Infamous America - CHARLES STARKWEATHER Ep. 4 | “Home Invasion”

Episode Date: April 5, 2023

The conflict at August Meyer’s farm leads Charles and Caril to kidnap Robert Jensen and Carol King. The kidnapping ends with another gruesome murder scene before Charles and Caril hit the road again to escape to the west. But for reasons that have always sounded strange, they abandoned their escape plan and returned to Lincoln. They invade the home of a wealthy couple and take two hostages … right before the police make grisly discoveries around August Meyer’s farm. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. On YouTube, subscribe to INFAMOUS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons. Hit “JOIN” on the Infamous America YouTube homepage.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm4V_wVD7N1gEB045t7-V0w/featured For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warning. This series contains scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. In the final week of January 1958, Lincoln, Nebraska Chief of Police Joe Carroll and Lancaster County Sheriff Merle Carnop were dealing with a developing situation, the likes of which they had never seen as lawmen. The mother, stepfather, and two-year-old half-sister of a local girl named Carol Fugate had been brutally murdered. Their bodies had been discovered in an outhouse and a chicken coop behind the family home. Carol and her boyfriend Charles Starkweather were missing. They were suspected of some sort of involvement in the crimes, but given their brutality,

it was hard to understand how two teenagers could be responsible. With that said, Charles and Carol had disappeared, and there were multiple reports of suspicious behavior at Carol's house before they went missing and the bodies were discovered. Chief Carroll and Sheriff Carnop had issued Bolo's to their officers, be on the lookout for Carol Fugate and Charles Starkweather. Unfortunately, the top lawmen in the county had issued the alerts too late. If officers had known earlier,

they could have caught 19-year-old Charles and 14-year-old Carol at a local gas station before they fled Lincoln. As it was, the teenagers had driven 15 miles southeast of town to the edge of a tiny farming village. Charles knew a farmer down there named August Meyer. Charles and his dad had hunted on Meyer's land when Charles was younger. Charles was confident that Meyer would let he and Carol spend the night on the farm. Meyer was 70 years old and a bachelor,

so the fugitives wouldn't have to worry about Meyer's family members cluttering up the works. But whether Charles had let his mean streak loose or there had been a conflict between Charles and Mr. Meyer, Charles had killed Meyer with a shotgun. August Meyer was victim number five in a rampage that was still just beginning. Charles had gotten his car stuck in the mud on the road up to Myers' house, so he and Carol were forced to walk or hitchhike into the town of Bennett a couple miles away. Shortly after they started trudging down the country road toward town,

a car drove toward them. Two high school kids, Robert Jensen and his girlfriend, Carol King were out for a drive. They saw a boy and a girl on the side of the road, and the boy had his thumb out in the international signal of a hitchhiker. As Robert slowed the car in preparation to offer a ride, he noticed that the hitchhikers were carrying guns. Robert Jensen and Carol King had not been listening to the radio. They knew nothing of the murders that happened up in Lincoln, or that lawmen were now looking for two teenagers who matched the discreet. of the two people who wanted a ride.

If Robert and Carol had known, they certainly wouldn't have stopped. Just the sight of the guns that the hitchhikers were carrying would have caused most people to speed by without pausing. But Robert Jensen was widely known as a nice guy, and in this situation, kindness would be fatal. From Black Barrel Media, this is Infamous America. I'm your host Chris Wimmer, and this season we're telling the story of Charles Starkweather

and Carol Ann Fuggan. and their bloody rampage through America's heartland. This is episode four, home invasion. On the evening of Monday, January 27, 1958, Robert Jensen finished his shift at his family's grocery store and then picked up his girlfriend, Carol King. They attended Bennett High School, where, as newspapers later wrote,

they were the school's most popular couple. Jensen played football, and Carol was a cheerleader. They were active in their church, made good grades, and were respected by teachers, preachers, and parents. In the late 1950s, the fear of juvenile delinquency was on the rise in America. But that didn't apply to Robert and Carroll. They were the classic stereotype of the All-American couple, the football player and the cheerleader. On the opposite end of the spectrum were Charles and Carol.

Charles had been tormented by other kids throughout his childhood because he looked differently, talk differently, and walked differently. As a result, he became hardened. He dropped out of high school and transformed himself into the exact fear that was sweeping the nation, a brawling, rebellious teenager with a greaser hairstyle and a leather jacket. Carol came from a similar low-income background. Her father had been abusive, and her mother had finally left him and remarried. But now, her mother, stepfather, and their daughter,

daughter, Carol's half-sister, were dead. Charles and Carol were on the run, and about to climb into the backseat of Robert Jensen's car. It was Monday night, a school night, and Robert had promised to have his girlfriend home by the respectable hour of 10 p.m. There wasn't much to do in Bennett, Nebraska, so Robert and Carol often took long drives through the countryside. They hadn't been out for very long that night when they spotted the two people walking down the road. The hitchhikers were a boy and a girl who looked similar in age to Robert and Carol. Robert was 17 and Carol was 16.

Their soon-to-be unwelcome guests were 19 and 14. Robert could see that the strangers were carrying guns, but it was a cold night, pitch black on a country road and they were flagging him down. He couldn't refuse to help. When Robert pulled over and stopped, Charles approached. He explained that their car was. was stuck in the mud and asked if he and his girlfriend could get a ride into Bennett. He could use a payphone to call someone for help.

When Jensen inquired about the guns, Charles explained that they didn't want to leave the guns in the car. He added that they were obviously not loaded. Robert offered a ride and Charles and Carroll slid into the backseat. Charles positioned himself behind Robert with a 22-caliber rifle he had taken from August Myers Farmhouse. It was a short ride to a payphone at a service station in Bennett. When they pulled in, Robert told Charles that he would have to go inside

because he needed to get a key to unlock the payphone. That spooked Charles, and he placed the barrel of the rifle against the back of Jensen's neck. At first, he told Robert to drive them to Lincoln, but then he thought better of it. He told Robert to drive back toward the spot where they had picked them up. There was an old storm cellar on August Meyer's property. Charles said that he would leave Robert and Carol in the storm cellar and take the car. Robert Jensen looked into the rearview mirror and asked, You aren't going to kill us, are you?

Charles said he wouldn't, as long as Robert and Carol did exactly what he said. Charles said later that Carol Fugate chimed in and threatened to kill Robert's girlfriend in front of him. Carol apparently pointed the 410 shotgun at the back of Carol King's seat. Robert put the car in gear and drove back out to August Myers Farm. My relentless sleep problems have always come from an overactive mind. I lay in bed at night with my mind racing from one thing to another, and then, of course, I have a brainstorm about something new. That lights the fire, and then I'm in real trouble.

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At Mood.com, get 20% off your first order with our promo code, Infamous. Go to mood.com and use the code infamous to get 20% off your first order. And they have a 100-day satisfaction guarantee. Mood.com promo code infamous. Robert Jensen parked 30 yards from the old storm seller. Charles ordered the frightened couple to get out of the car. Charles covered Jensen with a 22 rifle. While, as Charles claimed, Carol aimed the sawed-off shotgun at Jensen's girlfriend.

friend. Charles took Jensen's wallet and then walked Jensen and Carol King to the stormseller. Carol Fugate climbed into Robert's car and waited. What happened next isn't clear, but the two versions of events followed a familiar pattern. Carol claimed Charles murdered the two teenagers in cold blood. When he returned to the car, she was crying and she screamed at him, but was powerless against him. Charles simply put the car in drive and sped off into the night. Charles said it was self-defense. He marched Robert and Carol to the stormseller and intended to shove them inside and leave them.

But as they walked down the cement stairs, Robert suddenly turned and rushed back up at Charles. Charles pulled the trigger in the heat of the moment and shot Robert Jensen. But the human body is tough and a single shot from a small caliber rifle wouldn't have been enough to kill Robert unless it was perfectly placed.

and that shot certainly didn't explain the rest of the scene. Robert Jensen was shot six times from behind, including one to the back of the head. And Carol King's injuries were far more graphic. She was shot once in the head, but she had also been stabbed several times in the lower abdomen. Her body was discovered only partially clothed. Her blue jeans and underwear had been pulled down.

There's still no good explanation for the savagery of Kavit. Carol King's murder. Charles Starkweather and Carol Fugate blamed each other, of course, and that became another pattern. Charles said Carol was responsible, just like he blamed her for the brutality of her family's murders. Carol Fugate denied all involvement and said she was in the car the whole time. When it was done, however it happened or why, Charles decided that they should continue with his plan to flee to the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. One of his brothers was a chef up in that area, and Charles thought it would be a good place to hide. To get there, they had 1,500 miles of road ahead of them, and that road would lead them right

back through Lincoln. According to Charles, he and Carol were carefree. He hit the gas and tested the engine of Robert Jensen's Ford. Carol found Robert's textbooks in the backseat. She wrote, rolled down the window and hurled the books out one by one into the cold, dark night. Without a worry in the world, they sped back toward the city where they were wanted fugitives. That image is probably overly romantic, even for Charles Starkweather. But regardless of the details, they started the drive back to Lincoln. They left behind three dead bodies, just like they had earlier that morning when they fled Carol's house.

and at about the same time, the bodies of Carol's mother, stepfather, and half-sister were being wheeled into the Lancaster County morgue. There were now six victims of what would be called a murder spree, and seven overall with the inclusion of the murder of Robert Colvert. Charles had killed Colvert, a gas station attendant who was a husband and soon-to-be father two months earlier. Charles was technically a person of interest in the unsolved crime, but he was never questioned by police. Now, he and Carol were heading straight back into Lincoln, where the news

of the murders of Carol's family was about to explode like a bomb. The cover of the morning edition of the Lincoln Star newspaper was blanketed with stories about the deaths of Carol's family members. The main headline screamed Belmont Family Slain. There were photographs of officers in the backyard standing between the chicken coop and the outhouse where the bodies were found. In the foreground was the muddy, blood-soaked box that served as Betty Jean's temporary coffin. An article named Charles and Carol as Persons of Interest and listed the license plate number of Charles' now abandoned 1949 Ford. And reporter Del Harding was speculating about the connection between the murders of the family

and the murder of Robert Colvert. By the time the midday editions hit newsstands, reporters had added a timeline of the past week, including accounts from the friends and family members of Charles and Carol who had raised suspicion and ultimately discovered the bodies. And then the articles focused on the response from law enforcement. Lincoln police officers had visited the house twice and found nothing out of the ordinary. They never went into the backyard, where the bodies were eventually discovered by Charles' brother, and Carol's brother-in-law. Police Chief Joe Carroll and Lancaster County Sheriff Merle Karnop were in a tight spot. Between the two departments, they had four unsolved murders on their hands.

Their faltering investigations and lukewarm actions were looking worse by the minute. And that did not yet include the information Sheriff Karnop learned at around 3 a.m. Two families down the road in Bennett had called the sheriff's office to report that their teenage children, Robert Jensen and Carol King, had not returned home. The families had been worried, but after seeing the morning newspapers, they were now terrified. Charles's father, Guy Starkweather, was also fearful, yet for a different reason. The families of Robert Jensen and Carol King were worried that their kids would never come home. Guy Starkweather was worried that his would. It's a terrible thing to have to lock the windows and doors to your own house against

your son, Guy said to the Lincoln Star. Guy's relationship with his son, Charles, had become strained to the point that Guy kicked Charles out of the house the previous year. Guy painted a picture of a troubled young man. Charles had been taunted mercilessly by other kids about his stutter, his bad eyesight, and his bow-legged way of walking. Guy told reporters that Charles had been bullied as a child and eventually started to fight back. As a teenager, Charles fought anyone and everyone. Maybe Guy harbored hopes that Charles would grow out of his angry streak and eventually settled down.

But those hopes were gone now, and he said, He's no better than any other boy. We have to help the police find him. Just before lunch that day, Chief Carroll and Sheriff Carnop finally received their first lead about the possible location of Charles and Carol. Charles's car was found stuck in the mud near the property of a farmer down a around the town of Bennett. A canvas of the area revealed three new, awful discoveries, the bodies of Robert Jensen and Carol King in the storm cellar and the body of August Meyer near his

house. The body count had nearly doubled overnight, and since Robert Jensen's car was nowhere to be found, Charles and Carol had presumably stolen it, and with a head start of at least 12 hours, they could be almost anywhere by now. The one place no one expected them to go was back to to Lincoln. Around midnight on that Monday night, Charles and Carol cruised into Lincoln in Robert Jensen's stylish car. It boasted a great paint job and a nifty pair of tail fins, and at that point no one was looking for it. It would be another three hours before the Jensen and King families reported their kids missing. Charles drove toward Carol's house. They got close enough to see several police cruisers parked out front, and Charles knew the cops must have found

the bodies. The couple resumed their plan to head west toward Washington State. They drove out Highway 34 because the modern thoroughfare of Interstate 80 did not yet exist. The stretch between Omaha and Lincoln wouldn't be completed until 1961, and the rest of it across the length of the state wouldn't be finished until 1974. That night, Charles and Carol had the chance to make it out of Nebraska by sunrise, but they didn't. Just as they made it to the town of Hastings, 90 miles away, they turned around and went back to Lincoln. At about 3.30 a.m. Tuesday morning, shortly after the Jensen and King families called the sheriff's office, Charles and Carroll drove back into Lincoln. Charles said he wasn't comfortable with how Robert

Ber Jensen's car was running, and if he was going to steal another one, there would be more options in Lincoln. But Hastings, where they turned around, wasn't a tiny farming village like Bennett. Hastings was a town of more than 20,000 people. It had a Presbyterian College, a municipal airport, and the largest naval ammunition depot in the country. Surely, Charles would have had plenty of cars to choose from. But when they made it back to Lincoln, they parked in an alley and tried get some sleep. Charles tossed and turned. Carol fell asleep wrapped in Robert Jensen's varsity leather jacket. When they woke up just after 8 a.m., Charles drove to the country club neighborhood of the city. It was less than five miles from Carol's house, but the country club area of Lincoln

was a whole different world. The homes were palatial. The front yards had green lawns and tall trees, and the backyards certainly didn't have chicken coops and outhouses. Charles was familiar with the neighborhood. He had briefly attended a middle school nearby, and he had all but memorized the beautiful houses while working with his brother Rodney on their garbage route. Charles was careful not to look like he was casing the neighborhood, not driving too slow and trying not to drive down the same street more than once, but casing the neighborhood was exactly what they were doing. Charles hoped to find an empty house where he and Carol could hide even if it was just for a day.

But if there were people inside, Charles was prepared to deal with him. Charles picked out a large white house with two oak trees on the front lawn. It had several windows on the second floor that were framed by black shutters. The best part, what made it perfect, was that the garage was behind the house. Charles could park Robert Jensen's car, soon to be the most sought-after car in Nebraska, behind the house, and it would be hidden from the street. And Charles did exactly that. He drove up the driveway and parked behind the house.

Charles grabbed the 22-caliber rifle he had taken from August Meyer and crept up to a back door that led into the kitchen. He saw a woman washing dishes at the sink a few feet away and tapped the barrel of the rifle on the glass of the door. She didn't respond. He tapped again. Again, there was no response. The woman turned around and reached for a dishrag and finally noticed the man standing at the kitchen door, holding a gun. The woman's name was Lillian Fensel, and she was not a resident of the house. She was the maid, and she hadn't heard the tapping on the glass because she was deaf. Some have speculated that Lillian may have

recognized Charles from his work around the neighborhood. But it's more likely that she was not willing to disobey a strange man with a gun. She opened the door, and immediately a small dog started barking. When Charles told her to put the dog in the bathroom, he realized she was deaf. He scribbled out a note with the instructions about the dog, and they figured out a way to communicate. That was how Lillian told him there was another person in the house. The home belonged to Clara and Chester Lauer Ward. Mr. Ward had left just before Charles and Carol arrived. He would not be home until after 5 p.m.

Lillian informed Charles that Mrs. Ward, who was upstairs, would be down soon, and that breakfast was on the stove in the kitchen. Charles told the maid to go about her duties and waited in the kitchen for Mrs. Ward. When she appeared, she was still in a house coat. Although initially shocked, Mrs. Ward quickly composed herself. Clara Ward was 46 years old and a graduate of the University of Nebraska. She was a prominent member of the social elite of Lincoln and chaired or belonged to a variety of civic clubs. The wards had one son who was away at boarding school.

Charles helped to calm the situation by explaining his plan. His girlfriend was waiting in the car and they would be there until dark. As long as the women cooperated, no one would get shot. After nightfall, they planned to tie the two women up and disappear. Charles asked if there were any guns in the house, and Mrs. Ward said just a BB gun belonging to her son. Charles signaled Carol from the kitchen door, and Carol walked in with the shotgun.

Charles asked Mrs. Ward what her husband did, and she downplayed his job significantly by merely saying he worked at a steel company. In reality, C. Lauer Ward was the president of the company. He was a multi-millionaire who carried serious clout in the upper echelons and inner circles of the state of Nebraska. That very day, he had a meeting with the governor. Of course, none of that meant very much to Charles Starkweather. While Carol sipped tea and napped in the house's library, Charles ordered pancakes for lunch, and they were provided. After eating, he passed the time listening to the radio, specifically to the stories about himself and Carol.

While Lillian Fensel cleaned the house, she wouldn't have been able to hear the news reports, but Clara Ward certainly could. At some point, she must have realized just how much danger she was in, because just before 1 p.m., Clara Ward walked into the kitchen and asked if she could go upstairs to change her shoes. Charles said yes. The radio DJ then began his hourly update of the news, and Charles was distracted. He loved hearing his name on the radio and loved to be.

hearing things like the terror of the plains. His ego got the best of him, and he became enthralled with the news broadcast. Nearly 45 minutes passed before he realized that Clara Ward had not come back downstairs. When he did, he ran through the dining room where Lillian Fensel was dusting and into the library. He woke up, Carol, and told her to grab the shotgun and be on alert. Then he slid a knife out of the inside pocket of his leather jacket and headed for the staircase to hunt for Clara Ward. Next time on infamous America, while Charles and Carol try to manage an increasingly chaotic situation at the Ward House, Lancaster County erupts into hysteria around them. News breaks of the most recent murders, and people buy guns in record numbers to protect themselves

against a monster who seems to be invisible, unpredictable, and uncatchable. That's next week. on Infamous America. Members of our Black Barrel Plus program don't have to wait week to week for new episodes. They receive the entire season to binge all at once with no commercials, and they also receive exclusive bonus episodes. Sign up now through the link in the show notes

or on our website, blackbarrelmedia.com. Memberships began at just $5 per month. This series was researched and written by Jamie Lyko, original music by Rob Belier. I'm your host and producer, Chris Wimberg. find us at our website blackbarrelmedia.com or on our social media channels. We're Black Barrel Media on Facebook and Instagram and B-Barrell Media on Twitter. And you can stream all our episodes on YouTube.

Just search for Infamous America Podcast. Thanks for listening.