Awesome - Cops Struggle To Solve Murder Case, Then They Notice The Victim's Right Shoe
The body was still warm when investigators found it — in fact, it was nearly red hot. Gasoline stained the air with its acrid odor, just strong enough to overpower the sour smell of burnt flesh. In all their years, the investigating officers had never seen a crime scene so gruesomely puzzling, but with one look at the victim's right shoe, the entire case was blown open.
Piece of the Puzzle
On its own, the shoe likely wouldn't have have meant much — in fact, the investigators had even missed it at first glance. But combined with the rest of their findings, this innocent piece of footwear painted a grisly picture of an even grislier murder.
A Late-Night Drive
The story went like this: It was just before dawn as a vehicle barreled down an isolated strip of New Jersey roadway, not another car or soul in sight. The winter air had turned the evening cold and frigid, though the weather was undoubtedly the last thing on the driver's mind.
All Is Calm
Instead, he cast his gaze at the woman beside him in the passenger seat. Dressed in fine clothes, she had apparently dozed off at some point during their ride, her head now resting comfortably on the driver's shoulder. She never woke up.
An Unspeakable Act
As the couple neared the town of Cranford, the driver quietly pulled the car onto the side of the road. He reached into his jacket pocket, careful not to disturb his passenger, and slowly lifted the barrel of a .32 revolver to her head. It was over in seconds.
Disposing of the Body
In the harsh glow of the headlights, the man dragged the body from the vehicle and quickly doused it in gasoline. He lit a match, and after watching the corpse burn, he returned to his car and disappeared into the night.
Media Frenzy
Upon the discovery of the body the next morning, local papers snatched up the gruesome murder story and quickly made "The Torch Murderer" national news. From coast to coast, media outlets couldn't help but speculate about the motivations behind the brutal killing.
Possible Motivations
Some proposed the murder was the work of a deranged madman, others that it could've been a crime of passion committed by an ex-lover. There were even theories that the slaying was committed by members of the local Mafia as a warning to their enemies. This was 1929, after all.
Need a Name
These were all plausible motivations, though at the moment, law enforcement officials were focused on a more pertinent bit of information: her name. Given the state the victim was found in, this was no easy task.
Concealing Her Identity
In addition to the body being burnt beyond recognition, the killer had also removed the labels from her clothes to further disguise her identity. Officials struggled in vain for six weeks to put a name to the victim — then, they noticed that right shoe.
Distinct Alteration
While the investigators already knew that her shoes had been manufactured in Missouri, they failed to realize that the right one was distinct from the left. Having been resoled, the cobbler had attached a metal clamp to the shoe to keep the arch and the heel from separating.
The Victim
They decided to run this bit information in the papers, and sure enough, a Pennsylvania store clerk came forward with the name of client who'd had similar work done on her shoes: Mrs. Mildred Mowry, a 50-year-old Greenville resident and registered nurse.
Tragedy Confirmed
Off this tip, police brought in several of the woman's friends, who were able to identify the body as belonging to Mowry. Fortunately, this wasn't the only bit of information these friends were able to provide.
Suspect Relationship
A lonely widow, Mowry had recently married a wealthy Baltimore doctor named Richard Campbell, whom she'd met through a matrimonial agency. According to her friends, Mowry had barely known her new hubby before getting hitched, and to that day, they still had yet to meet or even see a photo of him.
Sketchy Dealings
In fact, it'd been weeks since they'd seen Mowry herself, who was living apart from Campbell while he worked at a sanitarium in New York City. Apparently, however, this arrangement hadn't been sitting well with Mowry, especially after she loaned Campbell $4,000 for the home he was "building for them" in Baltimore.
Following the Trail
Using the address on the couple's marriage certificate, officials traveled to Baltimore to find the so-called "house" was nothing more than a vacant lot. However, the property's owner was listed as one Henry Colin Campbell, whose New Jersey residence was located just a few miles from where Mowry's burnt body was found.
This Can't Be Right
When they arrived at the Campbell home in New Jersey, however, the cops were met by a small, skittish man in his 60s accompanied by his wife and three young children. For a moment, the officers considered they'd made a mistake — then, they checked his pockets.
Cracking the Case
The man was concealing a .32 revolver, the very same caliber of gun used to commit the murder. Officers swarmed the home, and within minutes under the interrogation lamp, Campbell confessed — not only had he killed Mowry, but Henry Colin Campbell wasn't even his real name.
Criminal Confession
Instead, he was Henry Close, a career conman who'd made a living off wedding rich widows and having them mysteriously "disappear." Close claimed that while he eventually swore off a life of crime in his later years and settled down with his current family, a newly developed morphine addiction led him to his relationship with Mowry.
An Evil Man
However, after Mowry began unraveling his charade — including discovering that the "sanitarium" he worked at was just a regular office building — Close decided it was time to tie up loose ends. He invited her to Pennsylvania, promising the two could work things out. She wound up charred on the side of the road.
Just Desserts
After a failed plea of insanity, Close was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and met his end in the electric chair in 1930. Since then, the story of Close's deadly deception has served as a cautionary tale for some — and, unfortunately, as inspiration for others.
Ordinary Guy
By all accounts, Bernie Tiede was just an ordinary Texan. Born and raised in Abilene, he'd overcome a pretty rough childhood to build a respectable life for himself in nearby Carthage.
Respectable Job
Bernie worked at the Hawthorn Funeral Home as an undertaker and funeral director, and he made a name for himself in the town. It was during his stint there he met Marjorie Nugent.
Unlikely Connection
Marjorie Nugent was married to a wealthy oilman named Rod Nugent. In 1990, Rod died, and Bernie helped coordinate the funeral in Carthage. The 38-year-old mortician connected with the 80-year-old widow after the procession, and the two seemed smitten.
Falling In Love
As strange as it sounds, Marjorie and Bernie quickly developed feelings for each other despite the massive age gap between them. Bernie started to spend less time around the funeral home and more time at Marjorie's side.
Getting Closer
According to Bernie, he felt sorry to the old woman and worried about her being alone. Marjorie even had Bernie leave his job at the funeral home and paid him a salary to help her out with household chores.
A Little Too Generous
In fact, she paid for pretty much everything, including weekly date nights at expensive restaurants and private flying lessons. It seemed like there wasn't anything she wouldn't buy for Bernie, but suspicion was on the rise.
Growing Suspicious
Marjorie's grandchildren, as you can imagine, were completely wary of Bernie's intentions. The whole series of events was bizarre, and they also knew Bernie was well-aware of one major appealing detail of Marjorie's life.
In It For the Money?
Marjorie had millions of dollars in her bank account, and her kids were convinced Bernie was in it for the hefty payday once she passed. This suspicion grew tenfold when Marjorie changed her will and left everything to Bernie.
Love Over Family
There came a point where Marjorie's family didn't speak to her for quite some time. She basically acted like she didn't even have a family anymore; Bernie was her world now. But, then things became real weird.
Things Don't Add Up
They tried to contact her through Bernie, but he told them she as in the hospital suffering from Alzheimer's. Unconvinced, several of Marjorie's grandchildren went to the home, and that's when they discovered the horrifying truth.
Horrifying Discovery
Alexandria Nugent noticed the door to her grandmother's garage freezer was taped closed. She ripped off the tape, threw open the lid, and screamed as the frozen body of Marjorie Nugent stared back at her.
No Use Running
Bernie didn't even try to make a run for it. He was located quickly by Carthage police and arrested. Of his arrest, Bernie said, "I was so relieved... it felt like this big weight had been lifted off my shoulders."
Coming Clean
While in custody, Bernie gave a full confession to police interrogators. A jury sentenced him to 99 years to life in prison, and Bernie will be 70 years old before he even has a chance at parole in 2029.
Hollywood Treatment
The case became even more infamous thanks to Richard Linklater's film Bernie starring Jack Black as Bernie Tiede. The movie caused some controversy among Marjorie's family, but in the end, Bernie was still locked up.
Motivations Unknown
Police can only speculate what drove Bernie to take Marjorie's life. Her massive fortune seems like the obvious reason, but no really knows except Bernie. Luckily, not every case is full of such mystery.
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