Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - The Hillside Strangler’s Copycat Girlfriend

Episode Date: February 14, 2022

When Veronica Compton met Kenneth Bianchi, she was working on a play about serial killers. She interviewed the “Hillside Strangler” as part of her process. But then he charmed his way from research subject to love interest, and Veronica found herself wrapped up in a horrifying scheme.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this show, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes dramatizations and discussions of murder, assault, and sex. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Valentine's is a bittersweet day at most prisons. The inmates' partners show up, chat with their loved one over a stale coffee, buy some snacks from the vending machine. Then, if they're really lucky, they get their picture taken by an amateur photographer the prison hired for the day. Then it's a quick, supervised hug on the way out the door, and the inmate is led back to their cell. All that to say, having a loved one in prison is awful, especially if you're convinced they don't deserve to be behind bars.

Veronica Compton was one of those people. From months, she'd been dating inmate Kenneth Bianchi, better known as The Hillside Strangler. They met when Veronica asked to interview him for a play she was researching, but one thing led to another, and now they're not. had been writing letters back and forth while he awaited his punishment for the role he played in the rape and murder of 10 women in Los Angeles and two in Washington State. She was positive that the police had the wrong guy. Even if he had strangled 10 women, it was surely an accident. He didn't mean it. Bianchi had met thousands of women in his life, and he'd only killed 10 of them. Statistically, those were great odds. As Bianchi waited for the court proceedings

to come to a close, Veronica grew sick with worry. She lamented how stuck she felt. There was nothing she could do to help her bow. Bianchi agreed that it was hopeless. Except, well, he did have one crazy, hairbrained idea. But no, she'd never go for it. Veronica begged him to tell her. She pulled it out of him, listening intently to every word.

It was risky, but if it'd get Bianchi off the hook, she'd do it for him for love. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. This Valentine's Day, we're following the story of Veronica Compton Wallace, a hopeless romantic, who was willing to do anything to get her homicidal boyfriend out of jail. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from podcast for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In the first part of this episode, we'll delve into Veronica's backstory, discovering what led her to Kenneth Bianchi's embrace. Later, we'll cover Veronica's murder scheme gone awry, and the new love interest she found while serving her own prison sentence. We've got all that and more coming up. with us. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the unit bomber, it's tedious work to find what you're looking for. So if you're

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That's ZipRecruiter. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the Lonely Hearts Killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels, But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify. It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more.

So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers. That's Shopify.com slash killers. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L. Every year after, The Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more.

Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. Everyone deserves a love story. and Veronica Comptons is one for the ages. But what makes it so unique is that for much of her life, love might have seemed like something unattainable, something she was constantly earning.

Many people are born into these circumstances where love is conditional, and because these people aren't accustomed to what affection feels like, they often settle for simple attention, from non-committal types who only come around when it's convenient. Frankly, most of us fall into this trap, at one time or another. Whether it was junior high or your mid-20s, we've all fallen for that person

who was so good at making us seem like the only person in the world. In fact, you're probably thinking of them right now. It's just that some people fall into more extreme versions of these relationships, which are usually a reflection of the kind of love they think they deserve. We don't know how Veronica Compton felt about herself

or how she perceived her worth in the world, What we can say is that she was seemingly born into one of those situations that makes it hard to trust the people who are supposed to care for you. Now, we should warn you that the only backstory we have to go on is from Veronica herself. We'll point out what's been verified by her parents or counselors, but the rest should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Originally from Los Angeles, Veronica says that her life was difficult from a young age. Born in 1956, she dealt with kidney problems and spent much of her childhood in the hospital. The frequent medical issues put a strain on the family. Her mother, Elizabeth, worked an office job to make ends meet,

and it seems she only occasionally got help from Veronica's father. In the 1960s, Veronica's dad was something of an artist and occasional Hollywood art dealer, but he was more of a socialite than anything else. He wasn't ultra wealthy, but he apparently made enough money to, become a fixture at all of LA's best parties. It's unclear exactly how Veronica split her tie between her two parents. Whatever the case was, she appears to have missed out on the sort of stability a child needs. According to Veronica, she was kidnapped when she was 11, by whom we don't know,

but she says her assailants tortured her for months before she was finally able to escape. While we don't have details on this abduction, Veronica later told a counselor that she was molested by family members as a kid, which might be another version of the same story. It's clear that something traumatic happened, but there are a myriad of reasons why we may never know specifics. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and for the rest of this episode. As a reminder, she's not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we've done a lot of research for this show.

Thanks, Greg. Throughout her life, Veronica has exhibited behavior that's consistent with childhood and sexual trauma. But while some details of her story are potentially incorrect, she's probably not lying on purpose. As we've discussed in the past, our brains can sometimes block out traumatic events that we're not ready to grapple with. This is especially true in children. Sometimes those with memory loss will subconsciously create stories to fill in the gaps and then fully believe their own lie. This condition is called confabulation, and it's a symptom of an underlying disorder. Though we can't know what that disorder might be, or if Veronica even has one,

lying to aggrandize oneself is a common symptom of several behavioral disorders. It's been suggested that she lived with antisocial personality disorder, and she certainly exhibited traits to suggest that. However, that's just educated guesswork, and she's never been diagnosed with the condition as far as we know. The biggest example of this supposed self-aggrandizement is probably Veronica's claim that she was diagnosed with cancer at age 50. In addition to possible treatments such as chemotherapy, doctors apparently told Veronica she needed

a hysterectomy and double mastectomy. It's unclear what kind of cancer she had, but the amount of treatment she claimed to undergo would suggest it was malignant and extremely aggressive. However, instead of going through with the surgeries, the teens stopped treatment and, in her words, decided to get pregnant before it was too late. It's unclear whether she had a boyfriend when she made this choice, but she ran off with someone soon enough. At 17, she gave birth to a boy.

In the story of her life, Veronica doesn't seem to mention her cancer again, so we don't know if she continued treatment, if her body somehow healed itself, or if there's some other reason that storyline ends there. What we can assume is that she loved being a mom. Sadly, the father of her child was abusive, and beat her so often that she would be became a fixture at the local ER. She claimed that he once beat her so badly that she had to get partial facial reconstruction surgery. As far as we know, the physical abuse Veronica was experiencing was real, but we don't have any evidence that she needed extensive surgery as a result. With Veronica,

there may always be a kernel of truth to what she says, hidden at the bottom of the popcorn bowl. After that beating, Veronica wanted to take her baby and go home, but her boyfriend wouldn't allow it. So Veronica lived in fear for months until a few friends helped her back home to her family. After escaping with her infant son, Veronica moved back in with her dad sometime around 1974 when she would have been approximately 17. Now, facial reconstruction or not, Veronica had grown into a stunning young woman. She had a strong nose and carved cheekbones with thick hair and elegant shoulders. The moment she stepped into a room, the air was sucked.

out of it, and all eyes were on her. As we mentioned, Veronica's dad was, in her words, a local celebrity of sorts. And now that she was of age, he started taking her to exclusive parties he frequented. For her part, Veronica fit right in at these events. She proved herself to be a charming and capable young woman, full of ambition and interesting stories. People were naturally drawn to her, a fact her father was very proud of. There was just one problem.

her son. Veronica's father allegedly explained the situation in the following way. She was a talented girl. She could follow in his footsteps, become an in-demand artist. In fact, he'd be happy to help her get in with the right people. He just happened to have some personal friends at the Lee Strasbourg Theater and Film Institute. The Lee Strasbourg Institute was, and still is, a prestigious acting studio. In the 70s, training at the studio all but guaranteed you'd be seen by the right people. The thought of that thrilled Veronica. She'd always been fascinated by the idea of being rich and famous. However, her father's offer of help came with a condition.

Marriage. Being an unwed mother would never fly with him. If she didn't marry quickly, she would be removed from Hollywood society altogether. Veronica wanted her son to have a father, and she wanted to be a part of her father's world, so she agreed to let her dad set her up. Around 1975 or so, Veronica entered into what she referred to as an arranged marriage. When she later recounted the story, she never mentioned her first husband's name. However, she does say that she was never in love with him.

Love always seemed to elude Veronica. To hear her tell it, her father didn't love her enough to take her in as a child, and her boyfriend didn't love her enough to treat her with respect. Luckily for her, she'd find the adoration she craved, somewhere else. Veronica says she thrived at the Lee Strasbourg Institute. She loved acting, often landing lead roles at the studio and in local theater productions. She also dabbled in modeling, once landing a hymerm-walker tequila campaign.

It was also at the studio that she discovered her passion for writing. As it turned out, she was an exceptional screenwriter, and she quickly found work at a production company in Beverly Hills and a studio in Hollywood. At this moment in her life, Veronica had purpose. Things were looking up, and not just professionally. The budding starlet loved the new crowd she ran with. Her Hollywood friends were open-minded and creative, always challenging one another to dig deep and pull out their best work.

At some point, she ended her so-called arranged marriage, and when she was 20 or so, started having relationships with some prominent producers and directors in the industry. They brought her to all the sea and beast. seen parties around town. She was truly following in her father's footsteps. But in the late 1970s, the film industry was, well, you know the tropes, booze, drugs, scandal. It didn't take long for Veronica to become a statistic. As she went to more of these affluent parties, she began using cocaine regularly. Now, in fairness, back then, many people were willing to look

past the damaging qualities of cocaine. Unfortunately, Veronica fell into this mindset. The drug supposedly helped her keep up with a busy lifestyle and fast-moving friends. The onset of insomnia and paranoia did little to deter her frequent ski trips through fresh powder, so to speak. She explains it as sliding into a drug-induced madness, the beginning of a year's long addiction. At the time, it's possible no one suspected a problem, because like most new cocaine users, Veronica stayed on top of her work. After writing several plays and movie scripts, Veronica decided to see her. decided to take on a brand new project, one some might consider taboo. She wanted to write a play about a serial killer, and she knew how to begin her research.

In 1980, a drug-addled 23-year-old Veronica Compton penned a letter to Kenneth Bianchi, one of the men involved in the Hillside Strangler murders. He was locked behind bars, but he was about to claim another victim. In a moment, Veronica makes a date with destiny. Love. It's been the subject of poems, novels, music, and film. It's also been the driving force behind some of the most horrendous crimes in history. Hi, I'm Vanessa Richardson. Join me for Season 2 of Criminal Couples, and meet the lovers who took their passion to perilous lengths.

Featuring standout episodes from female criminals, serial killers, solved murders, and crimes of passion, this season of criminal couples gets to the heart of what makes two turn to a life of murderous crime. Some couples were set off by revenge or greed. Others were fueled by sex and drugs. All

acted in the name of love. Discover the darker side of desire in season two of the Spotify original from Parcast Criminal Couples. Follow for free and tune in every Monday only on Spotify. Pay off your home, travel

for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamaba's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th. Don't pass go and own it all.

Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Details at yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Now back to the story. In 1980, 23-year-old Veronica Compton was working out a play about a serial killer.

However, before we continue with this part of her story, we need to go back to give you a little context. Specifically, we're going to meet two men named Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Bono Jr. In 1977, these two were living in Glendale, California, a city in Los Angeles County. Between mid-October and early November of that year, Bianchi and Bono murdered two sex workers in Los Angeles, then discarded their bodies in the hills of Glendale. These women were 15 and 19 years old. The media named the assailants the hillside stranglers, though it seems the police and the media largely slept on the murders of the two women, possibly due to their high-risk

lifestyle. The police apparently became more active in the investigation once the stranglers started targeting middle-class individuals from well-groomed neighborhoods. But despite their best efforts, it took the authorities nearly two. two years to finally catch them. During that time, Bianchi and Bono abducted and killed eight more victims living in eastern Los Angeles than the San Fernando Valley. Bianchi also murdered two women in Bellingham, Washington. Bianchi and Bono were eventually arrested in 1979, an event that made national headlines. Veronica Compton says that the arrest didn't inspire the script

she intended to write. But it was Kismet. In 1980, shortly after after Kenneth Bianchi was caught, she wrote to him in jail, asking if he'd be up for an interview as part of her research. But as you might have guessed, the initial meeting spurred many follow-up visits. It's hard to say why people strike up romantic relationships with inmates. After all, it's a bold choice to make, getting involved with someone you can't actually be with. But hey, thousands of beautiful relationships start long distance, so who are we to judge? That said, Veronica's long-distance lover happened to take part in the murders of more than 10 people, which might be more of a sticking point for most.

It's unethical for any mental health professional to diagnose someone who isn't their direct patient, but some psychiatrists have said Veronica's behavior is consistent with hybristophilia. That's an extreme paraphylic disorder in which the person's sexual desires often involve extreme or dangerous activities. In Veronica's case, it could be that she was attracted to violence, but had no desire to enact violence herself. Instead, she preferred to live vicariously through her intimate partner. If this is the case, then the cycle might have started with her abusive ex-boyfriend. It's not that she consciously chose to put herself in danger, but rather she subconsciously drifted toward that type of person. After all, we don't necessarily feel attracted to the love that's best for us. We're

often attracted to the love that feels most familiar. Even still, it's hard to say where Veronica's head was at when she first arrived at the jail holding Kenneth Bianchi. From the moment the young mother sat down, she was enamored with Bianchi. She found his answers insightful and funny. It's unclear whether she believed he was a murderer who made a mistake or thought he was a falsely accused dreamboat. Either way, she was head over heels. Veronica says that from that, from that At that moment, she surrendered total control to Bianchi. She took the drugs he told her to take and filled her schedule according to his orders. Bianchi clearly loved the control, and for her part, Veronica didn't see that he was using

her like a puppet, grooming her to do whatever he wanted. Even without Bianchi, Veronica wasn't making the best decisions. She says that by the time she was calling Bianchi her boyfriend, her drug abuse bordered on deadly. Veronica was no longer making her own decisions, let alone good ones, so when Bianchi told her he had a plan to get released from jail, she was all ears. To be clear, drug addiction is a heartbreaking condition for anyone to grapple with. But it doesn't excuse what Veronica did next. Soon after Bianchi shared his plan, they got the wheels turning.

During one jail time visit, Bianchi brought a book to the visitor's room and handed it to Veronica. He'd already devoured it, and now he wanted her to have it. The pair had an uneventful visit, and Veronica left. However, the moment she felt she was in the clear, she began to examine the book's binding. Their plan had worked seamlessly. Bianchi had hidden semen and pubic hair in the binding. Now, with the first phase complete, the next step of the plan was for Veronica to copy one of her honey's murders and leave his DNA at the scene.

Bianchi believed that once police found his DNA at an active crime scene, they'd be forced to accept that they had the wrong guy locked up. Then they'd have to let him out of prison. So Veronica and her book of DNA boarded a plane for Bellingham, Washington, the same city where Bianchi killed two college students in 1979. Bianchi was confident that if Veronica committed a copycat murder there, they could fool police into thinking that the real murderer lived in the Washington state area. Plus, it was far from L.A., where Veronica lived, further throwing the scent.

It wasn't a very smart plan, nor would it be hard to put things together. Bianchi didn't have many visitors, and the one he did see consistently would just so happen to be in Washington at the time of a copycat murder. It was hardly even a puzzle. Nevertheless, when Veronica arrived in Washington in mid-September of 1980, she wasted no time in selecting a victim. She needed someone around her age and pretty to fit her boyfriend's M.O. On the evening of September 19th, she set her sights on a cocktail waitress named Kim Breed, who she met at a tavern in Bellingham. Veronica struck up a conversation with Kim, and it's reported that she even accompanied Kim to the grocery store after her shift ended later that day.

Somehow, Veronica managed to lure her new friend back to the motel room where she was staying, maybe by promising to keep the party going after the bars were closed. Either way, Veronica attacked Kim after she walked through the door. She lunged at her from behind, wrapping a rope around her neck and pulling as hard as she could. At first, Kim was so surprised that she couldn't register what was happening, but then she started to fight back. She and Veronica wrestled for control, making a huge commotion. in the process.

Finally, Kim got out from under Veronica and was able to yank the rope off her neck. She fled the scene, throwing Veronica into a panic. She wasn't prepared for what to do if the murder went awry. So she too fled all the way to California.

We're not totally sure how Washington authorities pinpointed Veronica, but she must have left a messy trail behind her. Only a few days after the attempted murder, she was arrested in California and extradited back to Washington. There could not have been more incriminating evidence against Veronica, though perhaps the most touching was a flyer police found when searching her home.

The flyer advertised her serial killer play on one side, but on the back she'd written, How can I marry a mass murderer? Needless to say, the trial which took place in 1981 was more a formality than anything else. In May, Veronica was sentenced to life, in prison for attempted murder with the possibility of parole. She was taken to Gig Harbor outside of Seattle and far away from her family in Los Angeles. A family that was so humiliated, it seemed like

they may never speak to her again. And soon after she was behind bars, her communication with Kenneth Bianchi was cut off, ending his part in this affair. But Veronica's story is only just getting started. That's next. Now back to the story. story. In 1981, 24-year-old Veronica Compton was sentenced to life in prison for the attempted murder of 26-year-old cocktail waitress Kim Breed. The first few years of Veronica's incarceration were productive, if uneventful, but because it's Valentine's Day, we're going to skip straight to the good stuff. Six years after beginning her prison term, a 57-year-old political science professor named James Wallace came to Gig Harbor to give a lecture on criminal law. Though we

spoke with authority and experience. Veronica couldn't help but take umbrage with everything he was saying. So she decided to write Wallace a letter, expressing her disagreement with his views. We don't know exactly what she said, but given her talents as a writer, it's no surprise that her argument was compelling enough for Wallace to write back. The pair began a pen pal relationship that eventually led to in-person visits. As they grew close, Wallace realized he was developing feelings for Veronica. After all, she was smart, witty, an artist. Outside of one attempted murder, she was a pretty great human being. There was just one problem.

Wallace was married and had been for 37 years. He wasn't one to cheat on his wife, but by that point, it seems his marriage was more of a living arrangement than anything else. James Wallace maintains that he didn't leave his wife for Veronica Compton. She just gave him the excuse he needed to move out. But in July 1988, the story took a twist no one saw coming. One day that summer, Wallace heard on the radio that Veronica had escaped from prison. Okay, so maybe Veronica saw that one coming.

According to the report, Veronica and a fellow inmate somehow managed to clip the wire fencing that lined the prison and slip away undetected. Wallace was as upset as he was confused, especially after the police turned up at his house asking, if he'd helped her escape. Flummoxed, Wallace swore that he hadn't. In fact, he told them that he'd only just learned about the escape himself. It seems fair to assume that Wallace was at least disappointed with Veronica. She knew so much about criminal law now, certainly she'd know that staging a jailbreak would diminish her chances of being paroled.

Now, you might remember that Veronica had received a life sentence for attempted murder, but that sentence came with the possibility of parole, So she had a good chance at being released in a reasonable amount of time. So when she escaped in 1988, Veronica was only adding time to her sentence. Which was probably just one of the reasons Wallace was so mad at her. Another being, she left without saying goodbye. However, Veronica was soon found in Arizona. Journalist Nancy Bartley reported that she was trying to find her teenage son.

Apparently, he was being transferred to a new living situation at the time, which we presume was foster care of some kind. Either way, Veronica wanted to be there for her kid. She wanted to be his mother again. On the surface, that seems innocent enough, except that when police scooped her, Veronica was carrying a firearm. For what purpose, we don't know.

But in addition to being illegal, it made it hard to see Veronica as an empathetic mother. When she arrived back at the prison, she was sentenced to another two years for first-degree escape and possession of a firearm. Once Veronica was returned to Gig Harbor, she called Wallace, perhaps to tell him where she was, or perhaps just to have a friend to talk to.

Wallace expressed his relief in learning she was okay. After that, the pair grew even closer. Over the spring and summer of 1989, he and Veronica fell in love. At some point, he asked her to marry him. There were many unusual things about this arrangement. There's the obvious bit about Veronica being in prison indefinitely, but there was the age gap, too. In the summer of 89, Veronica was 32, and Wallace was 59.

Nevertheless, the pair wed on August 27, 1989. The ceremony took place at the prison before a few of Wallace's friends and around 60 of Veronica's fellow inmates. Reports say that Veronica wore a cream suit and bridle gloves. Everyone agreed that the couple looked enamored with one in front. another. But you have to wonder if, at any point, Veronica Compton ever thought of Kenneth Bianchi. Had she ever pictured this moment with him instead? That's not to say she held a torch for Bianchi. In fact, nothing in her behavior or interviews she conducted even suggests that. But it is interesting that she had been in this kind

of relationship before, except now she was the one on the inside. In the wake of the wedding, James Wallace adopted Veronica's teenage son, getting him into a place where the boy could visit his mother more regularly. She and James Wallace also enjoyed regular visits, you know, the conjugal kind. Any skeptics who wondered whether their relationship would last were forced to eat their words. Because not only did the pair grow closer after each visit, but in 1993, at the age of 36, Veronica Compton Wallace found out that she was pregnant. Since arriving at Gig Harbor, Veronica had evolved a great deal.

The difference seemed night and day. Perhaps because she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, she focused on making life inside the prison a little better for everyone. The prison's recreation director claims that Veronica was instrumental in creating a recreation program from the inmates. She also helped create an art and music program, rekindling her artistic talents in the process. But now that she was expecting,

her sole focus seemed to be getting out and creating a good life for her daughter. It's unclear exactly when she began taking advantage of a rehabilitation program, though there's usually some element of group therapy required of every inmate in the U.S. Now that she had a support system, she found it much easier to deal with some of the trauma from her past. She noted that when she was young, she was molested by older relatives, though we don't have specifics, nor would we share them. She also had time to unpack the ordeal she went through during her first pregnancy, and her then-boyfriend's abusive. behavior. As she worked to untangle her childhood trauma, later cocaine addiction, and the misguided belief that Kenneth Bianchi loved her back, Veronica started to understand how she got to that dark place. The state of mind where killing for Bianchi seemed like a logical thing to do.

According to statements she's made, it seems she believed she was bordering on a form of psychosis when she attacked the woman in Bellingham. And most miraculous of all, through her process of of rehabilitation, Veronica and her mother Elizabeth started to grow closer. Elizabeth even promised to help Wallace raise her granddaughter until Veronica was released. It's emotionally exhausting to go your whole life without feeling like someone has your back, like flying on a trapeze with no safety net. And when Veronica did eventually slip, she landed hard in prison. But realizing that she was loved that she had a family. Must have been the most overwhelming, wonderful feeling in the world. So many of the killers we cover on this show suffered awful, broken childhoods. In many ways,

they never had a chance. That doesn't excuse their behavior. After all, a lot of people come from tough situations, and very few of them commit homicide. But it helps us understand how vital it is to care for our community and the children born into it. Hurt people, hurt people. But as Veronica Compton Wallace said, rehabilitation is real. Nine months after conceiving, Veronica gave birth. She was allowed to be with a baby for a few hours before returning to Gig Harbor. The newborn went home with her family. As promised, Elizabeth was there for her granddaughter from day one.

She eventually moved into the basement apartment in Wallace's home so she could be a doting grandma. In fact, for the next three years, Wallace and Elizabeth, raised the baby together, taking frequent visits to Gig Harbor, so Veronica could bond with her little girl. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. Veronica and Wallace had managed to create the most supportive, loving, and normal family dynamic possible, considering the circumstances. Then, Veronica received some news that overhauled everything. In 1996, after 15 years of incarceration, she was eligible for parole. If Veronica's assistant, she was a situation, she was eligible for parole. If Veronica's escape attempt proved anything, it's that she genuinely wanted to be with her children.

And even though she and Wallace figured out how to make it work while she was in prison, she was anxious to be a real mother to her three-year-old daughter, and she told the parole board as much. Her counselor spoke on her behalf, detailing her progress and emotional maturity. They were confident she'd fare well on parole. Then Veronica was escorted back to her cell to wait, while the board decided her fate. Her parole had been granted.

Veronica Compton Wallace was getting out. We don't have to reiterate how thrilled Veronica must have been to walk out of prison and into her family's arms. After seven years of marriage, Veronica walked into Wallace's house for the first time. She saw her mother's apartment downstairs and a space where she could paint. She had made art in prison,

but it paled in comparison to the actual. paintings she could produce at home. And after 15 years behind bars, the entire world was awash with inspiration. She said about decorating Wallace's home with some of her previous work, colorful paintings, largely of female models. But the Beste des desistance came a few days after Veronica got home. She and Wallace went on their very first date, ever. The pair dressed up and drove into Spokane for dinner and a foreign film. It seemed like Veronica had finally found some semblance of home, and it must have felt great. But Mrs. Compton Wallace wasn't a free woman.

She was a paroled woman, which meant that her release came with certain conditions, one of which was routine appointments with her counselor. Veronica made at least one appointment. But at some point, she stopped going. Before two weeks had passed, the Wallace has received a surprise visit from a social worker who was checking on the welfare of Veronica's daughter. Now, Veronica denies this, but the social worker's report states that Veronica answered the door completely naked. She then let the social worker tour the home, where she saw a dozen paintings of nude women,

posed in ways that she could only describe as pornographic. When the social worker and the counselor reported back to the parole board, they revoked Veronica's parole. She'd failed to make it even three weeks on the outside. In 1999, reporter Nancy Bartle, with the Seattle Times, sat down with Veronica at her prison in Gig Harbor. She wrote that upon arrival, Veronica had drawings from her five-year-old daughter spread out across the table between them.

That week, Veronica was expected to hear whether she would be released on parole again. She was excited to see her daughter and be with her family. Bartley reported that Veronica was hopeful. Her mother Elizabeth noted how hard her daughter had been working to atone for her sins and turn her life around. In fairness, Veronica had kept herself busy over the past 18 years. Her psychiatric social worker

was confident that Veronica would be released. But none of this was meant to be. Veronica was turned down by the parole board for at least another two years. The prosecutor who put her in prison said, I think she is still a dangerous person. She had numerous problems while in prison and is truly a bizarre person.

Veronica took the news pretty hard. She'd have to wait even longer to be with her family on the outside. But remember, it's Valentine's Day and we promised you a love story. In 2003, after serving 22 years in prison, Veronica Compton Wallace was again released on parole. And this time, she'd stay free. She moved back in with Wallace and her daughter, finally enjoying the life she'd wanted for so long. If you looked back on her life before she met James Wallace, you wouldn't blame Veronica if she'd given up on romance altogether. But for so many of us, love is a healing, transformative force, as well as a twisting, painful one.

It took Veronica Compton Wallace to the edge of murder just as easily as it brought her to her happy ending. Thanks again for tuning into this special Valentine's Day episode of serial killers. be back soon with a new story. Have a killer week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound

designed by Carrie Murphy, with production assistants by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Aaron Larson. This episode of serial killers was written by Aaron Lan, with writing assistance by Joel Callan, fact-checking by Bennett Logan,

and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood. Serial killers stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. It's been said that love is a many-splendered thing. That is, until it's not. In season two of criminal couples, discover true stories of couples who turned their love lives into a life of crime.

Lies and deceit are just the beginning. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Criminal Couples. Catch new episodes every Monday, free and only on Spotify. Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession.

Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours. Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get. It's your podcast. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again.

I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon on music and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.