00:00:04
foreign [Music] you go back to the first days after the murder this might have been a dispute between
00:00:23
teenagers it might have involved a girl that might have involved drinking whoever knew about John's killing kept
00:00:32
this secret for over 40 years that's one that's one man Martin diabetes [Music] September 26 1969 is the day that
00:00:54
changed the lives of Bill and Neville and McCabe forever [Music] I don't think I've had a whole night's
00:01:08
sleep since it's happened if it's not too painful can you tell me about his last day Winter Dance the
00:01:16
second dance 15 year old John McCabe was looking forward to going to the Knights of
00:01:21
Columbus dance that evening took a shower scrubbed his hair put his father's half to shave on he didn't
00:01:28
shave but his father was after shave on oh yeah he got all spruced up 11 o'clock I started looking out the
00:01:37
window that's when the dance closes he should be home by midnight so I went down to the dance and checked
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the road screaming out the window John John no John I started praying at that point
00:01:59
the day after John McCabe went missing three young kids were cutting through a vacant lot when they made a horrifying
00:02:07
discovery which was the body of John McCabe he had been bound and gagged and tied
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with rope after John's body was found Bill McCabe a Pillar of Strength had to do the
00:02:21
Unspeakable that was identify the body of his dead son never forget it people keep talking about closure
00:02:30
you can't shake it he then had to go home and inform his family of what had happened
00:02:37
Bill said honey my son's dead well I was a senior in high school were you fearful yes they hadn't caught the
00:02:50
people that killed my brother did you think when you looked at kids in your classes maybe it's him maybe that's him
00:02:57
maybe it was them maybe they knew something how could they not know anything without physical evidence without a
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witness this case remained unsolved for several years and several years became decades
00:03:13
pray every day every day will be served there was only one way this case was going to be solved
00:03:21
and how old were you in 1969 17 and that's if someone came forward and talked how do you know how John McCabe
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died I was there I'm Richard Schlesinger tonight on 48 hours The Pact [Music] [Applause]
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[Music] it took almost every ounce of strength left in his 85 year old body to get to
00:04:15
the witness stand but Bill McCabe waited 43 years for this day and the start of this trial in January 2013.
00:04:26
good morning Mr McCabe do you remember September 27 1969 yes sir how old was John at that day he was 15 years
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six months and two weeks [Music] I always visualized him as being a big shot somewhere John Joseph McCabe my son
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JJ you know but I never got to see any of those things in the fall of 1969 two men had just
00:05:03
landed on the moon thousands had just crashed at Woodstock and John McCabe 15 years six months and
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two weeks old was living with his family in Tewksbury Massachusetts I think we have a right to be proud of them yeah
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John's father bill was an engineer his mother Evelyn worked at the school library his sisters Roberta who was six
00:05:32
and Debbie who was 17 remember a brother who was always busy doing what brothers
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do it was pretty interesting you open the closet door and your closets filled with grasshoppers I just remember his
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hands were always dirty like with oil or grease or a frog in his hand so he brought home a goose once oh yeah
00:05:53
Canadian goose big sucker it's fun to watch you talk about this because your eyes light up I mean you have very fond
00:05:59
memories of those days Evelyn holds on to any reminder of her son I have John's money
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I can't spend it and you've had it all these years yeah 25 years every now and then I the
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smell's gone off of it now it I almost put it in the casket with them and then I thought no I'll just keep it
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with me and when I see him again I'll give it to him [Music] when she last saw John Evelyn gave him
00:06:32
permission to go to that dance at the Knights of Columbus Hall I let him go I let him go out the door
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I shouldn't have the next day police came to the house and took Evelyn's husband to the
00:06:48
basement to talk they didn't want me to know anything but you heard I heard them
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Evelyn got on her knees and pressed her ear to a vent in the bathroom this is where I could hear everything
00:07:05
that was going on down soah the police were telling her husband John's body was discovered in a vacant
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lot in the neighboring gritty city of Lowell well what did you hear I heard that he
00:07:23
was tied up and there was tape on his eyes and his mouth I heard a lot I cried I laid there and cried
00:07:37
a huge investigation was launched by the Lowell Tewksbury and Massachusetts State
00:07:43
Police what evidence did they collect at the scene the rope that was used to tie
00:07:50
John up a tape that was used to tape his eyes and his mouth all of his clothing his shoes
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Jerry Leone was the local D.A who years later took on the case today he's a partner in the law firm Nixon Peabody
00:08:07
there was forensic evidence but it wasn't really meaningful because it you couldn't tie it to anyone in particular
00:08:16
but the case looked promising at first a witness had spotted a car near the crime scene that night
00:08:25
I believe the way he had described it was a 1965 Chevy Impala colored Plum on the room
00:08:35
then another tip LED police to a schoolmate of John's 16-year-old Mike Ferreira who says he barely knew John I
00:08:45
probably seemed like a handful of times in my life I don't you know I didn't really he
00:08:50
wasn't a friend Ferreira and his friend Nancy Williams were questioned because they had picked up John when he was
00:08:57
hitchhiking on his way to the dance I picked him up and I gave him a ride to the corner and I never saw him again
00:09:04
Ferreira told police that while the dance was underway he left Nancy and met up with his best friend Walter Shelley
00:09:12
me Walter and Bob Ryan took right to Lowell try to get some beer they were in Walter Shelley's car it was maroon and
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it was a 1965 Chevy Impala police searched it but found no evidence still Walter Shelley was now A Person of
00:09:32
Interest he was brought in for questioning and later polygraphed five times the test showed he was lying in
00:09:41
all vital areas of the questioning if you read the reports now you start seeing Ferreira and Shelly Shelly and
00:09:48
Ferreira Ferrera was questioned multiple times I know where they're going not totally
00:09:56
stupid but Ferreira wasn't helping himself at one point while joyriding with some friends he suddenly blurted
00:10:04
out that he killed John I was 16. we're drinking joking and I said yeah I did it
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they knew I was joking I was a joker Leone says police were not amused but there was no way to corroborate what
00:10:21
Ferreira said without physical evidence without a witness statement putting him at the scene the Ferreira lead kept
00:10:29
drying up there were dozens of other people police investigated other teens local drug
00:10:36
dealers and pedophiles detectives worked this case hard for two years while Bill
00:10:44
McCabe worked on a record of his son's life [Music] I wasn't trying to be an author or
00:10:53
anything like that I I was just looking at ways to hold on to him keep his keep his memory
00:11:01
he also tried to make sure the police never forgot his son I was always on the phone talking to the police I'd be up in
00:11:09
the middle of the night she'd be saying what the hell are you throwing up get back to bed
00:11:14
despite Bill's persistence and the intense police effort there were no arrests Shelley and Ferrero went into
00:11:22
the service in 1970 so the following year the two of them left the area and the McCabe family was left without
00:11:33
any answers for decades [Music] [Music] this is the little Compass so he can find his way home
00:12:00
[Music] with each passing season John McCabe's case grew colder but his mother kept
00:12:08
asking the most painful questions about how he died I tried to strangle myself just
00:12:19
to visualize what it felt like I wondered did he call for me what kind of a mother was I I wasn't
00:12:30
therefore I am for a Time Evelyn set a place for John at the dinner table his absence was a constant presence in
00:12:43
the house you can't just do something wrong and not have to pay for it the case stalled for some 30 years until
00:12:52
November two thousand Sean and I went just about everywhere you know when Jack Ward a childhood friend of John's made
00:13:00
good on a decades-old promise to Bill McCabe he would say Jackie have you heard anything about John you keep your eyes
00:13:08
out let me know I said if I ever had anything some game you know I'm going to tell you
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Ward had been at a cookout at this house in Tewksbury where he ran into a kid from the old neighborhood Mike Ferreira
00:13:22
this photo was taken that day we're all sitting around drinking and that's when you just blurted out
00:13:31
I know who killed John and he said it to me again I know who killed John and you know finally I said who
00:13:40
he says Walter I said Walter Shelley he says yeah Walter Shelley I said what would be Walter's motive to
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kill John you said Mala because of Mala Marla Shiner Ward said she was Walter Shelley's girlfriend back then but he
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said the trouble was Marla also seemed to like John McCabe and by all accounts Walter Shelley was one very jealous
00:14:09
young man the footage you see was taken a few years after the murder Ward admits he sat on the information
00:14:17
for a while worried about how to tell Bill McCabe do you go knock on somebody's door and
00:14:26
say hey I know I killed your son you better have it right I was shocked when he told me so I
00:14:33
scribble it on a piece of paper I put it in the Bible on the page beginning The Book of John so I wouldn't forget it and
00:14:40
I immediately called the police but it took many more calls from Bill McCabe and three more years for police
00:14:51
to show up at ferreira's door it was now 2003. Ferreira worked as a forklift operator lived in Salem New Hampshire
00:15:00
and Nancy Williams his friend back in the day was now his wife Mike wouldn't hurt a fly
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never I know he wouldn't Ferreira says he remembers the cookout conversation with Jack Ward very differently Jackie
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went and told them I said well to Shelley killed him I never said that and at this cookout
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you know I already had a few drinks and he's running his mouth shell he did it Shelly did it and this went on all
00:15:30
afternoon and finally I got sick of hearing that I just he probably did it next thing I know three years four years
00:15:37
later I think the cops down my house wanted to talk to me about John McCabe Ferreira also denies discussing the
00:15:43
jealousy motive with Ward that's his theory I never said that but again there was no corroborating
00:15:52
evidence so again the case stalled well what did they tell you about the investigation
00:15:59
it's going fine it was always going fine and how long did they tell you that for
00:16:04
and you know what it was sitting on a freaking show but the police had not forgotten
00:16:11
John McCabe all right thanks in January of 2007 37 years after the murder Jerry Leone was sworn in as Middlesex County
00:16:22
district attorney the Lowell Police Department took it upon themselves to visit me weeks after I had been elected
00:16:29
to say we'd actually like you to focus on this one and and take a hard look at it with us
00:16:37
investigate run back over the files and a name jumped out at them in Mike ferreira's
00:16:44
latest interview with police in recounting the night of the murder Ferreira said he was with Walter Shelley
00:16:51
but this time he added a name and said the other guy with them was Alan Brown Edward Allen Brown's name surfaces as
00:17:02
someone who we're going to focus on Edward Allen Brown was 17 and lived not far from the mccabes when John was
00:17:10
killed he had long since moved away but when police tracked him down he said he knew
00:17:18
nothing about the murder never even heard of it so How likely is it that he would never even heard of the murder of
00:17:25
John McCabe in a town the size of Tewksbury I'd say curious at the time and police got a call from Brown's wife
00:17:33
that was even more Curious his wife told police that she thought he was lying his
00:17:40
wife said that she thought he was lying right Carolyn Brown indicates to police that 20 to 25 years earlier her husband
00:17:48
had told her about an evening where he was involved in a young man being killed [Laughter]
00:17:57
wasn't enough it was the same old story there was no corroborating evidence and no real movement in the case until 2011
00:18:08
when detective Linda Coughlin was assigned to find the killers you think this case really took off when you met
00:18:17
detective Linda Coughlin yes definitely why did you feel that way because of her attitude
00:18:24
she she said I'm going to get them and she did detective Coughlin zeroed back in on
00:18:33
Edward Allen Brown he was retired from the Air Force and living in New Hampshire Coughlin interrogated Brown
00:18:41
just twice but when Brown learned he failed a polygraph he suddenly broke down he confessed that he was there when
00:18:52
Walter Shelley and Mike Ferreira killed John McCabe yeah why Lowell police brought in the mccabes and
00:19:10
told them Brown's story about John's Final hours my dad started crying he killed over on the table
00:19:20
[Music] on April 15 2011 nearly 42 years after John McCabe's body was found in that
00:19:32
vacant lot his father's perseverance finally paid off Mr McCabe held our feet to the fire he
00:19:41
never let us forget John McCabe's murder the DA's office announced the indictments of Edward Allen Brown for
00:19:49
manslaughter and Michael Ferreira and Walter Shelley for first degree murder two names known to police since day one
00:19:59
two names also Gathering dust here in John's book of mourners the murderers came to the wake
00:20:08
and they came to the funeral [Music] it would take almost two years to bring the men accused of killing John McCabe
00:20:29
to trial two more years the mccabes would have to wait do you solemnly swear the testimony January 18
00:20:37
2013. would you please be seated Edward Allen Brown was called to testify against his one-time friend Mike
00:20:45
Ferreira first defendant to go on trial do you see Michael Ferrara in the courtroom today
00:20:53
yes over there Mr Brown for the first time Brown publicly shared the details of the night
00:21:00
John died Brown says he was at home watching television when Mike Ferreira and Walter
00:21:07
Shelley pulled up to his house they wanted me to go with them to help them help them do what I didn't know at
00:21:14
the time until I got in the car and we left Brown testified they were on their way
00:21:19
to the Knights of Columbus Hall when he learned of their plan they said they wanted to go find this
00:21:27
kid that had been uh you know messing around with Marla to teach him a lesson and how did you know Marla Shiner that
00:21:34
was Walter's girlfriend Michael noticed John McCabe was thumbing and he said there he is
00:21:43
and we pulled up next to John Michael got out and grabbed him and uh pushed him in the backseat where I was
00:21:52
Michael was facing back at John trying to to smack him and John had his arms up to try to to stop him
00:22:01
from doing that we went on the spaghettiville bridge Brown says they drove up a dirt road to
00:22:09
the vacant lot and pulled over and we got him outside the car who pushed John out of the car I did
00:22:16
I thought they were just going to slap him around what happened next then Michael and Walter
00:22:22
Russell John tripped him up and got him on the ground testified that he and Shelley held John
00:22:29
McCabe down while Ferreira tied him up Michael tied his ankles then went around and tied his his wrist together
00:22:39
then he took another piece of rope around his ankles and attached it up to his neck
00:22:43
they had put tape on his mouth John's uh squirming wiggling trying to get out he's lying on his belly uh with his legs
00:22:52
up in the air and his um his head turned sideways then they said um that this will teach you to uh to mess
00:23:00
with Milo anymore and we got in the car and left Brown says they drove around drinking
00:23:12
beer for a while then um I I told them that we should go back and let them go Brown says they eventually returned to
00:23:21
the lot Michael and Walter got out of the car and went over to him they were there for about 30 45 seconds
00:23:30
and they came quickly back to the car we started to drive off and one of them said that he wasn't breathing
00:23:39
John McCabe had died of strangulation [Music] I wonder I wonder what he thought of that night
00:23:55
[Music] then they uh they brought me home what did you do I remember I think I cried
00:24:06
[Music] Brown says he kept the murder a secret for 41 years because he was afraid of
00:24:15
Michael Ferreira Michael said if anybody talks to anybody about this I'll kill him Helen Brown's a freaking liar and I
00:24:23
mean they know that according to the prosecutor he's been uh Iraq in Afghanistan five to us maybe he's got
00:24:30
something wrong in his head they talk about these people that give false confessions
00:24:35
either he did it with somebody else or by himself or he is really a messed up human being
00:24:43
my sense of Edward Brown was he was easily LED Eric Wilson Michael ferreira's attorney believes that police
00:24:51
pressured Edward Allen Brown because he was someone they could force into confessing to a crime he did not commit
00:24:58
they also offered him a deal no jail time Edward Brown did not walk into Lowell Police Department headquarters
00:25:07
and say look I got to get this off my chest after being interrogated by train detectives over the course of many days
00:25:12
he was faced with the threat of spending the rest of his life in jail or he could
00:25:18
tell the police what they wanted to hear Walter Shelley and Mike Ferreira picked
00:25:22
you up at your house at 10 30 right yes the question that I had to answer for the jury is why would he tell them that
00:25:29
if he didn't do it did you think you could do that that's a tough sell it was a tough sell
00:25:35
but Ed Brown gave me a lot to work with you were fed information it was a dirt lot
00:25:41
right yes over the course of two days ferreira's attorney grilled Brown relentlessly and in your four or five
00:25:49
trial prep sessions until Brown admitted that the prosecution had fed him parts of his story you have had information
00:25:57
that was near a railroad tower right yes and you're being told that Shelley was jealous of a Marla Shiner right yes
00:26:03
there are certain pieces of information that an investigator May provide to someone who they're interviewing to see
00:26:09
whether or not they know anything about that to see whether or not it jogs their
00:26:14
memory well but couldn't that also be a way of telegraphing to the witness what you want him to say well in this case
00:26:21
that didn't have to happen because Brown was the one who talked about the Rope the tape The Binding of John however
00:26:29
Brown got his story Wilson claims it cannot be true because it does not fit the evidence in fact in the 9 1969
00:26:38
police reports detectives noted that they were unable to find any evidence of a scuffle
00:26:45
there was no suggestion anywhere around John McCabe's body or the scene that that struggle described by Edward Brown
00:26:52
ever took place why would Edward Allen Brown lie and implicate himself so directly in what happened unless it was
00:27:01
the truth your testimony has not always been 10 30 has it Wilson thought it was not enough
00:27:06
to try to discredit Brown he also had to punch holes in the alleged motive jealousy over a girl he'll do it by
00:27:16
calling that girl my name is Marla Shiner to the witness stand that you would have known each other
00:27:29
[Music] Mr Brown you've lied under oath when you're scared right yes you've lied
00:27:38
under oath when you're nervous right yes you've lied on the road when you're frightened right correct prosecutors had
00:27:44
a problem with their star witness Edward Allen Brown he to wither under strong cross-examination
00:27:51
from the defense you still can't get your facts straight can you no so prosecutor Tom O'Reilly called detective
00:27:59
Linda Coughlin to counter accusations that she'd forced Edward Allen Brown to confess and fed him details at any point
00:28:08
did you feed him information as to the investigation never But Eric Wilson says Coughlin also had
00:28:15
tunnel vision and ignored evidence of other suspects there were a number of investigative reports and material that
00:28:24
you either overlooked or didn't even know about true I don't know what you're referring to
00:28:29
how about Richard Santos Richard Santos was flagged in this Tewksbury police report as a suspect in
00:28:36
the McCabe murder in 1974. [Music] Santos was arrested for committing a crime eerily similar to John McCabe's
00:28:48
murder this young woman was abducted on Route 38 her feet were bound her hands were
00:28:54
tied behind her back her mouth was duct taped and her eyes were taped shut all of the facts that surround Santos as
00:29:03
a possible subject leads you to be suspicious but there was never anything tying him to mode of opportunity means
00:29:12
information on Richard Santos still the judge allowed the jury to hear about Santos and another Suspect with respect
00:29:20
to Robert Morley Robert Morley a local 25 year old who reportedly knew both Ferreira and Shelley and was suffering
00:29:30
from mental illness he was labeled long before you were assigned this case as a strong
00:29:38
suspect right there is a report that uses the word for him strong suspect and the very same report mentions Mr
00:29:48
Ferreira as a prime suspect but it's how morally became a strong suspect that makes him so interesting police learned
00:29:57
about him shortly after the crime from his own Brothers Memorial's own Brothers went in and said
00:30:04
that they thought he might have been involved in it yeah they thought he might have former
00:30:10
D.A Jerry Leone says Morley's brothers were mistaken I think what happens in matters like this is people will say
00:30:18
sure you should take a look at X or Y because they have a profile of somebody who would do something like this and
00:30:26
they were around the area at the time but then you have to look at the evidence and see whether or not the
00:30:31
evidence leads you to believe that they had anything to do with it did the brothers have any specific evidence that
00:30:38
you're aware of they did not he split to Florida the day after he was questioned
00:30:43
by police Mr Morley years later in my estimate committed suicide you learned of his death his suicide right
00:30:51
he jumped off a bridge right his brother says he fell off a bridge the defense also tried to punch holes in
00:30:59
the alleged motive for the murder and called a surprising witness to do it yes my name is Marla Shiner and my spelling
00:31:06
of my last name is s-h-i-n-e-r thank you Marla shiner the girl who Walter Shelley and Mike
00:31:14
Ferreira allegedly killed for Edward Allen Brown had just testified that Marla was Shelley's girlfriend in
00:31:22
September of 69 and Shelley was jealous because John was flirting with her but Marla says John never flirted with her
00:31:32
did you ever go to a dance with John McCabe never ever convey to you that he had any type of romantic interest in you
00:31:38
in August or September of 1969. none the McCabe say it doesn't matter if the flirting was real or imagined
00:31:47
she could have been just stopped and said hello to John and Shelly could have walked by and seen
00:31:53
it and he's going to explode next Marla through the prosecution a curveball September 26 1969
00:32:03
were you dating Walter Shelley no I was not dating Walter when when John McCabe died when did you start dating him then
00:32:11
I believe it was after that death how old were you 13. you 13 September 69. I don't know I can't do the math right
00:32:20
here but according to police Marla told them she was dating Shelly at the time and was just 12 years old when they
00:32:28
started seeing each other you didn't tell the police that you were dating Walter Shelley
00:32:33
in 1969 when John McCabe was killed I no I don't believe I did tell him that why lie about dating someone unless it
00:32:43
was because of her that John was murdered 48 Hours had questions for Marla Shiner too but she declined our
00:32:51
request for an interview Marla eventually married Walter Shelley but it didn't last she said he was very violent
00:33:00
Miss China was Walter Shelly a jealous man absolutely it appears that we're ready to proceed
00:33:08
then judge at this point in time the defendant would rest this was a hard-fought trial till the
00:33:14
end and then it was up to the jury to decide did Mike Ferreira help Walter Shelley kill John McCabe over a girl
00:33:24
or was Edward Allen Brown telling a story The prosecution wanted to hear it only took jurors five hours to decide I
00:33:33
told Michael that we had to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst and he was ready for that
00:33:41
today I have the verdict slip please for the McCabe family more than four Decades
00:33:47
of waiting and working came down to this moment what did you think the verdict was going
00:33:54
to be guilty my glad he was guilty if for no other reason he was there it's hard to understand how the jury could
00:34:06
you know anticipate otherwise Bill McCabe was too nervous and too sick to sit in the courtroom that day so he
00:34:15
waited in another room while Evelyn and their daughters heard the verdict yesterday what set you to this
00:34:22
indictment ma'am is the defendant guilty or not guilty not guilty George not guilty
00:34:28
everyone including Mike Ferreira was so stunned it took a while to sink in when the verdict came in when you heard
00:34:37
that that foreign to tell him yes why I was afraid he was going to die tragically
00:34:48
Evelyn was right [Music] just four days after the verdict Bill McCabe's heart gave out
00:34:58
and he gave up what do you think killed your husband stress the stress of the trial
00:35:09
while Evelyn McCabe laid her husband to rest next to their son the DA's office had a decision to make after losing the
00:35:18
case against Mike Ferreira would it go ahead with the trial of Walter Shelley [Music]
00:35:45
I still don't believe Bill's gone I can still hear him snore in the night and then I I feel the bed he's not there
00:35:57
Evelyn McCabe was determined to honor her husband's dying wish he laid in the hospital bed and I said
00:36:05
I'll pick up and take over for you she'd see to it someone would pay for John's murder the jurors find Michael farrared
00:36:15
not guilty watching Michael Ferreira Go free was tough for some jurors too so how hard was it for you to acquit him it
00:36:24
was very difficult one of the jurors Michael duquette says the biggest problem was Edward Allen Brown plan was
00:36:32
to teach him a lesson for messing with Marlon did the majority of the jurors believe him no why not they just felt
00:36:39
that he was not telling the truth I thought they were just going to slap him around and
00:36:43
they felt that he had been fed information and that didn't make a ton of sense to me maybe he wasn't the best
00:36:49
witness but I just can't see somebody saying I did it when they didn't do it duquette came to
00:36:57
believe Brown and wanted to find Michael Ferreira guilty of something but the only choices the jurors had were first
00:37:05
and second degree murder so what did you want to convict him of manslaughter and it wasn't an option we
00:37:14
are extremely pleased with the jury's verdict despite the Ferreira loss prosecutors decided to try to convict
00:37:21
the other suspect in the murder Walter Shelley the acquittal in the Ferrara case didn't do anything to lessen our
00:37:28
belief that we had the right people who were responsible for killing John McCabe
00:37:31
all right September 3rd 2013 seven months after Michael ferreira's acquittal his murder was about John
00:37:40
McCabe it was Walter Shelley's turn to stand trial Shelley was 17 the Knight of John's
00:37:47
murder he's now 61 remarried and has lived quietly in Tewkesbury ever since just a few miles from Evelyn McCabe well
00:37:58
to Shelley is sitting on small of his back home in New Hampshire if convicted of first-degree murder Shelley could
00:38:05
spend the rest of his life in prison they wrestled him to the ground it was the same case prosecutors presented
00:38:12
against Michael Ferreira the same motive jealousy and the same evidence the robes
00:38:19
that came off the victim's body presented by the same Witnesses Marla Shiner detective Linda Coughlin and once
00:38:28
again the state star witness Edward Allen Brown I heard one of them say he's not breathing was it any easier to sit
00:38:37
through the second trial no I want to say it was harder Dad wasn't there for backup you were called a liar repeatedly
00:38:45
Brown seemed less rattled this time more confident and the mccabes allowed themselves to hope I can keep my fingers
00:38:55
my toes everything crossed during closing arguments the defense called Brown a liar he'll tell you
00:39:02
whatever you want to hear but the prosecution argued that brown would never implicate himself in a crime he
00:39:08
did not commit what do you confess for he was talked into it a week-long trial went to the jury
00:39:16
this would be the McCabe's last chance to see someone held accountable for killing John
00:39:24
we had faith that the jury was going to come with the right answer this time finally two days later a verdict the
00:39:32
person has it jury agreed upon its verdict yes Walter Shelley's wife and family waited
00:39:39
nervously Evelyn McCabe couldn't bring herself to even sit in the courtroom and had to
00:39:45
wait outside she couldn't hear another not guilty May the verdicts be recorded she was scared
00:39:54
she was going to drop dead charging the defendant Walt the Shelley with the offense of murder what saves
00:39:59
the defendant guilty and not guilty guilty guilty of what guilty and life behind bars for Walter
00:40:10
Shelley this jury believed Brown so when you heard guilty do you remember the first thing you thought
00:40:19
I thought my father would be proud we got one of them it was the final twist in a mystery
00:40:31
filled with them for the same crime and on the same evidence one man walked free
00:40:37
one man went to prison [Music] hey John guess what we got them Billy it turned out beautifully
00:40:59
he didn't live to write about it but Bill McCabe finally got the end he was looking for to the story he wrote about
00:41:07
John's life and death a story that took four decades to play out he was 15 years six months and two weeks
00:41:19
about his boy who will be 15 years 6 months and two weeks old forever he's done the secret care of him until I
00:41:32
get there please and then I will [Music] [Music] thank you [Music]