Murder In America - EP. 57 WYOMING - Murder At The Fremont Canyon Bridge- The Tragedy of Two Sisters

Episode Date: March 15, 2022

In 1973, a brutal crime shocked a small, windy town in Wyoming. And although there was light at the end of the tunnel for the survivor, it seemed as though there never was to be a true escape from that fateful evening. This, is the story of Becky Brown and Amy Burridge. And you're listening, to MURDER IN AMERICA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode is sponsored by Hocum, the new film that critics are calling Damian McCarthy's most unnerving horror yet. From the director of Oddity, Hocom stars Adam Scott, in a deeply monstrous horror that bloody disgusting called pure nightmare fuel that holds you firmly in its grip. Don't miss Hocom, the groundbreaking new horror from Damian McCarthy, now playing in theaters. I really love to get dressed up every once in a while when I'm going out with my girlfriends or on a date night with Colin. But lately I've been trying to be more intentional with my everyday wear. And I've found that the best options that work for me are good quality, effortless pieces that will last me forever and they still look cute. Which is why Quince has always been my go-to. The thing I love about Quince is that all of their fabrics feel elevated.

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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. 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. The bond that siblings have

is one of the strongest connections one can make throughout their life. Not only do you share the same genetics, but you also share a similar upbringing. When you think back to your core memories as a child, your sibling is usually right there with you. They get to see you at your worst and also celebrate with you at your best. They know you better than most people

because they had a front row seat watching you grow up. Because of this, the death of a sibling is one of the hardest things one can face throughout their life, especially when they're a child. And even more so, when they're taken from this world in a horrific way. In today's story, we are bringing you back to 1973 in Casper, Wyoming, where two sisters,

11-year-old Amy and 18-year-old Becky go to the store to pick up some groceries for their mom. But while there, the two sisters would come into contact with evil, and only one of them would ever make it back home. This is the story of Amy Burridge and Becky Thompson. I'm Courtney Browne. And I'm Colin Brown. And you're listening to Murder in America. It's Monday, September 24. 4th, 1973, in Casper, Wyoming.

Casper is a town known for its trails, museums, waterfalls, railroads, and lastly, its wind. It's been said that Casper is one of the windiest cities in the U.S., and many residents that live there say that Casper deserves the title of Windy City over Chicago. Back in 1973, Casper had a population of around 40,000, and within those 40,000 people lived the Burrage family. There was Tony the matriarch, her oldest daughter, 18-year-old Becky, and the youngest daughter, 11-year-old Amy. The girls also had a stepfather, Tony's husband named Jack, who was in Mexico working on a drilling project at the time. It was a Monday, the start of a brand new week when Tony started rummaging through her kitchen to make some dinner.

But she and her daughters had actually just gotten back from visiting Jack in Mexico, so they were pretty low on food. But it was late and she was tired from a long day, so she did what a lot of parents do. Tony asked her oldest daughter Becky if she could run to the store for her. A few hours earlier, Becky's younger sister, Amy, was walking home from school with her best friend Danny, who lived across the street. Amy and Danny tossed around the football for hours and then talked until sunset. Like many children their age, they hated being inside and never wanted the days to end. Amy was different from the other girls her age.

She was known to be outspoken and a self-proclaimed tomboy, who would rather get her hands with the boys, then play dress up with the girls. Amy was unapologetically herself, and everyone loved that about her. In one instance, her mom recalled the time when she took her to the dentist. When they took Amy back to get her teeth cleaned, Tony waited in the waiting room. When all of a sudden, Amy comes running out of the office saying, That son of a bitch, and a few moments later, the dentist came out with blood all over his knuckles. But as much as Amy was a feisty little girl,

she was also extremely kind. She loved everyone in her life, especially her older sister. So when Becky came outside that Monday evening and asked if Amy wanted to go to the store with her, she of course agreed. Amy even turned to Danny and invited him along, saying, you want to go?

We can get some candy, but it was around 9 p.m. on a school night, and Danny's mom wouldn't let him go. So Amy waves goodbye while Becky smiles at before they both get into the car and drive away. But before we tell you what happens next, we need to talk about another family in Casper, Wyoming, a family that is also important to this story. Earlier that day, at 7 a.m., 29-year-old Jerry Jenkins woke up for his shift at the local gas station.

As he got ready, his one-year-old daughter, Shara, crawled over to her dad and hugged one of his legs. Her mother, Darcy, who was only 18 at the time, recalled how happy this made her. She and Jerry's life hadn't been the easiest, so in rare moments like this one, everyone seemed happy, she took in every moment, and today was a good day for the Jenkins family. You see, she and Jerry had another baby girl together just a month earlier. But shortly after birth, their baby was diagnosed with encephalitis, which is the inflammation of brain tissue. It had been a long and hard month for the family dealing with her diagnosis, but luckily today, September 24th, was the day that they got to bring her home from the hospital.

Darcy was so happy that she didn't even mind when Jerry and their one-year-old daughter started eating cookies and candy for breakfast. But that happiness would be short-lived. Because while eating, Jerry turns to Darcy and mentions that his car got a flat tire so he would need to take her white Impala to work that day. And this wasn't ideal for Darcy because she needed her car to pick up her baby from the hospital later.

But at the same time, she knew Jerry needed to go to work. They didn't have a lot of money. And his job was their livelihood. So she ultimately agreed to let him use her car. But Darcy would almost immediately regret this decision. because right after, Jerry starts to ramble on about how much he hates his job and how unhappy it makes him. And Darcy knew Jerry better than anyone, and she instinctively knew that the comment about his job was his way of letting her know that he was going to quit or that he had already been fired.

Throughout their relationship, Jerry was never able to hold down a long-term job, and every time he got a new job, he would make empty promises, telling Darcy that this job was did. different. I won't get fired from this one, I promise. But he always broke those promises. He had only been working at this job for a few weeks and he already wanted to quit. And even though this bothered Darcy, Jerry promised her that he would return the car by 1 p.m. And with that, he left for work. Darcy would spend the rest of that morning cleaning the apartment and getting things ready for their new baby to come home. But when 1 p.m. came around, there was no sign of Jerry or her white impala. He never even called to tell her he was going to be late. So Darcy decided to call his boss. When he answered,

he told Darcy that Jerry never came into work that day. In fact, he hadn't come in for work in several days. Before becoming a stranded 18-year-old mother of two young babies, Darcy's relationship with Jerry began like any other. He wooed her and made her feel special, got her pregnant, and then disappeared. Their daughter's shareout was born in June of 1972. A little more than a month later, Jerry sent Darcy a message demanding to see his baby. Out of fear of being stalked and harassed, she complied, agreeing to meet him in secret so her parents wouldn't find out. Unfortunately, their hatred wasn't enough to keep her away from him, because just two weeks later, Darcy was back in a relationship with Jerry, and just two months later, the two would elope

without telling anyone. During their first year of marriage, Darcy recalls moving around a lot before the two finally settled into a cheap apartment. Darcy found work as a nurse's aide and waitress, working long, hard hours to support the family and keep food on the table. Jerry took odd jobs from time to time, but as we learned earlier, they never lasted. According to Darcy, instead of trying to help support his family, Jerry preferred to stay at home and watch soap operas all day. And it wasn't until that morning, on September 24, 1973, that Darcy had finally had enough. Taking the car and leaving her high and dry without a way to get their baby from the hospital was the last straw, and she decided it was time to go be with her parents in Colorado.

Darcy became even more determined to leave after learning from a friend that instead of going to work that morning, Jerry had taken her car to a bar and had been seen drinking and playing pool with his best friend Ron Kennedy the entire day. This infuriated Darcy. Not only did he ditch her to go drink, but Jerry and Ronald had a nasty and criminal history together. In fact, they had both been in a gang rape case prior to this story. In this case, Jerry went to go pick up his ex-girlfriend. When she got into the car, there were two other men inside, one of them being Ronald. The men drove this girl to an alleyway and they took turns raping her.

The girl would end up going to the police, but Ron and Jerry's charges were eventually dropped because she didn't want to testify against them. But this wasn't the only trouble that Ron and Jerry had to be. gotten into. They also loved to get publicly intoxicated and one of their favorite things to do was to rob the local liquor store in town. Jerry and Ronald were not good influences on each other. So when Darcy heard that they were together on this day, she had finally had enough. She ended up getting a ride from a friend to pick up her baby from the hospital and instead of trying to get her car back from Jerry, she decided to take his car and leave him for good. A couple of neighbors

fix the flat tire on his station wagon, and with that, she and her babies were off, finally free from Jerry Jenkins. So what was Jerry actually up to that day? Instead of going to work like he told his wife, he heads over to his friend Ron Kennedy's because he needed a favor. Ron and his wife live with his mother, and like Jerry, Ron is terrible at holding down a job and was currently unemployed. By this time, Jerry knew that he had probably lost his job at the gas station. He had called in sick the last few shifts, but since today was payday, he needed to find a way to get his money. So he sends Ron to pick up his check while he hides from his boss at a nearby truck stop

cafe. Ron delivers Jerry his paycheck, with some bad news. While he was in the gas station, he overheard Jerry's boss on the phone with Darcy, and she knows he isn't at work. But instead of calling his wife for heading home and keeping his word, Jerry decides to take a joyride with Ron as they drink cases of beer, look for girls, and hit up local bars for the next five to six hours. It wasn't until around 9 p.m. when Jerry realized he needed food and more cigarettes, eventually making his way to the Thriftway convenience store located on 12th and Melrose in Casper, Wyoming.

And it was at this exact moment, a white Ford station wagon pulled in and parked next to them. A tall, beautiful, dark-haired girl and a younger girl with pigtails get out, which turned out to be Becky Thompson and Amy Burridge. When Becky and Amy pulled up to the store to grab some food, they didn't even notice the two men in the White and Paula parked next to them. So they walk inside and stroll through the aisles, grabbing two cans of tomato paste, a cucumber, and a green pepper. It only took them about 15 minutes to get all of their shopping done before loading up the groceries and getting back inside of the car. Once they were all ready to leave, Becky turns the ignition, puts it into reverse, and

backs up a few feet before realizing that something was off. Her right rear tire was flat, which irritated her because she had just gotten it fixed a few days prior. Annoyed with the situation, Becky then pulls back into the parking spot, gets out of her car, and cusses at the tire. But before she can even think about what to do next, two men get out of the white Impala parked next to her. The driver, a heavy set man with greasy, light-colored hair, introduces himself as Jerry, and he shakes Becky's hand. He then asked her, Do you need any help? Becky thought about it for a moment before replying, well, yeah, sure. After all, they're in the middle of a public parking lot of a store, so she had no reason to reject the helpful hand.

The man then asks Becky if she has a spare tire, and she does, but it was flat as well. So Jerry assures her, quote, no problem, we will help you anyway, end quote. Becky glanced over at the other passenger, Ronald Kennedy, who introduced himself as Kenny. He was skinny with dark hair, and he had a wild look in his eyes. But again, Becky needed help so she didn't think much of it. The men take a few minutes rummaging through the back of their car looking for a jack. But after cranking her car up a few inches, they suddenly stop and explain that they need to drive to a nearby gas station to fix the tire. And Becky is grateful for the men. Here she is in an unfortunate situation and these guys are taking the time out of their evening to help them. But it's taking longer

than expected and she knew their mom would start to worry. So while the men leave to fix her tire, Becky sends her sister Amy back into the store to call their mom. It was 9.30 p.m. when Tony heard the phone ring. When she answers, Amy tells her, hey, mom, we're still at the store because we got a flat tire, but don't worry. Two nice men are helping us and we'll be home soon. Tony replies, okay, but be careful in hurry. I'll wait up. About five minutes later, Jerry and Ronald returned to the parking lot and tell Becky that they weren't able to get the tire fixed because she needed to be there with them while they

worked on it, which to her sounded pretty reasonable. It was her tire after all. So she tells the men, okay, give me a minute, I have to go get my little sister. 11-year-old Amy was still inside of the store. After she called her mom, she got distracted and wandered into the candy aisle to buy herself a treat. Once the sisters were back outside, however, Ronald, the passenger of the White and Paula, was standing outside of the car, telling the girls to get inside. Amy listened, getting in the back seat. But when Becky went to open the car door, she suddenly felt something sharp,

pressed up against her ribs. Ronald, whose eyes were even more wild than before, then tells her, get in the car. Hey, everybody, it's Colin here. Just real quickly, we have to pause the show to tell you guys about Audible. Audible is one of Courtney and I's favorite services on all of the internet.

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If you sign up using our exclusive code to Audible, you get 30 days free. Seriously, if you love podcasts and audiobooks, Audible is the app for you. You just have to visit Audible.com slash state or text state to 500, 500 to get the first 30 days of your Audible. description free. Once again, that's audible.com slash state or text date to 500,500. And once again, whenever you interact with our sponsors, it helps us out. So go check out Audible today. And make sure to use those codes. Back at Becky and Amy's home, Tony, their mother, was waiting for their arrival. Once she hung up, the girls should have made it home within half an hour, considering the thriftway was only a mile away. But 30 minutes came and went and there was still no sign of her

daughters. Then 45 minutes go by and the girls still aren't home. And this is when alarm bells start going off. Tony changes out of her pajamas, throws on some clothes and drives to the store. They have to be there, right? If not, maybe they took some back streets and they're walking home. So Tony slowly drives the route that they would have taken looking down each and every street for her daughters, but she doesn't see them. Tony then pulls into the empty thriftway parking lot and notices that Becky's car is still there. She also noticed that the passenger side rear tire was flat and the door was unlocked, but there weren't any groceries or girls in sight. Starting to panic, Tony makes several trips driving between the house and the thriftway in hopes of finding her daughters

over the next couple of hours. But she soon realizes her biggest fear has become a reality. Her daughters are missing. At around 12.30 a.m., she gives up research and finally calls the police. A dispatcher takes her information and notifies the Monday night patrol crew, to keep an eye out for them until they could get a detective on the case, which wouldn't be until 8 a.m. the next morning. Hours earlier, Becky knew she and her sister were in grave danger when she felt the cold knife pressed against her side, and she could smell the alcohol on Ronald's breath as he forced her into the car. Becky looked around the parking lot, praying that someone had just saw

what happened, but the lot was empty. The store was closing up, and no one had seen them. And before she even knew it, she, her sister Amy, and the two strangers were taking off down the dark road. Along the drive, the men kept assuring the girls that they wouldn't be hurt and that their intention was to take them home later. Ronald even claimed that they needed to go look for his house because he had a pot roast in the oven and he thought it was burning. Becky was terrified in the back seat, but she stayed calm for her little sister. She even put her car keys in between her fingers just in case she needed to use it as a weapon. And it's unclear if Amy even knew what was happening at the time. She didn't see Ronald press the knife up against her ribs.

And from what she could tell, these men were just driving around aimlessly. But Becky was terrified. And it was clear that Jerry and Ronald were relishing the fact that Becky was scared. Along the drive, they would laugh, teasing the fact that Becky was scared. teasing the fact that they, quote, just can't seem to find where they're going. And before they knew it, out of nowhere, Ronald jumps out of his seat

and places his hands around the sister's throats. After a few moments, Becky goes limp, pretending to be dead. But then, she hears her little sister start to gasp for air, and she knew she needed to protect her. Becky jumps up and hits Ronald several times, just to be met with hard blows to the head. Ronald then orders the girls to lay down in the back seat, and of course they obey.

The girls still don't know why or where they are being taken, but they have been forced to lie down and keep quiet for the past few hours as the men aimlessly drive around while beating and terrorizing them. The girls asked more than once what would happen to them and if they were going to be killed. The men would either laugh at them, slap them, or tell them to shut up in response. Then Becky had an idea. As they're lying down, she reaches for the front passenger door and opens it, shoving her feet out into the cold night air. But unfortunately, this only angers Ronald, who lashes out and punches her repeatedly in the face while

forcing the door closed. The four drive a little longer when suddenly Ronald tells the girls. You want to know why we took you guys? My friend was in a hand-and-run accident a few days ago and he's paralyzed from the neck down. He said the driver of the car was a young woman with a little girl in the back seat, and the car the car the handom looks identical to your car. Becky reassured the men that they had the wrong girls. Amy even chimed in and saying that they were in Mexico visiting their stepfather over the weekend so it couldn't have been them. Ronald replies, okay, well, we're going to take you by his trailer near Aalcova Lake and we'll ask him if you're the right girl that hit him. If not, we will take you back home. But if it was you, then we're going to kill you. I'm sure for 11-year-old

Amy, there was a small glimmer of hope. She knew that they weren't responsible for the hit and run, so maybe these men actually would let them go. But they were toying with the sisters. There was no hit and run accident. There was no paralyzed friend. And the sister's fears would grow even stronger when Jerry tells them, quote, you know I was the one who cut your tire, end quote. And it was here when Becky realizes that this was no accident and that the men probably wouldn't hesitate to murder them, Wanting to instill even more fear in the girls, Ronald makes up another false story to taunt them with. He tells them that he and Jerry work for the mafia and were part of the Hells Angels living in L.A. And that one of their members had already smashed Becky's car and left it in a ditch,

making it look like she was involved in a car accident. Ronald continued saying that if they weren't the same girls that paralyzed their friend, then they would take them to what was left of her car and drop them off there. But he advises them that they would have to stay quiet. And if anyone were to ask, they have to say that they crashed, which would explain the wreck and Becky's bloody nose. And I just want to take a second here to mention how horrible these men are. Not only have they kidnapped and beat Becky and Amy,

but the mind games that they play with them are sick, making them believe that they'll live at one moment, and then talk about killing them and the next is horrible for anyone to experience, let alone an 18 and 11-year-old. On the way to their quote, Friends trailer, the men carelessly drank from a case of beer as they continually whispered between each other. This made Becky even more nervous. What are they saying that they don't want us to hear?

They offered Becky a beer, but she refused. Instead, she tries to humanize them and begins asking questions about their lives. Jerry tells Becky that he's 39 and married with an 11-year-old. illegitimate daughter but he doesn't mention Shara or his newborn daughter Ronald says he's 29 and single without kids Jerry claims he and Ronald also fought in Vietnam together where Ronald took a bullet to the head claiming he's now more animal than man and he'll do anything I tell him to do moments later Ronald pulls out his knife and leaps towards the girls in the back seat wanting to scare them he starts to stab the seat in between

and around the girl's legs missing their skin by mere centimeters he then thrusts the knife towards Becky's chest demanding she put her hand on the blade. Amy is in hysterics begging him to stop, and he does for a moment. At this point, the weight of the situation is too much for 11-year-old Amy to bear as she wept in the back seat. Becky tries to comfort her by holding her hand, but Ronald doesn't allow it and yells at them to stop. Amy then turns to her older sister and says, Becky, I love you so much. And after a few moments, she timidly asked the men, to murder us? To which Ronald replies, no, you've been watching way too many detective stories on TV. They've been driving for hours at this point when Jerry turns onto a road that leads them to

the Fremont Canyon Bridge. And again, the men start to whisper to each other. Amy is still shaken in the back seat when she turns to her sister and whispers, quote, if we ever get through this, I'll never be greedy again. End quote. This heartbreaking statement shocked Becky, Somehow, Amy concluded that buying candy for herself at the store was the reason they got kidnapped, but Becky reassures her that none of this is her fault. Finally, they cross a bridge and come to a stop. Still pushed down in the seat, the girls couldn't see much except the glow of headlights and a roof. They assumed this was where their paralyzed friend lived and hoped he would be merciful enough

to let them go home. Once out of the car, Ronald says, okay, we're here, before grabbing Amy out of the back seat. Becky yells at him to stop, but he tells her that they can't go in together. Their paralyzed friend wants to see them one at a time. Becky pleads with him saying, Please let me go in first and talk to these men. But Ronald coldly replies, no, I want the little one first. Amy let out a blood-curdling scream before calming down and telling her sister,

I love you. And it was here when Ronald led Amy away from the car and into the darkness. Neither of the sisters had any idea that after they were separated, they would never see each other again. Back in the car, a fearful Becky keeps asking Jerry questions. Are you going to kill us? What's happening with my little sister? Can you please just take us home?

But her questions went unanswered. About three minutes later, Ronald returns to the car without Amy. But he tells Becky not to worry. Amy's just talking to their friend, and they have to wait up the road until they get the signal to come back. The men then start up the car and drive about 200 yards up the road before stopping again. Ronald then on dresses and climbs into the back, taking a seat next to Becky. Trigger warning, this next scene we are about to describe involves a horrific rape.

But once in the back seat, Ronald starts to remove Becky's clothes. She kicks and she screams, and she does everything she can possibly do to fight him off. But he doesn't let up, and he warns her, quote, either you give in or you fight it, end quote. Becky knew that no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't going to escape, so she stopped fighting. Ronald then violently rips her clothes off and pulls her red sweater over her head. Trembling, Becky faintly murmurs, quote, I've never had intercourse with anyone before, end quote. But this only made Ronald more excited, and for the next few minutes, he violently rapes her, while asking, does it hurt? It did. But he liked that Becky was in pain.

and after a few minutes, Ronald finishes inside of her, crawls back into the front seat and nods his head at Jerry, who had been sitting in the driver's seat smoking a cigarette the entire time. It was now Jerry's turn. After undressing, he climbs into the back seat where Becky is still lying naked and afraid, and he orders her to touch him. But like Becky mentioned, she was a virgin before tonight, and she didn't understand what he meant. My dick, touch it, he yelled. Then suddenly Ronald tells Jerry, Hurry, I think I see our signal. And so he does. Jerry rapes Becky for a few seconds before finishing inside of her.

Once the rape was over, Becky asks the men if she could put her clothes on. They agreed, but decided to keep her underwear as a trophy. And as she slips her red sweater and jeans back on, Becky thanks them for not raping her in front of her little sister. After everyone puts their clothes back on, Jerry starts the car and heads back down the dirt road near the place where Amy got out of the car. Once they parked, Becky realized that the house where she thought that their paralyzed friend

lived turned out to be nothing more than an outhouse. Many thoughts ran through Becky's mind in that moment, and almost all of them were about her little sister. But before she could ask any more questions, both men got out of the car and told her, we're going to meet your sister on the bridge. So when Courtney and I first started dating, I was kind of introduced into the world of meal prepping. Meal prepping makes it easier to eat healthier because all of your ingredients are right there in the fridge. Your portions are already done and created for you. It's honestly the way to go.

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And Becky can barely even see where the men are leading her. But she is able to tell that they're near a canyon, which frightens her. She warns the men about the canyon, but they assure her, no, no, it's just the trees. But Becky isn't buying it, with a bridge over it, she asks. But she's met with silence. Once they get to the bridge, about 30 steps away from the car, they stop, and Ronald starts to speak. Okay, we're going to meet Amy right here. And right when he said here, both men grabbed Becky with great force and they try to lift her up over the guardrail of the bridge.

However, they were unable to lift her. Once it clicks in Becky's mind that they were trying to throw her off, she decided that she wasn't going to go down without a fight. While they lift her, she grips on to the lowest beam of the railing and is successfully fighting off her attackers, struggling to take her down. Jerry begins to choke her while yelling, Make sure she's going to die. Make sure she'll be dead. While Jerry's hands squeezed tighter around Becky's throat, she glanced at the drop beneath her.

It was a big drop, and she knew that if she went unconscious and they threw her over, she wouldn't survive. So she had to make a decision. Would she rather be strangled unconscious and thrown over the bridge, or should she throw herself off the bridge and take her chances on surviving the drop? And that's when she made up her mind. While her body was halfway over the guardrail, Becky goes limp, purposefully leaning backwards to make it easier for them to throw her over.

Once the men released her from their grip, Becky free falls 112 feet down the canyon. But instead of hitting the water down below, Becky first hits a ledge on the side of the canyon. It was a hard blow, but she was still alive. After hitting the ledge, she landed in the water. Becky spent the next few moments trying to swim to a nearby rock, but she soon realized that her legs weren't working.

Something was broken, so she used every last bit of strength to swim using only her arms over to the rock. Once there she heard the sound of a car going over the bridge, and she figured that her attackers were gone. She used this time to call out to her little sister. Becky screamed Amy's name over and over, but all she could hear in return, were the sounds of the water. And as Becky sat there, she started to fear that maybe her attackers would come back for her. Although she was far down the canyon, away from Jerry and Ronald, these thoughts kept flooding her mind. What if they come down to make sure I'm dead?

She was rightfully paranoid, so she tried to conceal herself with nearby rocks, pulling her knees to her chest and warming her naked legs by covering them with her long hair. It was here when Becky started to feel tired, but she told herself that if she fell asleep, she most likely wouldn't wake up. So she forced herself to stay awake until dawn. She later recalled, I don't know exactly what time I was thrown off. About one in the morning, somewhere around there, 12.30. But then I heard all night long, I heard cars coming and going.

I heard a dog bark. And I thought that maybe I'm by a house. Maybe I should try and climb out. I didn't have any idea what I looked like, what I was by or anything. But I was just so bloody. There was blood on my legs. I had scratches all over.

And so I waited all night long and I thought I heard noises like people trying to scare me. As she lay there, exhausted and terrified, the sun finally started to rise. This was her cue to get moving. However, as she started to stand, her legs gave out and she collapsed. Never having broken a bone before, she didn't have any way of knowing for sure, but she assumed her legs were broken and knew she had to find a way out of there. It appeared the only way out of the canyon was behind her, but that way was incredibly steep and she was unable to walk, so she decided she would try to climb or scoop backwards on her hands up the hill.

Unfortunately, for every move she made, she would slide back down, barely making any progress. She did this again and again before breaking down in tears. Taking stock of her situation, Becky then noticed how bad the right side of her body hurt, and she had a huge gash on her side, which made her even more upset. But despite her pain, Becky kept going. She knew this was her only chance at survival, and finally she makes it to the top of the bridge. Not knowing what to do next, she starts to cry for several minutes, but then she hears a car coming in the distance. Her heart drops.

She prays it isn't the white Chevy Impala. But as the car approaches, she's relieved to see that it's a green-colored car, so she begins waving her hands as frantically as she can. Luckily, the car pulls over and an older couple emerges. Upon seeing Becky, the man gasps, asking, my God, what happened to you? Through her tears, Becky tells them that she had been raped and thrown off the bridge, and her little sister, too. The man runs to the bridge to see if he can find Amy, but he doesn't see anything, and he knew that he needed to get Becky help immediately.

The couple then asks Becky if she can walk, which she couldn't. So they then carried her up to the car, covered her exposed lower body with a jacket, and turned up the heat to full blast. Dorothy Strasser and her husband Carl were on their way to go fishing when they first noticed Becky on the road. Dorothy saw a young girl that was bloodied and naked from the waist down, walking near the side of the road. It was only 34 degrees outside, yet Becky kept apologizing for not having any pants on, and she seemed more worried about her sister and mother than she was for herself. The couple knew that Becky needed medical attention immediately, so they rushed towards Sloan's, a small roadside market about

10 minutes away. Once they arrived, Carl runs inside to call the police while Dorothy stayed in the car with Becky. She was thirsty after everything she had been through, and she asked for some water, but all that they had was hot coffee. As she sips her coffee, she tells the couple more details about what just happened, about the slash tire, the driving around for hours, and the rape. She also tells them that she noticed a large pool of blood on a rock near the water that she feared was Amy's. Less than 20 minutes later, Sheriff Bill Estes arrives at the market just before the ambulance, and he confirms that she is indeed one of the two girls that were reported missing last night by their mother.

Becky tells the sheriff everything she can about the torturous night she endured, and eventually the paramedics get her ready for the 30-mile drive to town. Becky was dirty, and her entire body was severely bruised, with several deep cuts. and abrasions that would need stitches. Her legs had no function. There was another large gash on her left hip that was so deep, fat was spilling out of it. The whites of her eyes were bloody and stained bright red. Finger-shaped bruises encircled her throat, and her left ear was purple and swollen. Later, doctors would find her pelvis broken in five places, and her genitals were sliced, bruised, and scraped. The medical examiner also confirms that she was raped and that she was indeed a virgin

before the attack. They take a swab sample to test seminal fluid and DNA, but the violence of the 112-foot drop into the water washed too much away to do a proper analysis. Throughout the entire ordeal, and despite all of Becky's injuries, she remained calm and polite, only crying when Amy's name came up. After Becky was taken to the hospital, investigators knew that their next step was to try and find Amy. They were hoping to find her alive, but they knew those chances were slim. A local rescue diver named Fred Klein was called over to the Fremont Canyon Bridge that morning to look for Amy's body. Fred was used to pulling bodies out of water. It was what he did for a living, but this one was different because he had a daughter Amy's age. Investigators found a bloody

rock which gave Fred some indication on where to search for her. For the next few moments, he descended through the water. About a minute later, he found a child's white shoe. And a few feet further down, he saw her. Amy was face down at the bottom of the water, when Fred attached a rope to her body and signaled for the authorities to pull her out. Dr. James Throppen was in charge of examining Amy Burge's body. She was already in full rigor mortis when he performed the autopsy.

Her chest cavity was full of clotting. blood. Her aorta had exploded. One of her lungs was punctured by four broken ribs. When Amy was thrown off the bridge, she had fallen headfirst onto a rock ledge, ramming her spine two inches into her brain. Unfortunately, though, these injuries aren't what killed her. Amy's death wasn't immediate. There was evidence of blood in her lungs, which means she was alive for at least several seconds after impact. For Becky and her mom, Tony, this was heartbreaking news. But luckily, the examiner was able to determine that Amy had not been raped before she was thrown off the bridge. Soon after Becky arrives at the hospital, she gives great detail of her assailants,

even giving their names to the officers on duty. She told them, quote, they called each other Jerry and Ronnie, and as soon as Becky said their names, the officers glanced at each other. They knew exactly who they were looking for, Ronald Leroy Kennedy and Jerry Lee Jenkins. They were criminals that had a history of getting into trouble, and the officers were very aware of who they were. But just to be safe, they arranged a photo lineup. Becky was immediately able to identify Jerry and Ronald as her attackers. And so just before noon, on September 25, 1973, police officers Dave Dovala went to surveil Ronald's mother's house, where he lived.

And while he was there, he overheard on the police radio that Ronald and Jerry had been spotted together in Ronald's green pickup. The other officers briefly lost sight of the vehicle before Officer Dovala spots it down the street. But Jerry is gone, Ronald's driving alone. The officer tails him until he sees him stop at a red light on Main Street, directly in front of the courthouse. And he knows that this is his chance. Dovala gets out of the vehicle and sprints to Ronald's open window with his gun drawn. Ronald was surprised. He didn't expect to get caught and a look of defeat washes over him as Officer Dovala

drags him to the asphalt, places handcuffs on his wrists, and reads him his rights. Later that day, Jerry is spotted walking to a local liquor store, which ironically was the same one he and Ron burglarized a few years ago. Sheriff's deputy Mike Johnson pulled up next to him, got out and told him to him, that he was under arrest for the rape of Becky Thompson and the murder of Amy Burridge. Investigators soon find the pocket knife Ronald used to terrorize and abduct the girls, but when Jerry was interrogated, he denied being the one to slash the tire. He said when they pulled up to the store that evening, they saw the girls walk inside and

Ronnie said he wanted to meet her. So I told him to just go up and talk to her if he wanted to meet her, but he said no, he had a better way. Jerry apparently pulled in behind her car when Ronald got out, then claims he wasn't able to see what happened next, but he assumes that's when he slashed her tire. Jerry then continues, telling the officers they hid in the shadows until the girls came out of the store. They came out and we was going to help them fix the flat, only my wrench didn't work with her nuts. The jack was up under the car and the car was jacked up and my wrench didn't fit. I put the jack back in the car, the little one went and called her mother and said she had a flat tire. We said we would give them ride home and everything started happening. They interrogate both

Ronald and Jerry for a while. But surprise, surprise, both would end up turning on each other, claiming the other was responsible for how the events unfolded. But one thing the men didn't know was that Becky survived, and her testimony would prove that each of the men were equally responsible. Ronald Leroy Kennedy and Jerry Lee Jenkins were convicted and sentenced to death on May 1, 1974, a little over seven months later. And Becky played a key role in putting them behind bars. She testified at their trials, preventing them from ever harming anyone else. But the capture and conviction of her rapist and her sister's murderers doesn't bring her much peace.

After Becky's attack, she spent a few weeks at the hospital recovering from her injuries. And while her physical wounds healed, the mental ones never did. She never again felt safe. and she lived the rest of her life in a constant state of fear. Years later, it seemed as though Becky had moved on with her life, but the damage from that night still continued to haunt her. There were happy moments after Amy's death, like when Becky eventually got married and had her firstborn daughter.

But even those good experiences came with their fair share of hardships. Becky struggled with depression and alcohol and said her marriage would ultimately end in divorce. Her stepfather, Jack Case, said, With all the tragedy she's been through, she did her best. She was a very strong girl. She did her best to make other people happy. In 1977, a few years after the death of her sister,

the state of Wyoming abolished the death penalty, meaning Jerry and Ronald's death sentences were reduced to life in prison. Becoming eligible for parole meant that there was a possibility that could be released one day, which was just too much for Becky to handle. She had a palpable fear that if they ever got out of prison, they would come for her and finish the job. But more than anything, she lived with a soul-crushing guilt that she lived and her little sister, Amy, didn't.

On the night of July 31st, Becky Thompson Brown drove with her boyfriend and two-year-old daughter to the Fremont Canyon Bridge, the bridge that had caused her so much pain and suffering. It had been nearly 20 years since the death of her sister, and she wanted to go back. At the time, Becky was heavily intoxicated, and she had been. had recently stopped taking her antidepressants, according to friends and family. Once they arrive, Becky slows the car down to a stop and parks it in the gravel turnout. The exact spot that Jerry and Ronald parked 19 years earlier, Becky slowly walks out to the bridge with her daughter and boyfriend by her side. And suddenly, all of the emotions come running back. Becky

vacantly stares down at the water while telling her boyfriend, quote, here, here's where where they threw Amy and me. They raped me up here. Then they threw me over the bridge right here. See that little outcropping there? That's where I hit the wall and then fell in the water. They found blood there on that little ledge. Amy hit farther below down there. See that ledge right at the water? They found blood there too. End quote. Recalling the events, Becky begins to weep, remembering the horrible night. Her daughter, after seeing this, began to cry too. It was getting late at this point, and her boyfriend didn't want Becky's baby to see her cry, so he took the two-year-old back to the car, while Becky continued to stand by the guardrail. But as soon as he reached

the car, her boyfriend hears a loud crash. When he turns around, Becky is nowhere to be seen. She had jumped off the Fremont Canyon Bridge and landed in about three feet of water. Becky hit the water so hard, her clothes left a permanent impression on her body. Her neck was broken, and she died instantly. Becky Thompson had committed suicide. In the exact same spot, her sister was murdered 19 years earlier. She was only 37 years old. When Becky and Amy left for the store that night in 1973,

they had no idea that two evil men would end their lives in such a horrific way. For Amy, the nightmare ended within hours at that bridge. But Becky's nightmare continued for decades. even after the conviction of the killers. But like her sister, Becky's nightmare ended at that same bridge as well. After years of guilt, depression, anger, and fear, Becky left this world to be with her sister once again. And some people would say that the bridge itself seemed to be a magnet for negativity, for this almost darkness. Does the bridge have its own sort of attraction, something that's compelling these crimes?

No. We here on the podcast firmly believe that evil starts with humans. And in this story, it was the terror that two men set out to inflict on two innocent girls that permanently stained that bridge. But either way, on the Fremont Canyon Bridge, the story of Amy and Becky will live on forever. Hey, everybody, it's Colin once again. Thank you so much for joining us on this week's episode of Murder in America. Courtney and I are so, so proud that we have so many of y'all listening online all around the world. Shout out to everybody who doesn't live in America who is listening to Murder in America. It's so cool to see that. But we have a favor to ask of everyone this week. Please go to Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review. We want to flood that thing. We want

to get our reviews up. We want to boost those numbers. And we love hearing from everybody who listens to the show. So just head to Apple Podcasts to our Murder in America page. and leave us a review. I know we haven't had time to read out our new patrons names for a while, but I want to shout out Joe Whitlock, Laura Nolan, Carlos, KT. Sturdivant, Israfs, Christina Rasmussen, Aurora Rutledge, Avi Huerta, Branda Smith, Ashley Bootin, Christine, Elizabeth Scott, Megan Reese, Lorette, Lori Sunblatt, Ashley Clover, Alejandro Ortega, Ashley Moresbach, Casson Cates, Will & Cassandra Diaz, Darien Muldrew, Brittany, Tanina Phillips, Heidi Martinez, Heidi Zabala, Alicia Jones, Alfredo Rangeel, Bailey, U.

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Keep asking the same old question. The dead don't talk or do they? See you next week, everybody.