Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - "The Stocking Strangler" Carlton Gary Pt. 1

Episode Date: January 2, 2023

For several terrifying months in the 1970s, elderly women in a Georgia suburb were turning up dead or brutally injured in their homes. The murders set the community on edge as police reckoned with a serial strangler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode contains discussions of murder, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13. It was a winter night in 1977, and 55-year-old Jean Frost settled into her bed at her home in Syracuse. She was fast asleep when a noise startled her awake. As her eyes adjusted, she saw the silhouette of a man in her bedroom doorways. Before she could react, he pinned her down. Jean clawed him as he tore off her nightcown, shoved part of the garment into her mouth, and struck her in the head.

Her world flickered in and out of focus. The attacker wrapped a scarf around her neck, her own scarf. He pulled and the fabric dug into her skin. Jean continued fighting, but her vision dimmed, and the ringing in her ears grew louder and louder. her. The last thing she heard through the high-pitched tone was the voice of her assailant. He said calmly, You shouldn't have struggled.

Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parkast. In every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're taking a close look at the killing spree of Carlton Gary, the Stocking Strangler. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. you can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. Today, we'll learn how the brutal realities of Carlton Gary's childhood gave way to a life of crime,

which eventually became a life on the run. We'll also see how he was caught at the scene of two violent attacks and got away by blaming innocent men. Next time, we'll follow Carlton as he terrorizes the elderly women of a wealthy, suburban neighborhood and earns his nickname the stalking strangler. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. 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 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 hiring, I've got news for you. You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds of resumes. Just use ZipRecruiter.

Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. Because not only does ZipRecruiter have the technology to match you with potential candidates quickly, it also just added a new feature that pushes candidates who are qualified and interested in your role to the top of the list. They can even tell you why they're interested, making it easier for you to get a sense of who they are. Cut through the standard and get to the standouts with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And now you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash killers.

Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. Transport your senses with Solte Janado's limited edition perfume mist collection. At Sephora, spritz on lush notes of rainforest orchid and crisp sea breeze with hafresco paraizo. Embrace of floral and fruity scent inspired by Rio's nude beach with chiqui bikini. Or capture sun-kissed bliss with limonada gelada, where zesty Brazilian lemonade accord meets coconut milk and golden brown sugar. Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection only at Sephora. The truth can be malleable. It depends on who you talk to.

Competing realities are everywhere. From history books to news headlines. But no truth is more complicated than a man's identity. Many of us know someone who's quiet at work but becomes a social butterfly after they clock out. We all contain multitudes. This was the case for Carlton Gary, a black man. who grew up in the South. He was a sweet partner to some of his girlfriends, a dutiful son to his mother, and a real charmer to his friends. But if you ask the authorities in residents of Columbus,

Georgia, Carlton was a menace. Carlton was found guilty for the three murders he was accused of, but there are at least four more victims that authorities think he killed and were never able to charge him for. So this story is complicated because there's a lot we don't know. But let's Let's at least start with what we do know. Carlton Gary has said that he didn't have any parents. That of course wasn't true. He was born in 1950 in Columbus, Georgia, to Carolyn David and Willie Gary. There was some accuracy to Carlton's words.

His father, Willie, worked in construction and lived wherever his job took him, which was rarely in Columbus. In fact, Carlton was only visited by his dad once when he was 12. Willie mostly functioned like a ghost, a specter of a a father figure. At some point, Willie fell out of the picture permanently, and Carlton's mom, Carolyn, raised her son alone. She worked as a cook, so she also hardly saw him, and every time she dated a new man,

she moved, leaving Carlton behind. Friends say she changed addresses just as often as she changed relationships. Therefore, Carlton had a transient childhood. As one article put it, he was more acquainted with a suitcase than a backyard swing. While he longed to be with his mom, he was passed from aunt to aunt across the city of Columbus and its suburbs. He made do with what he had, running around with other kids and playing ball near the local cemetery. The graves didn't scare him because from a young age, Carlton seemed fearless. For instance, when Carlton was a young child, he had to walk by a coal yard on his way to school.

It was guarded by a vicious-looking dog. The canine would bark and snarl from beyond the fence. Other kids were too terrified to pass, but it didn't worry Carlton. He waited patiently for the other children to show up and beamed as he led them by. Perhaps the dog didn't bother Carlton because he had more to fear at home. Money was tight and neighbors spotted the little boy digging through trash, looking for scraps of food to eat. This financial insecurity likely had disastrous consequences.

Vanessa is going to take over in the psychology here and throughout this episode. As a reminder, she's not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Lauren Caldwell, the director of the American Psychological Association's Children, Youth, and Families Office, says that poor children face hunger, illness, and insecurity. But that's just the start. She points out that kids who live in poverty, quote, are more likely to experience behavioral problems and social and emotional development difficulties.

While we don't know for sure, this hardship might have caused Carlton to act out. It also could have affected his ability to relate to others. When Carlton was around 8, he decided he was sick of digging through the trash and was ready to make his first escape. A few days before Christmas, he traveled over 600 miles northeast to Fort Lee, Virginia. His uncle David lived on an army base there. David was home with his family when the phone rang. On the other end was his young nephew who said, Unk, come get me.

When Uncle David saw Carlton standing at the guard gate to the base, he was shocked. He had no idea how his nephew had gotten there. But at that moment, he didn't care. He brought the boy back to his home for the holidays. That Christmas, Carlton celebrated with his uncle and cousins. It had to been a huge change from how he normally spent the holidays. And this sense of connection and family is likely what drove Carlton to

to travel hundreds of miles in the first place. It showed how deeply he wanted to have a home, a real home. Unfortunately for Carlton, this stability was short-lived. For the next several years, Carlton bounced from one family member to the next. He changed schools so often he never once appeared in a yearbook. In 1966, the now 15-year-old Carlton went to Fort Myers, Florida, to finally move back in with his mother and her boyfriend. He'd spent his young life longing to live with her, and for a while things seemed to be going well,

but it didn't last. When he was 16, Carlton returned home from school. As he wandered through their small apartment, he noticed his mother's belongings were gone. At first, he must have thought they'd been robbed. But that wasn't the case. Carolyn and her boyfriend had moved out while he was at class. They hadn't even left a note. He had to learn from someone else that she'd gone to the college town of Gainesville 250 miles

away. Carlton was crushed. His mother had run out on him again. The teenager resented her for leaving, but he couldn't stop loving her. She was his mom. He both hated her and worshipped the ground she walked on. So despite her abandonment, the 16-year-old went off to Gainesville to chase his mother down.

There, it seemed like they acted as if nothing had happened, because she had been. because Carlton moved right back in with her. He was probably just happy to be with his mom again. Plus, he had other things to focus on. Gainesville was a big change. They lived in Porter's Quarters, a historically black neighborhood adjacent to the University of Florida campus. It was very different from the well-kept suburbs of Columbus.

Broken down cars littered the narrow streets, and chickens and cats freely wandered through the empty dirt lots. But the landscape wasn't the only difference. By this point, Carlton had grown into a handsome young man, and people noticed. A 17-year-old named Sheila Preston Dean spotted Carlton as he drove through the neighborhood. So she called out and asked if he had a girlfriend. Carlton leaned out his window and responded that he didn't. Sheila said, you do now.

And that was that. Soon the couple were as thick as thieves. Sheila introduced Carlton to her friends, and for the first time, he felt like he belonged somewhere. He'd finally found a group of fellow teenagers who grew up in similar circumstances and could relate to him. But the circle had another effect on Carlton.

They empowered him. Perhaps he became ready to do anything to get away from his life of poverty, even if that meant stealing. Carlton, along with his friends, began breaking into people's homes, and he didn't always get away with it. The authorities in Porta's quarters

arrested him several times, and he rotated in and out of juvenile detention. But burglary was just the start. In March of 1968, his mother tried to pay for groceries with a bad check. The owner called the police and had Carolyn arrested. She spent the night in jail before returning home to Carlton, where she vented her frustrations. The arrest didn't sit well with him. He'd do anything to defend his mother, so soon after this incident, Carlton, Sheila, and some friends drove through the neighborhood to take revenge.

It's not hard to imagine the anger in Carlton's eyes as he beheld the store that had made a fool of his mom. Then someone, likely Carlton, threw a Molotov cocktail through the shop window. The store went up in flames. Within a few days, authorities arrested Carlton, Sheila, and four others for arson. But Carlton wasn't interested in jail time. The fearless 17-year-old escaped from an unlocked interrogation room within a day of his arrest. The authorities scoured the area, but came up empty-handed. The teen who'd spent his youth in transit was on the move once again. When Sheila got out of jail, she packed her things, boarded a train, and met Carlton in the town of New London, Connecticut, over a thousand miles away. There, Carlton wanted to give

them a quality of life that neither of them had had before. He decided to do anything to make sure they didn't end up where he started. He got two jobs, one at a hotel and another as a hospital janitor. Despite his small salary, Carlton bought Sheila expensive gifts like a mink coat. Sheila knew they weren't really for her. She said, he was giving me things he always wanted. He wouldn't admit to greed or wanting nice things. He had to make believe it was for me.

She never asked him where he got the money, but she had her suspicions. These suspicions were soon confirmed when local authorities picked up Carlton for stealing. He was arrested several more times, which likely put a strain on the relationship. Eventually, Carlton began taking out his rage on Sheila. During an argument, Carlton once grabbed her hand and squeezed as hard as he could until Sheila passed out from the agony. The next thing she remembered was waking up in the emergency room. Carlton had put so much pressure on her hand that doctors had to cut off her diamond ring to free her finger.

Sheila stayed with Carlton after this since she still loved him. She likely hoped he'd learned his lesson. Unfortunately, Carlton's penchant for violence only grew. And soon, even more innocent people would suffer. Up next, Carlton becomes a suspect in a murder case. Greed, revenge, lust. Murder investigations often pinpoint why someone has been killed, but not necessarily who did the killing. Every Tuesday on Unsolved Murders meet the victims, suspects, and investigators of the most notorious criminal cases in history.

Part traumatic podcast, part old-time radio show. Unsolved murders transports you to the scene of a crime. It's ensuing investigation and every attempt to solve the case. You'll soon discover that the murder isn't always the most shocking part of the story. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Unsolved Murders. Listen free only on Spotify. 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. And now back to the story.

As a boy, Carlton Gary was a nomad, living all over Columbus, Georgia, and during his teen years, he started running for a different reason. He became a fugitive. After settling in Connecticut, he'd hoped for a fresh, start, but he soon gravitated towards crime yet again, and what started as burglaries soon turned violent. In 1969, the 19-year-old assaulted a police officer in Bridgeport. After that, he and his girlfriend, Sheila, packed up their things and escaped to Albany, New York, roughly 140 miles away. There, Carlton took on a new alias, Carl Michaels. With a new name, he might have thought he could

finally stop running. It started well enough. He spent time in the city's bars and clubs playing bass, trying to make it as a musician. He was a cool guy with great fashion sense. He seemed to have this way of putting people at ease with his disarming charm. And that seemed especially true when it came to women. The Playboy slept around, even though he was still in a relationship. He went out at night and would be gone for hours.

Eventually, Sheila reached her breaking point. One night in April 1970, Carlton came home late, covered in scratch marks. Sheila was furious. She thought he'd gotten them by crawling out of another woman's window. She accused him of cheating on her. When they got into a screaming match, he grabbed a clotheshanger and beat Sheila with it. That ended the argument. He never told her where he'd been, but she'd soon have a guess.

At 8 a.m. the next day, a maid at the Wellington Hotel in Albany knocked on the door of room 604. 84-year-old Nellie Farmer was staying there. She rented by the month. When there was no answer, the maid went inside. What she found made her blood run cold. The place was ransacked. Nellie's body lay on the bed.

Half-clothed, face down, with a scarf-like piece of clothing wrapped tightly around her neck. When the Albany police arrived, they scoured the room. At first, it looked like a robbery gone. wrong, but the perpetrator had only taken a few items of value, including some pieces of jewelry. Luckily, they discovered a fingerprint on a large storage trunk. In those days, there was no national database, so the prints didn't match anything they had on record, but in a few months, that would change.

In July of 1970, the police caught Carlton selling stolen antique coins. When the authorities ran its prints, they matched the ones on the trunk. The cops likely thought it was an open and shut case. Not only did they have a fingerprint match, but the money Carlton was trading belonged to another guest at the Wellington, where Nellie was murdered. It might have seemed like Carlton killed Nellie, then stole things throughout the hotel.

But Carlton had a different story. The young man denied killing the 84-year-old. He was just the lookout for what was supposed to be a simple robbery, and he forgot to wear gloves, which is why only his prince showed up. But he didn't know who was responsible. The police took the bait and offered him a deal. If he cooperated and testified on the stand,

they wouldn't charge him with murder. He'd only face aggravated robbery. Carlton jumped out the chance. He told them everything. Apparently, the real murderer was a man named John Lee Mitchell. The cops arrested John at once, but once they interrogated him, things started to seem a little murky. John said he'd never even heard of the robbery, let alone the murder.

Sure, he knew Carlton, but that was just from clubs around town. He was shocked at being blamed for such a horrible crime. Unfortunately for the police, the case against John didn't hold much weight. Beyond Carlton's accusation, they had nothing tying him to the hotel room. A jury found the man not guilty. Authorities never convicted anyone of Nellie's murder, and Carlton, per his plea deal, was sentenced to 10 years. It's unclear when, but sometime during his incarceration, Sheila and Carlton split up. Even so, Carlton tried to make the most of his time in prison.

He worked in the laundry and barber shop to make some marginal income, certainly nothing that would afford a mink coat. During his free time, he wrote a handwritten appeal to overturn his conviction, even though he'd taken a deal, Carlton looked for loopholes in his plea. If anyone could find one, it'd be him. That's because he was very clever. When prison psychologists examined Carlton, they noted he had an IQ of 114, which was in the top 20% of the country. Psychologists made another observation. Though they didn't discover any signs of mental illness, tests found that Carlton was, quote, self-righteous and self-assertive. For those who knew Carlton, that wasn't surprising. As he demonstrated during the Nelly Farmer case, he often viewed himself

as blameless. And this self-righteousness might have led him to believe he was justified in his crimes. His self-confidence came out in other ways, too. Behind bars, he adopted a sophisticated persona. He claimed he had degrees in theology and physical education. It didn't matter if it wasn't true. It was a way for him to maintain authority while his autonomy was stripped away. Luckily, for Carlton, he didn't need to wait much longer for freedom. In early 1975, the state granted the 24-year-old parole, only five years into a sentence. After getting out, Carlton moved to Syracuse and dated a nurse. There, he worked for a fence company and made extra cash by modeling.

But he just couldn't stay out of trouble. Over the next year or so, Carlton was in and out of prison several times for various robberies and other crimes. This was well before the three-strike laws existed. A pattern formed and a life revolving through cell doors became the only one he knew. It didn't seem likely that he'd escape this cycle. If anything, Carlton was destined for even longer sentences, as he seemed to be getting more violent and dangerous with each criminal act. On a winter night in 1977, 55-year-old Jean Frost was asleep in her bed,

when she awoke to find a man standing at her doorway. What happened next changed Jean's life forever. The intruder tore off her nightgown, sexually assaulted her, and stuck a piece of clothing in her mouth. After telling her she shouldn't have struggled, he beat and strangled her until she passed out. The assailant escaped, taking a watch with him. It seems similar to what happened to Nellie, but there was one major difference. Unlike Nellie, Jean survived. Syracuse PD hoped they'd be able to nab her attacker.

They got a lead two days later when they detained someone for theft. And when they searched him, they found Jean's watch in his pocket. The man they arrested was Carlton Gary. Just as before, Carlton had a convenient story. He again said he was only a lookout. He didn't touch Jean. Instead, an accomplice had assaulted her. The authorities again offered a...

a deal. If he testified against his supposed partner, he could get a reduced sentence, only a year. As with the Nelly Farmer case, there was no evidence against Carlton's scapegoat, and so the prosecution fell apart. The whole thing was deja vu. If Carlton had been the perpetrator, then he'd gotten away with it, at least for the most part. In the spring of 1977, Carlton served a year-long sentence in Jamesville, New York for his part in Jean's assault. Once more, he pushed for an early release. But this time, it wasn't just for himself. He became involved in inmate advocacy. He even wrote to a local paper. In the letter, Carlton said he'd done a lot of soul searching, and he knew the error of his ways. He believed rehabilitation was possible. He wrote, it does take some longer than others to

really want to eliminate the criminal mind, but working together we can make for a better society. Carlton may have been genuine, but it could have just been his public persona at work, the one he used to charm everyone around him. Readers likely didn't know about Carlton's violent past or his plans to escape. After just four months into a sentence, Carlton started getting itchy feet. He couldn't stand being in prison any longer. It was time to get on the road. In August of 1977, Carlton and another inmate squeezed through a

a tight gap they found between the bars of their cell and a back wall. Then they headed for a window, which led outside. They broke the glass quietly, then they jumped to the ground. Carlton and the other convict escaped into the night, running as fast and as far as they could. The pair managed to evade capture for a while before splitting up. Carlton headed back to a city he knew well, one where he didn't have a criminal record,

the place of his birth, Columbus, Georgia. There he was once a fearless little boy, but now he'd grown into a dangerous man, ready to harm anyone to get what he wanted. Carlton had come home. Up next, the stocking strangler terrorizes the suburbs. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound terseptide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity,

or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection. Zephound contains terseptide and should not be used with other terseptide-containing products or any GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepound is safe and effective for use in children.

Don't share needles or pens or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer, or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia if you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be, or taking birth control pills.

Taking Zepbound with a sulfonel urea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99 or visit Zepbounce.lil.com. Want to support your gut health? Take Activia's gut health challenge by enjoying two Activia yogurt today for two weeks and see if you feel a difference. With billions of probiotics and 20 years of scientific expertise, Activia is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to start your gut health ritual.

Try Activia today. Enjoying Activia twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort, which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. Now back to the story. By September of 1977, Carlton Gary arrived in his hometown of Columbus, Georgia, after escaping from prison. The man who showed up was much different than the team.

teenage boy who left 12 years ago. Now in his late 20s, Carlton was still fearless and had charm to spare. He wasted no time reconnecting with old acquaintances and making new friends. The first thing the community might have noticed was Carlton's new sense of style. He routinely spent hundreds of dollars on clothes from a local shop, ironically titled The Move In Man. He also appeared in ads for the store, which played five times a night on local television. Carlton's life seemed perfect, but nearby in the suburb of Winton, trouble was brewing. In 1977, Winton was a middle-class neighborhood with bucolic streets, lined with cookie-cutter ranch-style homes. It was as close to the Andy Griffith Show as one could get.

Things were quiet, and the crime rate was low. But what made it such a great place to live also made it a target. Many residents so used to living in their quaint community, didn't even even, even locked their doors. In this bubble of safety, the citizens of Winton often let their guard down. On a September evening in 1977, Gertrude Miller, who was around 60, climbed into bed and fell asleep. But sometime in the dead of night, a feeling of dread woke her. Someone else was in the room. She quickly opened her eyes. A man stood above her. The intruder overpowered her and held her down.

While she struggled, he pulled off her clothes and sexually assaulted her. He even turned on the lights to get a better look at what he was doing. The attacker violently hit the side of Gertrude's head and strangled her with a nodded stocking. The more she struggled, the worse it became. And soon, her world faded away. With Gertrude passed out, the intruder fled from the house and into the night. The next day she was found in bad shape. but thankfully alive.

The assailant hadn't taken anything valuable, not jewelry, antique coins, or a watch. It seemed like he just wanted to hurt Gertrude. There weren't any immediate leads in the case, so the police interviewed the neighbors to see if they'd noticed anything suspicious, but unfortunately, no one had any useful information. What's more, Gertrude couldn't remember the face of her attacker.

Everything was hasty. All she recalled was a dark figure, towering over her, squeezing her neck. Without a description of the perpetrator and no other clues, police had no idea who they were looking for. It could have been anyone. The attack was similar to what happened to Nellie Farmer and Gene Frost. But unlike those cases, Carlton was never questioned.

So we don't know if it was Carlton to attack Gertrude. But he did arrive in Columbus only weeks before. Additionally, during his childhood, Carlton grew up just a 10-minute walk from Winton, so he was likely familiar with the area and probably knew how unprepared it was for a crime like this. Those living on the street were rocked by the violent episode.

They couldn't believe something so traumatic had happened in their backyard. Despite their fears, it doesn't appear that word of Gertrude's attack even made the local papers. The cops likely thought it was an isolated incident, but as it turned out, that wasn't the case.

Five days after Gertrude's assault, the strangler casually made his way down the quiet streets of Winton, with neighborhood residents blissfully unaware. He soon arrived at a home on 17th Street. He stepped off the sidewalk and moved across the perfectly manicured lawn before approaching the sliding glass door at the back of the house. He easily slid it open. Like so many other homes in the area, this place was unlocked. The prowlers slipped inside the house silent.

The interior of the home was bathed in darkness. No man was awake. It was perfect. He took measured steps towards the master bedroom. There he found 59-year-old Fern Jackson sleeping in her bed. The intruder approached and attacked, perhaps before Fern even woke up. He struck her on the left side of her skull before placing a pillow over her face and sexually assaulting her. He grabbed a nylon stocking and a sash from her nightgown and tied them around her neck.

He pulled the garments tight. During the strangulation, one of Fern's pupils burst from the lack of oxygen to her face. When she stopped breathing, the killer left, but not before trashing the home. He opened drawers and suitcases and threw the contents everywhere. The next morning, Fern's co-workers at the Department of Public Health Education grew concerned when she didn't come into work. She was the department's director, so it was unusual. They called the police. Around 10 a.m., an officer arrived at Ferns to find the home locked up tight. There were no signs that anything was wrong. The windows weren't smashed and none of the doors were ajar.

When he entered, he found the 59-year-old in her bed. He secured the area and called it in. There'd been a murder in Winton. Detectives immediately combed the scene for clues. The only thing of value missing from Fern's home was her car. Officers located the vehicle shortly after, parked a few miles away in the predominantly black neighborhood of Carver Heights, the same area Carlton grew up in. They also found semen and pubic hair at the scene. Based on the look of the hair and the location of the car, the police believed their suspect was a black man. The perpetrators certainly could have been Carlton Gary, but we don't know what he was doing the night of the attack. Either way,

the cops weren't close to nabbing the true murderer, and residents of Winton began to worry. The crime was shocking and grisly. They couldn't believe that anyone would want to kill Fern. She was such a sweet woman, and as days passed, their fear began to spread. Locals started locking their doors. Many went a few steps further and installed dead bolts, placed bars on the windows, and bought firearms by the dozen. One busy locksmith said, This whole damn town is scared to death. According to Rafael Prieto Curiel, a researcher at University College London, this reaction is natural. He says the fear of crime can be considered contagious.

Even those that have never been a victim of crime can be seriously worried about it. And while panic might be completely valid, it can also have harmful physical effects. Multiple studies have found that worrying about crime can lead to worse mental health at an increase in cardiovascular disease. That's because when residents were afraid, they exercised less and participated in fewer social activities. And this was the case in Winton, where some older women barricaded themselves in their homes.

They didn't want to take any chances, lest they become the next victim. Others look for a peace of mind in any way they could, and for some, including 71-year-old Jean de Menstein, that meant going out and seeing friends. Jean was a retired clothing shop owner, and nine days after Fern Jackson's death, she met up with two companions for dinner at a steakhouse. It was nothing fancy, but it was nice for the friends to spend time together out on the town. That night, they talked about what had happened to Gertrude Miller and Fern Jackson.

Gradually, the conversation shifted to how Jean lived alone and might be in danger. She'd been in the neighborhood for decades, but with everything going on, she decided it was time to move. After dinner, the two friends drove Jean to her home on 21st Street, only a few blocks away from Fern. They watched as she walked up her driveway and into her house before locking the door. By midnight, Jean had gone to sleep. She didn't stir even as noises drifted from the front of the house.

Under the cover of darkness, a man silently dismantled the hinges from Jean's garage door. As the clock passed 12, he gained entry, quietly stalked through the home, and entered the back bedroom. There he watched Jean's chest slowly rise and fall with each breath. She looked fragile in her old age. Suddenly, he attacked. He held her down, beat, and sexually assaulted her. At one point, he put a pillow over her face to stymie her screams. He grabbed one of her nylon stockings and wrapped it tightly around her neck. Slowly her movements ceased. She lost consciousness and went completely still. When the attacker got off of her, she was no longer breathing. Gene was dead. The crime was almost identical to the two other attacks in Winton. And just as with Fern Jackson's

murder, the police found Jean's car a few blocks away, in roughly the same area. It all added up to one conclusion. A serial killer was on the loose. The morning after her death, the mayor of Columbus, likely sensing the growing public panic, held a press conference on Gene Demenstein's lawn. Surrounded by police cars and officers, he tried to assure the public that the neighborhood was protected. He told cameras that authorities would do everything they could to catch the strangler and said, We've got a maniac. I hope we get this guy. We got to get this guy. He, along with everyone else in Columbus, knew,

a killer was out there, and it would only be a matter of time before he struck again. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back next time with part two of the stalking strangler. We'll learn how the stalking strangler's horrific spree culminated in a high intensity standoff and why Carlton Gary may or may not have been the killer all along. You can find all episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Stay safe out there. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive produced by Max Cuddler. Our head of programming is Julian Borrow. Our supervising sound designer is Russell Nash, with Nick Johnson as our head of production and quality

control by Spencer Howard. Ben Bishop is our supervising editor and Derek Jennings is our writing lead. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Robert Tyler. Walker, edited by Ben Carrow and Kate Murdoch, fact-checked by Catherine Barner, researched by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, produced by Bruce Kitovich and sound design by Michael Motion. Our hosts are Greg Polson and me, Vanessa Richardson. Lack of evidence, poor police work, clever criminals. Whatever the reason, some murders remain unsolved. Every Tuesday, unsolved murders explores the facts of our real-life cold case, part-traumatic podcast, part old-time radio show. Join the ensemble cast of actors

as they take you on an exhilarating journey through the crime scene and its ensuing investigation. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast Unsolved Murders. Listen free only on Spotify. Own it all. 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 and San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29. 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. 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 Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.