Going West: True Crime - The Maine Bed & Breakfast Killer // 230

Episode Date: August 27, 2022

In September of 2006, a grisly murder scene was uncovered in a picturesque farmhouse bed & breakfast in rural Maine. Four people, including the innkeeper and her daughter, were murdered and dismembered by the young cook who lived there, shocking the small town and the entire region. This is the story Julie Bullard, Selby Bullard, Cynthia Beatson, and Jimmy Whitehurst, and it’s also the story of the Maine Bed & Breakfast Killer. BONUS EPISODES patreon.com/goingwestpodcast CASE SOURCES 1. WJBQ: https://wjbq.com/do-you-remember-the-maine-bed-breakfast-serial-killer/ 2. NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/06/us/06maine.html#:~:text=On%20Sunday%2C%20Mr.,up%20unexpectedly%20at%20the%20inn. 3. Portland Press Herald: https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/850596284/?terms=julie%20bullard&match=1 4. Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/829-Sunday-River-Rd-Newry-ME-04261/2136561112_zpid/?fbclid=IwAR2uHvIqH3PW0nvmRNx8y3dKZf2KKJ-veOA-3L35YZZMWbIIhGal_sjbRPY 5. Died in House: https://www.facebook.com/diedinhouse/posts/former-black-bear-bed-and-breakfast-mass-murder-and-dismemberment-829-sunday-riv/1871789262979432/ 6. The Boston Globe: http://archive.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2006/09/07/rent_dispute_may_have_preceded_maine_deaths/?__goto=loginpage 7. Portland Press Herald: https://www.newspapers.com/image/850596256 8. State of Maine v. Christian Nielsen: https://murderpedia.org/male.N/images/nielsen-christian/maine-v-nielsen.pdf 9. Sun Journal: https://www.sunjournal.com/2006/09/16/troubled-childhood/ 10. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105419041/james-william-whitehurst 11. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105424165/julie-attebury-bullard 12. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15916100/cynthia-ellen-beatson 13. Sea Coast Online: https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/portsmouth-herald/2007/05/04/murder-suspect-loses-55-lbs/52908665007/ 14. Mainebiz: https://www.mainebiz.biz/article/inns-grisly-connection-prompts-conversion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on to crime fans? I'm your host T. Aina, I'm your host Daphne, and you're listening to Going West. Welcome, welcome everybody. Thank you for tuning in to Going West today. Hope you're all having a splendid end of your week. As you guys know by now, I really like covering new England cases. Oh yes, we do know. And they did a very random Google search at some point this year and found this case that we're talking about today. And it's a shocking one. It's very shocking. And it's also kind of has to do with Labor Day weekend, which is cool as well. It does and here we are and here we are In on Labor Day weekend. That's right. Well, do we have anything else to report? Not so much to report this year excited to go camping. I'm really excited

Yeah, we're gonna go camping this week and I'm so excited We're gonna spend time with family eat like a billion hot dogs and drink about a billion beers. That's what we do That's what we do. All right guys. This is episode 230 of going west, so let's get into it In September of 2006, a grizzly murder scene was uncovered in a picturesque farmhouse bed and breakfast in rural Maine. Four people, including the inkeeper and her daughter, were murdered and dismembered by the young cook who live there, shocking the small town and the entire region. This is the story of Julie Bullard, Selby Bullard, Cynthia Beatson, and Jimmy Whitehurst.

And it's also the story of the main Bed & Breakfast was opened in a sprawling farmhouse built in 1830 in New Remain. Newry is a quaint ski resort town that only hosts about 400 full-time residents sitting about an hour and a half west of the coast. And speaking of ski resorts, the town is known for the Sunday River Ski Resort, which is one of Maine's largest and most popular ski hills. Neurie is just about 30 minutes from the border of the state of New Hampshire, and also about an hour and a half northwest of Maine's capital city of Augusta.

The Ben and Breakfast had a prime location, right on the banks of the ski resort's namesake, the Sunday River. You guys should really go look at a photo of this, um, Ben and Breakfast because it's beautiful and we definitely posted photos everywhere. Yeah, it looks like a gorgeous place and kind of like just like a picturesque vacation spot. Yeah, it's super quaint. So the rustic six bedroom, six bathroom property at 829 Sunday River Road,

boasted over 4,600 square feet and was renovated to make plenty of room for guests. The property spanned 4.8 acres and included gardens, mountain views, a pool, and a tennis court. So lots of very nice amenities here. Lots of activities to do. The inn was just a six minute drive to the renowned ski resort.

But even in the off season, the area featured stunning views, hiking and foliage. Now in 2004, mother and daughter team, and Shelby Bullard purchased this property and they opened what they called the Black Bear Bed and Breakfast. So Julie Bullard was born on July 22nd, 1941 in Amarillo, Texas, to parents Luther, Newbie, Jr. and Meredith Perdue. And because her father was an airline pilot, she had a pretty fascinating childhood, living abroad in Hong Kong, China, and just traveling the world with her parents and her younger sisters, Seoul and Laura. As an adult, she moved to San Francisco, California, where she lived for about 25 years. She absolutely loved to host, and while residing in San Francisco opened her passion project, the Church Street, Bed and Breakfast, and the Castro District, which is basically

in the heart of the city. Julie is remembered as a kind, gentle, warm woman, who, according to her obituary, had a penchant for the cozy luxuries of. Quote, teacups, a fine cake crumb, antiquing, and her many beloved pets. What a beautiful image. That just sounds like her. Sounds very cozy, doesn't it? I don't even know her, but just knowing that she was this wonderful woman who had multiple bed and breakfast

and like tea and cake and just that whole vibe, I just love that. That's so you. I just love that. That's so you. I just think that's lovely. She was esteemed as hostess and inkeeper and known for her famous breakfast pajama parties. So fun. She married Dennis Bollard

and the two had four daughters together, including Selby. Now let's talk about Selby for a minute. So Selby Ellen Bollard was born on on June 21, 1976 in Lake Port, California, which is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of San Francisco. Selby had a few different jobs in her short life, including working as a nail technician, a server, and an eyewear salesperson, since she reportedly had a knack for finding the perfect frames to fit everyone's faces. Selby got married and had two children.

She had a daughter named Lela Camille in 1995 and a son named Elliott Maxwell in 1997. So just two years later. I really love that name. That sounds like a, for some reason it sounds like a writer's name, Elliott Maxwell. It do, it do. It do. It really be do. I got some dental work done today guys, by the way, and I feel like I can't talk right now.

Yeah, half her face is still kind of numb. If I'm talking weird, I'm sorry. So according to Selby's obituary, it says, Selby was an adoring mother. She infused any gathering with fun and humor and had a tremendous lust for life. And it sounds like her mom was exactly the same. So it's no surprise to me that Selby is just like her mom.

Absolutely. But in 2003, tragedy struck 27-year-old Selby and her young children when her husband was killed suddenly in a car accident. So at this time, Elliot would have been about six, and Layla would have been about eight. So, you know, just absolutely horrible. So in early 2004, the next year, the mother daughter team, Julie and Selby, left their lives

in San Francisco behind and along with Layla, Elliott, three dogs and two cats, they made the 3,000 mile or 4,800 kilometer trek to new remain to open the black bear bed and breakfast. Now at first, the inn provided a much needed recess for the grieving family. In their first year there, Selby actually earned her real estate license and was hired by Apple Tree Realty, where she became friendly with both the owner, Bonita Sessions, and her coworker, Cynthia Beatson. Selby and Julie were known and very well liked in their new community, with a fellow business owner in the area calling Julie, quote, elegant, gracious, and fun, and also describing Selby

as super gregarious. So they both proved to be incredibly social and outgoing. But after less than two years, Julie reportedly started voicing frustration at keeping up with the demands of an almost 200-year-old home and owning and running a business in kind of a competitive location. So in February of 2006, she actually listed the inn for sale, with plans on moving to New York City to join her other daughter and the Brooklyn townhome that Julie had recently purchased.

Now, a friend of hers from back in San Francisco explained, quote, she loved Maine and she felt very safe in Maine, and she really didn't want to leave, but for economic reasons, she was going to sell the BNB. In an effort to maximize profits and minimize turnover rates and therefore extra work, she started renting out rooms to long-term tenants as she waited for the sale to garner interest. And that seems like a very smart decision on her part. Absolutely, yeah, make a little bit of money, wait until this place sells. So one of those tenants was a 31 year old man named Christian Nielsen.

Christian was a line cook at the Sudbury Inn, another historic bed and breakfast in the area. The Sudbury Inn was located in Bethelmaine, just a 12 minute drive south from the Black Bear, and by the way, Bethel is another like idyllic ski town that's basically situated outside of the Sunday River Resort. His employer, Nancy White, one of the co-owners at the Sudbury Inn, said quote, �He was reliable and a soft-spoken and quiet guy. So 31-year-old Christian moved into the Black Bear in April of 2006, and basically just

kept to himself. So let's go into Christian a little bit. We're gonna be going into a few more people's backgrounds, but it's because these are the people that are a part of the story. So just so you know, that is why we're doing that more than usual today. Yeah, everybody that we're talking about

is involved in some way or another. Yeah, so Christian Charles Neilsen was born on May 2nd, 1975 in Canton, Maine, to Charles and Patricia Neilsen was born on May 2nd, 1975, in Canton, Maine, to Charles and Patricia Neilsen, making him about a year older than Selby Bullard. Two years after his birth, he was joined by a sister named Patrine, making a family of four. Their father, Charles, was a well-known and well-liked English teacher at DiraGo High School in Dixfield, which is just 30 minutes east of New Remain. While neighbors and friends remember Christian as a happy, normal child, his upbringing was

also plagued with persistent conflict between his parents and a series of divorces. So let's talk about that now. So after his parents separated when Christian was just six years old, his father filed for full custody of him and his sister. Patricia and Charles divorced, and Patricia started dating a man named Michael Lueit, who was only about 25 years old at the time, and had recently served time in prison for burglary and receiving stolen

property. In the custody hearing, the judge ruled in Charles' favor stating, quote, excessive belligerence and unusual nervousness. That seems like such a random detail. Aw, description. Yeah, it kind of makes you wonder if maybe that was like the influence of the mother's new boyfriend. I would think maybe so because the judge is saying, okay, I want the kids to go with the dad, with Charles.

Right. So Patricia and Michael did marry, but they divorced a short time later. Charles also remarried, but that union didn't last either, and they divorced when Christian was in high school. So this is the third divorce, while before Christian is 18 years old, that he's having to witness.

Right. And I don't know how much damage that did to him, but those are just the facts. So Charles remarried again, but this time to a woman named Lee Graham, to whom he is still married. So it seemed like one of these marriages actually did work out. Yes, it did.

So Christian graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1995, and those who knew him, remember him as plights and soft spoken. His church's youth group lead to remembers him as a quote cute little blonde-headed kid. Christian spent his whole life in southwestern Maine where he grew up, and after finishing high school he attended the University of Maine and Farmington studying English just like his dad. But although he had completed semesters of study on and off for years, he never actually earned a degree. He was kind of aimless but harmless to those who knew him, even though nobody really seemed

to know him very well. Local bookstore owner Kenny Bachner, who claimed Christian was a frequent customer, said that he was, quote, unpredictable, generally coming off as serious and closed off, but that he was also very bright. He read often, mostly classic literature and comedy, and Kenny didn't feel like Christian necessarily had any sort of evil plan or agenda stating, quote, he was no closet radical or extremist. I'd be very surprised if any of this had anything to do with any cohesive ideology.

He had weird stuff going on in his head that most of us can't imagine. After leaving college, Christian worked a string of jobs in food service, never staying in one place for very long, and this is a trait in which criminal behavior lists say it's typical for a serial killer. He did a stint at the Family Fair restaurant in Farmington, Maine, which is another small ski town in the area, and co-workers remember him claiming that he was going to try to get his life back on track, stop drinking, and put roots down somewhere. A fellow server said later that she thought he was, quote, finally finding a place for

himself. That is, until he was fired from this restaurant and had to start all over again. When he moved into the Black Bear, he was only one of two long term residents. Remember, there are six bedrooms inside the farmhouse making it about a third full. The other was a man named James Whitehurst, the handyman for the end who was living there in exchange for his help in keeping the place in working order. And he wasn't without his family struggles either. In fact he had actually moved back to the area from Arkansas to handle a complicated custody battle between himself and his ex-wife. Lots of things going on with all these

people. Yes, so let on with all these people. Yes, so let's just... Which is typical for anybody. Right, right. So let's talk about a little bit of background on James William Whitehurst. So James, who went by Jimmy, was born on August 22nd, 1956 in San Diego, California, the youngest of three children.

His father was in the Marines, so Jimmy got used to not being in the same place for very long. And he also contracted polio as a child, and was actually in an iron lung from ages 3 to 6, and forced to wear leg braces for basically the rest of his life. And for those who don't know what an iron lung is, it's basically like a negative pressure ventilator that encloses most of your body to help stimulate breathing. So it's like a machine that you have to lay in completely and the only thing sticking out is your head. And these are really wild looking.

Yeah, yeah, they're kind of scary looking to be honest. And I know, they're kind of, it's funny because when you Google it, you'll see a bunch of photos of kids inside and they're all smiling. And I'm like, oh my god, I feel like I'd be terrified in there. Is that like a common care thing nowadays? Or... No, I feel like this was specifically in the olden days for polio.

Just for that time. As far as I can, you could tell. I actually read a story that a woman who had polio as a kid still has to use one. And she has issues like keeping up with maintenance for the parts because it's such an old machine. Wow. That's not like used anymore. As far as my research showed, I am not in the medical field.

Interesting facts, though. Yeah. So despite all this, all of, you know, these different things that James was going through, he was described by his sister Diana as a daredevil. It was determined to not let his disability slow him down. Love it. He maintained an active childhood,

and Diana said that he danced, rode bikes, and played in a wheelchair basketball league. He worked in a salvage yard, took odd jobs as a handyman, and collected Social Security when he could. Jimmy was known as a free spirit, and lived all over the United States, even after he was required to move frequently with his family, living in Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and then Maine. In Waterville, Maine, about a 30-minute drive northeast of Augusta, Jimmy settled down with his wife Francis Bocax, and they had two children, James Jr. or Jim, and a daughter

named Jamie. But the relationship didn't last, and the daughter named Jamie. But the relationship didn't last and the couple eventually divorced. Now Jimmy moved back down to Batesville in Northern Arkansas to be closer to his sister, and while he was there, he met a new romantic interest. While they never married, they were together for a few years and shared two children, Jacqueline and Juanita. He loves the J names. He does.

It's so funny when I was talking about the research about this, I said the exact same thing. I'm like, wow, all these J names. Many J's. So while navigating divorce proceedings, Francis, who remember as Jimmy's ex-wife now, or soon to be ex-wife, was able to obtain full custody of Jim and Jamie, claiming that Jimmy was abusive.

Quote, the court finds that Mr. Whitehurst is neither motivated to nor capable of giving the children love, affection, or guidance, and is in fact a risk to their safety and welfare. And this is what the judge said. But his sister Diana argues that while he did have his flaws, he was a present and loving parent and deserved to share custody with her, stating quote, he loved them with all his heart. And I really hate to kind of dredge this up because it's not relevant to who James was as a person because this is this is just kind of one side. We don't really know.

Know the truth of what happened in the home. And from many reports, Jimmy was incredibly loving towards his kids and towards everybody. Now, in an attempt to appeal the judge's ruling, he temporarily relocated back to Maine to be closer to his kids, Jim and Jimmy. Julie Bullard offered to take him in in exchange for some painting and help around the property. Like we said, he was a handyman.

And the two became friends. And Jimmy even said that Julie was helping him appeal the ruling. So it seems that Julie really seemed to like having Jimmy around. Yeah. And she cared for him in one way or another. Absolutely. In June of 2006, around the same time that Christian moved into the Bed and Breakfast with them,

Jimmy wrote an impassioned plea to the judge for visitation rights and waited, hopefully. So I think really the main reason we're bringing this up is just this is what's going on in everybody's lives when this thing is about to happen. Yeah, this horrible tragedy. So, in the midst of selling the Black Bear Ben and Breakfast, Selby settled in nearby Bethel Main with her children

while nurturing her new career in real estate. She and her co-worker Cynthia Beatson had become especially close friends, and it was starting to feel like home for Selby. Lastly, let's dive into Cynthia's background. So Cynthia was born on May 29, 1963, in Boston, Massachusetts to parents Bernard and Dorothy Cabral. Like Selby, she had pursued numerous different careers.

She studied at the fashion school of design and the heart of Boston and also attended Babson College, which is a private business school and Wellesley, Massachusetts, about 30 minutes outside of the city. In 1992, she relocated to Maine to work at the Sunday River Ski Resort in Newary. It was there that she met and fell in love with Douglas Beatson, who was also working there for the season. The two married in 1994, and that same year, had a daughter named Carly.

They settled in Bethel, just like Selby, just minutes down the road from where they met, and she continued to sample different careers, working as a server, then a manager at numerous resort restaurants, and she also kept up her passion for fashion design, working on the side as a seamstress, and specifically she was known around town for her daughter's fabulously intricate homemade Halloween costumes, which Daphne I'm sure you love.

I bet she made some gorgeous ones. I bet she did. So Cynthia was thrilled to embark on her new career in real estate alongside Selby. She was active and outdoorsy and loved to hike, golf, ski, and swim, and she was known for her upbeat outlook on life and constant energy. Cynthia and Selby's employer Bonita called her quote, beautiful and animated. Now, you may be wondering how and why these five people are connected. But on Labor Day weekend 2006, the quiet, unsuspecting resident with almost no criminal background would revocably link them and change the quiet town of Newary forever. On Friday, September 1, 2006, Christian Nielsen casually purchased a 38-calibre revolver from a local

gun shop. He approached Jimmy at the inn and asked him if he wanted to go on a spur of the moment fishing trip and stay in the cabin that he claimed he owned in Upton, Maine, where he had lived as a child. Jimmy agreed and then the two packed a lunch and Christian drove them toward Upton about 30 miles or 48 kilometers from the Black Bear Bed and breakfast. He instead drove him to C-Surplus Township in Oxford County, Maine near the border of New Hampshire where there are no paved roads and no residents.

But not only this, there was also nowhere to fish or camp there. When they stopped for lunch, Christian took his newly purchased gun and shot an unsuspecting Jimmy three times, one of which went into his skull killing him. He then burned 50-year-old Jimmy Whitehurst remains and left them there, and the remote wooded area outside of Upton and drove back to the Black Bear as if nothing ever happened. Saturday, which is the next day passed without incident, but on Sunday, September 3, 2006, Christian Nielsen shot and killed 65-year-old inkeeper and owner Julie Bullard in a confrontation that Christian refused to explain or describe.

With he and Julie being the only ones there since he had already murdered the only other resident, Jimmy Whitehurst, no one noticed a thing. Eurily, Christian showed up for his shift in the kitchen at the Sudbury in that night and worked as usual. And co-workers remember him seeming perfectly normal, but little did they know in the past 48 hours, he had murdered two innocent people. That night, he returned to the black bear and stayed the night alone with Julie's body on the property.

And again, the only other guest would have been Jimmy, and his remains were still 15 miles or 24 kilometers away, still undiscovered in the woods. The following day, which was Monday, September 4, 2006, Selby Bullard came to her friend Cynthia, concerned that she hadn't heard from her mother in a few days. She had tried calling but she hadn't gotten an answer. And Selby had recently broken her leg and couldn't really drive, so Cynthia offered to swing her by the black bear to check on Julie. So even though she was only about 10 or so minutes away, you know, from the inn,

she couldn't just drive over there on her own. Which is so sad because this would mean that Cynthia would then unknowingly become involved in what was coming next. But when they arrived, the women were met with what was later described as an ambush of bullets. Christian then calmly called his father Charles and stepmother Lee to tell them what he did. They immediately called the police and rushed to the Black Bear Bed and Breakfast to assess how bad the situation really was, and it turned out that it was far worse than what they could have possibly

imagined. At 5.30 pm on September 4, Main State Police were dispatched to Sunday River Road and arrived to find the day-old remains of 65-year-old Julie Bullard, and the very recent remains of her daughter, 30-year-old Selby Bullard, and also 43-year-old Cynthia Beatson. All three women had been dismembered and left in what was described as bloody piles outside of the bed and breakfast. He claimed that he used a hacksaw, an axe, and a chainsaw on them. And again, this all happened between September 1st, 2006, and September 4th, so this wasn't just someone snapping, if that even happens.

This was calculated and purposeful and just the fact that he was acting normally after each one is So terrifying and to dismember them I mean, I feel like in a lot of cases that we have covered when you dismember someone you usually do it to usually do it to be able to hide their body easier but but his dad was already calling the police. Like there was no, why would he do this unless he originally wanted to try to get away with it? But it's possible. It's possible that he was thinking in his mind

like I could get away with this, but I mean, just the fact that he did call his dad and tell his father what he had done, like he obviously knew that he was probably going to get caught. Right. So horrifyingly, Christian had also killed Julie's three beloved dogs, Buster, Lollie, and Rosie. So disgusting. Monster. Like this guy's just like left and right, doesn't give a shit, just wants everybody dead. Just killing everybody that he comes into contact with basically except for his co-workers at the Sudbury Inn. Right, but it's like so why why choose these people why the dogs like none of it makes

any sense. Yeah, so when state trooper Dan Hansen arrived at the scene he found Christian and his father Charles sitting next to each other on a bench outside. When he asked the pair what happened, Christian replied, well, I killed some people, Dan, I shot them all, the guns in the house in the tool chest. Thirty-year-old Christian Nielsen was arrested, of course, immediately. He cooperated fully with law enforcement and calmly gave instructions as to where each body could be found. A trail of blood led out of the inn's front door and into the brush nearby, where the bodies of two women and the dogs could be found.

About 50 yards away from them sat another body, wrapped in a tarp. He also gave detailed instructions to where he left the charred remains of Jimmy Whitehurst. So let's talk about this. He's like, it's just wild to think about how this all happened. The fact that he confessed to his dad right after killing Selby and Cynthia and then told police without issue.

Like calmly gave them instructions to where each body was. Like why did you do this, man? Yeah, I don't know why he would go through doing this. If he knew he was gonna get caught and he knew that he was gonna tell the police where everybody was. And over the course of a few days,

and I know that this is the kind of question that doesn't really have an answer because I know this is actually the question that interests a lot of people in true crime is what makes somebody do this, but this is just so sad and also to think that Shelby's children lost their father just like three years before this.

Yeah, and now they've lost their mother. And now they have neither parent and they also don't have their grandma. It's so heartbreaking. Just terrible. To this day, Christian has never given a motive for the killings. That blows my mind.

Absolutely blows my mind. Makes me angry. Not that a motive would bring them back, but dude. So when detained for police questioning, he claimed that he found Jimmy to be objectionable and a pain in the ass. Like, okay, then move. Yeah, you don't have to-

Don't talk to the guy. You don't have to live with Jimmy. You don't even have to, and the fact that you lured him on this fishing trip and then just shot him out of nowhere, out of the blue. So sick. In his less than eloquent words, killing Jimmy was, quote,

looking in the sky and wishing it would rain and then making it rain. Rumors circulated, Newri and Bethel, that Julie may have asked Christian to leave the black bear after he fell behind on payments, but this was never substantiated. So if giving a reason at all, that was the reason for killing her, but then why kill Selby and Cynthia, I don't really think there was a reason at all that was the reason for killing her but then why kill you know Selby and Cynthia I don't really think there was a reason. No, I don't think so either. Prosecutors claim that he simply had an obsession with killing someone and had potentially wanted to take over the inn for himself. Again, how long is that going to last? Yeah, seriously,

you're just going to kill the owner and then just like live in the end. You work as a cook at a different end. Why are you going to pay for that? Yeah. But again, there seems to be no logic here. So the director of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce said, quote, everybody is just numb with shock. It's something out of a horror movie. His boss Nancy at the Sudbury Inn remarked that she never would have seen it coming, saying quote, I was as surprised and shocked as the next person. Christians defense attorney Push for an insanity plea, which the friends and families of the victims found to be a slap in the face. And he even initially pleaded not guilty. Wow, hmm. How?

That always pisses me, just pisses me off. When somebody is clearly guilty and they turn themselves in and then they go, oh yeah, I'm gonna plead not guilty. How dare you try to get away with this? Which, obviously you're not going to, because hello. Complete shit ends. But a pair of forensic psychologists determined that he was not legally insane, and therefore the plea was rejected.

And he was, however, diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder. And schizoid personality disorder is characterized by a tendency towards solitary relationships, difficulty expressing emotions or remorse, lack of interest in social interactions, and just general apathy. The psychologist said that the motivation remained mysterious, and that even after interviewing

Christian close to 20 times, he was a puzzle they couldn't figure out. That obviously makes this case so much more weird because like if these psychologists are questioning you over and over and they just can't figure out why you did this i mean it's one of those things that you just never really imagine yeah and this is why we talked about his behavior in what people thought of him growing up like he was a acute blonde headed kid and a sweet guy and you know, but then it seemed like as he grew up,

he became more reserved. And so this kind of skit-so-oid personality of being more reserved and not feeling remorse and having a difficulty expressing emotions, like it seems to fit with him. So I see why this diagnosis was made, but, you know, I understand why everybody wants answers, but.

Well, yeah. It is a mystery. Yeah, and some really strange things actually happened after he was arrested. So, while awaiting trial, he had to be transferred from the Oxford County Jail in Paris, Maine, to the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, after attacking another inmate. And then, he was put on suicide watch after carving an X into his own scalp. Cheesh. Yeah, so I don't know what's going on there.

And then he also enacted a hunger strike losing 55 pounds and had to be hospitalized and hooked up to a feeding tube. But despite all of this, and September of 2007, prosecutors threw out his attorneys in sanity plea and deemed him fit to stand trial. and September of 2007, prosecutors throughout his attorneys insanity plea, and deemed him fit to stand trial. Then, just a month later, on October 8, 2007, he was found guilty on four counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Locals roiled when it was described that Christian smirked his way through his first hearing,

but one of his attorneys, Ron Hoffman, pushed back on that notion saying quote, I can assure you he's not amused. He's not been speaking to me in a light banter. Christian Nielsen is still imprisoned at Maine State Prison in Warren, Maine, and is currently 47 years old. Julie Bullard is sorely missed as the matriarch of her family, and her loyal dogs, Buster, Lolly, and Rosie were mourned by her community as well. Rest in peace, sweet puppies.

I know. Her vet said, quote, she adored them. They were a part of her family, as all dogs are. Yeah. Julie also had two cats, one of whom was taken in by a detective who worked on the case, which I think is so wonderful. Yeah, I've seen that in other cases happen, and it always just brings a smile to my face.

I know, I love it, that happens. 30-year-old Selby left behind, 12-year-old Laila, an eight-year-old Elliott, who wrote a statement for his deceased mom, entitled, quote, how my life changed, and I was forever wounded. Laila and eight-year-old Elliott, who wrote a statement for his deceased mom, entitled, quote, How My Life Changed and I Was Forever Wounded, and that was to be read at the trial. Elliott wrote that he couldn't understand why this had happened to his mother and grandmother,

saying, quote, They have all walked the stairway to heaven. At least there's no violence up there. Now, without either of their parents, Laila and Elliott moved back to California to live with their aunt and uncle, though they're both young adults now. Jimmy's sister came back into Maine for the trial and buried his remains back in Arkansas with her. She remembers him as, quote, a big man with a big heart.

When Eda Whitehurst, Jimmy's mom and his daughter's namesake, also attended the trial and remarked to help painful and senseless their loss was, stating sadly, quote, quote, He can't give me a motive for why he killed my son. He doesn't know. In addition to his immediate and extended family, Jimmy left behind four children under the age of 16. And Cynthia left the loves of her life, her husband Douglas, and 12-year-old daughter Carly. Selby and Cynthia's boss, Bonita statement at his son's sentencing quote,

"...we realize that the ripples of horror, disbelief, and pain were instantaneous and far reaching. The event tore a hole in the community. Our joys and our serenity came to an abrupt halt. He pleaded for grace from the judge before telling his son, I love you. I'm not blaming his parents, especially since Charles was an adult. And also, since Charles is the one who actually did the right thing and called the police?

Which he did, and I'm very glad he did, and that was a good move on his part. But to say you love him in front of the families of the innocent people he killed, like read the room. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I just feel like he's kind of coming across as this was a big loss for the community. And I don't expect him to take responsibility for his son's actions, but I don't know. I feel like that's kind of a sting. It definitely is, but I can also understand as being a parent. It's like he didn't choose these horrible

things that his son did. Right. And I'm sure he can understand them either. Yeah, and I'm sure that he still has emotion towards his son. I'm sure he still loves his son, but it's like, you know, complicated situation. Yeah, he's just shocked. So in 2009, the new owners of the former Black Bear Bed and Breakfast were denied permission to convert the building into four condos.

An article on local main news outlet, Maine Biz, states that the new owners attempted to operate it as a Bed and Breakfast, but found this to be impossible, given its association with the gruesome murders, and a real estate page for the property made the same claim. According to the Oxford County main scanner open posting Facebook page, yet another death occurred at the property. A 55 year old man died there on October 8, 2020, although the circumstances were not made public. Very interesting.

Yeah, it's like this place, just, I don't know, there's something about this place. So the oldest info for the property on Zillow goes only back to 2009, but it's unclear who owns it or bought it after the murders. The property listing went down in value by tens of thousands of dollars every few months before it was finally taken off the market in 2010. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and on Tuesday. What day is it?

On Tuesday. We'll have an all new case for you guys, dab into. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode. It was so horrific and senseless with absolutely no answers. And, you know, the fact that he was only 30 years old, I mean, he lost his life, too. So overall, just a very devastating case for everybody involved. And for just absolutely no fucking reason.

Yeah, but especially the victims, of course, and not Christian. Yeah. Yeah, very senseless. If you guys want to see photos of the in and all the victims, check out our social medias or our social media profiles. We always post photos from every single case we cover. If you guys want to go check that out,

we're on Instagram at going west podcast Twitter at going west pod and we're also on Facebook and I always say this if you guys do feel like you want to leave us a review I mean that really helps out our show so please do head over to you know Whether you use Apple podcasts you can leave us a review there I don't think you can on Spotify can you I feel like you can now, but I could be extremely wrong. But just wherever you listen to your true Crem podcast, please leave us a review. That'd be really nice. Yeah, and just sharing the show helps as well.

And if you're looking for more episodes of us, we always say this, but you can head over to patreon.com, p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com slash going west podcast. We have over 70 full length ad-free bonus episodes that we have not covered on going west podcast. We have over 70 full length ad free bonus episodes that we have not covered on going west and we just released a new one on the ocean city killing. That story is crazy. Yeah, that's a wild one. So I hope all of you guys are having just a wonderful summer and you know kind of honing in on the... I'm getting ready for fall.

I know you are. Yeah, fall is coming up so I hope you guys are enjoying the last little bit of summer and we'll see you guys next time All right guys, so for everybody out there in the world. Don't be a stranger Thank you. you