Murder: True Crime Stories - SOLVED: The Clutter Family, Pt. 1

Episode Date: May 28, 2024

On November 15th, 1959, a small town in Kansas was changed forever when a beloved local family was murdered. Their tragic deaths captured the nation's attention -- and sparked the interest of one of America's most famous authors. 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

It's comforting to think that we're in control of our fate. Of course, the unexpected does happen. We can't plan for every eventuality. But when things are going well and life is good, it's satisfying to believe that we created those circumstances. But so much of our lives, even the parts we feel in complete control of, are random, accidental. The people we meet, the friends we make, and the enemies we confront,

it all comes down to chance. And there are times, every now and again, when random chance becomes truly destructive. This is the story of people, complete strangers to each other, set on a collision course by a series of accidental encounters and miscommunications, and a morning in 1959 when pure chance turned deadly. 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 show powered by Pave Studios. Every Tuesday, I'll explore the story of a notorious murder. I'll be bringing awareness to stories that need to be heard with a focus on those who were 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 a two-part series on the murders of Herb, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon Clutter, a Kansas farming family whose deaths in 1959 changed a small town forever. Today, we'll look at the Clutters, their quiet Midwestern life, and the shockwaves their deaths created.

Then next week, we'll talk about what happened afterwards, the trial, the involvement of a celebrated writer, and how one quadruple homicide changed the town of Holcomb and the nation forever. 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. If you closed your eyes and imagined the perfect little slice of the American dream, you'd probably see something like River Valley Farm in Holcomb, Kansas. The stately farmhouse was surrounded by vast fields of wheat, with horses and cows quietly grazing on grassy pastures all around it. You could spend an entire day wandering through a grove of fruit trees that was immaculately cared for by the farm's owner and operator, 48-year-old Herb Clutter.

River Valley Farm and the town around it were so peaceful and idyllic that local residents rarely bothered to lock their doors at night. Until, that is, the early hours of November 15th, 1959, when something terrible left the people of Holcomb shaken to their core. The day before, Saturday, had gotten off to a slow start. Herb Clutter's daughter, 16-year-old Nancy, had just finished a starring turn in her high school play and had stayed out until almost two in the morning to celebrate. Herb had waited up for her and was none too pleased to see Nancy get walked to the door by local basketball star Bobby Rupp.

But besides a stern talking to, the only thing that came of the incident was that Herb and Nancy slept in a little later to start the day. The farmhouse probably felt a little empty that morning. Although the Clutters numbered six in total, Herb and his wife Bonnie's two eldest daughters had already moved out and started families of their own. The oldest, 23-year-old Evanna, was married and had an infant son. The Clutter's other daughter, 20-year-old Beverly, was making wedding plans with her fiancé. That left Herb, Bonnie, Nancy, and the youngest Clutter child, 15-year-old Kenyon, at home in Holcomb the morning of November 14th.

at home in Holcomb the morning of November 14th. It's not hard to imagine that with a population of 270, everyone in Holcomb was at least passingly familiar with each other, and by all accounts, the Clutters were respected and liked by just about everybody. Herb was a fixture in local politics, and had recently spearheaded the fundraising and construction of a new Methodist church. Herb was broad-shouldered and principled. The man never touched a drop of alcohol, and insisted that employees on his farm abstained as well. And while it seems to me that this was a town unlikely to use a word as sensitive as beloved to describe Herb Clutter, the accounts from his friends and neighbors make it

clear that he was. And Herb's wife, Bonnie, was similarly appreciated as a lively, happy presence in town. The only daughter of a prosperous wheat farmer, Bonnie had dreams in her younger days of attending nursing school and emulating one of her teenage heroes, Florence Nightingale. But after two years of the difficult realities that accompany hospital work, Bonnie dropped out. Shortly after, she married Herb Clutter, who was classmates with Bonnie's older brother. Bonnie appreciated that while Herb didn't come from money the way she had, he had big plans of settling down and starting a farm and a family that he could one day call his own. It seems that Clutter's marriage was a happy one, but it still came with challenges.

After the birth of their first daughter, Evanna, in 1936, a veil of melancholy descended on Bonnie. Today, it would be fairly easy to diagnose what was likely happening as postpartum depression, but that term wasn't recognized by the psychiatric community until nearly 60 years later, and the extent of her condition may have been exaggerated in later accounts. But despite a series of visits to clinics and various treatment centers, Connie's melancholy deepened with the arrival of each new child. And when Kenyon, her youngest, was born in 1944, the fog never truly lifted. But on the morning of November 14th, 1959, everything was harmonious in the Clutter household. Bonnie's third daughter, Nancy, spent the first part of her

day showing local 13-year-old Jolene Katz how to bake one of her award-winning cherry pies. Nancy was as adored in town as her father was respected, and at 16 was already admired for her skills as an actress, a musician, a baker, and a straight-A student. On top of all that, Nancy was president of her class and active in a youth development program called 4-H, as well as her local church. She was always making time for others, like she was doing now for young Jolene Katz. More often than not, though, the recipients of Nancy's generosity were members of her own family. With her mother often unable to perform the duties expected of a Kansas housewife in 1959, a great deal of the work that went into running the home fell to Nancy.

In fact, her to-do list for that day included three complex errands for Bonnie and attending a 4-H meeting in Garden City with Herb. But Nancy wasn't interested in staying in the small town of Holcomb forever. Her plan was to enroll in Kansas State University and study art there with her best friend Susan. But for now, she spent this Saturday in November the way she had so many other days of her life, being helpful, generous, and kind. Nancy's little brother Kenyon, meanwhile,

shared almost nothing with his sister except a gentle temperament. Kenyon was quiet, studious, and tall, taller than anyone else in his family, in fact. He was a rather solitary boy who liked hunting, woodworking, and tinkering with an old truck that his father had allowed him to buy when Kenyon was eleven. had allowed him to buy when Kenyon was 11. That afternoon and evening, Kenyon was also doing something to help out their mother, working on the flowerbed that Bonnie liked to keep outside her bedroom window. After some time, Nancy rode up on her beloved horse Babe. The family's dog, Teddy, and Nancy's cat, Evan Rood, joined them. The scene was rounded out by the presence of a man

named Paul Helm, who was married to the Clutter's housekeeper. As Helm would later recall, Kenyon and Nancy discussed an upcoming visit from their older sister and her infant son, plans for Thanksgiving, and Kenyon's beloved horse Skeeter, who had died a year ago, and whom Kenyon, in his own way, was still grieving. As the lights dimmed, Paul Helm turned to go. His home was a half a mile away, and the shadows were getting long. He bid the cluttered children farewell, turned to leave, and looked back once over his shoulder. It was the last time he would ever see them alive.

Hey there, Carter Roy here. If you're enjoying the chilling tales of murder true crime stories, then you'll love 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 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 On the morning of November 15th, 1959, Clarence Ewald was beginning to realize that something wasn't right. Every Sunday, the local beet farmer dropped his daughter, also named Nancy, off at River Valley Farm so she could drive into Garden City with the Clutters for

church services. But this morning, when Nancy rang the Clutters' front door, nobody answered. When she got no response, she tried a second exterior door that led into Mr. Clutter's study. Again, nothing. She tried the door to the utility room next, then the door to the kitchen. It appeared that no one was home. Poor Nancy Ewald didn't know what to do. She didn't want to open the door and just invite herself in, but something didn't seem right. She and her father noticed that both of the Clutter's cars were still parked in the garage and even the old truck Kenyon liked to tinker with was still there and yet no one was coming to the door. But before they jumped to any conclusions,

the Ewalts agreed to drive back into town. They wanted to check on Susan Kidwell, Nancy Clutter's best friend. Susan also rode with the family to church on Sundays. If anyone had heard from the Clutters, it would be her. But Susan was just as baffled as the Ewalts were. It wasn't like her best friend to go silent like that. Picking up the phone, she called River Valley Farm. But the line just rang, and rang, and rang. Susan, Nancy Ewaldt, and her father were definitely worried. They decided to drive back to the clutter place, and this time really look to see what was going on. Clarence Ewald was still in his work clothes, so it was decided that the girls would go in alone.

The girls let themselves in through the kitchen door. It wasn't locked. Doors in Holcomb rarely were in those days. Right away, Nancy and Susan noticed there was nothing on the stove. No dishes in the sink. No one in the house had eaten breakfast. And then Susan noticed Nancy Clutter's purse. It was lying on the floor. It looked like it had been rifled through. looked like it had been rifled through. Slowly, Nancy Ewald and Susan Kidwell made their way through the house and up the stairs to where their friend's bedroom was. Susan would later recall being frightened by the sound of her own footsteps

in the empty house as they made their way upstairs, calling their friend's name. their way upstairs, calling their friend's name. Once they reached the top landing, they slowly approached Nancy Clutter's bedroom. The door was open. So were the curtains. The room was full of sunlight. That's where they found her. Outside, Clarence Ewald was beginning to get worried when the girls came sprinting out of the house. Susan wasn't ready to believe what she'd seen, insisting that Nancy Clutter just had a nosebleed. But Clarence's daughter threw herself into his arms and kept repeating the same words. She's dead. Around that same time, a man named Larry Hendricks was getting ready for the day.

Larry lived across town, and the morning of November 15th, 1959 started like any other. Aside from being an English teacher and school bus driver, Larry was an aspiring author. He liked to begin the day by scanning the paper in search of inspiration for his next story. As Larry flipped through the pages, he could hear panicked voices coming from his downstairs neighbor's apartment. It was where a woman named Wilma Kidwell and her daughter Susan lived. Moments later, Larry's wife rushed in and told him he needed to go over to the Kidwells. Something was very wrong. Larry dropped his paper and rushed down to the Kidwells apartment. Clarence Ewald was there, speaking on the phone with the sheriff from Garden City.

Susan Kidwell, her mother Wilma, and Nancy Ewaldt were all huddled together, clearly upset. Once Clarence got off the phone, he updated Larry about what they'd seen at the Clutter's house. The two men decided they should drive out to River Valley Farm to meet the police. With the local sheriff following in a separate car, they arrived a little after 9.30 a.m. and when they got there, just like the two girls before them, they could tell right away that something terrible had happened. Normally, when cars came up the driveway to the house, the family dog would run to greet them. But today, when Larry, Clarence, and the sheriff arrived, Teddy the dog was just sitting there. Quietly, he followed the three of them to the house before turning around

It was clear the dog didn't want to go inside But Larry, Clarence, and the sheriff didn't have that option The men entered through the driveway door On the ground floor, Larry noticed that the curtains were sagging Like someone had removed the cord that held them in place On the ground floor, Larry noticed that the curtains were sagging, like someone had removed the cord that held them in place. Retracing the girl's steps up the stairs from earlier, the men found a blood-spattered bedroom and Nancy Clutter's body. She had her nightgown and slippers on,

and someone had drawn the covers up over her shoulders, like they'd been tucking her into bed. Next, the men checked the other rooms upstairs. Kenyon's was empty, and his glasses were resting on a bookshelf beside the bed. Wherever he'd gone, it had been in a hurry. Then, at the end of the hall, they found Mrs. Clutter in another bedroom. Like her daughter, Bonnie had been bound and laid in bed. Her mouth was sealed with duct tape, but one side of it had been ripped loose by the shotgun blast that killed her. gun blast that killed her. After that, the men quickly searched the rest of the house. The ground floor was next, including the master bedroom where Herb Clutter usually slept.

His bed was empty and his wallet was lying at the foot of it. Like Nancy's purse, it looked like someone had rifled through it, even though the man was famous throughout Holcomb for never dealing in cash. At this point, the only part of the house that Larry, Clarence, and the sheriff hadn't inspected was the basement. As they descended the stairs, Larry noticed bloody footprints and a bloody handprint on the railing. When they got to the bottom they found Kenyon bound on a sofa and Herb lying on a mattress box. Both were dead from shotgun blasts. After that the men decided the best thing to do was to wait for more police officers to arrive. The Garden City police chief was one of the first law enforcement officials to arrive at the scene.

He was accompanied by his assistant chief, who was especially good at photographing crime scenes. good at photographing crime scenes. He took pictures of the floor around Herb Clutter's body, capturing a previously unnoticed footprint that would become instrumental in the ensuing investigation. He also photographed some tire tracks in the driveway that looked like they'd been left when someone drove off in a hurry. Soon, the crime scene would be packed with state troopers, newspaper writers, radio reporters, and even a minister. The news quickly spread around town, and people who had known the Clutters ventured up to the farm to see what had happened. Nancy's boyfriend, Bobby, was there with his brother. Nancy's boyfriend Bobby was there with his brother They watched as the four ambulances carrying the family's bodies Wound their way down the driveway and out of sight

It was nightfall by then And the news of what had happened at River Valley Farm Had spread throughout Holcomb In whispers and screams and radio broadcasts. And as darkness settled once again over western Kansas, the town of Holcomb had forever changed. For the first time, maybe ever, people locked their doors. The Clutter's funeral drew nearly a thousand people to the First Methodist Church. Class was canceled in Holcomb that day, so Nancy and Kenyon's classmates could attend, even though a separate service was also held at the local high school.

As Larry Hendricks recalled, the teachers were weeping along with the students. The coffins were taken up to Valley View Cemetery, where they were buried, Herb and Bonnie in navy blue, Kenyon in bright plaid, and Nancy in a red dress that she had made herself just like that

one of the most beloved families in town was gone one resident remarked that it would have stung less if it had been anyone else but the Clutters represented everything their neighbors respected and valued it was like nothing the community held sacred was safe anymore. Like something inherent in Holcomb's sense of being had died with that family. But the Clutter's story wasn't over yet. People in Holcomb, across Kansas, and throughout the country were determined to find justice for the Clutter family.

However, finding who'd done this to them wouldn't be easy. The case was transferred to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, of investigation, and on Monday, November 16th, 1959, 47-year-old KBI agent Alvin Dewey began his press conference by saying that he would be discussing facts, not theories. Fact. They weren't dealing with one homicide, but four. Fact. The police didn't know if the killer, or killers, had intended to just kill one member of the Clutter family, or if they'd all been targets. Fact. The murders occurred between 11pm and 2am, but exact order of death was impossible to determine. Fact. The police were unsure if they were looking for multiple suspects or a single killer. Fact, none of the victims had been sexually abused. Fact, nothing of great value had been stolen. Fact, at this point, an explanation for why this had happened was anybody's guess.

An explanation for why this had happened was anybody's guess. And even though Agent Dewey was determined to keep this investigation focused on the facts, it came with a lot of emotions for him. He and his wife attended the same church as the Clutter family, and like everyone who came into the Clutter's orbit, Agent Dewey liked and respected them a great deal. But even if the victims had been complete strangers to him, he still would have brought a special combination of dedication and fury to this case. The senselessness and savagery of it affected Dewey on a deep level. He vowed to find out what happened that night, and why, even if it took him the rest of his life.

from fellow KBI agents Roy Church, Clarence Dunst, and Harold Nye. Church and Dunst spent the early days of the investigation combing the Kansas countryside for any shred of a lead, and it wasn't long before they found some. Agent Dunst uncovered a father and son who formed a grudge against Herb Clutter after feeling that he'd cheated them on a business deal. The pair had even gone to River Valley Farm looking for a confrontation, but had quickly left after Herb greeted them with a gun. Meanwhile, Agent Church had come across a man who believed that the Clutter family was responsible for the death of his hunting dog. This man had a length of rope hanging in his barn that was tied with the same knot that had been used to bind the murdered family.

But neither of these leads seemed to fit the apparent motive behind the crime. The third agent assisting on the case, 34-year-old Harold Nye, was certain that it was a robbery gone wrong. His theory hinged on the fact that it looked like Nancy's purse and Herb's wallet had been rifled through, even though Herb was notorious for rarely holding cash. Even after extensive interviews, though, the only conclusion he could come to was that nobody would do something like that to the Clutters. The only thing that Agent Dewey and his team were certain of was that this wasn't the work of a single killer. Of course, it was possible that a single individual could have done it. Maybe they'd known that the Clutters rarely locked their doors and the family dog was scared of guns. This person

could have entered the house, cut the telephone lines, awoken Mr. Clutter at gunpoint, and forced him to tie up the rest of the family before being bound himself, but that wouldn't explain why the knots on all four family members appeared to have been tied by the same person. And it wouldn't explain why Herb, and Kenyon for that matter, wouldn't have fought back against an intruder they outnumbered. That's why Alvin Dewey and his team suspected that there was not one killer that night, but two. One to bind the family, while another held the gun. That would explain why the moments leading up to the murders hadn't seemed violent, hadn't left any signs of a struggle. In fact, they seemed almost thoughtful. Herb was given a cardboard

box to lie on so he wasn't on a cold cement floor. Kenyon's head had been propped up on pillows. Bonnie was given a chair to sit on before she was tied up in bed, and Nancy had even been tucked in. she was tied up in bed, and Nancy had even been tucked in. There were moments of consideration, and they made no sense in a scene of such brutality. How could someone have swung so violently between fleeting moments of a kind of thoughtfulness and this explosive inhuman rage? thoughtfulness, and this explosive inhuman rage. What could make one man capable of that, let alone two? These were the questions Alvin Dewey pondered as he struggled to find any clues that would lead him to the killers. While the KBI agents searched desperately for a break in the case, news of the murders was beginning to leave Kansas. Before the year was out, a celebrated writer in New York named Truman Capote found an

article detailing the murders, and he decided it would be the subject of his next piece. He booked a train ticket to Kansas, bringing along his friend and confidant, Harper Lee, who would herself go on to become famous for her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Over the next few weeks, then months, then years, the two of them doggedly interviewed anyone with any connection to the case. anyone with any connection to the case. They inadvertently gave birth to the true crime genre as we know it by trying to answer the same question as everyone else. Who did this and why? Capote and Lee asked and asked.

Agent Dewey and his team searched and searched, and the news spread far and wide. And eventually, after reaching Colorado and Illinois and New York, it circled back to Kansas, to a prison cell holding an inmate named Floyd Wells. Wells, who was serving a three to five year sentence for robbery, was listening to the news on the radio and heard that police were investigating the violent and seemingly motiveless murders of Herbert W. Clutter, his wife, and their two teenage children. All of them had been bound, gagged, and shot at point-blank range

with a 12-gauge shotgun. The authorities were appealing to the public for any leads. Wells was stunned. He knew the Clutters. He had worked for them when he was only a teen himself. He'd even taken a liking to them. And more than that, he knew who had killed them. 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 the Clutter Family Murders. Murder True Crime Stories is a CrimeHouse original powered by Pave Studios.

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and Sarah Carroll. Murder True Crime Stories is hosted by Carter Roy. 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.