Sword and Scale Nightmares - Family Meal

Episode Date: January 1, 2026

The town of Chickasha, Oklahoma was shaken to its core when they heard the news that two were dead, one of which was a four year old child, and another was seriously maimed. Their outrage grew when they learned the name of the culprit was Lawrence Paul Anderson, a career criminal that should have never been out of prison. But nothing prepared them for when he confessed to his crimes and revealed they were far worse than first presumed.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

Haley looked at her phone. Two unanswered texts to her mother. She typed a quick hello, asking her mother to respond and hit send. The text bubble came to rest under the previous two. Her face furled into a curious look. Now, she thought, has it been three days since I heard from mom? Haley Blankenship was a freshman in college. She was 18 years old and away from home for the first time.

She easily shook off any nervousness about being on her own when she reminded herself that home was only an hour and a half away. And when that didn't work, she could always call her mom. Haley had a strong connection with her mom, her biggest fan. All she had to do was call or text, and she would get an almost immediate reply. Anytime she was worried or just needed advice, her mother was always a phone call away. Now, Haley had a bad feeling. It wasn't like her mother to not respond.

Any worry she had was pushed aside when her newfound friends burst into the room. Her mind filled with thoughts of class, gossip, and what they would all do after school. Then Haley saw her aunt standing in the doorway. That sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach returned. She asked what she was doing in Stillwater. Her aunt's face was a particular type of sour. She looked as if she might burst into tears. Haley's friends stared up with blank faces, not knowing what to expect, but sensing it wasn't good.

Haley listened, but the sound in the room faded. She could hear her aunt's mouth moving, but she couldn't hear the words after she said, your mother's dead. Welcome to sword and scale nightmares. True crime for bedtime. Where nightmare begins now. A few days earlier in Chakasha, Oklahoma. I know I said that wrong, but it's Oklahoma, so who cares?

A 911 call came in. The dispatcher clicked on her system and delivered the customary line. 911, what's the address of your emergency? the dispatcher could hear the sound of a connection but then the line went dead she thought it was weird not often in the small town of barely more than 16,000 people was there an accidental 911 call and even if there was the caller usually explained the mistake to call and hang up was worrisome she thought she tried to call the number back but there was no answer it just rang and rang. This was even more worrisome, she thought. She traced the call, got the address, and dispatched officers to conduct a welfare check. Maybe nothing was wrong, she thought, but it's still better to be sure. Officers didn't know what to expect when they arrived at the

house on West Minnesota Avenue. The modest white home with green shingles sat with one other on a mostly empty block. A lone oak tree marked the front yard long since dead, and its limbs severed. So the officers get out of their patrol car and shut the doors loudly. They announce their presence as they lift the latch on the small chain-link fence surrounding the home and walk towards the front yard. The house is small, older in construction, and the occupants, if any, are likely to hear them. They announce themselves again as they walk up the front steps onto the covered porch.

One officer tries to peek through the big front window while the other knocks on the door. They both wait and listen for any sort of response. The big front window is covered and they can't see inside, but as they linger, they hear something, something faint. As they hold their breaths and strain to hear may barely make out a distant voice saying help the officers force their way through the front door and it comes crashing open inside they discover a gruesome and bloody scene the officer's voice quivers as he radios for help amidst the pools of blood were four victims. The call for help came from an elderly woman, weak and clinging to life. She lay next to an elderly man who was obviously deceased. Between the two was a small child.

She couldn't be more than five years old, an officer thought. In the living room was a middle-aged man injured and bleeding. He was being violently ill on the pillows of the couch. The acrid smell of vomit mixed with the metallic odor of blood. The officers cleared the three-bath one-bedroom home just in time to hear the siren of the first responders. The elderly man was declared deceased on the scene. The little girl was pronounced dead in the ambulance outside. With a little strength she had left, the elderly woman told the officers what happened. the middle-aged man was the one who attacked them the middle-aged man was covered in blood and his own sickness blood was dripping from his hands and he was strapped and cuffed to the stretcher and loaded to the back of an ambulance the collective thoughts of the officers and first responders was that a crime scene could never be worse than this but in time they would realized it was far worse than they ever could have expected.

The police, desperate to figure out how the death of a small child could happen in their community, quickly tried to identify the middle-aged man. Soon they learned he was 42-year-old Lawrence Paul Anderson, somewhat of a career criminal, or at least a career prisoner. The following day, the lead detective assigned to the case perused the extensive rap sheet. He flicked his thumb across the edge of the stack of paper surprised at the thickness of the extensive report. Slowly, he poured over each page. Anderson was sentenced to serve time in prison in 2006 for attacking his girlfriend and threatening her with a loaded gun.

When he was arrested, he was found in possession of crack cocaine. enough to be charged with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to four years but didn't even serve two before being released. He lived as a free man for almost four years before being sent back to prison. In 2012 he was sentenced to 15 years for selling crack near an elementary school. He was released after serving barely more than five years. He was ordered to serve 20 years of probation after that. The more the lead detective learned about Lawrence, the less surprised he became and the

more angry. Lawrence's stint as a free man lasted less than five months this time. By December 2017, he was arrested for violating his parole when he tested positive for PCP and cocaine. First introduced in 1956 as an anesthetic medication, PCP is now classified as a Schedule 2 substance. in the United States. Also known as Angel Dust, it is a dissociative, anesthetic,

mainly used recreationally, but it is an extremely powerful hallucinogen. It can cause all kinds of weird hallucinations, distorted perception, and violent behavior. Possible side effects also include seizures, or becoming comatose. Sounds fun, doesn't it? When Lawrence was arrested for violating his parole, he was found in possession of a handgun. A big no-no for a convicted felon. When they booked him in the jail, they found a vial of PCP in his underwear, and he was charged with smuggling contraband. He was sentenced to 20 years this time.

The lead detective was fuming. If Lawrence was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017, how the fuck was he on the street in 2020? 21. Huh. Makes you wonder, doesn't it, folks? How is he out there available to attack three people and kill two of them? Hmm, who let them out? The detective headed to the hospital. Both the survivor and the attacker were being treated for their wounds. He went up to talk to the elderly woman for her 66-year-old Delci Pye to ask her what happened. He walks down the hospital hallway, dodging the scurrying staff coming in and out of different rooms.

He finally finds the room number for Delsey and lingers in the doorway for a moment before knocking. He's taken aback at the sight. This poor frail woman, he thinks. He can see Dalsey is small in stature and shakes his head at the idea of her trying to defend herself. He wraps on the doorframe lightly and introduces himself, asking to come in. Dalsy tries to turn to face him, but she's in so much pain she can barely move her head. That is when he sees the full extent of her bandages. Almost her entire head is covered in gauze. Both eyes and the left side of her head and neck are completely wrapped.

He asks if she's willing to answer a few questions and she agrees. She speaks in a comforting tone as he asks her what happened. In a raspy voice, she begins to tell him. Dalsy said she and her husband of 50 years Leon were at home watching their four-year-old granddaughter, Chaos. Yeah, that's her name, Chaos, when there was a knock at the door. Leon went to answer it, and there was Lawrence. He just walked in and asked for a glass of water.

she and Leon exchanged a glance communicating silently they knew Lawrence they just had no idea he was out of prison Leon gave him a glass of water and then he asked if he could use their kitchen to make some food he'd brought along with him they knew his situation and that he likely didn't have a place with a full kitchen so they reluctantly agreed Lawrence went to work cutting potatoes and searing meat and after several minutes he offered Leon and Delsey some. They looked at his hastily prepared dish. It was just sauteed potatoes and some slices of strange looking meat. They couldn't quite tell what it was. Politely they declined his offer, but he insisted that they at least try it. He got kind of pushy about it. Delci had to put her hand up and push away the dish he was

nearly shoving into her face. No thank you, she replied to his offer. That's when Delcy said he snapped and just began attacking Leon. Knife in hand, he lunged at Leon. Caught by surprise, he was cut quickly. The two struggled over the blade while Delci tried to get little chaos to safety. She hurried her old tired body, trying to persuade the little girl to run and hide, but she was slow. Lawrence pounced on her, knocking her to the floor. He positioned himself above

her and began stabbing at her head. She tried to defend herself, but he was much stronger. She felt every time the blade sliced her hands and pierced her face and neck. She was stabbed multiple times in the head, neck, and both eyes. He didn't stop until she quit moving and fell silent. Delci wasn't unconscious, but she was playing dead. Powerless to do anything, she watched as Lawrence finished her husband off before turning his attention to the little girl watching on in fearful curiosity. Chaos didn't know what was happening. She didn't know what to do. She just stood there crying as Lawrence approached. Delcy lay motionless as she watched her soulmate the man she had been with since she was 16 and her beloved granddaughter pass on to the next life

abruptly and by force it was when laurence started throwing up that she was able to grab the phone and dial for help but she couldn't see and accidentally hung up she lay there resolved to just die with her family when she heard the officers on the front porch. The detective wiped a tear from his cheek. He was glad Delsey couldn't see him, although he would never wish what she suffered on anyone. Her recollection explained the gruesome scene, but it didn't explain how she knew Lawrence. When the detective asked how she knew him, the answer filled him with disgust and rage. Delci explained that Lawrence was her nephew.

Leon was his uncle, and Little Chaos was the daughter of his cousin. Furious at the idea that Lawrence would do this to his own family. The detective thanked Delci for answering his questions and bitter farewell. He walked out of the hall and conferred with the medical staff to get her status. She had a few broken ribs and a broken tailbone. They informed him that she had been stabbed in both eyes, and her left eye was ultimately gouged out. She was stabbed numerous times to the left side of her head.

She would survive, but she would be deaf and blind on her left side. With the knowledge that Lawrence killed two of societies most vulnerable and injured another, and they were his blood relatives, the detectives went to speak with him. He too was in the hospital being treated for knife wounds to his right hand. Lawrence barely acknowledged his presence when he entered the room. He sat still with a stoic expression. When the detective introduced himself, Lawrence turned his head slightly to meet his gaze. The detective thought about little chaos and the fear she must have felt

when this short, fat man came lumbering towards her after already killing her grandfather and severely injuring her grandmother. He tried to shake off the growing anger and focus on his job. He asked Lawrence why he killed his family. The handcuffs shackling him to the hospital bed jingled, as he answered, but a lot of good it was. The detective couldn't help but think Lawrence had just lost his grip on reality when he explained that he wanted to help his family. He cooked a meal of meat and potatoes to release their demons. But before the detective could even unpack that bizarre admission, Lawrence admitted something else. He said that before he murdered Leon in chaos, he went to a neighboring house and killed a white woman.

The detective felt the heat of blood rushing to his face when he asked Lawrence to repeat what he just said. Lawrence, still with little outward evidence of emotion, started at the beginning. He said he was on his way to his aunt and uncle's home when he stopped at another house down the street. He forced to open the back door with his shoulder and went inside. The detective interrupted him asking if he'd ever been there before. He replied, no. Did you know someone who lived in that home?

He replied again, no. Then he continued. Once he was inside the home, he was greeted by two German shepherds and a white woman. In case you haven't guessed it, Lawrence Paul Anderson is black. Immediately he attacked the woman, but the struggle was brief. He quickly stabbed her until she stopped fighting back. The detective was reeling from the idea that there was a third deceased victim, that they didn't even know about when Lawrence made an even more unbelievable.

admissible admission. He said, once the woman was dead, he cut open her chest and removed her heart and took that to his uncle's house. The detective felt his stomach turn. The meat with the potatoes was a cooked human heart. He didn't even wait for Lawrence to finish his story before sending investigators out to that other house on West Minnesota Avenue. Officers arrive at the house in question, this time with much more of an idea of what they can expect to find inside, but still not really prepared for the reality of it all. They found the back door splintered and slightly ajar. As they walk inside the dimly lit home, they noticed the signs of struggle.

Things were in disarray. On the floor, they follow a trail of bloody paw prints to where they find a body. Andrea Blankenship was found in her home brutally murdered. Her two dogs were still by her side after two days. Surrounding her body was the evidence of a mostly disgusting act. Numerous bloody knives littered the floor amongst a broken box cutter, drill bits, screws, a bloody tree branch, and a sewing machine. Her chest was crudely hacked open by much.

more than 40 stab wounds. Her left eye, her stomach, and most of her heart had been removed. Back at the hospital, the detective told Lawrence to sit tight. He'd be back later. He left the room knowing he already had enough evidence to send this career prisoner back, this time forever. Now he needed to inform the family of Andrea that she too had been murdered. It would be the following day when Andrea's sister told Haley her mother was dead. The families of the victims would never know why he murdered their loved ones, but they would find out how a lifelong criminal was released from prison early. You see, Lawrence applied for his sentence to be reduced.

He was denied, but less than three months later, he applied again. Prisoners are restricted to one application in a three-year span, but somehow, somehow, in this massive government system that we have, he slipped through the cracks. I wonder if he was the only one. The second time he applied, he was approved by a three-to-one vote from the parole board. Huh, three-to-one. Look at that. These experts let him out. I wonder who they are and what party affiliation.

they have. The governor, by the way, had to sign off on it as part of an effort to, quote, unquote, reduce prison overcrowding. I've heard that prison overcrowding is a problem. I keep being told that, yet I don't see how, since it's a private for-profit business, and it seems to be doing very well. Lawrence's sentence was reduced to nine years, and he was released after serving only just a few weeks before the murders. This time, he wouldn't be getting out. He had confessed to murder. At his arraignment, he was heard crying,

oh God, oh God, as he wiped tears from his face with his bandaged hand. He told the judge, I don't want no bail, Your Honor. Eventually, he took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to the murders and the maiming of his aunt, Delci. In light of his questionable release from prison, the district attorney put a few contingencies into the plea agreement. Lawrence Paul Anderson was sentenced to five terms of life in prison. Because why not make up for your light initial sentence

with one that's impossible and merely a symbol of your incompetence? By the way, Lawrence Paul Anderson will never be eligible for appeal. or parole, or commutation, or any sort of legal relief. He'll never have visitors, and he's barred from ever-profiting from his story. That is, if anybody decides to prosecute. But I'm told at this time he will be in prison until he dies. Let's hope so. While the plea deal spared Delcy and the families from having to bear a trial,

it did little to make them feel any less law. Delsie will never be the same. She is blind and deaf on her left side and has to hold her head slightly askew because of her lingering injury. She had to change churches because of people treating her differently. She fears she may even have to move town. Chaos' parents still grieve their little girl to this day and damn their cousin for what he did. Haley still struggles with her grief. Ever since she learned what happened to her mother,

she's been plagued by nightmares while asleep and PTSD symptoms while she's awake. The faithful German shepherds were placed in a new home with a new, happy family. If you enjoyed the show, please consider joining plus at sword and scale.com slash plus. But if you can't, consider leaving us a positive review on your preferred listening platform. Sweet dreams and good night.