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Speaker 1: School of Humans. Helen Got Murder Line actively investigates cold

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Speaker 1: case murders in an effort to raise public awareness invite

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Speaker 1: witnesses to come forward and present evidence that could potentially

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Speaker 1: be further investigated by law enforcement. While we value insights

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Speaker 1: from family and community members, their statements should not be

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Speaker 1: considered evidence and point to the challenges of verifying facts

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Speaker 1: inherent in cold cases. We remind listeners that everyone has

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Speaker 1: presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Speaker 1: Nothing in the podcast is intended to state or imply

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Speaker 1: that anyone who has not been convicted of a crime

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Speaker 1: is guilty of any wrongdoing. Thanks for listening.

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Speaker 2: On December twenty second, nineteen eighty one, around one to

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Speaker 2: one fifteen am, a driver was going down a dark

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Speaker 2: road Mineral Springs Mountain Road near the town of Valdez,

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Speaker 2: North Carolina. It was a dark, snowy night and there

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Speaker 2: was fresh snow on the ground from the night before.

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Speaker 2: The driver saw beige dots in two ten parked on

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Speaker 2: the side of the road. They slowed down to check

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Speaker 2: out what was happening. They were thinking if another driver

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Speaker 2: was stranded on the side of the road like that,

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Speaker 2: they could be in big trouble. They saw that the

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Speaker 2: car had run into an embankment and that the driver's

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Speaker 2: door was open. As they approached the car, they realized

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Speaker 2: that the car was still running. Next to the car

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Speaker 2: in a ditch was the body of a young woman,

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Speaker 2: nineteen year old Ronda Henson. She was lying on her

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Speaker 2: back with her arms by her side. She looked peaceful,

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Speaker 2: like she had been starting to make a snow angel,

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Speaker 2: except for the bullet hole in her chest.

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Speaker 3: I'm Catherine Townsend.

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Speaker 2: Over the past seven years of making my true crime podcast,

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Speaker 2: Helling Gone, I've learned that there's no such thing as

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Speaker 2: a small town where murdered never happens. I have received

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Speaker 2: hundreds of messages from people all around the country asking

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Speaker 2: for help with an unsolved murder that's affected them, their families,

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Speaker 2: and their communities.

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Speaker 3: If you have a case you'd like me and my

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Speaker 3: team to look into, you can.

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Speaker 2: Reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder Line

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Speaker 2: at six seven eight seven four four six one four five.

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Speaker 2: That's six seven eight seven four four six one four five,

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Speaker 2: or you can send us a message on Instagram.

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Speaker 3: At Helen Gonepod.

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Speaker 2: This is Helen Gone Murder Line. The driver of the

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Speaker 2: car called nine to one one and the police rushed

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Speaker 2: to the saint. From the beginning, the whole town was

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Speaker 2: trying to figure out what happened to Ronda Henson. This

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Speaker 2: was a very strange set of circumstances. Ronda had been

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Speaker 2: driving home from her company Christmas party at the American

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Speaker 2: Legion Hall in Hickory, North Carolina. She headed west on

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Speaker 2: Interstate forty and took the exit for her home, Mineral

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Speaker 2: Springs Mountain Highway through fifty. Then she turned right and

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Speaker 2: drove up the hill toward home. As she was climbing

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Speaker 2: that hill, she was shot once through the chest, and

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Speaker 2: the bullet had taken a long and kind of strange trajectory.

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Speaker 2: It went through the trunk of her dots in two

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Speaker 2: ten and then through the back seat, the front seat,

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Speaker 2: and eventually through Ronda's chest, exiting through the front of

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Speaker 2: her chest, nicking her heart and lump. The shot was

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Speaker 2: fatal and would have killed Ronda almost instantly. Police were

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Speaker 2: able to figure out the shot hit while she was driving.

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Speaker 2: She was going around twenty five miles per hour at

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Speaker 2: the time, and after she was shot, her car rolled

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Speaker 2: into the embankment. The car had then rolled down the hill,

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Speaker 2: a little bit across the highway and finally.

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Speaker 3: Lodged in a ditch. She was only half a mile

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Speaker 3: from home.

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Speaker 2: Police wondered had her shooting been accidental, did a hunter

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Speaker 2: fire off a stray bullet? And was she just a

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Speaker 2: victim of a very unlucky circumstance, or was it someone

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Speaker 2: she knew, someone who stalked and killed her. Investigators said

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Speaker 2: that given her injury, Ronda could not have gotten out

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Speaker 2: of the car on her own, so it's assumed that

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Speaker 2: someone dragged her body out into the snow and placed

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Speaker 2: her on her back with her arms at her side.

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Speaker 3: But who.

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Speaker 2: Ronda Henson was born on December thirteenth, nineteen sixty two

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Speaker 2: and grew up in Valdez, so she had lived in

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Speaker 2: that area pretty much her entire life. She was very

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Speaker 2: close to her family and her parents, Judy and Bobby,

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Speaker 2: and her brother Robbie. She still lived at home with them.

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Speaker 2: Ronda had graduated from high school. Valdez didn't have a

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Speaker 2: high school, so Ronda attended a consolidated school called East

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Speaker 2: Burke High School. Ronda's mother, Judy, said that in high school,

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Speaker 2: Ronda was very involved in sports, including basketball, track, in tennis,

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Speaker 2: and that everyone loved her daughter. After graduation, Ronda worked

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Speaker 2: as a clerical worker for a local steel company. In

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Speaker 2: the weeks before Ronda's death, her parents were noticing that

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Speaker 2: something seemed wrong. Ronda appeared distracted and uneasy, as though

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Speaker 2: she were carrying a secret she didn't know how to share.

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Speaker 2: Ronda Henson had a boyfriend named Greg McDowell. She started

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Speaker 2: dating him during her junior year, and they seemed to

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Speaker 2: get serious pretty fast.

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Speaker 3: At first.

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Speaker 2: The local Record newspaper said that they seemed like an

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Speaker 2: ideal match, but Ronda's mom, Judy, told several media outlets,

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Speaker 2: including Unsolved Mysteries, which did an episode about the case,

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Speaker 2: that Greg would write Ronda notes, notes that she said

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Speaker 2: became more and more irate, because she said Greg would

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Speaker 2: get jealous and feel like Ronda wasn't giving him enough attention.

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Speaker 2: Some of the notes from Greg were normal and sweet,

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Speaker 2: like the one that read happy to your anniversary, thanks

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Speaker 2: for making me so happy, but another reportedly read quote,

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Speaker 2: I apologize for pushing you. I really lost my temper

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Speaker 2: and I'm sorry for being so st stupid. Please forgive

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Speaker 2: me end quote. Judy told the TV show that from

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Speaker 2: her conversations with Ronda. She believed that Greg was stressing

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Speaker 2: her daughter out. She said she had noticed in the

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Speaker 2: past that while Ronda was dating Greg, she was not

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Speaker 2: doing as well in school.

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Speaker 3: Her grades were dropping.

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Speaker 2: But then after high school, Greg went to college at

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Speaker 2: North Carolina State University. After that, Ronda's mom said that

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Speaker 2: her daughter's behavior went more or less back to normal.

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Speaker 2: Then Ronda graduated, she got her first job, the clerical

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Speaker 2: job at the steel company. Greg's mother, Betty, actually worked

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Speaker 2: at the same steel company as Ronda. The Christmas party

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Speaker 2: on Friday, December twenty second was a big deal to Ronda.

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Speaker 3: She was looking forward to it.

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Speaker 2: She'd only been working at the steel company for three months,

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Speaker 2: so this was her first ever office Christmas party as

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Speaker 2: a working woman. According to Unsolved Mysteries, Ronda had done

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Speaker 2: a couple of things that raised red flags to Judy

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Speaker 2: in the weeks before her disappearance. One thing was that

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Speaker 2: Judy said Ronda started showering during the night, telling Judy

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Speaker 2: she felt dirty. And two Judy remembered that Ronda was

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Speaker 2: asking her mother's strange questions about relationships, including whether it

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Speaker 2: was ever acceptable to date a married man. Judy told

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Speaker 2: the program quote I said Ronda, There's never a time

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Speaker 2: that it's all right to go with a married man.

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Speaker 2: The only thing that comes from that is people getting hurt.

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Speaker 3: End quote.

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Speaker 2: Ronda's father, Bobby, worked nights at a bakery, and he

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Speaker 2: also reportedly told law enforcement that when he would leave

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Speaker 2: for work in the middle of the night, he saw

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Speaker 2: Ronda's lights on in her room. He wondered what was

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Speaker 2: keeping his daughter up at night. One day, Ronda said

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Speaker 2: she had something to tell Bobby, he told the TV

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Speaker 2: show quote, I said, what is it, Ronda? I said,

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Speaker 2: no matter whether it's good or bad, tell me. And

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Speaker 2: she said, I'll think about it. And she never did explain,

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Speaker 2: never did tell me why what it was that she's

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Speaker 2: afraid to tell me?

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Speaker 3: End quote. Could Ronda have been dating a married man?

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Speaker 2: Could that have been the reason why she was staying

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Speaker 2: up nights and behaving in a strange manner and taking

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Speaker 2: distance from her boyfriend, Or maybe Greg's jealousy was starting

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Speaker 2: to take a toll on her. On the other hand,

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Speaker 2: this could have all been a complete coincidence. Judy and

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Speaker 2: Bobby have no way of knowing for sure. The teenage

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Speaker 2: angst that Ronda experience could have been a clue. Then again,

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Speaker 2: it could have been completely unrelated to her killing. And

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Speaker 2: it's always hard in hindsight because the temptation can be

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Speaker 2: there to find patterns or link events that aren't necessarily

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Speaker 2: related to the murder.

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Speaker 3: Everything felt like a clue.

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Speaker 2: Police interviewed Ronda's friends and colleagues from the Christmas party.

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Speaker 2: All them said Ronda was acting normally, nothing was amiss.

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Speaker 2: She seemed to be having a really good time. Ronda

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Speaker 2: left the party at around twelve thirty am with two

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Speaker 2: of her friends. Now at this point there was another

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Speaker 2: change in her routine, possibly something that could have been significant.

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Speaker 2: Ronda was supposed to stay over with a female friend

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Speaker 2: named Sherry Pittman, but instead she dropped her friends off

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Speaker 2: and eventually decided to go home instead. No one really

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Speaker 2: knows why she made that decision. So Ronda set out

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Speaker 2: and drove her Dotson down Mineral Springs Road for the

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Speaker 2: ten mile trip home. Around one o'clock in the morning,

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Speaker 2: Ronda's mother woke up with a strange feeling. On December

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Speaker 2: twenty second. Judy told Unsolved Mysteries that at exactly one am, quote,

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Speaker 2: I woke up feeling panicky, scared because I felt like

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Speaker 2: something had happened to Ronda.

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Speaker 3: I felt like Ronda was dead. I felt like she

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Speaker 3: had been in an automobile accident. End quote.

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Speaker 2: She and her husband were so freaked out they started

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Speaker 2: turning on their police scanner and listening to see if

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Speaker 2: they could hear accident reports. Bobby, in desperation, called Jill Turner,

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Speaker 2: Ronda's best friend, to see if maybe Ronda was with her.

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Speaker 3: He had no luck.

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Speaker 2: They didn't hear anything until police broke the news in person.

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Speaker 2: Officers came to the family home at two thirty am

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Speaker 2: to announce that Ronda had.

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Speaker 3: Been found dead.

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Speaker 2: Police started looking for witnesses who had been out on

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Speaker 2: the highway at that time. Police talked to one witness

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Speaker 2: who drove under the I forty bridge on the road

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Speaker 2: where Ronda was murdered. The witness told police that she

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Speaker 2: saw a car, a blue nineteen seventies model Chevrolet, facing

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Speaker 2: in a northerly direction with two white males in the vehicle.

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Speaker 2: The witness stated that the Chabelle had damage on the

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Speaker 2: front part of the car. They described the driver as

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Speaker 2: a dark haired man with a medium build. A second

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Speaker 2: witness said later in the morning they passed a blue

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Speaker 2: GM Chevrolet driving fast with one person at the wheel.

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Speaker 2: That same witness saw Ronda's car pulled over on the

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Speaker 2: side of the road.

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Speaker 3: They said that.

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Speaker 2: They saw a white man standing near the driver's door,

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Speaker 2: leaning into a woman. They thought that maybe it was

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Speaker 2: a drunk couple, so that witness drove on. Later under hypnosis,

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Speaker 2: the witness described the man as white with dark brown hair,

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Speaker 2: between five ten and six feet tall. They also remembered

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Speaker 2: passing another car part further down the road from the scene.

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Speaker 2: This was a black or blue transam. So who were

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Speaker 2: the men on the road that night. To this day,

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Speaker 2: police don't know. They have never found them. So the

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Speaker 2: first theory that we have to explore is could this

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Speaker 2: have been a random accident. Test showed that Ronda had

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Speaker 2: been shot once with a high powered rifle. Police never

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Speaker 2: found the weapon, but they were able to determine that

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Speaker 2: it was a larger rifle and not, for example, a

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Speaker 2: small handgun. Ronda was killed with only a single bullet,

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Speaker 2: the one that passed through the trunk of her car,

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Speaker 2: the back of her car seat, and into her heart.

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Speaker 2: One scenario that I've considered is that someone could have

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Speaker 2: been using high beams to shoot deer or some other

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Speaker 2: kind of game, and then their stray bullet hit the car.

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Speaker 2: Maybe they saw the car roll off the road and

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Speaker 2: went to see if Ronda was alive. Then maybe they

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00:14:24,121 --> 00:14:26,881
Speaker 2: panicked and left the scene rather than call the police.

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Speaker 2: Because the bullet came through the rear of the car,

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Speaker 2: it was initially possible to imagine a random shot from

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Speaker 2: someone near the road, or maybe from an overpass. However,

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Speaker 2: several details at the scene raised serious doubts about the

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Speaker 2: idea of an accident. The main thing was that Ronda's

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00:14:46,681 --> 00:14:50,361
Speaker 2: body was found outside the vehicle, placed neatly on the ground.

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00:14:50,921 --> 00:14:55,041
Speaker 2: Her arms were described as deliberately arranged or placed at

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00:14:55,041 --> 00:14:58,401
Speaker 2: her sides, meaning that she did not get into that

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Speaker 2: position by herself, though police couldn't say for sure if

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Speaker 2: she had been positioned that way on purpose, or if

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Speaker 2: potentially someone dragged her out of the car and dropped

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00:15:07,641 --> 00:15:10,881
Speaker 2: her there in a more random fashion. Then there was

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Speaker 2: the open driver's door. Police say it was opened after

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00:15:14,641 --> 00:15:17,441
Speaker 2: the shot was fired, and there were fingerprints that were

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Speaker 2: not Ronda's found on the door handle. There was no

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Speaker 2: sign of a struggle inside the car, and nothing appeared

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Speaker 2: to have been stolen. Investigators began to suspect that the

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Speaker 2: shooter was close enough to approach the car after firing,

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00:15:31,441 --> 00:15:36,721
Speaker 2: suggesting intent not randomness. If someone did target Ronda, judging

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Speaker 2: by the bullet path, the shooter would have had to

241
00:15:39,481 --> 00:15:44,201
Speaker 2: have been an excellent marksman. But police seemed to dropped

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00:15:44,281 --> 00:15:47,681
Speaker 2: the random act of violence theory pretty quickly because of

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00:15:47,721 --> 00:15:51,001
Speaker 2: the way Ronda's body was placed. They quickly moved on

244
00:15:51,121 --> 00:15:55,161
Speaker 2: to another theory, the possibility that Ronda could have been targeted.

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Speaker 2: This case is technically still open, so our foyer requests.

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00:16:00,041 --> 00:16:01,641
Speaker 3: Have unfortunately not come back.

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00:16:02,321 --> 00:16:05,441
Speaker 2: But over the years this case has had some prominent

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Speaker 2: media coverage. The reporter Larry J. Griffin published a serialized investigation.

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00:16:11,281 --> 00:16:15,081
Speaker 2: He did a ton of research, He interviewed Ronda's family members,

250
00:16:15,121 --> 00:16:19,321
Speaker 2: and got access to her autopsy report. He posted parts

251
00:16:19,321 --> 00:16:22,721
Speaker 2: of it on The Wilkes Record, a local North Carolina newspaper.

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00:16:23,401 --> 00:16:26,761
Speaker 2: Most of it is no longer online, but parts of

253
00:16:26,801 --> 00:16:30,161
Speaker 2: it are available on the Wayback Machine, and Larry has

254
00:16:30,201 --> 00:16:33,881
Speaker 2: also posted a lot of the Wilkes Record content on Facebook.

255
00:16:38,321 --> 00:16:42,001
Speaker 2: At first, police reportedly believed this had been some sort

256
00:16:42,041 --> 00:16:44,841
Speaker 2: of an accident, that Rona had been the victim of

257
00:16:44,881 --> 00:16:49,041
Speaker 2: a random stray bullet, but again, the apparent placement of

258
00:16:49,081 --> 00:16:51,841
Speaker 2: the body and the fact that nothing was stolen made

259
00:16:51,921 --> 00:16:56,321
Speaker 2: this less convincing over time, so police began to seriously

260
00:16:56,361 --> 00:17:00,681
Speaker 2: consider the possibility that Ronda was being stalked by someone

261
00:17:00,721 --> 00:17:17,321
Speaker 2: she knew. Investigators began to suspect the killer might have

262
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,441
Speaker 2: followed or intercepted Ronda, possibly someone familiar.

263
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Speaker 3: With her routine and her route home.

264
00:17:24,441 --> 00:17:26,960
Speaker 2: Larry Griffin was able to get a copy of Ronda's

265
00:17:27,001 --> 00:17:30,561
Speaker 2: autopsy report and has posted part of that report online.

266
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:35,480
Speaker 2: According to the autopsy report, Ronda was fully clothed in

267
00:17:35,521 --> 00:17:38,801
Speaker 2: the outfit she so carefully styled for the party, a

268
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,561
Speaker 2: sweater over a shirt, skirt, slip, braw underwear, panty, host

269
00:17:43,561 --> 00:17:47,680
Speaker 2: and choose. The back of her sweater, shirt and slip

270
00:17:48,041 --> 00:17:53,001
Speaker 2: were soaked with blood. Ronda had one small round bruise

271
00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,521
Speaker 2: about the size of a dime on her left side

272
00:17:55,641 --> 00:17:58,840
Speaker 2: under her breast. There was another area of bruising and

273
00:17:58,921 --> 00:18:01,640
Speaker 2: a four to five inch patch toward the middle of

274
00:18:01,681 --> 00:18:06,321
Speaker 2: the left breast. So her family wondered did that bruise

275
00:18:06,361 --> 00:18:09,080
Speaker 2: happen as a result of the shooting or was it

276
00:18:09,121 --> 00:18:12,160
Speaker 2: something that happened before. Could she have gotten into an

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00:18:12,201 --> 00:18:16,961
Speaker 2: altercation with someone earlier that night. The patch of bruising

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00:18:17,001 --> 00:18:18,921
Speaker 2: could have been a result of the impact when she

279
00:18:19,001 --> 00:18:21,681
Speaker 2: hit the steering wheel. There was no mention in the

280
00:18:21,721 --> 00:18:24,921
Speaker 2: report of whether or not she was wearing a seatbelt.

281
00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,481
Speaker 2: Tears in Ronda's clothing matched the gunshot wounds, and the

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Speaker 2: autopsy report found quote no other significant external injuries are

283
00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:38,121
Speaker 2: appreciated end quote. The bullet had gone through the trunk lid,

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00:18:38,361 --> 00:18:41,201
Speaker 2: through the back seat, through the front seat, and then

285
00:18:41,481 --> 00:18:45,601
Speaker 2: hit Ronda in the chest, which killed her. Police were

286
00:18:45,681 --> 00:18:48,601
Speaker 2: able to determine she had been traveling uphill and going

287
00:18:48,601 --> 00:18:51,401
Speaker 2: about twenty five miles per hour when she was shot.

288
00:18:52,201 --> 00:18:57,600
Speaker 2: After being shot, Ronda's car crashed against the embankment. Judy

289
00:18:57,681 --> 00:19:00,361
Speaker 2: Henson's former sister in law, Linda Price.

290
00:19:00,241 --> 00:19:01,321
Speaker 3: Was an emt.

291
00:19:01,681 --> 00:19:05,401
Speaker 2: She wrote some comments and questions for the police. One

292
00:19:05,441 --> 00:19:08,360
Speaker 2: of the things she asked was whether the bruise that

293
00:19:08,441 --> 00:19:11,601
Speaker 2: Ronda had could have been something that happened earlier that night,

294
00:19:11,801 --> 00:19:14,961
Speaker 2: or whether it definitely happened either as a result of

295
00:19:14,961 --> 00:19:19,160
Speaker 2: the car accident or the gunshot. Law enforcement said they

296
00:19:19,161 --> 00:19:22,281
Speaker 2: couldn't be sure. It was likely in their opinion that

297
00:19:22,321 --> 00:19:25,241
Speaker 2: the gunshot caused the bruising, but they couldn't rule out

298
00:19:25,241 --> 00:19:28,041
Speaker 2: the possibility that Ronda might have gotten into some sort

299
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:33,681
Speaker 2: of physical altercation before that final fatal car ride. Either way,

300
00:19:33,961 --> 00:19:38,001
Speaker 2: the gunshot was the cause of death. Now police were

301
00:19:38,041 --> 00:19:41,960
Speaker 2: exploring the possibility that someone was stalking Ronda. They were

302
00:19:42,001 --> 00:19:45,401
Speaker 2: putting together the timeline of event leading up to her shooting.

303
00:19:46,481 --> 00:19:50,721
Speaker 2: On December twenty first, Ronda worked at Hickory Steele. During

304
00:19:50,801 --> 00:19:54,440
Speaker 2: her lunch hour that day, Ronda reportedly went shopping with

305
00:19:54,441 --> 00:19:57,721
Speaker 2: a guy named Mark. Now, Mark was the boyfriend of

306
00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:02,080
Speaker 2: Ronda's best friend Jill, and the four of them, Jill, Mark, Ronda,

307
00:20:02,121 --> 00:20:05,041
Speaker 2: and Greg often doubledated or went out as part of

308
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:09,041
Speaker 2: a group. They were all close friends. Mark wanted help

309
00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:12,001
Speaker 2: picking out a present for Jill, so Ronda and Mark

310
00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:14,880
Speaker 2: went together to the nearby mall. When he dropped her

311
00:20:14,921 --> 00:20:18,080
Speaker 2: back home that day, Ronda left the gray hoodie she

312
00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,001
Speaker 2: had been wearing in the back of Mark's car. Ronda

313
00:20:21,121 --> 00:20:23,880
Speaker 2: was excited about the Christmas party that Hickory Steele was

314
00:20:23,881 --> 00:20:28,001
Speaker 2: having on Friday night at the American Legion Hut. Again,

315
00:20:28,121 --> 00:20:31,241
Speaker 2: this was her first office Christmas party ever. She had

316
00:20:31,281 --> 00:20:34,201
Speaker 2: only been there a few months. Everything was new and exciting.

317
00:20:35,321 --> 00:20:38,201
Speaker 2: Ronda's mother, Judy, kept a journal during this time. She

318
00:20:38,401 --> 00:20:41,561
Speaker 2: shared a lot of her entries with Larry Griffin, the reporter.

319
00:20:42,761 --> 00:20:45,721
Speaker 2: Judy remembered one of the things going on that week

320
00:20:45,921 --> 00:20:48,561
Speaker 2: was that Ronda wasn't sure whether or not to invite

321
00:20:48,641 --> 00:20:52,640
Speaker 2: Greg with her to the party. Judy said Ronda made

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00:20:52,761 --> 00:20:56,761
Speaker 2: many comments to her about Greg, saying, quote, Mom, if

323
00:20:56,761 --> 00:20:59,561
Speaker 2: I invite him and every time I talk to anyone

324
00:20:59,561 --> 00:21:00,801
Speaker 2: else there, he's going to.

325
00:21:00,801 --> 00:21:02,440
Speaker 3: Be upset about it. End quote.

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Speaker 2: Judy wrote in her journal, quote, I don't think that

327
00:21:06,001 --> 00:21:08,761
Speaker 2: Ronda really wanted to deal with his jealousy. I think

328
00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,481
Speaker 2: she had gotten tired of his demanding to know everything

329
00:21:11,561 --> 00:21:15,001
Speaker 2: she did, where she went, who she talked to, everything.

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Speaker 3: End quote.

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00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,401
Speaker 2: Judy Henson went shopping with her daughter at the Valley

332
00:21:19,481 --> 00:21:22,920
Speaker 2: Hills Mall, where Ronda tried on some new outfits and

333
00:21:22,961 --> 00:21:26,681
Speaker 2: they had lunch. Ronda didn't end up finding an outfit,

334
00:21:27,241 --> 00:21:31,241
Speaker 2: but she and her mom had a great time. Greg

335
00:21:31,361 --> 00:21:35,080
Speaker 2: continued to be a topic of conversation that day. Judy

336
00:21:35,241 --> 00:21:37,880
Speaker 2: said Ronda was worried about the fact that Greg was

337
00:21:37,921 --> 00:21:42,321
Speaker 2: coming home that day from college. She said Greg might

338
00:21:42,321 --> 00:21:44,961
Speaker 2: have called she was worried she wouldn't be home to

339
00:21:45,001 --> 00:21:48,401
Speaker 2: take his call and that he might get annoyed. They

340
00:21:48,441 --> 00:21:51,920
Speaker 2: got home from shopping and Ronda's brother, Robbie, said Greg

341
00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:56,321
Speaker 2: had been calling all day. Robbie told Ronda she needed

342
00:21:56,321 --> 00:21:59,961
Speaker 2: to call Greg back. Greg picked Ronda up that night

343
00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,001
Speaker 2: they went to a small Christmas party near Mineral Springs Mountain.

344
00:22:04,161 --> 00:22:07,161
Speaker 2: Ronda and Greg left for the party, but they were

345
00:22:07,201 --> 00:22:09,681
Speaker 2: away for less than an hour when Greg dropped her

346
00:22:09,681 --> 00:22:13,681
Speaker 2: back home. Judy said she asked her daughter about why

347
00:22:13,721 --> 00:22:16,840
Speaker 2: she came home so quickly, and that Ronda said something

348
00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,681
Speaker 2: about Greg being annoyed with her about the shopping trip.

349
00:22:20,561 --> 00:22:24,600
Speaker 2: On December thirteenth, the week before Ronda was killed, she

350
00:22:24,761 --> 00:22:28,401
Speaker 2: had lunch with Greg and his family. Charles McDowell, Greg's

351
00:22:28,441 --> 00:22:31,721
Speaker 2: father was the senior pastor at a nearby church, and

352
00:22:31,761 --> 00:22:35,841
Speaker 2: Betty worked at the same steel company as Ronda. Ronda's

353
00:22:35,881 --> 00:22:38,920
Speaker 2: birthday was December eleventh, so this was kind of a

354
00:22:38,961 --> 00:22:42,041
Speaker 2: holiday lunch slash birthday celebration for Ronda.

355
00:22:42,801 --> 00:22:44,761
Speaker 3: Greg gave her another necklace for her birthday.

356
00:22:45,721 --> 00:22:49,041
Speaker 2: On Monday, December twenty first, nineteen eighty one, when Ronda

357
00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,001
Speaker 2: came home from work, she had a potted plant with

358
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,601
Speaker 2: her as a gift from her boss at the steel company,

359
00:22:54,721 --> 00:22:59,401
Speaker 2: Don Colson. On Tuesday, December twenty second, the last day

360
00:22:59,401 --> 00:23:02,921
Speaker 2: of Ronda's life, there were some irregularities in her routine.

361
00:23:03,641 --> 00:23:06,561
Speaker 2: First of all, it was snowing that morning, so normally

362
00:23:06,681 --> 00:23:09,361
Speaker 2: Ronda drove her nineteen eighty one dots in two ten

363
00:23:09,481 --> 00:23:12,761
Speaker 2: to work, but on that morning, because of the snow,

364
00:23:13,361 --> 00:23:16,041
Speaker 2: she caught a ride with her coworker at Hickory Steele,

365
00:23:16,561 --> 00:23:18,521
Speaker 2: a salesman named Wayne Chapman.

366
00:23:19,481 --> 00:23:21,161
Speaker 3: But Wayne didn't pick her up at home.

367
00:23:21,881 --> 00:23:24,601
Speaker 2: She walked to Exit one twelve to meet up with him,

368
00:23:24,801 --> 00:23:28,081
Speaker 2: which was about half a mile from her house, and

369
00:23:28,561 --> 00:23:33,001
Speaker 2: Ronda had no jacket. Apparently Greg had one of her jackets,

370
00:23:33,401 --> 00:23:36,121
Speaker 2: and she had left her gray hoodie in Mark's car

371
00:23:36,241 --> 00:23:39,401
Speaker 2: during the shopping trip, so on that day she wore

372
00:23:39,401 --> 00:23:43,121
Speaker 2: a green and gold Green Bay Packer jacket. A neighbor

373
00:23:43,241 --> 00:23:48,481
Speaker 2: saw Ron walk past his house wearing that jacket. While

374
00:23:48,561 --> 00:23:50,961
Speaker 2: she was walking to the meet up point, she ran

375
00:23:51,001 --> 00:23:54,561
Speaker 2: into a guy who lived nearby named Brian Lowman. She

376
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,801
Speaker 2: later told her mom that he asked her out, but

377
00:23:58,041 --> 00:24:01,281
Speaker 2: that she told him she already had a boyfriend. Right

378
00:24:01,321 --> 00:24:03,921
Speaker 2: after that, she ran into another man named Bill Gladden.

379
00:24:04,441 --> 00:24:06,761
Speaker 2: Bill was riding by with his wife and their dog,

380
00:24:06,881 --> 00:24:10,441
Speaker 2: a poodle inside the car. They gave Ronda a lift

381
00:24:10,521 --> 00:24:13,041
Speaker 2: up the road to the exit on inter State BOARDY,

382
00:24:13,121 --> 00:24:17,081
Speaker 2: where she met Wayne, her coworker. She later told her

383
00:24:17,121 --> 00:24:20,241
Speaker 2: mother she made a split second decision to accept the

384
00:24:20,321 --> 00:24:23,681
Speaker 2: ride because this wasn't just a single man. He had

385
00:24:23,681 --> 00:24:26,521
Speaker 2: a woman in a poodle inside the car, and that

386
00:24:26,601 --> 00:24:30,001
Speaker 2: made her feel more secure. She went to work at

387
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:32,601
Speaker 2: Hickory Steele and it seemed like just an average day

388
00:24:33,361 --> 00:24:33,921
Speaker 2: at work.

389
00:24:34,241 --> 00:24:37,401
Speaker 3: Ronda called her mom, Judy, which was typical for them.

390
00:24:37,761 --> 00:24:40,881
Speaker 2: That's when Ronda told her about Brian asking her out

391
00:24:40,881 --> 00:24:44,921
Speaker 2: that morning and her saying no. She mentioned that Greg

392
00:24:45,041 --> 00:24:48,481
Speaker 2: was taking her at lunch to go shoe shopping. At noon,

393
00:24:48,681 --> 00:24:50,481
Speaker 2: Ronda went on her lunch break with one of her

394
00:24:50,521 --> 00:24:54,921
Speaker 2: coworkers who saw Greg parked in a blue Chevy. They

395
00:24:54,961 --> 00:24:58,401
Speaker 2: went out and she came back after lunch. The rest

396
00:24:58,481 --> 00:25:01,041
Speaker 2: of the day, from what we know, continued as normal,

397
00:25:01,481 --> 00:25:06,361
Speaker 2: and then Wayne Chapman dropped Ronda off at five thirty PM.

398
00:25:06,921 --> 00:25:10,881
Speaker 2: By now Ronda was in full party prep mode. According

399
00:25:10,881 --> 00:25:14,041
Speaker 2: to phone records, She called Greg and that call lasted

400
00:25:14,121 --> 00:25:15,120
Speaker 2: about three minutes.

401
00:25:15,881 --> 00:25:18,041
Speaker 3: Twelve minutes later, Ronda.

402
00:25:17,721 --> 00:25:20,281
Speaker 2: Took another call from Greg, and this phone call also

403
00:25:20,401 --> 00:25:24,441
Speaker 2: lasted around three minutes. Police asked Judy if she heard

404
00:25:24,481 --> 00:25:28,121
Speaker 2: the contents of these brief phone conversations, but Judy said

405
00:25:28,161 --> 00:25:31,921
Speaker 2: she really didn't. Judy told law enforcement that Ronda took

406
00:25:31,961 --> 00:25:34,360
Speaker 2: the calls in her bedroom so that she would have

407
00:25:34,401 --> 00:25:35,041
Speaker 2: some privacy.

408
00:25:36,161 --> 00:25:39,160
Speaker 3: Judy did say that while Ronda was getting ready, she

409
00:25:39,201 --> 00:25:40,321
Speaker 3: made a comment.

410
00:25:40,121 --> 00:25:42,401
Speaker 2: About Greg trying to pull a guilt trip on her,

411
00:25:42,961 --> 00:25:45,481
Speaker 2: but she said she was determined to have a good

412
00:25:45,521 --> 00:25:49,241
Speaker 2: time at the party. Ronda finished getting ready and walked

413
00:25:49,241 --> 00:25:51,921
Speaker 2: out of the door at around six thirty pm. Her

414
00:25:51,961 --> 00:25:54,761
Speaker 2: plan was to pick up her friend and coworker, Sherry,

415
00:25:55,161 --> 00:25:57,481
Speaker 2: the same person who she was planning on spending the

416
00:25:57,561 --> 00:26:02,121
Speaker 2: night with. Ronda drove out in her Dotson into the night.

417
00:26:02,881 --> 00:26:10,120
Speaker 2: Her family never saw her alive again. As we said,

418
00:26:10,161 --> 00:26:11,441
Speaker 2: witnesses told police she.

419
00:26:11,441 --> 00:26:12,641
Speaker 3: Had a good time at the party.

420
00:26:12,721 --> 00:26:14,681
Speaker 2: She was in a great mood when she set off

421
00:26:14,721 --> 00:26:19,521
Speaker 2: home at around twelve thirty am. According to Larry Griffin reports,

422
00:26:20,001 --> 00:26:22,761
Speaker 2: Ronda arrived back at Sherry's house around midnight.

423
00:26:23,281 --> 00:26:24,881
Speaker 3: She asked to use the phone to.

424
00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:28,881
Speaker 2: Call Greg After that phone call, she decided to drive

425
00:26:28,961 --> 00:26:40,481
Speaker 2: back home and then along that route she was fatally shot.

426
00:26:45,961 --> 00:26:49,241
Speaker 2: Police did talk to two witnesses who said they had

427
00:26:49,321 --> 00:26:52,721
Speaker 2: seen Ronda and her car on Mineral Springs Road with

428
00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:57,681
Speaker 2: an unidentified man. So police had a strange set of circumstances.

429
00:26:58,041 --> 00:27:01,921
Speaker 2: The single shot fired, the wild bullet trajectory, but then

430
00:27:02,041 --> 00:27:04,601
Speaker 2: the fact that the car door was open and Ronda's

431
00:27:04,601 --> 00:27:07,961
Speaker 2: body was pulled out. But police did not have a

432
00:27:08,001 --> 00:27:12,201
Speaker 2: ton of physical evidence. They did find fingerprints on Ronda's

433
00:27:12,241 --> 00:27:16,761
Speaker 2: driver's side door, fingerprints that are unidentified. They believe these

434
00:27:16,801 --> 00:27:20,921
Speaker 2: fingerprints may have come from the killer. Unfortunately, they may

435
00:27:20,961 --> 00:27:25,041
Speaker 2: never be identified because the Burke County Sheriff's Department has

436
00:27:25,121 --> 00:27:28,001
Speaker 2: admitted there were some major mistakes made with some of

437
00:27:28,041 --> 00:27:32,080
Speaker 2: the evidence in this case. They lost crucial evidence, including

438
00:27:32,161 --> 00:27:35,281
Speaker 2: the trunk lid of Ronda Henson's nineteen eighty one dots

439
00:27:35,281 --> 00:27:38,561
Speaker 2: in two ten and the fingerprints. The ones that were

440
00:27:38,561 --> 00:27:42,961
Speaker 2: taken from the car driver's side door were also reportedly

441
00:27:43,161 --> 00:27:48,921
Speaker 2: accidental destroyed. This was obviously devastating for Ronda Henson's family.

442
00:27:50,041 --> 00:27:53,801
Speaker 2: Ronda's parents also started asking questions about the gray hoodie,

443
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,001
Speaker 2: the one that was in the back of Mark's car.

444
00:27:56,881 --> 00:27:59,680
Speaker 2: We know that the hoodie was in Mark's car on

445
00:27:59,721 --> 00:28:02,441
Speaker 2: December eighteenth, nineteen eighty one, the day of the shopping trip,

446
00:28:03,041 --> 00:28:05,840
Speaker 2: but then on the morning of December twenty third, nineteen

447
00:28:05,881 --> 00:28:09,920
Speaker 2: eighty one, when investigators were doing an inventory on her vehicle,

448
00:28:10,481 --> 00:28:13,481
Speaker 2: investigators found that same gray hoodie on the sun deck

449
00:28:13,481 --> 00:28:17,321
Speaker 2: of her car. Her parents say they didn't believe it

450
00:28:17,361 --> 00:28:19,561
Speaker 2: was in her car when she left home on the

451
00:28:19,601 --> 00:28:22,441
Speaker 2: evening of December twenty second, nineteen eighty one, to head

452
00:28:22,441 --> 00:28:25,601
Speaker 2: out to the Christmas party, so they wondered how did

453
00:28:25,601 --> 00:28:29,840
Speaker 2: that sweatshirt get there from Mark's nineteen seventy seven Buick

454
00:28:29,921 --> 00:28:33,641
Speaker 2: Regal to Ronda's car. There was something else found in

455
00:28:33,721 --> 00:28:36,481
Speaker 2: Ronda's car, something that her parents claim wasn't in the

456
00:28:36,521 --> 00:28:39,561
Speaker 2: car when she left for the party, a stuffed animal

457
00:28:39,681 --> 00:28:42,521
Speaker 2: she and Greg had bought while on vacation together at

458
00:28:42,521 --> 00:28:47,481
Speaker 2: Myrtle Beach. Police never really addressed or answered any questions

459
00:28:47,521 --> 00:28:50,521
Speaker 2: about how these items made it into Ronda's car, and

460
00:28:50,841 --> 00:28:53,481
Speaker 2: her family have not been able to get answers about

461
00:28:53,601 --> 00:28:56,881
Speaker 2: chain of custody, of evidence, or many other things from

462
00:28:56,881 --> 00:29:01,881
Speaker 2: the police. Judy Henson has stated the family has asked

463
00:29:01,881 --> 00:29:07,561
Speaker 2: to see Ronda's clothes, but she said the police said no. Eventually,

464
00:29:07,641 --> 00:29:11,161
Speaker 2: state authorities became involved in the case, but Judy said

465
00:29:11,281 --> 00:29:13,841
Speaker 2: they haven't had much luck in communication with them either.

466
00:29:15,361 --> 00:29:18,921
Speaker 2: Judy Henson told Larry Newell the reporter, that they have

467
00:29:19,081 --> 00:29:22,401
Speaker 2: been told by an SBI investigator that the case should,

468
00:29:22,401 --> 00:29:25,601
Speaker 2: in her words, be quote put back in the drawer

469
00:29:25,721 --> 00:29:26,121
Speaker 2: where it.

470
00:29:26,081 --> 00:29:31,041
Speaker 3: Belongs end quote. Even though they.

471
00:29:31,001 --> 00:29:35,241
Speaker 2: Lost Ronda's trunk, which is obviously a catastrophe, police did

472
00:29:35,281 --> 00:29:36,401
Speaker 2: get some early clues.

473
00:29:37,001 --> 00:29:38,601
Speaker 3: Police told Judy.

474
00:29:38,361 --> 00:29:41,361
Speaker 2: And Bobby they were able to determine that the bullet

475
00:29:41,441 --> 00:29:43,921
Speaker 2: was fired from somewhere behind the car and on a

476
00:29:43,961 --> 00:29:49,321
Speaker 2: slight elevation, something like an overpass or a hill or bank. That,

477
00:29:49,601 --> 00:29:53,161
Speaker 2: combined with the neat placement of Ronda's body, leads many

478
00:29:53,241 --> 00:29:55,441
Speaker 2: to think the shooter was close enough to walk up

479
00:29:55,481 --> 00:29:58,921
Speaker 2: to the car afterward, rather than some distant random hunter.

480
00:29:59,761 --> 00:30:03,521
Speaker 2: Police have interviewed all of Ronda's friends, including Greg and Mark,

481
00:30:03,561 --> 00:30:06,801
Speaker 2: over the years. There have been reports that Greg took

482
00:30:06,841 --> 00:30:10,641
Speaker 2: two polygraphs, that the first was inconclusive and the second,

483
00:30:10,801 --> 00:30:15,561
Speaker 2: taking years later, he passed. Of course, polygraph tests are

484
00:30:15,601 --> 00:30:18,361
Speaker 2: not admissible in court for a reason, and the refusal

485
00:30:18,401 --> 00:30:21,321
Speaker 2: to take them, or even failing them, is not indicative

486
00:30:21,321 --> 00:30:21,761
Speaker 2: of guilt.

487
00:30:22,321 --> 00:30:23,721
Speaker 3: It's just an investigative tool.

488
00:30:24,601 --> 00:30:27,881
Speaker 2: Neither Greg Mark, nor anyone else connected to them has

489
00:30:27,961 --> 00:30:31,561
Speaker 2: ever been arrested or charged in any way with Ronda's shooting.

490
00:30:32,801 --> 00:30:36,441
Speaker 2: Police did talk to Greg's family. Judy has stated law

491
00:30:36,481 --> 00:30:40,241
Speaker 2: enforcement interviewed Greg's mother, Betty, and that she allegedly told

492
00:30:40,321 --> 00:30:43,601
Speaker 2: them she and Greg had had questions about Larry, Greg's father,

493
00:30:44,601 --> 00:30:48,441
Speaker 2: but law enforcement apparently concluded Betty's statements could have come

494
00:30:48,481 --> 00:30:51,481
Speaker 2: as a result of her very acrimonious breakup with Greg's

495
00:30:51,521 --> 00:30:56,161
Speaker 2: father and allegations of infidelity. There is no suggestion that

496
00:30:56,361 --> 00:30:59,481
Speaker 2: anyone in Greg's family were involved in Ronda's shooting in

497
00:30:59,561 --> 00:31:04,401
Speaker 2: any way. Police are still appealing to the public for

498
00:31:04,521 --> 00:31:08,761
Speaker 2: any information on Ronda's case. The reward for any information

499
00:31:08,841 --> 00:31:11,921
Speaker 2: on Ronda's case started at five thousand dollars set by

500
00:31:11,921 --> 00:31:15,401
Speaker 2: the town of Valdiz, but then the Burke County Sheriff,

501
00:31:15,561 --> 00:31:19,641
Speaker 2: in cooperation with other law enforcement and governmental agencies, has

502
00:31:19,681 --> 00:31:23,041
Speaker 2: announced a combined reward of up to ninety four thousand,

503
00:31:23,161 --> 00:31:26,481
Speaker 2: seven hundred dollars for information leading to the arrest and

504
00:31:26,521 --> 00:31:33,961
Speaker 2: conviction of anyone responsible for Ronda's death. Judy Henson told

505
00:31:34,001 --> 00:31:37,361
Speaker 2: Fox News in twenty fifteen that she and her husband

506
00:31:37,401 --> 00:31:40,081
Speaker 2: have differing opinions about what could have happened to their daughter.

507
00:31:40,841 --> 00:31:42,481
Speaker 3: Her husband believed that it was.

508
00:31:42,481 --> 00:31:45,201
Speaker 2: Quote just a random shot by some people in the

509
00:31:45,201 --> 00:31:49,121
Speaker 2: area playing around with a rifle end quote, but Judy

510
00:31:49,241 --> 00:31:52,081
Speaker 2: said she continues to believe that her daughter was targeted.

511
00:31:52,961 --> 00:31:57,241
Speaker 2: I read a comment somewhere talking about the case. It said, basically,

512
00:31:57,401 --> 00:32:00,121
Speaker 2: if the shooting was deliberate, it was the luckiest shot

513
00:32:00,121 --> 00:32:02,721
Speaker 2: in the world, and if it wasn't deliberate, it was

514
00:32:02,761 --> 00:32:07,241
Speaker 2: the unluckiest. And I agree with that sentiment. And investigators

515
00:32:07,241 --> 00:32:11,161
Speaker 2: are still divided on which scenario fits here. They still

516
00:32:11,281 --> 00:32:15,961
Speaker 2: don't know if Ronda's shooting was accidental or murder. I

517
00:32:16,161 --> 00:32:19,801
Speaker 2: have considered another possibility that it could have been somewhere

518
00:32:19,841 --> 00:32:23,321
Speaker 2: in the middle. Maybe the two guys the witness saw

519
00:32:23,321 --> 00:32:25,881
Speaker 2: that night were driving around and fired off a shot,

520
00:32:26,401 --> 00:32:29,201
Speaker 2: either in road rage or as a joke, and.

521
00:32:29,121 --> 00:32:30,841
Speaker 3: Their shot killed Ronda.

522
00:32:31,481 --> 00:32:34,561
Speaker 2: Or maybe it was someone firing shots from the highway.

523
00:32:34,641 --> 00:32:38,001
Speaker 2: If someone did hit her by accident, they may have

524
00:32:38,081 --> 00:32:40,081
Speaker 2: gone down to check on her, and then when they

525
00:32:40,161 --> 00:32:46,681
Speaker 2: realized she was dead, panicked, and fled the scene. If

526
00:32:46,801 --> 00:32:50,601
Speaker 2: Ronda Henson had lived today, she would be in her sixties.

527
00:32:51,801 --> 00:32:53,281
Speaker 3: Judy said that while she.

528
00:32:53,281 --> 00:32:56,241
Speaker 2: Still hopes and prays that someone would come forward with

529
00:32:56,321 --> 00:32:59,401
Speaker 2: information that could help lead to answers about what really

530
00:32:59,481 --> 00:33:03,440
Speaker 2: happened to Ronda, she clings to that final memory of

531
00:33:03,561 --> 00:33:06,440
Speaker 2: her daughter dressed up to go out to that party.

532
00:33:06,481 --> 00:33:09,921
Speaker 2: She was so excited about dressed in the sweater and

533
00:33:09,961 --> 00:33:13,281
Speaker 2: skirt that her mom helped her pick out and buy.

534
00:33:14,441 --> 00:33:17,721
Speaker 2: Judy said, quote, she looked the most beautiful I had

535
00:33:17,761 --> 00:33:21,081
Speaker 2: ever seen her on that night. When we saw her again,

536
00:33:21,761 --> 00:33:28,121
Speaker 2: it was in a funeral home. End quote. I'm Catherine Townsend.

537
00:33:28,561 --> 00:33:32,441
Speaker 2: This is Helen Gone Murder Line. Helen Gone Murder Line

538
00:33:32,521 --> 00:33:35,321
Speaker 2: is a production of School of Humans and iHeart Podcasts.

539
00:33:35,641 --> 00:33:38,721
Speaker 2: It's written and narrated by me Catherine Townsend and produced

540
00:33:38,761 --> 00:33:42,361
Speaker 2: by Etiis Perez. Special thanks to Amy Tubbs for her

541
00:33:42,401 --> 00:33:46,761
Speaker 2: research assistance and James Wheaton for legal review. Noah Camera

542
00:33:46,881 --> 00:33:49,921
Speaker 2: mixed and scored this episode. Our theme song is by

543
00:33:49,921 --> 00:33:54,281
Speaker 2: Ben Sale. Executive producers are Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr, and

544
00:33:54,481 --> 00:33:58,561
Speaker 2: LC Crowley. Listen to Helen Gone ad free by subscribing

545
00:33:58,601 --> 00:34:02,001
Speaker 2: to the iHeart True Crime Plush channel on Apple Podcasts.

546
00:34:02,481 --> 00:34:05,041
Speaker 2: If you are interested in seeing documents and materials from

547
00:34:05,041 --> 00:34:08,761
Speaker 2: the case, you can follow the show on Instagram.

548
00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:09,480
Speaker 3: At Helen gonpot.

549
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:11,681
Speaker 2: If you have a case you'd like me and my

550
00:34:11,721 --> 00:34:14,040
Speaker 2: team to look into, you can reach out to us

551
00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,520
Speaker 2: at our Helen Gone Murder line at six seven eight

552
00:34:16,921 --> 00:34:20,520
Speaker 2: seven four four six one four five that's six seven

553
00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:23,480
Speaker 2: eight seven four four six' one four or.

554
00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:30,401
Speaker 1: Five school Of humans