Were There Other Victims?

John Elgin Walrath -
photo from the
Sheboygan (WI) Press -
November 25, 1969

On Saturday afternoon, November 22, 1969, a strange man approached a group of young boys playing in a Chicago park and he lured them away to a secluded area across some railroad tracks.

What began as playful tickling took a strange turn when the man offered the boys $1.00 each to engage in more sexual acts.

9-year-old Steven Walker would later testify in court that all refused the offer and ran away. 6-year-old Timmy slipped on a rail and soon found himself in the man's car.

When Timmy failed to come home that evening, his mother Kathy began searching. She interviewed the neighbors and contacted the police to report her son missing. Information supplied by Steven was all it took for the FBI to be brought in.

Police in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana were issued an APB. They were looking for a blueish-green 1968 Chevrolet sedan being driven by a man, 30 to 35 years old.

Google Maps used to show the beginning
and the end of their wild ride

Twenty four hours later and 250 miles from Timmy's home, a group of deer hunters spotted a man dragging a young boy's limp body through the shallows of Lake Michigan at Little Point Sable, just west of Hart, Michigan.

They approached and became involved.

The boy was soaking wet but alive. 

When Timmy saw help had arrived he became hysterical. Timmy had only been "playing dead" and the strategy worked; Timmy had learned a lot in 24 hours.

Timmy told the hunters "He tried to drown me!" With that revelation now out in the open, John Elgin Walrath bolted.

Walrath had his own car parked not far from the lake and he headed right to it.

Just as quickly, four out of the five hunters were in hot pursuit - the deer could wait. Bob Koepler and Ron Evernham ran to Bob's truck and set up a road block. Paul Evernham and Raymond Diepan pushed through the dunes in their Jeep. A fifth man, Cal Steele, drove Timmy to the house of friend.

The hunters flagged down a passing motorist, Steve Juterbock, and asked him to call the police. As Juterbock told reporters, "It was a one-in-a-million chance that the hunters were there. The hunters were going back to get a jeep that was stuck. It was a good mile from anywhere that you could drive with a normal vehicle."

The roadblock did slow Walrath down. It was here that he exited his vehicle and Bob Koepler made an unsuccessful grab for him. Walrath pushed Koepler to the ground. Walrath jumped back in his car and swerved around the roadblock but not before Ronald Evernham smashed the windshield of Walrath's sedan with a large board.

When the Chevrolet sedan sped by Juterbock, he made note of the car's license plate. Koepler followed for several miles at speeds of nearly 100 MPH before losing him. Cal Steele told The Chicago Tribune, "Bob just about ruined his truck trying to batter him off the road."

Authorities credit the UPI with making the quick connection between this incident and the missing boy from one state over. 

Police ran the license plate and knew they were looking for 30-year-old John Elgin Walrath from Hammond, Indiana.

On Monday the 24th, Timmy was reunited with his mother Kathy and John Walrath, a bachelor who was employed as a 6th grade reading teacher at Wadsworth Elementary School in Griffith, Indiana was in custody.
An FBI agent overheard Walrath say "I knew I would be caught but I didn't think it would be so soon."

Kathy Bryant described this incident as "too good an object lessons for the girls." She had long told her three children not to talk to strangers but her warning hadn't been sufficient to save her son from being abducted. Kathy told daughters Pamela, aged 5, and Cheryl, aged 4, that a man nearly drowned Timmy and warned them "Don't ever leave our yard and never go with anybody, even if they offer you candy." Pamela put a hand over her mouth and said she understood.

Kathy told reporters "What a one-in-a-billion chance that those hunters came by. I just shake when I think about it."

photo from the LA Times -
November 25, 1969

On Tuesday the 25th, police revealed what they knew about Walrath's criminal past and what they'd found after searching his Hammond, Indiana apartment.

John Walrath moved from Syracuse, NY to Indiana in 1960 to study electrical engineering at Indiana Technical College. On February 4, 1961, 21-year-old John Elgin Walrath's was arrested and identified as the "screw driver burglar." Walrath would target completely darkened houses in the better areas of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He routinely struck between 7 and 10:30 PM. He stole money, trading stamp books and small valuables such as binoculars or radios.

Walrath committed between 27 and 40 thefts, depending upon which newspaper account you read, before his crime wave came to an end. According to the February 6, 1961 copy of The Commercial Mail (an Indiana newspaper), Walrath "told police he wanted to accumulate enough money to reach California after graduation to get away from his parents" who "were very strict." 

Although his punishment for being found guilty of first degree burglary was 10-20 years, Walrath was paroled from the Indiana State Reformatory on August 7, 1964. In 1965, he enrolled at the Fort Wayne Bible College. Walrath graduated in June of 1968 with a bachelor of science degree. Walrath had never made it to California or out of Indiana.

In 1968, Walrath was arrested in Fort Wayne for shoplifting.

Neither this arrest nor his previous conviction for burglary and the resulting prison term were included in Walrath's application to the Wadsworth Elementary School in Griffith, Indiana. Under previous work record was listed "Counselor to Juvenile Delinquents." School Superintendent Kenneth Manifold based his decision to employ Walrath on a "very impressive" record as a student teacher and a glowing recommendation.

The Fort Wayne Bible College would later be held accountable and put on probation because of their failure to disclose Walrath's prison record to the Griffith School District when recommending him for a job. Fort Wayne Bible officials indicated that they had known about his criminal past but thought he was rehabilitated. Dr. Jared F. Gerig, president of the college, said he didn't know state law required such notification.

John Walrath mailed a letter of resignation to Mr. Manifold just prior to his November 24, 1969 arrest for kidnapping Timmy Martin, citing a "nervous breakdown" as the cause for his leaving. He'd only been working there since September; this was his first job as a teacher. Colleagues described Walrath as normal and dedicated.

When police searched Walrath's apartment they found pornographic magazines and 200 pairs of boys' underwear. Neighbors described Walrath as a "loner" and "a nice fellow."

At Walrath's trial, defense attorney Gerald M. Werksman called upon a psychiatrist to explain away his client's actions.

photo from
The Times -
November 24, 1969

As reported in the October 14, 1970 edition of The Times,  Dr. Gordon Scher described Walrath as "a paranoid-schizophrenic type of individual" although it doesn't appear on the surface. Dr. Scher testified that Walrath had "a long history of various types of sexually devious behavior - including homosexuality with small children."

Dr. Scher believed the defendant should be placed in a mental hospital and that Walrath would find it "extremely difficult" to conform his actions to the law. Walrath's attorney didn't challenge the prosecution's case but pursued the "mental disease" defense.
The prosecution produced their own psychiatrist who provided the opinion that Walrath suffers from an abnormal sexual desire, but he had a "substantial capacity to control his actions."

The jury heard a recording of the victim's statement to police made on November 23, 1969 - the night of his rescue. Timmy told police after getting into the man's car he begged to be taken home. The man, now known to be Walrath, told Timmy "I'm taking you home" but he didn't. Instead, the two drove 250 miles over a 2 day period, stopping for gas twice, eating potato chips and sleeping in the car. Timmy also said that Walrath had exposed himself, that he had been "touched" by Walrath and spanked him for not complying with Walrath's request to do "something that's not nice."

The jury also heard from Steven Walker and the five men who rescued Timmy Martin from drowning.

photo from
 The Times -
November 24, 1969

The jury deliberated for 5 hours. Ultimately they rejected the insanity defense and on October 13, 1970, Walrath was pronounced guilty of kidnapping. Judge Abraham L. Marovitz  handed down a sentence of life in prison but also ordered Walrath be evaluated at a mental facility "for the purpose of determining how best to help you and protect the public." 

On February 19, 1970, following the recommendation of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, John Walrath's sentence was reduced to 35 years. The report issued by the Bureaus indicated Walrath would require a long time, if ever, to be cured. He would be eligible for parole in 11 to 13 years.

John Walrath was paroled in 1983 but in less than 7 years he would find himself back in prison and his parole revoked. It seems that John Walrath had been convicted of retail theft and resisting arrest in 1990 and failed to report this development to his parole officer, Mr. Terry Childers. Walrath was granted parole a second time on May 8, 1992.

According to 1994 court documents:

As a special condition of Walrath's parole, he was required to participate in a mental health treatment program as directed by his probation officer, Terry Childers. Childers first referred Walrath to the Midwest Family Resources Associates, Ltd., in Oak Park, Illinois, for an evaluation. Following a series of interviews, Midwest Family Resources informed Childers that Walrath had been reluctant to discuss his sexual history, and that a clinical polygraph examination and a penile plethysmograph to measure Walrath's patterns of sexual arousal would be necessary to complete the evaluation. Walrath agreed to continue counseling, but refused to undergo any invasive tests.

On July 25, 1992, Childers visited Walrath at his apartment to discuss his mental health evaluation. When the discussion turned to the proposed tests, Walrath became agitated. Childers felt it would be wise to end the interview, and left the apartment. He was met in the lobby by Walrath, who continued to argue about the evaluation. Walrath then climbed onto Childers' automobile, preventing him from leaving. After being told repeatedly to get off the car, Walrath finally did so, but then took his own car and followed Childers for more than a mile before returning home. Childers reported the incident to the United States Parole Commission (USPC). Although Childers did not recommend that a parole violator warrant issue, upon a review of Childers' report and the information from Midwest Family Resources, Senior Case Analyst Carol Wilson Muller caused a warrant to issue for Walrath's arrest. The allegations were that Walrath had violated the special conditions of his parole (Charge One), and that he had attempted to assault Childers (Charge Two). On September 4, 1992, Walrath was arrested at his home and taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he remained until March 4, 1993. From March 4, 1993, until April 26, 1993, Walrath was held in custody at a halfway house.

Following his release from the halfway house, Walrath moved for voluntary dismissal of his habeas corpus petition, then filed a civil rights complaint pursuant to Bivens. The district court denied his request for injunctive relief against the United States on July 29, 1993.

According to 1995 court documents, Walrath was paroled a third time and his legal battles to avoid the evaluation of his mental health and suitability for parole using a penile plethysmograph continued.

Walrath would frequently agree to undergo the testing, as a way to avoid being returned to jail, but change his mind at the last minute and file additional motions with the court alleging that his First Amendment Rights were being violated. The courts ruled against him every time; the revocation of his parole was upheld. It was an endless cycle of paperwork.

The last decision I found in this matter was handed down on December 6, 1995.

I believe John Elgin Walrath died on December 10, 1997.

Did he ever submit to the penile plethysmograph testing and just what is that anyway?

I can't answer the first part of that question but here's a portion of what the (online) Skeptic's Dictionary has to say about the device and it's application:

Photo and description from the Skeptic's Dictionary

But why is the title of this post "Were There Other Victims?"

Following John Elgin Walrath's November 1969 arrest for kidnapping, police noticed a striking similarity to other disappearances that resulted in the deaths of the young male victims.

Here is a quick rundown on the crimes:

June 30, 1969 -
searching for the body of
David Hill -
 photo from
the Allen County
Public Library's
digital library

On Saturday, June 28, 1969, 8-year-old David Hill, of Fort Wayne, Indiana disappeared. David had been playing in a park near his home. His body was found on July 2, 1969, more than 30 miles away in Salamonie Reservoir. Cause of death was drowning and foul play was suspected.

photo from
The Times -
November 24, 1969

On Saturday, September 6, 1969, 6-year-old John Mazur, of Hammond, Indiana had vanished while playing in a park near his home. His nude body was found a few days later on a Lake Michigan beach at Beverly Shores, at least 25 miles from where he had disappeared. Cause of death was suffocation, possibly strangulation.


The only solid lead police had in John Mazur's disappearance was a report that John had been seen getting into a car with a white man. The car was described as a white, two-door Ford Torino. Nobody caught the license plate number.

photo from The Times -
September 16, 1969

Police worked hard to connect Walrath with these deaths but failed to do so. They knew he had ties to both Fort Wayne and Hammond but could not link him to the White Ford Torino or the victims.

Police would also liked to have closed the case on the rape and murder of 10-year-old Cynthia Warrick from New Haven, Indiana and briefly considered him as a prime suspect but there was even less to connect Walrath to that rape and murder.

These crimes remain unsolved.

Confounding Celebrity Crimes #2 - Ann Prentiss

Some crimes can be so closely tied to family secrets that an outsider will never fully understand the motivation of the perpetrator. This might be one of situations.

Ann Ragusa,
circa 1970

If California's Deputy District Attorney Lael Rubin had any insights and shared them with the jury back in June of 1997, those facts weren't reported in the newspaper account that I've read. I did not track down the court transcripts which might have revealed something critical but I did invest in a death certificate so that I'd be able to more fully tell the final chapter of the tale but that's as far as I went with requesting official documents. I don't lack curiosity just the necessary funds and resources.

In researching this crime I have stumbled across some websites with rumors and speculations regarding motive but I prefer to rely on first person accounts or quotable sources and, as far as I know, nobody who was in the loop at the time has made a statement to the public regarding the crimes. So, here's what we know -

Ann Ragusa followed in her older sister Paula's footsteps and sought to make her living as an actress but she didn't want to capitalize on her sister's fame so she chose Ann Gardner as her stage name.

Paula Prentiss -
1966 Publicity
Still

The physical resemblance between the two sisters was so striking that I know I've often seen Ann on screen and initially thought it was Paula.

Paula was likewise acting under a new name, given to her by MGM Studios in 1960 when they cast her as one of the female leads in "Where The Boys Are." Paula Ragusa was now Paula Prentiss.



Ann as Sgt. Candy Kane
in "Captain Nice"

Fortune didn't immediately smile on Ann Gardner so she found a new agent who quickly told his client that she was crazy not to use Paula's name to at least open a few doors. He was right. She became Ann Prentiss and saw an increase in job offers.

 In 1967, Ann landed a steady job on a new sitcom written by Buck Henry called "Captain Nice." It only ran for 15 episodes but Ann's performance as Sgt. Candy Kane is fondly remembered by those who have seen the show.

Ann's acting credits between 1962-1988 total 30 but then she kind of fell off the radar until 1997 when she was arrested for assaulting her 86-year-old father, Thomas Ragusa.

The two were at his Beverly Hills apartment and while struggling with each other, Ann hit Thomas on the head with a flashlight and discharged a weapon, a .38-caliber handgun. She was arrested for battery and assault with a firearm.



Thomas Ragusa,
1998 photo
by Richard Benjamin

While being held on those charges (and here comes the confounding part), Ann tried to hire a fellow inmate to kill three people - Thomas Ragusa, Paula's husband Richard Benjamin and Paula's son 23-year-old Ross Benjamin. The District Attorney could now added solicitation to commit murder to the list of complaints which included making terrorist threats.

On June 25, 1997, after two days of deliberations, Ann was found guilty. On July 23, 1997, Ann was sentenced to 19 years in prison of which she served 12.

Ann Elizabeth Ragusa Prentiss died on January 12, 2010 while still an inmate at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, California. Cause of death was arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and pulmonary emphysema. She was 70-years-old.

Clearly, key to the whole story would be to know what grievances Ann had with the male members her family at that time. She didn't try to take out a hit on her sister or niece. As far as I can tell, Ann's attorney never pursued a temporary insanity or diminished capacity defense.

Paula Prentiss has herself struggled with mental illness and has openly discussed her own emotional breakdown and a spontaneous suicide attempt in 1965 which was followed by a horrendous 9 month stay at the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic in New York. This doesn't mean insanity runs in the family.

Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin weathered the storm and their marriage remains one of Hollywood's strongest.



Country Living Magazine, January 8, 2018

I've added a sample of Ann's work to the As Close To Crime YouTube channel so you can see her in action. I've chosen an episode from "Mannix" that shows her as an unwelcome and unruly party guest, which seems appropriate. Here's a link - https://youtu.be/EGY42RsTcwY

This explains a lot

A favorite song of mine growing up was "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence. If I'm being honest, I still enjoy this song and not simply as a bit of nostalgia.

It was released in 1973, so picture little 8-year-old me playing this single repeatedly.

Now, I understand that this is a true crime blog and the song is fictional but this bit of info perhaps goes a long way to seeing this blog as a natural progression from that childhood.

I'm still converting all my VHS tapes to DVD-Rs and part of the fun is never really knowing what I'll find. Imagine my delight as I recently unearthed a 22 year old VHS tape that had Vicki Lawrence performing the song live on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, August 13, 1996.

I've edited the video clip, adjusted the volume to (hopefully) remove most of the white noise. I also boosted the volume and then hit it with the 'normalize' effect.

I'm uploading the video clip to this blog's YouTube Channel. Here's the link - https://youtu.be/oZW_emWOsnY

"I'm crazy. Don't what I done prove it?"

William C. Irwin
at his arraignment -
The Des Moines Register -
April 13, 1946

We'll never know what William Correll Irwin was thinking on the morning of April 8, 1946 or what voices he may have heard in his head but it's a fact that on that day he used a mattock pickax to brutally murder his 63-year-old mother Mary, his 38-year-old wife (of 17 years) Edith and two of his three sons, John, aged 7, and Henry, aged 4.

The weapon had a 6 foot long handle and the blade measured 12 to 14 inches.

Des Moines Tribune -
April 8, 1946

Eldest son Billy, aged 11, had the good fortune to have left the house earlier in the morning to attend a special concert performance given by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra at the Shrine Auditorium for Des Moines school children or he most likely would have met the same fate.

William Irwin must have felt himself slipping into madness because only 4 days earlier (April 4th), citing a "nervous condition," he'd requested an indefinite leave of absence from his job as a linotype operator at The Des Moines Register and Tribune company. William had been working there since November 6, 1938.

According to family members, William had been unnerved by a near accident about a week before. He had been preparing to board a city bus and a passing automobile drove so close to him that he was forced to jump on the car's running board to avoid being mowed down. Now continually nervous, William would tell people "My time has come."



family photo -
reprinted from
The Waterloo Daily Courier -
April 8, 1946

One day before slaughtering 4 members of his family, William was acting so irrationally that Edith phoned her in-laws. Brother James and mother Mary came over to talk to William and urged him to seek help. James would later say William was "talking out of his mind and was extremely nervous but (he) definitely was not violent." This family intervention lasted until 3 AM with William taking a break around midnight. He went for a walk to clear his head; it was later revealed William had returned to the typesetting room at his job where he spent an hour chatting with coworkers.

The family was right to worry about William. He had previously suffered a nervous breakdown, in March 1937, while working in Chicago and had spent 2 months in an asylum. The treatment had done him a world of good, or so it seemed. Perhaps all he needed was another sabbatical.



Des Moines Register -
April 9, 1946

James returned to his own home convinced that his now-slumbering brother posed no threat to the family and everyone was relieved that William had agreed to see a psychiatrist of James' choosing. William's mother Mary was less sure about her son's mental state so she slept over.

Des Moines Register -
April 9, 1946

The following morning Mary was helping William get the garden ready for the spring plantings. The Irwins' neighbor, a Mr. H.W. Lane, stopped over at 7:30 AM and he would later tell police that William seemed fine. "He was joking and seemed very pleasant." William introduced his mother to Mr. Lane and had promised to bring over some of his home-grown rhubarb.

At 8 AM, James received an urgent phone call from Edith. "Bill wants to see a doctor right away. He says 'I know I'm sick.'"

At 8:15 AM, William walked over to the Lane household with the rhubarb. Mrs. Lane would recall that "he seemed all right at the time."

Within a half hour of this visit, Mrs. Lane's nephew Loring Larsen was likewise working in his family's yard when he heard screaming coming from the Irwin house. He ran over to see what the trouble was. The bodies of Mary, Edith and 4-year-old Henry were already sprawled out on the lawn. William brandished the pickax, told Larsen to "get the hell out of here" then delivered a deadly blow to the head of his 7-year-old son John. William retreated into his house, grabbed a shotgun and a box of shells. William shot the family's Irish Setter and waited on the porch for the police to come, as he knew they would.

Mrs. Lane was frantically trying to contact the police but she had trouble getting through because her party line was busy. Imagine her terror and frustration as she could clearly hear the children yelling "Daddy, don't." Police logged the call in at 8:42 AM. Mrs. Lane reported Irwin had killed his wife and was chasing the others around the yard trying to kill them too. Mrs. Lane, unable to think of the Irwin's address gave police her own address instead.

(Follow along with the map)

Google Maps used to
pinpoint key locations

As Officers William Thacker and Ed McCarthy responded to 103 Kirkwood Avenue they drove south on Union Street and passed the Irwin household. When they were within range, William fired five shotgun rounds at the squad car, hitting the left front windshield and door. Twenty shotgun pellets were imbedded in the vehicle but neither officer was injured. They abandoned the car and took refuge behind an vacant store on the corner of Union and Kirkwood, directly across from the Irwin house.

Five-year-old Geraldine Nelson was on her way to Washington School at that moment and had the misfortune of getting caught in the crossfire. William Irwin was shooting at the police but he hit Geraldine in the abdomen. Despite the injury, Geraldine ran home.

Officer McCarthy returned fire with his own shotgun but it was Officer Thacker, armed with a .44 caliber handgun, who managed to hit Irwin once in the right leg, above the knee. Now wounded, Irwin ran towards the back of his house. McCarthy and Thacker pursued and Irwin stopped. He threw down his weapon and begged them to kill him. It was then that Irwin recognized Thacker, a friend for more than 20 years, and he apologized to Thacker for shooting at him. "If I'd known it was you I wouldn't have shot."

All of the injured and dead were transported to Broadlawns General Hospital. John and Henry died en route. Mary and Edith were already dead. Cause of death for all four were "punctured  craniums."

Des Moines Register -
April 9, 1946

Fortunately, the wound to Geraldine Nelson was not too serious (perhaps her heavy coat saved her) and she was giving interviews to the press the next day. Geraldine seemed most understanding and commented that "he was shooting at the police. He didn't mean to shoot me."

The wound to William's leg was not life-threatening either but it would be a long time in healing.

William was placed in a padded cell, nude except for his bandages and a strait jacket. He complained that he had missed breakfast and was hungry. 

When eldest son Billy returned home from what might have been a fun day out with classmates he learned that his mother, grandmother and 2 brothers were all dead and his father was responsible.

Once in custody, William had moments of clarity when realized what he had done and he would weep uncontrollably but there were just as many hours spent staring off into space, jumping up and down or laughing his head off.

When Detective Chief Paul Castelline asked William why had killed his family he told them he "had an impulse. God told me to kill my family. Now I've done everything in the book." Castelline asked William if he was crazy and the response was "I must be. Don't what I done prove it?"

On April 10, 1946, all four of the Irwins were laid to rest in a single ceremony. They were buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery located in southeast Des Moines. Billy Irwin was staying with his paternal grandfather, the equally affected Valter Irwin.

Des Moines Register - April 12, 1946

Neighbors remained stunned by this violence. The Irwins were a good, solid, loving family and their home was quiet and well cared for. According to the Des Moines Register, "William had won the admiration of the entire block for his solicitude in caring for his wife during a long illness some time ago." While I'm not sure what this "illness" is, William and Edith had both suffered when their daughter Sharon died on June 10, 1939; she was only 8-years-old. The death certificate lists the principal cause of death as pneumonia but it also indicates Sharon had measles, strep and a congenital heart disease.

At his arraignment on April 13, 1946, William Irwin, still wearing the strait-jacket, appeared completely detached. According to The Des Moines Register, Irwin "seemed to give no indication that he either understood the proceedings or realized the extent of this crimes. Once or twice, his head thrown back, he laughed out loud, even though nobody had spoken to him."

Since William's sanity was most certain in question, the district attorney's office only charged him with the first degree murder of his wife. More charges would follow, if necessary. Irwin offered no plea and his court-appointed attorney Ted Haines, as per William's desire, asked that his client be confined to the Anamosa Reformatory's Insane Ward until the case came to trial.

Des Moines Tribune -
April 8, 1946

At the Grand Jury hearing, Police Officer George Cessna testified that Irwin had said he was in the front garden with his mother
when the woman pointed to a bush and asked that William look at it to. William felt that his mother was insinuating that he was as yellow as that bush and it was then that he had an overwhelming desire to kill her but it passed and he went back to his hoeing. A moment or two later the "voice of God or Jesus told me to kill her."

Des Moines Tribune -
April 8, 1946



Cessna also testified that Irwin said "women were more or less to blame for the evils and conditions of the world today." Irwin had further explained that he killed his sons "so that he could raise them the way he wanted to."



Des Moines Tribune -
May 16, 1946 

If that latter line of thinking sounds crazy, it's because Irwin was crazy. On May 15, 1946, William Irwin was declared insane and a danger to society. He was to be held in the Anamosa Reformatory's Insane Ward "until he becomes sane."

That day never came. On November 13, 1949, William Correll Irwin wrapped one end his shirt around his neck, the other around a cell bar and he hanged himself. He was 45-years-old. He is also buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery.

The surviving member of the family, Billy graduated high school, enlisted in the Air Force and is, I believe, still alive.

"Drinking makes me mean, sometimes."

Shirley Ann Little entered the world on October 20, 1945 in Algonac, Michigan. Everyone agreed Shirley Ann was a beautiful baby. Ten weeks later, on December 29, 1945, she was dead. It was a tragic crib death. Despite being in a house with eight other people - 2 adults (her maternal grandmother and aunt) and 6 children (ranging in age from 2 to 15 years) -  Shirley Ann choked on her own vomit and suffocated.

Flash forward three months and a hot topic of conversation in Michigan was the death of another young girl - Anna Lee Townsend. Anna was 4-years-old and had been beaten to death. Police suspected Jeanette Grosso, her aunt and chief caregiver, was the culprit.

Muriel Wrightman, 23-years-old, was having a few drinks at a downtown bar in Detroit one night with some friends and agreeing that Mrs. Grosso was indeed a terrible person when she paused long enough to make a phone call to police. She wanted to confess to killing her niece, Shirley Ann Little. She hung up the phone and waited for a squad car to pick her up.

photo from The Times Herald - April 2, 1946

Muriel told police she loved Shirley Ann but had grown weary of caring for her younger half-sister's baby and she especially didn't like hearing how pretty the child was. And not simply beautiful but how much prettier than her own 2-year-old daughter Victoria this new baby was. Muriel claimed that after work she's stopped off for a few drinks, came home drunk and jealousy drove her to stuff the corner of a baby blanket into the infant's mouth. She then drank a few beers an went to bed. The following morning she learned of her niece's death.

Guilt over the death gnawed at Muriel for months. She had been plagued since that night by nightmares of her own daughter being suffocated but it was reading about the awful crime committed by Jeanette Grosso that finally made her break. She thought, "I'm no better than that woman." When people on the street offered her a smile she thought, "Why should the smile at me? After all, I am a murderer." On March 29, 1946, Muriel told police "I want to clear my conscience." "I did it; I murdered Shirley Ann; I want to be punished." 

Here's the problem with that confession though - nobody believed her. Not her family nor the doctor who had signed Shirley Ann's death certificate. The police certainly had their doubts however Muriel took two lie detector tests which supported her claims and Muriel DID insist she was guilty. Three days later she was arraigned on a murder charge.

Edward Kane, acting coroner at the time of Shirley Ann's death, told the authorities and the press that he felt Muriel's confession was "a publicity-seeking hoax."

Shirley Ann's body was exhumed then examined by two other physicians and they agreed with Dr. Walter H. Boughner's original determination that Shirley Ann had not been murdered. Dr. Boughner was re-interviewed and he said Shirley Ann was malnourished and would probably not have been strong enough to push the blanket off of her own face but there were no signs of violence on the body.

Muriel's mother Rebecca Evon and her 14-year-old stepsister Sally Evon also refuted her claims.

Sally was the most certain of Muriel's innocence, "I'm sure Muriel didn't do it, and my four brothers don't think she did either." Sally told police that she'd let Muriel into the apartment that night, sat up with her stepsister as she drank a few bottles of beer, watched her go to bed and then turned in for the night herself 30 minutes later.

Rebecca Evon seemed less sure and told authorities "I don't know if Muriel did it or not. She does get mean when she's drunk, but she never threatened to do anything like that."

Muriel Blanche Wrightman was a troubled individual even before the death of her niece and not even she was sure why that was. She was an honor student who often ran away from home. "I had a good home. My stepfather was a fine man. I had plenty to eat. I just ran away." "I was the favorite child in my family. I was the one my parents fussed over. They were always kind and good to me. But I ran away just the same."

Three years prior Muriel had attempted suicide by throwing herself in the St. Clair River. 

Muriel was a single mother to Victoria Ann but by choice. She had rejected an offer of marriage from Victoria's father, a man she loved, because she had no desire to settle down. He was in the Army and while he was convalescing in a Georgia hospital, Muriel sent him a "Dear John" letter breaking off the relationship. Muriel never told him she was carrying his child or that she had given birth. There are few clues to his identity except for Victoria's last name being Arnott.

Muriel was interviewed at length and while sure of her crime, she offered up motives and timelines that conflicted with testimony from others.

Muriel contended her half-sister Phyllis had practically abandoned Shirley Ann after only 2 weeks. Yet, Rebecca Evon denied this and said "Shirley Ann was in my care, just as Muriel's own baby was when Muriel went to Detroit." When neither Rebecca or Muriel were available to watch the children, it was Sally who took over. At the time of her daughter Shirley Ann's death, Phyllis Little nee' Evon was visiting with her husband Jerry in Kentucky where he was stationed.

Muriel also claimed the financial strain on the family was too great - "I just thought if I do it, I won't have to pay for the baby's food anymore." It is possible the family was struggling financially. Muriel claimed she was bringing home $25 a week and her mother was receiving some money on a pension but they had so many mouths to feed. Rebecca's husband had died in 1944. Muriel worked a late shift at Detroit Gasket & Manufacturing (clocking out at 12:45 AM) and would come home worn out but always made time to feed and play with Shirley Ann, never acting jealous or resentful. But Muriel admitted "at one time I felt like strangling my own baby too, but I snapped out of it." "I had been drinking and sometimes when I drink too much, I get mean."

Of this there, apparently, was no doubt. Her Mom Rebecca told the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Reg. S. Atkins "I don't know what to think. She used to abuse the children when she got drunk. I told her if she did it again, I'd knock her down but she never threatened to kill anyone. I don't know what to think."

On April 12, 1946, Muriel was examined by three psychiatrists. She was declared sane and the case moved forward.

On April 24, 1946 she pled guilty to first degree murder but Circuit Judge Fred W. George rejected that plea. And the judge was right to do so.

In early June, when the case came before a jury, even Muriel was starting to doubt herself. She now accepted that she was suffering from a delusion. Her court appointed attorney W. Grafton Sharp filed a motion to dismiss since the strongest piece of evidence the state had in this case was Muriel's confession; all of the physical evidence pointed towards an accidental death. Judge Fred W. George agreed completely and Muriel was released from custody and taken home by her mother.

The Times Herald newspaper took the opportunity (in a June 1, 1946 article) to question the accuracy and reliability of such lie detecting equipment. Of course, in Muriel's mind she wasn't actually lying.

My research shows that on February 14, 1948, Muriel married Joseph Solo, 27. I also discovered that Muriel had died on September 11, 1948. I was curious enough to know the cause of death that I submitted a request for a copy of Muriel's death certificate. I was expecting to see it was a suicide but I was wrong. Muriel had suffered a traumatic cerebral hemorrhage due to a fall in her home 3 days prior. She's buried in Parkview Cemetery in Livonia, Michigan.

Parkview Cemetery, from the cemetery's website

When Muriel's mother Rebecca (now Rebecca Lumbert) died on February 4, 1956, her obituary stated she was survived by three sons and 2 daughters - Phyllis Little and Victoria Arnott. Rebecca's son Franklin Evon died at some point between the years 1946 and 1956 but I have no further details, not even his date of birth, although I think he was Rebecca's youngest son and quite possibly was born in 1942. Rebecca's daughter Sally died in 1953, she was between 19 and 20 years old of her death. I'm curious to know the causes of death for both Franklin and Sally but don't want to spend another $34 each for their death certificates.



photo from
Wisconsin State
Journal -
April 9, 1946

Oh, and FYI concerning Jeanette Grosso, since I won't be covering her in a separate log entry: In August 1945, Jeanette Grosso stepped up and offered to care for her recently deceased sister's 2 children, Anna Lee (aged 4) and Jimmy (16 months). Their stepfather agreed, thinking this was the best place for them. On March 27, 1946, the beaten and bruised body of Anna Lee was removed from the Grosso home. Mrs. Grosso initially pointed the finger of blame at Anna Lee Townsend's stepfather Albert L. Radcliff, a Marlinton, WV resident, but when his alibi proved solid she admitted to severely beating her niece after losing patience with the child. A judge reduced the first degree murder charge to second degree after citing errors made by the police. Mrs. Grosso claimed temporary insanity and pled guilty to manslaughter. In December 1946, she received a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison. There was a retrial in July 1947 and her sentenced was reduced to 5 to 15 years after news of her having suffered an epileptic seizure while in custody was revealed. I'm unsure of when she was released from prison or when she died.

While we wait ......

There are two different stories I'm investigating which require death certificates to provide answers to lingering questions I have. And if I want to know how someone died, I assume you'll want to know too.

So, while we wait for my checks to clear, let's enjoy this much simpler tale.



We love it as a plot device in thrillers, murder mysteries and the like but apparently in real life such behavior is frowned upon.

reprinted from The San Bernardino County Sun
February 7, 1930

Orlando Lane was right to question the guilt of the defendant. Jack Harris was acquitted on the grand theft charge although the jury disagreed on the related offense of operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent.

Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves

"Mrs. Creedon:

Your daughter will die just like Florence McDonnell.

The Police will never know who murdered both.

I will give your house the once-over until I see how easy it will be for me.

signed - THE UNKNOWN"

Daily News photo-
June 21, 1932

When the body of 5-year-old Florence McDonnell had been found on February 4, 1932 there was fleeting but genuine suspicion that the intended target might have been Nora Creedon's granddaughter.

An attack on Mrs. Creedon's daughter would have been payback from the band of gypsies she had recently ejected from a store she'd leased to them. The address was 232-A Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn. It was in the cellar of that building that Florence's body was found. The Creedons lived next door to the McDonnell family on Chauncey Street. Chauncey Street is only 75 feet from the store's location. Florence had been known to play with some of the gypsy children and she was similar in appearance to the young Creedon girl. Armed with significant circumstantial evidence, police quickly rounded up and questioned dozens of gypsies. This was widely reported in the newspapers.

Deputy Chief Inspector Vincent J. Sweeney told the press that he was not inclined to continue with this line of inquiry - "I have heard of gypsies stealing and kidnaping but in my experience I cannot recall a case where they committed murder."

The day of Florence's funeral, February 8th, police arrested and detained Fred Hicks, the last man seen with Florence. John Hugo, a Salvation Army chaplain, told police that he had seen Hicks and Florence together the afternoon of her disappearance (February 3rd) and he had even overheard Hicks promising to buy Florence some candy. Two candy wrappers were found at the crime scene.

Fred Hicks offered up an alibi but his it was his word against that of a Salvation Army chaplain so he was held until police had a chance to confirm his story. Why, yes Fred Hicks had been purchasing insurance policies that day and two agents backed him up and produced the paperwork as evidence.

Daily News photo -
February 12, 1932

Now it was John Hugo's turn in the hot seat. John Hugo ultimately admitted to police that he was just seeking some attention from the newspapers when he pointed at Fred Hicks and made him the prime suspect in a murder case. Hugo also admitted that his judgment that day might have been affected by an morning spent in City Hall Park, Manhattan drinking "smoke," which is a combination of denatured alcohol and water.  Police discovered Hugo had previously been an inmate at Dannemora Hospital for the Criminally Insane as well as Bellevue. John Hugo had a criminal record dating back to 1911 (mostly for theft but there was a 1927 arrest for assault and battery) and Hugo was an army deserter.  He was thrice married and inserting himself into a police investigation was nothing new for John Hugo. In 1917, while incarcerated on a burglary charge, he claimed to have knowledge concerning the murder of Ruth Cruger. This was, he admitted, a ruse to get out of prison; he actually knew nothing about that crime. John Hugo was held without bail, as a potential material witness but since he had witnessed nothing and was not credible, I imagine the police just wanted to punish him in some way for hindering the investigation with false information. Hugo's own wife, Zilla McBane Hugo, was one of the first to call him a liar. She, John Hugo and their landlady were discussing the McDonnell murder the first day news of it appears in the papers. When they read about the candy wrappers being found at the scene, John Hugo said, "I wonder if the man who took her there offered her candy?" And so it began.... The Salvation Army quickly distanced themselves from John Hugo and rightly so. Hugo had only signed up with the Salvation Army shortly before Christmas and his job was not that of chaplain but he was selling "War Cry," the official publication of the Salvation Army and Hugo had not yet turned in any of the money he collected while performing this task.

Florence had been strangled to death with a length of wire, wrapped multiple times around her throat. Her body seemed arranged and her head was resting on a football. Early medical examinations indicated she had not been raped. Concrete behind the building was busted and what looked like a too shallow grave had been dug in the yard behind the building but abandoned before being used. A baby carriage was placed over the three foot long hole.

Police arrested an additional 5 suspects at Florence's funeral on February 8th. One hundred police investigators were assigned to this case.

Every known degenerate was considered and interrogated. While this did result in arrests for other unrelated sexual assaults, it wasn't until the above anonymous letter was received by Mrs. Creedon several days after the crime that Detective Thomas Cavanagh had something solid to investigate in the McDonnell case.

Detective Cavanagh felt the handwriting was that of an immature individual; also he believed the placement of Florence's body indicated regret on the part of the killer. Cavanagh made photostats of the threatening letter and visited local schools hoping someone would recognize it.

Daily News photo -
July 21, 1932

Miss Helen T. Daily, principal of P.S. 70, thought the handwriting was similar to that of 6th grader Robert Smalls, aged 14. Attendance records reveal that Robert was absent from school the day that Florence was murdered. P.S. 70 is also the school Florence attended.

Robert's teacher dictated lessons that contained several of the words from the threatening letter and a comparison was made. A handwriting expert declared a match.

Detective Cavanagh interviewed Robert's friends and ultimately heard something very damning from 15-year-old Justin James, who they caught up with at the Juvenile Reformatory on Randall's Island. Justin told police that he was with Robert Smalls on the afternoon of February 3rd and when Robert saw Florence he said "There goes that little snitch that got me in trouble at school. I'll fix her. You wait here for me." According to Justin, Robert followed Florence into the Ralph Avenue location and returned 20 minutes later saying only, "I only went in there to look for a bike"

Shortly after that supposed incident, on February 3rd, a truant office scooped up both Justin James and Robert Smalls. Smalls was delivered to his grandparents, who promptly ordered Robert to return to school. James was transported back to Randall's Island, from where he'd escaped.

On February 16th, Detective Cavanagh brought Robert in for questioning. Smalls denied writing the letter and killing Florence. Apparently, at one point Smalls did admit to killing Florence but he later claimed it was all a joke and he was released.

On February 19th the police rearrested Smalls and arranged for a Randall's Island reunion of Justin and Robert, hoping that when confronted by the testimony of his friend Robert would confess. However, Justin changed his story and claimed he'd never implicated Robert Smalls.

Back at the station house, after hours of questioning, Robert Smalls finally confessed to killing Florence by saying "If you want to call it that. I just put my hands on her and she fainted like in my arms." Robert confirmed Florence had "snitched" on him to school authorities on a day he'd played hookey and that he held a grudge. Robert claimed he had followed Florence into the house on Ralph Avenue, carried her into the cellar, she fainted and he wrapped the wire around Florence's neck to scare her but didn't think he'd made it so tight as to kill her. It wasn't until in school the next day that he heard she was dead.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle photo -
February 21, 1932

District Attorney William F.X. Geoghan wasn't entirely convinced of Robert's guilt but proceeded anyway because he had a signed confession. Robert Smalls would later retract this confession. Robert didn't claim abuse by the police but said simply that he'd thought admitting to the crime would somehow help him.

Having been declared sane by two alienists, Robert Smalls was scheduled to stand trial on a charge of first degree murder. This would have been the first time a defendant under the age of 16 had come before the court on a capital charge. 

On June 20, 1932, it was reported that a Grand Jury's findings had resulted in the charges being reduced to 2nd degree murder and the Court of Appeals ruled that a juvenile charged with a felony can only be tried if the penalty is death or life imprisonment. The murder indictment against Robert Smalls was thrown out and the case was to be referred to the Children's Court. 

One month later, armed only with circumstantial evidence and no confession, District Attorney Ralph K. Jacobs was still having trouble pursuing the murder charge against Robert Smalls so on July 20, 1932, Children's Court Justice Peter B. Hanson ordered the charges against Smalls be dismissed because to "keep the petition hanging over this boy's head is not in keeping with the theory of this court."

Pinterest photo of random
gumball slot machine

Not wanting Robert Smalls to go completely unpunished, the District Attorney's office did what they could and managed to convict Robert as a juvenile delinquent and parole violator.

It seems that prior to Robert being arrested in February 1932 for murder, he had already two arrests under his belt. Robert had been caught breaking in to gumball slot machines then released on probation in December 1931 but he violated the terms of the parole in January 1932 by stealing a bicycle. It was for these offenses that Robert was sent to the House of Refuge (a juvenile reformatory).

Now here's the thing - what if Robert Smalls really hadn't killed Florence McDonnell?

There were a rash of rapes and murders of young girls around that time and in that area of Brooklyn, many of which went unsolved. I'm going to focus briefly on 5 of them.

-Sarah Burroughs/Burrows (aged 10) on May 7, 1931

-Florence McDonnell (aged 5) on February 3, 1932 (*)

-Helen Sterler (aged 6) on January 5, 1933

-Barbara Wiles (aged 6) on March 28, 1933

and finally 

-Paula Magagna (aged 8) on July 31, 1937

I used Google Maps to pinpoint the string of murders



Sandwiched in between these homicides were numerous

sexual assaults on children who fit the type but often the assailant was interrupted or scared off so  - who's to say the body count wouldn't have been higher. Of course, it would ridiculously naïve of me not to consider there were multiple men at work during this time period.

I'd be inclined to remove Sarah from this list because, at age 10, she was slightly older than the other victims and she was the only non-white in the group however, every other aspect of the crime fits the pattern.

Sarah was sent to the grocery prior to school to make a small purchase and she never returned. Her body was found in the basement of her own building. She'd been brutally raped, strangled and her body tossed in a coal bin. She'd been gone a mere 30 minutes before the alarm had been sounded and folks began looking for her.

Daily News photo -
November 5, 1931

All of these attacks happened in a relatively small section of Brooklyn. 

All of the girls were raped. (*Although the earlier reports on Florence's postmortem didn't indicate rape, an article in the February 12, 1950 edition of The Brooklyn Eagle says she was.) 

All of the murders occurred in cellars or basements where the victims were lured rather than forced, all of the girls were garroted with lengths of rope or wire that the police believe the killer found at the locations.

The bodies were either found in coal bins or draped across something. Also a baby carriage figured prominently in at least three of the crime scenes although nobody really knows what the significance of this is; it could simply be coincidence because a cellar is a good place to store a baby carriage that you're no longer using.
On January 25, 1933 Helen Sterler had been reported missing by her parents as nighttime was approaching. Neighborhood shopkeepers recalled seeing Helen coming in with pennies that afternoon and making purchases. It struck them as odd because they knew the child well enough to know she didn't usually have money. Shortly after 11PM her body was found in the basement 1013 DeKalb Avenue. This was 5 doors away from her home and less than a mile away from where Florence's body had been found the year before.

Daily News photo - January 26, 1933

Daily News photo -
February 11, 1950

Barbara Wiles had been strangled with her own jump rope in the basement of the 6-family apartment building. On the morning of Wednesday, March 29, 1933, Barbara's unemployed father Harold Wiles walked two blocks to the Police Station to collect a bag of coal for the family. Anna Wiles asked her daughter to pop down into the cellar to fetch a baby carriage. Fifteen minutes later, Anna went down the cellar looking for Barbara. Surely, it shouldn't take this long; their apartment was on the first floor. In the dim light of the basement Anna saw Barbara's body - the jump rope wrapped around her throat and tied tight with a long iron spike. A burlap sack lay nearby. Police suspected the killer might have intended to conceal Barbara's body in it. An ambulance raced to the scene and though some sign of life was detected she would not be resuscitated. Her murder again occurred within that one mile radius. Police rushed to investigate and rounded up suspects. There were also no shortage of kooks confessing then recanting. Assorted degenerates were questioned and released when their alibis checked out. Police were never able to find Barbara's killer.

Daily News photo-Jan 28, 1933

It's interesting to note Price

demonstrating how he strangled Helen

since the autopsy showed she was  garroted.

Of the first four listed, only Helen Sterler's death resulted in an arrest and conviction. Lloyd Price, who had two previous convictions for molesting small boys, was described as feeble-minded and while he claimed police beat a confession out of him the jury had not trouble finding him guilty. Police also liked Price for having committed the two earlier crimes (Borroughs and McDonnell) because they were so similar to the murder of Helen Sterler but they had no evidence with which to definitively link him to those deaths. He was put to death in the electric chair on March 1, 1934.

On August 3, 1937, rooming house manager Mrs. Miriam Satakin walked in on Lawrence Marks and an 8-year-old girl. Marks tried to explain away the situation but Mrs. Satakin didn't believe him for a minute. She removed the girl from the room and called police.

Mrs. Satakin had a very good reason to be so suspicious because she had lived at 1009 DeKalb Avenue in 1933 and her son Arnold had been a playmate of murder victim Helen Sterler.
By the time police arrived on the scene Lawrence Marks had disappeared. He returned 4 days later but Mrs. Satakin had been waiting for him. She quickly called police and he was apprehended. She then learned that Marks was a known sex offender with convictions for sexual assault going back to 1914.

Daily News photo -
October 24, 1937

Daily News photo -
August 9, 1937

On August 8th 1937, after 13 hours of interrogation, Lawrence Marks confessed to killing Paula Magagna but refused to admit any connection to either Florence McDonnell or Barbara Wiles. Marks accompanied police back to scene of the crime and explained how he had met Paula Magagna at the subway station at DeKalb and Wyckoff Avenues. He asked her where she lived and if she knew where the gas meters for her house were. Paula answered yes and took him to the cellar. Once inside the cellar Marks blocked Paula's exit, he strangled her with a length of rope he had found in the cellar, raped then killed her and took the trolley home. According to Marks, he was suffering from a guilty conscious afterwards and contemplated turning himself in to police. Instead he lured another child into his room.
Good thing Mrs. Satakin was on the ball.

Daily News photo -
August 9, 1937 

Mrs. Ida Marks, wife of the accused, apparently knew about his criminal past, would dutifully visit him in prison and long for his release. She claims that in 25 years of marriage they only lived together for perhaps 1 solid year without interruption. And by interruption, she obviously means his multiple incarcerations. She would die in the hallway of her rooming house at 809-A Greene Avenue She was 47-years-old. Lawrence Marks, aged 49-years-old, died in the electric chair at Sing Sing on June 2, 1938.



If you look at the criminal history of Lawrence Marks, as printed in the August 9, 1937 edition of The Daily News, it seems as though he might have been at liberty for all of the murders. 

reprinted from Daily News -
August 9, 1937

Marks was incarcerated 1914-1926 on a morals charge. In 1927, he was sentenced to 6 months to 3 years for impairing the morals of a minor. Marks had violated his parole some time in 1933 and returned to prison but was released from Sing Sing on June 13, 1937.

I would be remiss if I didn't pass along the fact that in February 1950, Anna Wiles came forward to publicly accuse her recently deceased father Charles Gunkel of murdering her daughter/his granddaughter Barbara Wiles. She claimed to have been made aware of his guilt around the time of Barbara's funeral, in 1933, but was sworn to secrecy by her mother Louise, who died in 1939. Now with both of her parents dead and her mother and daughter each appearing to her in dreams, Anna felt the time was right to tell the police the truth and as further evidence of divine intervention - Detective Godfrey Delano of the Ralph Avenue precinct called upon her one afternoon to follow up on the cold case. Anna finally told police something she should have told them at the time - that her father had visited their home on the day of Barbara's death, he had deviant sexual leanings and that his own wife suspected him of the crime.



Daily News photo -
February 2, 1950

Her claims were immediately disputed by her three siblings.

I can see no further police or legal action taken despite the DA's office announcing they would be reopening the cases of Florence McDonnell and Sarah Burrows in light of this new testimony.