Murder: True Crime Stories - SOLVED: Abraham Lincoln 2

Episode Date: May 13, 2025

In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by 26-year-old John Wilkes Booth while watching a play in Washington, D.C. But killing the president wasn’t Booth’s only goal that night. Because he’d enlisted a group of co-conspirators to take down the entire US government. Murder: True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Don’t miss out on all things Murder: True Crime Stories! Instagram: @murdertruecrimepod | @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Crime House. There are some historical events that are so important, so influential that most of us know them like the back of our hand. In the United States, one of those events is the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Growing up, everyone learns that in 1865, President Lincoln was shot and killed while watching a play in Washington, D.C.

It was a last-ditch attempt by his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, to save the Confederacy. But what if I told you that was only the first part of his plan? Chesson, John Wilkes Booth to save the Confederacy. But what if I told you that was only the first part of his plan? Because while many of us think Booth's only goal that night was to kill Abraham Lincoln, the truth is he was only one of many targets that night. In reality, Booth didn't just want to destroy Lincoln, he wanted to destroy everything the president was fighting for. And to do that, Booth planned to put a bullet through the Union itself.

People's lives are like stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end, but sometimes the final chapter comes far too soon and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy and this is Murder True Crime Stories, a Crime House original. Thank you to our Crime House community. Please rate, review, and follow Murder True Crime Stories to show your support. And to enhance your listening experience with ad-free early access to each two-part series plus bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. New episodes come out every Tuesday.

And if you're interested in more true crime stories from this week in history, check out Crime House The Show. Each episode covers multiple cases unified by the same theme, so every week you get something a little different. This is the second of two episodes on the murder of Abraham Lincoln. In 1865, the 56-year-old sitting president was assassinated while watching a play in Washington, D.C. Last time, I covered Abe's childhood and his path to the presidency. I explained how he was sworn into office just before the Civil War broke out across the nation. Thanks to his leadership, the conflict finally came to an end after four long years, but Abe was killed less than a week after Robert E. Lee surrendered.

Today I'll detail the hunt for Abe's killer, John Wilkes Booth. I'll also discuss Booth's upbringing and how he became the mastermind of a conspiracy to take down the US government. All that and Kailyn Moore. Just like we search for the real story each week, every Wednesday, Kailyn and Morgan take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever, clue by clue. From serial killers to shocking murders,

Clues dives into all the forensic details and brilliant sleuthing of the world's most infamous cases. Clues is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Just search Clues wherever you listen to podcasts. On April 9, 1865, the American Civil War came to an end. For 56-year-old Abraham Lincoln, it was a long-awaited moment of triumph. Winning the war had not been easy, but now the real work was beginning. Over the past four years, the violence and

bloodshed had torn the country apart, and there were some who didn't want it brought back together, including a man named John Wilkes Booth, and he was willing to take extreme measures to stop it from happening. On the night of April 14, 1865, John snuck into the President's box during a performance at the Ford Theater in Washington, D.C. When there was a crescendo of applause, he pulled out a pistol and shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head. Before anyone could process what happened, John leapt onto the stage and ran off. Many in the audience were shocked to see that the President's assassin was none other than

26-year-old John Wilkes Booth, who they knew as a famed Shakespearean actor. It's tough to say what turned John from a stage actor into a cold-blooded killer, but his upbringing was full of ups and downs, and early on, things were good. His parents, Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes, immigrated to America from England in the 1820s. Although they weren't married, they lived as husband and wife and went on to have ten children. And when John was born in May 1838, he quickly became his mom's favorite. His dad split his time between the family farm in Maryland and his own career as a touring

actor. In fact, by the time John came along, Junius was one of the most famous performers in the country, and while his success helped him support his large family, it also meant he was away a lot. Even so, Marianne made sure that John's early years were nothing short of charmed. But when he was around 10 years old, a scandal threatened to tear it all apart. In 1848, an English woman visiting the US tracked Junius down, but she wasn't a fan looking to meet her favorite actor.

She was his wife. Although John's parents had been together for more than 20 years, they were never legally married. Now it was clear why. John had never divorced his wife back in England. It's not clear if Marianne had known about her, but she was willing to stick by Junius either way, and it seemed like the woman just wanted a clean slate. After securing a divorce from Junius, she returned to England.

That meant he and Marianne were free to officially get married, which they did on John's 13th birthday in 1851. Even though the situation was dealt with, the event had a big impact on Junius. He'd always had a temper, but after the drama with his ex-wife, he became even more erratic. He also drank a lot. Over the next few years, his mental health deteriorated. It got to the point that John's older brother, Edwin, started touring with their father as a caretaker slash understudy, and eventually Edwin decided to forge his own path in the theater. In 1852, he and Junius were performing in California.

After the tour was over, Edwin decided to stay in the Golden State and continue working. Meanwhile, Junius headed home to Maryland. Unfortunately, he died of dysentery on the way. Edwin stepped into the void his father left, and soon he was famous in his own right. It wasn't long before John decided he wanted a taste of the spotlight as well. In 1855, the 17-year-old made his stage debut in Baltimore. Over the next couple years, he got a lot of roles, though he was never the lead. According to critics, that's because he wasn't the most talented performer. It didn't help that he wasn't exactly dedicated to his craft. In fact, it seemed like he

was trying to ride his father and brother's coattails. In John's mind, the Booth name should have been enough to bring him success. When it wasn't, John decided he wasn't the problem, who Philadelphia was. wasn't the problem. Philadelphia was. In 1858, John took a job at a theater in Richmond, Virginia. It's hard to say if there was less competition or John had honed his craft, but after a few months in Richmond, John was getting better parts and more favorable reviews. And his looks were even more notable than his acting. He was freshly 20, charming, and charismatic. And like any good actor, he dressed the part, too.

Soon, John had female fans lining up, begging him to take them out. He was happy to oblige. All in all, the South seemed to be a lot friendlier to the youngest Booth man. It didn't hurt that he was making good money there, too. With an economy that relied on unpaid slave labor, Virginia was wealthier than northern states like Pennsylvania, which meant wages were usually higher. And in John's mind, that was how it should be. Growing up, John's family was actually anti-slavery.

His mom and brother supported Abraham Lincoln when he started his presidential campaign in the late 1850s. But John didn't share their sentiments. Somewhere along the way, he'd become a proud white supremacist. Whenever he saw his brother Edwin, the two would get into screaming matches over politics. While Edwin viewed Lincoln as the path to freedom, John believed he was trying to steer the country in a dangerous direction. In John's opinion, abolitionists and people

like Abraham Lincoln were the ones dividing the United States, and John was terrified about what might happen if they were leading the government. So it's no surprise that when Lincoln won the presidential election in 1860, 22-year-old John was livid, but he didn't feel like there was much he could do. After all, he was focused on his acting career, and that year, John finally got his big break when he was offered the lead in a play that would be touring around the North. That was the last place John wanted to be, but he couldn't turn the opportunity down.

By the spring of 1861, 23-year-old John was preparing to play Hamlet, but he was distracted, because the Civil War had begun. After President Lincoln's election, several states broke off and formed what would be known as the Confederacy. John's home state of Maryland was eager to join, but Lincoln wasn't going to make it easy for them. Because Maryland borders Washington, D.C., it posed a huge threat to the Union. So Lincoln acted quickly.

In April, he suspended habeas corpus, which is the law that allows citizens to challenge an arrest or conviction Then he detained a few Maryland legislators that seemed poised to vote for secession It was an extreme measure but Lincoln was doing whatever he could to repress Confederate sympathies across the state and Ultimately it worked Maryland never joined the Confederacy these across the state, and ultimately it worked. Maryland never joined the Confederacy.

John Wilkes Booth took these actions as personal attacks against him and everything he stood for. Soon, he began to see Abraham Lincoln as a tyrannical dictator hell-bent on destroying America, and John thought there was only one solution. Someone needed to destroy Lincoln first. Hey, it's Carter, and if you love murder true crime stories where we explore the depths of history's most infamous murders, then you have to check out Clues with Kailyn Moore and Morgan Absher. Just like we search for the real story each week, every Wednesday, Morgan and Kailyn take

you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever, clue by clue. I really think you're going to appreciate the care and attention that Kaelin and Morgan put into breaking down how even the smallest pieces of evidence have cracked major cases wide open. From serial killers to shocking murders, Clues dives into all the forensic details and brilliant sleuthing of the world's most infamous cases. If you're looking for compelling storytelling, crime scene analysis, and a new perspective through some of the world's most puzzling true crime cases, then you have to check out

Clues. Clues is a crime house original powered by PAVE Studios. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Clues is a Crime House original powered by PAVE Studios. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Just search Clues wherever you listen to podcasts. In 1861, the Civil War raged across the United States and 23-year-old John Wilkes Booth held one man responsible for the bloodshed, the President, 52-year-old Abraham Lincoln.

And yet John didn't enlist in the Confederate Army. According to several sources, John had promised his mother he wouldn't get involved in the fighting, but it's also possible he was prioritizing his work. John had done well that year and landed several important acting gigs, but 1862 was when his career really took off. The now 24-year-old Shakespearean actor performed 167 times in 18 different leading roles, from Romeo to Macbeth. His name alone would sell out shows at theaters around the country. With the war

in full swing, this ability to move freely from the north to the south wasn't possible for most Americans, and John cited this as proof that he was doing his part for the Confederate cause. Because while he hadn't joined the army, John claimed he was using his celebrity status to play a much more important role, spy. According to John, he knew how to keep his true feelings about slavery and the war to himself, particularly when he was in the North. After all, he was an actor.

To him, his performances weren't just about the plays, they were also about gathering intel. As a star, John spent a lot of time in private places with some very influential people, including union leaders. John claimed he used these opportunities to learn what the Union was planning, then passed that information on to sources in the Confederate states. Knowing that, it's surprising he passed up the chance to get critical intelligence straight from the horse's mouth.

On November 9, 1863, 25-year-old John was starring in a play called The Marble Heart at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. That night, the state box was occupied by none other than President Abraham Lincoln himself. After the show, the President sent word that he wanted to meet the star of the show and shake his hand. And this time, John couldn't conceal his feelings. Not only did he refuse, he was disgusted by the very notion of shaking hands with Lincoln.

The experience seemed to put John over the edge. He was known to rant and rave to his friends if they even mentioned the president. Ever since the war began, he'd been burying his beliefs and hiding his true self in public. Over time, it had started to eat away at him. He felt like a coward. Those feelings boiled over when Lincoln announced his campaign for reelection in 1864. Today, a president serving a second term is pretty common, but back then it was rare. It hadn't happened in John's lifetime, and he took it as confirmation of his worst fear, that Lincoln was a power-hungry tyrant. That's when John decided it was time to take action.

In October 1864, 25-year-old John traveled to Montreal, Canada. There, he met with a group of Confederate agents who were working on a plan to kidnap Lincoln. They hoped to use the president as leverage to free every Confederate prisoner of war. John was eager to help. He told the group there were other undercover Confederate sympathizers in the North, and he was certain he could recruit them to the cause. When the meeting was over, John returned to D.C.

He was ready to take on the President. His sense of urgency only intensified as the Confederate army lost momentum and Lincoln secured re-election in November. It was starting to feel like the Confederacy's days were numbered. John knew he had to act fast. But first, he needed backup. John reached out to two childhood friends and former Confederate soldiers, Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Loughlin. They were great muscle, but didn't come with many connections. Luckily, John's next recruit was a lot more useful in that regard.

His name was Dr. Samuel Mudd. John brought him on to make sure Lincoln was well cared for when they kidnapped him, otherwise the Union might not agree to their demands. Dr. Mud came with more than just medical expertise though. In December 1864, he introduced John Wilkes Booth to John Cerat Jr. He was a Confederate mail carrier whose mother, Mary, owned a boarding house in downtown Washington, D.C., and a tavern in Maryland. Both were designated stops along a secret Confederate smuggling route, and Mary agreed to use them as part of their kidnapping plot.

From there, they added two more important pieces to their puzzle. The first was Louis Powell, another former Confederate soldier who was a skilled fighter and a ruthless killer. The second was George Oserat, who came with a boat and a lot of experience getting past Union blockades. John and his accomplices would become known as the Lincoln Conspirators. The Surratt boarding house was a perfect place for them all to meet. Because people were always coming and going, the group could hide in plain sight. They convened there for months, pooling intelligence and trying to come up with a way to kidnap the most powerful man in the Union.

Three months later, in March 1865, they learned that President Lincoln was going to visit a Washington, D.C. soldiers hospital on the 17th. It was the opportunity they'd been waiting for. When the day arrived, the conspirators got into position and waited. But the president never showed. Their plan had failed and the war was about to end. Just a few weeks later, on April 3rd, 1865, the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia fell to the Union Army.

For John, the loss was particularly upsetting. Having spent a few years there, he had a soft spot for Richmond. He couldn't stop wondering. If only the mission had gone as planned, maybe the city would still be standing. His feelings only intensified when days later on April 9th, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia, effectively ending the war. While Washington, D.C. erupted into celebrations, John only grew angrier. Everyone around him was acting like the war was over, but John refused to accept the truth.

He reasoned to himself the Union army hadn't captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis or its other prominent leaders. In John's mind, that meant there was still hope for the South, even if he was one of the only people who could see it. Like his father before him, John turned to the bottle to ease his sorrows. Even drunk, he remained focused on Lincoln. On April 11, 1865, the President gave an address from a White House balcony to the crowd below. John couldn't stay away.

He and his fellow conspirator, Lewis Powell, went to watch the speech. John's blood boiled with all the talk of forgiveness and unity, and when Lincoln said that some newly freed black men, including those who'd fought for the Union, should be granted the right to vote. That was the final straw for John. According to the Lincoln Presidential Library, he turned to Powell and declared, By God, that's the last speech he'll ever make. In that moment, something shifted for John.

He no longer felt it was enough to just kidnap the president. John was out for blood. But when he told the rest of the Lincoln conspirators that his plans had changed and he wanted to assassinate the president, they weren't as eager. Michael O'Loughlin, Samuel Arnold, and John Surratt all decided to leave the group, which meant the group was down to four. John Wilkes Booth, Surratt's mother Mary, Lewis Powell, and George Ozerratt. But the chaos among the conspirators didn't slow John down.

His mind spun with ideas. He needed to find a way to get close enough to kill the most important man in America. It seemed impossible. And then fate stepped in. On the morning of April 14, 1865, 26-year-old John was picking up his mail at Ford's Theater in D.C. He'd performed there often and was good friends with the owner, so he used the theater as a mailing address whenever he was in the area.

But that day, the building was buzzing with news. The president would be attending that night's show. It was the sign John had been waiting for. Not only did he know exactly where his enemy would be and when, but it was on his turf. Now all he needed to do was tell the others. Tonight was the night they were going to assassinate the President. that was carefully selected by an Instacart shopper and delivered to your door. A well-marbled ribeye you ordered without even leaving the kiddie pool. Whatever groceries your summer calls for, Instacart has you covered. Download the Instacart app and enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders.

Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. There are very few things that you can be certain of in life. But you can always be sure the sun will rise each morning. You can bet your bottom dollar that you'll always need air to breathe and water to drink. And of course, you can rest assured that with Public Mobile's 5G subscription phone plans, you'll pay the same thing every month. With all of the mysteries that life has to offer, a few certainties can really go a long way. On April 14, 1865, 26-year-old John Wilkes Booth had murder on his mind.

After hearing that President Lincoln would be at Ford's Theater that night, John quickly put together a plan. He refreshed his memory of the theater's layout, walking the path he would take from the lobby to the balcony level and then to the President's box. He felt confident that he could pull it off, but he also knew that if everything went according to plan, he'd have to get out of Washington, D.C. immediately, so he went to a nearby stable and rented a horse. Then he went to his most loyal co-conspirators, Lewis Powell and George Ozerot. Ever since learning Lincoln would be at the play that night, John had been thinking.

He didn't want to stop with the president. No, he wanted to throw the entire federal government into crisis. He saw himself as the South's last chance at survival. With a little help, John imagined he could kill Lincoln and the Union he stood for. Together, John and Powell decided which other Union leaders they needed to take out. To create maximum chaos, they'd need to prevent any kind of smooth transition of power, which put Vice President Andrew Johnson on the list. But it was widely known that Lincoln's key advisor was actually the Secretary of State

William Seward, a staunch abolitionist. The group decided that night Powell would go for Seward and Azeroth would deal with Johnson, while Jon killed Lincoln. With that, everyone knew their roles. The stage was set. Around 10pm on the night of April 14th, the three men jumped into action. Jon assassinated Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, jumped from the President's box onto the stage, and ran out the side door. In the alley behind the theater, John mounted his horse and rode off into the night.

But across town, at the Seward residence, things weren't going as smoothly for Lewis Powell. When the doorman refused to let him in, Powell pushed by and ran up the stairs to the Secretary of State's room, but Seward's son Frederick, the Assistant Secretary of State, was in the hallway and tried to stop Powell. Powell struck the man with his pistol so hard he cracked his skull. Then, Powell rushed into Seward's room and attacked him with a knife. After that, Powell fled. Both Seward and Frederick were alive, but just barely.

Two of Seward's other sons and his daughter were injured in the attack as well. Meanwhile, at the Kirkland house, George Azarat didn't even stage his attack. He got cold feet. Vice President Johnson went to bed that night early, completely unharmed and unaware about what was going on in the rest of the city. While John and Powell were on the lam, Ford's theater was in disarray. One of the audience members was a doctor and he rushed to the president's side. Lincoln was still breathing, but when the doctor took a look at the gunshot wound, he knew the president had no chance of survival.

The only thing they could do was get him somewhere quiet and comfortable to die. With the help of a few men, Lincoln was carried out of the theater and into the Peterson boarding house across the street. They took him to a small room at the end of the hall. The distraught First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln followed. Before long, members of the cabinet arrived, along with the president's oldest son. Abraham Lincoln took his last breath at 722 A.M. on April 15th. He was 56 years old. Although John Wilkes Booth had succeeded, he wasn't in the clear. Because Secretary of War Edward Stanton already had his men out looking for him, and thanks to John's cameo on stage, they knew exactly who had

killed the president. At that moment, John Wilkes Booth was racing south. He and an ally named David Harrold made the twenty miles to Mary Surratt's Tavern in Maryland by midnight. There, he picked up the supplies he'd stashed for himself and continued on. But John was moving slowly. It turned out he'd broken his leg, either from jumping twelve feet from the President's box to the stage or from the long horse ride. It took him three days to cover 40 miles. After that, he spent four nights sleeping in the woods

near the Potomac River in Maryland, waiting for a chance to flee further south. By April 24th, ten days after the assassination, John had reached Port Royal, Virginia. He found his way to the house of a farmer named Richard Garrett. John gave him a fake name and claimed to be a former soldier on his way home. Not knowing his true identity, Richard agreed to let him stay for a few nights. But the next day, Richard's son, a former Confederate soldier, became suspicious of their guest. When the son mentioned seeing Union troops in town, John got visibly nervous, which convinced the Gerrits he was hiding something.

That night, they made him stay in the barn. John had no idea it was because they'd learned who he really was. The following morning, Wednesday, April 26th, a group of Union soldiers surrounded the barn. The men shouted for John to come outside, but he refused to surrender and even requested a shootout. At that moment, the soldiers were ordered to set fire to the barn. They planned to smoke out the assassin. They wanted him alive so that he could be tried for his crimes. John attempted to stomp the flames out, but it was no use.

With his broken leg, his movements were clumsy and uncertain. A soldier spotted him through a window and thought John was reaching for a weapon. Since the sun had barely risen, it was hard to tell, but rather than take a chance, the man shot first. The bullet hit John in the neck and paralyzed him, but he didn't die immediately. The troops dragged him to the farmhouse's porch, where he lay helpless and bleeding. After several hours, the first ever presidential assassin was dead at 26 years old. The rest of the Lincoln conspirators didn't avoid justice either. Not only did Lewis Powell fail to kill William Seward or his son, but he'd left plenty of witnesses.

He was captured three days after the attack and sentenced to die by hanging for his role in the conspiracy. From there, all it took was some basic detective work to connect Powell and John to the others. George Azarat and Mary Surratt were both caught as well and sentenced to die by hanging, which made Mary the first woman ever executed by the federal government. In the end, the man who saw himself as the savior of the South failed miserably. The Confederacy lost the war, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery once and for all, and John Wilkes Booth is remembered as nothing more than a murderer. Abraham Lincoln, on the other hand, is remembered as one of the most influential presidents America has ever had.

Thanks to his guidance, the country survived the Civil War, and countless people got their freedom. And even though his life was too short, his legacy will never fade. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next week for the story of a new murder and all the people it affected. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media at Crime House. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. And to enhance your Murder True Crime Stories listening experience, subscribe to Crime House

Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad free, and instead of having to wait for each episode of a two-part series, you'll get access to both at once, plus exciting bonus content. We'll be back next Tuesday. Murder True Crime Stories is hosted by me, Carter Roy, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Murder True Crime Stories team, Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertsofsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Megan Hannam, Beth Johnson, and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening.