Morbid Wondery

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On the afternoon of December 15, 1927, twelve-year-old Marion Parker was checked out of her Los Angeles junior high school by a man claiming to be an employee of her father, Perry Parker, an employee at a bank in the city. The man claimed Parker had been in an accident and he was to bring the girl to see her father, but this was just a ruse to abduct the girl. The following day, Marion’s parents received several cryptic ransom letters demanding $1,500 in gold in exchange for the safe return of their daughter. On December 17, Perry Parker delivered the money to the kidnapper, who took the money, then dumped Marion’s dead, mutilated body out of the car before speeding away.

References
Associated Press. 1928. "Hickman to have new judge." Fresno Bee, January 25: 1.

—. 1927. "Confession stuns mother." Los Angeles Times, December 23: 4.

Berger, Jackson. 1927. "Kidnapper tries to dash out brains in frenzy." Los Angeles Times, December 25: 1.

Los Angeles Record. 1927. "Hunt kidnappers of girl." Los Angeles Record, December 16: 1.

Los Angeles Times. 1927. "'Fox' ponders 'crazy' plea." Los Angeles Times, December 24: 1.

—. 1927. "Fugitive caught in breakneck race with Oregon officers." Los Angeles Times, December 23: 1.

—. 1927. "Hickman believed in Seattle." Los Angeles Times, December 22: 1.

—. 1927. "Hickman pronounced sane." Los Angeles Times, December 24: 1.

—. 1927. "Hickman's finger-prints found in apartment." Los Angeles Times, December 21: 1.

—. 1927. "'I liked her' declares youth while he sobs." Los Angeles Times, December 23: 1.

—. 1927. "Kidnapper grows sullen when 'pal' proves alibi." Los Angeles Times, December 24: 1.

—. 1928. "New crimes confessed by Hickman." Los Angeles Times, October 14: 3.

—. 1928. "New horror in Hickman case." Los Angeles Times, February 2: 1.

—. 1928. "Slayer makes self-analysis." Los Angeles Times, February 2: 2.

Neibaur, James. 2016. Butterfly in the Rain: The 1927 Abduction and Murder of Marion Parker. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

New York Times. 1928. "Hickman sentenced to hang April 27." New York Times, February 15: 25.

—. 1928. "Hickman's father goes to his aid." New York Times, February 1: 13.

—. 1927. "Youth arrested in child slaying at Los Angeles." New York Times, December 19: 1.

Overton, Gerald. 1928. "Hickman goes to death on gibbet." Fresno Bee, October 19: 1.

Rasmussen, Cecilia. 2001. "Girl's grisly killing had city residents up in arms." Los Angeles Times, February 4.

San Francisco Examiner. 1927. "Kidnapped girl's body tossed omn lawn." San Francisco Examiner, December 18: 1.

State of California v William Edward Hickman. 1928. 204 Cal. 470 (Supreme Court of California, July 5).

This episode comes out for free on 06/10, and is available early and ad-free for Wondery+ subscribers.

On the afternoon of June 22, 1954, Agnes Ritchie was preparing ice cream for two customers in her shop when two teenage girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, burst through the front door, screaming for help and saying one of their mothers had been killed. Agnes and her husband followed the girls into the nearby wooded area, where they found the badly beaten and obviously dead body of Honorah Parker. The couple wasn’t able to get much out of either girl, only that the woman had slipped and hit her head, but their behavior was strange and something about the whole scene didn’t feel right.



Just two days later, Parker and Hulme were charged with the murder of Pauline’s mother, Honorah Parker. According to the prosecution, the girls had developed an intense bond and had created romantic fantasy in the months leading up to the murder that bordered on obsessiveness. In 1954, the girls’ relationship became threatened when Hulme’s parents divorced and began talking of relocating. Fearing they would be separated and never see one another again, Parker and Hulme killed Honorah, believing that her death would put an end to any plans to relocate.



The story of Honorah’s murder and the trial that followed quickly spread across New Zealand and Australia and eventually made its way around the globe. Among other things, the case challenged existing beliefs about young women and their capacity for violence, but just as important were the sensational and salacious mentions of insanity and homosexuality that were often more implied than explicitly stated.



Thank you to David White, of the Bring Me the Axe Podcast, for research :)



References

Brisbane Telegraph. 1954. "Conspired to Kill." Brisbane Telegraph, August 23: 1.

—. 1954. "Teenagers remanded, police blame girl's passion for horses." Brisbane Telegraph, June 24: 1.

Chun, Louise. 1995. "Slaughter by the innocents: The case of the schoolgirl killers shocked New Zealand." The Guardian, January 30.

Graham, Peter. 2011. So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme and the Murder that Shocked the World. Wellington, NZ: Awa Press.

Neustatter, Angela. 2003. "‘I was guilty. I did my time’: Anne Perry, the novelist whose past caught up with her." The Guardian, November 20.

Newcastle Sun. 1954. "Girls shrugged at charge of murder." Newcastle Sun, July 16: 1.

The Age. 1954. "Girls smile at N.Z. sentence." The Age , August 30: 1.

—. 1954. "Defence says N.Z. girls insane as mother killed." The Age, August 25: 9.

—. 1954. "Description of quarrel." The Age, July 17: 3.

—. 1954. "Doctor says both girls certifiable." The Age, August 27: 5.

A community frantically searches for two missing boys who disappeared in a dense forest. Days pass with no leads, but a man's prophetic dream leads to their discovery.

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Nancy Brophy fills her novels with romantic betrayals and murder. It’s a far cry from her quiet life in the suburbs, where she and her chef husband, Dan, are living out their golden years. But when Dan is shot dead, Nancy finds herself at the center of a murder case that could be ripped from the pages of her novels.




From Wondery, this is a story about what happens when the line blurs between fiction and reality. 




Listen to Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial by visiting Wondery.fm/HNA_DN now.

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On the evening of May 22, 1992, Betty Wilson returned home from an AA meeting to find her husband, Dr. Jack Wilson, had been beaten and stabbed to death in what she assumed was a burglary gone wrong. Betty ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911, and police arrived at the Wilson’s house a short time later to secure the scene.

At first, investigators agreed with Betty’s theory that Jack had surprised a burglar and was then killed. The problem, however, was that nothing appeared to have been taken, nor did it appear that the house had been ransacked. A few days later, a tip led detectives to James White, who quickly confessed that he murdered Jack Wilson at the request of Betty and her twin sister, Peggy Lowe, with whom he was in love. 

Betty Wilson and her sister, Peggy, were both arrested and went on to be tried for capital murder, while James White accepted a plea deal in exchange for testifying against both women. After a brief trial, a jury found Betty guilty, and she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Peggy Lowe, on the other hand, was tried for the same crime, but just a few months after her sister’s verdict was read, Peggy was found not guilty. How was it both women could face the same charges, under the same circumstances, and be tried with the same evidence, but receive opposite outcomes?

 Thank you to David White, of Bring Me the Axe podcast, for research!

References

Associated Press. 1992. "Friends of accused express disbelief." Montgomery Advertiser, July 13: 13.

—. 1992. "Suspect's former lover quits post." Montgomery Advertiser, June 24: 18.

—. 1992. "Twin sisters suspects in man's murder." Selma Times-Journal, June 7: 7.

Betty Woods Wilson v. State of Alabama. 1995. 690 So. 2d 449 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, May 5).

Carey, Bob. 1998. "The Murder." Old Huntsville: History and Stories of the Tennessee Valley, 1.

Dunnavant, Robert. 1992. "Shelby man says he killed doctor to win twin's love." Birmingham Post-Herald, June 6: 1.

1996. Forensic Files. Produced by Paul Bourdett. Performed by Ed Freeman.

Marshall, Mike. 2006. "Serving time for murdering husband, Betty Wilson remarries in prison." Dothan Eagle, May 3: 3.

Newberry, Paul. 1993. "Surprise testimony in Wilson murder trial." Anniston Star, February 28: 1.

—. 1993. "Wilson defense mocks, picks apart testimony ." Birmingham Post-Herald, February 25: 1.

Reeves, Jay. 1993. "Betty Wilson silent as jury gets her case." Anniston Star, March 2: 2.

—. 1993. "Deliberation starts in case of woman accused of plotting husband's slaying." Montgomery Advertiser, March 3: 1.

Richardson, Sandee. 1993. "Wilson trial begins." Birmingham Post-Herald, February 24: 1.

Schutze, Jim. 2023. By Two and Two: The Scandalous Story of Twin Sisters Accused of a Shocking Crime of Passion. New York, NY: Open Road Media.

Sikora, Frank. 1993. "Mrs. Wilson's disgust toward husband detailed." Birmingham Post-Herald, February 27: 1.

Thornton, Donna. 2022. "Filmmaker contends doctor's wife wrongly convicted." Montgomery Advertiser, August 29: 1.

Wilson, Betty. 1998. "The Betty Wilson story." Old Huntsville: History and Stories of the Tennessee Valley, 1.

Witt, Elaine. 1993. "Mrs. Wilson guilty, gets life in prison." Birmingham Post-Herald, March 4: 1.

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Weirdos!! It’s a SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE brought to YOU by our friends at Audible! Today we’re joined by Sheena Melwani to chat about the Audible original, “Desperate Deadly Widows”! Join the “Weirdos’ Audiobook Club’ AND the conversation as we talk about our favorite characters, themes, and scenes! Haven’t listened yet? Don’t worry about it, friend! Go to Audible.com/weirdos for YOUR free trial! And don’t forget to click the episode post on Instagram to comment YOUR favorite part of the book, and discuss with other Weirdos who enjoyed the title, as well!

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