Going West: True Crime - PREVIEW The Woodchipper Murder // Bonus Ep 11

Episode Date: March 2, 2020

**PREVIEW OF OUR LATEST BONUS EPISODE** Please note, this is just the first half of our latest Patreon bonus episode to show what they're like. All our regular content is free, so we have a Patreon to give listeners the option to subscribe $5/month to help the show. Full episode: https://www.patreon.com/goingwestpodcast In 1986, a Danish Pan Am flight attendant went missing from her Connecticut home after a big snowstorm knocked out the town's power. She was in the middle of a divorce with her husband who told her friends that she was visiting her sick mother back in Denmark and that he didn't know when she'd be back. But as weeks passed and she'd missed multiple flights for work and hadn't returned any of her friends calls, they began to fear for the worse. When police finally began investigating her disappearance, they discovered that just before she was last seen, her husband had made some strange purchases. This is the murder of Helle Crafts. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on going West Gang? I'm your host Tee and I'm your other host Daphne and you're listening to Real Crime. Here in Real Crime we discuss the true stories that are inspired by or based on horror and true crime movies, and today we discuss the case that inspired the film Fargo, which was filmed in 1996, it's a crime drama, and it won multiple Academy Awards. You guys probably know it, or have seen it, or have seen the show based on the film. It's amazing. This case is very different from the movie.

It's not really similar to the movie in any way, really. There are elements taken from the story, but this is the story that inspired the idea of Fargo. Fargo was pretty much created because of this case. The Cohen brothers actually heard this case, and that kind of inspired them to make the movie Fargo. All right, guys, without further ado, this is episode 11 of Real Crime, so let's get into it. In 1986, a Danish panam flight attendant went missing from her Connecticut home after a big snowstorm knocked out the town's power.

She was in the middle of a divorce with her husband, who told her friends that she was visiting her sick mother back in Denmark and that he didn't know when she'd be back. But as weeks passed and she'd missed multiple flights for work and hadn't returned any of her friends' calls, they began to fear the worst. When police finally began investigating her disappearance, they discovered that just before she was last seen, her husband had made some strange purchases. This is the murder of

hella crafts. Hella Nielsen was born on July 4, 1947 in the beautiful suburban town of Charlottonland, Denmark, as an only child. Her mother, Elizabeth, gave birth to her at the age of 44 alongside her husband, Eib Nielsen, who had previously been-knit middle-class family living just north of Denmark's capital Copenhagen, where her father owned a gas station. Growing up, Hele was very positive and happy, which made it easy for her to make friends and do well in her schoolwork. She learned foreign languages starting at a young age, so although her native tongue was Danish, she became fluent in English and French,

and then followed on to learn Swedish, German, and Norwegian while she was still a mere child. When hella was just seven years old, her parents divorced since her father had been having an affair with another woman, and her mother had found out. Hella's mother, Elizabeth, had her own career and worked as a secretary for a school in town, so she was able to continue supporting herself as well as Halah, who bounced between both her parents' new homes. She continued to do well in school and completed all of her coursework by the age of 16, which

is around the same time her parents actually reunited and married for a second time. Halah then moved to England to continue her studies while she also worked as an opair. She was an opair for a family in France which only made her fall in love with the language further, and this also helped her become even more fluent. Her goal was to become an interpreter in her home country of Denmark, but she also absolutely loved traveling and wanted to put her language skills to good use while also being able to explore the world. This prompted her to get a job as a flight attendant for capital airways when she was just 20 years old.

And she was a great flight attendant because, like I mentioned, she had such a wonderful personality and a caring disposition. She was never one to gossip or speak negatively about her colleagues or people in her life, she was just a very kind person. And to give you a visual, she was a fairly tall, thin, blonde woman with a gorgeous smile, so overall she was a total catch. She mostly flew out of Brussels, Belgium, and Frankfurt, Germany, and she absolutely loved her job. Just two years after starting her stewardess career, she learned about an

opportunity to join the staff of Pan American. They were recruiting for new flight attendants and of course they were the ideal airline to work for. And as a lot of us know, Pan Am had probably the coolest commercial planes ever to exist. They had beautiful mod interiors with lots of colors and unique seating arrangements. Some of their planes even included bars and spiral staircases that led to an upper level. So, Hela was determined to work for this awesome airline and she was chosen out of the merely eight Danish women who were recruited out of over 200 who applied. So, clearly, she was great. It was after taking the stewardess job with Pan Am when

Hella would meet a man named Richard Crafts who was a successful pilot for a commercial airline. Richard Crafts was born on December 20th, 1937 in New York City to parents Andy and Lucretia Crafts, and he was the older brother to his two sisters Karen and Suzanne. His father Andy was very successful after founding his own accounting firm on Park Avenue in New York. Richard's love for piloting came from his father's experience as a pilot himself during World War I. Although Richard was born in New York, his father soon bought their family home in the very small and upscale town of Darian, Connecticut. The area is known to be one

of the best places to live in Connecticut, thanks to its beauty, fantastic public schools, and luxurious yet suburban feel. It also happens to be the nation's wealthiest community, so point being Richard had a cozy upbringing. Darian was just under an hour away by train to New York City, so it was easy for his father to get back there for work. Other than providing a nice life-self for his family, Andy wasn't a model example of a father to his three kids because he was very strict, hit a terrible temper, and he often drank too much alcohol, which only emphasized these bad traits.

While Andy worked, his wife Lucretia cared for the kids and she also opened up her very own children's clothing store in Darian. Richard wasn't the best student and he also acted out a bit as a kid. On one occasion, he tried to shoot out the windows of a neighboring home with a BB gun. But a lot of people will say this is somewhat

typical elementary school behavior. I didn't do that. Did you do that, Heath? Yeah, I actually did that when I was 18. Okay, you were actually a, you were like a bad kid, though. I mean, I was in a bad kid. I just, I was aiming at something that happened to be right in front of the kitchen window and, um, yeah, I cracked it with a BB.

Heath has told me many a child story. I was such a good kid. I was so nice, never gotten to trouble. I was a goody, goody, goody gal. All right, I was kind of a shithead, whatever, I admit it. Could have been worse for you. It's not like you heard anyone, but anyway. So as Richard continued to grow up,

he kind of just blended in and he wasn't overly friendly or confident or happy, he was just kinda there. He didn't have any particularly special talents nor did he participate in any sports or extra curriculars at school, nothing wrong with that, I didn't either, and he also didn't go to college right away. But this was because he was made to pay his own way through school, despite his father's considerable wealth. And I do slightly admire parents who do this kind of thing, like my mom pushed me out into my own when I was 18, and I think it builds character and it kind of gives kids a taste of what the real world is like.

Especially if you're raised in a very wealthy home, but this did put off his education a bit, and it also kind of pushed him off track. Because he had to go to school full time while he was working at a local convenience store as much as possible so he could pay for school. So he was very overwhelmed with his workload, and it made it hard for him to stay motivated. And personally for me, this is why I stopped going to college because I had to work full time, and it was just too much.

And you see this happened to many adults Too who never got their degree they have kids they have a job and going to college isn't really Isn't really possible now. It's easier with online, but for him he was just like all right. This is too much I don't I don't care this much. I know look at us. We're a couple of college dropouts and hey We got a podcast run in the world over here. Richard was attending the University of Connecticut studying agriculture, but he wasn't doing too well in school, and, like Daphne said, he had a heavy workload, so he ended up dropping out after just one year when he was 19 years old.

But in the fall of 1956, he joined the Marine Corps, which surprisingly enough made his parents very angry. His mother was just pretty sad about the news, while his father was mad that he wasn't continuing his studies to become successful just like he did. And I say I'm surprised that they were so upset because I know that joining the army is looked at to be a very noble thing to do, especially since Richard's father had been in World War I. So you'd think maybe they would be happy about this decision, but they clearly were not.

And I understand that too, because going out to war is not safe. You don't want your child to be put in harm's way, but yeah, I agree. A little surprising since his dad was in the war. Maybe his dad was like, listen, I went through that shit. It sucked. I don't want you to go through that, so make sure you study hard to get a good job. was in the war. Very likely, but regardless, Richard spent four years in the Marine Corps and that's when he learned to fly planes just like his dad. But unlike his dad, it became such an interest of his that he wanted to pursue it as a

career. While he was still in the military, he flew helicopters for the U.S. Naval Air Training Station in Pensacola, Florida, before becoming station in North Carolina. Then he was transferred to work in Korea and Japan, and afterwards began his pilot career with Air America once he left the military. And this is a role he felt very comfortable in, and he felt like he found his path. And as an added bonus to him finding his passion, he was actually paid very well, and he was a very well respected person and member of the Air America staff. It's funny because I

feel like pilots were extra appreciated in the 60s because this took place in the 60s right here where we're at in the story, and I just feel like people seem to treat them almost like celebrities, so I mean he's doing good. Yeah, definitely. It kind of reminds me of that movie, Catch Me If You Can, where like the pilots are looked upon by like all the women, and they're like the cool guys, and they're super important. And not only that, but like this was kind of a turning point in American Airlines where this was kind of a new thing, commercial flights and things like that. So it was kind of hot and fresh. And actually I was listening to an episode of Time Suck if you guys haven't listened to that, you should. Best podcast ever. But they were talking about how in 1969 there was actually about a thousand plane hijackings during that time or something like that

It was a very high number and it was because it was so new and they didn't really know how to stop that at that time because There was no like TSA so little fun fact for you there. I feel like you know in the early days It makes sense why pilots were so appreciated. I mean they still are today I remember when I was a kid, I was five or six, and my twin sister went to Florida to visit our grandparents. And for some reason, we went all by ourselves as unaccompanied minors, not sure what my parents were thinking. We were complaining in a funny way probably

to the flight attendant about how we just wanted to get there already and are we there yet kind of thing. And they told the pilot and the pilot made an announcement because of Daphne and Charlotte, we're going to arrive 10 minutes early or something and we are so embarrassed, but we're also like, wow, that's so cool. Like the pilots that are names or whatever. Yeah, pilots are super dope. And there's all those videos online that you can see where like the flight attendants are

doing like funny and goofy stuff. So that's cool to you. But one quick thing I wanted to mention is when I said that shit sucks about being in the military, what I meant is that war sucks. But we do respect the women and men who serve our country. Wow, what a delayed, delayed correction. I know that took a minute, but we got there. Okay, so back to Richard. He was based outside of the US and only worked with Air America for around four years when he decided to leave to try and get a job in the United States. He returned to the East Coast, but didn't have the best look finding work, so he just took odd jobs where he could. But after a couple years bouncing around at the age of 29,

he was hired by Eastern Airlines in 1968, where he trained in Miami. Also training in Miami was Helen Nielsen. And she took a liking to him right away. Hella herself was a kind-hearted individual who took things seriously. A lot of her other co-workers goofed off, but Hella was very mature and that side of her other co-workers goofed off, but Hela was very mature

and that side of her really paralleled Richards. She knew he lived in New York City, so she asked him for help getting an apartment in Queens because she was about to begin working based out of New York, which would be her first time living in the US. He helped her and the two actually developed a relationship, which was a bit more rare for Hela since she was so focused on her career and traveling.

She ended up getting an apartment she shared with around five other flight attendants, which wouldn't have been too crammed since they were all traveling constantly. But Richard and Hella's relationship went through some hard times. Since they both traveled a lot, Richard was actually engaged to another woman while he was still dating Hella, and he didn't have the same sweet side to him like Hella did, so pursuing two different women didn't bother him. Richard soon became reassigned to work in Miami while Hella remained in New York, but despite being long distance, they stayed together. In 1975, so a few years after meeting, Hela became pregnant with Richard's

child. It was then that they decided they should get married and their small wedding took place very soon after in November 1975 in New Hampshire. Helen Nielsen then became Hela Crafts. Their first child together was Andrew, who was, Hela, great idea you'd like to unpack or a story you'd like to tell on a podcast? With Speaker, you can record, host, and share your episodes with the world in seconds. And Speaker is the only platform where you can start monetizing your podcast from day one. All you need to get started is a microphone or even a cell phone, and of course, a good

idea. For one free month on a pro account, visit spreeker.com slash join today. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R slash join today to sign up for free. Born in 1976, and two years later, they were expecting another child. Another boy who they named Thomas. Then three years after that, Christina was born.

The family lived in a suburban area in the middle-class town of Newtown, Connecticut, in a beautiful, rancestyle home that spread across over two and a half acres. And not that it should be known for this, but Newtown is actually where the Sandy Hook shooting took place. And the reason I bring this up is because it's widely discussed that Newtown was a beautiful, safe community where bad stuff didn't typically happen. So the same thing goes for the 1980s. It was super, super safe, beautiful little town. As the years went on,

Hella and Richard didn't share a very happy marriage at all. They had trouble keeping up with all the financial responsibility that came with living in a nice community and raising three children, even though Richard made what would now be nearly $200,000 a year while Hella made what would now be about $75,000 a year, and Hella really began to tire of Richard's attitude and difficult personality, especially when he drank, which was usually between 6 and 12 beers a night. Also, they continued to work in the airline industry, which meant that they were out of town very often. Richard was very demanding about how he would use her paychecks.

Even though he made the majority of the money, she would have to spend most of her income on mortgage and household bills, while Richard spent his money building up his gun collection, along with getting other pricey landscaping equipment. He'd like spending his time cutting up wood and working outdoors by himself, and he even became a volunteer cop. So he really wasn't around very often. Another thing Richard spent his income on was his apartment in New York City, that he told Hella he had to that he had a place to sleep that was closer to the airport if he had

just flown a long flight. Hella told her friends on many occasions that she was a bit scared of her husband Richard. He was very aggressive with her children and not at all a loving sweet father figure. He didn't act like he cared about them much at all, only when they upset him that he react. He missed countless birthdays and school events because he was either working or just didn't care to be there. So he'd make himself scarce.

In fact, he wasn't even present for the birth of their third and last child. Hella drove herself to the hospital because she genuinely felt like Richard would be bothered if she told him that she was going into labor. And no one really ever knew his schedule either. He just kind of came and went as he pleased, whereas Hella was much more organized with her calendar. How sad is that that your husband sucks so bad that you're literally about to birth your child and you're driving yourself? Because you're just like, don't wanna, don't wanna bug him.

He's like guns and tractors man, fuck yeah. Oh kids, no, not gonna be there. That's so sad though. Like why, why do they keep birthin'? I don't really know, like why does he want children if he doesn't want to spend time with his children? I don't understand that. Maybe because that's just how things were then and he kind of felt like that was the structure of what he was supposed to do? Just a just a wretched situation. In the early 80s, Richard was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to get half of his colon removed. So because of this, he and Hela spent much more time together and he had to go on leave for his job for treatments and surgeries. But the

following year, he continued work like normal, and their relationship once again began to deplete. And this made hella very sad, because like we said, they had kids together, and they were married. And in the months that she was by Richard's side helping him through his cancer, their relationship was doing well. But once he was all better, it's as if he didn't really need her anymore all over again. Meanwhile, Richard also started having affairs, again, which Hella knew about, but she didn't confront him about them. Not just this, but Richard also became physically violent with Hella. Sometimes even leaving her with bruises. Instead, she vented to her friends and brought up her thoughts of divorce.

Hella was now even more scared of Richard, now that she was divorcing him because she was worried he would get even more enraged with her than ever, especially because he had such a huge gun collection that even included machine guns and grenade launchers. Needless to say, she was worried. Yeah, she was worried. The lawyer then suggested that hella hire a private investigator so he recommended one to her. This way they could help prove Richard was cheating on her and she could get full custody

of their three children. But she didn't really like this idea and she even told a friend that she really thought that Richard would kill her if he found out what she was doing. But Keith Mayo, the private investigator, did help prove this after he took photos of Richard snuggling up to his flight attendant girlfriend after finding her home through phone records. In 1986, when her children were 10, 8, and 5, Hela mustered up the courage to tell her husband about her plans for divorce.

And apparently, his response was very condescending. He basically just pat her on the head and said, anything you want, dear. Richard was just like kind of odd like that. At unsuspecting times, he acted very calm. It was like he was soulless except for when something really upset him. So then he would lash out.

But hella still loved him. And shortly after she told him that she wanted a divorce, Richard told her that his cancer returned and that he wasn't going to seek treatment because he basically would rather die. And this made things much more complicated for the divorce because Hela cared for him, and she just wanted him to change and be a better husband to her. She didn't want to leave him, she just wanted things to improve. In the meantime, they hired an op-air named Marie Don Thomas to help watch the kids while both

Hela and Richard were working. A couple months passed and it was now the fall of 1986. Hela was still pursuing the divorce and she was now even more afraid than before. So much so that she told her lawyer that if something were to happen to her, don't assume that it was an accident. Many of her friends and lawyer suggested that she move out of the house to ensure her safety, but she was afraid that Richard would find her wherever she went since he had police friends

due to having been a volunteer cop. She also worried that it would somehow affect her gaining full custody of her kids in the divorce. With the holidays approaching, Hela was excited to host Thanksgiving dinner, and although things were still tough at home, she was doing her best to get through it. On November 13th, Richard purchased a freezer, along with fireproof gloves and a shovel. On Tuesday, November 18, 1986, Richard called a local tree service company to get a woodchipper rental. That same day, he ordered a pickup truck that he would haul heavy equipment with. As we mentioned, Richard often spent a lot of money on landscaping equipment, but these seemed like somewhat odd purchases, even for him. Later that day, hella returned home to Connecticut from Hamburg, Germany,

which was a typical flight schedule for her she often went to Germany with Pan Am. After being dropped off by her fellow flight attendant friends, Anna and Sue. There was a big snowstorm headed their way, so they listened to the radio on the way home to learn about the proper precautions that needed they needed to take for it. When they arrived to the crafts house in Newtown, hella said, Richard's home, in a plain tone of voice after noticing his truck in the driveway. Hella then got out of the car and said goodbye to her friends. And little did they know, it was the last time they'd see her alive.

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