Morbid Wondery

This episode comes out for free on 07/15, and is available early and ad-free for Wondery+ subscribers.

In early March 1879, fifty-five-year-old widow Julia Martha Thomas disappeared from her home in southwest London. Julia often travelled by herself on moment’s notice, so neighbors thought nothing of her absence; however, when several female body parts were discovered in the Thames, police uncovered a gruesome crime that not only involved theft and impersonation, but also the ghastly murder of Julia Martha Thomas.

Thomas’s maid, Kate Webster, was quickly arrested and charged with Julia’s murder. Through their investigation, detectives discovered that Thomas had recently given Webster notice of termination after only one month. Days before she was to leave Thomas’ home, Webster murdered her employer, then dismembered her body and posed as Julia in order to sell off the murdered woman’s belongings for a quick profit. Although she maintained her innocence, Kate Webster was tried, convicted, and executed for the crime, finally confessing her guilt just hours before she went to the gallows.

The ”Richmond Murder,” as it was dubbed by the press, captivated Londoners for months and Webster’s trial and execution became something of a public spectacle. In Victorian-era England, few people believed a woman capable of committing murder, much less dismemberment and rendering of a human body. Given that, and the shocking viciousness of the crime itself, the Richmond Murder remains one of London’s most notorious murders of the late nineteenth century.



Thank you to the incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research!

References

Birmingham Evening Mail. 1879. "Solution of the Barnes mystery." Birmingham Evenign Mail, March 26: 3.

Blake, Matt. 2011. Attenborough skull mystery finally solved. July 6. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/attenborough-skull-mystery-finally-solved-2307530.html.

Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper. 1879. "The Barnes mystery." Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper, March 16: 5.

O'Donnell, Elliot. 2010. The Trial of Kate Webster. New York, NY: Gale, Making of Modern Law.

Portsmouth Evening News. 1879. "The Richmond murder." Portsmouth Evening News, July 9: 3.

Shaver Hughes, Sarah, and Brady Hughes. 1997. Women in World History: Readings fom 1500 to the Present. London, UK: Routledge.

The Citizen. 1879. "The Barnes Mystery." The Citizen, March 13: 3.

The Journal. 1879. "The Barnes mystery." The Journal, March 14: 3.

The Times. 1879. "TRhe murder and mutilation at Richmond." Reynold's Newspaper, April 6: 6.

—. 1879. "The murder at Richmond." The Times, April 1: 5.

—. 1879. "The supposed tragedy at Richmond." The Times, April 3: 2.

Wood, Walter. 1916. Survivors' Tales of Famous Crimes. London, UK: Cassell.

This episode comes out for free on 07/11, and is available early and ad-free for Wondery+ subscribers.

On the morning of October 25, 1943, the body of twenty-two-year-old Lion Brewery heiress, Patricia Lonergan, was discovered in a locked room in the New York apartment she shared with her infant son. Patrica was nude and had been bludgeoned with a candelabra. Suspicion quickly fell on her estranged husband, Wayne Lonergan, who had fled the country to Canada, where he was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force.



Wayne Lonergan was apprehended a few days later and returned to New York, where he was charged with the murder and two days later confessed to killing Patricia in a jealous rage. Despite his confession, Lonergan’s case went to trial and quickly became one of the most sensational trials of the decade. While the murder itself was a terrible tragedy, the extensive press coverage and intense public interest was on Wayne’s sexual identity and the supposedly scandalous lives of the two high society figures at the center of the case.



Wayne was ultimately found guilty of the murder and served more than two decades in prison, after which he was deported back to Canada, where he resided until his death. Few people ever doubted that Wayne had indeed killed his wife; however, to this day many have questioned whether his sexuality and the couple’s nontraditional marriage biased the jury against him and led to an unfair trial.



Thank you to the incredible Dave White (of Bring Me the Axe and 99 Cent Rental Podcasts) for research!



References

Anderson-Minshall, Diane. 2021. Did this queer man kill his wife? March 24. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.advocate.com/crime/2021/3/24/did-queer-man-kill-his-wife#rebelltitem1.

Buffalo News. 1943. "Boats grapple for vanished RCAF uniform." Buffalo News, October 28: 1.

Dunne, Dominick. 2001. "The Talented Mr. Lonergan." Vanity Fair, July 01.

Levine, Allan. 2020. Details Are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Cafe Society Murder. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press.

New York Times. 1944. "35 years to life given to Lonergan." New York Times, April 18: 1.

—. 1942. "Husband is held for questioning in heiress' murder." New York Times, October 26: 1.

—. 1944. "Lawyers rebuked in Lonergan case." New York Times, February 17: 20.

—. 1944. "Lonergan choked wife, Grumet says." New York Times, March 23: 21.

—. 1944. "Lonergan confession read; tells of bluedgeoning wife." New York Times, March 28: 1.

—. 1944. "Lonergan defense is ended abruptly." New York Times, March 30: 1.

—. 1944. "Lonergan guilty in second degree of slaying wife." New York Times, April 1: 1.

—. 1943. "RCAF cadet's wife slain in home here." New York Times, October 25: 1.

—. 1944. "State asks death in Lonergan case." New York Times, March 31: 1.

On the morning of August 1, 1966, twenty-five-year-old Charles Whitman arrived at the University of Texas Austin campus a little before noon, carrying with him several rifles, pistols, and a shotgun contained within a military footlocker. After talking his way past a guard, Whitman climbed to the twenty eighth floor of the campus clocktower and walked out onto the observation deck, then began firing at the people on the ground below. In the span of a just over an hour and half, Charles Whitman killed fifteen people and wounded thirty-one others before finally being shot and killed by a police officer who’d managed to make his way to the top of the tower. Investigators later learned that, prior to arriving on the UT campus, Whitman had also murdered his mother and his wife.

In 1966, mass shootings were virtually unheard of in the United States and Whitman’s spree killing shocked the nation. By most accounts, Charles Whitman was the picture of an all-American man, which made his actions all the more confusing. He was well-liked, had a successful military career, a beautiful wife, and once out of the military, he began pursuing a college degree in preparation for the next phase of his life. But behind the façade of American middle-class success lurked a deeply troubled man whose personal history and acute medical problems would eventually go a long way to explaining his actions on the morning of August 1.

Thank you to the incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research!

References

Austin American-Statesman. 1966. "U.T. sniper shoots 33." Austin American-Statesman, August 1: 1.

Colloff, Pamela. 2006. "96 minutes." Texas Monthly, August 1: 104.

—. 2016. "Memorial day." Texas Monthly, August 1: 22.

Flemmons, Jerry. 1966. "UT tower sniper kills 14, dies in hail of police gunfire." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 2: 1.

Governor's Committee. 1966. Report to the Governor; Medical Aspects, Charles J. Whitman Catastrophe. Fact-finding report, Houston, TX: Texas Department of Public Safety.

Krebs, Albin. 1966. "The Texas killer: Former Florida neighbors recall a nice boy who liked toy guns." New York Times, August 2: 15.

Lavergne, Gary. 1997. Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders. Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press.

New York Times. 1967. "U. of Texas to reopen ." New York Times, June 18: 25.

Stuever, Hank. 1996. "96 minutes, 30 years later." Austin American-Statesman, July 29: 1.

Texas Department of Public Safety. 1966. Statement of John and Fran Morgan. Intelligence Report, Houston, TX: State of Texas Department of Public Safety.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Thanksgiving Day 1934, police in Tulsa, Oklahoma found the dead body of John Gorrell Jr., a Kansas City dental student, slumped behind the wheel of his car, which had come to a stop at a downtown intersection. Gorrell had been shot in the head twice with his own gun and his wallet and other valuables were missing, leading police to conclude he had been killed in a botched robbery. Just one day later, the residents of Tulsa were shocked to learn that Gorrell hadn’t been killed by a robbery, but by his friend Phil Kennamer, and his motive wasn’t robbery.

At the peak of the Great Depression, newspaper reports of violent crime were nothing new. In this case, however, the victim was the son of a prominent local physician and his killer the son of a well-known US District Court judge. The privileged backgrounds of the victim and killer were enough to captivate the residents of Tulsa, but as the strange details of the story slowly emerged in the days that followed, the case quickly grew from local sensation to national fascination. In the weeks and months that followed, countless front pages (and then some) were dedicated to the lurid details of what the press soon dubbed the “Society Gang Killing;” a story of disaffected youth who, bored with their wealth and privilege, turned to crime and violence for the sake of entertainment and excitement.

Thank you to the incredible Dave White of Bring Me The Axe Podcast for Research!

References

Biscup, Walter. 1935. "Verdict of jury leaves punishment of Gorrell's slayer to Judge Hurst." Tulsa World, February 22: 1.

Frates, Kent. 2014. "The Society Gang Killingg." This Land, July 15.

Freese, Jim. 2016. Murder in the Name Of Love: The Phil Kennamer Trial. Tulsa, OK: Freese Publishing .

Miami Daily News-Record. 1934. "Sheriff refuses to act on Phil Kennamer's version of case, involving associates." Miami Daily News-Record, December 13: 1.

—. 1934. "Doubt cast on gang theory in Tulsa slaying." Miami Daiy News-Record, December 3: 1.

Morrow, Jason. 2015. Deadly Hero: The High Society Murder that Created Hysteria in the Heartland. Tulsa, OK: Independent.

Muskogee Daily Phoenix and Times-Democrat. 1935. "Counsel declares he could not tell right from wrong." Muskogee Daily Phoenix and Times-Democrat, February 15: 1.

New York Times. 1934. "Death car driver a suicide in Tulsa." New York Times, December 10: 38.

—. 1935. "Girl takes stand to Aid Kennamer." New York Times, February 16: 30.

—. 1935. "Kennamer reveals 'extortion letter'." New York Times, January 27: 15.

—. 1935. "Kennamer tells of fatal shooting." New York Times, February 19: 10.

Phillips, Harmon. 1935. "Kennamer Case goes on aftwer threat of mistrial." Tulsa Tribune, February 13: 1.

—. 1935. "Phil Kennamer back to jail with 25 years in prison as penalty for Gorrell killing." Tulsa Tribune, February 24: 1.

—. 1935. "State blocks quick opinion by doctor that Kennamer shot youth while insane." Tulsa Tribune, February 16: 1.

Tulsa Tribune. 1934. "Anderson tells plan of Kennamer Trial." Tulsa Tribune, December 15: 1.

—. 1935. "New clues seen in notes from Phil Kennamer." Tulsa Tribune, January 3: 3.

—. 1934. "Phil Kennamer inisists slaying his own actions." Tulsa Tribune, December 2: 5.

—. 1934. "Police call Born suicide." Tulsa Tribune, December 10: 1.

—. 1935. "Opposing Kennamer case legal batteries promise fiery clash of courtroom tactics." Tulsa Trribune, January 23: 7.

Tulsa World. 1935. "Judge Kennamer weeps as he describes Phil's abnormalities." Tulsa World, February 16: 1.

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From about 1910 to 1912, an alarming number of axe murders were occurring across the American South and Southwest. Though many would speculate as to the identity of perpetrator, including the theory that a single individual was responsible, many of these murders would remain unsolved and contribute to macabre urban legends that endure to this day. In New Orleans, however, the brutal axe murders of at least five Black families in 1911 and 1912 are attributed to Clementine Barnabet, an African American teenager who confessed to the crimes.




Despite having confessed to as many as thirty-five murders, and having been convicted and incarcerated for one, the veracity of Barnabet’s claim has long been in doubt. Tried and convicted on very little evidence, Barnabet’s story changed many times following her arrest and eventually came to include sensational and highly questionable claims of her belonging to a Voodoo religious sect that engaged in human sacrifice. Not only were these claims unsupported by any real evidence, but they also suggested the girl may have been suffering from profound mental illness and had nothing whatsoever to do with the murders in and around New Orleans. But if Clementine Barnabet wasn’t the killer, why did she confess to such brutal, wicked crimes?




Thank you to the incredible Dave White or Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research!




References

Crowley Daily Signal. 1911. "Brutal murder of negro family is discovered in West Crowley." Crowley Daily Signal, Janaury 26: 1.

—. 1909. "Rayne scene of brutal murder." Crowley Daily Signal, November 13: 1.

—. 1911. "Six murdered in Lafayette." Crowley Daily Signal, November 27: 1.

Crowley Signal. 1911. "Negro murderer was convicted." Crowley Signal, October 28: 5.

Fort Wayne News. 1912. "Seventeen murders were confessed to." Fort Wayne News, October 25: 17.

Lafayette Advertiser. 1912. "Clementine Barnabet sane." Lafayette Advertiser, October 22: 4.

—. 1911. "Horrible crime." Lafayette Advertiser, February 28: 1.

Monroe News-Star. 1911. "Butchery of human beings." Monroe News-Star, November 28: 1.

—. 1912. "Sacrifice sext slaughter 26." Monroe News-Star, January 23: 1.

New Iberia Enterprise and Independent Observer. 1913. "Blood lust cut out of Clementine Barnabet." New Iberia Enterprise and Independent Observer, August 9: 1.

Osborne, Jeffery. 2012. Preventing Lethal Violence Neighborhood by Neighborhood; Proceedings of the 2012 Homicide Research Working Group Annual Symposium. Conference Proceedings, New York, NY: Homicide Research Working Group.

The Times. 1912. "Five negroes are murdered in a Lake Charles cottage." The Times, January 22: 1.

—. 1912. "Gives names of 3 of "ax gang"." The Times, April 3: 1.

—. 1912. "Negro woman confessed to slaying 20." The Times, April 2: 1.

The Times-Democrat. 1912. "Amplifies confession." The Times-Democrat, April 4: 6.

Times-Democrat. 1912. "Blood and brain from living person spattered girl's clothes." Times-Democrat, January 18: 2.

Unknown. 1912. "Voodoo's horrors break out again." Atalanta Journal, March 11: 50.

Weekly Iberian. 1912. "Hoodoo doctor arrested and identified by Clementine Burke." Weekly Iberian, April 13: 2.

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Well- DAMN SAM! It’s Listener Tales 87! This week’s episode is brought to you by WORST ROOMMATES EVER! Inspired by the show coming back to Netflix on 6/26 for SEASON TWO-We pull stories about creepy cohabitators that are brought to you, BY you, For you, FROM you, and ALLLLL about you! This week we hear about ex-roommate parting curses, previous spectral owners who HATE the updated decor tastes, a roomie who whispers sinister things in the wee hours, a horrifying close call, and the ghost story of two ghouls in love!




If you’ve got a listener tale please send it on over to Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line :)




Sifting through the show notes for "Worst Roommate Ever" information? Check it out on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/81031682?source=35

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