WEBVTT - S05 Episode 13 Extra: An Impossible Murder

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Unexplained Extra with Me Richard McClane Smith, where

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<v Speaker 1>for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories

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<v Speaker 1>and ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make

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<v Speaker 1>it into the previous show. In last week's episode, A

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<v Speaker 1>Room with No View, we followed the mysterious case of

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<v Speaker 1>Artemis Ogletree and his apparent assault in Room ten forty

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<v Speaker 1>six at the President Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri that

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<v Speaker 1>led to his death. Ogletree's murder presents as a hugely

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<v Speaker 1>puzzling real world locked room mystery, whereby everything of note

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<v Speaker 1>appears to have taken place in one room in which

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<v Speaker 1>nobody apart from Artemis was ever seen coming in or

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<v Speaker 1>out of. Part of the fun, of course, as stragic

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<v Speaker 1>as it was for the victim who's trying to decipher

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<v Speaker 1>just what exactly occurred, the case, I believe is all

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<v Speaker 1>the more tragic since Ogletree, who it appears was gay,

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<v Speaker 1>may well have escaped his deeply conservative hometown of Birmingham, Alabama,

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<v Speaker 1>in search of the freedom to love whoever he wanted,

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<v Speaker 1>only to be murdered by someone who he'd become romantically

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<v Speaker 1>involved with. Since any investigation into who'd attacked him would

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<v Speaker 1>likely lead to him being outed. With all sexual acts

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<v Speaker 1>between persons of the same sex being illegal at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>there would have been immense pressure not to reveal anything

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<v Speaker 1>about what had taken place, all of which is mere speculation.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course. In the end we are left only with

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<v Speaker 1>the small smattering of clues and any number of possible theories. Unsurprisingly,

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<v Speaker 1>such stories a great fodder for writers of crime fiction

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<v Speaker 1>forever on the hunt for more ingenious and unusual ideas

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<v Speaker 1>to bambooz all their readers with. And there is one

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<v Speaker 1>case in particular that has enthralled and mystified some of

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<v Speaker 1>the world's best from p D. James Raymond Chandler, which

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<v Speaker 1>took place only a few years before Ogletree's death in Liverpool, England,

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<v Speaker 1>back in nineteen thirty one. It was, as Chandler himself described,

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<v Speaker 1>the impossible murder because the main suspect couldn't possibly have

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<v Speaker 1>done it, but neither could anyone else. On the evening

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<v Speaker 1>of Monday January nineteenth, nineteen thirty one, down at the

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<v Speaker 1>Liverpool Chess Club on Eberley Street, as members began arriving

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<v Speaker 1>for their weekly seven thirty matchups, the club's telephone started

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<v Speaker 1>to ring. Taking it off the hook, the club's captain

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<v Speaker 1>asked who was calling. A man on the other end

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<v Speaker 1>of the line identified himself as a mister R. M.

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<v Speaker 1>Qualtro who wanted to speak to William Wallace, one of

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<v Speaker 1>the members of the Chess Club. Since Wallace was yet

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<v Speaker 1>to arrive, the man left a message instead the captain

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<v Speaker 1>to inform Wallace that he wished to meet him at

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<v Speaker 1>his home at twenty five men Love Gardens East the

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<v Speaker 1>following night at seven thirty pm sharp to discuss an

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<v Speaker 1>endowment policy for his daughter. Wallace arrived a few minutes

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<v Speaker 1>later and was duly handed the message by the captain.

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<v Speaker 1>Though it was a little unusual for a potential client

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<v Speaker 1>to try and reach him at the chess Club, since

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<v Speaker 1>Wallace was an insurance agent, the request at least made

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<v Speaker 1>some sense, however, as Wallace was quick to note to

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<v Speaker 1>the club captain he'd never heard of anyone called Qualtroux before,

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<v Speaker 1>nor of any street named men Love Gardens East, although

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<v Speaker 1>he and some of his fellow members did know of

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<v Speaker 1>a men Love Avenue. At fifty two years old, Wallace

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<v Speaker 1>appeared to be every inch the typical, quietly dedicated suburban professional,

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<v Speaker 1>living out a fairly mundane existence with his wife Julia, who,

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<v Speaker 1>at seventeen years his senior, was sixty nine at the time.

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<v Speaker 1>Wallace's past, however, was anything but mundane, having spent time

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<v Speaker 1>working in Calcutta, India and later Shanghai in China as

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<v Speaker 1>a draper for the British Armed Forces, before a kidney

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<v Speaker 1>problem forced him to return to England, where the errant

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<v Speaker 1>kidney was later removed. After a brief stint in local politics, Wallace,

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<v Speaker 1>having by then met Julia, eventually settled in Liverpool after

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<v Speaker 1>getting a job working for the Prudential Insurance Company. For

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<v Speaker 1>sixteen years, he and Julia had rented a property on

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<v Speaker 1>Wolverton Street, where they could often be found in the

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<v Speaker 1>evening dueting together as Julia played the piano and William

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<v Speaker 1>tried his best to accompany her on the violin. Otherwise,

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<v Speaker 1>Wallace occupied himself with amateur studies in chemistry and electronics,

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<v Speaker 1>while also conducting the occasional lecture of the local Technical College.

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<v Speaker 1>All in all, by nineteen thirty one, his and Julia's

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<v Speaker 1>was very much the quiet life, which only made what

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<v Speaker 1>happened next all the more shocking. Is there something interfering

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<v Speaker 1>with your happiness or preventing you from achieving your goals.

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<v Speaker 1>This podcast is sponsored by better Help and Unexplained. Listeners

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<v Speaker 1>Forward slash Unexplained joined the over one million people taking

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<v Speaker 1>happier life to day. The day After the peculiar phone call,

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<v Speaker 1>the couple were seen in their home at a round

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<v Speaker 1>six forty five p m by a milk boy who'd

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<v Speaker 1>called round to collect his bill for that week. At

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<v Speaker 1>precisely seven oh six p m. William Wallace, having seemingly

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<v Speaker 1>set out to attend the seven thirty meeting with the

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<v Speaker 1>mysterious r M. Qualtro, was seen boarding a tram roughly

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<v Speaker 1>two miles away from his home, where he asked the

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<v Speaker 1>conductor directions to men Love Gardens East. Having been told

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<v Speaker 1>to get off at Penny Lane to transfer to the

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<v Speaker 1>five A tram, Wallace spent the next ten minutes continuing

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<v Speaker 1>asking the conductor to call out when they arrived there.

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<v Speaker 1>After boarding the next tram at seven fifteen pm, Wallace

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<v Speaker 1>then asked its conductor again for directions to Menlove Gardens East,

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<v Speaker 1>not knowing where it was. However, this conductor suggested he

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<v Speaker 1>get off at Menlove Avenue, half a kilometer up the road.

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<v Speaker 1>At some time around seven thirty pm, the residence of

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<v Speaker 1>twenty five men Love Gardens West heard a knock at

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<v Speaker 1>their door. Opening it, they found an exasperated Wallace wanting

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<v Speaker 1>to know of a mister r M. Qualtroux lived at

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<v Speaker 1>the property. As he explained, he'd been given the address

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<v Speaker 1>east but had only been able to find north, south

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<v Speaker 1>and west and had begun to wander if he had

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<v Speaker 1>the address wrong. The occupants, however, had never heard of

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<v Speaker 1>the man. A few minutes later, Wallace approached a nearby

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<v Speaker 1>police officer and proceeded to explain his predicament, asking again

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<v Speaker 1>for directions to men Love Gardens East, before pointedly asking

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<v Speaker 1>whether it was eight pm yet, to which the police

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<v Speaker 1>officer confirmed it was not. Next, Wallace dashed over to

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<v Speaker 1>a local newsstand to search a local directory, where he

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<v Speaker 1>also asked the seller working there if they'd ever come

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<v Speaker 1>across men Love Gardens East. When they said they hadn't either,

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<v Speaker 1>Wallace finally gave up the search and returned home. Wallace

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<v Speaker 1>was next seen around eight forty five pm standing outside

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<v Speaker 1>the front door of his house, looking confused. When his

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<v Speaker 1>neighbors Florence and Jack Johnston asked him what the matter was.

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<v Speaker 1>He explained that neither his front or back door key

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<v Speaker 1>seemed to be working, and that his wife, Julia, who'd

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<v Speaker 1>made no plans to go out that evening, didn't appear

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<v Speaker 1>to be inside, Asking the Johnston's to escort him round

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<v Speaker 1>the back. Wallace attempted to access the house again, where

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<v Speaker 1>this time he was able to unlock the door. While

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<v Speaker 1>Florence and Jack waited for him, Wallace dashed inside, appearing

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<v Speaker 1>moments later with a look of horror on his face.

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<v Speaker 1>Come and see, he said, she's been killed. The Johnstone

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<v Speaker 1>screamed in shock at the sight of Julia on the

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<v Speaker 1>floor by the gas fireplace, her head a bloody pulp

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<v Speaker 1>having been smashed open. Underneath her was a half burned

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<v Speaker 1>Macintosh coat, while all about the walls were splattered with blood.

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<v Speaker 1>They finished her, muttered Wallace, look at her brains. Police

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<v Speaker 1>found little evidence of disturbance in the property. Although Wallace

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<v Speaker 1>was convinced that some money had been stolen, nothing else

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<v Speaker 1>of any note, including the murder weapon, was found. The

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<v Speaker 1>medical professional called to the scene determined that Julia had

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<v Speaker 1>died at some time between six and seven pm, although

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<v Speaker 1>no formal tests were carried out to confirm this. With

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<v Speaker 1>little else to go on. As the only credible suspect,

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<v Speaker 1>William Wallace was promptly arrested and two weeks later put

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<v Speaker 1>on trial for his wife's murder. Over four days, the

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<v Speaker 1>prosecution and defense argued the merits of the case. With

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<v Speaker 1>the phone call from the mysterious R. M. Qualtro, who

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<v Speaker 1>was never identified, found to have been placed only four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred meters from the Wallace home. The prosecution argued that

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<v Speaker 1>Wallace made the call himself, then carried out his very

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<v Speaker 1>public search for the meeting location the following night in

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<v Speaker 1>order to construct an alibi. And yet if Julia was

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<v Speaker 1>last seen alive at six forty five pm but died

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<v Speaker 1>around seven pm at the latest, it simply wasn't possible

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<v Speaker 1>for William only moments later to have been seen on

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<v Speaker 1>the tram looking clean and presentable two miles away. As

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<v Speaker 1>for the murder weapon, the couples cleaner testified that a

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<v Speaker 1>small iron bar and a fire poker appeared to have

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<v Speaker 1>been removed from the property. With the media and the

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<v Speaker 1>public having had a field day with the crime, conjuring

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<v Speaker 1>up all sorts of wild theories as to how and

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<v Speaker 1>why he'd done it, it appears the jury's opinion was

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<v Speaker 1>already made up. After only an hour deliberating the case,

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<v Speaker 1>they returned with a verdict of guilty. Wallace was sentenced

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<v Speaker 1>to death by hanging. However, Wallace quickly appealed the decision, and,

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<v Speaker 1>having been disturbed by a conviction determined on only the

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<v Speaker 1>flimsiest of evidence, the Court of Criminal Appeals moved to

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<v Speaker 1>overturn the decision. His freedom was short lived, however, when

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<v Speaker 1>he finally succumbed to the kidney issues that had plagued

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<v Speaker 1>him for much of his life, dying in February nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>thirty three after a miserable two years being relentlessly harassed

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<v Speaker 1>for having seemingly got away with murder. Many years later,

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<v Speaker 1>during a renovation of the old Wallace home, the iron bar,

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<v Speaker 1>thought to have been a possible murder weapon, was found

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<v Speaker 1>at the back of the fireplace. It was later analyzed

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<v Speaker 1>but found to have no bloodstains on it. If you

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