Typically, the closing statement is a lawyer’s moment to shine. Though they must stick to how the evidence supports their side in the case, they have a lot of room to shape the narrative. The closing is the last thing the jury will hear before they leave to deliberate. A powerful story will make anContinue reading “Closing Statements”
Tag Archives: True Crime
The Mysterious Dr. Cusick and a Confused Mrs. Reagan
In a rare victory for Sheffey’s defense team, Judge John J. Blair agreed that the jury should not hear the testimony of Dr. Chad Cusick. With the jury out of the room, the state asked Dr. Cusick to describe his encounter with a strange man on horseback many years earlier. Readers may recall the CusickContinue reading “The Mysterious Dr. Cusick and a Confused Mrs. Reagan”
The State’s Case
Attorney General Peace had set a lot of weight on the identification of Sheffey by Ada Wells and the handwriting expert’s conclusion that Sheffey had written the taunting Emery Letter. However, with both of those pieces of evidence facing serious challenges by the defense team, the prosecution had to call on every possible witness toContinue reading “The State’s Case”
Psychology Experts Face Off
This post was written by Autumn Carroll (MC ’22) and edited by N. Locklin. By now, we have seen that the grounds on which Ada Wells made her identification were a bit shaky. She was unable to make an immediate identification of Will Sheffey as the attacker, only being able to following a hallucination thatContinue reading “Psychology Experts Face Off”
A Community in Chaos
The level of fear generated by the Night Marauder attacks cannot be underestimated. One example of just how rattled people were is the case against Mrs. Odie Leadford. (Sometimes Otis or Ollie, sometimes Ledford) She had two people boarding in the home she shared with her husband Maurice: Amos Dockery and his seven-year-old daughter. TheContinue reading “A Community in Chaos”
Private eyes
This post was written by Channing Bragg (MC ’21) and Cole Cleek (MC ’23) and was edited by N. Locklin. The first thing that people tend to think of when tragedy strikes is to seek out the police, but what do you do when the police cannot help you? There is only one place toContinue reading “Private eyes”
The Poes
Warning: this post includes details of a sexual assault. Clyde Poe was just 21 in December, 1924, and he and his wife Lora had been married a little over a year. He was listed as a laborer, a “hard working farmer,” in Alcoa. Clyde and Lora lived with their four month old baby boy nearContinue reading “The Poes”
A Trap is Set
This post is based on a chapter written by N. Locklin and was edited by Trey Hampton (MC ’24) In the months after he had received the anonymous letter, Sheriff John C. McCampbell did not stop looking for the Night Marauder. Two people who had seen the letter—the Sheriff’s sister-in-law and old Dr. Cusick fromContinue reading “A Trap is Set”
Luther and Ada Wells
This post is based on a piece written by N. Locklin, edited by Andy Kelly (MC ’23) and Sydnee Hansraj (MC ’23). At eighteen years old, the young couple had only been married eight months when the terrifying Night Marauder landed on their doorstep and changed their lives forever. On the night of December 10,Continue reading “Luther and Ada Wells”
Who was Will Sheffey?
Written by Scotty Leach (MC ’23) based on research compiled by N. Locklin. Within the quiet, peaceful town of Maryville lay the College Hill Historic District. From Goddard to Waller Avenue, this humble area of Blount County lies along with all of its historic memories of its past. The land across from the district isContinue reading “Who was Will Sheffey?”
The Night Marauder Project 