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first box dailyharvest.com slash case file [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often
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distressing incidents if you feel at any time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested
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phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website
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this episode involves a crime against children it may not be suitable for all listeners
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[Music] mrs cross walked up the driveway of the east salt lake city home and rang the
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doorbell she was counting on the job interview to go well and had dressed to impress
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her clothes and makeup were immaculate and her blonde wig was styled neatly after a difficult life this was her
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chance at a new beginning she wasn't about to blow it mrs cross was responding to an
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advertisement in the local paper for a qualified nurse's aide the chosen candidate would provide
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round-to-the-clock care and companionship to alice sullivan an elderly woman suffering from parkinson's
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disease mrs cross came with glowing references a thorough knowledge of medications and a
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wealth of experience alice's son and daughter believed her to be the right person to assist their 86
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year old mother they weren't wrong after moving into a spare room in alice sullivan's home mrs cross became the
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best living nurse the elderly woman ever had kind-hearted and caring she ensured
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alice never went without even buying her clothing and gifts out of her own pay packet
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despite gentle probing mrs cross never discussed her personal life or history it was clear that she was deeply
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religious as she spent her spare time locked in her bedroom reading the book of mormon
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in a rare moment of vulnerability on christmas day in 1992 she revealed that she had two sons one
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of whom had died in a car accident that day she put expensive presents for alice's granddaughters under the
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christmas tree explaining that she never had any daughters of her own to spoil mrs cross was a loyal companion
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she never took time off and told the sullivans that she considered them family still
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there was something odd about the woman the sullivans couldn't shake the feeling
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that mrs cross was hiding something from them [Music] [Music] nearly 30 years earlier on july 6 1964
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clifford sanders and his 18 year old wife teresa stood facing one another in the lounge of their cramped low set home
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in the californian city of gold sitting in the corner of the room was the couple's 11-month old son howard
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playing with his toys he was used to the shouting matches between his parents and had learned to
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keep to himself when they flared up but this time was different minutes later the doorbell rang at galt
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deputy sheriff fred may's house 200 feet down the road teresa sanders was outside cradling baby
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howard she tearfully explained that her husband had come at her with an old model
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hunting rifle intending to beat her with the bud end teresa managed to pry the firearm away from her husband
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causing it to discharge deputy may headed to the sanders house while theresa remained behind clutching
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howard and rocking back and forth she asked over and over if clifford was going to be okay
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hoping that she had just grazed his hand when deputy may entered the sanders lounge he spotted clifford's lifeless
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body face up on the floor and surrounded by a pool of blood a single bullet had shattered the 23
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year old's left wrist entered his chest and penetrated his heart authorities were well aware of the
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domestic situation in the sanders household two weeks earlier teresa had appeared at
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deputy sheriff may's house with bruises around her wrists and neck clifford had come home drunk broken a
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window and taken his anger out on his wife who was expecting their second child clifford had accused teresa of
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infidelity before beating and choking her teresa opted not to press charges and tensions between the couple escalated
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until their final fatal confrontation teresa learned of her husband's fate on route to the local police station
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her piercing devastated screams were heard by street side onlookers as she was driven away
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[Music] in september 1964 they're still pregnant theresa sanders faced trial for first
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degree murder her lawyer spoke of the violence she had endured throughout her marriage
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including being repeatedly punched kicked and burned with cigarettes an acquaintance recalled the time teresa
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had appeared on her doorstep needing a place to stay after escaping from her enraged husband
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even clifford's sister didn't want teresa to end up in prison but acquitted so she could go home and
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take care of her children on the stand theresa emotionally described how she had fought for her
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husband's rifle in fear for herself her son and her unborn child a court-appointed psychologist described
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her as an anxious remorseful and frightened woman who posed no danger to herself or anyone
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else after nine days of proceedings teresa held her hands to her mouth and visibly
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trembled as the jury delivered their verdict they ruled that teresa had acted in
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self-defense and acquitted her of clifford's murder teresa approached the jury in tears and
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thanked them while sharing a warm embrace with the female members her lawyer told reporters outside court
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that teresa only had one thing to say quote all i want to do is go home and take
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care of my baby in march 1965 teresa gave birth to her deceased husband's child a girl named sheila sanders
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not long after she met and married 18 year old robert noor the couple went on to have three
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children in quick succession a girl named susan and two boys william and robert jr
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teresa stayed at home to look after the five kids while her husband took up work
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with the navy which led him to being away for long periods of time then in june 1969 teresa filed for divorce
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revealing she had once again found herself in an abusive relationship in her filings she described the daily
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threats and acts of great physical violence that robert norsena had committed against her
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a judge granted theresa the divorce on the grounds of extreme cruelty she was awarded full custody of her
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children with the judge citing her fitness as a sole parent as a reason for his decision
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for the second time in her life teresa found herself without a husband she was also pregnant again
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in august 1970 24 year old teresa welcomed another child into the world the little girl resembled her mother
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from the minute she was born so teresa named her after herself theresa nor though she was more commonly known as
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terry two weeks after her 25th birthday teresa married railway worker ron pulliam
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although ron wasn't physically violent teresa took his pistol to a friend's house for safe keeping after he
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threatened to kill her this third marriage was also short-lived by 1972 teresa went back to being a
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single mother when her older children were in school teresa would take their younger siblings
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to diners and spoil them with ice cream sundaes there were family outings to the
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drive-in theatre and to long road trips into the sierra mountains when money wasn't tight teresa showered
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her kids with gifts and designer clothes she kept their home in orangevale california immaculate inside and out and
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all of her children were always polite and well-mannered in public it was approaching midnight on july 16
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1984 when a car load of people traveled down interstate 80 out of sacramento city
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the driver sat alone in the front of the vehicle scanning the rolling californian
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landscape beyond the windshield they eventually spotted a quiet deserted spot within the sierra foothills known
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as square creek it was perfect nestled between two passengers in the back seat was a young woman
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she was unconscious and her hands and mouth were bound with duct tape once the car rolled to a stop the woman
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was removed from the back of the car she was laid on a blanket along with her possessions clothing a toothbrush
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perfume cutlery and several pieces of expensive jewelry a copy of the jules verne novel 20 000
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leagues under the sea and a romance novel were also placed with her as was a packet of infant diapers
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one of which was soiled gasoline was then poured over her body and belongings the driver told their two companions
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i'm going to run back and start the car you light a match and you just drop it and run
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[Music] once the fire took hold the others raced back to the car where the driver was
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waiting if you ever tell anybody about this they warned you're going to be next at around 4 the following morning a
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passing motorist noticed the flames arising from square creek and contacted the local fire department
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a sheriff's sergeant arrived in the area and observed the small fire from the highway
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thinking it had been caused by a lightning strike he radioed dispatch saying it would likely burn itself out
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or could wait to be extinguished later that morning the sergeant went on his way and gave it
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no further thought an hour later a truck driver was heading down highway 89 when a woman ran from
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the surrounding woods to flag down his vehicle she too had observed the minor fire at
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square creek and being a local that was familiar with bushfires she knew something wasn't right
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the occurring smoke didn't smell like burning wood the truck driver retrieved his fire
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extinguisher and escorted the woman to the fire's location it was contained and easily snuffed out
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as the smoke cleared the woman examined the remains it looks like a mannequin she said
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[Music] square creek was soon swarming with police the charred remains in the burn pile and
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didn't belong to a mannequin it was the body of a blond-haired blue-eyed young woman wearing a bright
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yellow hooded sweater aged between 14 and 17 she was less than five feet tall and weighed about 115
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pounds she had sustained third-degree burns to 91 of her body with the fire itself
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causing her death superficial stab wounds to her back and buttocks indicated that she had been
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tortured though it was unclear when or how these injuries occurred a one-of-a-kind antique wedding ring was
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secured around her finger although the area where the victim had been found was a notorious dumping
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ground for bodies the brutality of her murder horrified detectives they examined missing persons dental and
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fingerprint records but were unable to ascertain her identity she was given the status of jane doe
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a placeholder name used by authorities when the true name of a person is unknown
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the local sheriff called jane's murder one of the saddest and most vicious killings in recent history
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a description of the items found at the crime scene was publicly released to help identification efforts
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most concerning were the infant diapers with detectives fearing that jane doe was the mother of a young child who
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might be in danger yet no one came forward having recognized any of her things an artist's rendering of jane depicting
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a smiling young woman with a chipped upper front tooth also failed to generate valuable leads
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11 months passed and the detectives were no closer to formally identifying jane doe or her killer
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on june 24 1985 the driver was once again behind the wheel travelling towards square creek
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like last time it was approaching midnight and they were joined by two accomplices
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there was one notable difference their latest victim was already deceased tucked away in a cardboard box in the
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trunk it was all planned out they weren't going to start a fire like they had previously as they didn't want
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the two crime scenes linked the driver accidentally missed the turn off to squire creek and decided to
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continue onwards looking for another suitable place they eventually came to a stopper just
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outside the town of truckee on the california nevada state border the two accomplices emerged from the
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back seat and collected a shovel each from the trunk as they started digging nearby
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a police car happened to pull up behind them they raced back to the car and hid the
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shovels just as an officer approached carrying a flashlight the car's three occupants were certain
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they had just been caught red-handed the foul smell of decomposition emanated from the trunk and would no doubt raise
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suspicions that something was awry the officer asked what they were doing the group informed him that they had
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pulled over to urinate he then circled the vehicle while shining his flashlight over it
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speaking directly to the driver he ordered them to move along and get back on the highway
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the officer had failed to notice the rancid smell the shovels or the killer before them
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they returned to their patrol car and drove off the near miss rattled the trio who
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reformulated their plan the driver headed south where they came across a deserted road near a lake in
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the middle of bushy mountain land the group pulled over retrieved their shovels and wasted no time in digging a
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hole [Music] the cardboard box was discovered the following morning at martus creek
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campground by a caretaker clearing trash in the area it was positioned in a clump of weeping
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willow trees by the lake curiosity got the better of the caretaker who tore off the silver duct
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tape that sealed the box when he opened it a human arm sprung out the body of a young woman was tightly
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packed inside in the fetal position naked aside from a pair of underwear and white socks
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she was approximately 20 years old five foot four inches tall 105 to 120 pounds with brown hair
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the level of decomposition made it impossible to determine much else including facial features or a cause of
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death samples of the victim's teeth hair and skin were compared to records on file to
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no result there were no missing person reports that could be linked to the victim
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either she too was formally listed as a jane doe though trucky locals knew her as the
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body in the cardboard box the killer had gotten lucky the same medical examiner who conducted
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this autopsy also carried out the one on the jane doe found burnt alive at square
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creek almost a year prior the differences between the two crime scenes ensured the examiner failed to
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determine a connection just like the investigation into the first jane doe case the latest
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inevitably went cold [Music] four months later on october 14 1985 gail smith arrived at a rest stop just
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outside of the city of fort worth in texas the 20 year old had been given a ride
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there by her stepbrother but that's as far as he could take her gail had a 340 mile journey ahead of her
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to visit her mother in the city of amarillo as she was short on funds gail chose to
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do what she had done many times in the past hitchhiked to her destination she preferred accepting rides from long
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distance truckers as she had come to trust them the most gail's stepbrother watched from his car
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as gail approached a male trucker with red hair and blue eyes after a brief conversation she hopped
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into the passenger seat of his cherry rad tractor trailer gail failed to arrive at her mother's
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and was promptly reported missing but her fate had already been sealed the morning after gail had left the fort
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worth rest stop her body was found poorly concealed in a thicket of bushland near the canadian river about
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14 miles from amarillo her hands were bound by duct tape and she had been taped tightly into the
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fetal position she had been hid over the head with a blunt object raped and then strangled to
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death with a man's neck tire although gail's stepbrother hadn't written down the license plate of the
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truck that gail had hitched her final right in he did recall the make of the vehicle as
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well as a description of its driver most importantly he recalled two words emblazoned on the driver's side door
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jewett scott jewett scott was a trucking firm based in oklahoma the company examined their records and
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provided the name of the only employee who had been in the fort worth area at the time gail smith had gotten a ride
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42 year old benjamin boyle better known as herbert had a violent criminal history
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six years earlier in 1979 he tried to abduct a woman by forcing her into his car
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bael pleaded guilty for attempted kidnap and was sentenced to five years probation
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at the time of gail smith's murder he was on the run from a rape that he had committed in colorado
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boyle who introduced himself as mr whipple to women he was attracted to had secured a load earlier that morning and
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was headed to a town 60 miles north of houston detectives sped down highway 59 and
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caught up to boyle's truck boyle admitted to giving gail smith a ride but said he had dropped her off at
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a truck stop in wichita falls 250 miles short of her destination yet the case against herbert boyle was
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sealed almost immediately his truck contained some of gail's possessions and her blood and hair were
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found in the vehicle's cab carpet fibers from the truck's interior matched those found on gail's remains
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finally boyle's fingerprints were lifted from the duct tape used to restrain gail
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with the role itself discovered in his truck in early november 1985 herbert boyle was
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indicted for the aggravated sexual assault and capital murder of gail smith given his criminal history and transient
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job detectives re-examined other unsolved murders to see whether they could be linked to boyle
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one case that drew their attention involved a young woman known only as jane doe
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found buried in a cardboard box at mardis creek campground her murder bore striking similarities to
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that of gail smith both women were found off a highway and near water they were bound with silver
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duct tape placed in the fetal position and were discovered in a state of undress
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by delving into herbert boyle's travel logbook receipts and maps it was discovered that he had been in the
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truckee area at the time of jane doe's murder additionally a foreign fiber on jane's
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body matched a blanket from boyle's house in oklahoma there was also a rope fiber found at the
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crime scene that matched a length of rope in boyle's truck herbert boyle only faced trial for gail
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smith's murder in court he was depicted as mean and unlikable with perverted sexual urges
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his wife and daughter expressed to their concerns that boyle would harm them if he should be found not guilty
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his daughter told the court i'm very scared of the man right now and i have been for some time
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after deliberating for 20 minutes the jury found boyle guilty of the rape kidnapping and murder of gail smith
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he was sentenced to death although the body in the cardboard box case never went to trial due to lack of
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evidence authorities safely assumed that herbert boyle was responsible for her murder also
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they were wrong nearly 20 years earlier on july 6 1964 eighteen-year-old teresa sanders watched
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as her husband clifford moved around their house packing a suitcase an exceedingly jealous woman teresa
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constantly accused clifford of having an affair and had taken to controlling many
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facets of his life she had imposed a strict curfew on him drove him to and from work and handled
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all of their finances clifford was afforded just 50 cents for lunch so he wouldn't be able to meet
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other women at expensive restaurants when it all became too much clifford would stay in hotels for days at a time
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with his suitcase packed clifford headed for the door and took one last look at his pregnant wife and their 11 month old
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son howard minutes later teresa arrived at deputy sheriff fred may's house down the road
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she claimed that clifford had attempted to beat her with a rifle while she confessed to shooting him she
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claimed it was an accident stating i did not think it would do that much damage i didn't think that old gun would
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hurt him that bad teresa said she had wrestled the weapon from her husband causing it to discharge
00:29:52
the rifle which was kept in the couple's bedroom was always loaded however the safety was also always on
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this meant the user had to click the safety off [ __ ] the hammer take aim and pull the trigger to fire off a shot
00:30:10
it was an elaborate maneuver and teresa's story didn't account for it nor did it account for how cumbersome
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the rifle was in length and shape due to its long barrel there had to be some distance between the shooter and their
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target to ensure a hit the fatal bullet that had penetrated clifford's chest passed through his
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wrist first meaning he had attempted to shield himself with his hand prior to being shot at
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this implied that the gun was aimed at him before it was fired [Music] with many aspects of her story not
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adding up teresa sanders was tried for her husband's murder clifford's sister did say in court that
00:31:01
she wanted theresa to be acquitted so she could look after her slain brother's children
00:31:06
however she also added i believe with all my heart that teresa sanders planned to kill my brother
00:31:16
she recalled a time when teresa pointed out a bullet hole in the floor of her home while proudly admitting that she
00:31:23
had tried to shoot clifford but missed on another occasion teresa said that she would kill clifford before any other
00:31:32
woman could have him the jury overlooked this information instead viewing the petite pretty and
00:31:41
heavily pregnant teresa as someone who wouldn't hurt a fly as detailed in the book whatever mother
00:31:49
says by wensley clarkson days after being acquitted of her husband's murder teresa visited the office of the
00:31:57
prosecuting district attorney she had one request the rifle that had been used to kill
00:32:06
clifford she wanted it back neither of teresa's next two husbands robert nor senior or ronald pulliam met
00:32:18
with four play but both marriages ended after teresa's controlling nature became too much to
00:32:25
bear following her second divorce in 1972 teresa became somewhat of a religious fanatic obsessively poring over the
00:32:35
bible while constantly quoting scripture to her children they quickly grew to be afraid of their
00:32:43
mother ranging from three to ten years old theresa physically disciplined her children harshly over the smallest of
00:32:52
incidents she perceived any slight as an intentional act of defiance like when they accidentally spilled
00:33:00
crumbs of food the abuse escalated as the children got older daily beatings or whippings were common
00:33:10
after extreme punishments teresa forced her children to take ice baths so their bruises wouldn't be noticed at school
00:33:20
although she abused all her children it was teresa's daughters susan sheila and terry who bore the brunt of their
00:33:29
mother's fury chet harris met theresa in august 1976 after crossing paths with her in a bar
00:33:41
chet was an editor for the sacramento union newspaper at 59 years old he was doubled theresa's
00:33:49
age he was also an obese five-time divorcee with a two-pack a day smoking habit and
00:33:56
an addiction to pornography and alcohol still he caught teresa's eye and the pair married within three days of their
00:34:06
first encounter chet made no attempt to hide the fact that he didn't like teresa's children
00:34:15
they didn't like him much either the only exception was susan noor teresa's third eldest
00:34:24
extremely intelligent and a voracious reader ten-year-old susan formed a special bond with chat who engaged her
00:34:32
in conversations about politics and mythology years of beatings had made susan reserved and frightened but with chat
00:34:42
she found an adult she could confide in their closeness angered teresa who was overcome with bitter jealousy whenever
00:34:52
chet showered susan with attention her resentment towards her husband continued to fester as time went by
00:35:02
what bothered teresa most was chat's fascination with the witchcraft and the occult
00:35:09
while these practices were against her own religious beliefs teresa drew issue with how chet's interest in them had
00:35:17
rubbed off on her daughter susan less than three months into their marriage teresa filed for divorce
00:35:30
the departure of chet harris in november 1976 did little to ease the tensions escalating in teresa's household
00:35:40
by this point theresa petrified her children she slapped them if they came home even
00:35:46
a minute after curfew if they talked back they were hit with a plank of wood teresa called the board of
00:35:54
education she even ordered her children to punish one another with the younger boys made
00:36:01
to hold down the girls so that elder son howard could beat them theresa herself became a recluse and
00:36:10
refused to let anyone butt her children into their house she gained weight and barely bathed or
00:36:18
changed her clothes in the brief moments where she was thinking clearly she would try to make
00:36:24
amends for her behaviour by treating her children to trips and treats but these moments were rare
00:36:33
despite having ended their marriage theresa's mind often wandered back to chet harris who she now believed was a
00:36:41
demon sent to her by another one of her former husbands robert noor senior who she claimed also practiced witchcraft
00:36:51
she would rant about him to her children while the older kids largely ignored her
00:36:58
their younger siblings were terrified by her delusions and listened intently teresa never got over susan's connection
00:37:08
to chat and when she found out that they were meeting up behind her back teresa was furious
00:37:16
she pulled susan out of school so she could keep an eye on her at all times life at home with her mother
00:37:23
became especially hard for susan when teresa started accusing her of being a witch
00:37:31
at 15 years old susan tried running away but was quickly detained and temporarily
00:37:37
placed in a receiving home she begged not to be sent back home likening her life there to a
00:37:45
concentration camp after a number of meetings with teresa in which she was given the all clear as
00:37:53
a competent parent susan was returned to her custody theresa assured councillors that her
00:38:02
daughter's stories were all lies and she would be safe when they got home teresa instructed all
00:38:09
of her children to punch susan in the stomach if they didn't do it hard enough they
00:38:15
had to punch her again from then on teresa kept susan handcuffed to her bed at night worried
00:38:25
she would sneak out to perform witchcraft on her if she wasn't restrained was also kept sedated with medications
00:38:35
her mother had stolen during her time as a hospice worker years earlier during meals she was tied to a chair and
00:38:43
often left there for hours at a time the constant abuse took its toll on susan who began mumbling nonsensical
00:38:53
statements that only cemented her mother's belief that she was a witch or that a demon had entered her body
00:39:01
among the many reasons theresa had grown to resent susan was her slim figure and
00:39:07
teenage youthfulness one day she accused the demon of taking fat off of susan's body and putting it
00:39:15
on her own in turn she began force feeding susan to make her gain weight theresa pushed the spoon into susan's
00:39:26
closed mouth with such force it chipped her front upper tooth sometime in 1981 fifteen-year-old susan
00:39:37
was walking down the hallway when teresa cornered her she screamed into her daughter's stomach
00:39:45
asking the demon why she had put on more weight certain that susan was making her fat
00:39:52
and ugly on purpose teresa ordered her son robert to restrain his older sister he did as he was told and pushed susan
00:40:02
into the bathroom when they were suddenly interrupted by the ear splitting crack of a gunshot
00:40:10
susan clutched the left side of her chest and fell backwards into the bathtub the gun wielding teresa snapped out of
00:40:20
her murderous rage and rushed to her injured daughter she pushed her finger into the bleeding
00:40:27
hole in susan's chest and felt the bullet lodged in her back just below her left shoulder blade
00:40:35
in an uncharacteristic moment of tenderness she said i'm so sorry as stunned susan replied
00:40:47
i forgive you you know i love you [Music] case file will be back shortly thank you
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potential twisted motive for killing his son in the end the listener can decide did the criminal justice system work
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subscribe to courtjunkie on apple spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts thank you for listening to this
00:46:27
episode's ads by supporting our sponsors you support case file susan noor was left in the bathtub for a
00:46:44
month while the bullet remained in her back the wound itself healed and she made a
00:46:49
miraculous recovery the near-death experience didn't prompt any change in teresa who was still
00:46:57
convinced that susan was possessed by a demon she moved her family to an apartment in
00:47:04
north sacramento where susan's ordeal continued from her early teens susan had been
00:47:13
forced by her mother to engage in sex work to support the family and all of her earnings were taken by teresa the
00:47:20
moment she returned home despite this susan found herself enjoying the work as it enabled her to
00:47:28
leave the house her brothers didn't share the same concerns teresa still afforded them more freedom
00:47:38
than their female siblings allowing them to deal cannabis and take on small jobs
00:47:45
still they were also forced to hand over their pay to their mother when susan was home she was
00:47:53
handcuffed to the dining table and forced to sleep on a blanket on the floor with no appetite her weight plummeted
00:48:03
teresa would kick her as she walked past then in july 1984 theresa grasped a pair
00:48:12
of scissors like a dart and threw them into susan's back the blades pierced susan's skin
00:48:20
but she was so emotionally detached at this point that she didn't even flinch although teresa said susan provoked her
00:48:30
the incident led to a compassionate shift in her behavior susan noticed the change and saw it as
00:48:38
an opportunity hours later mother and daughter were sitting together on a sofa in the lounge
00:48:47
teresa had been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis and was in the best mood she had been in for weeks
00:48:56
susan plucked up the courage and asked for a one-way ticket to alaska to start a new life explaining that teresa would
00:49:03
never see or hear from her again susan waited nervously as her mother considered the proposition
00:49:13
she then said the words susan had been longing to hear yes she would let her go to alaska
00:49:23
on one condition [Music] teresa retrieved a bottle of antipsychotic medication she had
00:49:33
pocketed from her old job and gave a handful of capsules to susan who washed them down with a quart of whiskey
00:49:41
susan then lay face down on a blanket in the dining room and passed out within a
00:49:47
few minutes teresa checked she was unconscious before commencing the operation the only way she would allow susan to
00:49:58
leave was if the bullet lodged in her back was removed that way there would be no evidence of
00:50:04
her abuse if susan ever decided to speak of it susan's younger brother robert who was
00:50:12
15 at the time performed the surgery under teresa's orders he cut into the skin and muscle just
00:50:20
under susan's left shoulder blade with an exacto knife and spotted the bullet sticking his fingers deep into the wound
00:50:29
robert cried it out and was surprised by the lack of blood his mother stated it was because a demon
00:50:38
had possessed susan's body and made her undead susan woke from the procedure a day
00:50:46
later and it was immediately clear something was very wrong she alternated between gruggly murmuring
00:50:54
and screaming in pain teresa pumped her full of antibiotics and painkillers but soon susan was
00:51:03
overcome with fever she began hallucinating and spoke of watching her life as a movie before her
00:51:10
eyes when susan's eyes yellowed from jaundice and the skin on her back turned black
00:51:19
teresa claimed it was the devil revealing itself and refused to take her to a hospital
00:51:26
she made susan wear infant diapers when she could no longer go to the bathroom sheila and terry kept a vigil at their
00:51:35
ailing sister's side as she deteriorated on the floor every time susan went still and silent
00:51:43
terry gently shook her awake to make sure she was still alive susan would babble at her incoherently
00:51:51
in response then one day teresa told her other children we've got to get rid of susan she's
00:52:02
going to die on us we're going to have to kill her on july 16 1984 she collected all the
00:52:12
photographs she had of susan and burned them in the backyard then she waited for nightfall
00:52:21
as midnight approached theresa drove down interstate 80 with sons william and robert who were forced to accompany her
00:52:31
the boys sat in the back seat with the unconscious and bound susan sandwiched between them
00:52:39
inside the trunk of the car were susan's belongings including clothes jewelry and
00:52:44
books the diapers she had been wearing were bagged up as well upon reaching the secluded square creek
00:52:54
area teresa stopped the car and had william and robert retrieve susan the pair were horrified but did not dare
00:53:04
disobey their mother they laid susan on a blanket with her possessions sixteen-year-old william zipped up her
00:53:14
hooded sweater concerned that his older sister might get cold teresa then ordered robert to get a tank
00:53:22
of gasoline from the trunk of the car pour it over susan and set her alight the trio drove home in silence until a
00:53:33
bird smacked into the windshield teresa screamed in fright turned to william and robert and said
00:53:43
that bird was a sacrifice god thinks we did a good thing [Music] upon returning home teresa ordered her
00:53:56
eldest daughter sheila to scrub the floor where susan had spent her final days like her younger sister sheila had
00:54:05
endured a heavily controlled life at the hands of her mother aside from running the odd errand she was kept at the
00:54:13
family home and less forced into sex work to line her mother's pockets with susan gone
00:54:21
sheila was terrified that she would become her mother's next target it wouldn't be long before her fears
00:54:30
were realized in the winter of 1984 nineteen-year-old sheila sanders was riding her bike to pick up a pack of
00:54:40
cigarettes for her mother when she was hit by a car after recovering from her minor injuries
00:54:48
sheila felt a noticeable shift within her family teresa had told her other children that
00:54:55
sheila had died and a demon had taken over her body suddenly sheila found herself cowering
00:55:03
from an increase in beatings when teresa was convinced she had caught a sexually transmitted disease from
00:55:11
sheila after the pair shared the same toilet seat she punished her daughter by handcuffing her to the dining table
00:55:20
history was repeating itself though instead of susan being force-fed it was sheila
00:55:29
as detailed in the book whatever mother says sheila once confided in her mother that
00:55:35
she was depressed teresa retrieved her gun and handed it to her daughter remarking
00:55:43
if you're so depressed then kill yourself with a shaking hand sheila placed the barrel to her temple
00:55:54
and squeezed the trigger there was a gentle click the gun wasn't loaded on a hot day in june 1985
00:56:09
sheila snapped after being slapped by her mother for refusing to wait she retaliated by
00:56:16
kicking teresa in the leg a furious teresa screamed that her shin was broken then fell quiet
00:56:26
later that night she called on her sons william and robert teresa ordered them to restrain sheila
00:56:34
and lock her in the linen closet struggling with all her might sheila was no match for her burly brothers
00:56:44
once trapped inside the two by four foot space she pleaded to be let out teresa stuffed towels against the door
00:56:54
to muffle her daughter's cries and turned up the television the neighbors didn't hear a thing
00:57:04
days later teresa made a rare trip out to the store her sons were at work leaving 14 year
00:57:12
old terry alone in the house with the imprisoned sheila taking her chance to help her sister
00:57:20
terry opened the linen closet door causing sheila to fall out onto her side with her hands restrained behind her
00:57:29
back and wearing nothing but underpants and socks sheila was drenched in sweat and pleaded for a drink
00:57:39
forbidden by her mother to give sheila food or water terry retrieved a beer and held the
00:57:45
liquid to her sister's lips then she heard the sound of a car door slam mother was home
00:57:57
against sheila's protests terry pushed her back into the stifling hot closet and shut the door
00:58:05
while the decision to do so would haunt terry for life she understood that it was either shut the door
00:58:12
or wind up in the closet with sheila terry later heard a hallucinating sheila say
00:58:22
there is a light above me i think it's a hole i'm gonna climb towards it a series of thumps followed
00:58:32
then everything went quiet teresa ignored her daughter's body in the closet for three days
00:58:44
then on june 24 1985 she was compelled to act when the smell of decomposition began to permeate through the apartment
00:58:55
teresa donned some rubber gloves sat on her bed and carefully picked off every hair she could see on a set of pink
00:59:03
pillowcases she then lined the inside of a cardboard box with the pillowcases before ordering
00:59:11
william and robert to retrieve sheila's body sheila was placed into the cardboard box
00:59:19
which was then loaded into the trunk of teresa's car for the second time in their life robert
00:59:26
and william were tasked with helping dispose of one of their sister's bodies terry was forced to stay behind and
00:59:35
clean up as she scrubbed away at the dark foul liquids that had seeped into the closet
00:59:42
floor terry's mind raced as the last remaining daughter would she be the next to die
00:59:52
that night theresa watched as william and robert dug a grave for sheila outside the town of truckee
01:00:00
all of a sudden a police cruiser pulled up behind them william was certain they had been caught
01:00:08
and was relieved to think that their nightmare would finally be over by pure chance
01:00:16
neither officer picked up on what was going on and soon left theresa's luck continued when sheila's
01:00:25
body was found authorities incorrectly linked her murder to herbert boyle the killer of
01:00:33
gail smith at this point both sheila and susan had been named jane does as their isolated
01:00:41
life ensured no one could identify their remains as far as teresa was concerned she had gotten away with everything
01:00:55
just after 3 a.m on september 29 1986 16 year old terry noor emptied three cans of lighter fluid throughout her family's
01:01:06
north sacramento apartment checking once more that her escape path was clear she lit a match
01:01:15
with shaking hands she slowly lowered it to the floor the fire took hold much quicker than
01:01:25
terry anticipated she leapt out a window just as flames began climbing the walls
01:01:33
while running from the scene terry passed several fire engines on their way to tackle the inferno
01:01:41
she reached a hotel room where her mother was waiting the fire had been teresa's idea
01:01:50
she had grown paranoid over a lasting stain in the linen closet fearing it would link her to sheila's murder
01:01:59
she had convinced terry to start the blaze promising her only remaining daughter
01:02:05
that she could move out if she went through with it terry accepted the offer as her sons had since left her of their
01:02:16
own accord theresa relocated to salt lake city in utah where she underwent a complete makeover
01:02:24
she became a mormon and kept herself well presented with expensive clothes and makeup
01:02:31
she also cut her long dark hair and began sporting a blonde wig with the remainder of her children
01:02:39
either literally or metaphorically dead to her it was time for teresa to start a new
01:02:46
life [Music] susan noor and sheila sanders were the only two of theresa's six children to be
01:02:58
murdered yet the remaining four howard william robert and terry would struggle from the
01:03:04
abuses they had endured at her hands for the rest of their lives eldest howard sanders was the first to
01:03:12
leave home and did so before the murders took place one day howard read a newspaper article
01:03:20
about the jane doe found burned to death at [ __ ] creek certain it was his sister susan he asked
01:03:28
his mother where she was teresa said susan had run away and claimed sheila had too
01:03:37
although howard didn't believe her he feared she would kill him as well so he didn't press the matter
01:03:45
over the years howard struggled to hold down work ford addiction had several run-ins with the law and his marriage
01:03:53
ended in divorce at 17 william noor was the next to move out leaving between the murders of susan
01:04:03
and sheila he was summoned back home to help with disposing of sheila's body and did so
01:04:10
out of fear of his mother drugs and alcohol dulled the recurring nightmares william experienced enough to
01:04:18
help him maintain a marriage and job despite his troubles he was a friendly and amiable man working hard to get his
01:04:27
life on track in the book mother's day by dennis mcdougall william reflected on his
01:04:34
family saying i never wanted to see any of them again when i left i was like i'm out
01:04:43
i was out and i was staying out robert noor remained living with his mother until her move to salt lake city
01:04:54
where he left her soon after like his brothers he sought reprieve from his childhood memories through the
01:05:02
use of drugs and alcohol after a string of arrests he was jailed for burglary and took the opportunity to
01:05:10
earn his high school equivalency diploma to expand his employment prospects upon
01:05:15
his release however his newfound freedom didn't last long 22 year old robert was sentenced to a
01:05:25
further 15 years in prison for the second degree murder of a bartender shot dead during a robbery
01:05:32
he narrowly avoided a murder conviction and the death penalty by cutting a deal with the prosecution to testify against
01:05:40
his co-accused teresa kept her word with the youngest daughter terry after she had started the fire that
01:05:49
consumed their north sacramento apartment terry was finally free to live her own
01:05:55
life her experiences from then onwards mirrored those of her siblings adding to her turmoil was the discovery
01:06:05
that she was unlikely to conceive the children she desperately wanted due to the severe beatings she suffered
01:06:12
throughout her youth terry had also endured childhood sexual abuse in 1993 her oldest brother howard
01:06:22
admitted to authorities that he had molested terry when she was six and he was 13.
01:06:30
howard faced no repercussions for these actions [Music] over the years terry confided in friends
01:06:38
about her childhood including the murders of her sisters few believed her and those that did
01:06:46
encouraged her to speak to police who ultimately dismissed her story as far-fetched
01:06:53
on one occasion her sheriff took interest in terry's allegations and interviewed her
01:06:59
a detective was then assigned to investigate whether any unsolved homicides could be linked to theresa nor
01:07:07
he concluded there were none and terry was once again brushed off more than once terry tried to end her
01:07:15
pain by taking her own life then one night her outlook changed in the last week of october 1993
01:07:29
23 year old terry noor sat on a sofa blinking back tears she had just had an argument with her
01:07:36
husband who accused her of lying once again about her sister's murders terry's attention was drawn to the
01:07:44
television screen before her where a suited man spoke solemnly towards the camera
01:07:51
it was john walsh the host of america's most wanted the series reported on unsolved crimes
01:07:59
or wanted fugitives while requesting viewers to offer their tips and insights via a toll-free phone number
01:08:08
terry watched intently and made a decision she grabbed for the telephone and dialed
01:08:15
the show's tip line a woman on the other line listened as terry revisited the story of her
01:08:23
sister's murders to her disappointment terry was told there was nothing the show could do for
01:08:30
her exhausted by the lack of help and support from all lands terry broke down sobbing
01:08:39
yet unlike others the woman who answered the call didn't dismiss terry entirely she suggested that terry contact the
01:08:49
county authorities where the murders took place sergeant john fitzgerald at the placer
01:08:57
county sheriff's substation in tahoe city took terry's call while detailing susan's murder terry
01:09:06
referenced an antique wedding ring her sister had been wearing when set a light at [ __ ] creek
01:09:13
sergeant fitzgerald's interest was already peaked but the ring mansion really drew his attention
01:09:21
shaking with emotion terry explained how no one believed her story about her mother not even her husband
01:09:30
sergeant fitzgerald responded young lady if it's any consolation to you you can tell your husband this
01:09:40
i found a 17 year old female burning near square creek on july 17 1984 i believe she was your sister
01:09:53
ten days after terry's call sergeant john fitzgerald arrived on the doorstep of a modest to low set home in east salt
01:10:01
lake city an older lady named mrs cross answered the door she was the living carer for the home's
01:10:10
owner an elderly woman named alice sullivan sergeant fitzgerald looked at the photograph in his hands of teresa nor
01:10:19
then eyed the haggard and pale woman standing before him she invited them inside
01:10:29
the search for theresa nor had not been an easy one as she had gone by many surnames throughout her life
01:10:37
mrs cross was initially reluctant to admit to anything but eventually revealed that she was
01:10:43
going by her maiden name her actual name was theresa nor teresa remained calm when shown the
01:10:53
warrant for her arrest teresa then contacted alice's son and informed him that she was being arrested
01:11:03
knowing his mother's nurse as nothing but a kind-hearted and a generous individual he was stunned at the news
01:11:10
and asked why teresa said she didn't know when it came time to take teresa nor into custody sergeant fitzgerald found
01:11:24
her trying to escape via a rear door of the house i feel like a sacrificial lamb being led
01:11:32
to the slaughter she told him investigators soon arrived at teresa's former north sacramento apartment
01:11:43
luckily for them the arson terry committed years prior didn't do as much damage as teresa had hoped
01:11:51
once inside officers came across a small closet in the hallway sergeant fitzgerald's stomach churned
01:12:00
according to terry sheila had been locked inside the closet but the door in front of him didn't have
01:12:07
a lock sergeant fitzgerald began to worry had terry lied to him he phoned her to clarify
01:12:20
as detailed in the book whatever mother says terry explained it's the smaller closet just outside the
01:12:28
bathroom this closet had been spotted by investigators but they had dismissed it
01:12:36
as the one used to imprison sheila as they couldn't imagine anyone being kept inside such a small space
01:12:44
staining found in this closet came back positive for human blood meanwhile police had arrived at william
01:12:54
noor's workplace in sacramento and placed him under arrest robert noor who was already in prison
01:13:02
was also charged in relation to his sister's murders the placer county sheriff told the
01:13:09
sacramento bee newspaper that the case was one of the most bizarre and unbelievably
01:13:15
sad family situations anyone could ever imagine why someone would do something this
01:13:22
vicious is beyond comprehension and when it's your own mother and brothers it's almost unbelievable
01:13:30
[Music] as the horror of what theresa noah had done to her own children came to light
01:13:38
those who knew her as theresa cross were left in shock they couldn't marry up the two
01:13:46
personalities of the one woman the sadistic and jealous murderer versus the compassionate and gentle nurse's
01:13:54
aide some believed detectives had made a mistake and arrested the wrong person others thought she was taking the fall
01:14:04
for her son's actions even those who suspected something was odd about the family never imagined the
01:14:12
truth was far more heinous a former neighbor told the sacramento bee i knew those people were weird but i
01:14:22
didn't know how weird it's just wild it scares me and it makes me leery of making friends
01:14:29
[Music] theresa noor was charged with two counts of murder two counts of conspiracy to
01:14:41
commit murder and two special circumstances charges multiple murder and murder by torture
01:14:49
when speaking of teresa's sons prosecutor john o'mara made an extraordinary plea for mercy
01:14:57
he said that all of theresa's children had been subjected to a family situation that not even stephen king could imagine
01:15:05
and agreed that their role in the murders was mitigated by the abuse they'd suffered at the hands of their
01:15:12
mother eldest son howard told the fresno bee i want people to understand that it's
01:15:20
not my brother's fault they were children at the time and she had total control over them
01:15:27
she was crazy but she was the adult as part of a plea deal robert noor agreed to testify against his mother in
01:15:37
return for a reduced charge of being an accessory after the fact he was sentenced to three years to be
01:15:46
served concurrently with his sentence for the fatal armed robbery the serious charges against william nor
01:15:54
were also dropped with his attorney stating that his client was raised in a cage and tortured by the
01:16:02
zookeeper william received a three-year suspended sentence was placed on five years
01:16:09
probation and ordered to continue therapy he had been receiving for post-traumatic stress disorder
01:16:17
he said he bore no animosity towards his mother and when asked what he believed should be her sentence
01:16:24
william replied whatever the court decides is fine three mental health professionals
01:16:34
examined theresa nor to establish whether she was competent to stand trial while it couldn't be ascertained what
01:16:42
exact mental health issues teresa faced when she murdered susan and sheila her remaining children agreed that she
01:16:49
suffered from paranoia and delusions howard remembered an episode when he was 14 where teresa disappeared for four
01:16:59
days straight upon her return she spoke of having found some pennies she had thrown them away but then they
01:17:08
turned back up at the motel where she was staying she said that no matter what she did
01:17:14
with the pennies they kept reappearing howard later remarked i didn't understand it at the time
01:17:24
but looking back on it i mean obviously they were paranoid delusions the children learned to anticipate these
01:17:34
episodes as they often occurred after teresa had consumed a lot of alcohol when drunk she was also known to have
01:17:43
explosive angry outbursts prompting her children to hide from her when they saw a drink in her hand
01:17:51
reports suggest that having her mother die in her arms from a heart attack when she was 12 might have triggered teresa's
01:17:59
lifelong mental health problems yet sadistic and violent behavior seemed to run in her family
01:18:08
her half-brother had a history of cruelty to animals violent assault burglary and armed robbery
01:18:16
this behaviour culminated in a double homicide so brutal that knife markings were left in the wooden floor underneath
01:18:23
the two victims the professionals examining teresa reached different conclusions
01:18:31
two believed she was faking mental illness while the other felt she was suffering from multiple personality
01:18:38
disorder the report prepared for the judge slanted towards the majority opinion it read
01:18:47
[Music] when teresa was asked about the two daughters she is accused of murdering
01:18:53
her reaction betrayed a preposterous and transparent attempt to feign mental illness
01:19:01
as a result teresa was ruled competent to stand trial the presiding judge said any defendant capable of such a
01:19:11
performance would also be able to work with their attorney in preparing a rational defense
01:19:18
by her attempt to malinga i believe teresa has rather clearly revealed that she understands precisely what is going
01:19:26
on when she found out that her son was going to testify against her teresa changed her plea
01:19:39
when asked by the judge if she was pleading guilty because she was in fact guilty
01:19:45
teresa hesitated and then replied i believe i would be found guilty in return for teresa's cooperation the
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prosecution requested she be spared the death penalty a more than likely sentence should the case go to trial
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a booming voice then shouted no in the courtroom it was robert nor senior the father of
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susan robert william and terry he yelled to his ex-wife i hope you burn in hell for what you did
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to my kids outside robert senior told a reporter for the sacramento bee that teresa
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should fry adding my daughter is in her grave and will be there forever why should she be allowed to live out
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the rest of her life teresa was sentenced in october 1995. a victim impact statement written by her
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son robert noor jr was read out to the courtroom it read in part my mother cruelly and calculatingly
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tortured her victims both physically and mentally over the course of years killing them in every way possible over
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and over again we have all been sentenced to life without parole reliving our own private
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nightmares in the early hours imprisoned in our memories teresa's attorney made an impassioned
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plea for concurrent sentences he argued that she quote never had a fair chance in life
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she was raising these kids as best she could when she was still a child herself the prosecutor snapped back saying that
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teresa's crimes were unspeakable and detailed the profound effect her actions had on her surviving children
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quote she's settled them with so much emotional baggage they are never going to come out of this hole
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in summing up the presiding judge described teresa's actions as callousness beyond belief
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he sentenced her to two consecutive life sentences theresa shook in her seat as her outcome
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was revealed an attempt at parole in 2019 failed her case will be reviewed again in 2024
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when theresa will be in her late 70s [Music] following the revelation that her mother's carer was a killer
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alice sullivan's daughter began clearing out the spare room the woman she knew as
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mrs cross had occupied she came across a number of carefully wrapped presents teresa was planning on
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handing out at christmas as detailed in whatever mother says she said it was so sad
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i took them down to the basement close to tears i still cannot believe that a good
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person like teresa could be responsible for the crimes she is accused of in hindsight it's possible teresa's
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children would have been spared their horrific ordeal had she been convicted for the shooting murder of her first
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husband clifford sanders in 1964. prosecutor at the trial district attorney donald dorfman was certain he
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had a solid case against teresa and was stunned when she was acquitted he feared the jury would be fooled by
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the young pregnant and seemingly innocent woman before them and pleaded with them to find her guilty
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so she could not go on to harm anyone else he told them not every murderer looks like the witch
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in snow white it would be easier if they did following the positive identifications
01:24:18
of the square creek and mardis creek campground jane does their unmarked graves were updated
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the first now features the name susan noor with an image of a book underneath a tree
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paying homage to susan's love of reading the second carries the name sheila sanders alongside a blossoming flower
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beloved sister is written above the message may you now find peace [Music] [Music]
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you