The Rostov Ripper: Butcher, Sadist, Savage
As redundant as it may seem to issue a content warning on a True Crime podcast, especially since my previous entries contained bushland torturers...
The Hello Kitty Murder
Hong Kong in 1999 was a rapidly changing city in search of an identity. Two years prior in 1997 British administration of the burgeoning...
Michael Fagan: The Buckingham Palace Prowler
As a somewhat bigoted Scot of the independence persuasion, one thing I can’t wrap my head around is you Southerners’ love your bloody royals....
Javed Iqbal – Pakistani Justice
If you compare modern crime and punishment to the systems of days gone by, you’d be forgiven for thinking condemned criminals have it pretty...
Leonarda Ciancuilli: The Cannibal of Correggio
It is December 17th, 1939, in the small town of Correggio, nestled in the Po river valley of Northern Italy. Great Britain, France, and Germany...
The Hammersmith Ghost Murder
It was a cold, foggy night in the winter of 1803, as a carriage driver guided his horses by lantern light, through the narrow...
The Villisca Axe Massacre
Halloween: the only time of year when it’s acceptable to dress infants up like blood-spattered serial killers, or to stumble in on Harley Quinn...
71 - Charles Manson: The Most Dangerous Cult Leader
Perhaps you've heard of him. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
70 - Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield
The OG Psycho. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
68 - Death in the Vatican: The Swiss Guard Murders
Somebody better light that black smoke. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
67 - Dorothea Puente: The Devil's Golden Girl
Just a harmless elderly woman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
66 - King Con: The Man Who Stole A Country
This valley looks nice. I think I'll take it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
65 - The Eight Immortals Murders
What's the opposite of a cold read? Is it... a hot read? A warm read? A depressing read about 10 murders in China? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
62 - Pedro Lopez: Monster of the Andes
A real monster. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The Death of Mary Lou Henderson Morris
Early in the morning of October 12th, 2000, Mary Lou Henderson Morris left her home in Baytown, Texas, to drive to work. The 48-year-old was a loan officer at Chase Bank in Houston, about a thirty minute drive from her house. That day, the bank would have to go short-staffed: somewhere between her home and office, Mary disappeared.
The Death of Mary McGinnis Morris
Just four days after the death of Mary Morris, Mary Morris was found dead. No, that’s not a copy-paste error, and Mary Lou Morris hadn’t made a miraculous reappearance — this was an entirely different woman, who happened to share the same first and last name. On top of that, the circumstances of their deaths were strikingly similar.
Suspicious Circumstances
So we have two Mary Morris’ murdered in the same week, just a short distance apart. Surely that’s too much of a coincidence, especially when the circumstances were so eerily similar. Was there a serial killer out there with a very, very specific victim profile, or was there some thread as yet unfound which linked the two women?
The Coworker
The first suspect was a fellow nurse at Mary’s workplace named Duane Young. The two had a very poor relationship since he started working there, with Duane reportedly trying to smear Mary’s reputation. This rivalry descended into outright hostility on the same day that the first Mary Morris died.
The Husband
Let’s not all rush to condemn Duane just yet, because there’s another suspicious person to take a look into. Unlike Mary #1’s partner, Mary #2’s husband Mike became a prime suspect in her killing from the outset.
An Unlikely Coincidence?
Those might sound like some pretty tantalizing leads, but unfortunately that’s as far as the investigation into Mary Morris #2’s death ever went. We’ll leave it up to you to decide where the suspicion lies.
Weighing Up the Odds
Now, I should warn you before we finish up that this is not the official account of events according to the police. Without any definitive evidence tying together the two crimes, they maintain that the whole thing is just a wild coincidence: two unconnected crimes, only linked together by freakish improbabilities.
The Seventies
Local legend has it that the very first Circleville Letters appeared out of nowhere one morning in late 1976. Several of the town’s 14,000 residents found in their mailbox a handwritten envelope, postmarked from the city of Columbus, about 25 miles north. There was no return address on the back.
Superintendent Massie
On March 3rd, 1977, it was the turn of school superintendent Gordon Massie. When he traveled to work at Westfield High School, a letter was waiting in his inbox. The script on the front of the range envelope was blocky, written in all caps. The message inside made him break out in a cold sweat.
School Board Letters
Not that Massie was given much time to prove he was a changed man. In fact, he had less than 24 hours. The day after the first letter, another one arrived at Westfield High, this time addressed to the school board. The rambling, four-page document accused Massie of sexual harassment, and urged the board to get rid of him.
Driver Number 62917
The writer hadn’t just pulled that ID number out of thin air. Somehow he knew enough about the school’s systems to identify Mary Gillispie according to her driver number. The married mother of two was about to find herself the focal point of the writer’s twisted kind games.
Reading Between the Lines
The evidence at this point was pretty thin on the ground. All we really know is that the letter writer is based in or around Circleville, and that he or she makes a habit of spying on their neighbors. Perhaps a closer look a the letters themselves will give a bit more to go on.
Pushing Back
Returning to the Gillispie house in 1977, the couple called a crisis meeting with their nearest and dearest to plan their next move. They invited round Ron’s sister Karen Freshour and her husband Paul. Together they drafted up a mental list of suspects, based on the information revealed in the letters.
A Dark Night in Circleville
On Friday, August 19th, Mary Gillispie and her sister-in-law were on their way to Florida for a girls’ getaway, far away from the stresses of Circleville. That evening, alone in the house with his daughter Tracy, Ron received a phone call. Tracy overheard him shouting down the line, frustrated with whoever was calling.