The Binge Crimes: Lady Mafia - Finding Mom's Killer | 4. The Trial of the Century

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

The alleged killer is finally on trial. So prosecutors call their star witness: the son of the accused, Collier. Binge all episodes of Finding Mom's Killer, ad-free today by subscribing to The Bing...e. Visit The Binge Crimes on Apple Podcasts and hit ‘subscribe’ or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access.  The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. Finding Mom’s Killer is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Finding Mom’s Killer show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment and Orbit Media production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:38 Visit The Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page, or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen. The Binge, feed your true crime obsession. The Binge. It has attracted national attention. A wealthy Mansfield doctor is on trial now for the brutal murder of his wife. A standing room only crowd filled the hallway and the courtroom was packed two hours before the trial started. You'll find a television monitor outside the jam-packed courtroom.
Starting point is 00:01:21 That many people want to see it. There's just not enough space. The trial of Dr. Jack Boyle has everything. Murder, money, sex, and at the center of it all, an epic father-son struggle that could send Jack to prison for life. A son takes the stand against his father in the John Boyle murder case. Because I was extremely afraid of my father, I always have. murder case. Because I was extremely afraid of my father I always have. Collier Boyle has suspected his father since the night his mother disappeared. Now it's all going to be settled in court and Collier is determined to put his father away for murder. The question everyone is asking, will his father fight back? Boyle told me he
Starting point is 00:02:07 definitely wants to take the stand and tell his side of the story. From Sony Music Entertainment and Orbit Media, this is Finding Mom's Killer. I'm Steve Fishman, episode 4, The Trial of the Century. Who doesn't love the good things in life? Even though I enjoy a little luxury, it doesn't mean I can always afford it. Until I discovered Quince. Quince is my go-to for luxury essentials at affordable prices. Quince offers a range of high quality items
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Starting point is 00:04:07 We tend to take for granted the things that matter most, like the separation of church and state. Americans United for Separation of Church and State has been on the front lines defending your freedom to live and believe as you choose, so long as you don't harm others. Most folks don't see how church-state separation affects our daily lives until that freedom is gone. The separation between church and state covers many core freedoms like civil rights for LGBTQIA plus people, women, and racial-slash-religious minorities, or reproductive justice and freedom.
Starting point is 00:04:39 But those rights are not a given. Every day, Americans United works at the state and federal level to make sure these freedoms and more are protected for every American to enjoy and benefit from. They can't do this alone though. Join Americans United for separation of church and state and growing the movement because church state separation protects everyone.
Starting point is 00:04:58 Freedom without favor and equality without exception. Learn more and get involved at au.org slash curious. So let's go into the stately old courthouse in Mansfield, Ohio. It's June 4th, 1990. In the hallway, there are folding chairs set up in front of a big TV screen for anyone who can't find a seat inside the courtroom,
Starting point is 00:05:26 which is full to bursting. Jack Boyle sits quietly at the defense table in a tie and shirt sleeves, an attorney on each side. Throughout the trial, the attorneys will be calm, even-tempered, rarely interrupting, kind of like well-behaved guests. Seated at the prosecution table is what I'll call Team Collier. Lieutenant Dave Messmore, who's been with Collier
Starting point is 00:05:54 since the beginning, is seated at one end. Collier would like to be there too, except he's got other obligations. He's in sixth grade, so he's at school. But if the prosecution needs him, he's ready. And they will. Also at the prosecution table is the recently elected Chief Prosecutor of the County, James Mayer.
Starting point is 00:06:19 A Chief Prosecutor doesn't usually take on individual cases, but Mayer couldn't resist this one. This is the biggest thing to hit Mansfield since Johnny Appleseed passed through in the 1800s. If Mayor wins, he'll be a hero, his re-election all but assured. Of course, if he loses, he'll never live it down. I've never had a case that had this notoriety.
Starting point is 00:06:43 I've had other important cases, but they just didn't get attention. Now Jim Mayer is a dramatic presence. He looks ordinary. 40 years old, thick dark hair that matches his dark suits. But he struts around the courtroom like he owns the place. Patrolls it with a pointer in hand, which he occasionally pokes at a witness. He's got a booming voice.
Starting point is 00:07:09 He's sarcastic. You've got a different version. Different version. A posterior version. This ought to be good. He's scathing, always on the attack, zealous, maybe overzealous. At times, he barks at witnesses,
Starting point is 00:07:23 like I've only seen on TV. Yes or no? Yes or no? He's like a mad dog. Yeah, mad dog mayor. I like that. I'm going to use it. So why is mad dog mayor so exercised?
Starting point is 00:07:41 I mean, if the cops dig up a body in your basement, you're going to prison, right? Not in this case. Consider the defendant. Dr. Jack Boyle may be the city's most popular physician. Thousands of patients adore him. They write emotional letters to the newspaper, raving about his dedication and kindness. They start a fundraiser to help with his legal fees. Some people still love him. Some people think he's not guilty and they stand right behind him and say he got framed. Which seems to be Jack's argument as well. He claims he has no idea how Noreen's body got buried in his basement.
Starting point is 00:08:23 And then another challenge, Mad Dog has charged Jack with aggravated murder, meaning premeditated murder. And so Mad Dog has to prove that Jack planned this in advance. That's not going to be easy. There's just not a lot of direct evidence. There are so many questions, like if he killed Noreen, why are there no fingerprints, no blood stains? And no murder weapon and no eyewitnesses.
Starting point is 00:08:54 So Mayer needs a strategy and he has one. Turns out there's a method to his madness. He doesn't just yell at witnesses. He has an attack plan, and it's relentless. It starts with one incontrovertible piece of evidence, Noreen's body. And so Mad Dog makes the body the star of the show. The courtroom is packed.
Starting point is 00:09:21 I mean, there's not an empty seat. Bernard Davis is a local attorney who attended the trial. On the first day of testimony, he watches as prosecutors dim the lights, wheel in a television, and press play on a videotape. This will be the actual footage of Noreen Boyle's body being exhumed from the basement of Dr. Boyle's home. It showed the basement of the house in here, and it was kind of dark with a few lights down there. There had to be three or four cops down there, and you could see them bent over pulling on something. I mean, they were yanking really hard.
Starting point is 00:10:06 And all of a sudden, the body literally pops up out of the ground. I mean, it just like exploded up out of the ground. And the jury just was aghast. They went, like that. I mean, it was totally shocking. Now Mad Dog rolls out more audio visual aids. Here comes the jackhammer he claims
Starting point is 00:10:35 was used to dig the grave. Watch yourself, bud. And there in the courtroom, he just fires it up. The point, I guess, is to show how easy it is to operate. Anyone can do it. It sounds like the building collapsing. Drures cover their ears. But what connection does that jackhammer have to the good
Starting point is 00:11:03 Dr. Boyle? And could you tell us why he was there? He meaning Dr. Boyle. He was in to rent a jackhammer, sir. That's the owner of Easy Rental in Mansfield. How does he know it was Jack? Jack paid with a personal check and get this
Starting point is 00:11:27 the rental date December 29th, just two days before Noreen disappeared Next Mad Dog brings into the courtroom a box with the rolled up green tarp inside It's the tarp Noreen was buried in Jurors start coughing. Mad Dog apparently didn't realize the tarp still stunk of death. So Mad Dog stops with the objects and now starts serving up witnesses. It's an all you can eat buffet. Detective Dave Messmore, plus detectives from Erie and Mill Creek, the realtor who remembered Jack's odd questions, the previous owner of the house who testifies to Jack's insistence on an early move in date, a concrete expert, a medical
Starting point is 00:12:22 examiner, one of the Boyle's neighbors. And on it goes. All told, Mad Dog will call 67 witnesses. I mentioned to Dave, that sure seemed like overkill. Dave said to me, as long as you kill them, don't you love cop talk? And yet, looking across the room, the defense seems unfazed. Here's Jack's lawyer. I don't know that it's damaging nobody ever argued that Mrs. Boyle wasn't dead or they didn't find her body in Erie, Pennsylvania, in the basement of the house. Yeah, you know, ho-hum, there's a body in my client's basement.
Starting point is 00:13:02 It happens. But the really cunning part of Mayor's strategy isn't to present evidence of Jack's guilt. It's to go at him personally. This is Lieutenant Dave Messmore. His status as a doctor was somewhat elevated. So they wanted to beat that down and make sure that he's so discredited, nobody would ever believe him. Mayors out to show that this guy,
Starting point is 00:13:34 who you trusted to take care of your sick kids, isn't trustworthy. He's a creep. First step in the beat down, Jack's tall tales. He told me he was a Navy fighter pilot, that he'd been involved in the Iran hostage rescue attempt, that he'd gotten shot in that attempt. Next, philandering.
Starting point is 00:14:00 During the time you worked for Dr. Boyle, did you ascertain the fact that he had a number of girlfriends? Mayor addressing Jack's secretary. I gathered that, yes. One girl's name was Jeannie. I remembered another being named Jana. I believe one had called by the name of Jan. Sherry had called. Apparently the secretary took a census. And that's a total of how many? Six, I guess. And sitting in the courtroom that day listening to all this?
Starting point is 00:14:35 None other than Jack's girlfriend, Sherry Campbell. Frozen on a bench towards the back of the courtroom, expressionless. Who does Mad Dog call to the witness stand next? The 29-year-old woman who prosecutors say Dr. John Boyle murdered his wife for finally testified during his murder trial. And for fans who can't get enough of the Jack Boyle
Starting point is 00:14:56 melodrama, this is a delicious moment. Here she is, the other woman, the seductress, the vixen Jack needed to be with at all costs. It's actually better than a soap opera because it happened right in our own town. It's just like a movie. For TV watchers, Sherry might be entertainment. For Mad Dog, Sherry is key to his case. She's motive. Now the prosecution doesn't need to supply a motive.
Starting point is 00:15:28 The law's view is, who cares why Jack killed Noreen? As long as you can show he did kill her. But jurors like a motive. It helps them put the pieces together. So in the trial's second week, the motive walks to the witness stand. She's wearing a power suit with broad, padded shoulders, the style of the times.
Starting point is 00:15:50 Sherry is 20 years younger than Jack, attractive with curly, dirty blonde hair. Were you in love with the defendant? Yes. Are you still in love with the defendant? Yes, I am. Sherry, have you recently had a baby? Yes, I have.
Starting point is 00:16:04 And who is the father of that baby? Jack Foyle. Sherry gave birth to a daughter on January 12, 1990, less than two weeks after Noreen's disappearance. The baby's name? Christine, for Jack's mother. So now, Mayor wants his team to impress on the jury that no one can trust Jack, not even the mother of his newborn.
Starting point is 00:16:34 After all, Jack didn't tell Sherry he was married until she was halfway through her pregnancy. I still wanted to marry him. Never had any doubts? No, I trust him completely. That is definitely not what Mad Dog wanted to hear, that this loyal new mom finds Jack completely trustworthy. So at this point, how does the courtroom scorecard look?
Starting point is 00:17:01 The video of the body, the jackhammer, the tarp, they all connect Jack to Noreen's burial and through that to the murder. Hard to believe he doesn't have something to do with this crime. What about character attacks? Well, in a church going Midwestern town, infidelity isn't going to make you a welcome dinner guest. Mothers lock up your daughters, that kind of thing. But Sherry, in my view, I think she backfired on Mad Dog. She was like a character reference for Jack.
Starting point is 00:17:34 Plus, Sherry's kind of evidence that his womanizing days are over. So in the trial here, and I'd say, Jack has a chance of walking. But wait, there's a development. Twelve-year-old Collier Boyle is expected to testify tomorrow. This is Collier's fight. He wants justice for his mom. I mean, this is the moment, right? That it all comes out. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off's managed portfolios, you'll get an investment portfolio
Starting point is 00:18:45 made and managed for you. Invest for a fraction of the cost and become wealthier with Quest Wealth Portfolios. Get yours, Questrade. Kyle Yolandri Boyle, being his mother's son, carefully chose his outfit for court. I had like a turtleneck with a little Mickey Mouse on it. My mom loved Mickey Mouse, and I wore that specifically to represent my mother in the
Starting point is 00:19:14 courtroom. So in the trial's third week, sporting that white Mickey Mouse turtleneck under a blue sweater, Collier walks into a courtroom filled to capacity. He walks past the judge and past his father. I get up the witness box, they ask me to raise my right hand type of thing. Duration right hand, please. Do you swear or affirm? Just want to be able to put the truth, the whole truth,
Starting point is 00:19:39 and nothing but the truth around the world. Right away, a very different version of Mad Dog Mayor is on display. The Lap Dog version. You tell us who you are? I'm Collier Landry Boyle. And just to make you a little familiar with the courtroom, we have the microphones there and you just speak up right at the microphones. Okay?
Starting point is 00:20:02 So you told us who you are, you tell us how old you are now. I'm 12 years old. I'm just leaning. For Collier, this is the first time in six months that he's been in the same room as his father. I see him sitting right there at his table. He's got like a cream colored shirt on,
Starting point is 00:20:25 got his glasses on. He doesn't look at me, I'm staring at him. That's what made me even more angry. He wouldn't look at me. And he's just looking at me and taking notes. Taking notes. What are you taking notes about? Why are we here?
Starting point is 00:20:40 Why are we even here? I was pissed off. Inside, Kyle might be angry, but on the outside, he's not showing it. He's engaging, polite. He calls Mayor Sir. He's a little nervous, but at times it seems he's almost having fun. Like when he's asked, did he see a jackhammer around the house. I mean, I really don't look around for a jackhammer laying around the house. It's not what you call a home utensil. Then Mad Dog notices something.
Starting point is 00:21:17 Collier has his asthma inhaler with him. It's in his hand. You give him a demonstration how that works. Did you feel a little better now? It's in his hand. Can you give him a demonstration how that works? Okay. Did you feel a little better now? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Collier might speak like an adult, but Mad Dog has just made the point. He's a vulnerable kid.
Starting point is 00:21:39 And emphasizing that makes everything he's about to say about his father much more powerful. Mayer now directs Collier to the night his mother disappeared, December 31st, 1989. He was an ear witness. First there was a scream. That was his little sister. She slept in Norian's room. Now a little while later, maybe about three minutes, maybe, I heard a thud.
Starting point is 00:22:06 A little. Okay, could you describe this sound for us? Okay. It was about this loud. And then about a minute and a half later, I heard, or I mean half a minute later, I heard a thud like this. It was even louder. Collier believed the commotion was coming from his mother's bedroom across the hall from his own.
Starting point is 00:22:33 He couldn't say what the thuds were, but it sounded like something bad was going on. All right, now did you get up at that time to investigate what had happened? No, I did not. And could you tell the jury why you didn't? Because I was extremely afraid of my father, and I always have. Jurors might have thought they knew all about Dr. Jack Boyle's peccadilloes, his infidelities, his tall tales,
Starting point is 00:22:59 but Collier says he's much worse than you think. The little boy who sometimes has trouble breathing is about to deliver his father a devastating blow. He just started ripping off all the computer games and throwing them at my head and at my shoulders and at my back and everything. Then he started making me call myself a stupid little fat boy,
Starting point is 00:23:22 making me run around all over the house, being saying, what are you? I'd say a stupid little fat boy, he says, what are you? And I said, a stupid little fat boy. He'd say even larger, what are you? And I said, a stupid little fat boy. Kalyur recounts other incidents too, involving Noreen.
Starting point is 00:23:42 Kalyur says he wanted to protect his mother, but couldn't. I heard this loud crash. Well, it sounded like glass, I guess. And my mother, I heard her crying, and she was kneeling at the floor. And I said, Mom, what's wrong? And then it looked like my father had slammed the door, and the glass was all over her.
Starting point is 00:24:04 Collier says Jack's anger was often directed towards his mom. He was cursing at my mother, calling her a B-I-T-C-H, and just pointing at her and making her bow down and beg for forgiveness. Mayer finishes with Collier after about an hour. He has to like what he's heard. Collier offered more circumstantial evidence that something terrible happened the night of Noreen's disappearance. But the real victory for Mayor is this.
Starting point is 00:24:39 Collier testified to the side of Jack his adoring patients never saw. A sadist who terrorized his wife and son. Here's Carl Hunnell, a reporter who covered the trial. To testify with your dad sitting, you know, 15, 20 feet away watching you, Collier was the most compelling witness the prosecution had. Now it's the defense's turn to cross-examine Collier.
Starting point is 00:25:07 But this is going to be tricky. If a trial is a fight, then cross-examination is the counter-attack. The point is to pick a witness apart. But how do you go after a 12-year-old, one who's just lost his mother, without alienating the jury. One of Jack's defense lawyers gives it a try. Apparently, he's decided on a gentle approach. The lawyer asks Collier about his parents' divorce papers
Starting point is 00:25:37 and about his mom. Did she show them to you? Yes, once. Divorce papers can be nasty business. They're often filled with ugly accusations. The defense wants to suggest that Noreen showed them to Collier in order to poison him against Jack, which might explain away Collier's angry testimony.
Starting point is 00:25:59 It doesn't go the way the defense hoped. What did Collier glean from the divorce papers his mother shared? She was upset that my father told her that he was going to send my sister back to China. Look what just happened. Of course Noreen was furious at Jack. Of course she was happy to turn Kaeya against him. But Kaeya makes Jack out to be the villain. Jack is the one threatening to ship his little sister to the other side of the world. So the defense tries something else.
Starting point is 00:26:33 Okay, Jack has a bit of a temper, but it's not that bad, right? Has your father ever struck you with his fist? No, he has not. But then the attorney pushes his luck. Has he ever slapped you with his hand? What? Why would you ask that?
Starting point is 00:26:54 Yes, he has. And when did that occur? On the 4th of July, we were at the CIC club and I was watching the fireworks. They scared me because they were so loud and I plugged my ears. He screamed and cursed at me and told me not to. And then he slapped me right on the fireworks. They scared me because they were so loud and I plugged my ears. He screamed and cursed at me and told me not to and then he slapped me right on the leg. All right. Now I guess my question is, is other than that incident, were you ever slapped by your partner? Oh yes. Dude! Whose side is this attorney on?
Starting point is 00:27:22 So on my scorecard, Collier's testimony is a huge win for the prosecution. Jack's extramarital affairs, I chalk those up to a bad marriage. Inventing an act or two of heroism, pretty standard dating practice, I've heard. But bullying and hitting your kid, threatening and humiliating your wife, a person who does that is capable of terrible things. Mayor told reporters he was proud of Collier. For the boy to get up and testify against his father in an aggravated murder trial involving the death of his mother, that's one of the most difficult things I've ever seen any human being have to do.
Starting point is 00:28:09 The prosecution rests. Now it's the defense's turn to present Jack's case. But what is the defense's case? Mad Dog Mayor professes to be baffled. As far as what the defense is really going to be, I'm at a loss. In criminal trials, the defendant rarely speaks, but he's usually an object of fascination.
Starting point is 00:28:35 Everyone wants to know what he's thinking, what he's feeling, as 12 strangers mull his fate. But from the beginning, Jack Boyle has been impossible to read. Boyle has appeared unaffected by any of the testimony and preoccupied scribbling notes. But when the cameras went off, Jack came out of his shell, crawling on all fours, pantomiming escape as if cutting up for his fans. This is Carl Hunnel, the reporter in the courtroom. And he sat in there one day and he spelled out the word Oreo with his hands.
Starting point is 00:29:11 O-R-E-O. He wanted Oreos. My view? Jack better cut the clown show. His son just gave a blockbuster performance on the stand. Painting him is evil. Immediately after Collier's testimony, Jack had made a statement to a local reporter. Well, it was difficult for me to see him there saying things which were not correct. Things that were not correct. In other words, Jack is saying that his son lied on the stand. In that case, a witness better counter the kids' lies.
Starting point is 00:29:52 So far, the defense has done little more than point out minor inconsistencies in testimony and fumble cross-examinations. If they've been holding back, well, now's the time for the grand reveal. Mr. Winnock, who do you call at this time, please? John Boyle, Judge. Good afternoon. A Mansfield doctor is taking the stand in his own defense this afternoon.
Starting point is 00:30:22 Dr. John Boyle is accused of killing his wife, Noreen, and burying her body under the basement. Defense attorneys don't generally like their clients to testify. The risk that they'll be forced to reveal damaging information is way too high. But juries, they do like hearing from the accused. They like being able to judge a defendant's credibility for themselves.
Starting point is 00:30:45 And keep in mind, the defense does not actually have to prove anything. All they have to do is raise just one doubt that sways one juror, and Jack won't be convicted. Raise your right hand please. Juice for all friends. That's why by David's court you'll be the juror.
Starting point is 00:31:04 The whole juror is not supposed to do whatever you got. Thank you. That's my by-gave-his-court to be the jury. The whole jury is not supposed to do this for help you got. Thank you. Jack's patients believed him. Women and veterans and doctors bought his tall tales. Why shouldn't one juror believe him? For the record, for the benefit of the jurors, would you state your full name, please? John Francis Boyle, Jr.
Starting point is 00:31:26 What's your date of birth, John? May 1st, 1943. When he takes the stand in the trial's fourth and final week, Jack is 47 years old. Right away, Jack's attorney helps him own up to a few things on his terms. Sure, he had a few girlfriends, but he and Noreen had an understanding. It's not like he was sneaking around behind her back. This is the heart of Jack's defense,
Starting point is 00:31:53 and yes, he does have one. Jack had no motive to kill Noreen. Remember, at one point, it was suggested that Jack killed Noreen in order to be with his mistress, Sherry. But that doesn't make sense. Jack and Noreen were already getting divorced. He and Sherry were already settling into a new house with their new baby.
Starting point is 00:32:16 Jack's life was great. It's not like Noreen was in the way. Why would he kill her? It's a good question. Next, Jack has to deal with his collier problem. Jack's already said he's angry at collier saying things that were not correct. Collier portrayed him as a mean, punishing father. But Jack wants the jury to know he was a devoted, even doting dad.
Starting point is 00:32:44 Jack's lawyer tosses him a softball. He asks him to tell the jury about all the time he spent with Collier. But it's a swing and a miss. Jack says he mostly spent time with Collier on weekends, went to a couple of his Boy Scout meetings, one time to a basketball game, maybe two. Probably best to move on, Jack.
Starting point is 00:33:06 And in any case, the part of Collier's testimony that Jack really needs to undermine is his account of the night Noreen disappeared. Remember, Collier said the noises he heard that night came from his mother's bedroom. Jack says he was in the living room on the couch where he usually slept when Noreen came downstairs and picked a fight about money.
Starting point is 00:33:32 She stood there and threw credit cards at me. Did she leave the house then? Mm-hmm, yes she did. Was she dressed at that time? She was dressed. She had her clothing on. She had an overcoat and a hat and was carrying her purse. I saw Noreen get into a car at the end of the driveway. In other words, the last time he saw her, Noreen was alive and, according to Jack, heading off on her own adventure. Did you honor about December 31st of 1989 cause the death of Noreen Boyle? No, I did not. I did not kill Noreen. I never harmed her at all.
Starting point is 00:34:15 I did not hire anyone or ask or counsel or incite or anything else like that to take the life of Noreen Boyle. Lieutenant Dave Messmore once told me that Jack lied and Dave knew exactly when. Because, he said, Jack had a tell. When he lied, he blinked a lot. To me, this just sounded like goofy cop lore. But on the witness stand, swearing under oath
Starting point is 00:34:44 that he didn't kill his wife, Jack is blinking like a car's turn signal. So now Jack has made his case. The strongest part, for me, it's that he had no motive. Unfortunately for Jack, the prosecution doesn't have to prove motive. And so at this point, I'm thinking, that's it? That's all the defense has got? No bombshell last minute, alibi, no new eyewitness, just Jack? All right, well, good luck, Jack.
Starting point is 00:35:17 Across the room, Mad Dog Mayor is straining at the end of his leash. It's time for cross-examination, and Mayor wants to take Jack on a little trip. Hey, Jack, follow me to Erie, Pennsylvania, down to that basement on Wolf Road, why don't ya? Testimony showed that Jack personally purchased and then personally installed AstroTurf
Starting point is 00:35:43 in a corner of the Wolf Road basement, even though he'd never installed carpet before. It was going to be a children's play area. Noreen's body was found underneath it two weeks later. Did you even look around to see what you were doing when you put the carpet down? Yeah. Do you look? Yeah. So you looked?
Starting point is 00:36:05 Yeah. Yet you didn't see any depression? No. Jack says he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when he installed the AstroTurf. No indentation in the basement floor, no fresh concrete, and certainly no grave site. By now, Mad Dog is in full attack mode. Pointer waving, scowl on his face, contempt in his voice. Jack is blinking.
Starting point is 00:36:40 A lot. Remember, Mad Dog is focused on the body in the basement. His bet? Prove that Jack buried Noreen's body and the jury will believe that he murdered Noreen. Now, Mad Dog deftly maneuvers Jack into a corner. Given what Jack has just testified to, there's only two possible explanations for the body in his basement. One, Jack buried her himself. Two, is more involved.
Starting point is 00:37:14 At some point during the third week of January 1990, unknown conspirators broke into the Wolf Road house, with no signs of forced entry, by the way. They took down shelves built on the AstroTurf, ripped up the AstroTurf Jack had just glued down. They dug a hole in the concrete using a jackhammer, like the one Jack had rented, and then buried Noreen. And then these crafty criminals put fresh concrete over her body, glued the astroturf back down,
Starting point is 00:37:48 reconstructed the shelving on top, and vanished. Whoever this person or persons might be, they'd gone to some spectacular lengths to frame Jack. The facts, as they're known, really don't look good for Jack. The facts, as they're known, really don't look good for Jack. Mad Dog Mayor goes on the attack. Didn't you orchestrate this fabrication? Weren't you the mastermind of this? Yes or no? I was not the mastermind or orchestrator. Okay, I have been using Mad Dog a lot. It's not false advertising. Here's another Mad Dog snarl.
Starting point is 00:38:33 This time he's questioning Jack about Sherry. So she was lying. Yes or no? She lied to them, didn't she not? I think lying was wrong. Yes or no? No, she lied to them, didn't she not? I think lying is- Yes or no. Now Mayor wants Jack, or really the jury, to imagine something.
Starting point is 00:38:58 Suppose the police had never gotten a search warrant for the Wolf Road house, never dug up the basement, and Jack had moved in with his children. Where would her body have been if it wasn't time? It still would have been in the basement, correct? Obviously. So your own children would be in that hole with you, with their mother buried in the basement, correct? Of course. Why are we trying to get out of here?
Starting point is 00:39:25 It's just a simple yes or no answer. We don't need any scoops. For an explanation. So Mad Dog Mayor leaves the jury with this really disturbing image of Collier and his little sister playing on the astroturf that covers their mother's dead body.
Starting point is 00:39:44 Through everything, Jack stays even, level. In fact, he seems almost befuddled, like all this is happening to someone else. So is it accurate that you carry your emotions more inside than on your shirt sleeve? No, it's not accurate. Then what would be an accurate depiction? I'm human and normal,
Starting point is 00:40:05 just like you and the rest of the people in this courtroom are. Sounds to me almost like a plea. So is Dr. John F. Boyle Jr. human and normal, or is he a cold-blooded killer? It's now up to the jury to decide. Good evening, everyone. This was the moment of truth in Mansfield today. We, the jury in this case, find the defendant, John F. Boyle Jr.,
Starting point is 00:40:36 guilty of the offense as charged in the indictment. Jack is looking directly at the judge. He's still calm, still emotionless. The judge sentences him on the spot. Life in prison with no chance of parole for 20 years. And then leaves him with a few final words. You have to make your own peace. I hope that God will go with you.
Starting point is 00:41:06 Right there in the courtroom, Mad Dog Mayor and Lieutenant Dave Messmore light up some celebratory cigars. Dave has been saving a good one for just this occasion. Then he goes to a payphone. He has someone to call. Collier is at the tennis club practicing groundstrokes, keeping his mind off the trial of his dad. He's wearing his white tennis shorts and sneakers
Starting point is 00:41:32 when someone fetches him. He's taken to a conference room. Dave is on the phone. Yeah, it's good news. They won. Collier helped put his father in jail maybe for the rest of his life. There's a lot to feel good about. But Collier, what is 12 year old Collier
Starting point is 00:41:52 feeling? Mommy's dead, daddy's headed to prison. It dawns on Collier. He's now effectively an orphan. I just remember thinking just to myself like, what happens to me now? Don't want to wait for that next episode? You don't have to. Unlock all episodes of Finding Mom's Killer ad free right now by subscribing to the Binge Podcast channel. Search for The Binge on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page. Not on Apple?
Starting point is 00:42:46 Head to GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen. As a subscriber, you'll get binge access to new stories on the first of every month. Check out The Binge channel page on Apple Podcasts or GetTheBinge.com to learn more. Finding Lums Killer is a production of Orbit Media. Creator and host Steve Fishman, that's me. Our senior producer is Drew Nellis. Our producer and production coordinator Austin Smith. Our story editor, Emile Klein. Fact check by Ryan Alderman. Mixing and sound design by Scott Somerville.
Starting point is 00:43:31 Our lawyers are at Davis Wright Tremaine. From Sony Music Entertainment, our executive producer is Jonathan Hirsch. Special thanks to Emily Rassick, Steve Ackerman, Catherine St. Louis, Sammy Allison, Fisher Stevens, Rhea Julian, Dan Bobkoff. At WME, we'd like to thank Evan Krasik, Marissa Hurwitz, and Ben Davis. We want to also thank Carl Hunnell at The Richland Source for the generous use of his podcast studio. And a really warm thank you to Collier Landry for
Starting point is 00:44:05 sharing his story and for his production assistance.

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