Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Nell Cropsey Pt. 2

Episode Date: October 20, 2021

About a month after her disappearance, two fishermen found Nell Cropsey's body in a nearby river. With Jim Wilcox the last to see her alive, he was already convicted in the court of public opinion. While he maintained his innocence, the townspeople vowed that no matter the verdict, Jim Wilcox would pay for his crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes dramatizations and discussions of murder, assault, and suicide. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. December 27, 1901, started like any other day in Elizabeth City. By 9 a.m., the small North Carolina town was bustling. Fishermen slowly wound their way down the Pasquitank River, waiting for fish to tug on the In town, the shops were open. People wandered from store to store, waving at each other as they passed. It was shaping up to be a lovely day, crisp, cool, and uneventful.

The Cropsey House was quiet, with the soft morning light streaming in through the windows. But as the day progressed, something started to change. There was commotion in the river in the section of the Pasquitank that ran behind the house. The family gathered near the window. angling to see what was going on. There were two fishermen on the opposite bank, gazing at something in the water. The Cropsey's couldn't see it clearly from the house.

It was large and pale, a ghostly figure bobbing in the tide. But in an instant, recognition washed over the Cropsey family with terrifying clarity. It was a body, a woman's body. By this point, it had been over a month, since 19-year-old Nell Cropsey disappeared from her home. Everyone suspected Jim Wilcox, Nell's ex-boyfriend.

But without finding Nell, the investigation couldn't continue. So much time had passed that practically everyone, including her own family, had given up hope of ever finding her. After so much time waiting, it seemed impossible that Nell could reappear like this, so close to home. Could it really be her? The Cropsey family watched an abject horror

as the fishermen slowly maneuvered their boat around the body, heading for the shore. But Mrs. Cropsey was not interested in waiting. She rushed to the beach, intercepting the fishermen as they docked their boat. The rest of the family looked on, watching as she met the men at the beach. For a moment, there was silence.

But suddenly the family heard it, Mrs. Cropsey was screaming. Her voice hoarse and terrible as it pierced the air. She kept repeating a single sentence. They found her. They found her. After a month of searching, the Cropsey family finally had their answer. Nell was dead.

Welcome to Solved Murders, True Crime Mysteries, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host, Carter Roy. And I'm your host Wendy McKenzie. Every Wednesday, we step into the world of True Crime. crimes, most fascinating murder cases, and tell the tale of how real-life detectives close the case. You can find episodes of Solve Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify. This is our second episode on the murder of Nell Cropsey. Last week, we covered Nell's disappearance. This week we'll cover the case's mysterious conclusion

and how the memory of Nell Cropsey haunts Elizabeth City to this day. We have all that and more coming up. Stay with us. Introducing Taco Bell's new jalapino citrus salsa with bright citrus, real red jalapinos, guahillo chilis. Usually, you add sauce to the food, but when the sauce is this good, the food is just there to get the sauce to your mouth.

That rolled cassidia, not a rolled cassidia anymore. Now it's a sauce shovel. Taco Bell's jalapeno citrus salsa, get it with any item on the canteen of chicken menu while it's here. The participating U.S. Taco Bell locations for a limited time only while supplies last. Contact store for availability. You survived the Miami weekend.

Nailed the speech and maxed out your credit card in the name of friendship. Now you've got one hangover, four pastel dresses, and zero reasons to wear them again. Sell them on Deepop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. And you at least get some of your dignity.

Money back. Someone on Deepop wants what you. you've got. Start selling now. Deepop where taste recognizes taste. Send help is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus. We're somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand. Getting us out of here should be your focus. I'm your boss. You work for me.

I'm not in the office anymore. It's bold, relentless, and endlessly rewatchable. They're at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. You're so fired. Oh, am I? No help is coming. Send help, rated R. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus. On the morning of December 27, 1901, the Cropsey family was awash in a sense of terror.

A woman's body had been found in the Pasquitank River right behind the house. No one had to speak the words to understand what this discovery might mean. Nell Cropsey could be out there right now. From the shore, the family could hardly see the corpse, but it was definitely there. There, a white shape nestled among the reeds. All they could do was stare at that ghoulish form as it slowly swayed with the tide. But in an instant, the terrible reality of this situation came into focus. One of the fishermen, J.D. Stillman, who had discovered the body, approached Mr. Cropsey.

It was time to identify the body. In silence, the two men skirted the shore, approaching the small beach behind the house. That's where J.D. had tethered his boat. In stone-faced silence, Mr. Cropsey climbed into the vessel. J.D. Stillman used an oar to push off, and the two men made their way toward the other bank of the river. I'm so sorry about this, Mr. Cropsey. You know, maybe it isn't her.

It could be another poor girl. Someone else... Son, I appreciate that, but you and I both know the truth. That's my daughter in the water right there. I mean, like I said, we don't really... I've borne too much grief to have hope right now. Just take me to her. Sorry, you're right. I...

I'm sorry. After that, Stillman maneuvered the boat in silence, eventually settling it near the floating corpse. Mr. Cropsey leaned over the side and gazed down at the body. Immediately he recognized the red waistcoat and black skirt, now saturated with water. It was the same outfit Nell was wearing on the night she disappeared. Mr. Cropsey stared at the blank face, its blue eyes open and empty.

Sitting back in the boat, he nodded in silence. This was Nell. No question about it. By this point, it was nearing 11 a.m. The citizens of Elizabeth City had heard about the body in the river and a slow stream of people was slowly approaching the Cropsey house. They stood in anxious silence, watching as Mr. Cropsey and J.D. Stillman stared into the water. But the silence of this moment was interrupted by the loud sputtering of a vehicle approaching the Cropsey house.

The two men lifted their heads and saw the corner. Dr. Fearing step out of a car and stride toward the shore. The real work was about to begin. J.D. Stillman and Mr. Cropsey had tied Nell's body to an oar stuck in the sand and attached a long rope to her arm. Back on shore, they greeted Dr. Fearing, then slowly towed Nell's body in, pulling the rope towards them. The crowd watched horrified as the three men waited for Nell Cropsey's ghostly body trailing in the water. In efficient silence, the three men lifted her out of the river and onto a sheet. A few other men from the crowd stepped forward and they carried the body to the Cropsey's barn,

which was to serve as a makeshift mortuary. By this point, the police had arrived to help with a growing crowd. Chief Dawson had his men form a perimeter around the building, keeping any curious neighbors away from the action. But that didn't stop the crowd from speculating on the events going on inside. Did you see her face? Those open eyes, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. Do you think they're cutting her up in there?

Probably, but I'll tell you what. Something's fishy about all this. I myself helped Chief Dawson drag that river from start to finish. We didn't find nobody. There's no way she was out there floating in plain sight for a month. Jim Wilcox must have moved her. What? How could he do that?

Isn't he still in jail? Nope. The police didn't have enough to hold him. Not without a body. Last I heard, he was out in the country, duck hunting. It wouldn't take much for him to toss the body in the river on his way out of town. But now that Nell's been found, that's curtains for Jim. And I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see him hang. While the crowd shared their theories, Dr. Fearing was conducting a thorough examination of Nell Cropsey's body.

And he had company of his own. The coroner had amassed a small panel of physicians to join him, along with the six-man jury to bear witness to the findings of the autopsy. They began around 11 a.m. Dr. Fearing was surprised by the state of the corpse. It was extremely well-preserved and didn't show the kind of swelling that would be typical for a drowning victim. And as he inspected Nell's internal organs,

he was left even more perplexed. There was no water in her stomach or lungs. She was already dead by the time she'd been placed in the river. Dr. Fearing inspected Nell's arms and legs looking for any signs of struggle or injury. There was nothing. Confused, the coroner gazed down at the body, but at that moment, one of the jurors spoke up. Uh, doctor, take a look at the left temple. Doesn't that look swollen to you?

You trying to do my job, son? Oh, no, sir. I just take a look there. It just looks swollen to me. Like there was a bruise? You might want to check. Maybe she was struck? Ha, now you're a detective, huh? All right, I'll bite. Come over here and point out the spot. But this is the last time I'll be taking any suggestions from the peanut gallery. You're supposed to observe, not instruct. The coroner tilted Nell's face to the side, exposing her left temple, stepping up. Aside, he allowed the juror to get close.

Gingerly, the juror pressed his finger down onto her flesh. The touch left a distinct indentation in the skin. He tilted her head to the other side and tried the same experiment on her right temple. No indentation. Dr. Fearing shot a glance at the eagle-eyed juror who had spotted the bruise. Maybe the man was right. To confirm this new theory, Dr. Fearing

examine the inside of Nell Cropsey's skull. Sure enough, there was the bruise, a little larger than a trouser button. But because the blow didn't visibly damage her skull from the outside, it means it was only hard enough to knock Nell unconscious. It likely didn't kill her. Dr. Fearing searched the body for any new shred of information, but found nothing. After hours of examination, it still wasn't clear how Nell Cropsey died. But by the late afternoon, the crowd outside was growing restless and the stench of death in the barn was becoming unbearable. Dr. Fearing finally concluded his autopsy and thanked the jury for their patients.

He wiped his hands clean, stepped out of the barn, and approached Chief Dawson. It's done, Chief. The jury has what they need, and they'll deliver their findings shortly. Well, how did she die? That's still unclear. To tell you the truth, I don't know if it makes much of a difference. I mean, look at this mob.

Last time I counted, there was around 2,000 people out here. I don't think they care how she died. They just care who killed her. And Jim Wilcox is your man, right? Nobody else fits the profile. I'm about to send Sheriff Reed out to pick him up right now. I just hope we can get to him before this lot does. I'd like to avoid a lynching in this town.

With that, Chief Dawson called out to the mass of people loitering on the Cropsey estate. He told them to leave that the show was over. There would be more information later, but it wasn't worth sticking around. The people of Elizabeth City did as they were told, but that didn't stop the gossip from spreading. Some people falsely claimed to have seen the body up close. They said Nell's neck was broken and that her skin had been eaten away by crabs. None of it was true, but that didn't matter. The townspeople were angry, shocked, and horrified by the events of the day.

And the more these gruesome rumors spread, the angrier people became. Whatever mournfulness they felt for Nell Cropsey had crystallized into white-hot rage. Someone had to answer for Nell Cropsey's death. And the citizens of Elizabeth City knew just the person. Jim Wilcox needed to pay. Coming up, new theories develop in the case of Nell's death, and Jim's life hangs in the balance. Hello, I'm Hannah Maguire.

And I'm Surruti Bala, and we're the hosts of the new Spotify original from Parkast, Sinister Societies. You may know us from the very creepy and excellent podcast red-handed, but now we've teamed up with Parkast for an unprecedented. look at history's most nefarious groups. Some preach extreme religious practices, others warn of impending doom, and then there are those whose endgame is far more diabolical. Every Tuesday on Sinister Societies, we take a peek behind the curtain

and discover the most ominous organizations the world may or may not have known. Learn how entrepreneurial sects made fortunes off their brand, how charismatic cult leaders caught the eye of celebrities, and why strange orders of the extraterrestrial or collegiate kind attract the most unlikely of followers. Some groups convene in the shadows. Others operate in plain sight. All are absolutely sinister.

Follow sinister societies free and only on Spotify. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat. Crack Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club's Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th. Don't pass go and own it all. Only at

Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Details at yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Now, back to the story. By the evening of December 27th, 1901, the people of Elizabeth City were out for blood. Nell Cropsey's body had been found, and rumors were spreading far and wide about the horrific state of her body. The truth was far less exciting, but that didn't matter. The month leading up to this moment had served as a pressure cooker for the small town. Practically everyone suspected that Jim Wilcox was responsible for Nell's disappearance, and now that her body was found, that made Jim Wilcox.

a murderer. It was as if all that pressure had finally released in Elizabeth City. Men gathered in groups on street corners, itching for a fight. Jim Wilcox had to pay for his crimes, one way or another, and these angry men were more than happy to take care of Jim themselves. Chief Dawson could sense this anger growing in town, and he knew he needed to act fast. He sent Sheriff Reed to make the arrest.

The police had kept tabs on the young man and knew that he was in the countryside duck hunting with some friends so it didn't take Sheriff Reed long to find him. Sheriff Reed spotted Jim wandering through an open field, lazily carrying his hunting rifle at his side. Jim heard the sheriff's car approaching and turned to greet him as he approached. Jim, you're the only person in the world who'll go out hunting at a time like this.

You do realize you're wanted for murder, right? Sheriff, tell me you didn't come all the way out here to rag on me about that whole mess. I'll do you one better. I'm here to arrest you. They found Nell's body today in the river. Wait, what? Nell's dead? Yes, she's dead, which I'm sure you already knew.

You can pretend all you want, but I'm still going to arrest you. But I didn't do anything. I didn't kill her. If that helped you sleep at night, come on, get in the car. There's a couple thousand people ready to rip you to shreds, and it's my job to get you to jail in one piece. And Sheriff Reed was right about that. As the police car returned to Elizabeth City,

it was regularly stopped by angry crowds of people shouting obscenities at Jim Wilcox. After a long, slow journey, Jim was finally placed in a cell in the Elizabeth City Jail. But even this wasn't enough to quell the fury of the townspeople outside. They screamed through the afternoon and into the night. The mob was so worked up that Chief Dawson waited until the following morning to release the jury's findings from the autopsy. Hopefully, a night's rest would give the people of Elizabeth City enough time to gather themselves. So the following morning, Dr. Fearing's findings were published in print and disseminated throughout town.

The document was even read aloud in the town square as a growing crowd listened intently. In the report, the jury declared that Nell Cropsey had been killed by a blow to the head and by drowning in the Pasquitank River. But that wasn't all. Usually, statements like these avoid any formal indictment of the man responsible for the crime, but not this time. The jurors named Jim Wilcox as a suspect, urging local authorities to, investigate him. At the end, they added that Jim should be held in jail until that investigation

was concluded. This was the confirmation that the people of Elizabeth City had been hungry for. In their minds, the report justified their growing hatred and fury towards the young man. He was a murderer, no doubt about it. Now that Jim was in jail, he was safe from the mob of vengeful townspeople outside. But as he sat in his cell, Well, rumors continued to circulate, and each one was more outlandish than the last. I don't think Jim did it alone. He must have had help. Well, I heard that he had another man floating down the river in a boat that night. They timed it just right so that the boat would land on the beach right at 11 o'clock.

Then Jimler knelt to the porch, whacked her over the head, and dragged her to the boat. You know what? You might be right about that. Mr. Parker's been saying that he saw Jim walking with a woman that night, and there was some guy walking behind them all creepy-like. That has to be it. Exactly. Ugh. What a creep. There's no way that Jim Wilcox is getting out of this one.

Good riddance. As the townspeople swapped theories, the story of Nell Cropsey's death spread across the East Coast. By the end of December 1901, Elizabeth City was swarmed with reporters. The New York Journal even hired a detective, a man. man named CJ Stillwell to explore the two-man theory. Detective Stillwell began interviewing local men who had been on the river on the night of Nell's disappearance. And slowly, after talking to a tugboat, captain, this two-man theory began to take shape.

You were on your boat that night, correct? Yes, sir. I was on the Pasquotank, not far from the Crompsie House. That's why I saw the men. All right. Describe exactly a... what you saw. Ah, well, it was dark, so I didn't see too good, but from what I could tell, there were two people in the skiff floating over yonder. Must have been around 11 p.m. on that night, November 20th.

And these were two men? You didn't see a lady with them? No, I don't think so. Just two men floating out there in the dark. Oh, still sends chills down my spine just thinking. about it, to think that I might have seen. You very well may have, but either way, you're a big help. Another two-man theory was based on Mr. Kale Parker's eyewitness account of seeing a man and a woman

walking near the Cropsey house that same night. Mr. Parker claimed that a second man was following the couple from a short distance. He had a hard time remembering exactly when he had seen this strange trio walking in the dark, but it could have been any time between 10 and 11 p.m. These two reports weren't exactly damning pieces of evidence. There was no hard proof that placed Jim in a boat and nothing to tangibly suggest that another man was present at the time of Nell's disappearance.

No one even had any idea who this mysterious second man was, but it was good enough for a trial. At this time in history, circumstantial evidence was taken far, more seriously than it would be today. So these claims, coupled with a growing resentment against Jim Wilcox, were sufficient to get the ball rolling on his murder case. The trial wouldn't begin until March 13th, which gave the prosecution ample time to organize their case. The head of the operation was the local solicitor, a man named George Ward. Ward had witnessed the tidal wave of hatred that the people of Elizabeth City

fell toward Jim. Even as the winter months passed, the visceral anger toward this young man never budged. And Ward saw himself as the perfect person to lead this mob toward justice. Along with the accounts of the tugboat captain and Mr. Parker, Ward used evidence gathered by bloodhounds back in November. The hounds had picked up on the young woman's scent

and traced it from her porch towards the river. Again, this wasn't the most tangible proof. That trail could have been from any day, any moment where Nell Cropsey had walked from the front porch of her house toward the beach. But to Ward, this was a nail in Jim Wilcox's coffin. As the prosecution formed their case against Jim, reporters swarmed the Elizabeth City jailhouse, desperate to hear the young man's perspective.

But as usual, Jim refused to admit any guilt. Jim, to put it plainly, things aren't looking good for you. Care to comment on the theory that you had help on the night that Nell Cropsey disappeared? No, why would I have anything to say about that? I didn't do anything, so I obviously have nothing to say about this ridiculous theory! Sure, but you do realize that you are the only suspect in this case. Do you seriously expect us to believe your claim of innocence after all this time? All this evidence?

Evidence. Two old men claim to see a man wandering around that night, and everyone assumed it's me. This isn't a fair trial. This isn't justice. Well, did you have anything to say to the people who believe you're guilty? I sure do. You can hate me all you want, but none of this is going to bring Nell back. And frankly, all of you should be ashamed to yourselves. But any statement to this effect only infuriated the public more. To them, Jim Wilcox was no longer apprable.

person. He was evil incarnate, a blight on their community who needed to be snuffed out immediately. Jim's refusal to confess only furthered this belief. If he didn't accept his guilt, then the courts would make him. In the midst of all this pretrial anxiety, Nell's body was reassembled and put in a coffin. The Cropsey family could finally have some closure. The funeral was massive, with over 1,000 people in attendance. Children climbed trees to get a better view of the coffin, and local police had to help wrangle the crowd who poured into the Methodist Church. Many of Nell's relatives were there to mourn Nell's death, but the majority of the people present were citizens of Elizabeth City, or curious onlookers who had heard about the case in their local newspaper. For many people,

the funeral served as another piece of damning evidence against Jim Wurton. Wilcox. As the massive crowd watched Mr. and Mrs. Cropsey bury their daughter, it was easy to interpret their misery through a lens of bitterness. To hundreds of funeral goers, the message was clear. None of this would have happened without Jim. After the funeral, Nell's body was shipped to Brooklyn, where it was interred at a family plot, and then there was only one thing left. The trial. The people of a little bit of a little bit of a Elizabeth City were still hungry for blood and desperate to see Jim hang for his crimes. Maybe then the nightmare would finally end.

Coming up, Jim stands trial and the legacy of Nell Cropsey lives on. Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants. assistance switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Seeful terms at mintmobile.com. And now back to our story.

By March 11, 1902, the people of Elizabeth City had wound themselves up into a frenzy of anticipation. Finally, the murder trial of Jim Wilcox was set to begin. That day marked the formal indictment where Jim would stand before a judge and declare his plea to the court. Inside, townspeople jostled each other for a better view. The public hadn't seen the young man since he was arrested in December. And if this really was the man who killed Nell Cropsey, everyone wanted to get a good look at him.

When Jim was ushered into the room, a wave of whispers rippled through it. He looked older, more worn down. At 25, the young man was already losing hair. This wasn't exactly the image of a crazed killer that the people of Elizabeth City had imagined. After Jim was brought to his seat, the lead solicitor, George Ward, stood up. He bowed his head in proud acknowledgement of the mass of spectators. watching him. Stand up, Jim, for God's sake!

Receive your indictment like a man. Oh, um, pardon me. There's a lad. Now, good afternoon, everyone. We are here because one of our own, a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life, was taken from us. The man who killed her is here today. Jim Wilcox, you were being tried for the willful and malicious murder of Miss Ella Cropsey, known as Nell. known as Nell to those who loved her.

The bailiff took Jim by the arm and led him to the bar so that he was standing before the judge. The man gazed down at Jim. In an even voice, the judge spoke. And you, young man, how do you plead for these very serious charges? Not guilty. Now, now, you'll have to do better than that. Please, speak up for the court.

Not guilty, Your Honor. Another wave of whispers moved through the mass of onlookers. This statement was hardly surprising. Jim Wilcox had maintained his innocence from the start. But hearing it now, the townspeople murmured smug comments to each other. Jim might be able to convince himself, but convincing a jury was a far different matter. With the formal indictment done, the trial could finally begin.

But this proved to be a challenging task for one specific reason. It was nearly impossible to find an impartial jury. The court went through lists after list of eligible men, interviewing over 200 people. But almost all of them were staunchly convinced that Jim Wilcox was a murderer. They even admitted that evidence to the contrary would make no difference to them. Eventually, the court found a smearer. mattering of men who were impartial enough to allow the proceedings to continue. But none of this gave hope to Jim Wilcox.

Up until this point, the young man had treated the threats against him as nothing more than a ridiculous misunderstanding. But now that his life hung on the balance, the reality of a situation lay before him in perfect clarity. For his defense, Jim had hired a local defense attorney named Edwin Idlett. Eidlett was a dogged lawyer who wasn't afraid to object to anything he deemed to be misleading. This quickly became his main form of attack. One of the first witnesses called to the stand was Dr. Fearing.

But as he recounted the findings of the autopsy, he was constantly interrupted by Ed Idlet's objections. Her body showed a large bruise on the left temple, suggesting that she had been struck with a blunt object. Objection! What is it, Mr. Ritlett? Dr. Fearing, I understand that Nail Cropsey's body was found in the Pasquertank River. Isn't it possible that she could have been floating in the water there for weeks? I suppose so, yes. Now, if a body spends that much time submerged in water,

wouldn't that affect your ability to correctly examine her body? Wouldn't the water decompose the body in such a way that you're finding? might not be reliable. There is some decomposition that could happen, but I stand by my findings. I saw her myself, so... I just want to make it clear to the jury and to everyone here that your findings may not be quite as airtight as they may sound. You may proceed, Doctor. Mr. Idlet continued like this for hours, jumping in during witness testimony to try to discredit anything that hinted at Jim's guilt.

This tactic certainly slowed down the course. court proceedings, but it didn't do much else. Witness after witness took to the stand to deliver their findings, and the prosecution slowly drew a horrific picture of the events of November 20th, 1901. To solicitor Ward, Jim Wilcox was the classic jealous boyfriend. He resented Nell for rejecting him, and if he couldn't have her, no one could. The evening of the 20th, he joined the Cropsey family by the fire, and wild away the hours, but as he sat, he kept checking his watch, as if he was impatient for the fun to begin.

Suddenly, at the stroke of eleven, he stood up and lured Nell outside onto the porch of the Cropsey estate. The pair walked away from the house down a dirt path, just far enough so that the Cropsey family wouldn't hear a thing. The details of the alleged attack remain vague, but the prosecution believed. that Jim hit Nell with a blunt object and knocked her unconscious. Then he dragged her to the river where he had docked a small boat. The prosecution never made any comment about the two-man theory that Mr. Parker believed, though Parker did testify. It's likely that there simply wasn't enough information to support it.

So in court, the general assumption was that Jim Wilcox operated alone. The prevailing story was this. At the river, Jim placed Nell's unconscious body into the boat, climbed in, and pushed off from the shore. Here again, the details of the events become muddled. At some point, Jim must have picked a random spot in the river to serve as Nell's watery grave. And with one motion, he tossed her into the water.

Throughout the investigation, people wondered if Jim Wilcox had tied weights to Nell's body so that she had no hope of waking up and floating to the surface. But Dr. Fearing found no lacerations on her wrists or ankles to suggest this. It remains a mystery why Nail's body was so difficult to find and how it appeared so suddenly in the river. But despite these unanswered questions, this picture of Jim Wilcox was an extremely convincing one. Witness after witness offered their testimony

and brought out shouts of agreement and cries of disgust from the crowd. And in a very strange twist, Jim Wilcox didn't take the stand to defend himself. His lawyer, Idlet, decided not to call any witnesses. All he did was demonstrate that the evidence of Jim's guilt was only circumstantial. Yet, there was no question of how the people of Elizabeth City felt about Jim Wilcox, and they expected the jury to feel the same. Some people even planned to take their revenge on jury members themselves if the trial didn't result in a conviction.

As the trial came to a close, the long-standing hatred of Jim Wilcox only grew stronger. There was a general understanding among the men in Elizabeth City. If Jim Wilcox was found innocent, then they would string him up for his crimes. On March 21st, the jury filed in terms. to the courtroom for one final time to deliver their verdict. The room was packed with a large mass of people waiting outside the building for the news. In a solemn tone, the jury read the words that the people of Elizabeth City had been desperate to hear for months. Jim Wilcox was found

guilty of murder in the first degree, and the punishment for his crimes was death by hanging. Elizabeth City erupted into celebration, but only for a moment. Shortly after this verdict was reached, Mr. Idlett filed for a mistrial. He claimed that his client was never going to receive a fair trial in Elizabeth City, where virtually everyone had already made up their minds. To the disgust and shock of the townspeople, the state Supreme Court granted the appeal. In 1903, Jim Wilcox was tried again for the murder of night. Nell Cropsey in a neighboring county.

He was found guilty, but of second-degree murder, a sentence that didn't warrant the death penalty. For this crime, Jim Wilcox was sentenced to 30 years in prison. And if this verdict caused a stir in Elizabeth City, that news was lost to time. It's possible that after two years of anger and resentment, the sharp edge of that fury had finally dulled. Jim Wilcox would serve only 15 years of his sentence.

In 1918, the governor of North Carolina visited Jim in jail and pardoned him a few weeks later. By this point, Jim didn't have many options available to him. He had no friends, and his only remaining family still lived in Elizabeth City. But with nowhere else to go, Jim returned to the community that had vowed to kill him. Nearly two decades had passed since he was tried for murder, but that didn't help him make any friends. He lived the life of a loner and reportedly spent his time at home drinking. Jim Wilcox lived his strange life in this way for another 16 years,

avoiding the stairs and pointed whispers that followed him in town. But in 1934, at the age of 58, Jim Wilcox died by suicide. Jim's death produced an unexpected wave of sympathy throughout Elizabeth City. The town was always prone to gossip, and all of a sudden, new rumors were beginning to spread. Maybe Jim was innocent after all. Some people wondered if Mr. Cropsey had been the killer all along, or if another mystery man had taken Nell to her watery grave. But so much time had passed and these rumors were nothing more than chit-chat.

slowly the townspeople moved on to other topics. But even now, the memory of this story remains alive in Elizabeth City. The Cropsey House still exists, and for the past 100 years, the people who live in that house have reported strange occurrences. Lights flicker on and off, doors open and shut on their own. Some people have even claimed to see the ghostly figure of Nell Cropsey herself, staring out of the upstairs window. The story of Nell Cropsey is still shrouded in mystery.

Jim Wilcox was the only suspect in this case, and as far as we know, he was guilty. In a way, justice was served, but it doesn't feel like closure. There are many loose ends that the police never addressed, and there is still the slim possibility that something else transpired. Maybe Jim was in a sense. Maybe the killer went free.

We still don't know for sure what happened, and we may never know. According to the courts, Nell's murder was solved, but the truth has been lost to time. And perhaps Nell Cropsey's ghost still wanders her house, waiting for an answer she'll never receive. Thanks again for tuning into solved murders. We'll be back next Wednesday with a new episode. For more information about Nell Cropsey, amongst the many sources we used, we found the mystery of beautiful Nell Cropsey by Bland Simpson extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Solved Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time.

If we live till next time. Solve Murder's True Crime Mysteries is a Spotify original from Parcass. original from Parcast. It is executive produced by Max Cutler. Sound design by Michael Langsner, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Freddie Beckley. This episode of Solve Murders was written by Georgia Hampton, with writing assistance by Giles Hofsef, fact-checking by Claire Cronin, and research by Mickey Taylor. The amazing cast of voice actors includes Tom Bauer, Brian Green, Harris Markson, Cameron Nicom. and Julian Smith.

Solve Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy. You aren't supposed to know about them unless they want you to. Powerful groups with their own very specific agendas. And if you find yourself on the inside, good luck getting out. Hi, I'm Hannah Maguire. And I'm Sarutivala. Join us every Tuesday for our new Spotify original from Parcast, Sinister Societies. Whether it's doomsday predictions, deadly greed or world domination, each week we're exposing the beliefs and actions of the most ominous organisations the world may or may not have known.

Follow Sinister societies free and only on Spotify.