Tag Archives: Michigan True Crime

How Many People Did Mary McKnight Murder, and Why?

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Episode 47: How Many People Did Mary McKnight Murder, and Why?

Accurately recognizing and treating many diseases, including mental illness, was not prevalent in the 19th or early 20th centuries. Rural farm communities were accustomed to injuries and illnesses that often resulted in death. Some deaths could not be explained that’s just the way it was.

 On Monday, April 20, 1903, Gertrude Murphy left her three-month-old baby, Ruth, in the care of her sister-in-law, Mary McKnight. Gertrude left the baby with Mary to help with work at a new house she and her husband, John Murphy, were building on a nearby piece of land. When Gertrude and John came back at lunch time, Mary told them that baby Ruth had died. Baby Ruth’s death was only the beginning of a cascading series of deaths that resulted in the exposure of a mass murderer living in a little town in northern Michigan.

John Murphy Death                        Certificate

Sources:

Buhk, Tobin T. Michigan’s Strychnine Saint: The Curious Case of Mrs. Mary McKnight. The History Press. Charleston, SC 2014

(When Nurses Kill by Katherine Ramsland Ph.D.  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201204/when-nurses-kill)

Lucy Letby: Inside the mind of a serial killer – the psychology behind healthcare murders by Gemma Peplow, culture reporter.

https://news.sky.com/story/lucy-letby-inside-the-mind-of-a-serial-killer-the-psychology-behind-healthcare-murderers-12941902

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Meet Valerie Winans, Your Host for Episode 47:

How Many People Did Mary McKnight Murder, and Why?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of four books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends, and The Extraordinary Life of Edwin B. Winans: From the Stampede for Gold in California to the Capitol of Michigan. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

Who Killed Frances Lacey?

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Episode 42: Who Killed Frances Lacey?

Mackinac Island is perched aesthetically in the Straits of Mackinac. The island is unique, historic, and timeless. There is a sense when stepping from the dock into the town that a switch has been flipped, and you are plunged back in time to the 19th century. Cars were outlawed in 1898. The ferries drop visitors within steps of the main street but be careful where you step because wagons and carriages take the place of cars, and they are pulled by draft horses. There are horses to rent for a ride around the island, or bicycles if you prefer. The town is arranged for the tourist trade with hotels, gift shops, restaurants, bars, and the famous Mackinac Island Fudge. It’s such a beautiful setting that the movie Somewhere in Time was filmed there, and that’s what you feel when you step off the ferry and enter the town – you feel as though you have been transported in time to a simpler, peaceful era. Thoughts of violence or murder are the farthest thing from anyone’s mind, but murder did happen there on June 24, 1960.

Sources:

Herald-Palladium. Benton Harbor, Mi. Search For Suit Jacket of Widow. July 30, 1960.

Indianapolis Star. Suspects Freed in Strangling of Wealthy Widow. July 30, 1960.

Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. Mackinac Slaying Is Unsolved. July 30, 1960.

Petoskey News-Review. Police Admit Dead End, May Release Suspect. July 30, 1960.

Sadler, Rod. Grim Paradise: The Cold Case Search for the Mackinac Island Killer. Wild Blue Press. Denver, Colorado 2023

Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Police Continue Nation-wide Hunt For Murderer of Mackinac Widow. July 21,1962.

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Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 42: Who Killed Frances Lacey?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of four books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends, and The Extraordinary Life of Edwin B. Winans: From the Stampede for Gold in California to the Capitol of Michigan. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

 

 

 

The Death of Juanita Richardson: Accident, Suicide, or Murder?

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Episode 29: The Death of Juanita Richardson: Accident, Suicide, or Murder?

On June 22, 2006, Juanita Richardson fell to her death. The investigation of her death, and the subsequent trial and conviction of her husband, Thomas Richardson, was not ordinary.

Sources:

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on appeal from the Western District of Michiganhttps://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?s=MI&d=135150

Wife’s plunge sends Thomas Richardson to prison for life. May 20, 2008. The Associated Press https://www.mlive.com/grpress/2008/05/wifes_plunge_sends_thomas_rich.html

The Oakland Press / Schoolcraft County jury convicts man in wife’s fatal fall. https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2008/04/17/schoolcraft-county-jury-convicts-man-in-wifes-fatal-fall/

Juanita Richardson Murder Case: Where is Thomas Richardson Today? https://spikytv.com/juanita-richardson-murder-case-where-is-thomas-richardson-today/

Interview: Natalie Torres, Michigan State Trooper

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Read about Alaska’s Savage River

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

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Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

_________________________________________________________________________________

Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 29

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

 

 

 

Where is Baby Shannon?

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Episode 17: Where is Baby Shannon?

Some of the facts in this true story have been established, but some things are still unknown.

Sources:

https://wbckfm.com/cold-case-cedar-springs-the-disappearance-of-baby-shannon/ Cold Case Cedar Springs: The Disappearance of Baby Shannon

 https://charleyproject.org/case/shannon-dale-verhage The Charley Project

 https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan/2022/06/03/michigan-girl-still-missing-25-years-after-mother-murdered-found-dead-in-lake-killer-on-death-row/

 https://www.woodtv.com/news/michigan/convicted-killer-from-mi-up-for-execution/

Citation:  Timmerman, L.C. and John H. The Color of Night: A Young Mother, a Missing Child and a Cold-Blooded Killer, New Horizon Press. Far Hills, NJ 2011

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meet your host for Episode 17: Where is Baby Shannon?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

Valerie is a writer for readers of all ages and dogs’ best friend.