Murder In America - EP. 127 PENNSYLVANIA - The Devil Next Door: The Murder of Ann Hoover

Episode Date: September 29, 2023

In the 90's, a shocking crime rocked the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A neighborhood feud had spiraled out of control, and a woman was now dead... but the brutal details of this crime and of exactly what had transpired inside of that home were about to make national headlines. This is the story of the death of Ann Hoover, and you're listening to Murder in America. - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Life is a journey. I know this. I think we all know this. Some days feel good and other days feel absolutely overwhelming. Whatever's keeping you up at night, it's easy sometimes to feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. But the truth is, nobody has all the answers.

And no journey should be taken alone. However, having someone with you to listen, to understand, and to support. you can make all the difference. I know that I'm a huge therapy advocate I've advocated for therapy for years, and if you want to give therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great place to start. BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the U.S. BetterHelp also does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences, and their 12-plus years of experience and industry-leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time.

And something that I love is if you aren't happy with your therapist match, you can switch to a different therapist at any time from their tailored recommendations. I've personally used BetterHelp in the past, and I think that if you're on the edge, if you're thinking, maybe it's time to start therapy, I say just go ahead and do it. There's literally no downside, because you don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com slash MIA. That's BetterHELP.com slash MIA. Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover

and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned. Buying your first home is an exciting experience. Most people spend months or even years.

looking through all the homes for sale in their community, trying to find the perfect one. And there are a lot of things to consider. Not only does the home have to meet your standards, but you also have to think about the location, the schools nearby if you have kids, and whether or not you want to be a part of an HOA. But along the way, your list will narrow down,

and soon enough you'll find the perfect one, the house where you'll likely spend the next few, decades of your life. But imagine finding your dream home and investing tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars into it just for it to be your living nightmare, a nightmare that you're stuck in. And not because of the home itself, but because of the neighbor next door. I have read horror stories about this exact scenario. For this episode alone, I looked on Google and there are thousands of forums just giving advice on how to deal with a bad neighbor. And it's clear that they can really ruin your experience as a homebuyer. Which is exactly what happened with a woman named

Anne Hoover in 1997 in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Anne had recently purchased a row house in the up-and-coming neighborhood of South Oakland. And it was definitely a fixer-upper, but she was really excited about renovating it. Many homes in the neighborhood were doing the same thing, which in the end would raise the property values. But soon enough, a man named Roy Kirk would purchase the row house directly next to Anne's, and she would quickly find out that he was the neighbor from hell. And after months of disputes between the two, Anne Hoover would be found murdered and dismembered in her neighbor's basement. So this is the story of the devil next door.

I'm Courtney Browne. And I'm Colin Browne. And you're listening to Murder in America. Wilson Hoover was a very intelligent, independent, and creative woman. And ever since she was a little girl, she loved music and had a huge passion for playing the piano. So after high school, she would enroll at Marrieta College in Ohio. And in 1975, she graduated with a music degree.

The Marietta Music Department chairman, William Buello told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, she was one of the best students that ever came through this college. And he didn't just say that because she was a good student, but because she had this warm and bright personality that everyone loved. After college graduation, Anne got a fundraising and marketing job in Marietta, so she would end up staying there for the next 10 years. And luckily for her, this job allowed her to travel around the U.S. to places like New York,

West Virginia, and back to her home state of Pennsylvania. But once she entered her 30s, Anne was ready for a change of scenery. And her heart was set on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her family lived in nearby Ross Township, and she was very close to them, so moving back meant she could spend more time with her parents who were growing older. So after 10 years in Ohio, she finally moved back to Pittsburgh and got a job as a telemarketer for the Pittsburgh Symphony. And Anne loved this job because she loved music.

But she would only end up working there for about five years because she wanted a better-paying job. You see, as she was entering her 40s, her main goal was to buy a house, a place she could call home. and eventually she would end up finding a better paying job at direct advantage marketing. But while Anne worked hard and saved up her money, she never forgot to nourish her true passion, which was music. It's around this time when she started teaching piano to children around Pittsburgh. These kids would come to her house that she rented and she would give them lessons. And every single one of her students said she was an amazing instructor.

Anne was described as upbeat, compassionate, and she had a great laugh that was very infectious. She also had a big heart for animals. She was known to take in strays, and she even adopted a blind poodle who she named Nikki. Now, by 1995, Anne was 42 years old, and she finally had enough money saved up to purchase a home of her own. So she began looking at all of the homes for sale in Pittsburgh that were in her price range, and it was kind of a stressful process. Obviously, all the homes and the really nice neighborhoods were crazy expensive, so she started looking at the more up-and-coming areas, and one place that really stuck out to her was South

Oakland. The neighborhood runs along the Monongahela River, and it's known for having a lot of culture and a younger crowd. It's also where the famous artist, Andy Warhol, was born and raised. Now, in 1995, South Oakland was going through a transitional period. Many of the rundown and abandoned homes were getting bought and renovated. And Anne could really see a lot of potential here. And soon enough, everything seemed to fall into place

when she found a home that was in her price range. It was a row house, which are very common on the east. coast. And if you don't know what that is for any of our southern listeners, they are houses that line the streets and they are connected to one another. Now, the home that Anne was interested in was located at 321 Lawn Street. It was abandoned at the time and would definitely require a lot of work. But Anne was excited about the project. Even further, many other people in the neighborhood were buying some of the rundown houses too. So, the area was really improving, and Anne felt like this was meant to be her home. So she bought it

and immediately went to work on the renovation. Her friends would later say that Anne was the perfect person to take on the challenge of fixing up an abandoned house. She was very strong-willed, independent, and she could do anything she set her mind to. So for hours and hours, she went to work repainting, remodeling, and replacing all of the broken doors and windows. It would take a while, but finally after months of hard work, Anne had turned the abandoned home into a brand new-looking house, one that she was proud of, and her neighbors were renovating their homes too, so soon enough their entire neighborhood was really turning into a beautiful community. They described it as their renaissance, a rebirth and revival of a once-neglected neighborhood

that everyone was proud to call home. The only issue was the home located at 323 Lawn Street. It was definitely an eyesore, and it desperately needed maintenance and repairs. The home had missing roof tiles, broken doors, rotted wood, and boarded up windows, and unfortunately, it happened to be the home directly next to Anne's, the one connected to hers. But luckily, in 1996, the neighborhood's prayers were answered when a young and energetic man named Roy Kirk decided to buy it. Being the friendly neighbor, she was. Anne immediately introduced herself to Roy, and she did her best to make him feel welcomed into their neighborhood. When Roy started talking to her about all of the renovation plans he had

for the house. He said he wasn't sure if he was going to end up living there or if he would just fix it up and then sell it. But his main goal was to completely renovate the house so he could improve the property value. According to reports, Roy believed the South Oakland neighborhood was up and coming and he wanted a piece of the pie for himself and saw it as a good investment. So after he bought the home, the entire community was very excited about their new neighbor and they welcomed him in with open arms. Roy also seemed very eager about not only improving his house, but the entire neighborhood as a whole. He would even attend their monthly meetings and offer up a ton of great ideas on how they could revamp their small community. So everyone was really

impressed with his eagerness and leadership. So much so, they actually made him president of their neighborhood committee. However, no one had any idea who this man really was or what he was capable of. For the first few months, Roy Kirk was on his best behavior. He smiled and waved at his neighbors. He offered interesting small talk when they passed him on the street, and he even started renovations fairly quickly. Anne would be on her porch and she could see Roy ripping out the rotting walls, broken beams and the old plaster. It was definitely a mess, but that's just part of the renovation process. However, day after day, as Roy tore the old house apart, he quickly realized that he was in over his head. This was not going to be some quick and easy project, and to be

honest, he was nowhere near qualified to handle it on his own. These renovations would require skilled professionals, but for whatever reason, he was dead set on doing all this work on his own. As for Anne, she had also spent a lot of time renovating her new home, but she also knew her limits. If there was anything she couldn't do or she couldn't figure out how to do, she would hire a local contractor to complete the job, which is obviously the smart thing to do, especially if you want it done right. But Roy wasn't taking this approach.

After about six months of living there, Anne noticed that he didn't seem to be making any progress at all. In fact, the property next door looked even worse now than it did when Roy first bought it. His front lawn was covered in piles of trash and debris from the renovations, and it looked horrible. And one thing everyone in the neighborhood was confused about was the main thing his house needed was a new roof. There were these huge holes in the roofing, making it to where water would drain inside when it rained.

And water damage is a homeowner's nightmare. If you don't fix it, the walls in the roofing. floors can grow mold and mildew, then you can get wood rot, and eventually your home can even develop structural problems. So Roy is tearing apart the inside of his house because of these problems, but if you don't fix the source of the issue, then your problems are just going to come back. Everyone in the neighborhood noticed this. So Anne notices this and she wants to help him out. So one day she walks over and they chat for a few minutes. And towards the end of their conversation, she says,

You know, I know this amazing roofer that is very affordable. So if you ever need his number, just let me know. And he can help you with the holes in your roof. But surprisingly, Roy says he doesn't need a roofer and that he's just going to do it himself, which was fine except months and months would pass. And Roy never fixed his roof. In fact, most of the renovations he started had slowed down.

And now his home looked worse than ever. Now, you might be thinking it's his house. He can do what he wants with it. If he wants it to look bad, then that's his choice. Which I totally agree. But the one thing that really bothered everyone is that he just didn't respect his neighbors. For instance, since Roy didn't have electricity at his house, he would use this long orange extension cord that he would plug into another home in the

neighborhood and then without asking permission he would just run the orange cord into the streets through other people's yards and their flower beds and obviously that isn't the biggest deal but some people in the neighborhood just found it a little disrespectful by the fall of 1996 roy's house still hadn't made any progress and it wasn't even habitable yet There was still trash covering the front lawn, and every time it rained, water would leak into the house, causing even more damage to the wood and plaster. And instead of fixing it, Roy would just carelessly patch the hole in the roof. And by then, Anne was beginning to lose hope that the row house connected to hers was ever going to be renovated. The community of South Oakland had worked hard to revamp their neighborhood, but Roy Kirk's home was beginning to drive down the property values.

Anne was really frustrated with her neighbor, but she tried to remain optimistic about the situation. Perhaps she thought he just needed more time to complete the work, and she of all people knew that renovating is not an easy process. So Anne tried to give Roy the benefit of the doubt, but then one day she woke up early to the sound of water dripping, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that her bedroom ceiling was saturated with rainwater and it was dripping down onto her floors.

It had rained heavily the night before, but she had spent thousands of dollars renovating her home so this wouldn't happen. So why did she have water damage? Well, when Anne stepped outside to figure out what happened, she saw that Roy had completely removed all of the rain gutters on the roof of his house. And because their homes were connected, the rain ran off onto her home. And this was kind of the last straw for Anne. For months, she had kept her mouth shut.

But now that she had extensive water damage because of his poor renovations, she knew it was time to say something. Later that morning, she looked outside and saw that Roy was in his front yard. So she walked over and confronted him. But Roy was completely unbothered. He didn't care that his mistake would end up costing Anne a lot of money. Instead, he was actually pretty rude and dismissive, which only made Anne more upset.

And from here, she figured, well, if I'm already confronting him about this, I may as well bring up my other concerns. So it was here where Anne told Roy that the trash in his front yard was getting out of hand, and that he should be more considerate of his neighbors. The two argued in the front yard for a few more minutes. By the end of it, Anne knew that Roy was not taking her concerns seriously. She also knew that his home would not be up to stand. with the local housing authority. So the following day, she issued a formal complaint.

Anne had had enough. She had been patient with her neighbor for nearly a year, but now that her home was being affected by Roy's poor renovations, she decided to take matters into her own hands. After filing the complaint with the housing authority, an inspector came out and issued Roy several citations regarding the state of his home. They also gave him a list of items that had to be repaired within 60 days for safety reasons, and a fine of $1,000.

As word got around the neighborhood about this, everyone was really relieved that something was finally being done. But day after day, Ann noticed that Roy still wasn't doing anything about it. There were still heaping piles of trash in the front lawn. And some neighbors even noticed rats coming from his garage. So eventually, everyone in the neighborhood got together for their monthly meeting to discuss the state of Roy's home. Now, Roy wasn't there for that meeting, but during it, everyone voted to remove him as the

president of the neighborhood steering committee. They felt like he didn't deserve the title when his home specifically was depleting the property values in their neighborhood. However, when Roy found out about this, he was furious, and he felt like Anne was responsible for turning the entire community against him, which wasn't true. Everyone felt this way about Roy's home. Anne was just the one who set it all in motion after she got water damage. As time progressed, it was obvious to Anne that Roy had no intentions of doing any more work on the house. The visit from the inspector clearly didn't motivate him to finish his project. In fact, his home looked even worse now than when he first bought it. And by

then it started becoming a health concern. The trash continued to pile up and their neighborhood was even developing a rat problem and everyone knew where the rats were coming from. So Anne decided to file a formal complaint with the city's health department. She even went to her local library to learn more about statutes so she could be a witness for the city in the case against him. She truly didn't know what to do anymore. She was at the end of her rope. So much so, she even offered to buy the home from Roy just so she wouldn't lose all the money she invested in her own house. But of course, he declined. After feeling like the neighborhood was against him, Roy's entire demeanor changed.

The once youthful and energetic man was now cold and angry, but people in the neighborhood were still trying to be nice to him. Most of them weren't even concerned about the renovations. They just wanted him to clean up his yard and take out the piles and piles of trash. But he wouldn't even do that. It was clear that Roy was spitefully leaving, leaving everything as it was, as a big F-U to all of his neighbors. And the person he was most angry with was Anne Hoover next door.

Anne tried her best to ignore Roy, but it was almost like he was taunting her. He would hang out in his front yard when she was home and just stare over in her direction. It made her uncomfortable, but she never feared for her personal safety. She thought Roy was just lazy. She didn't think he was capable of violence, but she couldn't have been more wrong. According to her close friend Rebecca Wallace in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, she said, quote, did Anne live in fear of him? Absolutely not. He was an adversary, not an enemy.

She did not go around to get this guy, end quote. The president of direct advantage marketing, J. Fairbrother, where Anne was employed, stated, She wasn't on this crusade to fix up the sky's place just because it was some cause she believed in. She very much had a financial interest at stake. The case against Roy was taken to court, and to prepare for it, Anne gathered all the evidence she had against him, including the pictures she had of his home and the pictures of the water damage she caused to her home. And when the day came, Anne, along with several other neighbors, came to court to present their evidence against their neighbor. And after seeing everything, the judge ended up giving Roy over $49,000 worth of fines.

In fact, the judge even suggested that the house be demolished because it was a safety hazard. Anne Hoover was clearly pleased with this ruling, but she also felt a little guilty. She had never set out to ruin Roy's life or to bankrupt him. She only wanted him to finish what he set out to do. So after the court case, she approached him once again and offered to buy his home so he wouldn't have to deal with the financial burden. But he was never going to agree to that. In fact, he told Anne that he wouldn't have to pay any of the fines because he was going to appeal the judge's verdict, which only meant that this nightmare would continue for the entire neighborhood.

Months would pass and there were still no renovations on the home. And strangely enough, by that point, Roy barely ever even came by. The house was empty, in a constant state of disarray, and it would stay that way until his appeal to, date, which was set for March of 1997. Now, it was clear that Roy wasn't living at his house on Lawn Street, but he would occasionally visit, and every time he did, he would give the neighbors this look that sent shivers down their spine. It was clear just by looking at him that this man was full of rage.

The neighbors even warned Anne to stay far away from him. He looked dangerous, like he wanted revenge. Anne considered getting a restraining order against him, but she never followed through with it, and she decided that she was going to move forward with her life. For a year, Roy had caused her so much conflict and stress in her life, and after winning the case against him, she wanted to put her focus on other things, things that brought her joy. In the months before her death, Anne attended music recitals around Pittsburgh, continued giving piano lessons, and she spent some time with her family.

Things were finally looking up, and she kept reminding herself that the only obstacle she had to get through was the appeal case, and then she was free. On Monday, March 24, 1997, the day before she had to appear in court, Anne had a normal day. Of course, she was a little stressed, but she tried to preoccupy herself. That morning, she attended a piano recital given by her friend Yehaw Chu at the Trombino Piano Gallery in downtown Pittsburgh. And then after the recital, she headed to work at Direct Advantage Marketing. And unbeknownst to everyone in the South Oakland community, Roy Kirk had returned to his home

at 323 Law Street. Later that evening, Anne returned home after a long day. And as soon as she stepped inside, she heard loud noises coming from the basement next door. It was the first time Roy had been home in months. Maybe he was finally doing some work on his house, or maybe he was being loud on purpose to make some sort of a statement. Either way, Anne knew that this nightmare was finally about to be over. And to drown out the sounds, she sat down at her piano and played a few songs to calm her nerves.

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To pick her up. They all had plans to ride to the courthouse together, so they walk up the steps to her porch. and knock on the door. But strangely enough, Anne doesn't answer. They knock a few more times, but after several minutes, they realize that she's not home. She must have already gotten a ride downtown, they thought. So the neighbors leave her home and make their way to court for the final hearing of this nightmare. But when the group steps inside of the courtroom, neither Anne Hoover or Roy Kirk are there, which was concerning because Anne wasn't home. But they aren't freaking out just yet. Perhaps she stopped for coffee. However, as the minutes tick by, her neighbors begin to have this horrible feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

Anne would not have missed this. So as soon as the judge steps into the room, and Anne is officially late, they immediately voiced their concerns. And seeing that neither party is present for the case, the judge is concerned too, so he sends police over to 321 Lawn Street for a welfare check. Soon enough, law enforcement make their way over to the quiet South Oakwood neighborhood, and people emerged from their homes to see what was going on. Everyone knew that Anne and Roy had been having issues, so why were the police here? One neighbor was able to help them locate a spare key so they could gain entry into her home. And as soon as they walk inside,

they see Anne's purse, shoes, and her court documents on a hallway table near the front door. They call out her name, but they're met with silence. It's clear Anne isn't home. Now at first glance, the house appeared undisturbed, that is, until they got upstairs. Near the second-story bathroom, officers see a spot of blood on the floor,

which leads them to believe that Anne Hoover could have been met with foul play. But as for her home, that was really the only piece of evidence they could find. So they step outside and tell a neighbor that Anne wasn't there, to which they say, well, you better go look in Roy's house next door. The police noticed that Roy's front door is ajar, so they make their way inside with their guns drawn. And as they walk room to room, they can't help but notice the horrible conditions inside the home.

There were holes all through the rotted floors, so the officers had to watch their steps. and since there was no electricity, it was very dark inside. The police had to use their flashlights to get around. And soon enough, their lights illuminated tons of animal cages all over the ground. Some of the cages housed rats. Others had dead animals that were covered in maggots. If the neighbors thought the outside of the home was bad, they had no idea how horrible it was inside.

But the officers continue making their way through the home, calling out for Roy. For the first few moments, no one answered. So they figured that maybe no one was home. But then suddenly, Roy Kirk appeared out of nowhere. He was clearly disheveled and dirty looking, as he asked the officers what they were doing there. Why didn't you show up for court this morning? They asked. Roy had a blank stare.

He tried to think of his answer, but he could see the officers. but he could see the officers staring at his feet, which were caked with blood and dirt. Uh, I didn't show up because I knew I was going to lose the case anyway. From here, the officers tell Roy to put his hands behind his back. They had to detain him while they continued their search of his home. But as he was being brought outside, Roy looked at them and said, You don't want to go in there, officer. With Roy now out of the house, they made their way back inside and began clearing every room.

The officers would later recall that it was so dark inside, making it all the more eerie. But once they made it upstairs, they heard movement coming from the bathroom. Could Anne possibly be in there? Did Roy have her tied up? The officers cautiously opened the door, but it's not Anne. Inside of the bathtub is a large 18-foot-long Burmese python. Stunned, they quickly shut the door and move on to the last room of the house, the basement. While standing on the main floor, the officers noticed an orange extension cord going from the back door, through the kitchen, and down to the lower level of the house.

It was clear that Roy had been working on something down there, so, they follow the cord down the steps, and there they find many more cages filled with rats and other wild animals. The basement was damp and humid, and there was an overwhelming smell of meat. One of the officers said it was like he was standing in the middle of a butcher shop, and before they could get a good search of the basement, they couldn't help but notice the huge hole in the wall in front of them.

There were pieces of brick and plaster all over the ground, and there was a giant hole leading directly into Anne Hoover's basement. That's right, the loud noises that Anne heard the night before was her neighbor breaking into her house through their shared basement wall. So where was Anne Hoover? At first, the officers didn't even notice her. In their peripheral vision, they thought they saw. a cut-up mannequin, but as they turned their heads, the reality of this situation settled in.

Anne Hoover's body was in the corner. Her arms and legs had been cut off. Her torso was sawed in half just below her rib cage, and wrapped around her neck was that orange extension cord. Next to her dismembered body were trash bags wrapped in duct tape. Inside, the officers would find her limbs and part of her torso. It was clear that Roy Kirk was trying to hide evidence and get rid of Anne's body, but he wouldn't succeed. After the gruesome discovery, the officers ran outside and placed Roy under arrest, and he didn't go down without a fight. Roy screams echoed throughout the neighborhood, drawing even more attention from the neighbors he feuded with all that year. And everyone watched in disbelief as he screamed.

Just kill me now. Just get it over with. Kill me. Roy was so agitated, it took four police officers to take him down. But after a while, he was finally handcuffed, shackled, and placed into the back of a police van. And from here, he would be taken to jail where he belonged. So what exactly happened to Anne Hoover? Well, the previous day, Roy returned back to his house on Longer. Street after months of being away, months where he ruminated in his anger, and his eyes, Anne Hoover ruined his life. With his appeal case coming up, Roy knew that he would likely lose. The judge

would probably side with Anne, and he would end up having to pay $49,000 to the city. So for that, he was going to make Anne pay with her life. Now, he knew he couldn't enter the third. through her front door because the neighbors would see. So on the afternoon of March 24, 1997, Roy began making a hole in their shared basement wall using a sledgehammer, and little by little he chipped away at the brick until it was big enough for him to fit through. And then he waited. Anne would get home from work that day having no idea what was ahead. She had been happy lately, excited to close this horrible chapter of her life. But unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case.

It's unclear exactly how this next part went about, but after Roy heard Anne come home, he slipped through the hole in the basement and made his way upstairs. Along the way, he would pass the signatures of Anne's best friends on the basement door. Anne had them sign it after they helped her renovate. a true testament to all of the people who loved her.

But as Anne was upstairs getting ready for bed, Roy slowly approached from behind. It's possible Anne saw him coming. It's also possible she didn't, since there were no signs of a struggle. But using a blunt object, likely a ballpin hammer, Roy slammed it down on Anne's head,

rendering her unconscious. He then dragged her body down the, basement steps and threw the hole in the wall back into his own basement. While in the comfort of his own home, Roy then grabbed the orange extension cord, the same extension cord that had caused so many problems between him and his neighbors. And from there, he wrapped it twice around Anne's neck and strangled her to death. But after murdering her, it appeared as if Roy was hoping to cover it up. Why else would someone dismember a body?

And if he were to have gotten rid of her body, how was he going to explain the large hole leading into her basement? Was he finally going to do some renovations? then almost seemed like Roy was playing a sick game, like he wanted to toy with the people who had ruined his life. But once Anne Hoover was dead, he would spend hours dismembering her body. He used both a power saw and a hand saw to cut off her limbs and torso, and police speculated that he might have even planned on feeding her body parts to his pet python.

But luckily, they would intervene before that could happen. Anne's body was taken to the Allegheny County coroner, where Dr. Cyril H. Wecht conducted her autopsy, and he was unable to determine the time of death, but he did note that Anne was dead before Roy dismembered her. There were also no signs of sexual assault. As law enforcement filled the quiet South Oakland neighborhood, everyone was in shock.

Anne Hoover was a loved and respected member of her community, and everyone had known about the feud between the two neighbors, but no one ever expected it to end like this. And surprisingly, the story doesn't end there. Shortly before 11 a.m., Roy Kirk arrived at the investigation unit at East Liberty. He had been pretty combative in the back of the police van, but by that point, he seemed to have calmed down. So the police parked the vehicle, open the back doors. And there, in the back of the van, they find Roy Kirk dead, hanging from a self-made news.

During the 12-mile drive from South Oakland to East Liberty, Roy had somehow removed. moved his belt and then looped it back together behind his back while he was handcuffed. He then strung it from a metal bar on the back door of the police van, and hung himself. Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Weck, the same doctor who conducted Anne's autopsy, believed that Duderoy's slender build and a height of five feet eight inches, the 28-year-old was able to successfully maneuver the noose in the back of a cramped police van. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he said, Roy Kirk was agile enough and agitated enough to take his own life in the style of a contortionist.

He slipped off his belt despite the handcuffs. Then, from behind his back, he fashioned it into a noose and then maneuvered his neck inside. He continued by saying that Roy probably lost consciousness within a couple of minutes after cutting off his oxygen supply. The conclusion was that Roy Kirk died six minutes later from his fixiation. The drive to the jail allegedly took the officers about 20 minutes, so the timeline did make sense. But the coroner was suspicious of Roy's suicide.

He was also vocal about his opinion on what could have happened during the short ride to East Liberty. Ultimately, he blamed the police officers who transported Roy. He, along with many others, believed that they should have checked on him since he was so combative beforehand, and then randomly went silent mid-ride. He also criticized the way that prisoners were transported and stated that anyone being put into a police car should have their belts, shoelaces, and neckties removed, which isn't a bad idea. As for the inside of the vehicle, he believed that the metal grates should be removed to prevent anyone from looping an object around them and hurting themselves.

Police Chief Robert W. McNeeley responded by saying that the doctor's ideas were great in theory, but also pretty impractical. He said, quote, I don't think he understands how difficult it is to handle prisoners. It's impossible for officers to start taking clothing away from people before they put them in the wagon.

Arresting somebody is an extremely dangerous situation in which officers get hurt all the time. Undressing people on the street just gives them more opportunity to fight an officer and for an officer to get kicked in the face. end quote. He also said that anyone who is determined to die by suicide will usually find a way to do it. Now, interestingly enough, the city of Pittsburgh had recently had a similar situation a few years prior in August of 1995. In that case, 31-year-old Kelly Finn had been arrested for drug paraphernalia.

It was transported to jail in a similar style van. And again, when they arrived at the jail, they opened the back doors and found her hanging from a self-made news. Hers was made from her shoelaces. The circumstances surrounding her death were reviewed, and it was determined that no police procedures were violated. But clearly they didn't change any rules after Kelly's suicide because it happened again two years later. And Dr. Wech did acknowledge that police do have. a very difficult job, one that he respects. But once these people are in custody, they shouldn't be dying on their watch. He concluded by saying, quote, we don't care what people are arrested for.

We don't want to see anybody die. End quote. As for Anne's friends and family, everyone felt a lot of mixed emotions about Roy's suicide. Some were relieved, others were disappointed and wanted to see him rot in prison. Anne's father, Thomas Hoover, stated, I still don't believe it. I might wake up. It's been one fine by the city after another until it adds up to what we have today. Two lives gone. One that was worthwhile in my mind. The other, I'm not sure. On Thursday, March 27, 1997, Animal Control came to Roy's filthy home to remove his pet python

and all the other caged animals it fed on. Soon enough, the news of this case was all anyone in Pittsburgh could talk about. There wasn't a lot of information about Roy Kirk's past or the person he was, but after his death, his former girlfriend would speak with the Pittsburgh Post-Cazette, and she admitted that Roy was very unstable and, quote, all messed up. She even said that Roy had previously threatened to kill her and himself. In the months after Anne's murderer, her beautifully renovated home that she worked so hard on was sold. And Roy's house was claimed by the city.

Finally, after all of these years, it was renovated and turned into a livable house, making the neighborhood exactly the way Anne had always envisioned it. a beautiful, welcoming, and safe community. Sadly, she would never live to see it through. Since the murder, two new families now occupy the former houses of both Anne Hoover and Roy Kirk. And it's unclear if they're aware of the dark history inside. But Anne's friends and family don't remember her by the home she had

on 321 Lawn Street. They found a new way to remember her. On June 1st, 2002, the day of Anne's 50th birthday, the locals in the South Oakland neighborhood, along with many of her friends and family, would all come together to purchase a small piece of land on the corner of Jefferson Drive and Country Lane, and on it, they would build a small park to honor Anne Hoover. Her friend Marian Anderson said, quote, She was just one of those people that sparkled. She wanted the best for everyone she knew.

We wanted something to dedicate to her memory, and we felt that a park would be more of a celebration of her life than a memorial of her death. End quote. Today, families from all over Pittsburgh still gather here. Some know Anne and her tragic story. Others simply come to have fun and admire the beautiful landscape. There is a gazebo, a walking trail, and two waterfalls.

Anne's mother, Margaret Hoover, said, quote, I just feel privileged to have had a daughter that could inspire such love and generosity as the community has demonstrated. End quote. Hey, everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Murder in America. You know how much we love you guys and how much we appreciate y'all tuning in every week to hear these stories with us.

We have some really big cases that we're covering in October, so hopefully y'all are excited. This is a story that Courtney and I actually watched a TV show about. I can't remember the show, but we were just super compelled by the story because of how just wild it is and how tragic the entire affair turned out to be. But I want to thank our new patrons.

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