Murder: True Crime Stories - SOLVED: Frank Hilley, Pt. 1

Episode Date: July 16, 2024

To outside observers, Frank and Marie Hilley were the ideal 1950s couple. But behind closed doors, their marriage was far from perfect. Frank did everything he could to keep his wife happy, but it was never enough. And she took it out on him in the most terrifying way imaginable. Murder: True Crime Stories is part of Crime House Studios. For more, follow us on Instagram @crimehouse. 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. You've probably heard the phrase, happy wife, happy life. Frank Hilly lived by that saying, whatever his wife wanted, she got. And for many years, those words of wisdom served him well. As the Hillys established their family in the small town of Anniston, Alabama, their neighbors admired their picture-perfect lifestyle. But in 1975, everything changed. Tragedy struck the Hilly family. All that misfortune proved the dark side of the phrase,

happy wife, happy life. Because his wife was never really happy. And ultimately, that cost Frank his life. People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. But you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives 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. Every Tuesday, I'll explore the story of a notorious murder or murders. I'll be bringing awareness to stories that need to be heard, with a focus on those who are impacted. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters. This is the first of two episodes about the 1975 murder of Frank Hilly, a family man from Alabama who was betrayed by the person he trusted the most. Today we'll take a look at Frank's early life and what brought him joy as a young father

and husband. We'll try to understand how his marriage to his wife Marie weakened and then shattered before his death. Then we'll examine what happened to make authorities reclassify his death from natural causes to murder. Next week's part two will cover the wild ride that followed as investigators chased Frank's murderer across the country. All that and more coming up. took a moment to rate and review us on Apple and Spotify. Your valuable feedback helps us improve and expand our reach so other true crime fans can find us too. Your support means everything.

Frank Hilly and his future wife both grew up near the small town of Anniston, Alabama. future wife both grew up near the small town of Anniston, Alabama. Frank was born in 1929 to parents Carrie and Clarence Hilly. Later, two younger sisters came along, Frida and Jewel. Although their family was not particularly well off, they were devoted to each other and Frank had a loving childhood. When Frank entered school, his peers found him personable and friendly. And as he got older, Frank started getting interested in girls. By the time he got to high school, he could only think about one. Frank first laid eyes on Audrey Marie Fraser, or just Marie as she liked to be called, in 1945 when she was 12 or 13. He was immediately smitten, and he wasn't the only one. Her 7th grade class voted her the

prettiest girl that year. Marie was used to getting everything she wanted. She was an only child, and even though she grew up in poverty, her parents worked hard to cater to her every want and need. That included getting her the best possible education. When Frank Hilly first met Marie, her family had just moved into Anniston from nearby Blue Mountain, so Marie could attend the superior school in town. The move was destiny in the making. It wasn't long before Frank and Marie were going steady. Frank always rolled out the red carpet for Marie. He made his tomboy little sister, Frida, dress up whenever Marie came over.

When he joined the Navy after high school, he always prioritized time with Marie during his leave. Frank's royal treatment did the trick. They got engaged as soon as Marie graduated high school. They married in May 1951, when Frank was 22 and Marie was 18. About a year later, Marie got pregnant and the newlyweds settled into their first home in Anniston. Frank left the Navy for a job at the local foundry, which manufactured pipes. Their son, Michael, was born sometime in late 1952 or early 1953.

Marie took a secretarial job at the local gas company and built a reputation for efficiency and diligence. Frank's career grew as well, and he was promoted to a leadership position at the foundry. The Hillys' friends and neighbors put them up on a pedestal. They seemed like the ideal Southern family. But the family's growing success wasn't enough to keep up with Marie's expensive tastes. Everything Marie owned had to be top of the line. She hired an interior decorator to completely renovate their little starter home, and she insisted on always driving the latest, biggest cars. Frank didn't care much about appearances, but he never denied Marie anything, even if it strained the family's finances. Marie's spending only got worse when their second child, Carol, was born in 1960.

The family moved into a bigger house, and Marie wanted her kids to have the best of everything. When Frank finally told Marie to rein it in, she just found ways to hide her spending. Marie took out loans behind Frank's back and maxed out credit at local department stores. She routed all the bills to a P.O. box she kept secret from her husband. She routed all the bills to a P.O. box she kept secret from her husband, and any time she did get caught, she just blamed any big purchases on her mother. The deception and overspending took a deep toll on the marriage and on Frank himself. Pede always enjoyed a drink or two, but as the kids got older, Frank became a regular at the Elks Lodge, a neighborhood social club for men. Some of the other members saw Frank as one of the poor fellows who needed liquid courage before he could face going home for dinner with his family.

Marie was not a fan of the blue-collar crowd at the Elks Lodge, or of how often Frank drank with them. Over the course of the 1960s, she'd built up an impressive professional reputation, working with a variety of powerful Anniston executives. As far as Marie was concerned, her family was part of the social elite in Anniston. Frank's rough and tumble drinking buddies at the Elks Lodge did not fit into that image. Frank felt stuck in a terrible cycle. He didn't measure up to Marie's expectations, so he drank. But because he drank, he measured up even less, and there seemed to be no escape. Even though his marriage was rocky, Frank tried to keep his home life peaceful. Marie's mother, Lucille Fraser, moved in with the Hillies sometime in the late 1960s. Frank welcomed his mother-in-law

and treated her well, but she and Marie were often at each other's throats. Frank found himself refereeing their arguments. The dynamic between Frank, Marie, and their daughter Carol was similar. Marie seemed to want a little girl she could form in her own image, a coiffed, charming southern lady looking to climb the social ladder. But Carol was just the opposite. She preferred pants and motorcycles to dresses and parties. Perhaps because Marie criticized Carol so much, she gravitated toward her father.

He took her fishing and on outings to the golf course. When Marie was too hard on Carol, Frank provided some respite. He did his best to provide the same kind of support for their son Michael, but that was more challenging. As a child and teen, Michael was rebellious and stubborn. Frank was always firm and consistent, which generated respect between the two of them, but they were never close. Michael sensed the discord between his parents and distanced himself emotionally from a young age. When he graduated from high school around 1971, Michael was relieved to move out on his own. The friction at home was suffocating.

Michael bounced around to a few different secondary institutions before landing at a seminary in Georgia, not too far from Anniston. While he was there, he fell in love with a woman named Terry Henderson, and they married quickly. Michael checked in with his parents every once in a while and would sometimes meet up with Frank for golf. In the middle of a round in the spring of 1975, Michael could tell Frank was struggling to tell him something important. This was unusual. Frank liked to keep their conversation light.

Frank told Michael that he and Marie hadn't been getting along well, and recently things came to a head. A few weeks earlier, Frank had left the office early with a stomach bug. He was looking forward to laying down and getting some rest. But when he opened his bedroom door, he was surprised to find Marie already in bed. And she wasn't alone. Her boss, Walter Clinton, was next to her. Frank was so embarrassed and shocked, he turned around, got in his car, and drove away.

Now, things were more turbulent than ever. Frank confessed to Michael that he couldn't see how their marriage would survive. Michael was beside himself. Part of him fumed with anger and wanted to comfort his father, but he resorted to his usual emotional distance, not asking any questions, and eventually they continued their game. Afterwards, they made plans to get back on the golf course the following week. But that was the last time Michael would play golf with his father. The next time they were together,

it would be at Frank's deathbed. the crime house original mind of a serial killer what sets mind of a serial killer apart is its focus on the twisted psychology of the world's most notorious serial killers names like jeffrey dahmer ted bundy the night stalker featuring expert psychological analysis from licensed clinical and forensic psychologist dr tristan angles Engels. Mind of a Serial Killer will take you into their stories like never before. So get ready to uncover what drives someone to commit the unimaginable. Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday. Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity, join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases. With significant research and careful analysis, we examine the psyche of a killer, their motives and targets, and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree. Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts and get new episodes every Monday. In May of 1975, Michael Hilly got a call from his mother Marie. She wanted to let him know that Frank wouldn't be able to meet him for golf like they'd planned. Frank was down with some kind of stomach flu.

Michael wasn't concerned. It seemed like Frank had been dealing with an on-again-off-again bug for most of the year. But Marie kept calling Michael with updates that sounded increasingly dire. First, Frank's fever and chills were so intense he couldn't sleep. Then, he wasn't able to keep any food down for three days straight. A week after Frank canceled their golf game, Michael and his wife Terry were awakened by another panicked phone call. This time, Marie was calling from the hospital. She had woken up in the middle of the night. Frank wasn't in bed next to her. Marie found him out in the front yard wearing only his underwear. When she spoke to him, he didn't seem to recognize her. Marie brought Frank to the emergency room, but none of the doctors could figure out what was going on.

Michael and Terry drove to Anniston immediately. When they entered Frank's hospital room, Michael was shocked at the state his father was in. Frank's hospital room, Michael was shocked at the state his father was in. It had only been two weeks since their golf game when Frank confided in his son about Marie's infidelity, but Frank looked like a different man. His skin had an unnatural yellow pallor, and he was so weak, he seemed to be moving in slow motion. He couldn't even make it to the bathroom on his own. Doctors gave the Hilly family some relief a few hours later with a diagnosis. Viral hepatitis. With plenty of rest and medication, Frank should recover.

Everyone was grateful that Frank had an answer to his recurring illness. But over the next couple of days, he continued to decline. He would chat with visitors, then suddenly drift off, as if he lost interest in the conversation. The next time he acknowledged the other people in the room, he would greet them as if he were seeing them for the first time. When Frank's sister Frida came to visit, he didn greet them as if he were seeing them for the first time. When Frank's sister Frida came to visit, he didn't recognize her. Frank also occasionally seemed to think he was somewhere else, like his office. He would mime taking a pen out of his breast pocket, then pretend to write on the bed sheet like it was his desk. Once, he handed Michael some imaginary paperwork before

seemingly coming to his senses. Michael did his best to soothe his father, but inside he was filled with a deep sense of dread. Michael wanted to stay by Frank's side, but he was expected back at work, Frank's side, but he was expected back at work, so he went to pick up reinforcements, his grandmother's, Marie's mother Lucille, and Frank's mother Carrie. When they returned, Marie was dozing in a chair beside Frank's bed. A ceiling fan rippled Frank's sheet, but the man under the covers looked unnaturally still. Frank wasn't breathing. Michael dashed down the hall for help, but there was nothing they could do. Frank was dead.

Everyone in Frank's life spent the next several weeks in shock over his sudden passing. Frank's life spent the next several weeks in shock over his sudden passing. His mother, Carrie, couldn't understand how her 46-year-old son had deteriorated so quickly from a treatable disease. His doctors could offer no explanation, even after an autopsy confirmed viral hepatitis as the cause of death. Frank's daughter, Carol, barely had time to process that her father was actually sick before he was gone. The 15-year-old had depended on her father's stabilizing presence whenever Marie picked a fight. Now it was just her, Marie, and Grandma Lucille at home, with no referee. The days following Frank's death heaped more tragedy upon the Hilly family. Just a week after Frank died, Lucille was diagnosed with cancer.

Around the same time, Mike's wife Terry, who was four months pregnant, also fell ill. At first, she thought it was just morning sickness, but the light nausea progressed to violent vomiting and unbearable cramping. She seemed to recover after a few days in the hospital, but after she was discharged, her symptoms returned. There was nothing doctors could do. There was nothing doctors could do. Terry's pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Meanwhile, the payout from Frank's life insurance policy was a small fortune, $30,000, which is the equivalent of $177,000 today. Marie enjoyed spending the money, lavishing gifts on her family, and herself, of course. Perhaps after all the misfortune, Marie wanted to cheer everyone up in the best way she knew how.

But the cash didn't make her relationships any easier. Carol was an older teenager, and they fought more than ever. And Marie's relationship with her mother only became more strained as months of cancer treatment weakened Lucille. She depended on Marie for help with daily living, leaving Marie overwhelmed and resentful. Michael and Terry did their best to help. Michael transferred to a church in Anniston, and the couple even moved in with Marie, Carol, and Lucille. But Michael found living with his mother unbearable.

After only a few months, he and Terry moved into their own apartment. After Mike and Terry left, everything started to unravel. Marie quickly sold the house they'd all shared. A few months after that, Lucille died in January 1977. The rest of 1977 and 1978 were absolute chaos for Marie and Carol. They moved often, living in apartments and with other relatives, but no matter where they lived, Marie complained to police about break-ins, strange phone calls, and even threatening notes left inside her home. Nothing came of it, but it left them feeling extremely unsettled. Eventually, Marie and Carol moved in with Frank's mother, Carrie. Now she had cancer and needed support to continue living independently. Marie was happy to help and happy to have

somewhere to live rent-free. She was still spending constantly but didn't have anything in the bank. Somehow, she'd run through all of Frank's life insurance money in the windfall from the sale of the family home. She often wrote checks that bounced, leaving her in a precarious legal situation. All the upheaval only made Marie and Carol's relationship more tense. Carol graduated from high school in 1978, but she couldn't settle on a job or a secondary school. Marie constantly berated Carol for not being more like her high-achieving cousins who attended college and held successful jobs. Things were about to get worse. In January 1979, 19-year-old Carol came down suddenly with an acute stomach illness. It took her a while to bounce back, but eventually she got back on her feet for a few months.

In April, she attended prom at her old high school with a few friends who were seniors. The dance was fun, and the after-party was even better. When Carol woke up feeling nauseated the next morning, she assumed it was just a hangover. She went to church, hoping the feeling would pass. But the waves of nausea and then painful cramps threatened to overwhelm her. She dashed outside and threw up in the parking lot. She ended up in the emergency room. For Carol, the next several months passed in a haze of nausea, dehydration, and hospital stays. Carol got weaker and fatigued easily.

She had numbness and tingling in her hands and feet. But no matter how many tests Carol underwent, doctors couldn't seem to find the source of her illness. In the summer of 1979, Carol's decline was so significant, she had to be admitted to the hospital for long-term treatment. Carol's Aunt Frida and grandmother Carrie felt a strange sense of deja vu as they observed the terrifying progression of Carol's illness. Marie managed all of Carol's day-to-day care, isolating Carol. Whenever Frida and Carrie wanted to visit, Marie always made some excuse to keep them away. Marie had done the same thing with Frank,

but it seemed innocuous at the time. After all, it was natural for a wife to care for her husband. But then, no one knew how sick Frank was until it was too late. When Carrie confided in Michael about her unease, she mentioned something Michael had never heard before. During the early stages of Frank's illness, she said that the doctor had authorized Marie to give him shots at home. The situation struck Michael as odd. Marie had kept him updated about Frank's decline, but she never said anything about giving Frank injections.

He had to admit that he shared Carrie and Frida's unsettling feeling that something wasn't quite right about his father's death. Michael's vague anxiety spiked into abject terror a few days later. Frida called him in a panic. Marie had been giving Carol injections, supposedly for her nausea, just like she'd done with Frank. A chill ran down Michael's spine as he realized his sister was in the same place his father was right before he died in the hospital alone with marie Michael Hilly had a terrifying suspicion about his mother, Marie. If he was right, his sister Carol was in grave danger.

Michael dialed the hospital where Carol was being treated. Thankfully, he caught her at a rare moment when Marie wasn't around. The question he needed to ask was life or death, but he didn't want his sister to know that. In her fragile state, he didn't want to alarm her. After a couple minutes of small talk, he asked as naturally as he could if Marie had been giving Carol shots. She denied it, but Michael recognized Carol's tone the way only a sibling could. She was lying. When he asked again, Carol hesitated. Marie had made her promise not to tell anyone, but yes, their mother had been giving her injections, at home and even here in the hospital.

at home, and even here in the hospital. Michael was sure that whatever was in those injections had killed his father, and was now killing his sister. If he didn't do something soon, Carol might be Marie's next victim. Meanwhile, Carol sat in her hospital bed feeling miserable. She was so weak she could barely move. She'd lost almost all motor control and feeling in her hands and lower legs. Marie was back at her bedside, as she always was these days.

Carol was simultaneously grateful and resentful. She depended on her mother's help to do anything, but her constant presence was suffocating. All she wanted to do was get out of the hospital. When a strange man showed up at her hospital room, Carol expected more poking and prodding. She was surprised when he asked for Marie instead. Marie went to speak with him in the hallway. When she came back, she told Carol that she had to leave with him. Carol was dismayed. She didn't think she could survive in the hospital without her mother. Marie reassured her that she was just straightening out a misunderstanding

about a stolen car. It was one of the last lies Marie would be able to tell her daughter. Carol didn't want to be alone in the hospital, so she called her Aunt Frida. Once she arrived, her Aunt Frida. Once she arrived, Frida told the doctor about the injections Marie was giving Carol. The story sounded outlandish. A mother poisoning her own daughter? But Carol's symptoms lined up with long-term poisoning, and there was an easy way to check. The doctor examined Carol's hands and feet. A horizontal white line ran through each of her finger and toenails. The line was a deposit of the poison, which lingered in the bones after being excreted from the soft tissue. The doctor ordered lab tests to confirm, but he felt confident giving Carol a new diagnosis then and there. Arsenic poisoning. The news rippled through Carol and her family.

Carol felt a confusing mix of relief and cynicism. Marie had always been so critical. Part of her wasn't surprised. But it also pained her to think that Marie could do something so heinous. Carol told reporters that she stood by her mother. If Marie was somehow responsible for the poisoning, it had to be an accident. Carol's Aunt Frida wasn't as conflicted. She had no doubt that Marie was guilty. She

couldn't believe that she'd set up her cancer-stricken mother to live with a killer. As for Michael, he mostly felt relief. He could finally stop feeling guilty for having such horrible doubts about Marie and just act on them. After the doctor gave them the news about Carol, he contacted the police. By pure coincidence, they had just arrested Marie. The man who came by Carol's hospital room was an officer, but the charges were just related to Marie's bad checks. It was hard to believe the poised, respected southern widow in their holding cell was a murderer. When they interrogated Marie, she claimed she had no idea how arsenic could have entered Carol's system. When officers asked if

Marie ever gave Carol any medication, she admitted to giving Carol pills and a few injections, but only as prescribed by Carol's doctors. Officers weren't buying it. They brought up the fact that Marie purchased a $25,000 life insurance policy on Carol in 1978, right before Carol got sick. Marie brushed it off, right before Carol got sick. Marie brushed it off, claiming her recent cash flow issues had forced her to let the policy lapse. If she was planning on killing Carol and collecting the money, she would have done everything she could to keep it active.

Unbeknownst to the officers, that's exactly what she did. Before Marie was arrested, she'd spent the last few days pulling financial stunts in order to keep the policy current. But the police didn't need Marie to tell the truth in order to bring charges. If she was guilty, the evidence was out there. In October 1979, Frank Hilly's coffin came back out of the ground and officers sent his body to the state lab for testing. Initial results showed notable levels of arsenic in Frank's body. But technicians needed more time to determine if the poison was the real cause of death. Any charges related to Frank would have to wait. In order to charge Marie, officers would need to focus on Carol's case. Frida and

Carrie were both happy to assist. Frida even went through some of Marie's things herself. She came across a prescription pill bottle filled with an odorless liquid that looked and smelled like plain water. She delivered the bottle to the police station the very next day. Frida also remembered that Marie had asked to store a few boxes in her garage. Going through them was like browsing a thrift store, a whole lot of junk, until she found the treasure. Inside a paper sack, Frida found some baby food jars. Frida herself had suggested that Marie try giving Carol the pureed food when Carol couldn't tolerate a regular diet. Marie had spoon-fed it to Carol in her hospital bed, the picture of a doting mother.

The next thing Frida pulled out of the bag shattered that image. It was a glass bottle labeled, Cowley's Rat and Mouse Poison. Active ingredient, water-soluble arsenic. On October 9th, 1979, authorities had enough evidence to charge 46-year-old Marie with attempted murder for poisoning Carol. The judge set her bail at $10,000. Marie's family refused to pay it. They thought she should stay in jail until her trial date. But in all her years of secretarial work in Anniston,

Marie had built relationships with many powerful and wealthy people. She pooled contributions from five different locals to post bail. In early November 1979, officers released Marie to the custody of her lawyers. Marie checked into a roadway inn a few towns over from Anniston. Her lawyers claimed this was to protect her from invasive media attention and from her own family. Frank's sister had told Michael and other family members that she wanted to kill Marie herself. A week later, on November 18, 1979, one of Marie's lawyers arrived at her motel room. They had plans to prepare for her upcoming court appearance.

But the room was empty, and Marie was nowhere to be found. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next week for part two of our series on Frank Hilly and Marie's other victims. of our series on Frank Hilly and Marie's other victims. Murder True Crime Stories is a CrimeHouse original powered by Pave Studios. Here at CrimeHouse, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support.

If you like what you hear today, reach out on social media at Murder True Crime Pod on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. We'll be back next Tuesday. Murder True Crime Stories, a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios, is executive produced by Max Cutler.

This episode of Murder, True Crime Stories was sound designed by Ron Shapiro, written by Hannah McIntosh, edited by Alex Benidon, fact-checked by Sheila Patterson, and included production assistance from Kristen Acevedo and Sarah Carroll. Murder, True Crime Stories is hosted by Carter Roy. You may know a serial killer's crimes. Now, uncover the psychology behind them. Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday. Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity, join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases. With significant research and careful analysis, we examine the psyche of a killer, their motives and targets, and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree.

Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts and get new episodes every Monday.