The Murder of Carol Stuart | The Body in the Water | 3

This episode contains descriptions and details that some listeners might find disturbing.

Listener discretion is advised.

It's around 9 p.m. on October 23, 1989.

At Boston City Hospital, an operating room is buzzing with activity.

29-year-old Charles Stewart lies on a bed. His mouth covered by an oxygen mask. His hand

smeared with blood. Nurses carefully cut away his jeans and attached monitors,

while doctors ask Chuck where he's feeling pain. A police officer stands to one side waiting

for the right moment when he can ask more questions about the man who gave Chuck the gunshot wound

in his abdomen. Hovering on the periphery is a small film crew. Their camera capturing every

moment for the television show Rescue 911. They're filming Chuck's pained groans. The doctors

calling out vitals. The nurse holding Chuck's hand. Through it all, the patient is incredibly

calm. In an even voice, he asks about his wife, Carol. They were both shot less than half an hour

ago after they left a birthing class. The doctors tell Chuck that Carol's at another hospital so

they can't give him an update right now. Chuck's not faced. He doesn't cry. He doesn't seem

scared or in shock. It's almost like this is a routine procedure for him. Like he was expecting

to be undergoing life-saving surgery tonight. Minutes later, technicians take X-rays so doctors

can get a better look at what they're dealing with. Then the surgeon scrub in. As Chuck lies on

the bed, he only seems half awake, but his mouth is going a mile a minute. He keeps repeating

the same phrases over and over again. Shot me, shot my wife, black male, shot my wife,

I ducked, shot me. It almost sounds like a mantra or like an actor rehearsing lines ahead of his

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From Airship, I'm Jeremy Schwartz and this is American Criminal.

On October 23, 1989, 29-year-old Charles Stewart shot his pregnant wife in the head,

then turned the gun on himself. His plan was to blame the attack on an imaginary black man,

correctly guessing that people would believe his vague story. Not just the police,

but his family, his friends, the city of Boston. But Chuck wasn't prepared for just how much

attention he would receive in the wake of the crime. The same night he planned his crime. A film crew

was riding along with a team of paramedics to capture footage for the popular TV show Rescue 9-1-1.

So, when first responders arrived on the scene, cameras were there to document every moment.

Those same cameras followed Chuck to the hospital into the operating room,

where his strange behavior caught the attention of semiglide nurses.

They spotted right away that this man didn't seem like someone whose wife and unborn son were

fighting for their lives. This was a man who had something to hide. But while the people who saved

his life whispered that they didn't believe his story, Boston's leaders took Chuck Stewart at his

word and did exactly what he wanted them to do. They started hunting for a black man to blame.

This is Episode 3 in our three-part series on the murder of Carol Stewart, the body in the water.

It's the afternoon of October 24, 1989. In Boston's Mission Hill projects, a group of teenage

boys is gathered in Joey Bennett's bedroom to play a video game. On the street outside,

cop cars are making regular patrols, sometimes running their sirens, but mostly just cruising

slowly through the neighborhood. It's been less than 24 hours since Charles and Carol Stewart were

shot in their car not far from here and the whole city's on edge. 17-year-old Joey has his eyes on

the screen while his friends laugh and joke around him. They may or may not be passing a

join around too. Now one of those friends Derek Jackson picks up a frame newspaper article.

It's about Joey's uncle Willie Bennett, a man with a violent criminal past. The article is

about a standoff he had with police a few years back. Derek knows all about Willie. He's something

of a legend to these kids. They think he's a fearless badass. Chuckling slightly, Derek asked Joey

if his uncle had anything to do with the shooting last night. Joey concentrating on the Nintendo

a little bit high and barely paying attention to the question shrugs and says one word. Yeah,

and so it begins. After Joey's off hand comment in his bedroom, his friends all had home. None of

them want to be out after dark with how many cops are in the neighborhood. On the way, Derek runs

into another kid he knows. 18-year-old Eric Whitney. He tells Eric all about what Joey said.

How his uncle Willie shot that pregnant woman. A little while after that, Eric goes home and tells

his mother only he embellishes the story like a lot. According to Eric's version, Willie Bennett told

his nephew that he was the gunman. Showed him the gun he used for the crime then demonstrated exactly

how he did it. Eric's mother listens to the story and wraps silence. Then she picks up the phone

to call her boyfriend who just happens to be a Boston PD officer. The story's passed around and

eventually makes its way up the chain to the detectives leading the investigation.

About a week later, Derek and Eric are both hauled down to the police station to answer questions

about Willie Bennett. Derek shocked by how much the story has changed since he told Eric.

All he'd said was that Willie told his nephew he did it. By this stage, the cops believe that

Willie himself held an audience with Joey and his friends, brandishing the murder weapon and loudly

bragging about shooting the stewards. So, Derek tries to set the record straight to tell the cops

exactly how it all went down, but they are not interested in hearing what he has to say,

unless it confirms the version of the story they've heard. Derek sticks to his guns, though,

and when he refuses to back down, they threaten him with 20 years in prison. He's a liar,

they say, and liars like him belong behind bars. Now, as a reminder, Boston PD have been stopping

and searching young black men and boys like Derek for months. Initially, it was a response

to rising rates of violence in the city, but it's caused a lot of friction between the cops

and Boston's black community. Now, in the wake of the stewards shootings, they've stepped things

up a notch, and even though a superior court judge told them to stop the Boston PD have kept

right on doing it. So, in Derek's teenage mind, the cops can do whatever they want,

so when they threaten him with jail time for trying to correct them over a rumor he started,

he's scared. Eventually, the cops wear Derek down. Eric's version of the story is true, he says,

and now that he's singing their tune, the detectives finally start taping the interview.

Both teenagers give the statements the police have told them to give the cops give them 20 bucks

to buy some burgers and they're told to scram. Once they get home, though, Derek and Eric talk

on the phone. In the safety of their apartments away from the intimidation of a cop in a uniform,

the guilt sets in. Neither of them feel good about lying. So, the next morning, they returned to

the station and tell the officers that they want to correct their statements. The ones they gave

yesterday weren't truthful. This is not what the cops want to hear. They bring the teens into

separate interrogation rooms where Derek is taunted about being a popular target for men in prison,

and Eric is made to watch as an officer fills out a form for his arrest. It's terrifying for them,

the thought of spending decades in prison. So, again, they do exactly what the investigators are

hoping for. They once again confirm that the story about Willie Bennett is true, he's the killer.

After that, an officer types up an affidavit about all he's learned about Willie Bennett's confession

to a room full of teenage boys. The document is submitted as part of a request for a search warrant

for Willie's apartment, which is duly granted. After that, parts of the affidavit are leaked to the press,

tipping the local media off that Willie Bennett is undoubtedly the man responsible for the shootings

of October 23rd. Around 3am on November 11th, police and riot gear show up to the house of

Willie's girlfriend in Burlington, 19 miles north of Mission Hill. They haul 39-year-old Willie out of

bed and place him under arrest. Later that day, Boston's media makes a meal out of the late-night

raid. It's been nearly three weeks since Carol Stewart was murdered and everyone wants answers.

Now it seems like they finally have them. And while newspapers and morning news spend the next

few days celebrating the triumph of the justice system, Boston PD assembles a case against Willie

with a grand jury. But there's a problem. Their witnesses keep recanting, or else telling journalists

that the cops have twisted their words, they're all basically saying the same thing. They were

coerced by the police. And with pretty much all their witnesses backing out, prosecutors have

got nothing to use against their suspect. Luckily for them, they do have one eyewitness to the crime

who they can trust to tell the truth, Chuck Stewart. In mid-November, investigators take a stack of

photos to Boston City Hospital and lay them out in front of Chuck. After careful examination,

he points to two of the pictures as possibilities. One of those pictures is of Willie Bennett.

A few days later, the investigators return with more photos, including another one of Willie.

Chuck selects Willie again. Only this time he's shaking and holding back tears, he says it's

the best picture he's seen so far. As far as identifications go, it's a compelling performance,

but it's hardly a slam dunk. He doesn't say it was this guy or this is the man who shot me,

officer. He says that a picture of Willie is the best one he's seen so far. Still, police

leaked the story to the press. The Boston Herald breathlessly reports that the evidence is stacking

up against Willie Bennett, but it's not. This shaky idea is the very best investigators have

so far, and it's not good. But the narrative, oh, the narrative fits so well. Willie has a criminal

record and he vaguely matches the description Chuck gave to police. It doesn't help that he also

committed arm robbery just a few weeks before the shootings. If you take the case at face value,

Willie just seems guilty. The thing is, Willie's not responsible for the death of Carol Stewart,

nor is he to blame for the death of her son. Little Christopher's life support was turned off

on November 9th. His father was beside him when he died. Chuck seemed distraught, crying tears for

the son he'd murdered. And Willie Bennett, he was looking set to take the fall for Chuck's evil plot.

On December 5th, Chuck is released from the hospital. He's had a surprisingly speedy recovery,

given how serious his injury seemed when he was brought in. But that just fits the narrative

the media have created about Chuck. The resilient husband, a man soldering on in the wake of

unspeakable tragedy. But not everyone in Boston is so enamored with Chuck Stewart. In fact,

a lot of the staff at Boston City Hospital are happy to see the back of him. Over the six weeks

he spent in their care, plenty of them came to suspect that he was the real killer. He was too

cheerful with the nurses, too optimistic about his future, too cold to his wife's parents.

They heard him talking about the new car he was going to buy about his plans for Christmas,

and the one thing that seemed to bum him out was having to use a colostomy bag.

It wasn't the behavior of a man who'd lost his wife and son in a robbery gone wrong.

It was the behavior of a man who'd orchestrated the whole thing.

And the staff at Boston City Hospital aren't the only ones who think Chuck's story stinks.

In fact, in his hometown of Revere, plenty of people know that Chuck killed his wife.

The morning after the shooting, Chuck's younger brother Matthew told his ex-girlfriend,

he just couldn't keep it to himself, and neither could she. She told her parents who told her to

meet with their lawyer. Within days, Matt had also spoken with the lawyer. So that's at least five

people who knew. Matt also went to another one of his brother's Michael. Now he doesn't have any

trouble believing the story since Chuck approached him about killing Carol months ago.

At the time, Michael hoped it was all a joke. Now he knows better. But neither of the guys

knows what to do. Chuck's still in the hospital, and everyone in Boston seems to think he's some

kind of hero. And besides, can they really betray their brother like that?

And then, there's David McLean. The friend Chuck also approached about helping him find

someone to kill Carol. David's been talking to people about that strange conversation,

and how cold Chuck was when David shot him down. The story makes its way around Revere,

and eventually is whispered to one of the town's cops who calls the tip into his colleagues on the

Boston PD. A detective on the case doesn't put much stock in the rumor, but he tracks down David

McLean and gives him a call. But David so surprised and scared by the attention from the police that

he denies the whole thing, and that's the last anyone ever looks into it. Meanwhile, Boston's newsrooms

have been receiving anonymous tips that Chuck's not telling the truth. There are rumors of him trying

to find someone to kill Carol, of his crush on a young office assistant who worked at a store

over the summer, and stories about his controlling nature. There are a few journalists at the city's

major newspapers, the Globe and the Herald, who push their editors to run with the story.

But they're shot down. There's just no evidence to back up the rumor, and while that is responsible

journalism, it just serves to prolong the charade a little bit longer. Not the Chuck's trying all

that hard to keep up appearances on his end. By the time he left the hospital, he'd already received

an $82,000 check from Carol's life insurance policy. That would be just over 200 grand today.

And he wastes no time putting it to use. That new car, the hospital nurses heard him talking

about. He goes and picks one out. Then he goes to a jewelry store and buys a pair of diamond

earrings for a thousand bucks. That's an unusual purchase for a man whose wife was just murdered.

I'm sure Christmas is coming up, but is he really spending that much money on a gift for his mom

or one of his sisters? No, it seems more likely that he's got someone else in mind. That summer

office assistant at Chuck's work. Debbie Allen is 21, studying at Brown and she definitely caught Chuck's

attention over the summer. In her mind, they were just work friends. He's got a wife and she's

dating the football captain at her school. But then in November, he called and begged her to come

visit him in the hospital. He didn't want to be alone. So she went and sat by his bed for a while,

promised to call him when she got back to school. Nothing has happened between the two of them,

but people talk about Debbie all the same. And now it seems like Chuck might have bought her expensive

earrings. Not that anyone gets wind of that little detail just yet, but with how much people are

talking, it's bound to come out soon enough. For now though, Chuck spends Christmas with his

family and it's just like when he was very young and everyone in the family dotered on him. He

revels in it. And he feels untouchable. He even falls back into his usual habit of treating his

youngest brothers like crap. Chuck's always found Matt a disappointment and he's never made a secret

of that. Not even now, with everything Matt's done for Chuck, with all he knows, Chuck still

doesn't think enough of his brother to treat him well. It's almost like the last few months never

happened. But they did happen. It's all Matthew Stewart can think about. And he's not going to

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It's just after lunch on December 28, 1989, two months since the murder of Carol Stewart.

30-year-old Chuck Stewart stands in a small dark vestibule looking through a dim window into a

larger brightly lit room. He's flanked by a pair of detectives who tell him he doesn't have to

make a positive ID today. Just pick out the guy who looks the closest to the man who killed his

wife and child. Chuck stares at the black men on either side of the two-way mirror.

Seven of them are Boston PD employees and playing clothes. The eighth is Willie Bennett.

Still in custody over an armed robbery charge. Chuck's eyes keep returning to Willie.

He definitely looks familiar, but that's only because he's seen Willie in two different photo

lineups. One by one, the men step forward so Chuck can get a better look. After all, he still says

he can't be sure. So all the men step closer to the glass once again. Finally, Chuck says that

number three, that's Willie, might be the guy, but he can't be sure. Then he turns away from the

glass signaling that he's done looking at the lineup. It's strange that he's so hesitant to

pin the blame for this crime on another man when he had no qualms about murdering his wife and son.

But for whatever reason, he won't give a more firm ID than that. Still, it's the best the cops

are going to get from Chuck Stewart today. And they're going to run with it. Chuck's shaky

idea of Willie Bennett as the gunman is once again leaked to the press. But the cops tell journalists

that it was as certain an identification as they've ever seen. Chuck didn't hesitate. They promise

Willie's their guy. No doubt about it. It's a sweaty move from a team anxious to give the

public some good news about the case that's been looking increasingly fragile as the weeks drag on.

There's not one shred of physical evidence against Willie. So a positive identification from the

victim is paramount to securing a conviction. And even that's a long way off. And you know what?

It's about to get even further away because when Matt Stewart hears about the lineup,

about his brother throwing some other man under the bus, he knows he can't keep Chuck's secret anymore.

Neither can Michael. The brother Matt's already confided in. A few days after the lineup on January

1st, Michael tells their older brother Mark the whole story. He tells one of their sisters and

together they tell Matt that he's waited long enough. It's time to go to the police with what he

knows even if it means Chuck goes to jail. But first they have to bring the rest of the family in.

They call everyone together on the third. All of the Stewart siblings and their parents.

They sit in the living room silent as 23 year old Matt explains what Chuck did. Or at least what Matt

knows about the plot. How he and Chuck practiced the handoff of some jewels and cash for an insurance

how Chuck looked and sounded when he threw Carol's purse in the Matt's car about finding the gun

inside that purse. His story is that he just helped get rid of the evidence that he wasn't there

for the crime but we'll put a pin in that for now. When Matt finishes talking, Charles,

senior and Dorothy are both crying. They ask their kids why? Why would Chuck do something like this?

He was their golden boy. He and Carol were so happy. They were about to have a baby. It just

doesn't make sense. But there's no answer that anyone can give. They don't know why their brother

decided to kill his wife and child. But they all know. They all agree. They can't let him get away

with it. That same night Matt drives to Boston with his attorney to meet with a prosecutor from

the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Also there are the head of Boston PDs homicide

unit and the lead detective from the Stewart case. To them, Matt's story sounds unbelievable,

especially when investigators are already so convinced that Willie Bennett is their guy.

But then Matt pulls something out of his pocket that shifts everything. Carol's engagement ring.

It's enough to convince everyone in the room. As Matt records a statement, his eldest brother

stops by the family home and revered to show off his new car. But Chuck doesn't get the reception

he's expecting. His other siblings tell him where Matt is, what he's doing. At that point Chuck

goes silent, paces around the room a few times and then runs from the house without saying goodbye.

He drives his new car the 15 miles to his perfect home and revere. He'd been looking forward

to setting up his new life here alone, maybe making room for a new woman someday, but now that's

all ruined. He leaves his car in the driveway and rushes inside. Less than 10 minutes later he's

running out the door again and overnight bag over his shoulder. He backs into the street and

heads for the highway. A little while later he's in a lawyer's office. John Dolly is a family

friend of the stewards and Chuck hired him to be their spokesperson back when he was still recovering

in the hospital. Now Chuck tells him everything and asks for help. He can't go to jail, he says he won't.

He needs John to be his defense attorney. But John Dolly tells Chuck there's nothing he can do,

he represents the family, which means he represents Matt. That's a clear conflict of interest

that John can't ignore. Privately, he's relieved to have such a convenient excuse. He's repulsed by

what Chuck did. Still, John gives him a list of reputable criminal defense attorneys who will gladly

take the case. Then he politely walks Chuck to the door and shows him out. He's on his own.

From John's office, Chuck drives through Boston wondering what his next move should be. He can't

believe he's going to be brought down by his waste of a brother. That kid he always looked down

on and belittled at a travesty. By 9.30 p.m., Boston PD have issued an arrest warrant for Chuck,

but this is one development they don't leak to the press right away. So, when Chuck checks into

a Sheridan by the interstate, he still doesn't know exactly where he stands. He just knows that it's

not looking good. He spends the night alone in his room watching the TV for any mention of him.

But there's nothing. The whole time has mined races. Should he get ahead of the story? What if he

denies the whole thing? No one's going to believe a guy like Matthew over him? He could run,

but would he get very far? Eventually, he makes up his mind. He calls the front desk to ask for

a 4.30 a.m. wake-up call. Then he turns out the light and goes to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.

Is this on? Season 3 of Proof Murder at the Bike Shop is available now, wherever you get your

podcasts. I'm scared to be sitting here in this damn chair talking about this shit. This is a guy

confessing a murder to her and she has no idea what day it happened. Everything I tell you is

true. I hope I don't bring it down to shit down on me. Listen to season 3 of Proof Now,

wherever you get your podcasts. There was evidence in the house that they would not listen to me.

It's just after 7 a.m. on January 4, 1990. Arthur Suckney stands at the railing of the Tobin Bridge.

The soaring structure spans two miles over the Mystic River connecting Boston to Chelsea.

At Artsback, rush hour traffic flows in both directions. Shift workers heading home,

office drones heading to the city to start their day. Ordinarily,

art would be in a warm office of his own near the toll booths, watching a wall of screens,

monitoring the bridge for breakdowns. I mean, one stopped car can cause chaos on a busy morning.

But right now, Arts peering into the frozen waters of the Mystic, some 200 feet below.

Behind him, a state patrolman is leaning into an abandoned Nissan Maxima near a cluster of

construction equipment. Art noticed the empty vehicle on a screen a couple of minutes ago,

and hustled into the winter air to check it out. The patrolman arrived around the same time as he

did. They both seen this kind of thing too many times before. Art sighs, staring down into the river.

He's looking for signs of life, but he knows from experience he won't find any.

Later that morning, district attorney Newman Flanagan holds a press conference alongside

Mayor Raymond Flint and the police commissioner. In a conference room at Logan Airport,

Flanagan tells a packed house of reporters that members of the Stuart family gave statements

last night that, quote, clearly ex-copated Willie Bennett. Then the kicker, those same statements

inculpated Charles Stuart in the murder of his wife and infant son. At that, the room erupts

with frenzied questions from the city's journalists, all of them wanting to know more details.

Chief among their questions, where is Chuck now?

The answer to that comes within the hour, when rescue divers pull Charles Stuart from the Mystic

River. By this stage, news crews are set up on the riverbank, a chopper hovering above

all of them filming as Chuck's body is hauled onto a boat and brought to shore. It's a solemn moment.

Not only has a man died, but the city of Boston is being confronted with the fact that they were

tricked, that this person was not who he claimed to be, that he told them what they were ready to hear

and they believed it. And now, while the Stuart family reckoned with what their son and brother

has done, and the tomatoes deal with the truth about Carol's death, a city has to shift its made

up mind. But that'll be a more complicated process than anyone imagines. At the edge of the river,

D.A. Flanagan tells reporters that Chuck Stuart was always a viable suspect in their investigation.

It was the media who focused so heavily on Willie Bennett, he says. The police have handled

themselves without most professionalism and they never once said that Chuck had been ruled out.

It's not us, it's you. But even if that were true, it's definitely not that simple.

In the aftermath of Chuck's death, a grand jury is convened to fully investigate the murder of his

wife and son. But like the earlier grand jury who faced problems with coerced witnesses and

withdrawn testimony, this one has issues. Only this time, people just straight up don't want to talk.

Matthew Stuart pleads the fifth to most questions. Whether he knew it at the time or not,

he took an active role in the murder and he doesn't want to say anything that might get him into

trouble. Jack McMahon, the friend who helped Matt get rid of the gun and Carol's purse, he also

pleads the fifth. John Dolly, the Stuart family's attorney, is asked about what Chuck told him the

night before he died, but John claims client confidentiality prevents him from answering.

And since Chuck's dead, the only person who can legally waive that is his heir. Thing is, Chuck's mother

is his heir. Dorothy Stuart has the power to let the world know exactly what her son did,

for it to be on the record, the unvarnished truth of it all. But that's not what she does.

Out of a protective instinct for one son or for two of them, Dorothy refuses to waive privilege.

That decision effectively seals away the truth that a box no one can open.

But the case continues to reverberate all the same. Willy Bennett's name is cleared,

but he still has crimes to answer for. In October of 1990, he's convicted on an unrelated

armed robbery charge. He'll spend the next 12 years of his life in jail.

Jack McMahon pleads guilty to a range of charges for his role in covering up the crime and a sentence

to one to three years in prison. As for Matt, he also pleads guilty to several charges,

including conspiracy and possession of a firearm. But people still ask if Matt was more involved

in the crime than he's been letting on. Way back on the night of October 23rd,

people were saying that Chuck Stuart couldn't possibly have shot himself. The angle was wrong,

the wound was too serious. So the surgeons who operated on him were adamant.

There had to be someone else there, but if Chuck didn't pull the trigger, then who did?

Three witnesses from Mission Hill reported early on that they saw a man in the back of Stuart

and Carol's car, or that they saw a figure get out of the car and run away moments after the gunshots.

One of those witnesses described a man who closely matched Matt's description.

But no other firm evidence linking Matthew Stewart to the murder ever surfaces.

Even a grand jury can't find anything concrete. Over 100 people testify and prosecutors

still can't place him in his brother's car on the night of the crime. Matthew will eventually die

of a drug and alcohol overdose in 2011, never wavering in a story about Carol's murder.

And so the case is closed. Investigators in the wider community are left to accept that legally

speaking, Chuck Stuart was the one who pulled the trigger that night. As to the question of why he

did it, that's a mystery that no one will ever know the answer to. Some believe it was greed,

that Chuck wanted insurance money to open a restaurant others think he was angry with his wife for

insisting on having their baby when Chuck wanted her to get an abortion. And there were the rumors

that Chuck was having an affair with a college student who worked at a store. All are believable

motivations. None can be proven.

Absent a complete understanding of what made Chuck do it. Those left behind have to move forward

as best they can. Carol's parents, Guisto and Evelyn Damady, decide to turn their tragedy into

a force for good. Once the dust settles, they realize just how much their daughters murder hurt

the black community of Mission Hill. So they start a scholarship in her name. The Carol Damady

Stuart Foundation is established to grant college funds for students from Mission Hill.

At a press conference announcing the project, the Damady specifically cited desire to promote

better race relations throughout the city and greater Boston. Within a month, the foundation

has received some $270,000 in donations. Today, that amount would be worth close to 700 grand.

The jacks come from all over the country. People write with stories of their own murdered

children. Politicians thank the Damady's for their noble deed. Others send money with prayers for healing.

Healing. It's a nice thought, but it's not always simple. Almost 40 years later, Chuck Stewart's

crime still echoes through Boston. In 2023, the city issued a formal apology to Willie Bennett.

And to another black man falsely accused of Carol's murder during the course of the investigation.

Mayor Michelle Wu told the men what was done to you was unjust, unfair, racist, and just wrong.

Even people who weren't around in 1989 still live with an inherited fear.

Fathers, grandfathers, uncles, mothers, aunts, they all repeat the story of the time

when Boston's cops were sent into Mission Hill to stop and search young black men in the middle

of the streets. All because a man wanted to kill his wife, and he knew that he'd be believed when he lie.

From Airship, this is episode three in our series on the murder of Carol Stewart.

On the next series, the story of a woman who lies as easily as she breathes and won't let anyone

stand in her way on her path to wealth. Not even if it means she has to kill.

We use many different sources while preparing this episode. A couple we can recommend are deadly

greed by Joe Sharkey. The television show Rescue 911 and reporting by the Boston Globe.

This episode may contain reenactments or dramatized details, and while in some cases we can't

know exactly what happened, all our dramatizations are based on historical research.

American Criminal is a co-production of airship and evergreen podcasts.

It's hosted, edited, and produced by me, Jeremy Schwartz. Audio editing and sound

designed by Sean Roelhoffman, Music by Throne. This episode is written in research by Joel

Callan, Managing Producer Emily Burke. Executive producers are Joel Callan, William Simpson,

and Lindsey Graham.