 perceived flaws in the prosecution's evidence, including failures to address key questions and inconsistencies in witness testimony.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Before the jury left to deliberate, the judge reiterated key legal principles, the presumption of innocence, the prosecution's burden of proof, and the need to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Manslaughter was not an option as the prosecution had only set out to prove that Lynn had consciously, voluntarily, and deliberately caused the deaths of Russell and Carroll.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The jury were only left to consider if he had intended to kill or inflict serious injury. If not, they must return a not guilty verdict. The judge cautioned them against flawed reasoning, such as assuming two accidental deaths were so improbable it must therefore be murder. He reminded jurors that the burden rested with the prosecution, not Lynn, to prove their case.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The jury deliberated for six days before notifying the judge that they had reached a verdict. The public gallery was full and the courtroom fell silent as the jury foreperson stood and waited for the judge to ask her two questions. Asked for a verdict on Russell Hill's murder, she responded, "...not guilty."
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
A soft collective gasp rippled through the gallery before the crowd fell silent to hear what she had to say to the next question. Asked about the murder of Carol Clay, the foreperson told the court, The gasps and murmurs were louder this time. Gregory Lynn raised his eyebrows at his fate but remained otherwise expressionless.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
His son, who was seated nearby, crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief. The families of Russell and Carol, who had endured years of uncertainty and grief, absorbed the news with a mix of relief and devastation. Outside the courtroom, the families released a statement expressing gratitude to the police and prosecution, while mourning the limited evidence and its impact on the outcome.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell Hill's widow, Robyn, spoke to the media after the verdict. She expressed relief that Lynn had been found guilty of at least one murder as she had feared he would be cleared of both charges. However, her relief was tempered by anger and a desire for justice for her late husband. I hope he suffers for the rest of his life, really, Robyn told reporters. I hope he has a lovely time in jail.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
As Russell Hill neared the end of his drive to the Wanangatta Valley, he was followed for a time by two friends who had travelled down from Sydney to spend a few days foraging for mushrooms. Frustrated by Russell's slower driving, the two men tried to overtake him without success. They were relieved when the Land Cruiser finally turned into Buck's Camp.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
She bore no ill will towards Carol or her family. Robin was not permitted to speak at Lynn's pre-sentencing hearing, nor were any of Russell's other loved ones. Because Lynn had been acquitted of Russell's murder, the Hill family were legally barred from providing victim impact statements. Carol's daughter, Emma, described her mother as a phenomenal woman whose death left a void in their family.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Her voice steady, she recounted the emotional toll of the ordeal, calling it a horror movie. Carol's other loved ones spoke of her vibrant personality, contributions to society, and the devastating loss her murder caused. In October, the Hill and Clay families assembled once again to hear Gregory Lynn be sentenced.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The judge recounted Lynn's actions, from the confrontation in the high country to the calculated disposal of the bodies, which compounded the suffering of the victims' families. He acknowledged the legal limbo endured by Russell Hill's family due to the split verdict, breaking down in tears as he recognised their pain.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Gregory Lynn was sentenced to 32 years in prison for Carol Clay's murder with a non-parole period of 24 years. This meant that Lynn will be 79 years old at the youngest when eligible for release. In late November 2024, Gregory Lynn lodged an appeal against his conviction for Carol Clay's murder.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
As of the release of this episode, Victoria's Court of Appeal have yet to decide whether to hear Lynn's appeal, which means he could face a new trial in 2025. Addressing Lynn's intent to appeal, his barrister flagged several grounds, focusing especially on the jury's inconsistent verdict.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He questioned how Lynn could be found guilty of murdering Carol, but not Russell, when the prosecution's case hinged on Carol being killed to cover up Russell's murder. This contradiction, the defence argued, could undermine the entire verdict. The verdict did cause some initial confusion among members of the public who had been following the case.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The jury's acquittal of Lynn for Russell Hill's murder indicated they hadn't been convinced by the prosecution's case. But their conviction of him for Carol Clay's killing pointed to them not believing Lynn's claims either. He had always insisted Carol had died first following an accidental shooting by Russell, yet the jury found Lynn responsible for her murder.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
As Australian juries are not permitted to speak publicly about their deliberations, people could only speculate as to how they had reached their verdict.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Crime journalist John Sylvester interpreted the verdict to his readers in an article for The Age, writing, It would appear the jury concluded that Russell was killed in unprovable circumstances, but Lynn then murdered Carol because she was a witness to the death.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
With the option of manslaughter off the table, the jury had to conclude whether Russell was murdered, a deliberate act, not just unlawfully killed, a reckless act.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
With no forensic evidence, it was impossible for the jury to establish the exact circumstances of Russell's death, but they apparently concluded it was so damning that Lynn chose to kill Carol and destroy the crime scene in the cover-up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The Bucks campsite held personal significance to Russell Hill. 25 years earlier, Russell's cousin Gary Hill had been in the area hunting with his nephew. During this ill-fated trip, Gary's nephew had mistaken his uncle for a deer and shot at him with his .35 caliber rifle. The shot was fatal and Gary died instantly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Sylvester noted that it's unusual for a random gunshot to hit someone ducking from the line of fire, and even more so for a ricocheted shot to hit someone in the head. This made Lynn's claims about Carol's death highly unlikely, although there was evidence that she had been shot.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The jury had probably disbelieved Lynn's story about Russell falling on his knife and dying instantly from a single stab wound as well, but could not convict him due to the lack of evidence as to how Russell had died. Lynn's complete destruction of the couple's remains and their campsite made determining the truth almost impossible. Only one person alive knew the truth, Sylvester wrote.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
That is Gregory Lynn, who will now be in his cell reflecting on the jury's decision
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The shooting was ruled accidental, with Gary's nephew blaming buck fever, a term to describe a hunter's rash impulse to shoot. But the death left its mark on the Hill family, and a white cross had been installed at nearby Hilley's Camp to commemorate Gary. It featured a memorial plaque engraved with the warning, ''Not every stag under a rub tree is a deer.''
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The tragedy had shaped Russell Hill's views on firearms. He'd surrendered his inherited shotgun during a gun amnesty and never owned another. Yet, Russell's respect for gun safety didn't extend to other regulations. He brazenly ignored prohibitions on cutting snow gun for firewood, dismissing Ranger's warnings with a curt, I don't give a fuck.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He'd also brought along a Mavic drone, the use of which violated the park rule about flying without permits. Russell camped by his own code. Russell parked his Land Cruiser just left of the Bucks camp entrance. There was one other campsite already set up in the prime spot next to the river entrance, so he'd have to make do with a less desirable spot inland.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Russell insisted on top-of-the-range camp gear and had packed a Black Wolf turbo tent, a portable fridge freezer, sturdy chairs, and a proper table. Instead of sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag, he had a comfortable mattress with a blue doona.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He even used a toilet tent instead of a drop dunny, setting it up in front of the Land Cruiser's bonnet and securing it to the bull bar to protect against sudden gusts of wind. Russell's entire approach was that of a seasoned and experienced camper.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Not one to rely on smartphone apps, he carried paper maps in his vehicle, including hunting zone charts that marked permitted seasons and weapons across the Alpine region. In order to stay in contact with others while away, Russell indulged in his true passion, amateur radio. This was more than just a simple hobby for Russell.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
He'd sat for five different examinations to obtain the license that allowed him to operate across the high-frequency channels used for ham radio communications. Russell had a sophisticated setup that he took everywhere. A home radio complemented by the portable unit in his car's console, powered by its own dedicated battery.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
On Saturday March 21 2020, Andrew Marquardt, his wife and their two children woke to crisp autumn air at their campsite on the Howart High Plains in the Australian state of Victoria. Located within the Alpine National Park in the state's northeast, the area was popular with campers seeking a rugged and remote spot to be within nature.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
PVC pipes that housed antenna wires ran along the underside of the Land Cruiser's canopy, curving to the roof, their joints secured with gaffer tape. Known as the Antenna Guy among his mates, Russell had perfected the art of stringing wires through the highest tree branches, using weighted lines to achieve the ideal 10-20 metre elevation for clear transmission.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Every evening at 6 o'clock, Russell joined a tight-knit group of fellow amateur radio enthusiasts on frequency 3.675 for their half-hour net, a ritual that was not only social, but a form of safety check for those who were beyond a mobile phone range. His wife Robin would often listen in on these chats as a way to keep in touch and up-to-date with her husband's travels.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
The following day of Friday March 20, Russell Hill was seen by other campers. His drone was also spotted by weed sprayer Robert Williams, who was still working in the area. At around 5pm, Robert noticed the drone circling directly over his head. He wasn't a fan of the flying robots.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Although they could take good photographs for their users and provide information about the surrounding terrain, Robert found their loud buzzing sound rude and disruptive to the tranquility of the bush. Russell's purchase of the Mavic drone had also surprised some of his friends, as he wasn't typically someone who was interested in high-tech gadgets.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
But it was a hobby Russell had seemed enthusiastic about, and he'd even named the new gadget, calling it Fred. The drone was a sophisticated and expensive piece of equipment, which Russell controlled through a smartphone interface. The open Wanangatta Valley provided perfect conditions for him to explore via the unmanned aerial vehicle.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
As the drone circled Robert Williams several times, filming him with its camera, he waved up at it. The drone dipped in acknowledgement, then flew off. It continued to hover nearby for about 35 to 40 minutes before disappearing downstream. Not long after this, at 6pm, Russell joined his regular evening amateur radio, NET, and
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
Using his callsign VK3VZP, he reported he'd been having transmission issues, but sounded positive overall. His last conversation was with mate Rob Ashland, discussing possible routes toward the nearby town of Dargo. Russell signed off at 6.40pm. Rob would later say that he'd sounded as happy as a pig in shit. Russell missed the next evening's scheduled call.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
His amateur radio group wasn't concerned as equipment troubles weren't unusual and he'd mentioned transmission problems the previous day. But two more days passed without any contact from Russell. During their nightly nets, the radio enthusiasts called out to their friend, asking him if he'd fallen asleep.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
As the days wore on, their jokes turned to concern as they were met with only static in reply. By Friday March 27, a week had passed since Russell had last checked in with his radio buddies. Rob Ashland could no longer ignore his unease. he contacted Russell's wife, Robin.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
After breakfast, the Marquardt family decided to venture down into the nearby Wanangatta Valley, hoping to find a campsite closer to the river. As they navigated the winding tracks, Andrew, an experienced bushman, kept watch for suitable clearings. At around lunchtime, he turned into what looked like a promising spot. Once inside, however, it was a different story.
Casefile True Crime
Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay
She confirmed that she hadn't heard from her husband since listening in on his final radio conversation, the same evening Rob had last spoken with him. When Russell failed to return home that day, Robin reported him missing, advising police that she was worried as he was alone and it was unusual for him to be out of contact for so long.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Angry after he found nothing he wanted to steal, he trashed the property by pulling all of the clothing from the wardrobes and cutting it with a knife. He also slashed some bedding and a pillow before taking chocolate from the fridge and feeding it to the couple's pet goldfish. His final act was to start a fire in the living room.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
The resident returned to find his flat in flames and although firefighters were able to save the home, the damage cost almost $20,000 in today's money. Two weeks later, Cook broke into another home and stole 20 shillings, an engagement ring, a watch and a fountain pen. He later tossed the jury out of fear of being caught.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Not long after that at Christmas time, Cook was asked by a friend to house-sit for her while she and her husband were away. Despite having a key to the property, Cook smashed a window to cover his tracks and decided to set fire to the residence. He piled all of his friend's clothing on the bedroom floor, then coated it in fly spray as an accelerant.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Yet, his plan ultimately failed when he couldn't find any matches. A week later on New Year's Eve, Cook celebrated the beginning of 1949 by breaking into an empty flat in the CBD. He used some cellophane and a candle that he found inside to light a fire. When the resident came home at 12.35am, she found her bedroom completely destroyed by the blaze.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook continued to commit more break-ins across the city during the first months of 1949, leaving fingerprints behind when he stole whatever cash he found along with women's underwear. He also lit more fires at other addresses. Once he defecated in a toy cot that belonged to a child. In early March, Cook broke into a house just north of the CBD, entering via the back door.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook knew the property, as he'd delivered groceries there previously while working for a market. It was late at night and the residents were in their beds asleep. The now 18-year-old Cook was more emboldened and no longer just targeted empty homes. Using a torch to see, Cook found a purse and took it to the bathroom to search through.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
As he was rummaging through the purse, a man entered the bathroom and found him. It was one of the residents who'd been woken by his wife after she heard Cook creeping about. Cook claimed to be a neighbour who had drunkenly entered the property by mistake and gave his first name. His lies weren't believed. When the resident tried to grapple with him, Cook fled.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Police tracked him down a week later and matched his fingerprints to two previous break-ins. He was charged and taken before the courts. Cook was convicted on two counts of stealing, four counts of arson, and seven of breaking and entering. He was sentenced to three years in prison with the recommendation he be released on parole after a few months so that he could be rehabilitated.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook's father was an abusive alcoholic who terrorised his entire family but focused most of his rage on his son. Cook had been born with a cleft palate and lip, a common birth defect that made his father hate him. He beat his son and verbally abused him. Once, when Cook had tried to stop his father from beating up his mother, his father punched him so badly he suffered a skull fracture.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
She was a kind, conscientious girl who'd brought her textbooks with her. As the baby was sleeping, Shirley was hoping to get some study done. The Dowds said goodbye, then headed out to their party. It was 2am when they arrived home, happy and in high spirits after a fun night out.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Students at school had also bullied and ostracised Cook, mocking his appearance and a distinctive speech impediment that was the result of his birth defect. One time, Cook's mother saw her son standing in front of a mirror, violently pulling at his scarred lip. Desperate for an escape, Cook had started wandering the streets of Perth and stealing from his teachers, neighbours and peers as a child.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
There were concerns that hard time would only serve to further criminalise the first-time offender. The parole board ultimately decided to release Eric Edgar Cook in August 1949, agreeing that his brief stint in prison had been enough to scare him straight. They felt that Cook had committed crimes because he was socially isolated and saw the acts as a way to gain notoriety and friendships.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Although he had been an intelligent student, his education was hindered by his behavioural problems and his father, who forced him to leave school at the age of 14. Cook started working from then on, passing most of his earnings on to his mother and a stealing to supplement his own income. From then on, Cook worked a series of menial jobs.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He was an accident-prone person and his employment record was impacted by repeated accidents. Once, his face was badly scalded by steam. Another time, he fell and damaged his spine, leading to a week in hospital. Cook's many injuries included multiple head injuries. He would often slip and hit his head, resulting in concussions and further fractures.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Following his release from prison, he started working at a confectionery company and joined a church. Overall, his life improved. His probation period concluded two years later on August 15 1951. To celebrate his return to freedom, Cook travelled east across the country to Melbourne, where he enlisted in the Australian Army.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
During his training, he became an excellent marksman, but was discharged three months later when the army learnt of his previous offending. Cook returned to Perth and started working as a truck driver. The short, dark-haired man had never had much luck with women, but in 1953 he met a young woman named Sally Lavin.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
They married in November of that year and settled in the inner eastern suburb of Rivervale. Less than two years later, the couple already had two sons. But Cook's new law-abiding image and family man lifestyle didn't put a stop to his criminal activities. In 1953, he broke into the home of some fellow church members and stole from them.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
His fingerprints led to his arrest and he was placed on a good behaviour bond. In September 1955, two months after the birth of his second son, Cook had set his sights on another woman. When he found out she was playing in a hockey tournament two hours south of Perth in Bunbury, he stole a car to stalk her there.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Wendy went straight to the bedroom to check on the baby, while Carl headed to the lounge room where Shirley had been sitting when they left. The lounge was well lit and warm, as Shirley had the heater running. A teacup and saucer sat on the coffee table, and the turntable was spinning with a record that had long since finished playing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook rolled the car along the way, suffering a broken sternum plus face and knee injuries. The incident led to him being charged with assuming control of a motor vehicle. Cook was sentenced to two years hard labour for the theft as well as an additional six months for breaking his good behaviour bond.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
His young wife Sally had to raise their two children alone as a single parent, but still made sure to visit Cook in prison. She stood by her husband throughout his incarceration. He was back with his family by Christmas 1956. Following Eric Edgar Cook's second release, he appeared to mostly stick to the straight and narrow, focusing on working hard to support his growing family.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He and Sally would eventually go on to have five more children, giving them a total of seven, four boys and three girls. On Monday January 25 1960, Cook's reputation was tarnished once again when he was arrested for loitering in a park in Lathlane, one of Perth's inner-eastern suburbs. He was sentenced to a month's incarceration in Fremantle Prison.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
While there, police questioned him about a horrific murder that had been committed the previous month, the brutal killing of 22-year-old heiress and socialite Gillian Brewer. During Cook's break-ins, he was known to steal women's underwear and masturbate with it. This deviant criminal history led police to label him a, quote, sexo and wonder if he could be behind the young woman's murder.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook denied having anything to do with the crime, claiming he was home at the time, and his wife Sally supported this alibi. After that, Cook was still occasionally cited by the police for peeping Tom and minor theft offences, but they never suspected him of murder.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Not until more than three and a half years later, in the early hours of Sunday September 1 1963, when he went to the suburb of Mount Pleasant to collect the rifle used to kill university student Shirley MacLeod. Following Cook's arrest, he was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Branch headquarters.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He was chatty with the officers, readily admitting that he'd broken into some homes that night in the wealthy western suburbs of Claremont, Peppermint Grove and Mossman Park. He said he'd stolen more than £22 in cash from those properties. Cook explained that he'd spotted the rifle a few days earlier while he'd been driving down Rookwood Street in his work truck.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He'd stopped to adjust the truck's load and noticed that someone had stashed a rifle in some nearby bushes. Cook had decided to come back to take it. His plan was to sell it to make some cash. He adamantly denied having anything to do with Shirley MacLeod's murder three weeks earlier.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He claimed that he'd been at a bowling alley until 8pm, then he went straight home and stayed there for the rest of the night. Two sergeants were dispatched to Cook's home, where they explained to his wife Sally that he had been arrested for breaking and entering. They had a search warrant and they wanted to ask her a question. Where had her husband been on the evening of Saturday August 10th?
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Shirley's shoes sat neatly on the floor while she sat on a small couch, her head slumped. Carl assumed she must have dozed off while studying, as she was still holding a pen and notepad. Then Carl noticed that Shirley's clothes and face were covered in blood. Clearly visible in her forehead was a bullet hole. She had been shot and killed with a .22 caliber rifle.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Sally Cook told them the truth. He had been out until very late that night. Back at the Criminal Investigation Branch headquarters, Eric Cook was told that his wife was refuting his alibi. He flatly refused to believe this, instead demanding that Sally be brought in to see him. Officers obliged and Sally was taken into the interrogation room where her husband sat.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
When she told him that she had in fact made the statement, he asked her why. Because it is the truth, Eric, and you know it, Sally replied. What do you think I should do now? Cook asked. Sally told him that decision was his to make. Not long after this, Cook borrowed a pen from a detective and began to write.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
On Saturday August 10, Cook had left home at 12.30pm and spent the afternoon bowling in East Perth. Later that night, he drove in his car to Cottesloe, then got out and wandered around on foot, When he spotted a fancy-looking house, he walked in and helped himself to some coins lying around. He opened up a wardrobe and saw a rifle, which he took along with a packet of bullets.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook then drove to Dalkeith. By now it was pouring rain, while thunder rumbled across the sky. Cook claimed that he must have blacked out at this point because the next thing he knew he was trying to exit a house with the rifle in his hand. He felt as though he must have fired the weapon and when he learnt the next day about the murder of Shirley MacLeod in Dalkeith, he knew he was responsible.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Investigators didn't believe Cook had blacked out for a second. However, they had their confession, and their case was bolstered by a cartridge case recovered from Cook's car. The case matched the rifle used to kill Shirley MacLeod. Late on Sunday September 1, police charged Eric Edgar Cook with murder.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
As Western Australia still had capital punishment in 1963, Cook was looking at a death sentence. Although the rifle didn't match the firearm used in the Australia Day killing spree eight months earlier, investigators had always suspected that whoever was behind Shirley's murder committed those crimes too. They just needed to prove it.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Over the following days, they spent hours and hours with Cook, questioning him about his other crimes. Just as he'd initially done when arrested, Cook openly admitted to breaking into homes throughout the western suburbs, but denied anything to do with the other murders.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
On the morning of Tuesday September 3, three officers took Cook on a tour past the Netherlands and Cottesloe addresses where John Sturkey, George Wormsley and Brian Weir had been shot. Cook's uncomfortable body language left no doubt in the officers' minds that he was responsible. When they stopped for lunch at a pub, one of the investigators stated,
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cookie, you're going to hang, there's no two ways about that. You'll go to the gallows as a bloody coward for the way you shot those people. Your wife and your kids are going to be reading history about you as a cowardly mongrel who went to the gallows without letting the people know exactly what you've done. So, what are you going to do, Cookie? Go there like that?
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Or go there like a bloody gentleman? With that, Cook indicated that he was ready to make another confession. He took the officers on another tour through Perth, this time explaining everything he'd done on Saturday January 26. A police photographer accompanied them, snapping pictures at each location.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
First, Cook guided the group to a home in the suburb of South Perth, where he'd stolen a cream and yellow Holden from. The vehicle had been parked in the garage with the keys in the ignition, a common practice in Perth at the time. Cook used the car as his means of transport on the night in question, then returned it to the garage after.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
The car's owner hadn't even realised it had been taken, let alone used in the notorious crime spree. The Winchester single-shot rifle Cook used on Australia Day was also stolen. He'd found it in a wardrobe while robbing a home in Cottesloe. It had taken the owner five months to realise it was missing as he rarely used it.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
It was only when police were asking all gun owners to hand over their rifles for examination that he discovered it was gone. Cook took the officers through his actions at each separate crime scene, explaining how he'd attacked each victim. He'd first set his sights on Rowena Reeves and Nicholas August, who he spotted in a parked car.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook had initially intended to observe them as a peeping Tom, but then he felt another urge come over him. It was then that this power came over me, Cook explained. It wasn't an impulse, it was stronger than an impulse. It was, it was as though I was God, and it was like a mantle or like a cloud came over me, and I must, I must use that.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He fired at Rowena and Nicholas, injuring them as they sped away. He then broke into Brian Weir and John Sturkey's respective homes and shot them in their beds. Finally, Cook rang the doorbell of George Wormsley's home and shot him as he answered it. All of the victims were random. Cook described his mood as follows.
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I felt as though I was God or some person who was untouchable just having that rifle in my hand and doing what I had done, and I felt that no power could stop me. When asked why he'd attacked people at all, he replied, ''I just wanted to hurt somebody.''
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
After he'd finished, he pulled over on the Narrows Bridge which connects South Perth to the rest of the city and tossed the rifle into the Swan River below. Police divers were able to retrieve the rifle from the river. It was still there seven months later, buried beneath 10 centimetres of silt.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook was charged with two additional counts of murder for John Sturkey and George Wormsley, one count of attempted murder for Nicholas August, and one count of unlawful wounding for Rowena Reeves. From there, the floodgates opened. Cook began talking more and more about other crimes he'd committed over the past five years, with an intricate level of detail.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He said that he'd broken into about 250 houses. After his early arrests where fingerprints led to his arrest, he'd started wearing a pair of leather gloves. He also stayed quiet so that no one would hear his distinctive muffled sounding voice.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
While he sometimes struck on weeknights, he typically offended on weekend nights because that was when he had time to himself, free from work and able to escape the demands of his family. He would wander the streets of Perth after dark, walking through residential areas and back laneways all night long, sometimes not returning home until morning.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook could often remember exactly what he had taken from each house and what he'd done while he was there. Often he would steal cars too. As many people left their cars unlocked with the keys in the ignition in those days, it was all too easy for Cook to hop into a vehicle, take it for a joyride, and either discard it or return it later.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Detectives followed up at the addresses Cook claimed to have burgled. Some of the burglaries could be confirmed from reports made or the victims' own recollections. Others came as a complete surprise to the residents, who had been entirely unaware that there had been a prowler in their home or that anything had been taken.
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As Carl Dowd was struck by the shocking realisation that Shirley MacLeod had been murdered, he was gripped by the terrifying fear that the killer might still be in the house. He raced to the bedroom where Wendy was tending to their eight-month-old son. He was awake and smiling, clearly unharmed. Carl told Wendy what had happened before quietly phoning the police.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Yet, Cook was able to describe their floor plans, furnishings and decor in great detail. He could name particular locations in the house where money had been hidden away or left out in the open. Of the roughly 250 burglaries Cook detailed, he was ultimately charged for 20. Cook said that he'd sometimes done other things while trespassing in other people's homes.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook watched women through windows, broke into their houses and stole their underwear. He was fixated with young women, angry with how rejected he felt by them and seeking a kind of vengeance against people who didn't even know him. In the early hours of Wednesday November 26 1958, he had assaulted a 15-year-old girl named Molly McLeod after she woke during his burglary.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook had admitted to more assaults of women within their own homes. He was behind the attacks against Alex Donkin, Carmel Reid and Anne Melvin. These women all survived, but others hadn't. Cook confessed to the unsolved murders of Penina Berkman and Lucy Madrill in The former came as a shock. Police had been certain that Penina's then-boyfriend was behind her killing.
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Cook said he'd broken into Penina's flat halfway through 1958 and had robbed her. He returned six months later armed with a knife stolen from a home in Wembley in Western Perth. Cook claimed he'd been searching Penina's dressing table when he knocked something over and woke her. She screamed and he jumped on her, forcing his heavy weight down and strangling her with his hands.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Penina tried to scratch him, which was when Cook pulled out the knife and stabbed her. He later threw away the knife after fleeing the scene. Just as he'd done with Penina Berkman, Cook had broken into Lucy Madril's flat previously before returning and taking her life. He was able to take police to her home and explain every step of what he'd done and how her body was left.
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While taking another trip with detectives through the streets of Bayswater, Cook had admitted that he'd tried to hurt women in other ways. He pointed out a spot where he'd run 20-year-old Glenys Peake down in a stolen Holden sedan. His description of the stolen car, where it was dumped and the damage to it all matched the facts of the case.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Cook ultimately admitted to all of the mystery hit and runs that had stumped investigators for years. In total, he had run down seven girls and young women between 1958 and 1960. Cook's newfound willingness to talk was at odds with his earlier reticence when admitting to his violent crimes.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
After one conversation that took place about a week and a half after his arrest, an investigator asked if there was anything else on his mind he felt like talking about. Yes, said Cook. I have committed two crimes for which two men are now serving a sentence of imprisonment. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. Exactly two weeks after the Australia Day shootings on Saturday February 9, three young men who'd spent the day at a racehorse track drove home together around 10.30pm.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
The Dowd family remained barricaded in the bedroom until help arrived. While the case couldn't be definitively linked to the killing spree in late January, investigating officers had their suspicions. The victims in all of the murders were random and had been targeted in homes. All had been killed with a single shot to the forehead from a .22 caliber weapon.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Despite the fear that was gripping Perth, the young men had enjoyed their evening immensely, with the driver, 21-year-old Barry Hanson, winning several bets that he'd placed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Perth was still scarred by the Australia Day massacre and the sudden re-emergence of the shooter sent the city into a new wave of panic. The killer was dubbed the Netherlands Monster. Young women stopped taking on jobs and people opted to stay at home with their families rather than go out at night. Shirley's murder became the police department's top priority.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Almost none of the Dowd's neighbours had heard anything suspicious that night, though one man said he'd heard a particularly loud clap of thunder that could have been a gunshot. The timing of it had aligned with Shirley's suspected time of death. A squad of 50 detectives door-knocked homes throughout Dow Keith and Nedlands, interviewing more than 8,000 residents.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Police recovered a single unidentified fingerprint from the home, which didn't match anyone who was known to have visited or lived there. It was decided that police would take the fingerprints of all males aged between 14 and 60 in the Perth metropolitan area, starting with Nedlands and Cottesloe.
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.. a. P P P P P G實... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... a a When Cook had pointed to the spot on the ground where Rosemary's body had lain, he was out by a few metres. Then, when they took Cook to May Drive and asked him to point out the tree he'd driven into, he was unable to.
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He chose a tree that was actually several trees away from the location where the Holden had been found. After the car was discovered smashed into the tree back in February, it had been returned to its rightful owner.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Following Cook's new claims, investigators went to inspect the vehicle but found none of the damage to the bonnet that he'd described, although it had been repaired after its recovery. Detectives also found some of Cook's other details to be at odds with the actual events. Rosemary had been hit at around 10.45pm, not 10pm.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Some items belonging to her were found some distance from where Cook said that he'd struck her, and his descriptions of where he'd been when he spotted Rosemary then drove towards her did not align with where Rosemary was found. As one investigator told him,
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Considering the pace you say you were travelling and the distance you say you covered from the time when you first saw her to where you say you hit her, it appears impossible that these circumstances could have occurred. Cook became confused, stating, I don't understand it. I am sure I killed her.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Not long after he had written his confession, Cook penned a retraction in which he put his vivid recollection of killing Rosemary Anderson down to an overactive imagination. Quote, "...by reading all the available papers on this crime and remembering where it took place and the person involved, I were able to describe what I believe I did."
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Police had also extracted the bullet from Shirley MacLeod's head, which had distinct markings they could use to identify the murder weapon if it was ever found. William and Cecilia Keener were an elderly couple who resided in the South Perth suburb of Mount Pleasant.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Having read some books, I get so engrossed in them that I project myself and believe I'm the person in those books. Having given further thought to my admissions to the detectives, I'm now of the opinion that I couldn't have been the person associated with the death of Rosemary Anderson. As Cook's certainty about this confession waned, so too did his belief in another admission that he'd made.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
The vicious and violent murder of 22-year-old socialite and heiress Gillian Brewer on Saturday December 19 1959 had sent shockwaves through Perth. The young woman had been struck with a hatchet and stabbed with scissors while asleep in her bed, with Perth's coroner calling it the worst murder he had ever seen. Investigators hadn't linked it to the spate of break-ins or other murders of women.
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After a 19-year-old deaf non-verbal man named Daryl Beamish came to the police's attention for other offences in 1961, detectives began to suspect him of Gillian's murder. Daryl had a difficult life in which he faced discrimination and social exclusion due to his disabilities.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He was described as having the verbal understanding of a seven-year-old and communicated via signing and using his fingers to spell out words. Daryl was close with his family, who knew him to be gentle and kind, but struggled to make friends with other members of the community.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
In turn, he didn't always act appropriately, with some reports that he would rush up to girls at a local cinema in an attempt to get close to them. Darrell later befriended a young woman named Ann who lived at Brookwood Flats, the same Cottesloe apartment complex where Gillian Brewer had lived. Ann later moved away around January 1961.
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As Darrell couldn't telephone her due to his disabilities, he began hanging around the flats in search of someone who might know where he could find her. At the same time, a prowler around the area had been breaking into apartments. This would lead police officers to believe Darrell and the prowler were one and the same. In April 1961, Darrell was charged with a very serious crime.
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In four separate incidents, little girls aged between four and five years old accused him of coaxing them into his car, driving them to Kings Park, and then parking the car. He would then lift up their dresses, pull down their underwear, and look at them, before driving them back to the location where he'd found them.
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Darrell admitted to these assaults and would later plead guilty to them in court. His status as a sex offender and association with the Brookwood Flats led investigators to wonder if he could be Gillian Brewer's killer. He initially denied having anything to do with the murder, but eventually admitted to it after hours of intimidation and threats.
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His written confession was made by copying down the written answers that the detectives provided. In total, the statement was four pages long with very scant detail about the actual crime. Another confession was also made via a sign language interpreter who repeatedly ignored Daryl when he told her he was innocent. He was ultimately convicted of murder and given the death sentence.
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Their daily habit of taking a walk together every afternoon had recently been disrupted by the heavy rain Perth was experiencing, but on Friday August 16, the sun was shining. The pair set off sometime after 3pm. They liked to stroll down the road where they lived, which was called Hawken Street, to the banks of the Swan River.
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The matter was considered solved until Eric Edgar Cook threw a spanner in the works two and a half years later by confessing to the crime. Just as he'd done with all the other crimes, he gave a detailed description of how he had killed Gillian Brewer and his actions on that night.
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Cook had actually already been questioned about the crime one month after it was committed due to his known history as a prowler. He'd said he was home at the time, an alibi his wife backed up. Years later, Sally Cook explained that the day after Jillian's murder, Cook had shown her an article about the crime in the paper.
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The two had discussed how awful it was and then Cook had asked his wife to tell the police he was at home that night if they asked any questions.
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He explained that due to his prior convictions for prowling, they would try to pin it on him Sally Cook accepted this and did as her husband asked Cook's confession to the murder of Gillian Brewer amounted to 14 pages when transcribed He said that he had been to Gillian's apartment building before and had robbed her mother
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On the night of Saturday December 19 1959, he went there again and watched Jillian with her fiancé through her bedroom window. He heard the two chatting and saw when Jillian's fiancé left. Cook went around the back of the apartment and entered via the rear door, which was unlocked. As he pushed the door open, he heard a scraping sound on the cement floor.
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Shining his torch down, he saw a small bottle of milk that had just been delivered to the home, placing his time of entry at 1am. Cook used the bottle to keep the door propped open, then went to Jillian's bedroom where he attacked her with a hatchet he'd stolen from a nearby property. The sound of the assault woke Jillian's pet poodle, who hid under the bed in fear while barking at the intruder.
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Cook was able to soothe the dog by patting him and making a gentle shushing sound. A neighbour had verified hearing Gillian's dog briefly bark at this time. But once again, police were able to convince Cook that he could not have committed this crime and he agreed to retract this admission as well. Three weeks after his initial arrest, Cook was transferred to prison to await his trial.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
He was assigned two defence lawyers through Western Australia's Legal Aid Program. He provided more candid confessions to his attorneys, even going so far as to confess to killing Rosemary Anderson and Gilliam Brewer again. Police would keep many of these confessions secret from the public, including the seven hit and runs against women and the assaults of women in their own homes.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Saturday August 10 1963 was a stormy winter's night in Perth, with heavy rain and thunder. But Carl and Wendy Dowd were heading out anyway to go to a party just a kilometre from their home in Dalkeith. The suburb was just south of Netherlands, which had been upended by the Australia Day shootings six months earlier. The initial panic after that event had somewhat calmed down by now,
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Eric Edgar Cook's trial began in November 1963, less than three months after his arrest. The first charge he was facing was for the murder of John Sturkey during the Australia Day shootings. Because Cook openly admitted to killing his victims, his lawyers were arguing that he was not guilty by reason of insanity.
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After reviewing Cook's background and speaking extensively with his family, they believed he was suffering from a mental illness, most likely schizophrenia. Cook's mother told the attorneys about her son's history of headaches and blackouts. The defence wanted to have a private psychiatrist examine Cook and provide an assessment of his mental state, but this was denied by the court.
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The couple kept a little fishing boat down there, which they would check on and they'd also stop to chat to neighbours they met along the way. On this particular Friday, they turned left upon reaching the river and walked up towards Canning Bridge. As they ambled along, they noticed that one of the trees along the path had several limbs snapped off.
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Instead, he was assessed by a senior mental health practitioner employed by the state, Dr Aaron Ellis. Dr Ellis found no indication that Cook was suffering from delusions, a symptom of schizophrenia, nor that he lacked the ability to control his actions. In fact, Dr Ellis pointed to the lengths Cook had gone to in order to conceal his responsibility, such as wearing gloves and discarding weapons.
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These were not the actions of someone who wasn't in control. Cook had also been able to maintain the facade of being a good husband and father and worked hard to provide for his family. His total lack of remorse for his crimes was concerning but not an indication of insanity.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Instead, it was more likely the consequence of a, quote, psychopathic character disorder, such as antisocial personality disorder. Dr Ellis believed Cook's criminal behaviour was the result of a long-simmering resentment towards society at large. In superficial encounters, he presented as polite, compliant and passive.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 2)
Beneath that surface image was a self-obsessed man who wanted to vent his rage against those who he perceived as rejecting or wronging him. He often chose victims from well-off areas because they represented the people he believed had rejected him. Cook himself had always lived in working-class suburbs. Quote,
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I think this man's antisocial reactions can be traced back to his early childhood and his resentment at having been born with a hair lip and cleft palate. The children at school picked on him and he regarded himself as the freak of the family. His persistent stealing, arson and finally murders all seemed directed towards satisfying his craving for power over others.
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Cook harboured particular resentment towards women who made up the majority of his victims. He was both traumatised by his father's violence towards his mother and angry at the women he perceived as rejecting him socially and romantically. His wife Sally would later tell Perth journalist Brett Christian… Eric wasn't really insane. He had a grudge against society. He saw his mother beaten up.
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He didn't know how to relate to women. The trial lasted just three days and it only took the jury of eight men and four women one hour and five minutes to reach a verdict. Guilty. Guilty. Eric Edgar Cook would be sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of John Sturkey. This sentence meant that the prosecution would not be pursuing the other murder and criminal charges against Cook.
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Cook ordered his attorneys not to file an appeal, even though they were still concerned about his mental state. His hanging was set to be carried out at 8am on Monday October 26 1964, one year and two months after his arrest.
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Fifteen minutes before Cook was executed, he took a bible from the hand of a reverend who was visiting him, and while holding it, he stated, I swear before almighty God that I killed Anderson and Brewer. Eric Edgar Cook was the last person to be executed in the state of Western Australia. The death penalty was later abolished in 1984.
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Car tracks were visible in the ground leading towards it. The couple wondered if there had been an accident and whether the driver had been hurt. After walking about 500 metres along the riverbank, William and Cecilia turned left at Rookwood Street to make a loop home. Pale pink native wildflowers were growing in abundance all along the street and Cecilia decided to pick some.
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Cook had repeatedly confessed to the murders of Rosemary Anderson and Gillian Brewer during his incarceration. He'd written statements detailing those crimes and signed affidavits. But neither the police nor the judiciary believed him, instead thinking he was just trying to delay his sentence.
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However, the truth was there were multiple issues and inconsistencies with their cases against the two men who had been convicted of those crimes. John Button tried to appeal his manslaughter conviction, citing Cook's confession as new evidence. His appeals failed and he served five years of his 10-year sentence before being paroled.
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He struggled to put the pieces of his life back together, grappling with grief and an intense guilt for not being able to prevent Rosemary's murder. The young couple had been planning to get married when Rosemary turned 18. Instead, John had to mourn Rosemary and also take the blame after her life suddenly ended in a violent and shocking way.
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Rosemary's parents and many of John's friends cut him off, believing he was guilty. He was still desperate for his name to be cleared, so he wrote to everyone he could think of who might be able to help. John did this for three decades with no success. He eventually married and had two children, but still felt stuck, haunted by grief and injustice. John sunk into a deep depression.
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He attempted suicide multiple times and had to be admitted for psychiatric treatment. The aftershocks of Cook's crime would continue to be felt by John Button's wife and two children, who also suffered the consequences of John's trauma. John's story eventually caught the attention of Perth journalist Estelle Blackburn.
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She had been in her early teens when the Nightcaller stalked the city and had experienced the same fear as other residents after the Australia Day shootings. She was so terrified that she refused to use the outhouse at her family home after dark in case the shooter was lurking nearby.
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Three decades later in 1991, Estelle was at a dance where she had a chance encounter with John Button's brother, Jim, who told her that his brother had been wrongfully convicted for a crime actually committed by Eric Edgar Cooke. Estelle didn't believe Jim at first, she had a strong faith in the police and the justice system. But she began digging into the case out of curiosity.
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Estelle met with John and was intrigued by his story. Through her contacts, she was able to access all of the police files about the Cook and Button cases, which had been archived decades earlier and never made public. While trawling through the files, Estelle stumbled across confession after confession made by Eric Edgar Cook, admitting to countless violent crimes across Perth.
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Through these statements, Estelle Blackburn was able to track down other victims and hear their stories firsthand. She spoke to the seven women who'd survived Cook's hit and runs. All of the stories matched up. Estelle believed their stories were deliberately withheld from the public as they would make the case against John Button far weaker and police did not want to undermine his conviction.
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She continued digging over the next six years and her efforts uncovered a brand new witness who had never been interviewed before, a man who had been out riding his Vespa scooter with his girlfriend on the night Rosemary Anderson was killed. Doug Wilkie had been riding along Stubbs Terrace, the street where Rosemary was run down, when a light-coloured Holden sped up behind them.
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Doug also sped up to put some space between them, but the Holden pursued, its engine revving. Doug knew the driver wanted to run them down. Suddenly, another car appeared ahead of them. This new witness prompted the Holden driver to slow down and Doug was able to get away. This story seemed to back up Cook's claim that he was in the area looking for victims.
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As she reached up to take a sprig, something on the ground slipped and brushed Cecilia's knee. It was the butt of a rifle. Shocked, Cecilia pushed the firearm back under the bush before telling William, There's a rifle here. After taking a look for himself, William suggested they take it home to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
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Estelle Blackburn wound up writing a book about the case titled Broken Lives. It was published in 1998 by Brett Christian, who owned the Perth Community publication Post Newspapers. Broken Lives led to renewed interest in the old case, and soon lawyers were offering to represent John Button pro bono.
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An American crash test expert was brought in and conducted a series of tests using a dummy and the same models of Holden and Simca that Cook and John had been driving, respectively. Via these tests, the expert was able to determine that the damage to John's car was inconsistent with having hit a pedestrian as it was too low down on the bumper.
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There was no dent on the bonnet where Rosemary would have fallen. Meanwhile, Cook's description of how Rosemary's body was struck and fell when hit by the Holden he was driving was entirely accurate. Eventually, four years after the publication of Broken Lives, John Button's conviction was quashed in 2002. The following year, he was awarded $460,000 by the state as compensation.
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John Button's exoneration paved the way for Daryl Beamish to file his own appeal. He had originally been sentenced to death for killing Gillian Brewer. However, this sentence was subsequently reduced to life in prison and Beamish was ultimately released after 15 years.
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While many across Perth breathed a sigh of relief after Daryl's conviction for the horrific murder, those who knew him well were uneasy. Although Daryl was a convicted sex offender, there was a belief that these crimes had stemmed from his childlike manner and repressed curiosity about sex. He wasn't known to be at all violent or aggressive, as Jillian's killer clearly was.
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It turned out that there had always been issues with Daryl's confession. He hadn't accurately described the injuries to Jillian's body, said he had raped her despite no evidence of sexual assault, and even named the wrong day the attack had taken place.
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Journalist Estelle Blackburn's friend and colleague Brett Christian of Post Newspapers turned his focus to Daryl Beamish's case in his own book, Presumed Guilty. He described how Daryl had difficulty communicating with police officers due to being deaf and non-verbal.
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He repeatedly got facts wrong about Jillian's case, including saying he'd fled her flat via the back door, which was locked from the inside when the crime scene was discovered. The lead detective had also taken Daryl to Gillian's home and lay on her bed, miming how she had been stabbed in various parts of her body by making chopping motions with his hands.
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Daryl had apparently nodded as the detective did this, which was taken as a confession. In contrast, Eric Edgar Cook's confession aligned perfectly with the details of the case. He overheard part of Jillian's conversation with her fiancé, which her fiancé was able to confirm was most likely correct.
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Evidence also linked him to her home at the Brookwood Flats well before her murder and a burglary of Jillian's mother's home next door. In 2005, three years after John Button was exonerated, Daryl Beamish had his conviction overturned as well. He was awarded $425,000 compensation by the state government.
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Although Eric Edgar Cook apologised to John Button and Daryl Beamish for their wrongful convictions prior to his execution, the Western Australia Police Force never has. Much of the blame for the wrongful convictions has been placed on a former detective named Owen Leach.
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As neither of them held gun licences, Cecilia opposed this plan. Instead, when they got home, she reported the discovery to the police. It was a 22-gauge Winchester rifle, different from the Lithgow single-shot rifle used in the Australia Day shootings. Still, it was worth investigating. Officers searched the entirety of Rookwood Street but didn't find a single cartridge.
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He was the officer who extracted a confession from Daryl Beamish and his solving of Gillian Brewer's high-profile murder directly led to him being promoted to the top position of Western Australia's police commissioner. Leach was also responsible for convicting another deaf man who was friends with Daryl Beamish for a burglary and assault committed by Eric Edgar Cook.
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The victim's description of her attacker matched Cook exactly, but Leach instead pinned it on an innocent man who was taller than Cook and looked nothing like him. In the documentary series After the Night, former Western Australia Premier Brian Burke said that in his experience, Owen Leach intimidated other officers and was, quote, a frightening person to deal with.
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There was no one more fervent in his efforts to keep innocent people in jail. One of Leach's detectives, who was directly responsible for Cook ultimately confessing to the Australia Day attacks, admitted to driving Cook past Gillian Brewer's home after his arrest. His hope was that Cook would admit to the murder, which the detective didn't believe Beamish was responsible for.
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John Button and Daryl Beamish were just two of Eric Edgar Cook's living victims whose lives were permanently altered and damaged. Cook's own family were victims of him as well. He kept up a facade with his wife Sally while also spending copious amounts of time away from her and their children.
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Sally was never allowed to ask her husband questions about what he got up to at night or query his frequent absences from home. She believed her husband was cheating on her, as strange women often came to their house looking for Cook. He had told them Sally was his widowed sister and he was helping to raise her children.
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In the aftermath of the Australia Day shootings, Cook acted as though his family needed to fear the nightcaller the same as everyone else. In the documentary series After the Night, Sally Cook told the filmmakers how Cook had insisted their children no longer sleep outside during the summer. They all had to sleep on the bedroom floor next to her instead.
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He'd demand that she lock all the doors to stay safe while he was out prowling the streets of Perth. He came up with his own special knock and whistle so when he returned home after a long night out, she would know it was him outside. When he arrived home, Sally quickly pulled him inside and said, I hate this killer on the loose. When are they gonna catch him?
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The date that Cook was finally arrested for murder in 1963 was Father's Day. When there was a knock at the Cook residence later that morning, the children all raced down the hallway with presents in their hands, expecting to greet their father. Instead, they were met by police officers who'd come to inform Sally Cook of her husband's arrest.
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The news of what he was charged with had come as an enormous shock. As Sally Cook stated in After the Night, quote, I knew he was a thief and a womaniser, but that's far different to being a murderer. The family also had to grapple with what might have happened to them if police hadn't managed to arrest Cook first.
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He admitted to detectives that he'd been keeping a rifle and ammunition in the ceiling of his home and intended to kill his wife, children and finally himself if it ever seemed the police were closing in. I wasn't going to leave them behind for anybody else, he stated. Sally Cook was left with no money and had to survive on a pension while raising seven children all alone.
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Her siblings would no longer associate with her due to the social stigma. Despite this, Sally refused to leave Perth, explaining that she wanted to teach her children that painful experiences had to be met and confronted head on. In After the Night, Sally described how proud she was of her seven children, stating, My family could have been a lot different to what they were.
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Not one of them took after him. The couple's eldest child, Tony Cook, became a highly regarded social worker and later a union leader who fought for workers' rights. In 2002, he and his mother met with the John Button and the parents of Rosemary Anderson to apologise for his father's crimes. This meeting was covered in an episode of the ABC television program Australian Story.
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However, the rifle was still loaded with a single bullet. When police test-fired the weapon, they found that the copper-nosed bullet had the same markings as the one taken from Shirley MacLeod's body. They had found the weapon used by her killer. It turned out that the rifle was registered to a former Olympic swimmer named Garrick Agnew. Garrick had spent the last month and a half overseas.
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When asked in a televised interview about how his father's crimes had shaped his life, Tony answered, I'd have to say it has made a huge impact on me as a person. It guides me in what I do. It's formed my values and my attitudes. It's given me the conviction that what I should be doing is working towards a more positive society, the sort of society that doesn't breed people like my father."
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Tony Cook passed away in 2018, followed by his mother Sally one year later in 2019. The victims of Cook's attacks who survived were also changed forever by what was done to them. Some suffered permanent or temporary physical disabilities and brain damage. Many battled post-traumatic stress in the months and years after their assaults.
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Their goals and ambitions changed, some relocated and moved away from their homes. A sense of safety, freedom and security was taken from them. Even victims of Cook's burglaries who had no idea they'd been robbed until later notified by the police have had to live with knowing they'd had a close brush with the notorious murderer.
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Others faced different battles when they realised they would never get their day in court. According to Estelle Blackburn's book, Broken Lives, hit and run victim Jill Connell only realised who was behind her attack after her mother read an early headline about how Cook had lived nearby. She immediately suspected he must have been Jill's attacker and followed it up with the police.
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The police confirmed their suspicions and Jill was overjoyed to finally know what had happened to her. However, her relief turned to despair when investigators told her Cook would not be trialled for her crime. Jill wanted the vindication of a public trial so everyone would know who had hurt her. The hit and run left Jill with significant scarring, physical pain and emotional trauma.
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When she initially told her friends that her case was solved and Cook was responsible, they hadn't believed her. This further traumatised victims like Jill, who were left with a feeling of injustice.
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Journalist Estelle Blackburn has argued that police never publicised Cook's confessions about assaulting women in their homes because they didn't want the public to make the connection between Cook and Gillian Brewer's murder. This was in keeping with their decision to keep Cook's hit and runs a secret so he wouldn't be suspected of Rosemary Anderson's murder.
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Just as she had done with those cases, Estelle Blackburn tracked down the survivors who had been assaulted in their homes. One of these was Molly McLeod, who had been 15 years old when Cook hit her over the head while robbing her family's home, concussing her.
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For 30 years, the McLeod family had believed Molly had simply fallen out of bed, until Estelle Blackburn uncovered Cook's confession and reached out to Molly's father. Police hadn't just concealed Cook's non-fatal crimes. For years, they had believed that Cook's first murder victim, Penina Berkman, was killed by her boyfriend who subsequently left Australia for Greece.
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After Cook provided a highly detailed admission to the crime, they accepted that he was the true culprit. But they never charged him with Penina's murder and nor did they notify any of her family members that the case was solved. At the time of her murder in 1959, Panina had an 8-year-old son named Mark.
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She and Mark had relocated to Perth from Melbourne after Panina and her Polish-born husband divorced. On the night of his mother's murder, Mark had been staying at a friend's house for the school holidays. He never understood the truth of what happened to his mother and the next four years of Mark's life remain a blur to this day.
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His father took Mark back to Melbourne and the pair later relocated to Israel. In the documentary series After the Night, Mark described his grief as follows. All of a sudden you lose a mother. One day you see her, the next day you don't. And you don't know the reason and it doesn't really matter. I see it as a private holocaust. It only belongs to me.
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When he'd returned home just a few days earlier, he'd discovered that his Winchester rifle was missing from the bedroom cupboard where he kept it. Nothing else had been taken from the home, including a second rifle that was stored in another room. Garrick had reported the rifle stolen on Tuesday August 13.
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In 2004, Mark visited Australia to see some extended family members. A cousin told him about the book Broken Lives and how it told his mother's story. Mark got hold of a copy and was stunned to learn the truth. It was the first he'd ever heard about what happened to his mother and who was responsible for taking her life.
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The family members and friends of Cook's seven other murder victims have been dealt a life sentence as well. Countless individuals have had to grave loved ones under the most painful circumstances and live in a new reality that was far more terrifying than the one they knew before.
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This loss of innocence was felt more broadly by the entire city of Perth, which was fundamentally different after Cook. Even though Cook's crimes are now more than 60 years old, some long-time residents still have first-hand memories of his reign of terror.
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As Estelle Blackburn stated in the 2020 documentary After the Night, quote, "...all these years on, there are still all these people who carried the scars of the crimes of Eric Edgar Cook." far more people than we realised at the time, really affected by his attacks. Their families, their friends, there are a lot of people still in Perth who sleep with a light on at night.
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Police were interested in the way that the rifle had been left in the bush on Rookwood Street. It hadn't been carelessly discarded somewhere, as though the killer was tossing it aside permanently. Instead, it had been hidden inside thick vegetation, something that someone might do if they planned to retrieve it at a later date.
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Investigators took another rifle back to the bush where Cecilia Keener had found it and tied it there tightly with fishing line. Police requested permission from the residents of the house opposite to set up a 24-hour-a-day lookout in their backyard, which spanned an entire block. That way, the bush with the rifle could be kept under constant surveillance.
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The residents gave their permission and agreed not to tell anyone about the top-secret operation. A trap to catch the killer was set. Now, all the police had to do was wait. Over the next two weeks, police kept a 24-hour-a-day surveillance running in the property opposite the rifle, with at least one officer remaining on the lookout at all times.
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It was a particularly cold and wet winter, which made their job even more difficult. After a fortnight passed with no sign of the shooter, investigators decided they needed to do something to lure him back to his weapon.
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With the cooperation of local reporters, an article had been planted in multiple newspapers that stated police working the Shirley MacLeod case would turn their attention to the suburb of Mount Pleasant by the end of the coming week. On the morning of Saturday August 31, one of Perth's papers ran a story about how police would be fingerprinting Mount Pleasant residents very soon.
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That night, Constable Bill Hawker was on surveillance duty in Rookwood Street. It was cool and slightly overcast, a pleasant change from the near-constant rain of the past two weeks, and Bill wondered if the killer would finally be spooked enough to try retrieving his rifle. He took up his post at 6pm alongside a colleague named Peter Skehan.
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Even though the shooter hadn't been apprehended, the fact that there hadn't been any shootings since meant that locals had started to relax ever so slightly. Carl and Wendy had hired a second-year university student to babysit their eight-month-old while they were out. Shirley MacLeod was a diligent science major who was filling in for her friend, the Dowd's usual sitter.
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Several hours later, Constable Hawker was keeping watch alone while Constable Scan rested inside a tent set up for the officers in the backyard across from the trap. Constable Hawker could hear music from a nearby pub and occasionally couples would stroll along Rookwood Street on their way home from a night out, but so far, no one had taken any interest in the trap.
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At 1.15 every night, the streetlights on Rookwood Street went out. If the killer decided to return for his rifle, he would most likely do so after that time when the street was at its darkest. When the lights switched off like clockwork, Constable Hawker braced himself and stared even more intently at the dark street in front of him.
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Suddenly, a grey-blue Holden sedan appeared and slowly pulled up at the curb opposite the trap. The road was steep, so Constable Walker could only see the top of the car. His initial response was to wonder if it was a couple looking for a quiet spot to spend time together. But then the driver's side door partly opened, with the person behind the wheel holding it ajar.
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Several moments passed, then the door opened more widely. A man got out and stood still in the car's doorway. Almost certain that he was looking at their suspect, Constable Hawker rushed to the tent to wake his colleague. They had to act quickly, the rifle was tied to the bush and the killer would surely flee if he went to retrieve it and discovered the trap.
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nor did they want the killer to be armed by the time they were able to reach him. Constable Hawker leapt over the property's fence, closely followed by Constable Skeen. Crouching down in front of the bush was a man wearing a heavy overcoat. As he heard the sound of the police officer's footsteps running towards him, he turned around to face them.
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The two police officers grabbed the man in the overcoat, who struggled against them. Constable Hawker pulled out a set of handcuffs and cuffed the man's wrists, then used a second set of cuffs to secure the man to a fence. The suspect mumbled incomprehensibly in a muffled voice as he was arrested.
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In clearer light, the officers could see that he carried a small pencil torch and was wearing a pair of women's leather gloves. He had short dark hair, a broad nose, and a notable scar on his mouth from surgery to repair a cleft lip palate. A search revealed that he was carrying a pair of women's underpants in one of his pockets and a newspaper clipping in another.
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He had scribbled some addresses and phone numbers on the clipping. Constables Walker and Skehan called for backup and the suspect was transferred to police headquarters for questioning. He was quickly identified as 32-year-old Eric Edgar Cook, a man who was already very well known to Western Australia police. Casefile will be back shortly.
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Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. On Friday October 15 1948, Cook had committed his first break-in at the age of 17. He forced his way into a flat in Perth's CBD while its resident was out and stole a torch and a small clock.
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She had won a scholarship to attend university and her plan was to become a social worker. There are so many people who need help, she had once told her father. Shirley had been devastated by the murder of her friend John Sturkey in the Australia Day shootings. They had shared some of the same uni lectures. Carl and Wendy felt confident leaving their baby in Shirley's care.
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He also opened several bottles of wine and poured them all over the resident's clothing. When police later attended the crime scene, they found Cook's fingerprints all over the empty bottles. Though they didn't match anyone in the system, they added the prints to their files. A few weeks later, Cook broke into another home.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Drei Monate nach Kalinkas Tod, kontaktierte Andrzej Bomberski den deutschen Gerichtshof, der ihre File geschlossen hatte, und beantragte, dass der Fall wieder geöffnet wird. Er beantragte, dass das richtige Forensische und Toxikologie-Testungen auf die Sammeln, die von Kalinkas Körper genommen wurden, durchgeführt werden. Der Gerichtshof beantragte die Befehle nicht.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die deutschen Behörden sagten, Dr. Dieter Kronbach sei nicht während der Autopsie präsent gewesen, sondern hätte momentan einfach in den Raum eingestiegen, um den Körper von Kalinka offiziell zu identifizieren. Sie vertrusteten den Pathologen und sahen keinen Grund, die Sache wieder zu überprüfen. Andre rief seine Ex-Mannin an, um seine Widersprüche zu beantworten.
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Daniela behauptete, sie hätte nicht einmal auf Kalinka's Autopsie-Report geschaut. Sie sagte, sie hat ihren Mann implizit vertraut und hatte keinen Grund, seine medizinische Erklärung für ihre Tochter's Tod zu beurteilen. André verurteilte Daniela, dass sie für ihren Mann verabschiedet war.
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Und in der Regel verurteilte sie André, dass sie für das Verhandeln gegen Kronbach für das Verhandeln verantwortlich war. Sie verurteilte auch, dass anti-germanische Gefühle etwas mit Andres Angelegenheiten zu tun hatten. Although Andrzej was born in France, his father's family was originally from Poland and Andrzej had been deported to both Poland and Germany by the Nazis during World War II.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Danielle told Andrzej as much, saying that his attempts to have Kalinka's case reopened dishonored her memory. Unverzweifelt hat Andrzej Bomberski einen berühmten Lehrer gehirnt, der den deutschen Gerichtshof beurteilt hat, einen Review des Autopsiereportes von Kalinka zu bestellen.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Der 44-jährige Accountant lebte in Peschbusk, einem kleinen Dorf außerhalb von Toulouse im Südwesten von Frankreich. Ein bitterer Verabschiedung, sieben Jahre vorher, hat Andrzej verloren, seine zwei Kinder, Kalinka und Nikolas, die mit ihrer Mutter und ihrem neuen Mann in der deutschen Stadt Lindau gelebt haben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Im November 1982, vier Monate nach dem Tod des Teenagers, wurden drei Experten vom Munich Forensic Institute an die Aufgabe eingeladen. Sie testeten Samples von den Injektionssitzen auf Kalinka Bomberskis Körper und bestätigten, dass es keine Beweise von Pestizide gab.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Jedoch, wie die ursprünglichen Pathologen, sagten sie, dass Dr. Cronbachs Versöhnungsanträge auf einem Körper in Rigamortis krudelig und seltsam waren. Die Forensik-Experten hatten auch Fragen zu Cronbachs Anwendung von Kobalt-Felicit als Tannenspülung, da sie es niemals dafür benutzt haben.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie zeigten, dass die einzige Grund, warum diese Medikamente intravenös verwendet werden sollten, in Fällen von sehr hohen Anämie-Verlusten und nur dann unter nahem medizinischer Überwachung. Wenn nicht, hätte es den Potenzial, gefährlich zu sein, z.B. Schmerzen, Schmerzen, Nausea, Verlust des Bewusstseins und sogar kardio-Arrest zu verursachen.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie haben also gespürt, dass Kalinka eine gewaltige Reaktion zu der Iron-Injektion hatte, in Schock geraten und dann auf ihr eigenes Blut gezwungen. Jedoch hat der initiale Autopsiebericht festgestellt, dass Kalinka etwas zwischen 3 und 4 Uhr gestorben wäre.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Munich-Pathologen haben bemerkt, dass eine gewaltige Reaktion sofort nach der Anwendung der Injektion passieren würde, nicht mehrere Stunden später. Dr. Kronbach beklagte, dass er die Ironinfusion vor dem Abend auf Freitag, Juli 9, um 7 und 7.30 Uhr gegeben hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Tränen von undigestiertem Essen in Kalinkas Stomach indizierten auch, dass sie kurz nach dem Essen gestorben wäre, ledigend die Befragten der Pathologen, die Zeit des Todes auf dem originalen Autopsie-Report beantwortet haben. The original autopsy stated that various organs had been removed from Kalinka's body during her post-mortem exam, such as her kidneys, rectum and genitals.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The reviewing team questioned one of the original pathologists about the tear on Kalinka's labia. He claimed that the damage had occurred post-mortem because of how badly decomposed Kalinka's body had been. The team from the Munich Forensic Institute requested access to these organs for further analysis, but the Prosecution's Office brushed off their request and the matter wasn't pursued further.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Without all the evidence, the team therefore produced an inconclusive report, stating that while they were unable to determine Kalinka's exact cause of death, they suspected it had something to do with the Cobalt Felicit injection. Für Andrzej Bomberski waren diese Erfindungen bedeutend.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Wenn Kalinka kurz nach dem Einsturz gestorben wäre, würde es Dr. Kronbachs Beweis beantworten, dass er Kalinka um die Mittwoch gesehen hätte, als er ihr die Lichter ausgedrückt hat. While this wasn't enough to convince German prosecutors to reopen the case, the discrepancy between the two reports only made Andrzej Bomberski more certain that Dr. Kronbach was covering something up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He visited Kalinka's gravesite and made a vow. He'd discover the truth and get justice for her, no matter what. As word spread about Dieter Kronbachs potential involvement in Kalinka's death, Andrej wasn't the only one whose suspicions were raised.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dies hat über 1.000 Kilometer zwischen André und seinen Kindern verbreitet, was ein ständiger Schmerz für den betroffene Vater war, als er weiterhin mit der schmerzhaften Realität, dass seine Frau ihn für einen anderen Mann verlassen hatte.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
In 1969 Kronbachs first wife, 24-year-old Monika, had been rushed to hospital after suffering from a mysterious illness that had rendered her unable to see, speak or move. Kronbach, der letztes Jahr mit Honours an der Universität Frankfurt studierte, hat Monicas Behandlungsschulden und hat sie mit dem, was er bezeichnete, als Blutvenom injiziert.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Ein paar Stunden später hat Monika einen kerebralen Schmerz und ist weggeflogen. The doctors had attributed Monikas death to an overdose of the contraceptive pill, but when her parents heard about what happened to Kalinka Bomberski, they suspected that Krombach could have poisoned Monika too.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
They claimed that Krombach had treated Monika terribly when she was still alive, beating her and threatening to kill her. In 1983 haben Monikas Eltern ihre Überraschungen an die deutsche Polizei veröffentlicht und eine Untersuchung wurde eröffnet, aber keine Beweise wurden gefunden, um ihre Theorie zu unterstützen.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Als das 1-Jahr-Jahr-Jahr des Todes von Kalinka gekommen ist, hat Andres Arbeiter endlich den Lindau-Polizei-Kommissionär überzeugt, die anderen Familienmitglieder zu interviewen, die an der Kronbach-Höhe waren, an der Nacht, als Kalinka gestorben ist.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Danielle Kronbach hat den Polizisten gesagt, dass das Zuhause um 8.30 Uhr Abendessen gegessen hat, nicht um 7.30 Uhr, wie ihr Mann es ursprünglich berichtet hatte. According to Danielle, it was actually after dinner that Dr. Kronbach gave Kalinka the iron infusion, and it wasn't to help her suntan, but to treat her anemia.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Danielle erklärte, dass sie und Kalinka diese Feuchtigkeitsinjectionen regelmäßig bekommen und niemals vorhanden waren. Auf der anderen Seite fand Danielle sie restaurativ. Während sie nicht vorhanden war, als die Injection verabschiedet wurde, sagte Danielle, dass sie es erinnert hat, weil Kalinka ein Band-Aid auf ihrem Arm hatte und erwähnte, dass sie gerade ihre Feuchtigkeitsinjection hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
André hat seine Kinder schmerzhaft verpasst und war deshalb erfreut, als es entschieden wurde, dass 14-jähriger Kalinka und 11-jähriger Nicolas nach Frankreich zurückkehren würden, um mit ihm am Ende des Sommer des Jahres 1982 zu leben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Daniela erinnerte sich, dass sie und Dr. Kronbach dann ihren Hund für eine Wanderung rausgenommen haben, nachdem Kronbach in seinem Büro etwas gearbeitet hat, während Daniela zu Hause ging. Sie erinnerte sich nicht, wann ihr Mann am Abend zu Hause gekommen ist.
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Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er hat sie am nächsten Morgen aufgewacht, seine Hände schüttelnd und die Augen schüttelnd, als er Daniela erzählt hat, dass etwas mit Kalinka passiert ist. Danielle rutschte zu ihrer Tochter's Bedroom, fand sie liegend in der fetalen Position, ihr Gesicht blut und ihr Körper kalt zu der Touch.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dr. Kronbachs Tochter Diana beklagte, dass sie über Abend Kalinka verletzt hatte, aber sie sah nicht so gut aus. Diana erinnerte sich, dass ihr Vater die Kobalt-Felicit-Injektion für Kalinka vorbereitet hat, was sie gesagt hat, dass es eine Standardprozedur in ihrem Haushalt war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Diana ging mit Freunden raus und kam um die Mittwoch nach Hause, an dem Punkt, an dem sie nichts Ungewöhnliches bemerkte. Am nächsten Morgen fand sie ihren Vater in Kalinkas Zimmer, schreitend Diana, um seine Medikamente zu holen. Kalinkas jüngerer Bruder Nikolas sagte, dass seine Schwester auf die Nacht, in der sie gestorben war, keine Signale von schlechten Gesundheit gezeigt hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He didn't remember Kalinka having herion infusion, nor did he recall seeing a band-aid on her arm. All Nicholas remembered was that he and Kalinka squabbled over something trivial while their parents were out walking the dog. The siblings went to bed and the next thing Nicholas knew, he woke up to the sounds of ambulance sirens and his mother crying.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
When the police commissioner tried to question Dr. Dieter Kronbach, he insisted he was too busy. The commissioner therefore agreed to give him a list of five questions that he could answer at his own leisure. Kronbach eventually responded to the questions via post.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Im Gegensatz zu seinem ursprünglichen Statement, glaubte er, Kalinka nach dem Abendessen um 8.30 Uhr zu geben und nicht um Tannen zu tun, sondern um Anämie zu behandeln. Er hat auch für das erste Mal einen neuen Details hinzugefügt. Er glaubte, dass er, nachdem seine Frau und die Kinder ins Bett gingen, etwas Arbeit gemacht hat, bevor er in die Küche ging.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Kalinka war dort, schweigend, dass sie nicht schlafen konnte, also hat er ihr eine Schlafpille gegeben. Als Andrzej Bomberski von diesen Wissensstatementen aufgehört hat, war er überzeugt, dass Dr. Kronbach seine Version von Events verändert hat, um mit den Ergebnissen der Autopsie-Revue zu verabschieden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Kalinka hatte immer eine sehr intelligente Frau, aber sie hatte akademische Schwierigkeiten bei der Bordschule, die sie in Deutschland besucht hatte, und sie verpasste ihr altes Leben in Frankreich. Es wurde verabschiedet, dass die Kinder den Sommerabend mit ihrer Mutter und Großvater in Lendau verbringen würden, bevor sie nach Peschbusch mit André zurückkehren, im September.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Der Detail über die Schlafpille war ohne Zweifel sein Versuch, den Fakt, dass er intensiv verabschiedet und Kalinka verabschiedet hat. Krombachs Antworten fanden Daniels zu einem T, und Andre war sicher, dass die beiden ihre Antworten korroboriert haben. Es war der erste, dass Andre jemals gehört hat, dass Kalinka anämisch ist, und keine Bluttests wurden gemacht, um so eine Diagnose zu bestätigen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Andre und sein Arbeiter haben gefordert, dass Kalinka's Fall offiziell geöffnet wird, aber wiederum wurde ihre Befehlung negiert, weil es nicht genügend Beweise gab, um eine neue Befugnis zu gewährleisten. Andre war zu einem Verlust.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er fühlte sich, als hätte er alle möglichen Wege verletzt und fehlte, dass Kronbach mit dem, was er Kalinka getan hatte, weggehen würde und seine Leben weiterleben würde, als ob nichts jemals passiert wäre. Refusing to let that happen, Andrej had to think outside the box.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
On Friday September 30 1983, almost 15 months after Kalinka's death, Andrej travelled to Lindau during Oktoberfest, an annual beer festival that attracted upwards of 30,000 people. Andre wanderte die steigenden Straßen und stoppte sich in die wunderschönen Cafés und Restaurants, um ein zweipäckiges Blatt zu geben, das begann. Ihr solltet wissen, dass ein Kriminal in Lindau lebt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Es ist Dr. Kronbach, der an 23 A. Bregenzer Street praktiziert. Am Abend von Freitag, Juli 9, 1982, hat er meine wunderschöne Tochter Kalinka in seinem eigenen Zuhause getötet, indem er sie mit Kobold-Felicet verwendet hat. The Flyer went on to detail all of Andres' allegations against Cronbach and his perceived flaws in the investigation.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He provided the Cronbachs home address, listed the names of the police commissioner, prosecutor and the pathologists involved and claimed that a rapist was being protected by powerful locals. Someone told Dr Cronbachs daughter Diana about the leaflet and she immediately called the police.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Zwei Stunden später fanden die Behörden André, sie auszuhalten, und setzten ihn unter Aufruf, um die öffentliche Ordnung zu zerstören, Cronbach zu verurteilen und die Reputation des Verurteilten zu verletzen. Nach dem Teilen seiner Seite der Geschichte war André frei zu gehen, aber Cronbach schuldete ihn für Charakterverletzung. Cronbachs Arbeiter verurteilte die Angelegenheiten gegen ihn.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
argumentating that so-called signs of sexual assault on Kalinka's body had occurred when the pathologists were redressing her fragile and badly decomposed body after their examination. Kronbach won the lawsuit, with a German judge ordering that Andrzej Bomberski pay him 500,000 German marks in compensation, the equivalent of around 255,000 euros in today's money.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Andrej wurde auch gewarnt, dass er, wenn er so etwas wieder macht, sechs Monate im Gefängnis stehen würde. Andrej war völlig unverzweifelt. Nicht nur hat er den Geld nicht bezahlt, er hat auch eine Kopie des Lendau-Phonebuchs bekommen und hat die Leaflet zu so vielen Leuten wie möglich gemailt, insbesondere 250 bavarische Offiziere.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The reaction was lackluster, with less than a dozen of those officials agreeing that the case warranted further attention. However, it was enough to get the Bavarian Minister of Justice involved, and finally a new investigation was ordered.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dies war willkommen für André, der eine neue Beziehung vor dem ersten Mal seit seinem Divorz begonnen hatte. Nach einigen schwierigen Jahren sah sich alles für einen neuen Start ein. All das änderte sich am Morgen von Donnerstag, Juli 10 1982, nur zwei Monate bevor Kalinka und Nicolas in Frankreich zurückgekehrt werden mussten. An diesem Tag rang das Telefon an Andrés Haus.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
A fresh team of German forensic experts reviewed Kalinka's autopsy report and agreed that her death had likely been caused as a result of the iron injection Dieter Krombach had given her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie beurteilten, dass Krombachs krudere Verschleissungserfahrungen etwa zehn Stunden nach dem Tod von Kalinka stattfanden, bemerkend, dass er entweder seinen medizinischen Fehler oder seine Verletzungen verhindern wollte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Doch die Untersuchung schlug einen Halt auf, nachdem deutsche Offiziere André erzählten, dass sie keine Möglichkeit hätten, die Genitalien von Kalinka wieder zu überprüfen, weil diese und die anderen Organe mit ihrem Körper nach Frankreich zurückgekehrt worden wären.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dadurch, dass Kalinka ein französischer Bürger war, entdeckte André, dass er auch eine kriminelle Angelegenheit gegen Dieter Kronbach mit den französischen Geräten haben konnte. If Magistrates uncovered enough evidence to press murder charges, Cronbach could also be tried under French law.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
A French investigation was simultaneously launched, but German officials refused the French Magistrate from investigating on German territory. This prevented them from interviewing Cronbach or the witnesses who were home on the night Kalinka died.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Kronbach und Danielle hatten sich seitdem separiert, aber sie waren auf guten Terminen und Danielle war enttäuscht von Andres abhängigen Angelegenheiten. Andres Arbeiter versuchte, Kronbach nach Frankreich zu besuchen, aber er verabschiedete sich in einem Brief, in dem er schrieb, Die File der deutschen Behörden sind sicherlich an deinem Zugang.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Ich sehe keinen Grund, in Paris für ein Interview zu gehen. Such a journey would be a considerable burden for me in every respect. Things progressed at a snail's pace and it took three and a half years after Kalinka's death before Germany agreed that the French investigators could exhume Kalinka's body for additional examination.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Im Dezember 1985 sammelte André am Peschbusch-Semester mit einem Team von französischen Polizisten und Forensik-Experten, als Kalinkas Koffer von ihrem Gravesitz entfernt wurde. Es kam heraus, dass das Teenagers-Bodys unglaublich gut versichert war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Aber zu der Enttäuschung der Sammler, die Organe, die während Kalinkas Autopsie entfernt wurden, auch ihre Genitalien, waren nicht in der Koffer, wie deutsche Offiziere bezeichneten. The German forensic lab who had handled Kalinka's remains could provide no trace of them. It appeared they were gone forever. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
By supporting our sponsors you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. Without access to the sex organs that had been removed from Kalinka's body, the German court ruled there was insufficient evidence to press any charges against Dieter Kronbach, and German officials made it clear they would not be investigating the case any further.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Andrzej Bomberski was horrified by the way Kalinka's body had been treated during the autopsy. He later remarked, Kalinka wurde wie ein Pferd in einem Schlachthaus gestorben, aber niemand wollte wissen, wie und warum sie gestorben ist.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die einzige Hoffnung, die André hatte, war die französische Investition, aber deutsche Offiziere haben nicht mehr Kronbach nach Frankreich extradiert, weil er sich im Grunde schon von den deutschen Gerichten verabschiedet hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Deutschen behaupteten, dass die untergehende Befugnis in Frankreich gegen das Doppelgebirge-Prinzip der Europäischen Union käme, das die Individuen für das selbe Verletzungsgericht verhindern würde, nachdem sie bereits verhaftet worden wären. Ohne neue Beweise zu beurteilen, benötigten die französischen Magistraten Zugang zu den originalen Sammeln, die von Kalinkas Körper genommen wurden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie mussten von München automatisch entfernt werden, ein Prozess zwei Jahre lang. In 1988 konnte ein Team von drei französischen Forensik-Experten endlich die verfügbare Beweise für sich selbst überprüfen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie wurden von Kalinkas Körpern, Schmerzen, Lungen, Herz und Tissue gesammelt, doch die Test-Türen, die mit ihrer Blut gefüllt waren, wurden unerlässlich von der ersten Review-Team des Munich Forensik Institutes entdeckt. Das Verlangen von Blut bedeutet, dass sie es nicht gefunden haben, einen definitiven Link zwischen einer intravenösen Substanz und Kalinkas Tod zu finden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
It was his ex-wife, Danielle Kronbach. She was beside herself. Kalinka's dead, she sobbed. Andrzej Bomberski hörte in Schock, als Danielle erklärte, dass Kalinka den letzten Tag am Freitag, Juli 9, auf Lake Constance geflogen hatte. Die Kristallkleer-Bee, die hinter den Kronbarks Zuhause in Lindau.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Jedoch hat das Trio verschiedene Flächen in den vorherigen Autopsie-Reporten beobachtet, die beurteilen, dass Kalinka Bomberski als direktes Ergebnis der Iron-Injektion, die Dr. Kronbach ihr gegeben hat, gestorben ist.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Mit nichts in ihren Medikamenten, um zu beweisen, dass Kalinka anämisch war, würde die Injektion ihren Körper in Schock verursachen, um sie schmerzhaft zu verlieren und auf ihre eigene Blutung zu schmerzen. Sie würde kurz nach der Injektion gestorben sein, wieder einmal die Zeitung von Kronbach in Frage zu stellen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Drogen, mit denen Kronbach sie nach Stunden verabschiedet hatte, waren nicht bekannt für die Verschmutzung. Und zusammengegeben, formten sie eine gefährliche Kombination. Deshalb konkludierten die Experten, dass die einzige Grund, warum Kronbach diese Drogen verabschiedet hätte, war, dass es so aussah, als hätte er einen genügenden Versuch gemacht, Kalinka zu retten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Oder, um eine andere Drogen zu öffnen, die er ihr früher gegeben hatte. Möglicherweise, um einen sexuellen Angriff zu ermöglichen. It took another few years until the French magistrates believed they'd built up a solid case against Cronbach.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
While they didn't have enough evidence to proceed with any sexual assault charges, the courts decided that Kalinka's death was caused by a direct result of an intravenous injection or a solution that might or might not have been Cobalt-Felicit. It wasn't enough to uphold a murder charge, but it was enough to indicate voluntary assault resulting in unintentional death.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
In April 1993, Andrzej Bomberski received the news he'd been waiting for for almost 11 years. The Paris Court of Assis had just charged Dr Dieter Kronbach with killing Kalinka. Ein Beurteilung für Kronbachs Verabschiedung bestätigte, dass Kronbach, um die Injektion von Kalinka zu verurteilen, konfliktive und ungewöhnliche Erkenntnisse verursacht hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Es bestätigte auch, dass er, Quote, auch über die Chronologie der Events verurteilt hatte, als er beurteilt hatte, dass die Injektion mehrere Stunden vor der Todeszeit stattfand. Letztendlich kann der falsche Versuch, sie zu retten, und der Nutzung von menschlich unabhängigen Produkten auf eine lebendige Menschheit nur mit der Intention, die Ursache des Todes zu verhindern, erklärt werden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Diese Faktoren, die sich insgesamt befinden, sind genügend Grund, um zu bedenken, dass Dieter Krombach die fädliche Injektion nicht als Rettung, sondern mit der Intention, die Ursache des Todes zu verhindern. Nach Kalinkas Kindheit war Krombach 30 Jahre im Gefängnis. Die Trial war in Paris vorgesehen, aber Krombach verabschiedete es in vielen Fällen. Als die Zeit für den 1.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
März 1995 endlich geschlossen wurde, wurde Krombach von einer Gesetzgebung geschützt, die die deutschen Bürger aus ihrem eigenen Land verurteilt hat. Er war also nicht legal verpflichtet, seinen eigenen Trial zu beurteilen, und es ging ohne ihn weiter in dem, was als Trial in Absentia bekannt ist. There were no defense attorneys present, nor were there any witnesses or jury members.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Instead, a judge reviewed the available evidence, which excluded the sexual assault allegations, and concluded that Dieter Kronbach was guilty of willful violence leading to death without intent, or in other words, manslaughter.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Without the sexual assault motive, the court concluded that Kronbach was responsible for Kalinka's death, because he'd given her the injection without then monitoring her for possible adverse reactions. Kronbach was sentenced to 15 years in a French prison, the maximum sentence for manslaughter at the time.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Despite this conviction and sentence, Germany remained under no legal obligation to extradite Kronbach. He was ultimately a convicted killer allowed to walk free, provided he steer clear of France. Andrzej Bomberski wasn't the only one outraged by this technical loophole.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
After an article about the case appeared in a major French newspaper the following year, pressure was placed on the Paris public prosecutor and eventually Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Cronbach.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Das bedeutet, dass, wenn er nach Deutschland auswählen würde, er nicht mehr von deutschen Rechten verteidigt werden würde und in Frankreich ausgeliefert werden würde, um seine Verurteilung zu sehen. Im März 1997, zwei Jahre nach dem Trial, rang Andrzej Bomberski an. Ein deutscher Journalist war auf der anderen Seite mit einigen Informationen, die sie für ihn interessiert hätten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
61-jähriger Dieter Kronbach, wurde gerade verhaftet. Andres immediate thought was that Kronbach was finally being held accountable for Kalinka's death, but what the journalist told him next was even more astonishing. 16-jährige Laura Stieler war ein russischer Immigrant, der in Lindau lebt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Am Morgen von Donnerstag, Februar 11, 1997, hat sie Dr. Kronbachs Praxis untergebracht, um eine Gastroskopie zu machen, eine Diagnostikprozedur, die einen Endoskop in die Mund und in den Oesophagus, Stomach und Bauch überführt. Laut Standardpraxis wurde Laura eine Anästhetik und ein Sedativ gegeben, um die Prozedur besser zu machen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Gastroskopie wurde ohne Zufall beendet, aber als Laura aufwuchs, brauchte sie länger als gewohnt, um sich von der Anästhetik zu beheben. Dr. Kronbach und sein Assistent ließen Laura auf dem Kühlschrank aufwachen. Als Laura da war, kaum mehr bewegen oder sprechen zu können, kam Dr. Kronbach zurück. Er begann, sie zu küssen und ihre Brüste zu bewegen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Laura versuchte, ihn wegzumachen, aber ihr Körper fühlte sich komplett paralysiert von der Anästhetik und sie konnte sie kaum auf die Arme halten. Dr. Kronbach schloss die Tür von innen und entfernte seine Panty. Er nahm Lauras Kleidung weg und ging weiter, um sie zu töten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Nachdem er fertig war, schloss er sie beide mit einer Papiertasche, helfte Laura, sich zu schlafen und führte sie dann nach Hause. Laura berichtete die Verbrechung der Polizei direkt und eine Befragung bestätigte die Präsenz von Seemann. Dieter Kronbach wurde später verurteilt mit dem sexuellen Verbrechen eines Individuels, der nicht resistieren konnte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er verurteilte die Befragung und wurde nach dem Trial verhaftet, aber er veränderte seine Verbrechung, nachdem er lernte, dass der Seemann positiv für sein DNA getestet hatte. Andrzej Bomberski führte nach Deutschland, um für das Entschuldigungsgespräch von Cronbach zu sein. Seine Präsenz war klar für Cronbach, der begann zu weinen, dass der Französische da war, um ihn zu töten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Als die Ordnung im Gericht zurückgekehrt wurde, behauptete Cronbach, dass er unter dem Eindruck war, dass Laura zu Sex konzentriert hätte, auch wenn sie es nicht explizit gesagt hätte. Viele Präsente wurden von der ausländischen Art und Weise, in der er sprach, über das, was er gemacht hatte. He seemed to have no remorse, instead testifying with what some viewed as a kind of amused cynicism.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
A psychiatrist testified that Cronbach was a narcissist who considered himself above the law, a description many found apt after he was handed a two-year suspended sentence. The citizens of Lindau were outraged. Hundreds gathered to protest against the leniency of the sentence, while a petition circulated demanding that Krombachs medical license be revoked.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Danielle, Kalinka und Nicholas lebten dort mit Danielas Mann, einem respektierten Kardiologen namens Dieter Kronbark, sowie Dr. Kronbarks zwei älteren Kinder aus einer vorherigen Beziehung. Danielle sagte, dass Kalinka um 5 Uhr nach Hause zurückgekehrt wäre. Sie bemerkte, dass sie müde und ein wenig ungeheuer war, aber außer dem hatte sie ihr typisches glückliches Selbst.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Wanting to voice his side of the story, Krombach agreed to an exclusive interview with Barbara Furlkerl, a journalist for the German TV broadcaster ZDF. Beantwortung von vorgeschlossenen Fragen in der Präsenz seines Anwesens, saß Krombach in seiner Schuhe, als er erklärte, dass er seine Aktionen nicht als sexuelle Gewalt bezeichnete.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er beklagte, dass er nur seine Aufmerksamkeit für Laura ausgesprochen hatte, um so weit zu gehen, als seine Aktionen als Liebhaber zu nennen. While Cronbach admitted that Laura hadn't been enthusiastic, he explained, Cronbach recalled there was a moment during the assault that he told Laura I love you in Russian.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He chuckled as he remembered this, prompting Barbara Furkel to exclaim, But you drugged her. Krombach sighed, remarking, Like they said in ancient Rome, those who remain silent seem to agree. A woman named Svenja Mäuer-Gunther was watching the interview and couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Not only was she sickened by the way that Cronbach seemed to mock his victim, Svenja remembered Dr. Cronbach well. As a teenager living in Lindau in the early 1980s, she had visited his medical office regularly, as her mother had been sick at the time. Svenja and her sister Jana were also diagnosed as anemic and required regular iron infusions.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
1985 war ein schwieriger Zeitpunkt für die Mauer-Sisters. Seine Eltern hatten einen brutalen Divorz und ihre Mutter hat mit Krankheitsproblemen gearbeitet. Dr. Kronbach wurde eine sehr nötige Stärke, die positive Abwechslung für Svenja und Jana bieten, indem sie sie aufs Horsenreiten und auf leckere Abendessen nahmen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dann, als die Mädchen 14 und 16 Jahre alt waren, hat Dr. Kronbach sie zu einem langen Wochenende nach Südfranz eingeladen, ohne ihre Mutter. Svenja und Jana waren begeistert. Nach dem Turm, den sie zu Hause beobachtet hatten, waren sie ein paar Tage weg mit dem charmen und sophisticateden Arzt, der sich wie ein Traum erinnerte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie kamen Krombach als eine Art substituierte Vaterfigur an und waren aufgeregt, an einem wunderschönen Ort zu reisen. Die Reise begann gut, bis es die Zeit kam, ihre Motel zu beobachten. The trio arrived late at night, only to find they would all be sharing a room which contained only one double bed with a single fold-up bed alongside it.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dr. Krumbach told the sisters he was too big to take the fold-up bed. He said he would sleep in the double bed and the girls could choose which one of them would join him. Jana beugte Svenja, das Doppelbett zu nehmen. Sie hatte nur eine kleine Nachtgau, und sie war zu selbstbewusst, mit dem 50-jährigen Mann zu schlafen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Svenja akzeptierte, und als sie ins Bett schlug, sagte Dr. Kronbach den Schwestern, dass sie für ihre Ironinfusionen verantwortlich waren. Nachdem er sein Doktorskit mit ihm hatte, glaubte er, dass das eine gute Zeit war. He retrieved his doctor's bag and proceeded to give them both their injections. Svenja dozed off almost immediately.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Familie hat ein Abendessen zusammen um 7.30 Uhr gegessen, nachdem Dr. Kronbachs Kinder weggegangen sind und die anderen bald in den Bett geraten, wie normal. Danielle explained that the next morning Dr. Kronbach went to wake Kalinka up so they could go horseback riding together, only to find her lying in her bed, unconscious.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
She woke up sometime later, only to find Dr. Kronbach sexually assaulting her. Terrified, she didn't dare move or speak. As the assault continued, she played dead, to the point that Kronbach started shaking her to make sure she was still alive. found the only way she could get through it was to disassociate entirely, telling herself, this isn't happening.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The next day, Svenja felt as though the whole thing had been a horrible nightmare. She knew how highly respected Dr. Kronbach was in Lindau and felt that nobody would believe her if she spoke up about what happened. Sie hat ihr Schwester Jana erzählt, die sich, sobald Cronbach sie verabschiedet hatte, aufgeschlafen hat und durch alles geschlafen hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Jana wusste nicht, ob der Arzt sie auch verabschiedet hat, aber wenn er es hatte, fühlte sie es am besten, dass sie es nicht wusste. Die Mädchen haben dann ihrer Mutter erzählt, die sie für eine solche Verurteilung gegen den guten Mann verurteilt hat. Nach dem Interview über Laura Stieler mit Barbara Furckel war der öffentliche Widerstand gegen Dieter Kronbach enorm.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Am Ende des Jahres 1997 wurde sein Medizinstitut überwiesen und er musste seine Praxis verkaufen. Zudem kamen zwei ältere Patienten vor, die auch in der Vergangenheit sexuell verhaftet worden waren.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Keiner der verurteilten Überlebenden konnte wegen der Unwahrheit aufschlagen, aber die öffentliche Verurteilung eröffnete die Diskussion über die Todesgeschichte von Kalinka Bomberski und die Falle begann die Medienattention außerhalb Deutschlands zu bekommen. Andrzej Bomberski verabschiedete seinen Job, damit er all seine Zeit für Dieter Kronbach beitragen konnte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Wegen dessen, dass er oft nach Österreich und Schleswig-Holstein reist, besuchte Andre Polizisten und Custom Posts in beiden Ländern, die Dossiers mit Fotos von Cronbach, Zeitungsartikeln, die die Beurteilungen gegen ihn beurteilen, und gesetzliche Warnungen für seinen Verabschiedung. Die Reaktionen waren vermischt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Manche behandelten Andre so, als wäre er verrückt, während andere auf seine Geschichte zuhören wollten. Egal wie, seine Arbeit zahlte im Anfang des Januar 2000, als ein Polizist in West-Austria Dieter Kronbach von einer von Andres Fotos erkannt und ihn unter Arrest gehalten hat. Er wurde auf die Termine der Europäischen Konvention über die Ausstattung, die damals stattfand, beurteilt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
German officials called for his release, arguing that Cronbach had been cleared of any wrongdoing in his home country and that the French arrest warrant was therefore a violation of his rights. French officials didn't argue against this and Cronbach was subsequently released and free to return to Germany.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Cronbach und sein legales Team hatten gegen seine Verhandlung in Frankreich gesprochen, seitdem die Entschuldigung 1995 aufgehoben wurde. Sie haben an die Europäische Gerichtshof der Menschenrechte gebeten, zu sagen, dass es Frankreich falsch war, ohne Cronbach oder einen legalen Repräsentanten zu verurteilen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Im Jahr 2001 hat die Gerichtssitzung beschlossen, dass Kronbach in Absentee versucht hat, die Stipulationen in der Europäischen Konvention über Menschenrechte zu verurteilen. Sie haben herausgefunden, dass er von einer fairen Beratung und seinem Recht zur Beurteilung verurteilt worden war und dass die Beurteilung daher nicht mehr erforderlich sein könnte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He administered various injections in an attempt to revive her, but it was too late. She was already dead. With no physical explanation as to how Kalinka had died, Dr. Kronbach suspected that she'd most likely suffered from heatstroke after overexposure to the sun the previous day and had gone into shock as a result. Paramedics were called, but there was nothing they could do.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Der Gericht verabschiedete die Vergewaltigung und bestätigte, dass die französische Regierung Kronbach mit 100.000 Franken für die Kosten erhielt, was damals etwa 15.000 Euro betrug. Dies war ein großer Schlag für Andrzej Bomberski, dessen Begründungen gegen Kronbach endlich nach Jahren von Verleumdung ernst genommen wurden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He implored French officials to appeal the decision to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, but his request was denied. They also refused his request to re-examine Cronbach's 1995 trial. The entire legal process had been incredibly gruelling for Andre, both emotionally and financially, but still he refused to give up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
André war überzeugt, dass die französischen Behörden ihre Beziehung mit Deutschland über die Gerechtigkeit für Kalinka priorisierten. Diese Überraschung wuchs nur, nachdem er sich von Krombachs legalen Team erkannt hat, dass die öffentlichen Gerichtsleute in Paris ihnen versicherten, dass Krombachs Beurteilung nicht erforderlich sein würde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
In Andrés' view, the French had failed in their duty to catch Cronbach, who was now living freely as a convicted rapist in his home country. In 2002 he filed a complaint against several French magistrates and prosecutors, alleging corruption and obstruction of justice. As Andrés' newly appointed lawyer explained to the French television show Bring in the Accused,
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
It was an attempt to wake up a sleeping machine by the implementation of an explosion. A judge ruled there were no grounds for Andres' complaint and that the allegations wouldn't be investigated further.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The entire Kalinka-Bomberski case was transferred back to Germany, where a new prosecutor determined yet again that no charges would be pressed against Dieter Kronbach in relation to the teenager's death. André wusste, dass er eine bestimmte Reputation in den französischen Geräten als eine Verrücktheit erhielt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
So viel wie das ihn schmerzte, machte ihn immer mehr bereit, mit dem Kampf weiterzugehen. 2004 implementierte die Europäische Union ein neues System, das den Europäischen Strafverfahren bezeichnet wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dies versuchte es zu simplifizieren und die Ausstattungsprozesse für Anwesende innerhalb der EU zu bremsen, sodass sie von einem EU-Staat zu einem anderen verabschiedet werden könnten, ohne die Bedürfnisse für spezifische Ausstattungsverträge. Als Resultat haben die französischen Anwesenden eine neue europäische Anzeige für Dieter Krombach erhoben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die deutschen Anwesenden haben es wieder negiert, aufgrund dessen, dass der Fall geschlossen wurde. Although Andre seemed to hit a dead end at every turn, he wasn't alone in his quest for justice. By this point, a concerned citizen had created a group in support of Andre's cause titled Justice for Kalinka, which soon amassed over 1,000 members from all walks of life.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Mitglieder hielten Rallye, schrieben Schriften an Menschen in Machtpositionen und kreierten eine Website, die alle Informationen über Andres legalen Schwierigkeiten anbelangte. Der deutsche Filmmacher Hilke Zinging war einer derjenigen, die nach Kalinkas Fall folgten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Im Jahr 2006 hat sie einen Dokument dedicated to the allegations against Dieter Kronbach, entitled Kalinkas Last Journey, which featured interviews with the Mauer Sisters. Nachdem der Dokumentarfilm gedreht wurde, erhielt Hilke einen Brief von Cronbach, in dem er bezeichnete, dass die Schwestern über Drogen und sexuellen Verbrechen während ihrer Reise nach Südfranz verurteilt waren.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Cronbach sagte, er kenne die Mädchen kaum und hätte sie nie auf eine Freizeit genommen. Doch die Mauer-Schwestern haben Hilke Fotos mitgebracht, die beweisen, dass die Reise stattgefunden hat und diese in dem Dokumentarfilm veröffentlicht wurden. Speaking about Krombach to the Guardian, Hilke later said, I have no idea if he has problems with reality.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Around the same time that the documentary aired, a German librarian named Petra Steffen sat down at her computer. Petra lived approximately 400 kilometers from Lindau in the German town of Rodenthal. Her regular doctor had recently passed away and she'd been given the name of his replacement. A curious person by nature, Petra typed the name of the new doctor into Google.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Kalinkas body was taken straight to the funeral home. Andrzej Bomberski couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kalinka war ein gesundes, athletisches Teenager, der einen unglaublich aktiven Lebensstil lebte und keine bedingten medizinischen Bedingungen hatte. Wie konnte sie möglicherweise in ihrem Schlaf sterben und von der Heizung nicht weniger?
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
One of the first things that popped up was the Justice for Kalinka website, followed by Hilke Zingings documentary. Petra war enttäuscht, als sie lernte, dass Dr. Dieter Kronbach von einem Verbrecher verurteilt wurde und herausgefunden wurde, dass er von der ganzen Medizin verabschiedet wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie hat einen Besuch geplant, um zu sehen, ob der neue Arzt in der Stadt tatsächlich der gleiche Dr. Kronbach war, den sie darüber lesen. Nach der Veröffentlichung, dass es so war, hat Petra keinen Zeit verpasst, ihn zu beraten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Weitere Untersuchungen zeigten, dass Dieter Kronbach als Lockheimdoktor über Deutschland gearbeitet hatte, seitdem sein Medizinstitut nach seinem Rape-Verbrechen im Jahr 1997 aufgeräumt wurde. Er wurde damit weggegangen, indem er eine Fotokopie seines alten Medizinstituts produzierte, die bezeichnete, dass der originale Medizinstitut gestohlen worden war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Kronbach wurde mit 28 Fällen von Verbrechen und 19 Fällen von illegaler Medizin beurteilt. Er wurde verhaftet, sobald die Behörden befürchteten, dass er im Ausland fliehen würde. Laut der Netflix-Dokumentarie My Daughter's Killer fanden die Polizei ihn mit einer Schnauze mit Kleidung, Geld und einer Penispumpe gefunden, um Erektildysfunktion zu beurteilen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er wurde zu einem Psychiater-Assessment verabschiedet, mit zwei Psychiatern, die beschlossen haben, dass er ein chronischer Verbrecher, sexueller Verbrecher und ein Narzisst war, der glaubte, er sei außerhalb des Gesetzes. Kronbach wurde später verurteilt und verurteilt zu zwei Jahren und vier Monaten in einem deutschen Gefängnis.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er hat 18 Monate gearbeitet, bevor er früh für gutes Verhalten im Juni 2008 ausgeliefert wurde. Bis zu diesem Punkt sind 26 Jahre hervorgegangen, seit der Tod von Kalinka Bomberski. Unter dem französischen Gesetz, eine 30-Jahre-Limitation, bedeutet, dass es nur noch vier Jahre dauerte, bis eine legale Aktion gegen Dieter Kronbach in Bezug auf die Tod von Kalinka erhoben würde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Nach dem Tod würde er nicht nur frei sein, von irgendwelchen Zufriedenheiten vorzugehen, sondern er könnte auch Andrzej Bomberski für Zufriedenheit aussuchen. Nach der französischen Erhöhung von Kronbach von der Gefängnis, hat das Pariser Gerichtsschutz verabschiedet, dass sein 1995-Trial in Absentia unter Druck von Deutschland zerstört wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Der französische Beweis für seinen Anruf war noch im Einsatz, aber außer dem, in den Augen des Gesetzes, hat Andrzej Bomberski alle möglichen Optionen verursacht, wenn es darum kam, für seine Tochter Gerechtigkeit zu bekommen. It was important to André that Kronbach knew he hadn't been forgotten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
André travelled to Germany and tracked Kronbach down to Scheidegg, a small market town 20 kilometres inland from Lindau near the Austrian border. He visited every once in a while to keep an eye on Kronbach and to make his presence known. Dann, im September 2009, bemerkte André ein Verkaufssignal vor Krombachs Wohnzimmer.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er sprach zu einigen Nachbarn, die ihm erzählten, dass Krombach einen Job in Westafrika erhielt. Mit dem Klopfen und Krombach wieder auf dem Weg, wusste André, dass es jetzt oder nie war. Ich hatte genug in meinem Kopf, sagte er später dem Guardian. I knew that the French government would do nothing. I knew that the German government would do nothing. I decided that I had to do something.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Weiterhin war es nur um 29 Grad Celsius in Lindau, aber Kalinka wurde zu viel heißeren Temperaturen als das in Frankreich benutzt. André fand es einfach nicht sinnvoll. His head still spinning, Andre immediately travelled to Lindau.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Vielen Dank für's Zuhören. Es war nur nach 3.15 Uhr am Morgen von Donnerstag, Oktober 18 2009, als ein Anruf an die Polizei in der französischen Stadt Malouz kam. Go to the Rue d'Itaille across from the customs office, an anonymous caller said. You'll find a man tied up. The police station was only four blocks away. Two squad cars raced to the narrow street near the centre of town.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
There, in a courtyard nestled between two buildings, they found an elderly man lying on the ground behind an iron gate. It was Dieter Kronbach. He was curled on the pavement, his hands and feet bound together and his mouth gagged with duct tape. His face was barely recognisable, battered, bruised and covered in blood. One of the police officers removed the tape from his mouth.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Bomberski is behind it, he said. Krombach was rushed to hospital, where he received treatment for a fractured skull. He told the police that the previous evening he'd been at his home in Scheidegg when there was a knock on the door. He answered it, only to find an unfamiliar man standing there. Are you Krombach? the man asked with a thick Russian accent.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
When Krombach answered yes, the man punched him in the face. Two other men appeared and launched a violent attack. They managed to bind and gag Kronbach before throwing him into the backseat of their car. As the men drove along, Kronbach struggled and begged for his life. He offered to pay the trio 50,000 euros if they'd just let him go.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Then one of the men pulled out a knife and threatened to chop his penis off. Suddenly the driver pulled over and ordered the knife-wielding man out of the car. He said they had over 300 kilometers to go and couldn't risk doing the drive with a dangerous man with a weapon.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The car eventually crossed the border into France and stopped in Meluse, the first town they came upon that had its own police station and courthouse. The men dumped Kronbach, called the police and fled. Andrej Bomberski war nicht mit ihnen, aber Krombach hatte keine Angst, dass er die ganze Sache organisiert hätte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Polizei schaute in Andrejs Umgebung die Nacht vorher und bestätigte, dass er die ganze Zeit in Toulouse war. Jedoch bekamen sie bald Wort, dass Andrej einen Flug zu Toulouse geplant hatte, der am Abend angekündigt wurde. Um 5 Uhr fuhren sie in den Hotel, in dem er geplant wurde, und setzten ihn unter Arrest. Andre seemed genuinely shocked.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He hoped that his son Nicholas could shed some further light on the situation, but the 11-year-old said there was nothing out of the ordinary about the way Kalinka had behaved on the night that she died. She didn't exhibit any of the major signs of heatstroke, such as dizziness, confusion, slurred speech or profuse sweating.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He denied having anything to do with Cronbach's abduction and claimed that he'd only travelled to Mulhouse because someone had informed him that Cronbach was there. However, a search of his hotel room turned up 19,000 euros in cash, leading investigators to suspect that he'd paid someone to carry out the attack on his behalf.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Investoren besuchten Kronbachs Zuhause in Scheidegg und fanden eine Utilitätskarte nahe der Szene. Darin stand die Adresse und Telefonnummer eines Menschen namens Anton Krasnici, einem Kosoven, der in der österreichischen Stadt von Brigantz lebte. Andrzej Bomberski hatte letztens Zeit in Brigantz verbracht, die nahe der deutschen Grenze war, nur 20 Kilometer von Dieter Kronbachs Zuhause.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Polizei schaute in Anton Krasnici ein und entdeckte, dass sein Bruder-in-Lau als deutscher Translator für Andrzej gearbeitet hat, als er die Worte über Kronbachs Verbrechen über Brigands sprach. Er wollte den Städtenköniginnen und Städten in Kronbach aufmerksam machen, falls er die Grenze überschritten hätte, wobei sein internationales Strafverfahren gefordert werden könnte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er hat Poster in Cafés, Bars und Restaurants gelegt, um Hilfe zu bekommen. At the police station in Mulhouse, Andrzej Bomberski admitted to knowing Anton Krasniqi, but he continued to deny having anything to do with the kidnapping plot. He said that Krasniqi had shown up at his hotel in Braganz and offered to help transport Dieter Kronbach to France.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Krasniqi said he wasn't interested in money, but just wanted to do what he believed to be the right thing. As a father himself, he felt compelled to help. Krasniqi explained that there were two Russian mobsters who would help him do the job for 2,000 euros apiece. He didn't provide any more details, simply telling Andrei, the less you know, the better.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Andrei told the police that he insisted on paying for any expenses involved, but asked no further questions. He claimed he didn't know when or how it was going to go down and that he only learned about it when Krasniqi called him from Mulhouse to let him know that it was over. Anton Krasniqi confirmed Andrzej's version of events.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Having served prison time before, he said he didn't care about the consequences. Appearing on My Daughter's Killer, Krasniqi said he was moved by the battle fought by Andrzej Bomberski. This is a father who never gave up, Krasniqi remarked. He knew where his daughter's killer was living and I had a plan to help him. Hands on. As a father, I was fascinated by the strength of this man.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
He's a really great dad. It moves you and you think if that happened to you, what would you do as a father? What are you capable of doing for your child? For their role in the violent kidnapping, Anton Krasniqi and one of his accomplices, Kaca Boblavani, were also arrested. Andrzej Bomberski was hit with various charges, including kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and complicity in causing violence.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Nikolas erinnerte sich nicht einmal an Kalinka und sagte, dass sie müde war. In Deutschland war es ein Protokoll, dass die Polizei bemerkt wurde und eine Autopsie durchgeführt wurde für jeden Tod, der nicht direkt zu natürlichen Gründen bezeichnet wurde. Zwei Tage nach Kalinkas Tod haben zwei Pathologen eine Autopsie auf das Kindeskörper gemacht.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Charges which came with the possibility of 15 years in prison. Andre's lawyer argued that his client had acted under moral duress, knowing that if he could just get Dieter Kronbach to France, then the legal saga regarding Kalinka would finally be over. Andre was free to go, but under judicial supervision awaiting trial.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
When he left the Mulhouse police station, several officers gathered in the lobby and gave him a standing ovation. As he waited for his day in court, he told the Guardian, If I should have to go to prison, I will go to prison. Most important is that Cronbach is judged, even if he is not found guilty. For me it was necessary to do justice. I think I will find some peace.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
This is my last fight and I shall dedicate it to the memory of my daughter." Er sagte La Depeche newspaper, I can now smile. After 27 years of fighting, I can finally say in my prayers to Kalinka that the promises I made her are beginning to be kept. The biggest part of my fight is finished.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
But I will not be completely at peace until Kronbach is in front of the court to answer for the death of my daughter. Dieter Kronbach hat sich von seinen Verletzungen im Krankenhaus unter Polizei-Vorsorge zurückgezogen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Egal, wie er in Frankreich endete, war die Anreizwahrnehmung für Kalinkas Verletzungen immer noch valid, und es wurde erklärt, dass Kronbach in Paris eine Re-Triale durchführen würde, diese Zeit mit sich selbst und seinem gelegentlichen Vorsitz, der notwendig war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Cronbachs Defense Team tried to have him repatriated to Germany or to have his trial heard by the European Court of Human Rights, but their requests were denied. They argued that the case should be thrown out entirely, as the rules of the European Union declared that an individual could not be tried twice for the same crime.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Cronbachs lawyer told reporters the whole situation was a farce, remarking, How can he be cleared in one EU country and then tried in another? And how can he face trial after being illegally kidnapped? With France refusing to release Dieter Krombach, the German Department of Justice issued an international arrest warrant for Andrzej Bomberski.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The French authorities refused to extradite him, which came as little surprise to those who had been following the case since the beginning. Viele waren sympathisch mit Andres Verbrechen und fühlten, dass er nicht verurteilt werden sollte, während andere gegen vigilante Gerechtigkeit und die extremen Verbrechen während des Verbrechens sprachen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Als es wurde erklärt, dass Andres ein Buch über den Fall veröffentlichen wollte und seine Herausforderung, für Kalinka Gerechtigkeit zu erreichen, zu versuchen, Krombachs Berufer versucht hatten, es unerlässlich aufzuhalten, indem sie sagten, dass es keine Art und Weise war, dass ihr Klient ein rechtliches Verbrechen bekommen könnte, wenn die Publikation weitergeht.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Cronbachs Lawyer blamed anti-German sentiment for the support Andrzej received, telling the BBC, "...the way this affair has been covered in France is shocking. Of course it is heartbreaking for Mr. Bomberski, but only one side of the story has been told." Natürlich protestiert Herr Kronbach seine Unwissenheit. Aber das ist nicht der Punkt. Mein Klient wurde in seinem eigenen Land verurteilt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er wurde dann verabschiedet und illegal in ein anderes europäisches Land genommen, wo er jetzt für Mord gesucht werden wird. Nur in Frankreich könnte das möglicherweise passieren.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Wegen der Sommerheizung war ihr Körper bereits in einem vorangegangenen Zustand der Decomposition, doch sie bemerkten Kalinkas gesamte gute Gesundheit und Hygiene. Eine Befassung von Kalinkas Luftflächen und Lungen zeigte die Präsenz von aspirierten Stomachkontakten, die bezeichnete, dass sie wahrscheinlich in ihrem Schlaf vomitete und dann zu Tod schlug.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Although the lack of physical evidence still meant Dieter Kronbach couldn't be charged for raping Kalinka, a pre-trial review of the evidence led a team of medical professors to determine that the injury to Kalinkas labia could only have happened while she was still alive. They could find no other explanation for the white substance found in her vagina other than semen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Mit advanced technology that didn't exist at the time of the crime, they analysed Kalinka's heart and lung tissue and discovered the presence of a benzodiazepine, a powerful sedative, that conclusively proved that Kalinka had been drugged on the night that she died. In the lead up to Cronbach's trial, several survivors of his sexual assault came forward from Germany willing to testify against him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Eine dieser Frauen war ein ehemaliger Patient von Cronbachs, der 1993 einen Part-Time-Job als Kleiner für seine medizinische Praxis gegeben hatte. Laut ihrer Bestätigung kam sie eines Tages zur Praxis um Mittagszeit, um niemanden dort zu finden, außer Dr. Cronbach.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Cronbach sagte, sie sei für ihre Ironinfusion gezwungen, und er hätte es vielleicht da und dann tun können, um sie später zurückzukriegen. The woman agreed, at which point Cronbach allegedly drugged and raped her. Knowing he had money and influence in town, the woman had been too afraid to report what he had done.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
But the most surprising witness was a woman named Isabel, who had been a patient of Dr. Cronbachs during the time he was married to Andres' ex-wife, Danielle. Isabel, die damals nur 16 Jahre alt war, sagte, dass sie ein Verhältnis mit Krombach begonnen hat, der um 20 Jahre alt war. According to Isabel, Krombach would drug an unsuspecting Danielle by slipping drops of sedatives into her drinks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Once she passed out upstairs, he would call Isabel over and the two would have sex in the downstairs living room. Bis zu diesem Punkt waren Danielle und Cronbach auf guten Terminen, nachdem sie sich in den letzten 1980ern verheiratet hatten. Sie hielten Kontakt, auch wenn Danielle zurück nach Toulouse ging und sie fortsetzte, seine Unwissenheit in Kalinkas Tod zu unterstützen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Wenn etwas war, fühlte sie, dass Andres Kampf gegen Cronbach nur die Aufgabe war, die beiden näher zusammenzubringen. Danielle hat sogar im Jahr 2010 bei einem Prüfungsgericht vorgeschlagen, Kronbachs guten Charakter zu beurteilen. Sie sagte dem Gericht, dass er niemanden verabschieden würde, weil er keine Probleme hatte, Frauen auf sich selbst zu verabschieden.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie erklärte, dass sie ihn nur verabschiedet hatte, weil er auf ihr verabschiedet war, und sie kam, um zu akzeptieren, dass es Teil seines Persönlichkeits war, sich an etwas zu verabschieden, das verboten wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Aber als die Geschichte von Isabelle vorgesehen wurde, hat ein französischer Gerichtsführer Danielle angeboten, eine zivilen Befragung gegen Kronbach zu verabschieden, damit sie mit der Gerichtspartei ankommen konnte und vollen Zugriff auf das Befragungsverfahren bekommen. Danielle hat diesen Vorschlag gefolgt und für das erste Mal gelernt, wie wahr die Befragungen gegen ihren Ex-Husband aussehen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Es war auch das erste Mal, dass sie die Berichte, die Cobalt-Felicid als gefährliches Drogen beschrieben, Cronbach hatte niemals von irgendwelchen Auswirkungen erwartet, obwohl sie es selbst, Kalinka und hunderten seiner Patienten regelmäßig administrierte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Die Pathologen bestätigten, dass Kalinka ca. 7-8 Stunden nach dem Abendessen gestorben wäre, die Todeszeit etwa zwischen 3 und 4 Uhr am Sonntag, Juli 10, 1982. Am selben Tag, als die Autopsie durchgeführt wurde, fragte ein Polizist Dr. Dieter Kronbach über die Events, die zu Kalinkas Tod führen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Außerdem war es nur durch das Lesen des Fallschirms, dass Danielle die Geschichte von Isabelle über Cronbachs Beziehung gehört hat, sodass sie nicht wusste, dass er Sex mit einem 16-Jährigen auf der Straße hatte. Danieles Welt kam schiefgelaufen. She thought back to the night of Kalinka's death and realized she'd slept very deeply.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
As she began to view everything through a different lens, she wondered whether Krombach could have drugged her then too. She later told the courts, When you've done it once, you can do it again. Dieter Kronbachs Trial was delayed multiple times as his legal team exhausted all possible avenues attempting to have the case thrown out.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
It was finally set to go ahead in late March 2011, almost a year and a half after the kidnapping and just shy of 29 years since Kalinka Bomberskis death. 75-year-old Kronbach tried one last time to have the case thrown out, telling the court... I did not kill Kalinka. I want to stress that I am not guilty, that I did not kill Kalinka and that I did not rape Kalinka.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The trial commenced, but five days in, Cronbachs lawyers announced that he'd suffered a heart attack and ordered that the trial be called off indefinitely. They accused the French legal system of contributing to the stress of the ailing man, who they said was still suffering from the injuries sustained during the kidnapping.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The trial was put on hold, but resumed again five months later in October 2011. Danielle listened in disgust as various witnesses testified to the sexual abuse they'd suffered at Krombachs Hand. She couldn't believe this was the same man she'd lived with and defended for so many years.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Now convinced he was lying about what happened to Kalinka on the night she died, Danielle told one journalist, I would have appreciated it if Dieter Kronbach had told me it was an accident, I panicked and I lied. I would have understood, I may have forgiven him, but now I can't forgive him. Ein Geschenk, das Kronbach ihr nach ihrer Verabschiedung gegeben hat, hat eine ganz neue Bedeutung erzeugt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Figuren der drei weisen Hunde symbolisieren den Proverb, seht kein Schicksal, hört kein Schicksal, sprecht kein Schicksal. Die Trial fuhr drei Wochen, bevor das Verdikt geliefert wurde. Just like the Paris Courts 16 years earlier, Dieter Krumbach was found guilty of willfully causing violence towards Kalinka that resulted in her unintentional death.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Again he was sentenced to 15 years in a French prison, a sentence that could now be enforced. Andrzej Bomberskis 30-Year-Crusade had finally come to an end. Außerhalb des Gerichts sagte er den Rednern, Natürlich ist mein erster Gedanke für Kalinka. Ich habe das, was ich versprochen habe, erreicht, eine komplette und faire Trial.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Gerechtigkeit wird in ihrer Erinnerung gemacht, und ich werde sie weinen können. Er besuchte die Zementerie kurz danach und setzte ein paar Blumen auf Kalinkas Grave, lautend zu sagen, Ich versprochen habe, dass ich dir Gerechtigkeit geben würde. Now you can rest in peace. But the saga still wasn't over for Andre.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Kronbach erklärte, dass sie, als Kalinka von Lake Constance nach Hause zurückkehrte, am Freitag nicht mehr viel Sonnenblut bekommen hatte. Bevor die Familie um 7.30 Uhr nach dem Abendessen saß, sagte Kronbach, dass er ihr eine Injektion von Kobalt für Lassit gegeben hat, ein Iron-Supplement, das er behauptete, sie leichter zu tanzen würde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Seven months later in May 2014, he faced his own trial in the Maloose Magistrates Court for the role he played in Krombachs Kidnapping. Bomberskis Arbeiter argumentierten, dass sein Klient nicht verurteilt werden sollte, um eine Entscheidung zu verurteilen, die bereits von der französischen Gerichtssitzung verabschiedet wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er sagte, er hat so gearbeitet, um seine Pflichten als Vater zu erfüllen. Er hat auch so gearbeitet, damit die Gerechtigkeit ihre Pflicht erfüllen konnte. Andrzej Bomberski wurde verurteilt für kriminelle Verschwörung und Komplizität in einem verbreiteten Angriff, aber wurde von der Abduktion nicht verurteilt.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er wurde in einem Jahr verabschiedet, während die Männer, die den Angriff verurteilt haben, Anton Krasniqi und Kaca Bablovani, in einem Jahr hinter den Bars verabschiedet waren. In der Zwischenzeit hat Dieter Kronbach die nächsten Jahre in medizinischen Gründen verabschiedet. He asked to be transferred to a nursing home, claiming he was suffering from life-threatening cardiovascular disease.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
His appeals were rejected until February 2020, when the courts agreed to suspend his sentence due to the state of his health. After serving just six of his 15-year sentence, 84-year-old Kronbach was returned to Germany, a decision that infuriated Andrzej Bomberski. But six months later, in September 2020, Dieter Kronbach passed away at the age of 85.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
According to an article written by Joshua Hammer for the Atavist magazine, German officials have long denied that anything was done to protect Dieter Kronbach. In Hammers opinion, quote,
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Was wahrscheinlich wahrer scheint, ist, dass die schmutzige Forensikarbeit, die bürokratische Inertie und auf einem gewissen Niveau ein Wunsch, die Räume gegen freie Interferenz in einer gesellschaftlichen Sache zu schließen, den Deutschen gezwungen haben, den Fall zu verteidigen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Andrej hat offensichtlich über die vermissten Gefühle, die er über seine Kampagne für die Gerechtigkeit für Kalinka hat, gesprochen. Er hat einer französischen Radio-Station erzählt, dass viele Menschen, sein Vater insbesondere, ihm immer gesagt haben, den Fall zu verlassen und ein normales Leben zu leben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Er hat erklärt, Opinionen sind über die Länge verbreitet, die André verursacht hat, um Krombachs Vergewaltigung zu retten. Some view him as a hero, while others argue that violence should never be condoned and it wasn't Andres' place to take the law into his own hands.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
His lawyer told the documentary My Daughter's Killer, Mr. Bomberski is a moral force, he isn't a vigilante, he isn't the master venger, but a warrior, a warrior monk. Andre isn't phased by public opinion. To him, all that matters is that he fulfilled his promise to his daughter.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
In 2022, the producers of My Daughter's Killer asked Andre what he would say to a father who found themselves in a similar situation. Andre responded, I would tell him, as it's been 39 years, don't waste your life. I fought like Don Quixote de la Marcha against windmills. I got justice for Kalinka. But honestly, these battles are extreme.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Dr. Kronbach erinnerte sich, dass Kalinka früh ins Bett ging, aber dann um 10.30 Uhr ein Glas Wasser bekommen musste. Um 12 Uhr bemerkte er, dass Kalinkas Bettlicht noch an. Er schaute rein und sah, dass sie im Bett lesen konnte. Kronbach fragte sie, das Licht aufzunehmen, bevor er sich selbst ins Bett ging.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Andre said he no longer trusted anyone, but remarked, I hope that Kalinka is in heaven and that she knows about everything I did for her. I think that she deserved it.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The next time he saw Kalinka was when he went into her room at around 9.30am, only to discover that she was unconscious in her bed. In a desperate attempt to revive her, Dr. Kronbach grabbed his doctor's kit and injected her with a narcotic as well as a neurotransmitter.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Realizing it was hopeless and that she was already dead, he phoned emergency services who came to the house and removed Kalinkas' body. Sie bemerkten keine Zeichen von Gewalt, außer von den Injektionsmarken auf ihrer Thorax und rechten Arm. Ein lokaler Prosecutor hat den Fall überprüft und beurteilt, dass kein Foulplay geschehen sei.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie haben die Fälle von Kolinka Bomberski geschlossen, leaving her family to grieve as they came to terms with this unforeseen tragedy. Back in France, Andrzej Bomberski tried to accept that his daughter was gone, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
At Kalinka's funeral, he'd overheard whispers that she had died as a result of the iron injection that Dieter Krombach had given to help her tan. This was the first Andrzej had heard about any such injection. His ex-wife Danielle had made no mention of it.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Danielle hatte auch versprochen, André eine Kopie des Autopsie-Reports zu senden, aber eine Woche passierte, und dann eine andere, und immer noch gab es kein Zeichen davon. André rief Danielle an und fragte, was da los war. Es war eine schwierige Situation zu navigieren, da das Paar bereits eine komplexe Geschichte zwischen ihnen hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
The two had met in the Moroccan city of Casablanca in the early 1960s, where Andre was overseeing a large accounting company that specialized in international taxation. They got married and had Kalinka shortly after, followed by Nicholas a few years after that. Life was good for the family of four. That was until Dieter Kronbach came along.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Damals arbeitete Kronbach als Doktor für den deutschen Konsulat in Casablanca und lebte nur ein paar Türen entfernt von den Bomberskys. Mit zwei jungen Kindern, die an der gleichen internationalen Schule als Kalinka und Nicolas, verheiratet waren, schlugen die beiden Familien ab und zu. Aber über die Zeit bemerkte André, dass Dr. Kronbach, wo auch immer sie gingen,
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
When the Bomberski family had a serious car accident in 1974, he was the first person to arrive on the scene. Andre started to suspect that something was going on between his wife and Dr. Kronbach. Eventually, Daniel admitted that the two were having an affair. Andre confronted Dr. Kronbach, who refused to end the relationship with Daniel.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Desperate to save his marriage, André moved his family back to France. As he and Danielle worked to mend things between them, Danielle got a job in real estate that required her to travel frequently to the city of Nice, which was on the other side of the country. She decided it was easiest if she rented an apartment there during the week and then returned home on the weekends.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
André was a little suspicious of this. One day he followed Danielle as she left for work and found that she drove straight to a nearby apartment. It turned out that Dr Dieter Kronbach had moved to France so he could continue his affair with Danielle. Andre filed for divorce and Danielle married Kronbach shortly after.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. 1982 war ein guter Jahr für Andrzej Bomberski.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Things had been bitter between the exes ever since, with Kalinka's death marking yet another source of contention. When Andre called Danielle demanding to know what was going on with their daughter's autopsy, Danielle thought he was overreacting. She encouraged Andre to make peace with the tragedy as best as he could by accepting that Kalinkas time had simply come.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
But Andre wasn't ready to let it go. After numerous requests, three months after Kalinka's death, he finally got his hands on her autopsy findings. The 16-page report was written in German, so he immediately had it translated into French. When Andre finally sat down to read the findings, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Das erste, was André bemerkte, war, dass die Pathologen beschlossen hatten, dass die exacte Ursache für Kalinkas Tod nicht beurteilt werden konnte. Während sie auf ihrem eigenen Schmerz gezwungen war, wussten sie nicht, was sie in erster Linie verursacht hat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Sie haben die Multiple Injection Sites auf Kalinkas Körper studiert und obwohl sie kein Zeichen des Verbrechens gefunden haben, bemerkten sie es als seltsam, dass Dr. Cronbach mit verschiedenen Injectionen Kalinka überleben wollte. Ihr Körper war bereits in einem klaren Rheumatismus, als diese Drogen verabschiedet wurden, was bedeutet, dass sie bereits tot war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Als medizinischer Arzt sollte es für Krombach offensichtlich gewesen sein, dass jede Versuchung, sie zu ressuscitieren, fädelisch sein würde. Leider bemerkten die Pathologen die Präsenz von frischem Blut rund um Kalinkas Genitalien, sowie eine superficielle Zerrung in ihren Blüten und eine weiße Substanz in ihrer Vagina.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Yet, they hadn't conducted any tests to identify what the substance was, nor had they done any analysis to determine whether sexual intercourse had taken place before Kalinka's death. In fact, they hadn't conducted any toxicology tests at all, seemingly taking Dr. Kronbach's word for the various medications she'd been given. Andre was gobsmacked.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
In his view, it didn't sound like Kalinka had died of natural causes at all. It sounded like she'd been drugged, raped and possibly murdered. If this was true, there was only one person who could be responsible. The last person to have seen her alive. Dr. Dieter Krombach. In the autopsy report, Dr. Krombach was quoted making medical observations.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
To Andrej, it seemed as though he was there during the examination, which went entirely against protocol as family members were not allowed to be present. In Andrejs view, it sounded like Krombach was providing his version of events and the pathologists were simply writing their report to suit.
Casefile True Crime
Case 310: Kalinka Bamberski
Krombach war ein guter und verehrter Arzt in Lindau und Andrzej befürchtete, dass dies erklären könnte, warum weiteres Testen nicht gemacht wurde und warum die Pathologen die schrecklichen Fortschritte überprüfen wollten. Er wusste, dass dies große Angelegenheiten waren, aber für seine Tochter war es ein Risiko, den er bereit war, zu nehmen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
George and Hedley searched the apartment. Alex's pillow was drenched with blood and her purse was missing. She told George and Hedley that there had been six pounds inside the purse, but she struggled to answer other questions. When asked about the previous night, Alex said she'd woken up at 3.30am then fallen back asleep. She couldn't recall anything else.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
George and Hedley couldn't see any sign of forced entry, but it was clear their friend had been attacked and robbed. They arranged to take Alex to the doctor. An examination revealed she also sustained a small fracture to the back of her skull. That plus the injury above her eye indicated she'd been hit twice.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The attack left Alex with the severe epilepsy that she would need to treat with medication for the rest of her life. She was unable to continue her studies or achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. Alex's uncle was a special investigator in the police's criminal investigation branch and the attack against his niece was taken very seriously.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Officers searched the apartment but found no fingerprints. A poker was missing from the fireplace, which they speculated could have been used to inflict Alex's injuries. They took note that the kitchen window was the only point of entry for an intruder. Yet, with no evidence leading to a specific person, there was little they could do.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Four months later residents of Perth were preparing for another sun-soaked summer. One week before Christmas on Saturday December 19, 22-year-old Gillian Brewer invited her fiancé over to her home in Brookwood Flats, a two-storey red brick apartment complex in the beachside suburb of Cottesloe.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Gillian was well known in Perth as a socialite and an heiress whose great-grandfather had founded the chocolate company McRobertson's Confectionery. After growing up in Melbourne and beginning a career in interior design, Gillian had flown west to Perth at the age of 21.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
She was happy in her new city, settling into an apartment next door to her mother's and living with her small French poodle Dior for company. Gillian would be getting married in two months' time to her 31-year-old fiancé Andrew, not his real name. Andrew and Jillian spent that Saturday together before returning to her apartment for the evening.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
During the late 1950s, the city was home to about 388,000 people, but was rapidly growing due to a baby boom and post-World War II migration. Even as the city expanded and swelled, a sense of innocence remained. Nights were quieter. Strict licensing laws meant that pubs closed by 9pm.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Jillian's flat was on the ground floor and at the back of the complex. Andrew went home at around midnight, with the plan to play golf with Jillian the next day. At 9am, Andrew went to pick Jillian up and found her front door locked. This was unusual as she mostly kept it open when she was up. Andrew could see Jillian's poodle Dior jumping up and down frantically at the bedroom window.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Andrew had a key to Jillian's apartment in his car, so he went back to get it and then let himself in. The kitchen window was open and a breeze had blown some Christmas cards Jillian had out on display onto the floor. Unusually, the door to Jillian's bedroom was closed. Andrew had never seen it shut before.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
He opened the door and saw Jillian lying in bed, a sheet pulled all the way up to her chin and a pillow lying on her chest. Her face was covered in blood, as was the sheet and the wall behind her. Andrew raced next door to Jillian's mother's apartment and called for a doctor. Upon arriving at the scene, the doctor in turn phoned the police.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
After removing the sheet, officers saw the extent of Jillian's injuries. She was naked and had wounds all over her body that had been inflicted with a hatchet. Her breasts, head and genitals had all been struck. Using the flat side of the hatchet, the killer had also hit Gillian's stomach, thighs, face and throat. This final blow had been hard enough to sever her windpipe.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Then the killer had used a pair of scissors that belonged to Gillian to stab her five times. An autopsy would later reveal that Jillian had likely remained alive for two to three hours after the attack, with the coroner stating it was the worst murder he had ever seen. The killer covered her with a sheet and wiped the scissors clean before returning them to their usual spot.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Music
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Blood was later found on the inner blades of the scissors, indicating they had been closed when the killer wiped them down. He had taken the hatchet with him and tossed it over the back fence. Police found it lying on the ground on the other side, still covered with the Gillian's blood. The killer had been so forceful when using it that the wooden handle was split near the head.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The hatchet was found to have been stolen from a home in the street behind Gillian's. There were no clues as to the killer's identity. He hadn't left any fingerprints and there was no sign of forced entry at Jillian's apartment. Both the front and back doors were locked.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
None of Jillian's neighbours had seen anything untoward, though a mother and daughter who lived nearby reported hearing Jillian's dog bark at around 1am. The barking abruptly stopped as though someone had reprimanded the animal. In the days that followed, Jillian's murder dominated newspaper headlines. As well as the horror of the crime itself, there was the fact that police didn't have a suspect.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
No one in Jillian's life was thought to be responsible. Her purse was missing from the apartment, indicating her killer had stolen it. The pathologist who observed Jillian and Penina's bodies noted the similarities between their injuries. Both had been stabbed multiple times while asleep in bed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Dance halls and concerts were a favourite weekend pastime for the city's youth, but they too were governed by restrictions that typically saw the entertainment wind down before midnight. Homes were kept unlocked with windows open even at night, drivers parked their cars with the keys in the ignition, and residents were never more than a couple of degrees of separation from one another.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
A journalist at the tabloid The Daily News also compared the crimes, pointing out the striking similarities between the women's living circumstances, their missing purses, and how their killers hadn't left a trace. But investigators firmly believed Penina had been killed by her boyfriend and that Jillian was attacked by a stranger.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Police looked into known sex offenders in the area as the injuries to Jillian's breasts and groin appeared to indicate a sexual motivation. It would turn out that over the past 11 months there had been 8 reports of a prowler lurking around the Brookwood flat. Someone had broken into apartments there and taken money, alcohol, and keys. One time a car was stolen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
A number of these reports were made by Jillian's mother, Betty, who lived in the flat next door to her daughter. Her first report came just three weeks after Penina Berkman's murder in January at the start of the year. If the murder of Penina Berkman shocked Perth months earlier, this second slaying left it reeling.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Not only was it another brutal killing in a city that saw few crimes of that nature, but Gillian Brewer's wealth and social status elevated the public's horror to new heights. Gillian had lived in Cottesloe, one of the affluent western suburbs that felt cushioned from Penina's murder. Residents who also lived in Perth's comfortable western enclave could relate to Gillian.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
She was one of us, a community member later told filmmakers of the 2020 documentary series After the Night. As well as dominating the news cycle, Gillian's murder became the focus of many local conversations. The Brookwood flats where she'd lived and died were now a public spectacle, with parents driving their children past the building so they could stare at it through the car windows.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Even through their fear and anxiety, most Perth residents felt assured that police would soon catch the person responsible. They trusted law enforcement to complete a thorough investigation and keep the public safe. Despite their faith, weeks and then months passed with no arrest in the case. 1960 dawned and Perth welcomed another new year.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The city had continued to grow, both in size and population. Also on the increase was the number of break-ins and prowler encounters being reported to the police. Sometimes cars were stolen from driveways and garages. These were later found either abandoned somewhere else in the city or returned with a slightly emptier petrol tank.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Neighbourhoods all over Perth were being targeted, from south of the river suburbs like Como and South Perth, to those just north and west of the city. These crimes continued over the following years. Sometimes the same target was hit twice. In March 1961, a tin of silver coins was stolen from a residence in Swanbourne, close to Cottesloe Beach.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
However, this sense of security and safety that residents took for granted would be shaken and then irrevocably damaged as the city entered the 1960s. Under the cover of darkness, Perth was terrorised by an elusive figure, someone who would eventually be dubbed the Nightcaller. Towards the end of the 1950s, households throughout Perth experienced an uptick in burglaries.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Two weeks later, a 24-year-old woman inside the same home was attacked by an intruder after she heard him break in. As she tried to phone for help, the intruder grabbed her by the throat and wrestled her to the floor. She briefly lost consciousness, then came to and managed to kick the man in the groin. He fled out the back door and the woman ran to the window to watch him go.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Under the sharp glow of the streetlights, she saw that he was white, between 5 foot 6 and 5 foot 8, and well built. His face was broad and clean-shaven, and he had dark, wavy hair. On another occasion in 1962, a woman was cleaning up after a party her teenaged daughter had held at their Cottesloe home. As she did so, she noticed a man outside the house, watching her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
he was lurking behind a bush wearing a large brimmed hat. The woman told her husband who chased after the man, but lost him in the darkness. On Saturday March 3 1962, a 23-year-old named Anne Melvin was feeling nervous. She'd moved out of her childhood home just a few weeks earlier and was now sharing a flat with her sister in the western suburb of Crawley.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Anne's sister was out that night and it would be the first time Anne had stayed in the flat alone. She made herself a snack and was having a coffee when she heard a noise on the porch outside. Anne paused and listened carefully. When she didn't hear anything else, she told herself it must have been a cat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Anne went to bed and slept peacefully for a little while before she suddenly started having an awful nightmare. In the dream, she was suffocating. Anne forced herself awake only to realise that she wasn't just dreaming. A piece of toweling was wrapped tightly around her neck and
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Her left arm had been tied to the bedhead with a stocking, and most terrifying of all, there was a man standing next to her bed removing his belt. Anne sat up, tore desperately at the toweling at her neck, and began to scream. At the sound of her yells, the man ran out of the room. Anne managed to free her arm and took off after him, screaming that she was going to kill him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
In her terror and confusion, she had forgotten that her sister was away for the evening and when Anne saw her empty bed, she believed the intruder must have kidnapped her. The man got away but Anne's screams attracted the attention of some nearby neighbours who found her on her balcony with blood dribbling from her mouth. One of the neighbours comforted Anne while the other called the police.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
A detective who soon arrived was shocked to see Anne's appearance. She looked as though she was almost dead, with bloodshot eyes and raw red markings on her neck and wrist. Anne moved back in with her parents after the attack and would only leave the house to go to church. Terrified her attacker would track her down, she eventually left Australia altogether.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
A few days after the attack against Ann Melvin, the couple who had come to her rescue woke to find their car covered in pairs of women's underpants. They had been twisted around door handles, tucked under the windscreen wipers and stuck into any available gaps. The couple notified the police who attended the property and found footprints in the garden beds. Some of the plants were trampled.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
It appeared as though someone had been lurking in the area, looking through the windows. In the months that followed, there were more reports of a prowler around Perth. On one occasion on Saturday December 29 1962, a woman in Cottesloe woke to find a man in her room. He'd wrapped a handkerchief around his face as a disguise and was shining a torch in her eyes.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The man punched her face before fleeing. Later that same night, another young woman in Cottesloe was woken by the same prowler. In addition to the handkerchief, he wore a hat and had leather gloves on his hands as well as what looked like a knuckle duster. He hit her over the head with the torch before punching above her eye. The woman screamed, which woke her parents as well as some neighbours.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
By the time her parents reached her bedroom, the attacker had fled. It would later turn out that he had stolen cash from the young woman's purse. An internal police report on this latter attack noticed that over the past six months there had been a pattern of break and enters at homes in the area. Whoever was behind the break-ins was entering via unlocked doors and open windows.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The offender would steal cash and his crimes appeared to be escalating. Of late, these reports have become more frequent and some concern is being felt for the safety of women who are being disturbed by the offender after he has entered the premises and stolen what money he can find. One witness who saw the offender fleeing described him as being aged between 30 and 40 with a tan complexion.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
His height was short at around 5 foot 9 and he had a thin to medium build. The offender wore a suit as well as a black felt hat with a wide brim and close-fitting white gloves. Sometimes his face was masked. He never left fingerprints behind and he never spoke.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The report was distributed to police patrols who were asked to be aware of the situation and told it was crucial that the offender be apprehended before his crimes escalated further. Perth's police had no idea just how far his crimes had already gone. In early 1963 Perth was experiencing another hot summer.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
On Friday February 15, in the inner-city suburb of West Perth, two young women were busy polishing the floors of a flat they'd recently rented together. 24-year-old Constance Madrill, who went by her middle name Lucy, was a government-employed social worker. Her housemate Jennifer Hurst worked as a schoolteacher.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The two friends were happy with their new home, a two-bedroom flat inside a large house that had been converted into two apartments. Although the area had had issues with prowlers and break-ins, the property was situated on a busy road which made them feel safe. Plus, a family of three rented the other flat, so there was always someone nearby.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Lucy felt secure enough there that she kept the back door propped open at all times so that her Siamese cat could come and go. After the two women finished polishing the floors, they each retired to separate rooms to read for the rest of the night. Between 11 and 11.30pm, Lucy stopped by Jennifer's bedroom to say goodnight, now wearing a short blue nightie.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
She then headed to her own room at the other end of the flat, near the back door. At around 1.30am, Jennifer got up to go to the toilet, which was at the rear of the property. On her way back to bed, she looked in on Lucy's room. Lucy was asleep on her bed, having pulled aside the top sheet and blanket due to the warm night.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Jennifer returned to her room and wasn't disturbed for the rest of the night. Across a lane at the rear of Lucy and Jennifer's flat was a house with a large lawn out the back. At 6am the morning of Saturday February 16, one of the house's residents got up with her young son and the two went to use the outhouse that sat at the back of the property.
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Residents would return home from being away or wake in the morning to find that someone had been in their house overnight. cash that had been left lying around or stashed inside wallets and purses was missing. It could range from a few shillings to pound notes, as Australia was using the pound currency at the time.
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Their attention was drawn to a strange bundle that appeared to be lying on the ground near a hills hoist washing line. The woman walked closer and realised that she was looking at the naked body of a young woman. The body belonged to 24-year-old Lucy Madrill. An empty whiskey bottle was tucked into the crook of her right arm.
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Police found out that the couple who lived at the house had sat outside the previous night drinking the whiskey together. When they retired to bed at around midnight, one of them had tossed the empty bottle onto the lawn. Lucy's killer had seemingly found it while dumping her body and used it to penetrate her before posing it under her arm. Lucy's blue nightie lay alongside her.
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There was a blue bruise across her neck and she had been strangled with a ligature such as a cord. The killer had raped Lucy post-mortem. The killer had initially dragged Lucy from her home with her heels trailing along the ground before reversing his approach and pulling her across the lawn by her legs. Lucy's bedroom hadn't been ransacked.
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Her clothes from the day before were lying on the floor near a wall, likely where she'd left them after undressing. Her sheet and blanket were turned back and a dressing gown lay across the foot of her bed. Detectives identified what had likely been the murder weapon. A piece of flex had been torn from a reading lamp in another room. One pound had been stolen from a purse.
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The murder of Lucy Madrill called to mind the murders of Penina Berkman and Gillian Brewer several years earlier. Although those cases involved stabbing, not strangulation, there was a familiar element in that all involved a young woman brutalised in her own home and left in a state of undress.
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Lucy's case was almost more shocking due to the horrific way that her body had been violated than posed out in the open. Over the past five years, the increase in break-ins and attacks against women at home had made Perth residents far more vigilant about locking doors than they ever had before. The murder of Lucy Madrill amplified their wariness.
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Yet reports continued to trickle through about night-time break-ins and prowling incidents across the city. In suburbs throughout the north, south and west of Perth, residents found they were missing cash. Typically, the burglaries weren't discovered until the thief was long gone, but sometimes he was caught in the act.
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On one occasion, a couple kissing goodnight in Como spotted a man hiding in the bushes watching them. Another time at a house in Applecross, a little girl went into her kitchen and spotted the silhouette of a man. "'Is that you, Daddy?' she asked as he darted out the back door. In one encounter, a man came across the prowler in his home.
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Sometimes money was even missing from hiding places such as drawers or inside an ornamental vase. Small objects of varying value were also pocketed. Watches, pens, jewellery and even a torch were taken. More disturbingly, women had their underwear stolen.
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He begged the homeowner to let him go, claiming he was only there because he was unemployed and desperate to feed his children." Taking pity on who he thought was a desperate burglar, the man gave him some food and let him leave. One afternoon at 5pm, a woman named Phyllis was in her South Perth kitchen preparing dinner when a strange man walked in.
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He had dark hair underneath his brimmed hat, was short, and carried a leather suitcase. The man's most notable feature was his cleft lip and palate, a relatively common birth defect in which there is a split in an individual's upper lip. As the man calmly strolled in, he turned and looked blankly at one of Phyllis' sons who was playing nearby.
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Then he put his bag down and started questioning Phyllis, first asking if her husband was home. Phyllis said yes, he was sitting in the lounge room. The man asked how many children the couple had, how old they were, and which schools they attended. Phyllis was terrified, but something told her that the best way to handle the situation was by remaining calm and unfazed.
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She politely answered his questions. When she finished, the man picked up his bag again, turned and walked out of the house. Phyllis rushed to her husband to tell him what had happened and the couple ran to a window. The man was outside, casually walking down the street and disappearing around the corner like nothing unusual had happened.
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Halfway through the year, on Saturday June 15 1963, 20-year-old Carmel Reid was going to a party. Carmel did clerical and statistical work at the University of Western Australia and didn't have many late nights out. But tonight was a special occasion. It was the 21st birthday of one of her closest friends.
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Carmel had a fun night and was driven home at 2.20am by her friend's fiancé, who made sure she got into her home safely. Carmel had moved into her flat in Netherlands just one month earlier and was living there with two other young women.
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One of them, who Carmel shared a room with, was staying with her boyfriend that night, while the other housemate was already fast asleep by the time Carmel got home. Carmel got ready for bed and checked all of the windows and doors were locked. There was just one window she didn't check. It was a small ventilator window located about five feet up the lounge room wall.
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As it only measured two feet by one and a half feet, Carmel figured it was safe to leave slightly open. She climbed into bed at 2.45pm. Two hours later, she was abruptly awoken by a rustling sound coming from the dining room. Carmel's heart started to pound and she called out, Is anyone there? No reply came and the noise stopped. Carmel sat up in bed, listening carefully.
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Police reports were typically filed when the crimes were discovered, but officers were left stumped by the lack of fingerprints at any of the crime scenes. Other times, residents were entirely unaware that they'd had an intruder at all. Sometimes, so little of importance was taken that it was never missed or was assumed to have been misplaced.
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Then she saw the figure of a man appear in her doorway. He shone a bright torch into her eyes, blinding her as he walked into the room. Carmel hid under her bedsheets and screamed. In response, the man stabbed at her chest with a sharp object. Carmel's chest seared with pain and she rolled away to escape the barrage. She realised she needed to try to escape.
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Carmel flung off her sheet and blanket, hoping to hit the man with them, then leapt out of bed and bolted for the door. It was dark and she couldn't see anything. Suddenly she felt a sharp, stinging sensation in her face. The man had hit her. Then he fled from the flat, dropping the object he'd stabbed Carmel with as he went.
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It was an umbrella he'd found in her room, and he'd used it's still point to jab at her. Screaming, Carmel ran to her housemate's room and found her cowering in bed, having overheard the attack. Neighbours who heard the commotion called the police. Officers quickly descended on the flat, but recovered nothing belonging to the intruder, not even any fingerprints.
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The only thing taken from the property was a purse that contained 15 shillings. It would turn out that one of the extra police cars patrolling the area due to the frequency of these attacks had passed by Carmel's apartment building just minutes before the assault. The Prowler break-ins weren't the only reason for police issuing additional patrols throughout the relatively small city.
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There had been a number of other crimes that had warranted the extra manpower, but no one in law enforcement realised that they were actually all connected. Almost five years earlier, on the night of Friday September 12 1958, a woman named Nell Schneider had been riding her bike home in the southern suburb of Bentley, about eight kilometres from Perth's CBD.
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When she was just a few hundred metres from her home, a car suddenly sped up behind her and slammed into her bicycle. The bike became stuck to the car's grille as Nell was thrown up in the air. She slammed down on the road head first. As quickly as it had arrived, the car sped away, disappearing into the night. Nell was left lying on the bitumen, unconscious, in a pool of blood.
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She was found by a passing motorist about 45 minutes later and remained in a coma for two weeks. Although she eventually recovered, Nell was diagnosed with chronic post-traumatic temporal lobe epilepsy, which led to her experiencing blackouts and seizures on occasion. The car used in the attack was identified as a Ford Consul which had been stolen that same night from a home in Victoria Park.
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It was found abandoned about half a mile from where Nell was struck. No fingerprints were recovered from the vehicle. Police attributed the theft of the car to joyriders and concluded that they had most likely hit Nell by accident while speeding, then fled in panic. The incident featured in some newspaper headlines and officers began an intensive search for the culprits.
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These seemed like the crimes of an opportunistic offender seeking financial gain, taking advantage of the lax security measures in place. During this time, there were also sightings and reports of a prowler in central and southern Perth. A man was spotted lurking in the bushes, peeping in windows and loitering outside of apartment blocks.
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The investigations continued for some time, but with nothing more to go on, they made no progress. What the police didn't know was that the man who would later be dubbed the Nightcaller had abruptly started committing a new kind of attack. He'd been breaking into residences and prowling for years, but this was his first violent assault against a stranger.
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Three and a half months later, on Saturday December 27, a woman named Kathy Bellis was walking home from a bus stop late at night after working a shift as a waitress. Kathy lived in Belmont, then a new suburb in the city's east. There were no streetlights there in 1958, so Kathy pulled out a small torch she kept for occasions when she had to walk their suburbs' unlit streets at night.
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Shining it in front of her, she began to make her way home. It was only two blocks, but Kathy's surroundings were pitch black and very isolated. The street she walked along had no houses, just paddocks and bushland flanking the bitumen road that had only been recently built. Suddenly, a car sped up behind Kathy, engine revving.
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It veered straight towards her, striking Kathy hard and throwing her 60 feet across an intersection and into a neighbouring paddock. As Kathy lay in the soft ground of the paddock, she drifted in and out of consciousness. Her pelvis and one of her legs seared with pain. Then she saw the face of a man looming above her.
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Realising it was the car's driver, but unsure whether or not she was hallucinating, she begged, ''Don't leave me or I'll die.'' The man laughed, then ran back to his car and sped away. Cathy was discovered by a couple who'd heard her anguished cries and was rushed to the hospital.
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She had suffered a broken pelvis, two breaks in her leg, a shattered knee, a fracture to the base of her spine and another fracture at the top of her skull. Over the next year, Kathy had to undergo multiple surgeries and treatments. She would never be able to run again.
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The car that had struck her turned out to be a ute that was stolen the previous night from the suburb of Como, nine kilometres southwest of Belmont. It was subsequently dumped about five kilometres away from the crime scene.
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More than a year went by with no more mysterious hidden runs, but plenty of other seemingly unrelated crimes were committed during that time, including the murders of Penina Berkman and Jillian Brewer. Then, almost four months after Jillian's murder, the hidden runs started again. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. On Saturday April 9 1960, a 20-year-old named Glenys Peake walked home from a night out at a dance. An almost full moon illuminated the night sky as Glennis walked alone in the suburb of Bayswater, six kilometres northeast of Perth's CBD.
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Sometimes his footprints were discovered in garden beds the following morning. Occasionally, women's nightgowns and underwear left hanging on washing lines were found cut and slashed. No one could know that a single person was behind all of these crimes, which were typically written off as minor offences. There was seemingly nothing violent about them, but that would soon change.
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Glennis kept to the right side of the road so she would be facing any oncoming traffic. It was after midnight and the streets were quiet. This area of Perth was sparsely populated with few houses and residents. Shortly into her walk, the headlights of a car appeared behind her. As it passed, Glennis took note of the make, a Holden sedan with a short-looking man behind the wheel.
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The car kept driving and made a right turn further up the road, vanishing into the darkness. Glennis kept walking. When she reached the street the car had turned into, she noticed that the Holden was parked there with the driver still inside, facing her. Glenys was mildly puzzled by this.
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As it happened, she had to go down the same street as the car to get home, only she was headed in the opposite direction. Glenys turned left onto the side street. She was just one block from her home. She walked in the middle of the street in order to see better, as the moon was no longer providing enough light and the bitumen was riddled with potholes.
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All of a sudden, Glennis heard the roar of an engine as a car drove up behind her. It was the same Holden as before and it had veered into the wrong side of the road in order to head straight towards her. Glenys tried to jump out of the way, but the car hit her left hip as the driver struck Glenys from an angle so as to avoid a nearby tree.
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She was tossed over the bonnet, cutting her face open on one of the windscreen wipers in the process. Glenys landed in some gravel and a broken glass by the side of the road. She lay there, shocked but conscious, as the car drove away. She knew the driver had run her down deliberately. Terrified he'd come back to finish the job, she scrambled to her feet and stumbled home.
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Glennis was rushed to hospital where an assessment revealed that she hadn't broken any bones but she had a number of wounds that required stitches. Police officers paid a visit to the scene of the hit and run. Although Glenys had said she'd left her handbag lying there, it was missing. About a hundred metres from there was a clearly abandoned car.
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It was a Holden sedan with the keys in the ignition. It had been stolen from the garage of a used car salesman who'd taken the Holden home from the dealership for the weekend. The attacker's fingerprints were nowhere to be found.
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Just after 11pm on Friday May 13, one month after Glennis Peak's hit and run, 18-year-old Jill Connell was walking home from a bus stop in Belmont when she was deliberately run down by a driver in a green Morris Minor sedan. After being thrown onto the bonnet, Jill fell to the ground, sobbing. Meanwhile, the Morris Minor had gotten stuck in some sand that bordered the road.
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The driver jumped out and ran away, laughing. It was an hour before Jill was found lying unconscious and bleeding behind the abandoned vehicle. She later underwent emergency surgery. The green Morris Minor had been reported stolen from a home in the South Perth suburb of Como two hours earlier. The prints of the car thief weren't found anywhere on or in the vehicle.
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Exactly one week after the attack on Jewel Connell, an 18-year-old named Georgina Pittman spent a fun night out dancing. She caught the 11.35pm train home where she struck up a conversation with 16-year-old Maureen Rogers and her 12-year-old cousin Therese Zagami, who had just attended a concert.
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It was raining heavily when they disembarked at Queen's Park Station in South Perth and there were no taxis waiting at the cab rank outside. The only car in the vicinity was an expensive-looking new Chrysler Royal which was white with a red stripe and had Victorian licence plates. A man sat behind the wheel, wearing a brimmed hat. The three girls decided to walk home.
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The McLeod family lived in the riverside suburb of Applecross, close to Perth's CBD and just across the Swan River. In the early hours of Wednesday November 26 1958, Lucy and Earn McLeod were woken by a strange commotion in their bedroom. Their daughter, 15-year-old Molly, was wandering around the room, tripping over her own feet and retching as though she was going to vomit.
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Maureen and Georgina huddled together under Maureen's umbrella, while Teresa walked slightly ahead under her own umbrella. They were making their way up a George Street, an isolated road bordered by large paddocks, a few houses, and a poultry farm. Suddenly, a car zoomed past them at high speed. Gee, this guy's an idiot, Maureen said.
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It was the same Chrysler that had been parked at the train station. The driver then did a U-turn and sped back past the girls in the other direction before pulling into a side street behind them. The three girls kept walking. It was quiet and dark as they reached an area of the road where there were no houses, only empty paddocks on either side.
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The still night air was abruptly broken by a roaring sound. Georgina turned around and saw headlights approaching. It was the Chrysler, veering across the road towards them. Twelve-year-old Therese, who was walking right at the road's edge, also spun around. Look out, she cried, before jumping out of the car's path.
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It barely missed her, and Therese felt a gust of wind hit her as the vehicle passed. Then it struck Georgina and Maureen head on. Georgina was thrown into the ditch that ran alongside the road. Maureen bore the brunt of the impact as the vehicle hit her left leg and broke both of its major bones. The force of the hit had also broken the car's radiator grille.
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Maureen was tossed onto the bonnet and stayed there, bleeding profusely as the driver continued to speed ahead. He made a sharp turn as they reached an intersection about 100 metres up the road and Maureen finally fell from the bonnet onto the ground. Georgina Pittman was in a daze down the road looking for her shoes. She had no idea what had happened.
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She only knew that her feet were bare for some reason. Georgina didn't realise that her dress was also torn and she'd sustained deep cuts to her head and back which were now bleeding. Mum, mum, Georgina desperately called as she walked in circles. Therese Zagami had escaped injury but was terrified that the driver would return.
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She began running towards home, which was up ahead in the direction they'd been walking. Therese stayed low and away from the road to hide from their attacker. As she reached the top of the hill, she came across her cousin Maureen lying bleeding in the middle of the road. Therese ran over to her, asking, Maureen, are you alright? There was no answer.
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Realising her cousin must be dead, Therese's fear intensified and she kept running towards home, which was only about another hundred metres away. Therese's parents were out, but her aunt lived next door. Therese banged on her front door, screaming. It was deliberate. It was deliberate.
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Just as Therese was raising the alarm, two patrol officers passing through the area stumbled across Maureen's body. She still had a pulse. They soon found Georgina as well. The girls were rushed to hospital. Maureen needed emergency surgery on her left leg. Her left cheekbone was also fractured and she was entirely covered in bruises.
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Georgina had a concussion and several deep gashes that needed stitches. All three girls were left with severe mental and emotional trauma. At the scene of the crime, police recovered a small piece of the car's radiator grille that had been broken during the hit and run. The Chrysler itself was found just before 7 the following morning of Saturday May 21 2021.
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It had been dumped near a railway line in the suburb of East Victoria Park, about five kilometres away. There was damage to the top and left side of the bonnet, and the broken radiator grille matched the piece found at the scene. The Chrysler had been stolen from a 60-year-old man who had driven from Melbourne to Perth to visit his adult son and his family.
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Molly rambled incoherently, clearly trying to tell her parents something, but she couldn't form the words to speak. Terrified, Lucy rushed to her child, who had been fine when she'd gone to bed the previous evening. Lucy and Earn repeatedly asked Molly what had happened, begging her to explain what was wrong. Molly was unable to answer and soon lost consciousness.
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The family had discovered the theft the previous night and immediately reported it to the police. No fingerprints belonging to the thief were found on either the interior or exterior of the vehicle. Meanwhile, both the police and Perth's media were starting to notice the pattern of deliberate hit and runs over the past month and a half.
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A number of detectives and traffic police were assigned to the case, with a growing theory emerging that one man could be behind all of the crimes. Articles about the latest incident ran on the front page of the weekend papers, with one headline asking, Is a hit run maniac on the loose? The story read in part, quote,
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Three girls were apparently deliberately run down by a powerful stolen car early today. This climaxed what may be a series of cold-blooded attempts to kill or maim pedestrians. Three times in the past six weeks, each time in the weekend, girls have been injured by a stolen hit-run car, later abandoned, in different suburbs.
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Detectives tracked down known car thieves and questioned them extensively. Due to the hit and runs always taking place on a Friday or Saturday night, special patrols were implemented on those days between 5pm and 1am.
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In a report about the case, one detective sergeant concluded that he was convinced that one perpetrator was responsible for all three of the attacks, while acknowledging that he had no evidence. Without fingerprints or anything else belonging to the perpetrator at any of the scenes, there was no way to prove their theory.
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No connection was made to the prowler breaking into homes across the city, even though he also stole cars, struck on weekend nights, targeted random victims, and never left a single fingerprint. The hit and run stopped after the attack against Georgina Pittman, Maureen Rogers, and Therese Agami. Months passed, then years.
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But the Nightcaller never ceased his crimes, and in the beginning of 1963, he would launch another shocking attack using a new kind of stolen weapon. Australia Day is Australia's official national day, observed annually on January 26th. There is some controversy around this date as it was chosen to mark the landing of the first British colonists in 1788.
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In recent years, there has been much debate as to whether it should be changed. For many residents of Perth in 1963, Australia Day just signified another long weekend and a chance to enjoy the summer. The holiday fell on a Saturday that year, so Australians would have a three-day weekend with no work on Monday.
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Saturday January 26 was a hot night and Perth was abuzz with many out drinking and celebrating. The Ocean Beach Hotel, a pub that sat across from the beach in North Cottesloe, was packed. Bartender Rowena Reeves worked at the hotel until closing, then went to a restaurant with three friends.
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Afterwards, at around 2am, the group of four drove to a quiet spot overlooking the ocean to chat and have a few more drinks. However, an argument broke out between two members of the group who were a couple. They soon left, leaving Rowena alone in the car with her friend, Nick August. Rowena sat in the car's back seat drinking pink champagne while Nick sat behind the wheel.
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The capital of the state of Western Australia, Perth, has long been referred to as the most isolated city in the world. While there is some debate as to whether this title is accurate, the fact remains that Perth is the only large city in a circuit of more than 2,000 kilometres.
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As Rowena sipped her drink, she noticed a man standing less than 8 metres away, staring at them. She pointed him out to Nick. Nick was married and suspected the stranger had been sent by his wife to spy on him. Angered, Nick tossed an empty beer bottle at the man through the open window and yelled at him to piss off. As the bottle rolled down the street, Rowena saw the man lift up something.
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Her father carried her back to her room, which was a sleepout that adjoined the family's kitchen, and gently laid her in bed. Lucy kneeled beside Molly and held a set of rosary beads in her hand, praying repeatedly for her daughter's health. To her parents' relief, Molly regained consciousness, though she continued to moan and mumble without making any sense.
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Look out, he's got a gun, she cried, while pushing Nick's head down so it wouldn't be visible from outside. The man fired a rifle. Nick felt a sudden pain in his neck. He's got me, he stated, before hurriedly starting the car's engine and speeding away. The man with the rifle fired once again at the retreating vehicle, but missed. In the backseat of the car, Rowena was bleeding badly.
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The bullet that had grazed Nick's neck had then struck her wrist, shattering it. Nick sped towards the nearest hospital, which was in the port city of Fremantle, about 8 kilometres south. The pair were admitted for treatment and at 3.30am medical staff notified the police that they had two shooting victims who needed to be interviewed.
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It was almost half an hour later when the doorbell rang at a house on Louise Street in Netherlands, five and a half kilometres east of where Rowena Reeves and Nick August were attacked. The house was a single-storey brick residence home to the Wormsley family. Daughter Sandra Wormsley was woken by the doorbell, which rang twice in quick succession.
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Sandra heard the familiar footsteps of her father, George Wormsley, walking towards the front door. As he opened the door, a loud gunshot rang out. Dad, Sandra screamed, jumping out of bed and running to the front door. She was joined by her mother. To their horror, George lay in the doorway, his hair soaked with blood and his eyes glazed. Clearly visible in his forehead was a bullet hole.
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There was no sign of the shooter. Sandra ran to the kitchen where the family's telephone was located and called the police and a nearby neighbour. Then she returned to her father's body and tried to comfort her devastated mother. The pair were in complete shock. It made no sense that their entire world could have been turned upside down in a split second. George was a loving, warm man.
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It made no sense that anyone would want to harm him. Fifteen minutes later and just one block over on Vincent Street, a young man named Scott McWilliam was woken from his sleep by the sound of shouting. Scott was staying at a boarding house that was home to a number of young people and the yelling was coming from another resident, his landlady's niece, Pauline.
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She was saying that there was something wrong with John Sturkey, an 18-year-old boarder who was leaving Perth the following week to study veterinary medicine in Brisbane. Scott got up to see what was wrong John had been sleeping outside on a single bed on the back veranda where the air was cooler at night.
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Flicking on the veranda's light switch, Scott saw there was an enormous pool of blood on the concrete flooring next to John's bed. John was in the bed, with blood soaked into the linen around his head. He was making a gurgling sound. Scott and another boarder rushed forward to lift John's head up so he could breathe. There was a gunshot visible at the top of his forehead.
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Pauline phoned for an ambulance, then called the police. Officers told Pauline that everyone at the residence was to stay inside and keep low beneath the windows. There was somebody going around the neighbourhood shooting people. Both George Wormsley and John Sturkey were rushed in separate ambulances to Royal Perth Hospital, arriving within five minutes of one another.
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By morning, Molly was able to string a few words together, enough to tell her parents that her head hurt. One of her eyes had turned black, suggesting she'd somehow received a knock to the head. Lucy McLeod took Molly to the family doctor, who was unable to ascertain the cause of Molly's injury, but diagnosed her as having a concussion and a hairline skull fracture.
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Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
John was pronounced dead three minutes after arrival. George Wormsley was given emergency surgery but died about an hour and a half later. Police were still processing both crime scenes and had just been notified of the two deaths when another call came in.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Len Bath wasn't initially worried when his friend Brian Weir didn't show up for a scheduled surf rescue boat training session on Sunday morning. 29-year-old Brian, whose day job was as an accountant, was often late. But after waiting around for more than two hours, Len decided to go check on Brian. He drove the short distance from the Swanbourne Netherlands Surf Life Saving Club to Brian's home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Brian lived in a first floor apartment in a block of four on Broom Street, Cottesloe. When Len arrived, he saw that the door that led from Brian's bedroom to the apartment's balcony was open. Len clambered up to the balcony and walked in. Brian was still in bed, but the scene was all wrong. His head was hanging over one side and there was blood everywhere.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Brian felt stiff and his complexion was grey, but Len could still hear him faintly breathing. Len was horrified. It looked as though Brian had been in a violent fight. Len raced back to the Surf Lifesaving Club and told his teammates what he'd found. One of them had heard news reports about the overnight shootings in nearby Netherlands and they all raced back to Brian's flat together.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
When they looked more closely at their friend, they saw that the top left side of his head was completely gone. Brian was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery. A bullet was found lodged in the left temporal lobe of Brian's brain, with fragments scattered throughout.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Surgeons had to remove these foreign objects, as well as splintered pieces of bone and much of Brian's damaged brain matter. Brian survived the surgery but remained in a coma. He stayed in his coma for six months, with police constantly keeping guard. When Brian eventually regained consciousness, he was unable to speak, walk or move his arms. His right side was entirely paralysed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
He had lost sight in one eye and hearing in one ear. The severe brain damage also caused him to have epileptic fits. Despite being just 29 years old, Brian had to be moved into an aged care nursing home due to requiring round-the-clock care. On December 19 1965, almost three years after the attack, Brian Weird died as a result of his injuries.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The Australia Day attacks dominated newspaper headlines in the immediate aftermath of the shootings. Articles provided a timeline of the attacks which was pieced together by the police. Rowena Reeves and Nick August had been the shooter's first victims. Both had survived after sustaining injuries from the same bullet. Police had found a spent casing at the scene of the crime.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The shooter had then walked around the corner and stopped outside Brian Weir's home. He'd climbed up the first floor balcony where Brian had left the door open. Brian had dragged his bed right up to the door, sleeping with his head towards the balcony to take advantage of the sea breeze on the hot night.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The shooter had shot Brian once in the head, then left the flat and headed five kilometres east to Nedlands. Once in Netherlands, the shooter walked around the back of the boarding house where John Sturkey was sleeping on the rear veranda and shot him once in the head.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The shooter then walked one street over, ejecting another spent shell casing as he did so and rang the doorbell of the Wormsley residence. George Wormsley was his last victim. It didn't appear that any of the victims were connected or had been specifically targeted. No fingerprints had been recovered from any of the crime scenes, nor did police find the murder weapon.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
It took Molly more than a month to recover. A staff student, she had been due to finish high school but was unable to attend her leaving exams. Meanwhile, her family was puzzled over the mystery behind what caused her severe head injury. They eventually concluded that Molly must have received the knock after an awful nightmare caused her to fall out of bed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
All of the shell casings recovered had come from the same 22-gauge firearm, which was a Lithgow single-shot rifle. There were 75,000 such rifles registered in the state of Western Australia. Police began following up on each one in search of the murder weapon, and even extended their search to the eastern states of Australia. They test fired a total of 60,000 rifles, but none were a match.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
There appeared to be a time lapse between the attacks in Cottesloe and those in Netherlands, prompting detectives to wonder if the shooter had used a bike to cycle from the first location to the second. However, some witnesses had reported seeing a light-coloured Holden sedan driving in Cottesloe around the time of the first attacks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
What made the sedan suspicious was the fact that its headlights weren't on, even though it was the middle of the night. Witnesses in Netherlands had reported seeing a similar car parked near the crime scenes there. Perth had experienced some ripples of concern in the years immediately preceding the random shootings in late January 1963.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The pattern of hit and runs and the reports of a prowler entering and robbing homes before attacking female residents had both caused a stir. But the Australia Day shootings sent the city into a full-blown panic. Overnight, people completely changed their habits and behaviours in response to the senseless attacks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
They locked their doors and made sure to close their windows at night despite the sweltering summer heat. Gun purchases skyrocketed. People slept with weapons by their bed where they could reach them at a moment's notice. Others made do with what they could find, including knives, cricket bats and even cans of fly spray they could aim directly at an assailant's eyes.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Animal shelters suddenly faced a huge demand for guard dogs, with pounds across Perth selling out of dogs. Outhouses were common at the time, but more people started installing toilets inside their houses so they wouldn't have to go outside at all after dark. Children were no longer allowed to sleep on back verandas to stay cool on hot nights as they'd done in the past.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Strange theories about the shootings emerged. Some people falsely confessed to the crimes. Others pointed out that the attacks had taken place during a full moon. In his memoir, The Sharknet, author Robert Drew wrote about how the shootings changed Perth in an instant, quote, "...the murders immediately changed the spirit of the place.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
They chilled the warm shadows of the peppermint and box trees and flowering gums lining the streets." The slightly crumbly lines of the brick and limestone houses, the cosy-looking fake Tudor apartment blocks and shopfronts had a sharper, harsher edge. Their facades looked stony and closed. People's eyes flicked away as they hurried indoors or into their cars.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Fewer residents went out after dark, creating an eerie atmosphere where the streets were especially quiet at night. Despite the reduced foot and vehicle traffic, the state government arranged to keep streetlights blazing all night long from Nedlands down to Fremantle in a direct response to the shootings.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Police were under intense pressure to solve the case, working day and night to catch the person responsible. Calls flooded in from the public with tip-offs. Sometimes there were so many that they clogged up the switchboard. A special operational room was set up just to manage these calls.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Molly and her family had no idea that she had actually crossed paths with the night caller. He had slipped into the McLeod's Applecross home as its residents slept. He prowled about looking for cash he could steal and helped himself to some money he found in the kitchen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
While detectives combed over every detail of the Australia Day shootings and break-ins, an additional 40 patrol officers were out on the streets of Perth every night, watching the city from patrol cars, horseback and on foot. Despite this, they failed to identify or apprehend a suspect.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Nor were they able to prevent the Prowler attacks, which continued in the wake of the Australia Day shootings, but were believed to be unrelated. Lucy Madrill was murdered less than three weeks after the shootings. Carmel Reid was attacked four months later. It wasn't until August that there would finally be a significant development in the case.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
As he was opening the back door to escape, his grip on the handle slipped and the noise woke Molly, whose bed was right next door. Seeing the girl stir, the nightcaller grabbed a nearby object and hit her over the head with it, before fleeing. Throughout December 1958 and into the new year, the nightcaller continued to stalk the streets of Perth.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Weekends seemed to be when he was most active, though he also ventured out on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. His crimes were growing ever more brazen, At 3am one night, a 21-year-old schoolteacher who lived in Millpoint Road, South Perth, was woken by a strange man grabbing her by the neck and scratching her face. She screamed and the intruder jumped out of her bedroom window.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Six weeks after this attack on Wednesday January 28, Perth reached its warmest day of the year when the temperature reached 43 degrees Celsius, or 109 degrees Fahrenheit. That night, a man who lived one street over from where the teacher had been attacked heard a noise outside at 1.50am and went to investigate. His sudden appearance disturbed a man trying to break in via the back door,
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
It sits on the other side of the country to the more heavily populated eastern states, home to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and the next nearest capital city is South Australia's Adelaide, a 28-hour drive away. Perth is located in the lower western corner of the state and is adjacent to the Indian Ocean.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The prowler fled on foot. A neighbour who had also spotted him watching a block of flats from a nearby phone booth described him as being between 5 foot 8 and 5 foot 10 with thick dark hair. The following day of Thursday January 29, 33-year-old Penina Berkman worked a shift at the perfume counter of the David Jones Department Store in Perth CBD.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Penina had relocated to Perth from Melbourne four years earlier after she and her husband divorced. Penina had settled into a ground floor apartment on Millpoint Road in South Perth and was happy there. Even though her flat had been broken into about six months earlier and 35 shillings were stolen, Penina was comfortable in her new city.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
She was a glamorous woman who had caught the eye of a local radio DJ named Fotis Hauntas. The pair became a couple. They planned to meet up after Penina finished her shift that day. Fotis picked Penina up from David Jones and drove her back to her apartment where they ate dinner together. Later on, they drank some beer then went to bed together.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
At midnight, Fotis got dressed and prepared to head home to sleep. As he left, Penina said goodnight and that she would see him tomorrow. Neighbours overheard Fotis' footsteps as he departed the building and heard some other things in the hours that followed. At around 3am, a couple in an apartment next to Penina's were woken by the sound of someone gasping, followed by a scream.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
A few minutes later, they heard a car door slam, then the car driving away. Another resident also heard some screams and a car leaving at around the same time. The next morning, Fotis drove by Penina's apartment on his way to an appointment and noticed that the door was ajar and her bedroom window was open, its curtains blowing in the breeze.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Penina often slept with the window open during the hot summer nights, but Fotis knew that she always made a point to close everything and lock up before heading to work. She was supposed to have a shift that day, so the apartment should have been secured. Fotis decided to investigate. Inside, he found Penina on the lounge room floor by the sliding glass doors. She was naked in a pool of blood.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
She had been stabbed through the nose and in the heart with a knife. It appeared Penina had crawled to the doors in an attempt to escape, but hadn't survived. Nothing was missing from the apartment except for Penina's purse. The murder weapon wasn't recovered. The horrific murder sent shockwaves through Perth. Crimes like this were a rarity in the quiet city.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Fotis Hountas told police that when he left Penina's apartment, she had been naked in bed. It wasn't unusual for her to sleep naked in hot weather. Fotis quickly found himself the case's prime suspect, and the public agreed that he seemed suspicious. When Fotis left Perth to return to his birth country of Greece, their suspicions were all but confirmed. Penina's killer had gotten away.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Another body of water, the Swan River, cuts through the middle of Perth, dividing the city in two with much of the central business district built up along its banks. East of the city is home to sprawling hills and parklands filled with native flora and iconic Australian bush,
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Even though Penina lived on the same street where a 21-year-old teacher had been attacked in her own home just six weeks earlier, police didn't consider that her murder could be part of a larger picture. They reassured worried Perth residents, stating…
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
The public have no need to be feared from the activities of the person who killed Penina Berkman, and they can forget all about the existence of that person. Residents of Perth's western suburbs felt somewhat detached from the murder of Penina Berkman, as she had been living in South Perth.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Although that wasn't far in terms of distance, it almost felt like another world due to the Swan River providing a geographical buffer. Moreover, the inner western suburbs were an affluent and insular pocket that felt particularly safe with a tight-knit community. One of these wealthy suburbs was Nedlands, an attractive neighbourhood just 7 kilometres west of the CBD.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Dotted with nice houses and lots of parks, Nedlands was also close to the University of Western Australia. This made it a popular suburb for students who primarily lived in the area's apartment buildings. In August 1959, Alex Duncan was a first-year nursing student who was staying at her elder sister's flat in Netherlands.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Saturday August 8 was going to be a break from Alex's busy work and study schedule. Some friends from her hometown were visiting for the weekend and Alex was looking forward to seeing them. Alex and her friends spent the evening at a drive-in cinema, then headed back to Alex's flat to drink coffee and listen to records. At 12.45am, Alex's guests left and she got ready for bed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
A security-conscious person, Alex made sure to lock the front door and close all the windows. The exception was one narrow window in the kitchen which led to an outdoor landing. Because the window was so narrow, Alex felt comfortable leaving it slightly ajar while she slept. The following morning, Alex's friends from out of town headed over to her flat for a planned visit.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
Winters in Perth are mild, reaching a top temperature of 19 degrees Celsius on average, while the summers are renowned for their dry heat. In the warmer months, swimmers and surfers flock to Perth's coastline to enjoy popular beaches such as Cottesloe and Scarborough.
Casefile True Crime
Case 307: The Night Caller (Part 1)
George and Hedley were both farmers who lived in Western Australia's Wheatbelt, about an hour and a half outside of Perth. The young men knocked on the door and were shocked when Alex opened it. Her face and hair were soaked with blood due to a deep wound over her left eye. Still wearing her pajamas, Alex was disoriented and clearly oblivious to the injury.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
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Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
In 1955, when Lindsay Jeller was two and a half years old, his mother was pushing him and his twin sister along in a pram. As she edged the pram out between two parked cars, a truck suddenly struck the front of it. The force of the collision threw Lindsay heavily onto the road. While his twin sister Judith was unhurt, Lindsay suffered severe brain damage and was in a coma for nine weeks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
By the time he was finally allowed to return home from the hospital, his behaviour had changed significantly and his parents struggled to control him. He was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy and an intellectual disability. When Lindsay was seven, his parents made the difficult decision to place him in a living care facility. They visited him often and he was occasionally allowed home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
In time, Lindsay grew into a gentle and loving man. He'd pick flowers from the garden to give to visitors and was always quick with a hug and a joke. When Lindsay's parents passed away, his twin sister Judith became his closest living relative. Even though she had her own health problems and priorities in life, Judith always made time to visit her brother.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
She'd often take her four children with her, making the four-hour round trip to Ararat from their home in the suburb of Melton. They'd take Lindsay out to lunch or to visit a museum or park. Judith kaufte Lindsay Kleidung und alles andere, was sie brauchte, um ihn zu trinken, Schokolade, Lollipop und süße Trinken.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Während der Dreh da und da mit einem Auto voll von Kindern gruselig war, war es nie ein Geheimnis. Ein Freund von Judith sagte, dass sie mehr Geduld, Liebe und Verständnis für Lindsay hatte, als sie für ihre eigenen Kinder machte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
In late 1993, the facility that Lindsay had lived in for 20 years was shut down as part of the Victorian government's commitment to move residents from institutions into the community. Lindsay made the move to the Grano Street residential unit, where Judith continued to visit every month or so.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
On Tuesday May 10 1994, Judith scheduled a 1 o'clock meeting with Grano Street staff, followed by a 3 o'clock meeting with support staff from a nearby organisation that ran a day program Lindsay attended. She did this every so often to check how her brother was doing. Judith picked Lindsay up at 11.30am, then took him to the Ararat RSL to play the pokies.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Nach dem Abendessen fuhren sie zu Linsies Granostreet-Unit für ihr 1 Uhr-Meeting. Die Mitarbeiter erzählten Judith, dass ihr Bruders Epilepsie unter Kontrolle war, aber dass er Bier verhindern sollte, falls es einen Schmerz verursacht. Bier war nicht wirklich ein Problem bei Lindsay. Er trank meistens Kaffee oder Coke.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Mit einer Stunde bis zu ihrem nächsten Besuch, nahm Judith Lindsay in den Laden, um ein paar Dinge für sie zu kaufen. Then they attended their 3pm meeting, after which Judith dropped Lindsay back at Grano Street at around 3.40pm. She bid Lindsay goodbye, just as he was preparing for his afternoon walk. Before leaving, Judith left some treats in her brother's bedroom for him to enjoy later.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
When Lindsay was reported missing later that evening, his carers attempted to call Judith at her home in Melton, but there was no answer. They left her a message and she called them back at 8pm. They informed Judith that Lindsay hadn't returned home after his walk. She shared their concerns but offered a simple explanation. She'd given Lindsay $25 that afternoon.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
It might have been possible that he was spending it in town. Fifteen minutes later, Judith called back having just remembered a significant incident. Years prior, Lindsay had run away and was found wandering down a highway into Melbourne en route to Judith's home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
She recommended that the search party keep an eye out for him on the outskirts of town and along the railway lines, before asking if it was raining. Her voice was tinged with worry when she remarked, he doesn't have his coat with him. When Lindsay was found dead, detectives paid Judith a visit in Melton.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Having already been delivered the news, she was visibly upset, but she managed to tell the detectives about her final encounter with her brother the afternoon prior. She detailed their lunch, errands and meetings before recalling one notable moment. While in town, Judith ducked into a pharmacy, leaving Lindsay waiting outside.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Am Abend von Donnerstag, Mai 10, 1994, hatten die Mitarbeiter ein Haus auf Grano Street in der regionalen viktorischen Stadt Ararat, das Abendessen am üblichen Uhrzeitpunkt um 6 Uhr geöffnet hat. Das Haus war ein Wohnzimmer für Personen mit Behinderungen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
When she came out, Lindsay was talking to a woman parked in a battered old van. He told her that he'd just won money at the pokies. To the detectives, this was a solid lead. Could Lindsay have been targeted by someone who thought he might be in possession of some winnings?
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Wondering whether drugs or alcohol could have also played a role in Lindsay's death, the detectives asked Judith about the medications her brother had been taking. As far as Judith knew, the only thing Lindsay took was his anti-seizure medication, Tegretol. In regards to the beer can found near Lindsay's body, Judith said she didn't think her brother really drank beer.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
He had done so on occasion, but it left him sleepy. But there was one incident that raised Judith's concerns. A few months earlier, Lindsay had been visiting Judith when she ducked across the road to visit a neighbor. When she came back, Lindsay said he was tired and didn't feel well. He went to lay down, telling his sister he was having a fit. She took his pulse, but it was normal.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Judith nannte einen von Linsys Anwärtern, der ihr versuchte, ihn auf seine Seite zu schlagen, aber bei diesem Zeitpunkt schlug Linsy schlafen. Der Anwärter versuchte Judith, er sei wahrscheinlich in Ordnung, aber als er 20 Minuten später nicht aufwachen würde, nannte Judith einen Ambulanz.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Nachdem die Paramediker ihn weggezogen haben, hat Judith bemerkt, dass ein Draht in ihrem Bett geöffnet wurde und sie fragte, ob Linsy einige ihrer Medikamente genommen hätte. Judith hatte chronische Backschmerzen und ein Lied von anderen Krankheitsproblemen, für die sie eine große Anzahl von Medikamenten in ihrem Zuhause behalten musste.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Detektive hatten das für sich selbst bemerkt, als hunderten von Blättern von Medikamenten auf ihren Schälern liegten. Judith sagte, sie hätte den Krankenhaus gerufen und ihre Überzeugung, dass Lindsay Valium oder Schmerzmörder genommen hätte, mitgebracht. Die Ärzte gaben ihm ein Antidot für Valium, nach dem er in Ordnung war. For detectives, this was another interesting lead.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
They wondered if Lindsay had a habit of taking medication that didn't belong to him. Judith told the detectives that on Tuesday May 10, she left Grano Street just as Lindsay set off for his afternoon walk, and she didn't see him again after that. But detectives were curious about this.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
The witness who claimed to have seen Lindsay climbing into a car at 4pm, a short distance from his house, had described the driver as looking exactly like Judith. The car they'd described, an older model brown-coloured sedan with a red LPG sticker on its number plate, also looked just like her vehicle. Detectives had given Judith's car a once-over when they saw it parked in her driveway.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Die fünf Bewohner des Wohnzimmers wurden um die Uhr von den Bewohnern des Wohnzimmers vom Departement für Gesundheit und Gemeinschaftssicherheit geschützt. It was their job to support and empower the residents to live as independently as possible. But as the staff and residents gathered around the dining table to eat their dinner together, one chair remained empty.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Es war ein zweigelbiger, brauner 1982 Ford Fairmont Ghia-Sedan mit einem roten Sticker auf der Nummerplatte, um zu zeigen, dass das Auto zu Gas gewechselt wurde. Es hatte auch Bridgestone Eager S340-Tier, der gleiche Art identifiziert hat wie in der Krimenszene. Ein kursorierter Blick über das Fahrzeug zeigte keine offenen frischen Schmerzen oder Zeichen der berühmten Schmerzen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Judith hat den Detektiven erzählt, dass sie auf der Reise nach Linsy hervorhebte, und sie musste sich auf der Seite der Straße für 30 oder 40 Minuten parken, bis sich das Auto kühlt. Sie kam zurück in Melton um 7.20 Uhr. Nach der Behandlung ihrer jungen Kinder vom Babysitter, fuhr Judith nach dem lokalen Petrol-Station, füllte ihr Auto und nahm es durch eine Autowäsche.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Sie sagte, sie hat das immer gemacht, nach der Behandlung von Linsy. Das war ein weiterer roter Flagg für Detektive. Die Reise, die nur zwei Stunden dauern sollte, hat Judith drei Stunden und 20 Minuten gedauert. Nicht nur war Judith die letzte Person, die ihren Bruder lebendig gesehen hat, es gab einen unerlässlichen Zeitraum in ihrer Reise nach Hause.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Die Polizei hat Judiths Auto aufgeräumt und es in den Forensik-Science-Center genommen, um eine durchschnittliche Beobachtung zu machen. Wie erwartet wurde von einem Auto dieser Zeit, war das Unterfahrzeug verkleidet mit Stoff, Gras und Öl, viele Gründe, die die Schmerzen auf Linsys Körper verursachten könnten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Der automatische Schraubendreher war auch verkleidet und verkleidet in einem Film von automatischem Transmission-Fluid. Neben den Vorder- und Rückseiten der Fahrerseiten, haben die Beobachter Spots von Blut gefunden. Verkleidet in einem Schraubendreher und in verschiedenen anderen Teilen des Unterfahrtens waren Fabrikfibern.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Viele Fabrikimpressionen waren auch in der Gras- und Dürre von der Vorderseite bis zur Rückseite visibel, und ein Schmerzmerk auf der Motorpippe war consistent mit dem Schmelzen von Lindsay's Belt. Die Polizei hatte keine Zweifel darüber. Das war die Fahrt, die Lindsay Jellard benutzt hat, um Lindsay Jellard zu überleben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Although this was concrete evidence that tied Judith to the crime scene, Lindsay's autopsy revealed he'd already been dead at the time he was run over. Therefore, it didn't necessarily mean that Judith had killed him. Detectives began examining Judith's timeline from the day her brother had died, starting with the pharmacy in Ararat she already told them she'd visited.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Inquiries revealed Judith had filled a prescription for rehypnol, a powerful sedative only offered to those with severe insomnia. With the post-mortem proving that Lindsay was dead before he was run over, detectives wondered whether his sister could have poisoned him with an overdose. The contents of Lindsay's stomach showed that he was killed within 60 to 90 minutes of eating a substantial meal.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Wegen der Ernährung war es nicht möglich, zu sagen, was er gegessen hat. Judith sagte, sie hätte Lindsay zu Mittagessen genommen und dann zum Eiskreis um 2 Uhr. Aber das Essen in seinem Stomach hätte nur nach dem Weg von der Straße verwendet werden können. Die Polizei hat die Essen in der Stadt aufgeräumt, aber niemand erinnerte sich an Lindsay an dieser Zeit.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
The cheerful and gentle fifth resident of the unit, 41-year-old Lindsay Jellett, was nowhere to be seen. Lindsay Jellett was a creature of habit. Shortly before 4 o'clock that afternoon, he asked the staff at Grano Street for permission to go for his daily walk. This was Lindsays favourite part of the day, the only time he was free and unrestricted.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Es war möglich, dass Judith ihm selbst etwas Essen gegeben hätte. Had she done so as soon as Lindsay got in the car, his time of death could have been as early as 5.30pm. When the results of Lindsay's toxicology tests came back, they showed two drugs were found in his system. The first was his anti-seizure medication, Tegretol, which was as expected. But surprisingly, the other wasn't Rehypnol.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
It was Noctec. Noctec ist der kommerzielle Name für Chlorhydrate, eine starke Hypnotik, die von Ärzten, die Insomnia behandeln, oder kalte Patienten vor einem Surgical-Procedure. Es kann gefährlich sein, weil die Dosis der Behandlung nahe der toxischen Dose ist. Das Problem war, dass die Menge, die in Linsys System gefunden wurde, als therapeutische Dose gelistet wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
In anderen Worten, es gab nicht genug in seinem System, um ihn zu töten. The detectives wondered if the Noctec could have reacted with the Tegretol Lindsay was taking for his epilepsy. Medical advice suggested that these two drugs should not be taken together. Small traces of alcohol were also found in Lindsay's system, another substance that shouldn't be mixed with these medications.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Detectives wondered whether the combination of Tegretol, alcohol and Noctec could have been toxic. And if Judith was responsible, did she give her brother alcohol on purpose only hours after his carers told her it could cause a seizure? To make things more complicated, it couldn't be said with certainty that Lindsay had consumed alcohol.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
When bodies begin to decompose, they produce alcohol as part of the natural decomposition process. The empty beer can found near Lindsay's body was tested, but it revealed no traces of Noctec or any other drugs. Inquiries at Grano Street showed no residents were prescribed Noctec, meaning Lindsay couldn't have accessed the drug at home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Detectives asked local pharmacists to go back through their records, but there had been no prescriptions written for Noctec in the last two years. There was little chance Lindsay could have come upon their drug by accident. Police confiscated hundreds of bottles of medication from Judith's home, but found no sign of Noctec.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
They drove across town and visited medical clinics near where Judith used to live. One doctor recalled prescribing Noctec to one of Judith's children five years earlier when they were having trouble sleeping. The police visited local pharmacies and found the chemist who had dispensed the Noctec-Prescription to Judith. It was the break they were looking for.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Now they had the proof that Judith filled a prescription for Noctec, and even though it wasn't found in her house, it was clear from the volume of medication scattered all around that she didn't throw anything away. The detectives theorized that Judith could have given her brother food or drink laced with Noctec and waited until he passed out.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
She could have then smothered him with something soft like a pillow, which would have left no trace. An eminent forensic pathologist also said that the Noctec combined with Lindsay's Tegretol could have stopped him breathing. Dann, um es wie ein Unfall zu machen, oder um sicherzustellen, dass sie den Job beendet hat, hat sie ihn zweimal übergeben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Obwohl dies eine solide Theorie aussah, ohne hartes Beweis wussten die Detektivinnen, dass sie eine schwierige Zeit haben würden, sich gegen Judith zu beurteilen. Doch eine große Frage bleibt immer noch. Judith scheint eine liebende Schwester zu sein, die immer für ihren Bruder war. What reason could she have to want Lindsay dead? Case File will be back shortly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
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Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Speaking with staff at Lindsay's Grano Street unit, a motive emerged. Zwei Jahre nach dem Unfall, der das Leben von Lindsay immer wieder verändert hat, hat der Fahrer, der die Pram getroffen hat, das Gericht. Der Gericht hat sich auf die Verleihung der Gellert-Familie geäußert und Lindsay 15.000 Pfund gewonnen. Damals war das eine kleine Gewinnung, genug, um vier oder fünf Häuser zu kaufen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Der Gericht hat geäußert, dass das Geld für Lindseys zukünftiger Nutzung investiert wird. By 1994, the original award of 15,000 pounds had grown into a significant nest egg in excess of 120,000 dollars. An examination of Lindsay's financial records revealed that in recent years his trust fund balance had dropped from 128,000 to 107,000 dollars.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
This depletion was due to the fact that Lindsay had moved out of government care and had bought into the Grano Street unit. A clerk from the trust fund had written a letter to Judith, explaining, I have recently reviewed Lindsay's file and have noted a rapid depletion of his funds, particularly in the past six months.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
This rate of depletion is such that the capital is eroding and will continue to do so, even if his funds only make payment of the service charge and household expenses for Grano Street. I have enclosed a financial statement which shows the expenditure for the previous seven months. Could you please contact me at your earliest convenience to discuss this matter?
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
The detectives contacted the clerk, who said that Judith had complained in response. She said that she visited Lindsay every five to six weeks, during which she was forced to buy him everything he wanted using money from his account. If she didn't, Judith said that Lindsay became very aggressive and would steal instead.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Judith erzählte dem Bürgermeister, dass Linsys Anforderungen seitdem er nach Granow Street geflogen ist, schlechter geworden sind, und das war der Grund, weshalb ihre Anforderungen auf Reimbürsungen drastisch erhöht waren. Mit schrecklichen Prediktionen über Linsys schnell verbreitete Vertrauenskontrolle, war das Bürgermeistern-Memo drei Wochen vor dem Tod von Lindsay.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Although it was rare for Lindsay to be late, he loved food and his carers were sure he'd be back before long. They put his plate in the microwave so they could reheat his dinner as soon as he showed up. But by 6.30 there was still no sign of Lindsay. His carers checked his bedroom and the backyard in case he'd returned without them noticing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Mit Linsys Tod würde sein Geld an seine Nächste kommen. Seine Schwester Judith. Although the forensic examination of Judith's car proved this was the vehicle that ran Lindsay over, it didn't prove that she was behind the wheel at the time. Detectives set out to discover if anyone else had access to the vehicle.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Judith stopped cooperating with the police, but she told family and friends she had her own suspicions about who was responsible. Nachdem sie von Lindsay am 10. Mai nach Hause kam, sagte Judith, dass ihr Ex-Husband, Iliar Kafiriuk, ihr Auto aus dem Fahrzeug genommen und nach Ararat gefahren hätte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Die Polizei ging mit Iliar sprechen, der erklärte, dass er Judith sechs Jahre früher getroffen hätte, nachdem er aus Rumänien in 1987 nach Australien migrierte. Das Paar verheiratet sich ein Jahr später und er ging mit Judith ein, aber es war ein seltsames Verhältnis. As soon as Ilière moved in, Judith told her oldest son, Greg, to move out.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Greg began sleeping in his car in the front yard of the house. A week later, Social Security stopped Judith's pension payments, so she told Ilière he would have to move out again. Ilière knew Judith was still seeing her ex-husband. Sie hatte seinen Surnamen, Cengiz, erhalten, aber als sie Iliere verheiratet hatte, akzeptierte er die Verantwortung, als sie sagte, das Kind sei ihr.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Sie haben sich kurz nach dem Geburtstag verabschiedet, aber Iliere hat sich auf 183 Dollar pro Woche bezahlt, um das Kind zu unterstützen. Iliere hat das australische Gerichtssystem nicht verstanden, also hat er keine Beispiele eingeladen, die Judith ihm ohne Frage gegeben hat. Ilia continued to pay for anything Judith needed, but it was never enough.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
She rang him so often at work that his employer complained. The calls were always about money. When Ilia came to visit his child, the fridge was always bare and he would buy groceries. Judith was nice to him at Easter and Christmas, so he would come over and buy all the children's gifts and stock the cupboards.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Ilia claimed that on the day Lindsay went missing, he'd been sent home early from work with an infected tooth and had gone straight to the dentist for a lengthy appointment. His alibi checked out, but the police already knew there was no weight to Judith's claim that Ilia could be responsible for her brother's death.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
By the time she'd returned to Melton, it was 7.20pm and Lindsay had already failed to return home from his walk. Durch die Überzeugung von Iliere, hat Judith unvergesslich eine Bombe entdeckt. Iliere hat den Detektiven erzählt, dass Judith vier Monate früher ihn zu ihrer Stelle für das Abendessen eingeladen hatte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Er fühlte sich damals gut an, aber am nächsten Tag fühlte er sich so krank, dass er neun Tage im Krankenhaus verbrachte. Die Ärzte haben gespürt, dass er irgendeine Art von Schmerz in seinem System hatte, aber sie waren nicht sicher, welcher Art. Iliaire war ein wenig auf die Details wütend, weil Judith den Doktoren gesprochen hatte auf seinem behalf.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Jetzt spricht er zu den Detektiven, dass er sicher war, dass Judith etwas in sein Essen gelegt hat. Laut Iliaire hat Judith Lindsays Geld so behandelt, als ob sie ihr eigenes Geld hättet. Sie hielt Läden für ihre eigenen Geräte und Fahrzeugausgaben und schlug sie von Lynseys Account jeden Monat. This could be anything from 500 to 1,000 dollars.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
One of the staff drove around the streets on the lookout but had no luck finding him. By 7 o'clock they were really worried. It was dark and cold outside and Lindsay had never come home this late. The police were promptly called. Lindsay was last seen by Grano Street staff at 3.45pm as he set off for his afternoon walk.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
When the care facility that Lindsay had lived in for 20 years closed down, she was angry that Lindsay had to spend 17,000 dollars from his trust to pay to live in the residential accommodation on Grano Street. Had he been on a pension, the government would have given him a place to live for free. Not only was there a buy-in cost, but there was a weekly cost of $60 as well.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Everything Judith bought for Lindsay, from clothes to sweets, was purchased with his own money. Judith talked to Iliar about bringing Lindsay to live with her at Melton. She said the government would pay her $300 per week to look after him and she could use his money to buy her house from the housing commission. The only catch was, she wanted Iliar to do the actual caring for Lindsay.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Judith did a test run and brought her brother home a couple of days before Christmas. But it didn't work. She returned him to Grano Street by Boxing Day. In that time, she used Lindsays money to buy presents for her children. Detektivs fragten Iliere, ob Judith im Habit war, ihr Auto zu waschen, nachdem sie nach Ararat fuhren musste, um ihren Bruder zu besuchen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Iliere war mit Judith ein halbes Jahr lang weg. Sie hatte niemals ihr Auto gewaschen. Wie bei der Noctec, wusste Iliere alles über den Sirup, den Judith ihren Kindern am Abend gegeben hat. Die letzte Zeit, als er es gesehen hat, war auf dem Neujahrsabend, der gerade passiert ist. Untertitelung. BR 2018 Vielen Dank. Vielen Dank. Vielen Dank.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
While a traumatic head injury at the age of two had left Lindsay with cognitive disability and developmental delays, he was more than capable of navigating his daily routine. He could shower, feed and dress himself. He couldn't read or write, but he could communicate coherently, count to 30 and knew the value of money to 10 dollars.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Lindsay particularly loved walking to a nearby golf course, where he'd collect lost golf balls and bring them home to clean and give to his friends. His other favorite walk was to the main street of town. Lindsay hatte einen Süßzweig und er spielte seine 5 Dollar tägliche Erlaubnis auf Zigaretten, Kaffee, Coca-Cola und Biscuits.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Einer seiner Beine war kürzer als der andere, also schüttelte er sich langsam hin und her, oft stoppte er, mit den Leuten in den Straßen zu sprechen. In den ersten paar Monaten, in denen er auf Grano Street lebte, ging Lindsay so viel, dass er mehrere Paare Schuhe ausnahm. He walked for hours each day, but was always home in time for dinner.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
With Lindsay now failing to return home, time was of the essence. It was a frosty, rainy night and he was ill prepared for the weather, having left home in just a pair of trousers and a blue fleece top. Adding to the urgency was the fact that at 8 o'clock each night, Lindsay took the drug Tegretol to treat his epilepsy. A missed dose could put him at risk of a seizure.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
As luck would have it, the Ararat branch of the State Emergency Service were in the middle of a training session and could be deployed immediately to help police with the search. They were advised that Lindsay was timid and there was a possibility he might hide if approached by someone he didn't know.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Searchunits scoured the town by car and on foot, with the SES truck driving slowly along the back roads using a searchlight to sweep the surrounding paddocks and farms. Sheds and outbuildings were checked in case Lindsay was seeking shelter from the bad weather. But he was nowhere to be found. The following morning of Wednesday May 11, police narrowed in on Linsies home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
They rechecked the residence and the surrounding area, just in case he'd returned and was too frightened to come inside because he knew he was late. Yet, there was still no sign of him. All available crews from police stations in neighboring towns joined the search, with the air wing dispatched to search overhead.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
With no reports coming in about a lost or disorientated man, police contacted all the local radio stations to broadcast Lindsay's details, so the entire community would know to keep a lookout. A local farmer heard the reports and set on a drive around the roads that bordered his property.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
As he made his way along Down Road, a dirt stretch roughly two kilometers northeast of Lindsay Jellett's home, the farmer saw what looked like a white running shoe on the grassy verge at the side of the road. He kept going, but the image of the shoe worried him. He did a U-Turn and drove back towards it. As he approached, he realized there were actually two shoes.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
The farmer pulled over on the opposite side of the road and got out of his car. Lying on the grassy verge was the body of Lindsey Jellert. Lindsey's blue fleecy top was pulled up, exposing his thin white torso, which was stained with a liver-colored patch of congealed blood under the skin. His eyes and mouth were half open, his left cheek grazed and his nose unnaturally bent.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
While his belt was still buckled, it had been melted apart on the left hand side. His white running shoes were still on his feet, but the right one was crushed, its sole bursting from torn stitching. Three packets of cigarettes and a cigarette tin lay next to his body, with a five dollar bill discarded at his right elbow. Nearby was an empty beer can.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
It appeared as though Lindsay Jellett had been struck by a car. Not only were there obvious crush injuries to his legs and torso, tyre tracks in the dirt road led straight to his body. But as soon as the crash investigators arrived from Melbourne, they knew this wasn't a standard hit and run. There are six elements that correlate with this type of impact.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Die ersten drei sind Schmerzen an den Schienen, Hüften und Händen, als die Gefährtin den Fahrzeugen Bumperbar, Bonnet und Windscreen oder Ruf schießt. Dann gibt es die Szene selbst. Blut von der Gefährtin, sowie ein paar Tränen des Autos, wie z.B. gebrochene Glas- oder Farbflaschen, sind erwartet zu finden. Der sechste Element ist, dass die Gefährtin normalerweise ohne Schuhe ist.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
It is a little known phenomenon, but when people are hit by cars, they are generally knocked clean out of their footwear. In fact, the crash investigators had never attended a hit-and-run where the victim was still wearing shoes. A cursory examination of the scene showed that none of these six elements were present. Furthermore, Lindsay's body was arranged too neatly by the side of the road.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
If he'd been hit by a car while walking, his body would have been flung and landed awkwardly. His top being pulled up also indicated that someone had gripped him under the arms and dragged him along. This was supported by marks in the road, with two parallel lines appearing to have been made by the heels of Lindsay's shoes.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Lindsay might not have been hit by a car, but from his injuries, it was obvious that he had indeed been run over. He had abdominal bruising consistent with a car tyre, and the lower parts of his legs had severe crush injuries. There were smears of grease on his body and clothing, as well as burn marks where he'd come into contact with the hot exhaust section underneath the vehicle.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Doch das Verlust von Blut auf der Krimi-Szene enttäuschte die Bewerber. Das zeigte, dass Lindsay bereits tot war, als sein Körper überflossen wurde. Eine Verlust von Blut bestätigte diese Theorie. Marken in der Dürre zeigten, dass Lindsay wahrscheinlich von einem Fahrzeug gedumpft wurde, bevor sie auf die Seite des Straßen gedrängt wurde und dann überflossen wurde auf der Verge.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Fibers consistent with his trousers were found near the drag marks and there were acceleration scuff marks alongside his body. The resulting spray of gravel coupled with the tyre tracks indicated that a vehicle had reversed to where Lindsay's body lay and then backed right over him. Twice. After running over Lindsay, the car then turned around and headed in the direction of Ararat.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
The pathologist conducting Lindsay's autopsy couldn't determine what had caused his death. Given Lindsay's history of epilepsy, she considered a syndrome known as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, or SUDEP. This is where an otherwise healthy person with epilepsy dies prematurely, typically in their sleep. In cases of SUDEP, a post-mortem examination shows no cause of death.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Manchmal gibt es Zeichen, dass ein Schmerz geschehen ist, wie z.B. der Individuum, der seine Blutflasche verliert, aber Lynseys Autopsie zeigte, dass seine Blutflasche voll war. Weiterhin, wenn Lynsey von SUDEP gestorben wäre, erklärte es nicht, warum jemand ihn auf die Seite der Straße drücken würde und ihn mit einem Auto umdrehen würde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Crash-Investigate versuchten, den Typ des Autos zu identifizieren, der Lynsey umdrehen würde. Der Anwalt eines lokalen Tireshopps versuchte, die Polizei auf die Szene zu kommen. Upon seeing the tracks, he was certain they'd been made by Bridgestone Eager S340 tyres. Smears of red fluid on Lindsay's white running shoes were suspected by one investigator to be automatic transmission fluid.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
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Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
If he was correct, this meant police were looking for an automatic car, probably an older model which would be more likely to leak. Leaking transmission fluid didn't necessarily drip out. Instead, it formed a film over the car's transmission pan, located in its undercarriage. The fluid could have been transferred to Lindsay's shoes when the car ran over him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
The fact that Lindsay's body was smeared with black grease also suggested an older car. Schnell aber sicher wurde ein Bild des gewollten Fahrzeugs heraus, ein automatischer, älterer-Style-Fahrzeug mit Bridgestone Eager S340-Türen. Wenn das Fahrzeug auf Lindsay geblieben wäre, dann hätte es wahrscheinlich auf das Fahrzeug geblieben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Das einzige Problem war, dass die Beweise größtenteils unterhalb des Fahrzeugs waren, anstatt offiziell visiblen Schaden auf den Außenraum des Fahrzeugs. Detektivs begannen, Lindsays Leben für Hinweise zu suchen, wer verantwortlich sein könnte. Allgemein war Lindsay Jellett ein schmerzhafter und freundlicher Mann, der in seiner Gemeinschaft bekannt und genutzt wurde.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Je mehr die Detektivs über Lindsay lernten, desto schwieriger war es, sich zu vorstellen, warum jemand ihn töten würde. They did a door knock of the houses surrounding Lindsay's, many of which housed residents with disabilities. But no one had a bad thing to say about him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
On the afternoon that Lindsay's body was discovered, a roadblock was organised on Grano Street for the same period of time that Lindsay went missing, with detectives stopping all cars to ask if anyone had seen Lindsay walking the previous day.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Grenau Street ist eine Rettungsstraße durch Ararat und um 4 Uhr ist eine Veränderung der Zeit für die Arbeiter der lokalen Gefängnis- und Straßenbahn, sowie für die Hilfs- und Gemeinschaftsleute. Ein Mann stoppte an der Straße und kannte Lindsay.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
Er sagte den Detektiven, dass er um 4 Uhr am Tag vorher Lindsay in ein Auto gesehen hätte, das parallel an der Kurve parkiert war, eine kurze Distanz von seinem Haus entfernt. It was an older model brown-colored sedan with a red LPG gas sticker on its number plate. The man had caught a glimpse of the driver. It was a middle-aged woman with dark hair who he didn't recognize.
Casefile True Crime
Case 309: Lindsay Jellett
This description immediately gave investigators pause. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
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Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
After arriving on the scene to find Keith Hibbins unconscious and battered on the street, police took Whiteside and Deba into custody. Beide haben vollständig mit allen Prozeduren zusammengearbeitet und hatten keinen Wunsch, ihre Version der Erfolge zu geben.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Ihre Erinnerungen haben sich gegenseitig verglichen, aber die Erinnerungen waren bedeutend an David Campbells und andere Anwesende, die den Angriff gesehen hatten. Beide Whiteside und Deba sagten, sie seien überrascht worden, dass sie Evgenia Sionis gefunden haben. Whiteside beschrieb sie als so erschrocken, dass es schrecklich war.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Someone close to him had been raped and this prompted an emotional reaction. While he admitted he probably should have just waited for the police with the rest of his group, his thought process at the time was that the safest thing to do was to look around for the offenders.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Whiteside and Deber claimed that they weren't aggressive when they approached Keith Hibbins and David Campbell to ask if they'd seen anyone running past. Deber recalled, We were as calm and rational as you can get. It was only when Keith and David started acting nervously and decided to sprint away that Whiteside and Deba suspected they were responsible for the rape.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Whiteside told the police, The two gentlemen just acted very, very strange and when they started to run off, that wasn't a good look. It looked like they did it. Neither John Whiteside nor Christian Dieber mentioned attacking David Campbell after he tripped over or threatening to kill him. Dieber said he'd simply grabbed David and asked why he was running away.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
When David took off again, Dieber said he chased him for a while before giving up. He looked up Lansdowne Street and saw that Whiteside had caught Keith. Dieber told the police... According to Dieber, Keith yelled some violent things back at them, at one point threatening, I'm gonna kill you, you dobber, which was a colloquial term for an informant.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Dieber sagte, ihr Ziel war es, Keith in der Lage zu halten, bis die Polizei kam, aber er resistierte, prompting Dieber und Whiteside, ein paar Schüsse zu schießen. Dieber sagte, sie hätten Keith nicht so hart getroffen und dass der echte Schmerz, der er verursacht hat, wenn er seinen Kopf auf dem Boden geknallt hat. Er sagte der Polizei...
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
I am a security guard, so I know you can use reasonable force to make a lawful arrest. My objective wasn't to hurt him, but what else can you do? I didn't have handcuffs or anything like that. I thought you could use a bit of force to make a citizen's arrest. John Whiteside contradicted his friend slightly, saying it was Deba who dive tackled Keith on the street before Whiteside stepped in.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
He claimed that he grabbed Keith, who tried to take a swing at him. Whiteside said he then hit Keith a couple of times in the jaw, four at the most, but they were only short, sharp hits and not enough to knock him out. Whiteside explained, I was chucking the swings basically in self-defense. I was shaking him, saying, what's going on? How come you're running away? You obviously know something.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
April 25 1999 war ein leiserer Sonntag für 47-jähriger David Campbell und sein 15-jähriger Partner, 45-jähriger Keith Hibbins. Die beiden lebten im inneren Melbourne-Büro von Collingwood, in einem Haus, das sie zusammen designten. Keith war Architekt, David war Landscaper und sie kombinierten ihre Fähigkeiten, um das Haus ihrer Träume zu erschaffen.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
According to Whiteside, he and Keith started to wrestle and Keith began to overpower him. That's when Deba stepped in and hit Keith, rendering him unconscious. Both men firmly denied that Keith had been hit upwards of 20 times, as the witness watching from upstairs had described. They both showed genuine remorse for their actions, explaining they were completely out of character.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Backgroundchecks supported this. John Whiteside and Christian Dieber came from solid homes in good areas and were close with their families. Both were well educated, employed in respectable fields and involved in community sports. Neither had any history of violence or any form of criminal record.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Christian Dieber entschuldigte sich profus zu den Polizisten, sie sagten, es war nie ihre Intention, irgendeinen ernsthaften Schaden zu verursachen oder jemanden für keinen Grund zu töten. John Whiteside sagte den Detektiven, Ich bin schuldig, dass ich ihn getroffen habe, aber ich meine, er hat den ersten getroffen. Wenn dieser Typ verletzt wurde, wäre ich der erste, der sich entschuldigt hätte.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Aber es ist nur so, wie sie es herausgefunden haben. Es war sehr schrecklich. In hindsight, Whiteside said that while they just wanted to help, their decision to pursue Evgenias Rapists was probably the stupidest idea he'd ever had. I'm not a thug, Whiteside explained. What's happened is a mistake and that's basically all I can put it down to.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
I'm sorry what happened to that bloke and I mean it 100%. I didn't mean to hurt him and I don't think Christian meant to hurt him. If we had stayed in the pub for another half an hour, none of this would have happened. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Keith Hibbins had been rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
He'd sustained serious injuries to his head, neck, chest and arms, resulting in brain damage. Keith was put on life support, but doctors were hopeful that he'd recover. John Whiteside und Christian Dieber wurden beide nachfolgend verhaftet, weil sie einen ernsthaften Schmerz verursachten wollten.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Während all das aufgetreten war, kamen die Paramediker auf die Szene nahe der Fitzroy Gardens und fanden Evgenia Sionis in der fetalen Position, weinend, warum ich? Sie hatte sie viel zu sagen gelüftet, aber als sie im Krankenhaus war, hat sie einem Arzt ermittelt, dass sie verhaftet wurde. It was two days before Evgenia gave her first statement to police from the rape squad.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
She recalled that she'd been walking through the gardens when a man grabbed her from behind and forced her into the back of his ute. He managed to pull her pants down without unzipping them, at which point Evgenia said she could feel his semi-erect penis between her upper thighs. She broke free before there was any penetration and managed to provide a decent description of the offender.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
He looked to be around 28 to 30 years old and spoke with a deep voice. His hair was short, dark and straight, styled in a single length. In her statement, Evgenia said, All I could think of was, why me? While police investigated the rape, Keith Hibbins remained unconscious and fighting for his life. His partner David stayed by his side, willing him to wake up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The two typically spent their weekends lounging at home or catching up with friends at the pub, but they'd decided to take advantage of the autumn weather and spend a day in the country. After visiting waterfalls and wineries in the Yarra Valley town of Marysville, they drove back to the city with a nice bottle of red wine.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
For David, life without Keith was impossible to imagine. The two had met by complete chance 15 years earlier. David had waved at Keith across a crowded pub, having mistaken him for someone else, and they ended up talking all night. Keith was a country kid, having grown up in the northwest Victorian town of Marybrook.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
He eventually moved to Melbourne to study architecture, where he dated a few women before coming out as gay. At six feet tall, he was known to be a bit of a party animal who loved the nightlife. Even though David considered himself more of a homebody, he was instantly drawn to Keith.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Their connection was immediate and it wasn't long before they'd moved in together and started building a shared life. In recent years Keith had slowed his partying ways. The couple's weekend routine typically consisted of watching movies at their renovated Edwardian home that Keith had redesigned and a trip to the pub.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The doctors and police reassured David that Keith was going to be okay, but as the days ticked by, he still hadn't regained consciousness. By Thursday May 6 1999, 11 days had passed since the attack. David was away from the hospital when he got a call saying it was time to come and say his final goodbye. He made it there in time for Keith to die in his arms.
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Eine Autopsie bestätigte die Todesursache von Keith als Blut-Helm-Trauma, das die rechte vertebrale Arterie zerstörte und einen fadalen Gehirnbruch verursachte. Nicht nur war diese Nachricht eine Tragödie für Keiths Verliebte, sie hat auch Dinge für John Whiteside und Christian Dieber verändert. Mit Keith, der durch den Angriff weggeflogen ist, wurden die Anzeichen gegen ihn zu Mörder verbessert.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
While those involved struggled to come to terms with these developments, there was still the question of who was responsible for the sexual assault against Evgenia Sionis. Weeks passed and no arrests were made. Then, one month after the attack, Evgenia made a shocking revelation. On Anzac Day of 1999, Evgenia woke up at her boyfriend's place and started the day by smoking cannabis.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The couple lounged around in bed for a while before deciding to go rollerblading in the beachside suburb of St Kilda. After a short jaunt around the foreshore, they stopped in at the nearby Esplanade Hotel. It was 11.30 am when Evgenia ordered her first drink for the day, a bourbon and coke. She had three more drinks in quick succession and the booze kept flowing from there.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Evgenia und ihr Freund Tony spielten den Tag von einem St. Kilda Pub auf den nächsten. Am Abendabend war Evgenias Hände aufgerissen. Sie war so trank, dass sie auf ihren Beinen stürzte. Sie und Tony fuhren in sein Auto und fuhren nach dem CPD. Evgenia wollte in einen anderen Pub, aber Tony fühlte, dass sie schon zu trank war und sie sollten eine Nacht anrufen.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
On the way home to cook dinner, David remembered they were out of olive oil. They'd need to get cash out to buy some. The ATM they usually frequented was located on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne's CBD, just outside of the Peter McCallum Cancer Institute. This was on the corner of Lansdowne Street and St.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
As they approached the Fitzroy Gardens, an argument broke out between them. Evgenia became furious. When Toni stopped at a red light, she jumped out of the car, saying she wanted to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Toni drove onto the grassy verge and urged her to get back in, but Evgenia refused.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Frustrated by the whole situation, Toni drove off, leaving her in the cold with no shoes or jumper. Stumbling around the park, Evgenia began to cry. She collapsed onto the grass, sobbing, until a group of passers-by approached. When they asked if she'd been raped, she spontaneously said yes. Everything she'd said from that point on was a lie. Casefile will be back shortly.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Vielen Dank für's Zuhören. Mit der Unterstützung unserer Sponsoren unterstützt ihr Casefile, um weiterhin gute Inhalte zu vermitteln. Mit der Erklärung von Evgenia Sionis, dass sie die ganze Rape-Serie aufgemacht hat, hat ein ganz neues Niveau der Verwirrung zu einem bereits komplexen Fall geöffnet.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
John Whiteside und Christian Dieber behaupteten, dass sie keine Ahnung hatten, dass Keith Hibbins und David Campbell gay waren und dass sie sie nur in einer Versuchung, einen Bürger zu beurteilen, besucht hätten. Aber das selbst brachte einige heilige Debatten. Der Niveau der Gewalt, die Keith verursacht hat, ging weit über eine Versuchung, ihn zu beurteilen.
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Viele glauben, dass, auch wenn die Versuchung der Männer mit verehrten Intentionen begann, sie schnell in etwas anderes völlig ausgelöst wurde. Für einige Anwesende war die Ferozität der Angriff mehr in Ordnung mit der Vigilante-Gerechtigkeit. In den Augen des Gesetzes war Vigilantismus nicht nur, um das Gesetz abzuhalten, sondern auch, um andere von solcher Verhältnis zu zerstören.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Vielmehr war es komplizierter, dass sowohl John Whiteside als auch Christian Dieber behaupteten, dass sie nur in Selbstverdienung arbeiteten. They'd both attempted to diminish their own involvement by placing the blame on Keith Hibbins himself.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Andrews Place, a park-lined thoroughfare just a few minutes from the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, known as the MCG. It was usually easy to find a parking spot, but it was busier than usual on account of it being Anzac Day. Technisch bezeichnete die nationalen öffentliche Weihnachtszeit einen jährlichen Tag der Erinnerung an Australiener und New Zealander, die in der Kriege gesorgt haben.
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Whiteside said that Keith had struck him first and he was simply fighting back, while Deba claimed he'd only gotten involved after seeing that his friend was having trouble subduing Keith, who threatened to kill them. While both Whiteside and Deba continued to express sincere remorse for their actions, they entered not guilty pleas.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Als der Trial-Tag näher zusammenfiel, wurden die Forderungen an den Justizierer Philip Cummins eingestellt, ein verehrter Gericht mit einer Reputation, die besonders hart auf kriminelle Verbrechen ist. Für David Campbell war das willkommenes News. Seit Keiths Tod hat er sich nicht mehr mit dem, was passiert ist, verabschiedet.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
In den Tagen, nachdem Keith verabschiedet war, war David so enttäuscht, dass er auf den Suizidwacht gelegt wurde. He'd built his entire life around Keith, and a friend commented, It will be very, very hard for David to pick up the pieces and go on. As the months passed by, David became socially isolated and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Speaking about David's condition, his psychologist remarked, In all my years of working, I have not witnessed such excruciating suffering in a bereaved person. That pain only worsened when word got out that the defense team intended to discredit Davids evidence by claiming he had a phobia of being beaten up, which prompted him to run from the offenders, even though they showed no aggression.
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In the words of the defense, Davids Account should be viewed with doubt, given he had been, quote, very distressed, depressed and hysterical. David believed that Whiteside and Deba genuinely went looking for a rapist, but after failing to find what they were looking for, they had to direct their anger and adrenaline somewhere.
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He told author Steve Dow that when they spotted two obviously gay men, it gave them a target. This was a theory shared by others, including a senior Victorian judge who spoke to Steve Dow on the condition of anonymity.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
He agreed with David Campbell that it had been a gay bashing and that Whiteside and Deba had then tried to, quote, white knight themselves as vigilantes, knowing they'd get a lesser penalty. The trial was scheduled to commence in June 2000, 14 months after the attack. All those involved hoped that the truth would come out in court.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
But just days before the starting date, there was an unexpected announcement. John Whiteside and Christian Dieber had agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. While this would spare everyone a possibly lengthy trial, and the two defendants still faced a significant jail sentence, it also meant they wouldn't have to give evidence.
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David Campbell was devastated, viewing the decision as, quote, an enormous breach of trust and a travesty of justice. At the sentencing hearing, the lead prosecutor said that it was reasonable for John Whiteside and Christian Dieber to believe Evgenia Sionis' claims of rape. But it was just as reasonable that Keith Hibbins and David Campbell believed they were being targeted by gay bashers.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The problem therein lied in the ferocity of the assault against Keith. The prosecutor put forward that the level of violence indicated a desire to punish Keith, saying that Whiteside and Adiba were overcome with a sense of righteousness. He therefore stated that the crime should be considered a serious example of manslaughter and punished accordingly.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Aber für die Melbourneser war es auch die jährliche Fußball-Match der australischen Regierungen zwischen zwei der staatlichen populärsten Fußballteams, Collingwood und Essendon. Die Spiele hatten früher am MCG gespielt und hatten eine Gruppe von ca. 73.000 Zuschauer gedreht. Given the lingering football traffic, there were no available car spaces near the ATM.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
At the time, the maximum amount for manslaughter was 20 years imprisonment. Die Berichterstatter für die Verteidigung zeigten, dass Evgenia Sionis eine wichtige Rolle in Keiths Tod gespielt hat, während er die Bedeutung von Whiteside und Diebers Verhältnissen nachgedacht hatte.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Obwohl beide Männer verurteilt hatten, dass sie den ganzen Tag des Angriffs trinken hatten, verurteilten sie, dass sie getrunken waren. Ihre Berichterstatter riefen in Frage die Beweise, die der Beobachter, der den Angriff vom 7. Flur des nahegeborenen Peter McCallum Cancer Institute beobachtete,
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Sie sagte, Whiteside und Deba hätten Keith mindestens 20 Mal getroffen, während Keiths Autopsie nur sechs bis acht Schmerzen auf seinem Kopf und Nacken gefunden hat. Sie nannten auch David Campbells Beweise in Frage, refuting sein Beweis, dass Whiteside und Deba ihn ermordet hätten, ihn zu töten.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Whitesides Arbeiter sagte, dass sein Klient einfach in der falschen Stelle, an der falschen Zeit war, an dem Punkt, an dem der Gericht ihn entfernte, und sagte, No one forced him to chase the poor deceased man and to bash him. Both defense lawyers highlighted the otherwise good character and clean criminal record of their clients, both of whom admitted to the stupidity of their actions.
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Whitesides' lawyer said his client was simply an overzealous citizen who overreacted and made a mistake, while Diebers' lawyer described the ordeal as a tragic happening where best intentions went wrong.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Justice Philip Cummins beurteilte, dass Whiteside und Deber beide Mann von großartigem Charakter waren, die nicht rausgingen, um Gewalt zu beurteilen, und verabschiedete, dass es sinnvoll war, dass sie glauben, dass Evgenia Sionis Rape verurteilt hat.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Während Cummins nicht glaubte, dass die Beurteilungen mit dem Ziel, die Polizei zu verurteilen, zu beurteilen, war, dass er beurteilt hat, dass ihre entzündeten Emotionen sie verursachten, um ihre aggressiven Verhältnisse zu verurteilen, und einige der Beurteilungen auf die Gefühle zu legen. Justice Cummins sagte, You both ran up to the two men. You were full of anger and indignation.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
He pointed out that the defendants had no idea that Keith and David were a peaceable gay couple and that they didn't wait to ask. That is the risk of citizens' law enforcement, the judge said. Mistakes occur. He didn't find that their actions were in line with vigilantism, as vigilante justice requires a level of premeditation.
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But he also rejected the defense that it was a citizen's arrest gone awry, saying, This was not a citizen's arrest because you punished the suspect, not apprehended him. Cummins also found that their conduct wasn't in line with that of aggressive drunken sports followers. If it had been, he said their punishment would be more severe.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Keiths decision to run, thinking he was the target of a gay bashing, was also reasonable to Justice Cummins, who remarked Addressing the two defendants, the judge concluded… Dein aggressives und exzessives Verhalten gegen Mr. Hibbins ist zu verurteilen. Es hat den Tod eines Menschen verursacht. Aber die Kategorien von Mannslautern sind in der Kulpabilität.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Instead, Keith and David parked further down Lansdowne Street and took a longer walk. After getting cash out at the ATM, they decided to walk back to their car through the Fitzroy Gardens, a 64-acre urban green space filled with tree-lined pathways, an ornamental lake and a mock Tudor village. By this point, it was around 7 p.m.
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Deine Kategorie ist in der wenigstens kulpablen Kategorie. Yours was the conduct of two young men of good character not looking for trouble, who truly and reasonably believed a woman had been raped and who without reflection or premeditation sought to ensure the perpetrators did not escape before the summoned police arrived.
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Who then, in a rush of emotion, believing you had found the perpetrators, severely but briefly assaulted the victim." Finally, there is the rare and perverse confluence of events which channeled you towards this tragedy. The false cry of rape, your decent belief in its truth and the socially induced fear of the victims for which we all share blame.
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You are, of course, responsible for your own actions. No one suggests otherwise. But you and the victims were under a malevolent star that Anzac night. With that, Justice Cummins sentenced both John Whiteside and Christian Dieber to three years in prison.
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As they'd both already served six months in pre-sentence detention, he suspended the remaining two and a half years, concluding, "...I propose that each of you be released immediately from further custody." For many members of the public, the sentences caused outrage. At the Age newspaper, letters flooded in from people expressing disappointment at what they viewed as a miscarriage of justice.
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One reader called the case a potent cocktail in the current moral climate, in which male ethos equates violence with virility. She wrote... There is no place in the law for a subjective moral bias. It is irrelevant that the perpetrators appeal to be respectable, intelligent young men, or that they believed themselves motivated to apprehend a rapist, or that their unfortunate victims were gay.
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The facts of the situation are that in a state of fury, without a single shred of evidence to justify their choice of victim, they engaged in deliberate, sustained physical violence causing grievous bodily harm to one defenseless human being and death to another. These are the facts on which a sentence should be based and a mere six months in remand is grossly inadequate.
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David Campbell agreed that the sentences were abysmal. Vielen Dank. Vielen, vielen Dank. Vielen Dank. Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung des ZDF, 2020 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Vielen Dank. Vielen Dank. Untertitelung. BR 2018 Untertitelung. BR 2018 Vielen Dank.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The Brushtail Possums came out at night and David and Keith enjoyed watching them. As the couple made their way through the park, two young men suddenly raced towards them. One of them asked aggressively, Hey, you blokes, have you seen two blokes running through here or hiding in here?
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The young men told Keith and David that a woman had just been raped in the gardens and they were looking for the offenders. David could smell that the men reeked of alcohol. In unison, he and Keith offered to call the police, but the men replied that they'd already done so. David asked them what the rapists looked like. The taller of the two men replied angrily, We don't know.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The younger men became increasingly hostile. David began to sense that trouble was brewing. Keith asked the man why they were being so aggressive when he and David were happy to offer their help. But inside, the couple had their suspicions. Von den 70er-Jahren bis in die frühen 2000er-Jahre erhielt Sydney eine unerwartete Reputation als das Gay-Bashing-Kapital Australiens.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Für viele Jahre wurden Gay-Männer von Gangs für nichts mehr als ihre Sexualität ausgewertet. Diese Begriffe wurden von vielen als Sport genannt, und die Verbrecher brachten oft über ihre Verbrechen.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
In 2018 hat die Regierung von New South Wales eine speziale Berichterstattung über diese historischen Hasskriege eröffnet und herausgefunden, dass in den letzten vier Jahrzehnten ein Average von 20 Männern, die jeden Tag geflüchtet wurden, verurteilt wurden. So viele wie 88 Männer wurden während dieser Zeit verurteilt. Viele dieser Morde sahen sich zu Suiziden aus.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Sydney wasn't the only Australian city troubled by these violent hate crimes. Throughout the early 1990s it was reported by the Age newspaper that on average a gay person was murdered in Melbourne and its surrounding suburbs every two to three months. Offenders sought victims at toilet blocks and public parks known to be frequented by gay men seeking casual sex.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Bashings at one regional toilet block became so commonplace that authorities recommended it be demolished altogether. Keith Hibbins und David Campbell waren offensichtlich gay und präsentierten sich so, oft mit Arm in Arm. As David later told author Steve Dow, most people know that we're gay without our ever having to say it.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
They were all too aware of the looming threat of violence, with David alone having been the victim of at least four gay bashings in the past. There was a particular area within the Fitzroy Gardens that was known to be a hangout for gay men.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Therefore, when they were approached by two young men who were acting overtly aggressive towards them, David and Keith were immediately suspicious of their story that they were trying to catch a rapist. Instead, David thought they might have been gay bashers. He exchanged a knowing look with Keith, who said, We've got to get out of here. Run. David and Keith took off towards Lansdowne Street.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The other two men started chasing them. As they ran past a light pole, David's foot became caught on its concrete base and he tripped over. He tried to pull himself back up, but before he managed to do so, something made contact with his mouth and nose. He couldn't tell if it was a fist or a foot.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
David wurde dann face first in den Boden gedrückt, wo die Männer ihn mehrere Male in den Beinen, Hüften und Gesichten drückten. Er hörte einen von ihnen sagen, ich werde dich fucking töten. Keith sah, was passiert war und rutschte zurück, um Hilfe zu bekommen. Lass ihn allein, fragte er. Dieser kurze Verlust gab David die Möglichkeit, sich aufzuhalten und wegzuhalten.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Mit einem Sturz von Adrenalin fortsetzte er, sich auf die Sicherheit von Lansdowne Street zu bewegen. He could feel that one of the attackers was hot on his heels. Once they reached the street, David sideswiped straight into the oncoming traffic. He ran into the middle of the road, desperately waving his arms in an attempt to flag someone down. By the time he got to St.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Andrews Lane on the other side, the attacker was gone. A married couple named Paul and Michelle Rogers pulled over. Somebody help us, please, David pleaded. I've been bashed. Keith didn't take the straight path out of the gardens. Instead, he ran at an angle into the darkness, with the taller of the two attackers pursuing him.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
An accident years earlier left Keith with a broken arm and a leg, which had been screwed back together. As a result, he wasn't particularly agile and ran in a way described as being like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Keith pushed onwards until he emerged from the gardens further north up Lansdowne Street.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
From the seventh floor of the nearby Peter McCallum Cancer Institute, a woman peered out of a window and noticed what was unfolding on the street below. Keith Hibbins was pinned up against a car, while the two younger men were, quote, punching the crap out of him.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
From the woman's view, it looked like the attackers had restrained Keith by the shoulders and were beating him with their fists and elbows. She thought they must have administered at least 20 blows, describing one of the men as a bloody animal, savage. At no point did she see Keith fight back. At street level, a passerby heard Keith screaming for help and saw the attack unfolding.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
As the two men continued to beat Keith, they were also heard verbally abusing him. The passerby called for an ambulance, panic in his voice as he told the operator, They're getting stuck into someone up here. Make it quick. Within minutes, Keith Hibbins fell to the ground, unconscious. Währenddessen, um die Kante, stand David Campbell außerhalb des Entrenns des Peter McCallum Cancer Institutes.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Paul und Michelle Rogers, das Paar, das er geflaggt hatte, versuchten, ihn zu entschädigen, als er erklärte, was er und sein Partner gerade durchgeführt haben. Plötzlich kamen die beiden Anwesenden nach ihnen. David flog sofort in das Krankenhaus, während Paul Rogers sein Bestes tat, um die Männer aus dem Entrennen zu blockieren.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Paul und Michelle konnten Alkohol auf den Männern riechen und bemerkten, dass sie ihre Worte schlürfen, als sie heimlich versuchten, sich über einander zu sprechen. Sie versuchten aggressiv, Paul aus dem Weg zu bringen, um David zu finden, schreiend, dass eine Frau im Park verabredet worden war.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Einer der Männer fragte rhetorisch, Was würdest du tun, wenn du zwei Männern ansprichst, sie das gesagt hättest und sie verabredet? Er sagte Michelle, dass sie einen Verabredeten verteidigte. Michelle said that David was gay and he wasn't responsible. One of the men replied, he would say that, wouldn't he? While the other sneered, likely story.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
Casefile True Crime
Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The two offenders returned to the spot where Keith Hibbins lay unconscious in the street and waited for the police to arrive. They presented themselves to the officers immediately, identifying themselves as 27-year-old John Whiteside and 23-year-old Christian Peter Deber. Whiteside and Deber outright admitted they were responsible for the beating.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
As far as they were concerned, they were just doing their civic duty. A woman had been raped and they had apprehended the culprits. Air-Conditioning Technician John Whiteside was operating on little sleep when a friend picked him up to go to the Anzac Day Footy Match at the MCG. An avid sports fan, Whiteside had stayed up late watching the World Cup Cricket on television.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Still, he managed to get ready in time to have a few drinks at a pub around the corner from the ground before the match kicked off. Es war dort, dass Whiteside und sein Freund mit einigen gemeinsamen Freunden zusammengekommen sind, einer davon war Christian Dieber, ein letzter Wirtschaftsabschlusser, der in der Accounts-Departement für eine Sicherheitsbehörde arbeitete.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Die Gruppe fuhr zum Spiel zusammen, wo sie ein paar mehr Trinken hatten, bevor sie nach Essendon nach 8 Punkten zurückkehrten, nachdem sie Collingwood gewonnen hatten. Willig, weiterzumachen, wollten sie weiter in die Stadt, um mehr Trinken zu holen, bevor sie eine Nacht brachten.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Um 7.00 Uhr begann die Gruppe von sechs die Wellington-Parade auf dem südlichen Perimeter der Fitzroy Gardens zu gehen. Dort kamen sie zu einer jungen Frau, die auf dem Boden schlank war, hysterisch weinend. Sie war ohne Fuß und hatte nur einen Sock, während die Strapfe ihrer Singletopse aus der Schulter geschliffen waren.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
Die Gruppe kam, um zu sehen, ob sie in Ordnung war, aber als sie das gemacht haben, schrie sie, »Wirst du mich auch verletzen?« In an apparent state of panic, she threw her wallet at them, saying, Just take it and leave me alone. John Whiteside, Christian Dieber and their group of friends didn't know what to do.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
One of them gave the woman his jacket, before Whiteside draped his Collingwood scarf around her neck. A jogger came over and told the group he'd run past the woman earlier and heard her arguing with two men. While the group discussed what to do, the woman continued to sob uncontrollably. They opened her wallet to check if she had any ID and learned that she was 23-year-old Evgenia Sionis.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
The group offered to hail her a taxi, but Evgenia said no. She wanted the police instead. A member of the group called emergency services, requesting both the police and an ambulance. Evgenia continued crying. One of the men asked her if she'd been raped, but she didn't give a clear answer. They pressed on, asking if she'd been sexually assaulted. She said yes, she had been assaulted by two men.
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Case 313: Keith Hibbins
John Whiteside and Christian Dieber didn't wait around to hear more. With the police and paramedics on the way to tend to Evgenia, they set out on a mission of their own. To find the men responsible. Keine zwei Trader sind gleich.
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Case 308: Ruth Finley
Yet, scattered throughout were several complex words that seemed oddly out of place. In essence, the writer demanded money from Ruth and threatened to hurt her if she didn't comply. Ruth showed the letter to her husband and they took it to the Wichita Police Department headquarters. Ruth was certain that she had no connection to her harasser.
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Case 308: Ruth Finley
She was well-liked with no known enemies and couldn't think of a single person who would target her so maliciously. The Finleys were introduced to the seasoned detectives of the Major Crimes Division. Ruth and Ed were surprised that their case had been escalated to such an elite unit. They would soon learn the troubling reason why.
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Case 308: Ruth Finley
Wichita had spent the last three years gripped by fear it had never felt before. The city's first known serial killer had claimed the lives of seven victims, including four members of the same family. The killer had adopted the moniker BTK Strangler, which was short for Bind, Torture, Kill, a reflection of his sadistic method of attack.
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Case 308: Ruth Finley
His crimes made headlines and were a hot topic among locals who lived in a state of perpetual terror, uncertainty and suspicion. By late 1978, police had no substantial leads on who the BTK Strangler was, only vague witness descriptions and a series of graphic, taunting letters that he'd sent to authorities and media outlets.
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Case 308: Ruth Finley
In them, the BTK Strangler detailed his crimes and sometimes included disturbing cryptic poems. Most were handwritten in distinct, blocky handwriting. When Wichita's Major Crimes Division learned of Ruth Finley's case, they noted troubling similarities to BTK's MO, but there were enough differences to prevent an unequivocal connection.
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Case 308: Ruth Finley
Since Ruth didn't appear to be in immediate life threatening danger, her case was relegated to the bottom of the pile of leads the division was sorting through in the larger investigation. A week later, Ruth received another letter.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Filled with similar writing errors to the previous one, this long-winded note demanded that Ruth leave $100 under a seat in Ed's pickup truck and park it in a location where the cash could be collected. The author made it clear that they knew Ruth had enlisted the help of her husband, her colleagues at Southwestern Bell, and even the police, warning, The letter ended with a poem.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Wherever you go, on water or land, you still got to pay or I'll tell about your brand. I am smart and know things to do. You talk to people I despise, like police lieutenant and telly spies. Ruth took the letter to the police and soon more arrived, each more erratic, illegible and profane than the last.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The writing featured near incomprehensible abbreviations and was sometimes penned upside down, backwards, or scribbled in circles at the corners of the page. The police struggled to make sense of them. Ruth took it upon herself to type out the content of each letter in an effort to clarify and decode them.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Though poorly written, the letters contained sophisticated words like prolegomenous, constantaneous, and jactitation, suggesting that the author was more intelligent than they were letting on. Ruth had to look up these words in the dictionary to understand their meaning. She also discovered that some of the letters' elaborate terms like Sanchused and Psychosthenia were entirely made up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
I'll fix you so no one will look at you again, he threatened, shoving a rag against Ruth's face. Ruth felt herself growing dizzy and drowsy, her vision blurred. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed completely was the man heating a flat iron on the kitchen stove. By the time Ruth regained consciousness, it was 7.30 the next morning.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The author remained fascinated by Ruth's past and frequently mentioned wanting to see her brands, a reference to the burns she had sustained in her teens. She passed her research on to the police, who were grateful for her help, but still didn't treat the situation with urgency. At the same time, the troubling phone calls resumed. If Ruth answered, the man simply said, Ruth, before hanging up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
If Ed answered, the caller immediately hung up. One day, Ed decided to stay on the line and wait to see what happened. Several minutes of silence passed before Ed was startled by a whistling sound blowing down the line. Who is this? he demanded. An unfamiliar voice finally spoke up. This is the damnedest thing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
I was walking by this phone here at the post office downtown and it's just hanging off the hook. Who are you? It was a bust. Whoever had made the call had fled the area. By October 1978, the call stopped. The Finleys were relieved, thinking the man had finally given up and moved on, marking the end of their 16-month ordeal. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. It was cold and wet in Wichita on the afternoon of Tuesday November 21 1978 when Ruth Finlay stepped out on her lunch break to run a few errands. After picking up a birthday card for a friend, she crossed North Market Street and was struck by an unnerving feeling that she was being followed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She turned around, but no one was there. Ruth continued on her way when, all of a sudden, an old blue-green 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air pulled up to the curb, blocking her path. A man jumped out of the vehicle and demanded, ''Have you got my money?'' It was the man Ruth had encountered twice before, this time wearing a denim jacket over a sweater and black framed glasses.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He demanded that Ruth get into his car, but she froze in fear, unable to move or speak. The man kicked Ruth hard in the shin, causing her to double over in pain. He then forced her into the back seat of the Bel Air and climbed in beside her. A second man sat behind the wheel. He hit the accelerator and the car shot forward. The car had seen better days.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The tattered back seat was cluttered with the junk that Ruth assumed had come from a farm. Gas cans, chunks of concrete, chains and rags. The left rear window was taped with plastic, the passenger door was bashed in and the dashboard was patched with white tape.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
As they drove along, the two men talked incessantly, taking long swigs from a bottle wrapped in brown paper that they passed between them. Ruth strained to catch as much of their conversation as she could. She deduced that the driver was called Buddy, but she didn't catch the name of the man who'd grabbed her. The man soon turned his attention back to Ruth and demanded she give him her purse.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She was sprawled on the kitchen floor, her clothes torn with cuts and scratches across her legs, neck and face. These wounds were superficial, unlike the injuries to her thighs. Both of Ruth's legs bore painful first-degree burns which had been branded onto her flesh by the Flatirons. Ruth stayed silent on the floor until she was sure her attacker was no longer there.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth handed it over and the man rummaged through it before announcing gleefully, we've struck it rich. But his mood soured when he found a business card for one of the detectives working on her case. He showed it to Buddy and the two men exchanged a volley of angry profanities. Without warning, the man struck Ruth in the side of the face with a chunk of concrete, barking, you damn stupid bitch.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth sat back, dazed and silent, while Buddy drove aimlessly through the city. She occasionally caught glimpses of her captor wielding a switchblade. Thoughts of escape crossed her mind, but the door handle next to her was broken and she wasn't sure she'd survive if she jumped from the speeding car.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Her purse had been returned and inside it was a can of mace, but she couldn't figure out how to retrieve it without the man noticing. At one point, Ruth overheard Buddy ominously say, wait until dark. Her anxiety spiked when he pulled into the parking lot of the Twin Lakes shopping centre. The other man muttered, we'll get rid of her, but not here.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Meanwhile, back at Southwestern Bell, Ruth's colleagues noticed that she hadn't returned from lunch. Calls were made to Ed Finlay and then to the police, but without anyone knowing Ruth's exact location, her situation grew dire. Hours passed and the sun set as Ruth's captors continued driving her around town. All the while, Ruth despaired over what might be in store for her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
At one point, the man in the back seat sneered, Do you like beer? We'll get some beer and have a party. I'll be real nice to you. By the fourth hour of her ordeal, Ruth finally found the courage to speak up, telling the man that she needed to use the restroom. They laughed at her, so Ruth forced herself to gag, explaining that she would throw up if she didn't get to a toilet.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Although they seemed dubious, Buddy pulled up at a small park near West 21st Street and Salina, close to the Little Arkansas River. To prevent Ruth from fleeing, the men ordered that she hand over her coat and shoes. Ruth's captor got out of the car and dragged her by the arm into the park, remarking, I'll watch you and you'll watch me. Doesn't that sound like fun?
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
As they walked, Ruth discretely tucked her hand into her purse, gripping the can of mace. When they reached a small lake, the man released his hold on Ruth so that he could urinate first. As he unzipped his pants, Ruth grabbed the mace and sprayed it at him. The man collapsed in a coughing fit, giving Ruth the opportunity to flee.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Barefoot, she darted across the muddy ground, slid down an embankment and crouched behind a large bush. She heard the man yell, You'll freeze if we leave you here. Come and get your shoes and your coat and we won't bother you anymore. Ruth remained silent, her body shivering and her feet numb from the cold. She stayed hidden in the dark until the man stopped shouting and she sensed he had gone.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth crept out from behind the bush and climbed back up the small rise, scanning the area for the bell air. It was nowhere to be seen. She quickly left the park and ran to a liquor store across the road, yelling, Someone's after me. The store clerk immediately called the police, who arrived to collect Ruth and take her to the station, where she was reunited with her husband Ed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth learned that her abductors had stolen her $315 paycheck, a $100 US savings bond and a few other random items, including some stationery. Police examined the park where Ruth had been taken. They found her shoes and coat near the embankment she had fled down, along with footprints showing her escape route. However, the assailants had left behind no other clues.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
A localised check on every model of Chevrolet that matched Ruth's description was conducted, with each vehicle tracked down and ruled out. Detectives also revisited the 1946 attack on Ruth, travelling to Fort Scott to search for leads. In the meantime, Ruth continued to receive long, rambling letters from her tormentor.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She then called her parents, who contacted the police. They deduced that Ruth's attacker had soaked the rag he pressed to her face with chloroform, a sweet-smelling anesthetic, before burning her legs while she lay unconscious. Although a physician confirmed that Ruth hadn't been raped, police were certain the crime was sexually motivated.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In one, he enclosed the stationery that was stolen from her purse, confirming that the letter writer and the abductor were one and the same. In another letter, he accused Ruth of deliberately confusing him. He claimed to have mistaken Ruth's sister, Jean, for her, a common mistake as the two sisters looked alike.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Jean was rattled when she learned that the man had been mistakenly stalking her as well. Ruth tried to reassure her, saying, He doesn't want you, he wants me. Ruth was in a state of despair. Her headaches were now a daily occurrence and accompanied by crippling abdominal pain. Things worsened when the man began leaving letters about Ruth throughout Wichita and writing to the local papers.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
This thrust Ruth into the spotlight and made the otherwise private and reserved woman the subject of local gossip. The man claimed he was a poet, though people didn't know it. This, along with his habit for penning violent and sexual rhymes, led to him being referred to as The Poet. Sometimes his poems were long and elaborate, other times they were short and simple, resembling children's rhymes.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In his writings, he called Ruth a whore, an accusation that seemed completely unfounded. Detectives spoke at length with Ruth and concluded that she was a kind, upstanding, church-going woman who was fiercely devoted to her husband. This wasn't a case of a married woman living a secret double life.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
They could tell Ruth's fear was genuine and that she truly had no idea who the poet was or why she was being targeted. Despite this, the poet continued to imply a personal connection between them, writing, You know in your fucked up mind you are going to die. You don't know when, but you do know why. In a letter to local newspaper The Eagle Beacon, the poet gloated about his anonymity.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Good or evil, my secret shall not be known. I unnoticed go my way. I may just prosper for one day. He also scolded the publication for mentioning both him and the BTK strangler in the same article, warning them not to confuse the executioners again. I am not dangerous, he claimed. Just those who are too dumb to do what they are told.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He even sent a letter to a detective overseeing Ruth's case, accusing him of protecting a, quote, whore from death. In an effort to generate more leads, the detective appeared on a live radio talk show and described Ruth's ordeal in detail. During the broadcast, Ruth listened closely to each incoming call to the radio station, but none of the callers sounded like her stalker.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Each night, while Ruth slept, Ed kept watch over the house, hiding in the bushes armed with a 12-gauge shotgun and a revolver. The Finleys continued to receive letters sporadically into 1979, sometimes as many as two at a time. They tried to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives, even preparing for their annual trip to a ranch resort in western Colorado.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth was brought to her parents' home to recover but later moved in with a family friend as the thought of staying in her apartment overwhelmed her with such intense dread that it made her physically ill. Meanwhile, the violent incident made the local newspapers as authorities worked to identify the man responsible. By 1977, 31 years had passed since Ruth Smock was attacked.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
On Monday August 13, while Ruth was packing for the trip, she realised she needed a new pair of jeans. Putting her fears aside, she drove to Town East Mall and bought what she needed. By the time she finished shopping it was late and the sun was setting. As she walked back to her car, Ruth was struck by the unsettling sensation that someone was following her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
However, each time she turned around, the parking lot seemed deserted with no one in sight. Nervous, Ruth hurried toward her car when a familiar voice called out, ''Hey Ruth, I didn't know you were going to make this so easy.'' Ruth broke into a sprint. She reached her car and jammed a key into the door, but it wouldn't open. She had used the wrong key.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
A gloved hand appeared from behind her and grabbed her wrist. It was the same man who had abducted her the year before. He pushed Ruth's head against the car and ordered her to get in, tossing a brown paper shopping bag through the partially open rear window. We'll go to a nice little place where it says, keep out, he said.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth pushed the man away and tried to run, but within seconds, he pulled an 8-inch boning knife from his pocket and stabbed her twice in the back and once in the side. Fueled by adrenaline and desperation, Ruth scrambled into her car. The man reached through the open driver's side window, but she managed to wind it up quickly, trapping his hand for a moment before he withdrew.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth started the engine and sped off, the boning knife still lodged in her side. Blood soaked into the car seat as she fought back tears, her body racked with pain. She pulled into a gas station and called the police from a payphone. They urged her to stay put, but terrified that the man might be following her, Ruth got back into her car and drove home.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
By the time she arrived, her vision blurred and she was on the verge of passing out. Ed rushed to Ruth the moment she pulled up. He gently moved her into the passenger seat and drove to the hospital, while Ruth drifted in and out of consciousness. The doctors concluded that Ruth had been incredibly lucky.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
If the knife had been a fraction of an inch deeper, her kidney would have been punctured and she would have died. The paper bag her attacker threw into her back seat painted a harrowing image of his intentions. It contained clothesline rope, white tape, a red bandana and a half-empty bottle of wine.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
After a successful surgery and nine days of recovery under 24-hour police protection, Ruth was cleared to return home. Before she arrived, the police thoroughly examined every inch of the Finleys' house and deemed it safe. Not long after Ruth was released from hospital, a detective arrived at the Finleys' door, visibly shaken.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He explained that he'd received a call from the hospital where Ruth had been treated. a man had shown up, asking specifically for her. A nurse believed he might have been Ruth's assailant, but by the time authorities arrived, he'd already left. Fearing for her safety, police quietly moved Ruth to a safe location.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In the days that followed, they kept the Finleys' house under constant surveillance, but the man didn't appear. News of Ruth's stabbing made headlines across Wichita, with composite sketches of the offender widely circulated and a $3,000 reward offered for information leading to his capture. At one point, the Poet case generated more tips than the higher-profile BTK Strangler investigation.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Detectives began looking into individuals with criminal backgrounds that matched the poet's behaviour. They showed Ruth photos of potential suspects, but she ruled each of them out. At one stage, the investigation turned toward the Finleys themselves. Ed was questioned thoroughly, but he assured the police that he would never hurt his wife.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The FBI compared his handwriting with that of the poet and determined it wasn't a match. Additionally, a medical report ruled out the possibility that Ruth could have inflicted the stab wounds to herself at such an angle and with such force. An independent doctor reached the same conclusion.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
For a while, Ruth was closely monitored by eight plainclothes police officers as she went about her daily activities outside the home. On some occasions, a detective hid out of sight in the back of her car, armed with a shotgun. Others patrolled the city in unmarked police cars or went undercover, spending weeks lurking through Wichita keeping an eye out for the poet. But he managed to elude them.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In an attempt to lure him out, Ed Finlay posted a coded message in the classified section of the Eagle Beacon. The ad read, It was signed with Ruth's initials, RSF. To Ed's surprise, the poet seemingly responded, To RSF, the price of my service, to stay alive, can now be settled at five. The cryptic nature of the message left Ed and the police baffled.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The poet continued to communicate to them through the newspaper, though his messages offered no new or helpful information. As time wore on, Ruth's fear gave way to profound depression. She felt utterly helpless, resigned to the belief that the poet would eventually get her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The sense of dread grew when the Finleys found another letter from the poet wedged in the slats of their front porch, marking the first time he'd personally delivered a letter to their home. At night, they began hearing strange noises coming from their garage, leading them to believe someone was lurking there. Then, on Christmas Eve of 1979, their phone lines were cut.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth agreed to undergo hypnosis in an attempt to uncover any suppressed memories of her abduction and stabbing. In the first session, she quickly slipped into a trance and recounted the events in vivid detail, even shouting, I want out of the car as she relived the abduction. However, no new insights emerged from this first session.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
During her second session a few days later, Ruth recalled that her attacker had mentioned something about a bridge over a river near the airfield east of town. Detectives followed this fresh lead and eventually located a bridge matching Ruth's description, but they couldn't determine its relevance to the case.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Later, the poet sent the police written instructions to meet him at the bridge, but he never showed up. In another letter, he referred to a box full of things the police would love to find, allegedly near a rocky stream. Officers spent eight hours digging along a dry riverbed near the airfield, but found nothing.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The psychologist who had hypnotised Ruth suggested that the poet might have received psychological treatment or spent time in a state institution. He described the attacker as withdrawn, seclusive, secretive and suspicious. After reviewing the poet's letters, the psychologist confirmed that the author was highly intelligent.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
47-year-old Ruth now went by the last name Finlay after marrying her high school sweetheart, 49-year-old Ed. The Finleys lived in a modest single-storey wood-frame house on a dead-end street in Wichita, Kansas, 150 miles west of Fort Scott. One warm June afternoon, Ed was taking a break from building a patio in the backyard when he suddenly collapsed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
A prominent psycholinguist created a psychological profile of the poet, describing him as severely psychotic, schizophrenic, pathologically paranoid, and a loner with a deep sense of persecution. Although he acknowledged that the poet and the BTK strangler shared a highly similar style and pathology, he didn't believe they were the same person.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
While the investigation kept stalling, the letters to Ruth continued to arrive. One read... You'll not go directly to your tomb, your mind must give thought, there will be gloom. Your face no more will anyone meet, at home, day or night, or in the street. Your mind is beaten, dark, forever more hid, all because of what you did. This game is fun to plan and plot, but can you stop me?
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
No, you cannot." The poet remained active into 1980 and a new officer in command was assigned to oversee the case. The poet mocked him in a letter, writing, There once was a captain who had an arsehole for a heart. The Finley's house gate was rigged with an alarm and the police hid a surveillance camera in a birdhouse in the backyard.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The wires snaked through a garden hose, leading to a monitor on the Finley's dining table producing a live feed. Police officers worked round the clock to monitor the feed 24-7, but eventually, the poet managed to inconspicuously cut the garden hose. In January, Ruth received a call at work. I have a surprise for you in the lobby, the poet said, before abruptly hanging up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth immediately contacted the police, who arrived to find a 12-inch butcher knife wrapped in a red bandana in the lobby's phone booth. Two witnesses reported seeing a man matching the poet's description near the booth, but he had left by the time authorities arrived. Two days later, Ruth received another chilling poem.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In February, the poet sent Ruth a strip of red bandana tied with twine accompanied by a letter that read, Here's to you, tender Valentine, red with blood and tied with twine. Nothing too much for a Valentine. Gone from here by whim of mind. By this point, the Finleys' entire life was consumed by the poet.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Much of their day was spent examining their home for letters, attempting to decode his latest ramblings, speaking with the police, and worrying about his next move. They barely slept, with Ed reaching for his gun at every creak in the night. The poet went to great lengths to upend every facet of Ruth's life.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He sent a letter to a local florist instructing them to deliver a single black flower to her. He wrote to Ruth's bank demanding the transfer of all her funds. He contacted the Kansas Department of Motor Vehicles, falsely claiming that Ruth had been driving recklessly and urging them to revoke her driver's license.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Utility providers received letters requesting that the Finley household's gas and electricity be shut off. A locksmith was asked to create a new set of keys for their home, while a construction company was instructed to dump a mound of dirt in their driveway.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
A towing company was told to collect the Finleys' vehicles and the health department was falsely informed that Ruth was spreading venereal diseases. The most chilling correspondence was sent to a local mortuary, warning them that Ruth would soon be in need of their services. Detectives compared the poet's handwriting to samples from a wide range of sources, but no match was found.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The letters underwent extensive analysis, focusing on word choice, phrasing and writing patterns, but these efforts also yielded no results. Chemical testing for fingerprints or saliva on the envelopes came up inconclusive. At one stage, the police received a call from someone claiming to be Buddy, one of the men who had abducted Ruth back in November 1978.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth frantically called for an ambulance and Ed was rushed to the hospital, where he regained consciousness in the emergency department. It was initially thought that Ed had suffered a heart attack due to the strenuous outdoor work, but doctors kept him overnight for further tests to make an official diagnosis.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The man promised to call back, but never followed through. Numerous hoaxes and mentally ill individuals also claimed to be the poet, further complicating the investigation. In early June 1980, the first letter from the poet arrived that wasn't postmarked from Wichita, but from Oklahoma City, 160 miles to the south.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Around the same time, police received an anonymous tip saying that a man resembling the poet was living in a trailer west of the city, having been fired from his job seven months earlier. Detectives looked into his psychological profile, which appeared to match the poet's. Hopeful that they finally had a promising lead, they organised for Ruth Finlay to view the man in a police line-up.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She determined that he was not her stalker. Over a month and a half later, the poet escalated once more, leaving a bottle of urine on the Finley's front porch. This was just one of many disturbing items he had placed on the couple's property during his reign of terror. Among the other objects were an ice pick, firecrackers, cigarettes, hair, matches, and trash.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
On several occasions, the Finleys discovered ingredients for Molotov cocktails. Eggs were thrown at their house, broken glass was scattered on their front steps and the lock on their gate was damaged. Ed was horrified when he found a bag containing faeces. The situation reached a horrifying peak in December 1980.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The Finleys were watching television in their basement one Sunday night when they were startled by the sound of glass smashing. Rushing upstairs, they found that the Christmas wreath on their front door had been set alight, the flames cracking the glass in the door. Ed quickly put out the blaze, then grabbed a pair of garden shears and sprinted down the road, intent on confronting the poet.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
But he never caught up with him. Afterwards, the poet sent the couple a chilling poem written in the style of the famous Christmas classic, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". The verses ominously warned of Ruth's impending death. "'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Ruth wasn't stirring. You're as quiet as a mouse. Your stocking was tight, around your neck with care.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
I hoped the lieutenant would not soon be there." Fearing an attack, a detective spent Christmas Eve at the Finleys' home as they hosted a family get-together. During the night, the Finleys' phone lines were cut for a second time, without anyone hearing a thing. Another holiday-themed poem alluded to Ruth's seedy past of sexual impropriety, saying,
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In the meantime, Ruth returned home alone, overwhelmed at the thought of almost losing her husband. She called the couple's two adult sons as well as other family and friends to update them on his condition. As the night wore on, Ruth anxiously waited for an update from the hospital. She kept herself occupied with the television and radio, but this only made her anxiety worse.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Once upon the night so dreary, premonitions of disaster keep you weary. The whore bore her guilt in her bed of slime, from selling her ass and not charging a dime. Slept with strangers in evil bed, enraged demon hunters saw blood was red. All bitches should keep their names and faces secret. Defenseless instincts released with demonic slut's threats.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Blurred vision and suffering in accuser's cage. Umbilical cord connected by seed in a rage. In January 1981, the Finleys' phone lines were cut for a third time. However, after the poet's previous attack, Southwestern Bell had buried the replacement lines underground and installed dummy wires to prevent further sabotage. It was only those dummy wires that were severed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In February, investigators set a trap for the poet by fitting Ruth with a bulletproof vest and letting her walk around downtown Wichita, accompanied by an undercover detective. The poet never appeared, but he wrote a letter after which read, I saw her Friday, but she was with some other female. This confirmed to detectives that the poet was observing Ruth in real time.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In March, the poet threatened to kill Ruth on St Patrick's Day. On April Fool's Day, he threw pieces of concrete at the Finleys' house. By this point, police had investigated over 300 individuals amassing 14 large binders of information. Weeks were spent surveilling potential leads, examining criminal histories, and executing search warrants, yet all their efforts proved futile.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Despite the significant time and resources invested, the police were left with nothing but the growing pile of anonymous letters. Ruth Finlay kept all of the poet's letters stored in a notebook, telling the press, I wonder how long it takes him to write this crap. He doesn't do a bad job of writing poetry. Some of them are kind of funny.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
However, she admitted that the contents of some of the letters made her stomach ache, particularly the one Santa Christmas, which frightened her the most. Ed Finlay said of the poet, I don't think he's crazy or insane. I'm sure he's a coward. He knows what he's doing, what the risks are. As time dragged on and the poet remained unidentified, Ruth's mental and emotional health spiralled.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She confided in her sister that she felt as though she were coming out of her body, though she struggled to articulate what that meant. Ruth often spent hours staring blankly out of the windows of her home, disconnected from the world around her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The constant anxiety and fear left her body aching with persistent cramps and pains, which she believed were physical manifestations of the overwhelming stress she was under. Ruth was also plagued by vivid nightmares. In one, she reached the top of a stairwell with the poet close behind her, only to find that the door at the top wouldn't open, allowing him to grab her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In another, she was surrounded by police but couldn't get their attention as the poet closed in. Panicking, Ruth ran into the street, only to be struck by a bus. There were also moments where Ruth's sense of reality seemed to slip. She could be going about her daily routine when she'd suddenly feel as though the world was spinning out of control.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
After one of these dizzying episodes, she woke up on the bathroom floor, disoriented and confused. Privately, Ruth had reached a breaking point and was planning to take her own life. On Wednesday October 1 1981, just over four years after Ruth Finley's ordeal began, her husband Ed arrived at the Wichita Police Department headquarters with another letter from the poet.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
This one contained a poem resembling Shirley Locks, a piece penned by the still unidentified BTK Strangler in 1978. Ed intended to simply hand the letter over for the police's records and return to work, but instead, he was escorted into an interview room. Confused and taken off guard, Ed was immediately read his rights.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
A serial killer had been targeting women in Kansas, and the media was obsessed with reporting on the lurid details of his crimes, which involved breaking into victims' homes and committing gruesome acts of sexualised violence. Being home alone at night did little to calm Ruth's nerves. Every creak and crack she heard only heightened her unease. Then, at around 10.30pm, the phone rang.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He was then questioned about his relationship with Ruth from their first meeting to the recent attacks. After he answered their questions, the detectives delivered a shocking statement. We know who the poet is, Ed. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
A few weeks earlier a letter had arrived from the poet that differed from the others. In it, he claimed that once he was finished with Ruth Finlay, he would be turning his attention to a new target, the wife of Wichita's Chief of Police, Richard Lemunyan.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The letter included personal details about Chief Lemunyan's wife, including the make and model of her car and the route she regularly drove home from the city. Normally, Chief Lemunyan adopted a hands-off approach, trusting his officers to manage their investigations independently. However, with the Poet case now striking close to home, he took the threat personally.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Over the weekend, Chief Lemunyan immersed himself in the Poet's massive case file, meticulously combing through every little detail. By Sunday evening, he was convinced he had solved the case. Chief Lemanyan held a confidential meeting with 16 of his officers who had worked tirelessly on the Poa case over the years.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Many of them had become personally acquainted with the Finleys, some even forming close friendships with Ruth and Ed beyond the confines of the investigation. By all accounts, the Finleys were warm, hospitable people who were deeply grateful for the dedication the police had shown in trying to bring their tormentor to justice.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The only person in the room who hadn't met the Finleys was Chief Lemunion himself. The officers sat in stunned silence as Chief Lemunion presented his theory. He pointed out that the Finleys lived on a quiet, dead-end street, yet none of the neighbours or the police surveillance team had ever sighted anyone suspicious in the area when the poet struck.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Similarly, there were no witnesses to the times Ruth had been confronted in public, despite these incidents occurring in heavily frequented areas. When the police installed the clandestine security camera in the Finleys' backyard, the only other people who knew about it were Ruth and Ed. This raised the question of how the poet had managed to avoid it entirely.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Moreover, the poet struck at the Finleys' house when there wasn't a detective present to guard them. How did he always seem to know when the Finleys were unprotected? Whenever the couple went away for extended periods, the poet's communications in the Eagle Beacon's classified section immediately ceased, only to resume once the Finleys returned.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When a new detective took over the case in 1980, he received a taunting letter from the poet. Yet, the Finleys were the only ones who knew about the change in leadership at the time. As for the November 1978 abduction, there were inconsistencies in Ruth's story, such as the time the attack took place.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She also described the backseat of the Bel Air as being filled with random farmyard junk, including gas cans and chunks of concrete. But as Chief Lemunyan pointed out, if the car was packed with such items, how could two people fit in the backseat?
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth claimed that one of the captors had chased her through the muddy park, yet when police examined the park, only one set of footprints were uncovered. Ruth's. Ruth claimed to have been struck in the face with a piece of concrete during the attack, but she had no injuries consistent with such a blow.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When Ruth answered, a male voice on the other line asked, Is this Ruth Smock from Fort Scott, Kansas? The question struck her as odd. Ruth had been married since 1950 and few people in her life knew her maiden name. The only connection she still had to her past in Fort Scott was her ongoing employment with Southwestern Bell, though she now worked as a secretary in the company's Wichita office.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
As for the stabbing attack, Ruth said she rolled up her car window after fighting her way into the car, yet the door had been locked when she arrived. Chief Lemunyan found it strange that she had left her car locked but with the window down. To him, nothing about the case made sense. Chief Lemunyan announced to the group, the poet is Ruth Finlay herself.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The claim flew in the face of everything the case detectives believed, as well as the information gathered from medical personnel and other experts. Doctors were certain Ruth couldn't have stabbed herself. Chief Lemunyan disagreed. He insisted that Ruth had inflicted the wounds on herself and everything else about the situation had been fabricated,
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He felt the same way about the abduction and all the other acts attributed to the poet. Chief Lemunyan sensed the other detectives' incredulity and reluctance to accept his theory. What he was suggesting contradicted everything they knew about the Finleys. Ruth was neither unstable nor attention-seeking. She was modest and gentle, and her distress seemed undeniably genuine.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Chief Lemunyan believed he could view Ruth with suspicion because he'd examined the case file objectively without biases that might come from knowing her personally. Chief Lemunyan proposed 24-hour covert surveillance of the Finleys starting that very night. While the other detectives remained uncertain about his assertions, they ultimately agreed to his plan.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
On Thursday September 17, Ruth and Ed Finlay drove to Eastgate Mall, oblivious to the fact they were being tailed by an unmarked police car. Ed pulled into the mall's parking lot and stopped at a mailbox. Ruth got out and deposited several letters before returning to the vehicle. After the Finlays drove off, officers converged on the mailbox and retrieved five letters that Ruth had mailed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Three were identified as personal business or private correspondence. One was addressed to a police reporter at a local television station, and the final one was addressed to Ruth herself. Both of these letters were from the poet and featured his unmistakable handwriting. The one to Ruth was written in the style of the children's poem Hickory Dickory Dock and referenced her attack in 1946.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Hickory dickory dock, the name on this face is Smock. Heat the iron for the brand, cooperate for games planned. Hickory dickory dock. The next day Ed and Ruth continued with their normal routine. Then on Saturday Ed drove Ruth to Eastgate Mall once again. This time she deposited four more letters, another of which was addressed to herself from the poet.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Dark-eyed bitch sat all alone, near the river and tied to a stone. Sink in the water and in fear, call for help and no one's near. Weep no more, the race is run. You lost the battle and I have won. A search of Ruth's office at Southwestern Bell uncovered a book of prose and poetry, a swatch of red bandana, and a sheet of carbon paper bearing the poet's handwriting.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
It was not uncommon for the poet to send an original letter to the Finleys and a carbon copy of the same letter to the police. For Chief Richard Lemunion, these discoveries vindicated his controversial belief that Ruth Finley was indeed the poet. However, the question of what role, if any, Ed Finlay played in the scheme lingered.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When Ed arrived at the Wichita Police Department headquarters on Wednesday October 1 1981 to hand over the Shirley Locks-style letter from the poet, he was led into an interview room and asked several questions about his wife and their recent experiences. Afterwards, Ed was hit with a bombshell. The detectives knew who the poet was.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
It was getting late on Tuesday October 15 1946 when 16-year-old Ruth Smock was startled by the sound of a screen door creaking behind her. Ruth had recently moved into a rooming house in Fort Scott, Kansas to attend a larger high school that offered more varied classes than the one in her rural Missouri hometown.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ed stared at them, processing the statement, before responding, I hope the hell you do. Let's go get him then. But the detectives had other plans. They showed Ed some photographs, the first of which was a candid shot of Ruth as she mailed letters at the Eastgate Mall. The detectives told Ed they'd caught Ruth mailing five letters from the poet in the past two weeks.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Assuming the caller was an old acquaintance, Ruth confirmed her identity. The man began asking about her past, specifically the rooming house she had lived in when she was 16. He then asked cryptically, Do you still wear your brands? Feeling uneasy about his intrusive questions, Ruth cautiously gave vague answers. This irritated the caller, who snapped, Look, I know all about that night.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The poet is Ruth, they told him matter-of-factly. Ed seemingly couldn't believe what he was hearing. He repeatedly muttered, oh my god, as the detectives informed him of all the evidence they'd uncovered in Ruth's office. Ed agreed to take a lie detector test to eliminate himself from the investigation.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
During the test, he firmly denied knowing that Ruth was the poet or helping her carry out the scheme. The examiner found that Ed was telling the truth, and Chief Lemunion agreed. After conducting his extensive research into the case, Chief Lemunion was confident that Ruth had acted alone.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
A search of the Finley home uncovered another book of poetry, more pieces of carbon paper and scraps of red bandana. Meanwhile, detectives approached Ruth at work and requested she come to the station under the pretense of looking at mugshots of potential poet suspects. Ruth happily agreed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She arrived at the station and cheerfully greeted officers there, asking how they were and flashing her trademark kind smile. She was then led into an interview room. The detectives informed Ruth that they were about to ask her some tough questions, starting with the 1946 attack in Fort Scott.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
As they worked their way up to the stabbing incident of 1976, the detectives' tone shifted, becoming more pointed and accusatory. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Ruth's smile faded. She slumped in her seat, her expression turning cold. Have you ever written any of the poet's letters? The detective asked point blank. No, sir, Ruth replied staunchly. The detective pressed on.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
What if I told you I have evidence that shows you did? It's time to come clean. Ruth appeared puzzled and struggled to respond. The detectives weren't convinced. They asked Ruth, Do you want to keep playing your game? Telling her, You got a problem, lady. Ruth seemed confused. When did I mail those letters? she asked softly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The detectives showed her the photos they took of her at the Eastgate Mall. Ruth shook her head, refusing to meet their eyes as tears began to well. Do you need help? the detective asked gently. In a quiet voice, Ruth responded, yes. Ruth gradually admitted she was responsible for all of the incidents attributed to the poet, except for setting fire to the Christmas wreath on her front door.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The abduction in 1978 had never happened either. In reality, Ruth had taken the bus to the park where she planted her coat and shoes and staged the scene of her escape. She based the description of her abductor on an unrelated man who once stopped her on the street. As for the stabbing, Ruth admitted that was a lie too, but she claimed to have no recollection of it whatsoever.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When asked why she made the whole thing up, Ruth buried her head in her hands and responded, I don't know. Ruth claimed she couldn't remember what was going through her mind when she wrote the letters from the poet. Regarding the single letter sent from Oklahoma City, she explained that she had mailed it directly to the post office there, requesting that they forward it back to Wichita.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Detectives didn't even know such a scenario was possible. They remained perplexed as to why Ruth had gone to such lengths to manipulate those around her, and she seemed equally puzzled. She denied ever wanting the publicity that came with her ordeal and could offer no explanation as to why she had done it. When asked if Ed was involved, Ruth firmly replied, absolutely not.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She maintained that he had always been a good husband and that he'd done nothing to influence her behaviour. Detectives worked to uncover more information about Ruth's scheme, but she only gave vague responses. In an effort to reassure her, the detectives said there were no hard feelings between them. There should be, Ruth replied quietly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When asked how she felt, Ruth admitted, I wish I was dead. A doctor arrived to assess Ruth, but he was unable to provide a clear explanation for her behaviour either. I guess I am just crazy, Ruth told him sadly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She was subsequently admitted to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, where she said she remembered some flashes of things, such as writing a letter while seated next to her washing machine. Overall though, Ruth could recall very little about her time as the poet. Regardless, she maintained that her actions hadn't been willful and that something else entirely was at play.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth was eventually deemed stable enough to return home, though she continued to work with a psychiatrist named Dr. Andrew Pickens to better understand herself and her actions. During one of their therapy sessions, Ruth broke down in tears as she grappled with the profound humiliation of her deception being exposed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Confused, Ruth replied, I don't know what you're talking about. The man then read out what sounded like a newspaper article. Branded on both thighs by a hot flat iron, Ruth Smock, 16-year-old Fort Scott high school girl, was resting today at the home of her parents following an attack upon her early last night by a man police called a sex maniac.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She referred to herself as a bad person, before suddenly composing herself and saying, I'm a bad little girl for crying. This moment sparked a crucial conversation with Dr Pickens about the deep shame Ruth felt whenever she expressed emotions. She traced this shame back to her mother's dismissive attitude toward her feelings during childhood.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth had initially described her mother with reverence, remembering her as strong, confident and flawless, an ideal she admired and sought to emulate. But as Dr Pickens gently guided Ruth through her feelings, it became clear that she held conflicting emotions.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth had been told she was an unplanned pregnancy, one that led to a difficult birth that traumatised her mother, who then developed a drinking problem. Her parents also expressed a disappointment that she hadn't been born a boy, and Ruth felt her mother favoured her sister.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Sex was a forbidden topic in the Smock household, and whenever Ruth expressed curiosity, her staunchly religious mother would snap. Why do you have to talk this filth? When speaking with Dr Pickens, Ruth often apologised for any negative comments about her mother, before recounting more positive memories.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
During a therapy session, Ruth recalled an uncomfortable childhood memory of sitting naked on someone's lap. She couldn't remember who it was, but the thought made her feel terrible. She broke into tears before quickly dismissing the memory, saying, ''It's not right to cry.'' It took time for Ruth to open up about her negative feelings toward crying and expressing emotions.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She eventually admitted that as a child she was very clingy and emotional, which she believed embarrassed her mother. Dr Pickens understood that clinginess in children often stems from overprotective parenting or from feeling rejected by caregivers. In Ruth's case, he believed her mother fell into the latter category. Whenever Ruth cried, her mother scolded her, saying it made her look ugly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth recalled how her mother displayed an unflattering photo of a child screaming in a picture frame at home, claiming it was a picture of Ruth herself. What a big crybaby you are, her mother would say. Ruth later realised the photo wasn't of her at all, but a random child clipped from a magazine.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth also remembered an incident from her childhood where a man took her into a room and tied her to a bed. Though she couldn't remember what happened next, she vividly recalled the fear she felt, sobbing in the dark until the man untied her and let her go. When Ruth later told her parents about the ordeal, they showed no concern and were instead irritated by her crying.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When Dr Pickens asked how she felt about this incident as an adult, Ruth starkly replied, I don't have any feelings about it. But as therapy progressed, Ruth began to express anger at her parents' lack of care. That poor little girl, she said aloud. Why didn't her parents do something? Yet, she quickly blamed herself, saying her parents were right and that she shouldn't have cried.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
It was determined that Ruth had used repression since childhood to bury what she had been taught were unacceptable feelings, hiding her true emotions and needs behind a mask of being agreeable. Over time, Ruth unlocked more repressed memories, until she came to the painful realisation that she had been the victim of severe childhood sexual abuse.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The perpetrator was an adult neighbour, with most of the abuse taking place in a barn near her family's farm. During each attack, Ruth was filled with fear and often cried, which angered her abuser. He threatened to put her in a sack and throw her into a river if she told anyone. Terrified, Ruth stayed silent.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The caller continued, recounting the violent assault against Ruth from over 30 years earlier. While Ruth's physical wounds from that night had healed, the case had never been solved. She had pushed the terrifying experience to the back of her mind, choosing to move forward with her life. It wasn't something she discussed with anyone, not even her sons knew about it.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When her parents noticed her distress, they called her a crybaby instead of offering support or trying to understand the cause. Ruth blocked out these painful memories, only confronting them years later in therapy. At the time, recovered memory therapy was a popular form of psychotherapy.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
It is worth noting, however, that it has since been widely discredited, and its legitimacy remains up for debate among clinical and legal professionals. Recovered memory therapy is no longer recommended by professional mental health associations, as evidence has shown it can result in patients developing false memories.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth told Dr Pickens that during the abuse she would envision a beautiful young girl like a guardian angel who distracted and comforted her. Dr Pickens believed this was an early sign of Ruth disassociating from reality during trauma. He also believed that the poet was another psychological manifestation born from trauma.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The poet first appeared the night of Ed Finlay's suspected heart attack in 1977. The presence of the BTK Strangler in Wichita at the time likely contributed, as his crimes resembled Ruth's childhood abuse. Like the guardian angel from her childhood, the poet felt very real to Ruth. However, unlike the angel, he appeared as a figure to punish her, embodying her repressed guilt and anger.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Elements tied to the poet, such as the red bandana, chunks of concrete, and the bridge over the river, were connected to the man who had abused her. One of the earliest memories Ruth could recall hinted at why her Punisher took on the identity of a poet. One day, while flipping through a cherished book of children's poems, something strange happened.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The familiar rhymes like Hickory Dickory Dock and Mary Had a Little Lamb were replaced by dark, unsettling verses that told Ruth she was a bad little girl. The poems frightened her so deeply that she hid the book away and never opened it again.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth was ultimately diagnosed with atypical impulse disorder with the dissociative and depressive features, a condition marked by sudden, temporary changes in consciousness, identity, or motor behavior. This can cause memory loss, confusion about one's identity, or a distorted sense of reality. In hindsight, the connection between the poet and Ruth was clear.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
One letter stated, A fucked up childhood causes anger and hate, while another described, Two fiends housed in a throbbing head, one with fumbling and weakened grasp, winning one tightened to the rope's strangling clasp. The poet also wrote that it felt like people were exploding to get out of his head. In another letter, he asserted,
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Dear Ruth, the game is over, the players are dead, I can play any part, coming out of my head. Blunder on and win the fight, stealthily unquestioned, day or night. Ruth claimed to remember nothing about the stabbing incident at Town East Mall. As part of her recovery, she returned to the scene and envisioned snakes writhing on the parking lot ground.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Over time, through therapy, her memories of that day became clearer. She recalled hearing the words, as she looked down at a knife in her hands before stabbing herself. Ruth accepted that the acts she had attributed to the poet were either fabricated or committed by her. However, her unreliable memories left many questions about what was real.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She maintained that the 1946 attack in her Fort Scott apartment had happened and that the burns on her thighs were caused by an intruder, though some questioned the truth of these claims. Despite the uncertainty, the realisation that she and the poet were the same person brought Ruth a sense of wholeness.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The caller explained that he worked for a construction company and had recently discovered a stack of old newspapers while demolishing a building in Fort Scott. He claimed he'd found embarrassing stories about three people and planned to call them all, starting with Ruth.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Still, she feared he might resurface and take control again if she experienced further trauma. The poet's dark verses continued to surface in Ruth's mind, though they now focused on her unloving mother and childhood abuse. Ruth would sit at her table, letting the words flow onto paper without consciously thinking about them. Sometimes these poems exceeded 2,000 words.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She brought them to therapy, reading them aloud and discovering their content for the first time. This process provided insight into how she had written as the poet without remembering it. At first, the poems were incredibly dark and self-critical. In time, however, the poems began to reflect feelings of self-forgiveness and a readiness to heal. One read, A child was born, but was not anywhere.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She wanted you to find her, she was so sad. She wished you would not think of her as bad. She searched for you, but then she knew. Her childish ways, it was time she outgrew. But just the same I dread the day when I remain and you fade away. In total, the Wichita police had spent over $370,000 investigating the poet, the equivalent of over a million dollars today.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
After reviewing Ruth Finley's psychiatric reports, authorities found no evidence of malicious intent and concluded that she wasn't a threat to the community, only to herself. Prosecutors decided not to press charges. After six years of therapy, Ruth worked to repair her reputation in Wichita. Outraged locals misunderstood the context, believing she had acted intentionally.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth was initially reluctant to speak publicly about her childhood trauma but agreed to a televised interview for the local news, accompanied by her therapist, Dr Andrew Pickens. In the interview, Dr Pickens expressed his belief that the poet no longer existed, a sentiment Ruth shared. Following the broadcast, Ruth received overwhelming support.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
It inspired many people to share their own stories of childhood abuse for the first time. Ruth publicly thanked everyone who had helped her during the four years she had been taunted by the poet, including the doctors and nurses who treated her and her family, who continued to stand by her.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The caller told Ruth he knew where she lived and worked and threatened to leave a copy of the article about her attack where everyone in her life could see it. However, he said he'd reconsider if Ruth sent him money. At that point, Ruth hung up the phone. The strange call left Ruth shaken.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She expressed immense gratitude to the officers of the Wichita Police Department, saying, "...in the end, they saved me from either a mental breakdown or my own self-destruction." Ruth later shared her experience with author Jean Stone, who released an in-depth book on the case titled Little Girl Fly Away, with additional input from Dr Pickens.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
In 2024, a film based on Ruth's story, The Killer Inside, The Ruth Finlay Story, was released. Ed Finlay remained unwaveringly supportive of his wife, even after learning the truth. They went on to live a stable and happy life together. Ruth Finley dedicated her life to advocating for mental health awareness and encouraging others to seek therapy.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She also learned to write braille and volunteered for the Braille Association of Kansas, manually transcribing textbooks for people with vision impairments. A lover of needlework and knitting, she donated handmade hats and scarves to US troops in Afghanistan. Ruth passed away in May 2019 at the age of 89.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
During her final therapy session with Dr Andrew Pickens, Ruth read a poem she'd written for the occasion. Thank you for helping me see as a goal, having the little girl melted into me and being whole. I can't be rescued except in my mind, but that's only possible because you have been so kind. My heart feels it might break on this sad day as I leave here and you go away.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
But my heart is also happy inside that I gained my freedom and also some pride. In my mind, when the need may arise, I'll be with you and I'll shut my eyes. In my heart, your spot will always be there, close to a little girl who felt you did care. After that, Ruth never wrote another poem again.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Not only did it force her to confront a part of her past she had long since buried, she feared the man trying to extort her might show up at her house to confront her in person. Yet, the night passed without incident, and the next morning, Ruth visited her husband in the hospital. By then, Ed's sudden collapse had been linked to an untreated injury from a car accident the previous year.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Although Ruth was relieved to learn that Ed's heart was healthy, he remained in the hospital for several more days to recover. Meanwhile, Ruth nervously waited to see if the ex-daughter would contact her again, but he didn't. By the time Ed returned home, life for the Finleys returned to normal. Ruth didn't tell Ed about the caller, choosing to act as though nothing had ever happened.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Less than a month later in early July, Ruth was sitting in her office at Southwestern Bell going through her daily mail when she came across a peculiar brown envelope. Her name was written on it in childlike handwriting, but there was no address.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth realised the envelope must have been hand-delivered as there was no way it could have made it to her through the postal system without an address printed on it. Inside was a yellowed newspaper clipping from the Fort Scott Tribune. It was the same article detailing the 1946 attack on teenage Ruth that the anonymous caller had read to her weeks before.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Living in the city also allowed Ruth to work part-time as a telephone operator for Southwestern Bell so she could save some money. The problem was Ruth lived alone and she wasn't expecting any visitors that evening. A chilling realisation quickly set in. She had left the front door unlocked after returning home from the grocery store earlier. An unfamiliar man was now standing in her apartment.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Startled, Ruth tore up the article and threw it in the trash. Ruth's parents had raised her to be self-reliant, instilling in her the belief that emotions should be repressed and personal problems handled privately. As a result, Ruth chose not to tell Ed about the harassment. Over the following months, the man called the Finlay home six more times.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
As soon as Ruth recognised his voice, she hung up immediately. Occasionally, Ed answered the phone, only to hear a dial tone. He assumed they were being pranked by mischievous children. Ruth kept the truth secret, along with the fact that her chronic headaches were getting worse. She just hoped the stranger would leave her alone once he realised she wasn't willing to engage with him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
By August, two months had passed since the anonymous caller first contacted Ruth. She was walking the streets of downtown Wichita after finishing work for the day, waiting for Ed's shift to end so they could carpool home together. As she crossed the road at the corner of Broadway and Douglas, a male voice suddenly said, You've done a good job at work this week. You can take the weekend off.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Ruth realised the comment was directed at her. It had come from a stranger who was walking alongside her. He was tall, lean and appeared to be in his late 40s with brown eyes and black hair that was beginning to grey. He seemed innocuous, dressed in jeans, a plaid shirt and white tennis shoes. The man tried to engage Ruth in small talk, but she wasn't interested and barely acknowledged him.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Undeterred, he kept pace, his questions growing more pointed. You work for the telephone company, don't you? Despite Ruth's clear disinterest, he pressed on. What do you do there? Are you an operator? No. Ruth remained silent as the man rambled on about his love of gambling in Las Vegas, even inviting her to join him for a trip there sometime.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He then began talking about his interest in photography. Annoyed, Ruth turned her attention to the nearby shop windows, hoping the man would take the hint and leave her alone. When it became clear that he wasn't getting the message, Ruth finally said she was waiting for her husband. The man then asked, Are you still married? Fed up, Ruth said nothing. The man's friendly demeanour abruptly changed.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He leaned in close and said menacingly, I like your face. I'll see you again. You can count on that. Some people's fantasies are other people's nightmares. With that, he stormed off. Ruth met up with Ed shortly afterward and told him about the unsettling encounter. Despite his wife's unease, Ed assumed the man had been flirting with her and had reacted poorly to her rejection.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
Privately, Ruth couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that he might have been the same man who'd been trying to blackmail her. But as the months passed, the troubling calls stopped and the man in the city didn't reappear. Nearly a year later in July 1978, Ruth was walking the streets of Wichita during her lunch break when a hand suddenly shot out from an alleyway and gripped her wrist tightly.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
She turned to find the man who had accosted her 11 months earlier. Frightened, she broke free and sprinted across the street as the man yelled, Ruth, get back here you stupid bitch and talk to me. Ruth darted into a nearby department store, rushed into an elevator, and frantically pressed the button for the fifth floor.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When the doors reopened, she hurried out and concealed herself among the shop displays, hoping the man wouldn't find her. As time passed, Ruth's nerves began to settle. Eventually, she left the store and made her way to a payphone. She called her husband, telling him to come and get her right away.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
The man was tall, appeared to be in his 50s, and was dressed in dirty bib overalls, the kind typically worn by farmers. He greeted Ruth casually, saying, Hi sis, before reaching for a wall switch and turning off the light. Moving quickly, the stranger grabbed Ruth and tore at her clothes. She fought back and managed to press her thumbs into his eyes. This only enraged him further.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
When Ed arrived, Ruth finally broke down and told him everything about the harassment she'd endured over the past year. Ed was shocked and upset to learn what his wife had been dealing with in silence.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
He drove her to the police station to file a report, but the officer the Finleys spoke to never followed up with them, leaving the couple uncertain as to whether their case had been investigated or brushed aside. Months later, Ruth was at home when the mail arrived. An envelope addressed to her in large black block letters caught her attention. Inside was a single sheet of lined paper.
Casefile True Crime
Case 308: Ruth Finley
It featured the same childlike handwriting that had been on the envelope she received the previous year that had contained the newspaper article about her 1946 attack. Scrawled at the top of the page was the line, Fuck you, fuck the police, fuck the telephone company. The rest of the letter's contents were a rambling mess filled with poor spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Feeling Good Podcast | TEAM-CBT - The New Mood Therapy
419: Ask David: Changing an SDB; Intense Public Speaking Anxiety
I hate you.
Good Guys
Love is NOT Blind with Paige O'Brien Peck
So when I get out of the car to walk into the building at work, I don't put my coat on. It's the winter. I'm in New Jersey. It's cold. I don't put on my coat because you know what? I'm sweating my ass off in the car. I've got the heat on 1000. I'm sweating. I've already had to get myself ready and I'm all hot. And I just like, I don't need a jacket, right? I had a half hour commute.
Good Guys
Love is NOT Blind with Paige O'Brien Peck
I'm not wearing a coat for a half hour in the car. So I have the coat in the car. God forbid I need it, but I'm not putting it on for the one minute walk to the school. So the lady in my office every day has to make a comment. Oh my God, where's your jacket? I saw you walking in. Where's your coat? Are you going to get sick? You're going to get pneumonia. What the heck do I do?
Good Guys
Love is NOT Blind with Paige O'Brien Peck
Every day I'm like, I don't need a jacket. I'm sweating and the cold air feels good. Like, what do you do with somebody like that every day? Now I have a game with myself. I'm trying to beat her to the office before me so that she doesn't watch me walk in. Like, because it's making me crazy. It's every morning. Any advice is appreciated.
Good Guys
Mob Adjacent with The Queen of Melrose
Hey, good guys. Fellow dog parent here. I have a very serious question. My neighbor left a sticky note on my garage that said in cursive, your dog barks all day long. Just want to let you know. what would you do in this situation? Okay. First of all, I work from home. My dog does not bark all day. Okay. She barks maybe every other hour, like, you know, bark, bark, bark.
Good Guys
Mob Adjacent with The Queen of Melrose
And then I say, Buffy, stop barking. And she stops barking. Okay. So I don't know what they're talking about. I don't know. Maybe my dog barks when I leave, but like, okay, you live in an apartment building where dogs are allowed, like what to expect. Okay. Please help me. Do I go over to her? Do I say something? I know who left this note on my door. Like, what do I do? Thanks. Bye.
Search Engine
What’s it like to fly when you’re fat?
All right. Finally got through security. I'm currently at Austin Airport. There are two anxieties I have during flying, specifically. One of them is, can I grab my ticket? Yeah, okay. One of them is going through security, And the second is physically getting on the plane.
Search Engine
What’s it like to fly when you’re fat?
Typically what happens is that, you know, I'm just like generally anxious about what it's going to take to get my shoes off, my jacket off. Am I wearing a hat? Did I wear the right shoes? Unpack everything.
Search Engine
What’s it like to fly when you’re fat?
Congress is like, hey, what's going on with these shrinking seats? It's not safe for people if there's an emergency evacuation because you're supposed to be able to get off the plane in 90 seconds.
Search Engine
What’s it like to fly when you’re fat?
They went to FAA. They said, you need to do some testing on this and some public comment. And they got 27,000 comments, I believe. I don't know anyone who is like, oh, they're perfect size for me. Most people are like, these are way too small. Someone said the average American cannot fit into a seat that's 17 inches wide.
Search Engine
What’s it like to fly when you’re fat?
It's not just people of certain girth. It's people who have height and they have broad shoulders. It's pregnant women. So it falls under the large category of really all Americans.
Search Engine
What’s it like to fly when you’re fat?
You can book online a second seat and then you will get it refunded. Or if you don't want to do that, you can also just go to the gate and right before boarding, if there's availability, they will allow you to have a second boarding pass.
Something Was Wrong
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And this is when all hell breaks loose. This is a life-threatening emergency. If we don't deliver this baby in the next few minutes, you are risking serious, serious harm and death.
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Yes, the death was a homicide, but no, the midwife was not prosecuted in any way. And as far as I know, continues to practice with no repercussions.
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They had to do CPR. He didn't have oxygen for so long that he didn't have any brain activity. So my healthy seven-pound baby that was healthy throughout my entire pregnancy is now born with no brain activity and is in NICU.
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Great. I'm safe with these people. They're professionals. If anything was to go wrong, they would recognize it as it was happening or before it was happening and
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Too many American women die in pregnancy. There's no question that in the United States there's a maternal health crisis.
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How could you do that? Does another woman prey upon someone's desire to take their autonomy and their body back from this patriarchal system that we live in?
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There's a quote that says, at some point, we need to stop pulling people out of the river and travel upstream and discover why they're falling in the first place.
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they didn't have a certificate of occupancy for the clinic in Dallas. We knew that they were changing birth records. We started reporting those things.
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I believe my body will do what it's supposed to do. That's why I chose midwifery over the route of choosing an OB-GYN doctor.
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A few miles from the glass spires of midtown Atlanta lies the South River Forest. In 2021 and 2022, the woods became a home to activists from all over the country who gathered to stop the nearby construction of a massive new police training facility, nicknamed Cop City.
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At approximately 9 o'clock this morning, as law enforcement was moving through various sectors of the property, an individual, without warning, shot a Georgia State Patrol trooper.
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This is We Came to the Forest, a story about resistance. The abolitionist mission isn't done until every prison is empty and shut down. Love and fellowship. It was probably the happiest I've ever been in my life. And the lengths we'll go to protect the things we hold closest to our hearts. Follow We Came to the Forest on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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You can binge all episodes of We Came to the Forest early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+.
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I thought the birth center would be a happy medium between the hospital setting and the home birth setting.
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We assumed that these people were professionals that were being regulated by the state of Texas. They claimed to be upheld to these really high standards of care.
Something Was Wrong
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I did a lot of research and found a birth center in Dallas. Little did we know it would turn out to be a total nightmare.
Something Was Wrong
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I had spots in my vision. Jennifer told me that, oh, that's nothing to be worried about.
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It's not in my chart, but I was leaking meconium all night. I said, is it illegal?
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And they nodded like, yeah, it's illegal. Then when I was taking the screenshots, that's when I realized, oh my gosh, they changed something. To have a student taking care of someone without their preceptor there, to me, is below the standard of care. That is putting your client at a huge risk.