It was a baffling mystery in 1964. Mary Pinchot Meyer - a socialite and painter connected to politicians and artists alike - was shot in broad daylight on a Georgetown towpath. Nobody knew what to make of it. A Black man soon became the suspect. But was he her killer or a scapegoat?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapter 1: What happened to Mary Pinchot Meyer?
It was October 12th, 1964. Lance Morrow was listening to the Metro Police scanner. He was fresh out of Harvard, working as a cub reporter for a D.C. newspaper. He happened to be at police headquarters that day, just filling in for a co-worker. I know that feeling, when you're just sitting there waiting for something newsworthy to happen. He didn't wait long.
So I'm sitting there just about getting on toward noon, and I heard on the police radio, cruiser 25, cruiser 26, cruiser 27, proceed to, I believe it was the 3800 block of Canal Road.
The cruisers racing to the scene weren't just any police cars.
Well, the first thing I knew was that that was three homicide cruisers being called for some reason, and that's extremely unusual.
They were responding to a murder.
I'd never run into that. The second thing I knew was it was in Georgetown.
Lance grew up in Georgetown. He knew the streets like a local cab driver, and he knew the people just as well.
My parents knew Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon pretty well.
He was used to living in the background of history. Rarely had he been caught in the crossfires of it. But a murder? In Georgetown? At midday? Now that was unheard of.
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Chapter 2: Who were the main figures involved in Mary's murder?
They gave you a window into Mary's art and the way her mind worked. Her routine was the same every day. Mary went into her studio, turned up the electric space heater, poured coffee from her thermos, lit up a cigarette. And then she would paint. For hours on end. Until that time of the day when concentration becomes difficult and the mind grows hazy.
Like clockwork, around noon, Mary would go for a walk on the towpath, just when she was losing focus. Mary savored walking on the towpath. In the winter, she'd even ice skate along the ice that blanketed the canals. Her daily walks gave her the time and space to think, get inspired. And that was what Mary was doing on October 12, 1964.
Before heading out, Mary had put on her gloves and pedal pushers. She layered herself with a cable-knit blue Angora sweater. The inside of her gloves had a cleaner's mark that said Meyer. That would later help police identify the body. She slipped her red tube of lipstick in her pocket and put on her white paint-splattered PF flyers. That day, she had a chore to do, a fun one.
She had a cat that had laid some kittens. That's Nina Burley. She wrote a biography of Mary called A Very Private Woman.
She was just about to put a sign out. to, say, free kittens. And she headed out of her house and walked down the cobblestone streets. She walked down the street to the, what they call the towpath alongside the canal.
Mary's converted studio looked like all the other garages on the alleyway. Some of her closest friends and family lived nearby. Mary's sister, Toni, lived in the townhouse on one end. She was the sister married to Ben Bradley. And before they moved to the White House, the Kennedys lived nearby. In fact, Mary and Jackie Kennedy would sometimes take their walks on the towpath together.
Mary was of that ilk. She could ask Jackie to walk with her. We know she crossed M Street because that day a long black car with official plates slowed and a rear window rolled down. It was her friend, Polly Wisner. Polly's husband was the head of the CIA's covert operations for many years. He worked with Mary's ex-husband, Cord, at the CIA.
Polly had one of those mid-Atlantic accents that old movie stars like Katharine Hepburn had. She waved and said, goodbye, Mary, with one of those long A's. Polly was the last friend to see Mary alive. From the moment Mary was shot on the towpath, it would take just 45 minutes for them to arrest a suspect. 45 minutes.
I mean, this was a very fast-moving situation.
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Chapter 3: What led to the arrest of the murder suspect?
Hi, listeners. I'm Melissa Jeltsin, host of What Happened to Talena Zarr. It's the story of a woman who disappears in the early days of COVID lockdowns and the group of online sleuths who try to find her.
I didn't want to be talked out of this plan. After I post this, I am turning off my phone for exactly this reason.
I kept just kind of asking everybody, anyone else think this is strange?
You'll notice that about me. I don't lurk. I'm out there. I'm an action kind of girl.
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Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Fry and Maria Tremarcki, hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the highwayman suggests men dominated the field, but tell that to Lady Catherine Ferrars, known as the Wicked Lady, who terrorized England in the mid-1600s. Her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death.
Hear the story of the gentleman robber, the romantic darling of the ladies, and a tale about a wager over a sack of potatoes, but you'll have to tune in to learn who won that one. Some highwaymen were well-mannered or faked it. People were concerned about the romanticism of robbers, but most were just thugs. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season.
Call them robbers or bandits, some are legendary figures. Listen to stories about historical crimes on Criminalia now, plus the cocktails and mocktails inspired by each. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The number one hit true crime podcast, The Girlfriends, is back with something new, The Girlfriends Spotlight. Our first two series introduce you to an incredible gang of women who teamed up to fight injustice, showing just how powerful sisterly solidarity can be. We're keeping this mission alive with The Girlfriend Spotlight.
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Chapter 4: How did the community react to the murder?
Every time I hear about my dad, it's, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
If the cops and everything would have done their job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
I never expected to find myself in this place. Now, I need to tell you how I got here.
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Bone Valley Season 2. Jeremy.
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Listen to new episodes of Bone Valley Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Hi, listeners. I'm Melissa Jeltsin, host of What Happened to Talena Zarr. It's the story of a woman who disappears in the early days of COVID lockdowns and the group of online sleuths who try to find her.
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Chapter 6: How did historical context shape the investigation?
Every time I hear about my dad, it's, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
If the cops and everything would have done their job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
I never expected to find myself in this place. Now, I need to tell you how I got here.
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Bone Valley Season 2. Jeremy.
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Listen to new episodes of Bone Valley Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Hi, listeners. I'm Melissa Jeltsin, host of What Happened to Talena Zarr. It's the story of a woman who disappears in the early days of COVID lockdowns and the group of online sleuths who try to find her.
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