Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 367 - The Bloody Briley Brothers

Episode Date: September 25, 2023

Have you heard of the Briley Brothers? Three young brothers, and a teenage neighbor, went on a vicious murder, robbery, and rape spree in Richmond, Virginia in 1979. And then two of the brothers later planned a historic death row prison escape.  Today's episode really again asks the question, "Are some people just born evil?" It sure seems ago with at least Linwood Briley. A wild story that I'm surprised isn't more commonly known. CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY NEW SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! Trying to Get BetterWet Hot Bad Magic Summer Camp tickets are ON SALE!  BadMagicMerch.com Get tour tickets at dancummins.tv Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zEy8jHeshIcMerch: https://www.badmagicmerch.comTimesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: [e-mail] (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits

Do you have an older brother, any older sibling, growing up to idolize them a bit, maybe fear them a bit? It's pretty common phenomenon. When you were nine or ten, you know, someone who was even two years older, like 11 or 12, man, it seemed like they were so much older, didn't it? Like so much wiser, so much cooler, stronger, smarter, maybe also scarier. When you would wrestle, when they would pin you down to the ground, it was a bit scary that no matter how hard you fought back, you just couldn't overpower them, right?

Hopefully, if you did idolize an older sibling to some degree, they weren't truly scary, just sibling scary, not actually a piece of garbage, just somebody who treated you like shit sometimes, like, you know, older siblings are so apt to do. Hopefully they were just annoying as opposed to being a psychopath. But what if they actually were a psychopath like a real one? What if you had an older sibling who was smart, tough, cool, funny, strong, charming, but also pretty evil? Someone who took you under their evil wing, maybe protected you from bullies, taught you how to fight, but then also taught you how to rob and rape and kill. While I don't have enough source details to say that this scenario is definitely what happened

with Richmond, Virginia's notorious Briley brothers, it sure seems like that this was likely the case. Maybe when you're done listing, you can chat with your older sibling about this episode. And even if they were kind of bad to you growing up, you can thank them for not being this bad. The Briley Brothers were three members of a group of four serial killers who terrorized the city of Richmond, Virginia for several months in 1979. These sadistic monsters targeted men and women, old and young. One judge called their series of murders, the violistist rampage of rape, murder, and robbery, the court has seen in 30 years. The oldest briley, Linwood, was the wicked ringleader, and

his two younger brothers James and Anthony followed his lead as he led them into a hell of mayhem and bloodlust. Their young neighbor, Duncan Meekins, would also be pulled into Linwood's destructive orbit and throw his life away as well, and help destroy so many other lives. Following the same pattern as the last few killers we've sucked here, it doesn't seem like these monsters were created by horrific parental abuse. If there was some terrible home environment to blame, we don't know about it. It appears that the Breli's grew up with nice, normal parents, same for Duncan Meekens. Until the last few years of their free lives, they also seem to be known as good kids,

kids who would help out neighbors mowing their lawns, maybe fix their cars, and then everything changed on January 28, 1971. Linwood Briley committed his first murder when he was just 16 years old. And I won't give too much more away right now. This week we'll discuss the lives of the infamous Riley Brothers, how they became killers, their big murder and mayhem spree, and infamous and daring escape attempt from death row and the eventual fates of these cold, blooded bastards. On another true crime, serial killing, the family that slays together stays together edition of Time Suck. This is Michael McDonald and you're listening to Time Suck.

You listening to Time Suck. Happy Monday, meat sacks. Welcome or welcome back to the cult of the curious. Um Dan Comets, a Suck Master guy who so wishes Welcome or welcome back to the cult to the curious. I'm Dan Cummins, a suck master guy who so wishes he could make it to the singularity with an a black hole, but not be spaghettified. Guy who was so sorry for burning down the ancient library of Alexandria,

who knew scrolls were so flammable, and you are listening to Time Suck. Real quick, in honor of the store, turning seven years old last week, a seven year time suck design, featuring a platinum number seven in the center of a classic Time Suck icon A real quick and honor of the store turning seven years old last week, a seven year time-suck design feature. A platinum number seven in the center of a classic time-suck icon is available on a premium T mug or sweatshirt, badmagicmerch.com.

Recorded this in advance of the wet hot badmagic summer camp. No idea how camp went. Really hoping it was a blast. I also hope to the YouTube comment section under my recent stand-up special, trying to get better, continues to just produce insanity. Recent favorite comments as I record this are from Caesar, Castanada, 9631. Yeah, this is good and all, but have you ever had a vibrator keychain? Are GMIC ready?

505 posted. While rewatching the special, I think I figured out what Dan is trying to say. A certain time traveling Karen is responsible for the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. And of years, 635 posted. So I watch this again and my life is nothing like Skyrim, not a dragon inside. What the fuck Dan? They're so many. They just keep pouring in. So thank you. Upcoming tour dates, Chicago, Vermont, Rhode Island, Buffalo, New York, more all on sale, Dan Comets.tv, and you can see newer stuff than the special. And now we're off to another true crime story.

A team of serial killers with the twist. We've only covered once or twice before, murderous siblings. And I think this is the first modern story where we've had murderous siblings. Like the bloody benders were a whole family of serial killers back in late 19th century Kansas, and then there were the vicious harps. Sometimes referred to as the bloody harps. You know, two brothers that may have killed a bunch of people

in the late 18th century in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois, hard to separate legend from fact with those guys, but these guys, we know what they did. We know what they did in Richmond, Virginia in the 70s, heavily documented and horrific. And before diving in a quick thank you to Dan in Jersey, you of the crazy Italian last name that starts with an S and a whole bunch of fucking letters following that, who I just saw again in Richmond,

how fitting for some great constructive criticism. I love when I get that Dan reminded me to stop giving too much info away in the preview on true crime episodes Right don't spoil the suspense let the story unfold without a bunch of spoilers and it was great fucking no I think so I have taken it on this episode Dan and now people hate this episode. I will fucking never listen to you again I think it's I think it's gonna be good. Hail Nimrod and let's get started. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ Not much set up today.

Just gonna share a few quotes about the overall vibe of the Bradley Brothers crimes, and then we'll jump into the timeline, starting with the birth of Linwood, ending with updates on where the major players of this story are today. The Richmond Times dispatch wrote about Bradley, Bradley, brothers, 1979 murder spree saying it was a reign of terror that slipped beneath the radar of law enforcement for months.

There was no sense of a common killer. The crime struck blacks, whites, the poor, and people have better means. They occurred in disparate sections of the city and in Henrico County, James and Linwood Briley killed to eliminate witnesses to the robberies they committed, but they also seem to take some pleasure in their work. They murdered with such versatility that police initially did not see a pattern. Warren von Schuch, a richman assistant commonwealth attorney, and a lead prosecutor in the Briley's murder cases told a reporter, these people are in a class by themselves. They are incredibly, any humanely mean. They are killing machines. Somewhere down the line, there's something in the Briley's that infuriates them about weakness in other people.

There was a degree of toughness. They were just tough people. They were opposed to having weaknesses of any sort. Maybe that was the one common denominator in their victims. Comparative physical weakness. They were the worst kind of bullies. The ones that don't just beat those smaller and weaker than themselves, the ones that beat those people to fucking death. They generally targeted older victims, or they ganged up on someone closer to their age, or they hurt women, children. And again, I won't give away more than that. It is now already timeline time.

The stage where all the secrets of today's great tragedy will unfold, where all shall be revealed, regarding the dastardly deeds of today's vile and vicious killers. Shrap on those boots, soldier. We're marching down a time-sub-time line. March 26, 1954. Linwood, Earl Briley, is born in Richmond, Virginia. In the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year,

the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year, the year of the year,

the year of the year, the year of the year, My brothers were killing back in 1979 around 219,000 people lived in Richmond. A lot of good notable people have grown up in Richmond, not just these Derbex, former sucks, subject Edgar Allen Poe, grew up in Richmond, breaking bad creator Vince Gilligan, from Richmond, neo-so-RMB sex symbol, and funk wizard, DeAngelo from Richmond, acting powerhouse, critically acclaimed author Constanceance Wu, grew up in Richmond as well. And on and on and on. Linwood and his brothers would grow up in the Highland Park neighborhood of Richmond.

Full of a bunch of historic row houses and queen and style homes, various sections of the largely middle class neighborhood have been added to the National Historic Register. The area of Highland Park that the Brieley's lived in was nothing fancy, but also far from impoverished. You know, it's a quaint blue collar middle class neighborhood. Linwood's little brother James Darrell Brieley, junior was born two years later, June 6, 1956,

and then the youngest Brieley boy Anthony Ray born another two years later, February 17, 1958. Riley Boy, Anthony Ray, born another two years later, February 17, 1958. The Breli's did also have an older brother named Edward Jerome. I would go by the nickname of Boot, most of his life. Boot will not factor into today's story at all. He was born two years before Linwood, July 7, 1952, died a few years back, November 19, 2020. And for reasons that are unclear at the end of his last year of junior high, he wanted to move to North Carolina and live with his two aunts, Lizzie C. Williams and Buylah C. Peppers and his cousin Norman Williams.

His mom gave him permission to leave only if the two aunts accepted him and they did. He moved to Hamilton and he never returned to Richmond. He was never involved in any of his brother's criminal activities. And as far as we can tell, he never spoke about his brother's publicly. Never said a bad word, or at least not to the press about his brothers or about his parents. Why did he move out? Was something bad going on at home? If it was, could that bad thing have been his little brother, Linwood, being a monster?

It is something to keep in mind going forward, I think. The Bradley brothers were raised for most of their childhoods in one home, right? The home that they were living in when they were born, raised by both their parents for most of their childhood, Bertha and James Daryl, Briley Senior. James and Bertha were, according to every source that I've come across, universally well-liked, respected.

Considered to be wonderful neighbors, you know, hard workers, just good people overall. Makes it more strange to me that boot wanted to leave. James Sr. had a solid job with nice benefits working for the school street, concrete block factory. And Bertha worked at the grill at Virginia Union University. Former Richmond mayor Dwight Jones said that Mrs. Riley is one of the sweetest ladies you would ever want to meet. The Briley Brothers defense attorney,

Hal Hayes, added that Mrs. Riley was a lovely lady. You would never attributed her to bringing up three boys that turned out as bad as these three people. Thinking about this description today's episode really made me think about how fucking horrible it would be. If not only were you not a bad parent, not a bad abusive parent, but what if you were actually a good loving parent

and still three out of your four kids and all three who stayed in your home throughout their childhood ended up becoming not just like bad people, but brutal murderers As I get older I do realize more and more the limits of parental influence as my son you know is often college now Lindsay and I have you know definitely influenced both Kyler and Roe you know curb certain not so good behaviors I would like to think a bit over the years encouraged other good behaviors

to kind of nourish them and see them grow. With the same time, both of the kids, who they were at two years old, in many ways, is how they are today. Like, my daughter, Monroe, from birth, it seems, has always been just a bit more independent, a bit less interested in hanging with her parents and maybe, you know, Kyler has been or just needing a certain social circle at all really. Kyler has always been, you know, very stubborn and opinionated in certain ways, way more talkative and aggressive and it comes to getting out with, you know, what's on his mind and trying to convince

you to agree with him. When Ro has always been outside of her, you know, terrible other years, you know, just more naturally thoughtful when it comes to the emotional tone of a room or the emotional needs of others around her. Kyler has the weirder sense of humor. Monroe, more of a people watcher, more content in the background than her brother.

And on and on, you know, there have been a lot of tendencies and traits they truly just seem to have been born with. And the most frustrating trait with Kyler is probably that he doesn't naturally think about others when it comes to like a group activity or the birthdays, you know, et cetera, he has to really work on that. He does, largely with Lindsey's help, you know,

she's been good that way. Monroe, the most frustrating trait is probably just kind of a blind confidence where she just quickly feels like she knows exactly what she's doing, even if she has no clue what she's doing. And she has zero interest in you trying to teach her anything, you know, and she's aware and she works on that. You know, sports has helped.

She's more open to listening to her coaches than she was even a year ago, you know, kind of realized that. And these are not the worst trades at all. These are very normal human traits. We all have negative and positive traits. But I was thinking with this episode, like what if one or both of them was born with a tendency, you know, a predilection to,

you wanna fucking hurt people, like really hurt them, or hurt animals? What if they genuinely didn't seem to have any empathy combined with a pension for true sadism? You know, what if that was your kid? You know, what if that was your kid? What if that were your kids? Like you just ended up with those people.

And you don't have the tools to teach them to avoid the worst instincts and impulses or there aren't any fucking tools to teach them that. I do believe that the nature versus nurture debate exists like almost everything else in life on a spectrum, on a continuum, right? Some people's nature more malleable than other people's nature as well, right? The nurture goes a lot further with some than it does for others.

And that in rare cases, I also believe that, you know, some people's nature is on the very extreme end, the bad end of the spectrum, the not good at all end. Just like some people are born with a natural athleticism that makes them exceptionally fast or they have an advantage when it comes to being exceptionally fast. I definitely believe that there are other people born with a natural drive to just be fucking terrible.

Rare I think but possible. And I do think in this story, as we go forward here, that Lynn would at the very least, maybe also James, I don't think Anthony, the youngest, was born that way. It seems or, you know, who the fuck knows? Maybe something terrible happened that, you know, never made it to sources that led to, to bootleaving and led to the three other brothers, started into pieces of shit. But man, just when you look at the totality of everybody's, you know, uh, memories of these guys and just the evidence is like, ah oh man, were they just fucking born terrible?

I don't know. Before I'll hell broke loose, some of the Briley's numbers, neighbors did tell the Richmond Times dispatch that they were quiet neighbors. They didn't bother anybody. So maybe something was kind of latent under there, just hiding under the surface and then came out is they got a little older Christopher Morgan, son of a detective under there, just hiding under the surface and then came out as they got a little older.

Christopher Morgan, son of a detective who was involved in the case, said he knew some of the varieties classmates and they did say that they were bullies. So maybe they were just getting worse and their bullying is time went on and then just crossed a certain line. Still other neighbors though, would describe young Linwood as, you know, considerate mode lawns for elderly neighbors, help friends, fix their cars. One of his defense attorneys Craig Cooley would tell the Washington Post, I would rank Linwood as the most pleasant, courteous, respectful client I've ever had.

It could not have been more of a gentleman. Cooley also said that the bribes were a very close family and I found them to be a very loving family. I don't know. James Sr. told CBS Sixes, the local affiliate there in Richmond, Mark Holmberg, that Lindwood was practically a genius. A lot of people will talk about how he was so smart. He could not identify anything that could have caused his sons to become murderers.

You know, were there any red flags when these guys were young? They might make you think, oh man, you might want to keep a closer eye on these fuckers. Not not in sources, not really. Some sources pointed to their unique pets growing up as a possible red flag. I don't know, unusual, but I don't know if it's a red flag. The Braille boys enjoy collecting exotic and or dangerous pets. They had tarantulas, piranhas, bokeh constrictors,

other snakes, some aggressive I guess, doverman pinchers, but a lot of people have pets like those. And they don't, you know, become serial killers. Some sources say that the, uh, Riley's really like to feed live mice to their snakes are piranhas for entertainment. Okay, yeah, you know, uh, like they apparently especially Linwood, you know, enjoyed watching predators eat prey, maybe an early warning sign of predatory natures. Maybe not though, you know, could be a stretch. But oldest brother, Boots did love hunting. Member of the jump and run hunting club from 1978 to 2017.

Also member of Dukeens hunting club, both in North Carolina, could be nothing. Just did find it interesting that on Boots obituary, his main passion was hunting, like he couldn't hunt enough And when you combine that with how the other three brothers rage raised largely separately Love watching pets kill other animals Yeah, it did make me think like huh, that's unusual unnatural fascination with you know predators and prey maybe But had they not become murders? I wouldn't fucking you know think of that at all. I wouldn't see that connection. Like I'm a hunter.

I don't fucking care about shooting a deer. It doesn't make me like super sad. Father some people, you know, I could try and tell you I care, but I don't. Watching a snake eat a mouse. I don't care. It doesn't bother me either. I mean, if you let me play with that mouse for a few days before and I had a name and it did cool tricks and we're cute little outfits.

Then you fed it to a snake. Yeah, I'm not going to love that. But you know, I don't know. A lot of people do all of this stuff and are not abnormal, not callous killers. But the fascination with killing creatures for all four brothers did give me a pause. But that's it. That's the worst I could find from the early childhood up to around, you know, end of the junior high years.

Prosecutors later said that the brothers might not have been properly supervised as older teens, but no family problems that could explain their violent behavior as young adults. No one came forward to be like, oh my god, their parents were awful or somebody did this to them, like nobody. There was one significant event in their lives when they were teens, no exact date assigned to it, but at some point, when Linwood was towards the end of high school, their parents did split up. But again, that's pretty common. And then Bertha did move out of the house.

And this is a little unusual. All the boys then lived not with their mother, but with their father, which is not traditional. And why did that happen? Well, it sounds like their mom might have been afraid of them. You know, at least some of them. Again, no exact date assigned to her moving out, but she might have left around the time of a murder.

I'll talk about real soon. One source says, the boy's mother, Bertha moved out of the house as she did not feel safe. Excuse me, she did not feel safe, but they provide no additional details. Bertha just passed away a few months ago, April 13, 2023, and I checked out some memorial pages set up for her. Well, one created by the funeral home, MIMS, funeral home, and Richmond, seems she never, never moved away, never remarried. And there was a post from a woman named Edith who described herself as Bertha's coworker and Edith wrote, I will miss. This is Bertha

Briley. I used to ride with her to North Carolina. I enjoyed the trip. It was full of joy and fun. She showed me how to do catering. She helped me a lot. I'm still at work. She was by my side when I lost my son Melvin Brooks. She never felt or never left me alone or never stopped calling me. She was not just my boss, but was a good friend to tell you, just want to tell you, you'll never be forgotten. Your family has my prayers. Another woman who called herself Callie B described herself as birth is best friend. Said the birth made the world a better place by sharing herself with others that she was

a strong black woman with a beautiful spirit. She was a gift from God, a true family person, someone who liked to laugh at how her brother David would dance, and a lot of other nice things. And there's all kinds of pictures of her with what looks like friends and family of all ages. And I know that looks can be deceiving, like very deceiving, in fact. But she did look really kind and sweet. Her eyes seem to be very kind. Her actual obituary doesn't say much about her other than she had four sons, never remarried, and worked for many years in the cafeteria for Virginia Union University,

rising to the position of catering director, and that she was thought of very highly by many people. Interesting also listed as Mrs. Briley, as if she and James Sr., despite living apart for roughly the last 50 years of her life, never divorced. Can't find any information about, you know, her sharing details about how she felt about her sons. She must have denied requests for interviews. I just wonder, why would this woman who I can't find a single person with the bad word to say about her, a woman whose murderous sons never seemed to say a bad word about her either? Why would she move out, separate from her husband, but not get divorced, continue to work at the same job, live in the same city, but not have her sons live with her? And I do think, based on everything I have, you know,

researched with this and read and watched, that she was afraid of them. Numerous sources state that after she moved out, the boy's father, James Sr., started doing something very unusual. He started padlocking his bedroom door at night from the inside. Dude wasn't just locking his bedroom door, locking it with the fucking padlock from the inside, like in his own home.

Like, was he scared of his kids as well? You know, sources, some sources say he was also. It's all very strange. Okay, January 28th, 1971 now, is when Linwood committed his first murder. He's 16 years old, brother James is 14, little brother Anthony's 12, fucking boot, Eddie, he's out in North Carolina.

And maybe this is around the time, Bertha was like, I got to get out of here. Linwood Riley murdered his 57 year old neighbor, or lean Christian, shodder with a rifle from his bedroom window while she was hanging laundry on a clothesline. Fucking what? Didn't snake across town and like hide in the bushes in the middle of the night and then snipe some stranger and then scurry home under the cover of darkness? No, fucker just like kneeled on his bed and not even at night in the middle of the night and then snipe some stranger and then scurry home into the cover of darkness. No fucker just like kneeled on his bed and not even at night in the middle of the afternoon and shot the lady across the street. Even crazier to me almost got away with it.

Orleans husband had recently passed away and at first her relatives thought she died of a stress related heart attack. When her body was found no one noticed any blood or bullet wound. But when the funeral home returned the robe, the Orlean was wearing, when she got shot, her family noticed a small bloody hole in the fabric. The family asked the funeral director to re-examine the body. Small, caliber bullet wound was found under Orlean's armpit. Mortician just missed the bullet wound the first time around because no one suspected foul play and clearly it was a small wound With no big exit wound

Sources don't say what gun a linwood used for this murder, but he'll use a 22 later It'll be pretty fond of a 22. He'll use multiple weapons, but I bet that's what he used on her But from his bedroom fucking window like how long have you been wanting just to kill somebody before he pulled the trigger and Where his little brothers watching Hey, hey dude get over here. Get over here. Check this shit out. How much you want to bet? I can fucking take out Mrs. Christian's in Crossed Street one shot Fuck that bitch. How many times have I mowed her lawn? And how many times has she paid me for that never Once police knew the orlean had been shot they started searching, you know for her shooter

Uh didn't take long to catch Linwood. A detective got a two by four, took it to Orlean's property, cut it to her height, studied the autopsy report, and then drilled a hole in the two by four, showing that with the angle that Orlean had been shot from, and then just kind of moved that board around in the position where she fell, thinking like, where would that bullet have come from, and he's looking through the two by four, and he's looking at Linwood Briley's bedroom window. So good work detective, dude, knew his geometry.

When investigators search the Briley house, they then found the murder weapon. And for a supposedly really smart dude, Linwood was a fucking moron when he was 16. I think most of us are. But shoots a neighbor lady to death, and then, you know, it just doesn't even bother to hide the murder weapon.

And had they not found that weapon likely would have not been able to charge him with anything and he would have gotten away with sniping a neighbor. When question about the killing and now deceased Richmond detective Norman Harding recalled that Linwood said he was shooting at a bird and he must accidentally shot Orling and then showed zero remorse. In fact, he tried to make a light the 57-year-old woman's death stain. Well, she was going to die anyway. 1971 psychological report on Linwood, prepared after he was charged, states,

it seems as though Linwood Briley does not want to accept responsibility for his actions. He expresses no concern that a person died because he was shooting a gun, stating that she would have died anyhow, for he had heard from someone that she had heart trouble. That's cold blooded. Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this? Oh my God. It's not she was 18 or even 30. She was practically dead. She was 57. And she might have had a weak ticker. You know, I did her a fucking favor. I should be giving a prize or something. Not arrested. Fuck her and her pussy ass heart.

Linwood's attorney sadly were able to successfully argue that he accidentally shot Orleen while shooting some pigeons. And you know what, maybe he was. Maybe that first kill wasn't accident. Accident that changed him. He was convicted of manslaughter and would serve just a year in a juvenile institution, and then we just go back home. And how weird is that?

If like one of your neighbors shoots another one of your neighbors to death, and they go away for just a year, and then they come right back. How nervous, like, are you thinking about selling your house and getting out of that neighborhood? When talking about how Linwood may have influenced his brothers after this shooting doctor castman ramsland

uh... noted forensic psychologist who studies serial killers told the producers of a uh... show she was uh... a cast member of essentially for years born to kill a british true crime tv series air episodes between two thousand five and sixteen as you said he would have probably bragged of them he would have probably strutted about because that was his personality and so for them they probably would have probably bragged to them. He would have probably strutted about because that was his personality And so for them they probably would have thought, you know, wow, this is a really bold thing to do

So he's certainly modeling for them, you know what it what it takes to be a man God, what is he's right? That was some man shit you fucking dorks You want to be a snively little bitch your whole life? Or do you want to nut up and shoot a neighbor lady to death, hanging clothes out in her fucking lawn from your window? Got several people involved in this case, investigator, journalist, etc. Did make a point to talk about how these brothers were all about being tough, right? Being strong, alpha males, being the boa constrictor, not the mouse, you know, apex predators.

They were guys who hated, again, what they considered weakness. I guess that fucking, you know, neighbor lady was, I guess weak, because she had a bad ticker maybe. James Briley would soon somewhat follow in his older brother, Linwood's footsteps. So two years later, 1973, about a year after Linwood's back home, Richmond PD officer Cecil L. Glunt exchanged fire with James Briley after James robbed a convenience store. Try my best to ignore how close his last name is to both Blunt and Cunt. Officer Glunt was on duty and nearby when the robbery happened and he pursued James. After a close quarter's gunfight he shot James inside, knocked him over, but then James popped up ran 12 more blocks before

he was apprehended. He was tough. James was eventually convicted of malicious wounding and robbery, spent some time in prison, and then actually would be on parole during the 1979 murder spree. Now, let's take a moment to meet the fourth member of the Riley group, one of their neighbors, Young Duncan Meekens. Duncan lived two doors down from the Riley home. Meekens completed the eighth grade Graves Middle School was a student at John Marshall High when he was arrested 1979 at the

age of 16. Five years younger than Anthony, the youngest Briley brother and nine years younger than Linwood. One fellow classmate would tell the Richmond Times dispatch that Meekens played JV football at the high school. He was well liked. He was a good looking young man with high academic standing. Prosecutor Robert Rice would say about him. He came from a very well grounded background as far as I could tell. He was a good student or a decent student.

Active in the church had been an ultra boy. Richman homicide detective Jim Godet, who worked some of the Riley Brothers murder said, Meekens lived next door to the Briles. Some people say next door, some people say two doors down in sources. And they were idols to him basically, you know, he thought they were, you know, big, tough people. And he wanted to get involved. So they kind of took him under their wing.

And that is such a good reminder to pay close attention to who your kids are hanging out with, who they spend time with. What peers are they looking up to? My wife Lindsey does a great job of following all of Kyler and Monroe's friends on social media, talking to other parents, keeping tabs on what the kids friends are up to. I pay attention as well, especially when I meet him,

but Lindsey is like a fucking PI with that stuff. Just make sure that the kids aren't hanging out with kids who are like, I don't know how I was. That's a teenager. I was a fucking savage, not a murderer, not violent crime, but a lot of mayhem, a lot of property destruction theft and, you know, quite a bit of fire. I was a troubled kid.

Thankfully, not as troubled as the Brideley Brothers. Speaking of the Brideley Brothers, now the real carnage begins, 1979, not a great year for Richmond, Virginia. No idea what the Bradley brothers were up to between 1973 and 1979, but whatever was, it didn't get them sent to prison for life or worse. If they snipe any more neighbor ladies, I guess they got away with it. Before getting into the killing spree that made them infamous, it seems like the least intrusive spot for our sponsor break this week. Also, ad free episodes of Time Sug are coming down the pipe.

Been trying to create the space to launch that for a long time. Sorry, it's taken so long. But soon you'll have the option for five bucks a month to have the catalog ad free. Coming this fall, for those of you who don't mind hearing some ads, well, thank you. And right now, here's our sponsor break. Hope you heard some deals you liked. And now we head to 1979 and the start of the

Briley Brothers murder and mayhem's spree. March 12, 1979, the Briley crew, three brothers and Duncan Meekens attacked their first two victims, William and Virginia butcher. Virginia, living in Virginia, a married couple from Henrico County, all of Henrico counties in the Richmond metro area. By the way, it just kind of just kind of wraps around the north and east sides of the city. In 2009, a then 88 year old William butcher would speak with the Richmond Times dispatch about his attack. Now, his wife, Virginia, had passed away by that point. He said that at around 9 pm that night, the Briley's knocked on the door. At first, William thought it was the paper boy, trying to collect payment. But when he

answered the door, he ended up staring at a cold blooded, grown-ass man, a master of mayhem, about to turn 25 years old, Linwood biley. Linwood, who he did not know, told him that his card broken down and he was asking for some help calling AA or AAA. William trying to be a nice guy, trying to do the right thing, said he would call for him, asked for his triple A card. Linwood now pulled out some kind of card and then William opened the door to take it. And when he did that, Linwood pulled out a gun and pushed his way inside. Virginia then saw Linwood approaching, pointing to gun at William and holding a knife to his throat.

Before she could scream, another member of the crew told her not to make any noise, or they would cut off Williams ear. It's a strange threat, right? Ear. Not slit his throat. Not blow his brains out. No, they went straight to, well, slice his fucking ear off. And that's actually scarier to me because of how odd and specific it is.

Like, I feel like in that scenario, if someone broke into my home with the gun and told me that they're gonna blow my fucking brains out, like I'm not gonna be happy. I'm gonna be scared, but also that's something like people say in movies all the time, and a part of my brain is like that might be a hollow threat, that's like a thing that people say to sound tough. But if I am told that they're gonna cut my fucking ear off, especially like while they're holding a gun too, I know I had a knife as well, but I'm just gonna assume that like, oh yeah, they put some thought into this, and maybe that they cut off ears before, right?

That's their thing, cutting off ears. I hear that, I'm like, ah, they probably will do it. They might want an excuse to do it. Well, Virginia, she believes them, she doesn't yell. William gets to keep his ear. William and Virginia are then forced to lie down in separate rooms and tied up. William said that he believes that the only reason he in Virginia survived that night was because Duncan Meakens was inexperienced.

This is the beginning of their spree. William asked Duncan who was tying him up not to tie him up too tight because it would hurt and Meakens, you know, he's 16 years old, he listened. William said, this guy Meakens was the guy that I think tied me up. I think he was the rookie. He didn't know too much about what was going on. While the butchers were tied up, the brothers and ransacked their house and poured lighter fluid all over the place, even on Williams legs. They soaked the sofa, put clothes under a table to help the fire spread faster, and then they lit that shit and bounced. Fortunately, after the group left, Williams was able to wiggle a hand-free and untie himself and then quickly cut Virginia loose and they got out of the house.

House was destroyed though. Their car was stolen. TV, jewelry, gun, other valuables gone. Pet cat burned to death. William had been cut on his hand while being tied up of Virginia did escape uninjured. Both of them, you know, a lot more fortunate than future attack victims. The varieties caused an estimated $10,000 worth of damage to the butcher house, and that number doesn't really do it

what they did justice though. $10,000 doesn't make it sound as bad as it was. You know, the brieties destroyed their fucking house. Virtually everything inside. You know, nearly everything they had just happened to add up to about 10 grand, equivalent to about 43 grand today. So not only did they need to see just fuck up

this couple's lives, you know, kill their pet, almost kill them. They just fucked over two strangers who didn't have much to start with and then stole their car. At least the car was found later by Richmond police. According to Henrico detective Ron Wells, excuse me, men watching the description or men matching the description of the attackers had knocked on at least two other doors in the same neighborhood before the attack A man living in one of those houses said the guy who showed up at his door told him in his car broke down asked to use his phone, but that guy refused During the second interaction the man at the door likely linwood You know in all these interactions ask for someone who didn't live there and that's when the resident shut the door in him

How happy were both of those people when they found out later? What had happened to the butchers? And when they found out who the Briley brothers were. Just nine days later, March 21st, 1979, the Briley strike again this time, fatally, they kill a 20 year old vending machine servicemen named Michael W. McDuffy. Michael McDuffy worked for the canteen of Virginia company that is still around, still filling up vending machines with all sorts of tasty snacks today. Bradley's broken to his house, assaulted him, shot him, robbed him, left his dying body in his car. No extra details listed in sources. Some sources do say that they killed him

while he was at work, but most say while he was at home. Perhaps because it was early on in the murder spree and because this killing in particular looked like it was, you know, part of a random robbery. At the time of his death, it barely made the news, like a few lines, one of the back pages of the local paper, his obituary was longer than the original mention of his murder. Just 10 days later, March 31, 1979, Linwood, Riley, Fadley, Shoots, 24-year-old, Edrick, Alvin Clark, over some type of drug dispute that involved Duncan Meekens. And his murder literally didn't make the paper at all.

I leaned into a newspaper databases a lot more on this episode than most, trying to find extra details. And Olivia Lee, the initial researcher for this week's episode, she is fantastic with newspaper databases. I feel like she subscribes to all of them and a court document databases as well. Almost nothing about this guy.

Local media still has no idea that there are active serial killers, right? Getting going in Richmond, they're just like, you know, random robbery killings. Nine days later, the cruise tracks again, sadly, you know, we have more details for a more brutal attack in this instance. April 9th, 1979, the bridelies followed 76-year-old Mary W. Gowon as she made her way across town after babysitting her grandchildren at a daughter's house.

So they're following a 76-year-old woman. What the fuck? Mary was attacked on the back steps of her apartment building, a building where she lived with another daughter and more grandkids. She was grabbed, dragged down a basement stairwell. In the basement, she was raped, robbed of what little bit of cash she had on her,

and then shot in the head. Linwood and Duncan were the two who robbed Mary. Linwood evil ringleader, the one who raped her and shot her. Anthony Bradley present during the crime, but not actively involved. Despite being shot in the fucking head, sources don't say what kind of weapon was used, but I'm guessing again, it was something like small caliber like the like 22 Mary managed to drag herself up the damn stairs after her attack. And then this 76 year old made it inside the building, made it to her daughter's door,

knocked on it before collapsing. Right. She was babysitting for another kid of hers across town. Nancy Gowon, Mary's daughter living in the residence. She just knocked on said, my 14 year old daughter is hearing the noise opens the door on the chain finds her grandmother who says three words, I've been raped. And she went into a coma would remain in a coma for 90 days My god Mary died without ever waking up from that coma July 2nd

Same Mary's hospital. So I've been raped for her final words and her 14 year old granddaughter is who heard them Imagine that's you imagine that's your grandma Mary's cause of death listed as complications of gunshot wound to the head According to the state medical examiner's office complications of gunshot wound to the head. According to the state medical examiner's office, Nancy later discussed her feelings about the murder saying, I was angry of course that someone could do something like this. My mother and I had been estranged at the time,

so guilt mixing with the anger, I could never make things right with my mother because this person had taken her away. Weird side note here with Mary's daughter Nancy. Roughly 15 years after her mom is raped and killed by one of the worst serial killers, you know, Richmond has ever known. Nancy is doing outreach work with areas mentally ill and homeless population. And on numerous occasions, she would sit on a piano bench at the shelter with this guy who was tickling the ivory. This guy less

birch art man described as a quiet gets a frenic who would walk around with cotton in his ear sometimes to quiet the voices in his head. She would talk to her touch, she would listen to him play, he would play mostly classical music, he was really good, he seemed kind and gentle so much so she called him Mr. Meek. She would hurry with the work some days so get it done fast so she could sit nearby or on the bench with him and hear him play before heading home. And while she's doing this, she would later find out he was an active serial killer. Dude killed at least three homeless men and four elderly women in their homes,

almost killed another homeless woman, beat her so badly she ended up with 36 skull fractures but somehow lived. He died in prison at the age of 52 and he suspected of killing perhaps around a dozen people. Most of the additional victims, elderly women killed in their homes, right? So very similar to Nancy's mom. He would typically either strangle victims, bash in their

head or bash in their head with a blunt object. Weird dual serial killer connection for Nancy, dual serial killers killers partially targeting older women as well in a city not known for a lot of serial killers in general. Back to the Browley brothers. Three months after killing Mary, July 3rd, 1979, the Browley's assault a very different victim. They see 17-year-old Christopher Phillips standing near Linwood's car. I look like he was like maybe looking in the window, they suspect he's trying to steal the car. And because they suspect that, they drag him into a nearby yard and just start beating the shit out of him. Just aggressively. When he tries to call out for help, Linwood picks up a big old cinder block and smashes his fucking head in.

Brutal. Christopher Phillips found bludgeon to death in a backyard of a house on seminary avenue, not far from the Briley home, the day after being killed on July 4th. Briley's lived on 3117 North Avenue, if you're from the area and curious as to where exactly they lived. A resident of the house where the body was dumped, found the body at 9.45 a.m.

The residence reported hearing noises in the yard at 11.30 p.m. the night before, but the noise stopped. And then they forgot about it until the morning. Detective J.S. Godday said that Christopher was familiar to juvenile officers, but had nothing serious on his record. His death would make the paper, but like barely small article on page C2 of the Richmond Times dispatch. Two and a half months later, September 14th, 1979, the Briley Gang murdered their next victim, a 62-year-old popular country and western music disc jockey named John Harvey Gallagher.

John Gallagher worked for WXCI and went by the nickname of Johnny G. Johnny G's death will get more press but not as much as I would have thought for a popular local DJ. Bottom of page B8. John was performing with his band at the log cabin, a nightclub enrichment. The night he was murdered. He stepped outside for a smoke break and was met by the briles, who had been looking for a victim all night and were just waiting to attack whoever stepped outside the club. How fucking weird is that?

Just ready to attack, whoever popped out. Why? It doesn't seem like they had any sort of plan. It was like from time to time, they just had a hankering to kill somebody. So they just did. It reminds me of kids my age when I was a teen who would just drive around taking a baseball bat to mailboxes, right?

Just for the fuck of it. Or put a simple homemade bomb in a mailbox, right? MP2 leader bottle, some hydrochloric acids, some aluminum foil, the aluminum reacts with the acid, creates a gas, the gas starts to expand, until the plastic can't contain it, and then boom, blown up mailbox. I remember one night, I just walked down the sidewalk,

kicking each street light. I walked past over and over until there's like these little decorative street lights and department complex, until the bull would rock against the glass, you know, decorative glass around the bull hard enough to break it. So the light would go out. So just needlessly shattering one lamp down for another.

Probably broke a dozen or more. Why? I don't know, just wanted to. You know, to quote Lynn Piscott, and if my day keeps going this way, I just might break something tonight. Just fucking felt like breaking stuff. These guys seem to be like that to me, except instead of breaking cheap, easily replaceable light bulbs or smash the mailboxes, they just fucking smashed and killed people. According to court documents, on the night of the robbery, the group had a sought-off shotgun and a high caliber rifle in their car. High caliber rifle.

They partner a log cabin, a quote to see if a possible victim again was going to come out, hit behind some bushes. Just literally hide in the bushes. Linwood had the rifle, Meekins had the shotgun. John came out the back door, walked over to the bushes, had himself a smoke, Linbefuckin popped out of the bushes, rifle in hand, ordered Galler her to life face down. Linbef then took his wallet and keys and ordered Meekins to go find his car. When Meekins came back with Galler her car, the two of them forced Galler her to lie on the rear floor board, Anthony and James initially drove off in the

car before joining the other two in Galler's car. All drove out nearby Mayo Island on the James River. Mayo Island, a privately owned, a little piece of land, according to a 2015 book on the Brideley Brothers. There's now a parking lot and recycling center on the island. In 1979, there was an abandoned paper mill, and it could be easily accessed via this Mayo bridge. When they got to the paper mill, Linwood and Duncan forced Galler out of the car when he started struggling to stand up. Linwood came up with the rifle and shot him and then the

toss his body in the river. Entire event lasted 15, 20 minutes. They left and Galer's car drove around until the tank was almost empty. They stripped the car apart and then abandoned it. And by stripped apart, I mean the group stole a CB radio and it in 10 and then they got six bucks off of Galler six fucking bucks and two pieces of the cheap pawn shop bullshit. The police found John's jacket belt and papers in the parking lot of log cabin also saw what looked like blood on the pavement. John Galler's car found a ninth street September 15th.

The police found blood in the backseat, hair piece next to the car. Someone tried to pry the speakers to the car, someone tried to pry the speakers from the door, but failed. And they found a fingerprint behind the door panel. And that would be Linwood, Briley's fingerprint. Johnny's body found two days after he died, September 16th on Mayo Island, half submerged at the foot of a bank on the James River. September 17th, 1979, the state medical examiner's office determines that John died of a gunshot wound in the back. Police initially thought it was a shot to the chest, but that was the exit wound.

Linwood Riley identified as a suspect when the police found his fingerprints in John's car. He'll later testify as the only witness for the defense of his trial for the murder of John Galler. He testified that he didn't leave home until midnight or 1230, you know, the murder of John Gallagher. He doesn't buy the, he didn't leave home until midnight or 1230, you know, the night of Gallagher's death. When the prosecution said he was killed, Linwood said Duncan Meekens asked for a ride to visit his uncle. He let him out on Jefferson Davis highway, went to a food shop to meet a woman. His car broke down. Eventually, he said that Meekens

pulled back up in a, in a Lincoln, which is weird, because that's the type of car that Gallagher drove. And then drove him to pick up a battery. Meekens offered to up in a Lincoln, which is weird, because that's the type of car that Gallagher drove, and then drove him pick up a battery. Mekens offered to sell him a watch and ring, said he could take parts from the car because his uncle would trade it in. And he paid Mekens for the watch and ring, he said, you know, took some parts. But then the woman in question did not back up his alibi.

She testified that she knew Lynn would, because he had dated her sister, but she hadn't seen her hurt from him in months. So probably she should have picked somebody fucking better to back his play when he tried to throw meek into the bus and blame him for the murder. Two weeks after seamlessly, you know, senselessly killing a local country DJ, September 30th, 1979, now the brides follow 62-year-old nurse, Mary Will Fong, to her apartment. Mary was coming home after working on a private duty nursing case.

Neighbors heard her screaming about 11.15 pm. Ten minutes later, the police received an anonymous phone call reporting a suspicious situation outside Mary's apartment building. Mary was still alive when members of the Tukaho volunteer rescue squad arrived into her apartment, but barely alive. She was sprawled out in the front steps of her apartment building with her keys in her hand and bleeding badly. She was soon pronounced dead of the hospital. She died of a head wound and inflicted with the blunt instrument. Her purse was missing indicating robbery was the motive. Meekens will later testify that they followed Mary with the intention of robbing her and that Linwood took a fucking home run swing at her head with that baseball bat when she refused

to hand him her purse and then down she went. James Bradley drove the car to Mary Wilfong's apartment, but waited in the car according to Meekens. James's defense would argue that he was out of sight during the incident. Meekens will testify that Anthony watched the robbery. Yet again, the initial murder does not make the fucking paper. Articles will come out about it, but only after the bribes are caught, and numerous cases are then connected.

So while the bribes are terrorized in the city, people don't know about it. People will know later, another incident, but right now they don't know what's going on. Just a week later, October 6, 1979, the bribes murder 75 year old Blanche Page and 59 year old Charles Charles Garner her border. Blanche was bludgeoned to death. Charles was beaten with that damn baseball bat again, also stabbed with five knives,

paracezers, and fucking fork. The scissors in the fork were found, you know, sticking out of his back when investigators arrived. An investigator who worked his crime scene said that despite he and his fellow officers you know being no strangers to seeing dead bodies being pretty jaded seen what happened to uh... to these bodies really shook everybody up was brutal use the word overkill to describe it my linwood and his crudest went berserk please believe the murder took place after seven thirty p.m. Saturday October six while when garnered was last year in the yard by neighbor

lances neighbors are already concerned about her before her murder. She was partially paralyzed and rarely left her house. A neighbor noticed the front door open, saw a room in disarray, called the police on the evening of October 7th. Police entered the house, discovered a shocking crime scene, head of homicide, Stuart Cook said, The thing that struck me as soon as I walked in the door was seen up the stairwell, the whole wall and steps were just covered in blood all the way up. My God. Charles Garner found in the kitchen, not just beaten and stabbed pages from a phone book were lit on fire on his back as well. Blanche was found in her bed. Blanche beaten very badly with the baseball bat.

Detective Jim Gade recalled they didn't just hit her. They kept beating on her. I don't care how long you've been a policeman. That's hard to see and take because what somebody can do to a human body is just unbelievable. So both victims here, not just beating the death, beaten far past the point of death.

It appeared that once again, Robert was the motive in the page in Garner murders because the house was ransacked, but nothing of much value was taken. Are the citizens of Richmond now living in fear? No. This double homicide does make the paper, uh, makes the front page of the local news section for the October 8th, 1979 edition.

So page one of the B section, and it's at the bottom of the page. Small article below several big pictures at the top of the page of a bunch of kids playing outside under this headline of a fall day, free for all. Then under that, there's some article about a Republican, US Congress targeting some liberal Virginia representative over some bill, what not, under that stump dump yields a tale of intrigue. It's a story about the local landfill where some Russian embassy employees, I don't know, dumped a bunch of fucking papers and stuff years ago, turned out not to be very interesting actually.

And then under that little type, two found dead in Northside House, reading the article, it comes across as another random burglary that turned violence. I mean, I guess maybe it was good that the local Richmond press in 1979 did not follow that adage of if it bleeds elites. They actually seem to go way in the other direction. If it bleeds, uh, bury it in the back of the paper, put it next

to a sail for tires or something. Yeah. Don't, don't alarm people. Uh, Linwood's defense later presented three witnesses who testified that he was in North Carolina during these murders, but you know, he, no, he wasn't. He was not. One woman testified that Garner and Paige were two months or $200,000 behind on payments to local drug and prostitution ring leaders. She was trying to make the jury think that this was a gang related hit. Does that make sense to you? That appartially paralyzed, nearly bedridden, 75 year old woman, almost never leaves house. And a 59 year old man who rents a room from her downstairs owed $200,000 that they'd

spent on blow and pussy. I don't think so. I don't know if I can buy. Lin would testify that he couldn't remember where he was that weekend, but denied committing the murders. He can testify that Linwood absolutely committed those murders. He said, Blanche was killed first, then Garner, when he was asked by assistant Commonwealth attorney, Robert Rice, how he felt about the murders.

He said, I feel like if I hadn't told Bradley about Garner, bind stuff, he'd still be living. Duncan indicated that Garner occasionally bought stolen property, and they went to the house to Rob Charles, Garner of his pistol collection, but then didn't find the guns. There's still money and a cassette slash radio. And it's this theme of just like not getting much shit from these robberies just continues. Feel like they were in it mostly for the killing. The very next week, October 14, 1979, Duncan Meakins, Fadley Shoots, 32 shoots 32 year old Thomas Saunders Linwood and James were involved in some type of fight

No press once again. This dude. This dude's obituary barely makes the paper like two sentences a few days later Five days later October 19th the bribes commit their most heinous killing This this will actually make the front page later. The killer crew, this is real bad. This is real real bad. The killer crew murdered 27 year old Harvey Wilkerson and his common law wife, 23 year old Judy Diane Barton. Judy had a five year old son named Harvey Wayne Barton

and Judy was eight months pregnant. James, Briley, he promised a judge earlier that same day that he was going to stay out of trouble since he was on parole. But he did not do that in a big way. Uh, at the time, uh, Henrico police investigators, Shirley Engelhart was a surveilling the Briley's inside of van. Uh, some tips had finally started to come in that these fuckers might be up to something. Shirley heard James and Lynn would arguing about whether or not the police were watching them, they approached the van,

looked through the windows, then they started shaking the van that she was in. James even fired a gun into the air, shot again at the ground. Then James said that if the police were inside, they would have to come out after that, which seemed to then make them feel like, you know, the police weren't in the van.

Feeling satisfied, they got another car, they drove off, the crew was still under air and ground surveillance at night But officers, you know lost sight of them Officers who were doing surveillance did hear gunshots later saw the group get into a car and drive off But they didn't know exactly where the gunshots came from Didn't know yet what had happened inside this this bloody house The group had been drinking and smoking weed in the night of this, you know these crimes They discussed robbing Harvey Wilkinson who lived on nearby Barton Avenue.

Harvey was a known dealer of a designer drug that I had never heard of before this week called a praludin. From what I've read, it's a, it's a type of meth substitute is what I would call it. Once a German diet pill and much more popular back in like the 1960s than it is now. The Beatles fucked around with it. So did Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Truman Capote, a bunch of other known people because it was legal for a bunch of years. Random for it to show up here.

Anyway, this group thought that Harvey W. had a large sum of money in his home. Meekens later testified that after dinner at home, he went to the Briley House where they drank, they smoked some weed. Then they got into Linwood's car and drove to Barton Avenue to rob some guy named Harvey. Linwood later testified that he as brothers and meekens went to Wilkinson's house to buy weed. He said he knocked on the door but he no-one answered. And we left, man, he saw three dudes across the streets, pretty suspicious, one of whom

was a drug dealer. Those guys must have done it, not me. The bribery crew headed to Wilkinson's house in a car driven by Linwood. James bought or brought a shotgun. Linwood brought a 22 caliber pistol. When they got to the house, they hid in the shed to wait for some visitors to leave.

Once the visitors left, this is all according to Macon's, the crew approached Harvey's front door. When he saw the group coming, he first locked his door, but then he was frightened of what the group would do to him if he refused to let them in so he unlocked it, which would be a big mistake. James and Linwood go in first, followed by Anthony and Duncan.

James and Linwood quickly tie up Harvey Wilkerson. They tie up Judy Barton with electrical tape around their arms and legs. Act like they're gonna rob him. They're gagged, they're laying on the floor now, they're five year old son, they're Harvey Wayne. Also, you know, told light down on the floor, but not bound.

While Anthony and James go upstairs, Mekin says he saw Linwood start to drag Judy into the kitchen. Mekin said that Judy's pants had already been pulled down. He didn't see Linwood Raper, but assumed strongly based on what he heard, that's exactly what fucking happened. And it was happening in front of her son and with an ear shot of her husband.

I mean, truly can't imagine. This is like worst nightmare shit. Mekin said that he then raped Judy who again is eight months pregnant after Linwood left the kitchen after he likely raped her. After Mekin's was done, James entered the kitchen, started to unzip his pants meekens did not see him rave duty but again assumes that that's what happened so her third attacker now all in front of or nearly in front of you know husband and son these guys have become subhuman fucking monsters then when james leaves the kitchen linwood drags jutey back into the living room to kill her while they were in the house linwood gave gave Duncan a 38 caliber silver darenger,

which he said he took from Harvey. He gave James Briley the 22, they brought with him. James gave Linwood the shotgun, according to Macon's Linwood soon left the house to start up the car. First, the little boy, Harvey Wayne, shot in the head in front of his parents. Then according to Macon's, both Harvey and Judy

covered with sheets. While he was looking to the front door people people he heard a gunshot when he turned around He saw James Bradley standing over Judy the sheet on her head turning bloody red James held a pillow in his hand told Duncan you go get one or you got to get one So now Harvey senior, you know has just heard maybe seen his wife get raped by three dudes Also in front of his son then watch his son be executed then his wife get raped by three dudes, also in front of his son, then watch his son be executed, then his wife is killed. I can't even fucking process what you would feel having all that happen, right? That's an unfathomable amount of trauma to think about experiencing, right?

These motherfuckers. Duncan now picked up a pillow, covered Harvey Wilkinson's head, shot into it, dropped the 38, picked up the 22 rifle, which was near the door and runs into the street. He hears more gunshots, James and Anthony then run out behind him. Judy Barton ended up being shot four times. Harvey Wayne is dead. Harvey each shot once. The bullet found in Harvey Wayne's body was 38 caliber.

The bullets found in Judy's body, a bullet found in the couch and casings on the floor, all 22 caliber forensic expert later stated that neither the 38 bullet nor the 22 bullets in case he could have been fired from the 22 rifle found after the murders, you know, it was fired from the pistol, 22 pistol, 38 pistol, using these killings was never found. During cross examination by James Bradley's defense about discrepancies in his testimony and pretrial statements later, Duncan will admit that he was present when two more shots were fired and then he actually saw James shoot Harvey B. That will get to a Y later. He did this. The group left the house in the car driven by Linwood. His car had a police scanner.

So they learned the police were following them. They stopped the car. Duncan attempted to hide the 22 rifle from the Wilkinson House. Linwood dropped the shotgun they brought from the Briley's house over a fence. The shotgun rifle pistol holder will be found later by local residents. The group abandoned their car when they learned the police are still surveilling them. Duncan said that then the money from the robbery was divided up that evening. And he got about 100 bucks. Whole fucking family annihilated. Mother raped in front of her son and husband and they got a, you know, couple hundred bucks.

Life is real cheap for this crew. Mother raped in front of her son and husband, and they got a, you know, couple hundred bucks. Life is real cheap for this crew. Two days later, October 21st, the bodies of the Wilkinson family are found. The bribes had released Harvey Wilkinson's pet boa constrictors before they left, so animal control had to clear the house before the police could enter. Apparently in Richmond, Virginia, in the 70s,

fucking boa constrictors with the pets to half. I remember hearing about as many boa constrictors in an episode before. There were also two puppies loose in the house. According to former head of homicides, two were cooked. The police got a call that the couple hadn't been seen in a while. And neighbors were concerned. Front door was open. Officers testify the house was ransacked.

Drowers open, contents thrown around, you know, bedstripped the sheets, two guns stolen from the house. On the evening of October 22nd, the beles and Duncan Meakins are now finally arrested. Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. ended up chasing Linwood Brieles as he wove through traffic. Thought it was strange how as he chased him, Linwood always seemed to stay one step ahead of him. Prosecutor Robert Rice also in the vehicle following Linwood said every time we'd make a conversation that they were turning right, they would turn left. And we'd say they're turning left because they were given the signal and then they would

turn right. Finally, we just had enough of it. I said, just put them into the pole or into a pole. They did. Linwood jumped out of the car, leaving his father and Duncan inside the car after crashing into a utility pole. And then the police later found a scanner inside which explained how Linwood was able to outmaneuver them. He would hear them talking about what they were about to do when he would do the poll. And then the police later found a scanner inside which explained how Linwood was able to outmaneuver them, right? He would hear them talking about what they

were about to do when he would do the opposite. Linwood ended up being chased down and then surrender before being shot dead in the street. After their arrest, Duncan Meakens said Linwood told the police, you know, Linwood, I'm sorry, after their arrest, Duncan Meakens and Linwood Riley were told that the police were investigating the Barton Avenue murders. Duncan was a minor, so he was not questioned until his parents arrived. The officers gave Duncan a summary of his and the Briley's movements before and after the murders and described the crime scene. They took off Duncan's shoes, which they suspected he wore the night of the murders, leaving prints in the blood at the house. Duncan's parents encouraged him to tell the truth. He gave a statement admitting he was there with the Briley him to tell the truth. He gave a statement

admitting he was there with the bribes. And then the next day he got a lawyer on October 25th, he made a detailed confession where he admitted to killing Harvey and implicated himself in the bribes and the robbery murders and rapes. And Duncan then proceeded in an attempt to keep himself off a death row to detail all the other crimes they had committed, including many of the police didn't think they were responsible for. Also revealed that James went back into the Barton Avenue house after the murders to steal a TV. It's just fucking crazy.

To head back into that blood bath because you want to get a TV to what? Sell to a pawn shop. James and Anthony soon turned themselves in at the Richmond Police headquarters. The arrest of this crew in connection to these murders is what made the cover of the October 23rd, 1979 issue of the Richmond Times dispatch. Three men, juvenile, held in three Northside deaths. Detective Godday later said the group didn't seem to think the police had any evidence against him and were unwilling to talk shortly after their arrest. He told Linwood, this is serious. You could get the electric chair. And he said that Linwood, this is serious, you can get

the electric chair. And he said that Linwood threw up his arms and said, I'll take it like a man. Didn't seem bothered at all showed no fear, no remorse, no fear. Every group member charged with a Barton Avenue murders and many other charges will soon follow, like so many charges. John Gallagher's friend and, uh, former detective, Leroy Morgan helped with the interrogation at the, uh, at that point, no one knew that the brother had killed Johnny G. But then Morgan noticed a turquoise ring on Linwood's finger. And he recognized it as John's ring because he was with John when he bought that fucking ring.

How surreal. Morgan later told the Richmond Times dispatch, I'm not a violent person, but I sure could have, well, it wouldn't have taken much for me to have jumped in. Yeah, I bet he knows now that that motherfucker killed his friend. John Gallagher's watch, found in the Briley House, more in criminating evidence,

Linwood charged with John Gallagher's murder. According to an affidavit, Linwood admitted that he was in Gallagher's vehicle admitted to stealing a CB radio in Teno, wheel cover, jumper cables, and the ring, but you know, didn't murder him. October 26, 1979, Linwood is charged with capital murder for the death of Charles Garner and murder for the death of Blanche Page,

also charged with robbing Charles Garner and the rape of Judy Barton, same day, James and Anthony charged with the murder of John Gallagher. Both James and Anthony charged with abducting and robbing Gallagher and use of a firearm in commission of a felony. James additionally charged with raping Judy Barton. November 1st, Anthony, Linwood and James charged with the murder of Mary Willfong. Each charged with capital murder and robbery linwood and anthony also charged with attacking william in virginia butchered

uh... charge with attempted murder arson breaking and entering with intent to commit robbery and two counts using a firearm in commission of a robbery november twenty-eight duncan meekens testifies that he shot harvie wakerson as part of a deal he made with prosecutors to confess to his crimes but also testify against the Bryley brothers in exchange for a guarantee that he would not

get the death penalty. He admitted to raping Judy Barton. Meekens gave almost four hours of testimony. After hearing Meekens testimony, a judge certified the following charges to a grand jury. Linwood Bryley, five counts of murder, three counts of robbery, four counts of using firearms in the commission of felonies, 1 charge of rape, James Briley, 3 counts of murder, 4 counts of using weapons in the commission of felonies, 1 count of robbery, 1 charge of rape, Anthony Briley, 3 counts of murder, 4 counts of using firearms in the commission of felonies, 1 count of robbery,

and then Duncan Meekens charged with the murder of John Gallerham. And they each had committed a lot more crimes than these. These were just the crimes the state had the most evidence for at that time. And you know, these crimes charges were more than enough to send this crew to death, real or prison for life. Linwood, Briley's trial for the Barton Avenue murders started on January 10th, 1980, the first of so fucking many trials.

I've never come across so many trials in an episode. and testify that Lindwood was not present when the murders took, murders took place. What said the Lindwood and his brothers planned to rob Harvey? January 12, 1980, Lindwood found guilty of the Barton Avenue murders and received five life sentences. Also found guilty of using a firearm during five felonies and received five one-year sentences. Joe's not to make a statement before his sentencing. January 18, Linwood found guilty of more shit.

Guilty of two counts of first degree murder for the murders of Blanche Page and Charles Garner receives a life sentence. The jury deliberated for two days and chose not to convict him of capital murder, which meant he would not receive the death penalty for this, you know, for these charges. Also found guilty of robbery and sentenced to 20 years in prison with an additional one of your sins for using a firearm in the commission of a robbery. When asked if he wanted to speak, he said, not guilty, your honor, that's all. And then the judge said, wait, what was that?

And he just repeated, I'm not guilty, your honor, that's all. And the judge was like, hold on, hold on. Are you telling me your guilty? Or that you're not guilty, your honor. That's all. And the judge was like, hold on, hold on. Are you telling me your guilty or that you're not guilty? And he was just like, I'm not guilty. And that's when the judge let him go. He's like, why didn't you just say that at the beginning? He's silly old goose. We don't put not guilty people in jail. Yeah, get out of here. Go on, get. Yeah, yeah, run along. You silly little rascal. No, Jackie, of course. James Bradley's capital murder trial started on January 23rd, 1980, facing four counts of capital murder for the Barton Avenue murders. James claimed that on the night of the murders, he was at home, except for a couple of instances when he went to the store. But then on January

24th, Duncan Meekins revealed what he claimed was the truth said that James shot Harvey Barton. Meekins said he was held the info because he feared for his younger sister. Richard W Meekin's fucking dick. Meekin's thank God we finally got some dick. His father spoke in court about a threatening letter he received about his daughter. Meekin said that he had not always told the truth and tried to help James by withholding information. He testified that he was in the house when two more shots were fired and heard one more

as he fled. When previously he said he heard a shot while looking outside. And when he turned around, saw James standing over Judy with a pistol. In the original story, James told him to get one and he shot Harvey. He fled, heard more gunshots than he was when he was outside. Next day, January 25, James Bradley found guilty to counsel Capitol murder. And the jury voted to impose the death penalty. James also found guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, rape, and five counts of using a firearm. During the commission of a felony, jury sentenced into life 40 years, 20 years,

and one year for the firearm offenses. As James was led out of court, he made a gesture with his right hand and said, thanks y'all. Weird. Pulles for a photographer and said, you be sure to tell the man that I didn't do it. Someone else did.

And the brothers are going to find him. Said the brothers like they're some fucking band of righteous vigilantes. February 19th, Jury is selected for the capital murder trial of Linwood Briley for the murder of John Gallerher, right? Still being tried for more crimes. February 21st, found guilty. Linwood is of capital murder. Next day, February 22nd, jury votes to impose the death penalty on him as well. The boy's father, James

Briley senior, pleased guilty now to obstruction of justice on February 26, 1980, for his testimony at a pretrial hearing. He received a 12 month jail sentence suspended for two years. During that hearing, he testified that he told police his son's paid rent, which was not true. And this was important because if they had paid rent, then James senior's permission to the police to search their rooms without a warrant, you know, might not have been valid. March 4th, 1980, the judge affirmed the jury's death penalty for James Briley. And now James says in court, I'll always say I didn't do it. I'll always know I didn't. March 10th, judge affirms the death penalty for

Linwood. Another jury was then selected on March 18th for Anthony Briley's murder trial. So many fucking trials. March 19th, 19th, Anthony Briley found guilty of three counts first green murder for the Barton Avenue murders. The jury fixed his punishment as 109 years in prison 30 years for each murder 15 years for robbery for one year sentences for the use of a firearm. Anthony told the judge that he was convicted of something I did not do, a crime I did not commit.

Yeah, they're always innocent. You know, all three brothers were framed time and time and time again in trial after trial after trial. Duncan Meacon testified that Anthony ransacked Wilkerson apartment and was present during the murders. Prosecutor argued that Anthony was just as guilty as the others. April 30th, 1980, the judge upholds the verdicts and Anthony Briley's case. He sentenced to 109 years in prison.

For all his convictions, we'll be eligible for parole though after just a dozen years. But then there's more stuff coming. May 27th, murder and robbery charges are certified against all three briley brothers for the death of Mary Willfong in Henrico County. Linwood charges capital murder and robbery, James and Anthony charge with first degree murder in robbery. 16 charges against Anthony and Linwood from the butcher, March 1979 incident are dismissed. They have more than enough charges to go around. June 23rd, 19th, jury selection completed for Anthony Browley's trial in the John Gallagher case. It fucking

continues. More trials, more juries. I will say all these trials were quick though. Test somebody showed that Anthony did not kill Gallagher, but according to me, can see participated in planning an abduction. June 24th, Anthony found guilty of murder and abduction. This new jury gives him a life sentence plus 10 years. So now that whole possibility of parole and it does years, well, that's fucking shit on, that's gone. Anthony told the judge, I just like to say that I'm not guilty. And I will always know that I didn't do the crimes I've been charged with.

Okay, yeah, thanks for speaking out. That's great. That adds a lot to this. Linwood, Bradley's trial for the murder of Mary Wolfong starts August 19. I can't remember another case in a situation where all the crimes occurred in the same damn state where there were so many fucking trials for the same series of crimes. Getting it's because you know there were four different perpetrators involved in a lot of different crimes and if you tried everything together in one case, it was just overwhelmed and confused the jury. Linwood's defense argued that he was home with his family, playing cards with friends and

neighbors when Mary was killed and that he went to the state fair later that evening, but he didn't. Another alibi falls apart, Duncan testifies against him and then September 4, Linwood Riley found guilty of capital murder. Robbery in this case sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years for robbery. Jury would have reached his verdict sooner, but there was a two week continuance because the defense witness got sick.

And now, you guess what's coming up next? Yes, another trial, but don't worry, it's almost over. And way more interesting shit is coming up soon afterwards. Anthony Briley went to trial for first degree murder in robbery in this case of 10th or 23rd, 1980. So 10th or 25th, Anthony found guilty of robbery, acquitted of the first-degree murder, and gets another 20-year sentence tacked on to all the other shit. James Briley sent to go to trial for this case now, October 1980, but he waives a jury trial. He says, like, I'm fucking done. Come on. October 28th, James convicted a first-degree

murder and robbery, receives two consecutive 20-year terms added to everything else. October 29th, Anthony Pryley sentenced to 20 years for robbery by a judge, bringing his total prison time to life plus another 139 years. And he got the least amount of sentencing for the brothers. November 14th, 1980, Duncan Meakens, pleads guilty to robbery and murder in Henrico County. Since 20 years for robbery, life sends for murder suspended indefinitely.

Almost done with this section, but first, January 29th, 1981. Now 17 year old Duncan Meakens pleads guilty to three murders and robbery, right? Sentence to life in prison plus 80 years as part of his plea agreement. Meakens fled guilty to the murders of Harvey Wilkerson, Charles Garner and John Gall's fled guilty to the murders of Harvey Wilkerson, Charles Garner and John Gallerher

and to the robbery of Harvey Wilkerson. We'll be eligible for parole after 13 and a half years. Then Richmond Circuit Judge James B Wilkerson initially rejects the plea bargain because it called for a suspended sentence for one of the murder convictions and said, I'm not going to give a suspended sentence for the vialist rampage of rape murder

and robbery the court has seen in 30 years. The agreement was updated to include 30-year sentences for two murders. As part of his plea deal, Meekins taken to an undisclosed state to serve out a sentence under a fake name. And why would that happen? Well, because he was worried with very good reason that the briley brothers were going to have him killed in prison for testifying against him. And now we are fucking finally done with the trial stuff and getting to another especially

interesting part of this case. May 31, 1904, Linwood and James briley, along with four other inmates, attempt to escape from the Mecklenburg Correctional Center. At that time, this place was Virginia's toughest, maximum security prison, a place thought to be virtually impossible to escape from. A place bill specifically to quote the, to house quote the worst of the worst. At the opening ceremony 1976, governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr. stated that the facility served as a monument to failure.

As the inmates to be housed, they were viewed as the most incorrigible and likely unable to be returned to a free society. The other escape, you know, or the inmates who attempt escape included Lem, Tuggle, Jr., Earl, Clinton, Jr., a lot of juniors. Derek Peterson and Willie Lee Roy Jones, and they would collectively be called the Mecklenburg 6. Lam Tuggle had been sentenced to death for the rape and capital murder of a woman in 1983. In 1971, he had strangled a girl and went to prison, then was released on parole just months before the 1983 murder.

Willie Lee Roy Jones murdered an elderly couple, Graham and Myra Adkins May 13, 1983. Derek Peterson killed a grocery store manager during the 1982 robbery. And Earl Cland murdered an elementary school library in the 1980. Thought that he killed her when she refused to tell him where the wizard fireball scrolls from the library of Alexandria were hidden. Or he killed a 38 year old school librarian in a burglary where he got eight fucking dollars. This was the second time it had been involved in a robbery where somebody got killed. One of the escape conspirators, death row in mate Dennis Stockton would decline to go with the group because he had new evidence shown

that he was not guilty of the murder of the puttyman death row. Stockton was on death row for committing the murder for hire of a 17 year old boy. He had escaped from other correctional facilities before, but then I've obviously been captured. Many details about the escape attempt will come from Stockton's diary. He should have tried to leave with the other six because the new evidence would not end up exonerating him and he will be executed via lethal injection in 1995. Details from his diary corroborated by investigators reported to the reported by the Richmond Times dispatch. Here are some details.

Some guards responsible for the control room that maintained access to death row cells would open the control room door if an inmate wanted to pass an item to someone in another section of the two story cell block known as the C pod and building one. Like you'd basically write a lot about how he's getting a little loosey goosey. A bathroom door sometimes unlocked, a joint the control room area, meaning that prisoners who filed in or out of the tier could duck into the bathroom unnoticed at times. If inmates returning from recreation weren't ordered to go directly to their cells, it was easy to create confusion over head counts while they milled about, chatted, or darted from one cell to another.

The prison's five match buildings were full of stairwell hiding places, blocked lines of sight and prison yard obstructions. Its design once hailed as state of the art was described after the escape by politicians and experts alike as archaic. The bathroom door being unlocked near the control room will be a key part of the escape plan. In late 1983, one of James Brielly's female friends was caught trying to sneak him a loaded revolver.

She was arrested. Now there was word of an escape plan floating around the prison. This almost kills their escape attempt, probably should have, but didn't. Harold Catron, assistant warden at Mecklenburg in 1984, approached the warden and told him that he needed to lock the inmates up.

They were locked up for two weeks, but the director said they had to be released to the cell block after that. Around the time they escaped, there was a lot of legal actions being taken by prisoners' rights advocates that ended up decreasing confinement levels for inmates. Harold told the Richmond Times Dispatch, it was unbelievable to me that we were in a position of having to allow death row inmates to congregate with one another up until 10 11 PM a night in the day room. That's how the brides were able to operate to gain control of what was going on. Two brides brothers and four others would soon try and escape even after the inmates,

some of them other other inmates, warn prison staff that they were trying to break out. April of 1984 lawyer Jay Lloyd Snoke representing four of these other inmates told lawyers in the state attorney general's office about the escape attempt in detail. Deathsrow was then put on lockdown from late April to late May, but officers didn't find any of the contrabrand that Snoke had mentioned. So, you know, it was, it was over the lockdown ended. Then another inmate, Dennis Stockton, Warren prison staff about the escape, trying to gain favor or something. Assistant Warden Harold again wanted to extend the lockdown in this situation, but told no.

So, all this is going on. Linwood and James Briley, they are running shit in death row. I mentioned earlier how, you know, they're all about toughness and they were fucking tough. People consistently just wanted to please Linwood even guards and people were scared of Linwood and James even the guards. According to Joe Jackson author of Life on Death Row in America, Linwood and James were running a successful drug business before their escape attempt. Guards would bring the drugs in and they would have fellow inmates sell the drugs to both

inmates and other guards. It's crazy to me. Dennis Doxan's diary, I guess not totally crazy, I have to watch a lot of prison documentaries over the years. But man, the level of planning and patience and sneaking estate to make this work. Dennis Doxan's diary would reveal what was going on in death row. Somehow the Brieles even managed to start growing weed

in their death row cells. How the fuck? I've never heard of that one before. Also had an information and supply network inside the prison. The Times Dispatch reported, Linwood, Briley, Stockton related had a mesmerizing control over other inmates. James was a proudly, nervous enforcer according to Stockton and post-escape investigative findings.

Lieutenant James Letner, head of general investigations for the state police bureau of criminal investigation, who later wrote a report on the escape attempt, noted a lack of communication between admin and guards. He called the death row officers some of the most grossly incompetent people I have ever come across. He didn't hold back.

What they allowed to happen was just remarkable to me. He did know we never turned up any indication that there were any sort of conspiracy between the Braille's and the guards. Oh, I'm convinced that didn't happen. They were just incompetent. James Braille would talk about the escape attempt later in April of 1985. He said they planted for two full years. He said that he and Linwood spent time developing friendships with guards. It was more or less using their own system and turning it against him. He said, he said the officers were just computerized to do certain things. The inmates plan their escape by studying officers and their procedures.

They ended up crafting weapons, some serious weapons out of some lawn equipment as well. They threw out maps. They threw out a series of steps and waited for the perfect moment. May 31, 1984, the moment is arrived. That day, the six inmates that were going to try and escape, shaved their heads so they could look like guards when they tried to make a run for it. There were 24 men on death row at that time, about 12. We're apparently aware of the escape plan. Stockton documented a conversation between himself and inmate Lim Tuggle on the evening of the escape attempt. He said, Tuggle, Tuggle, told him, we're going to leave

tonight and I need to know how to get away from here. Can you tell me which roads run into North Carolina and where they are? I'm talking with Anxious about being forced to drive the getaway vehicle. That night between 8 and 8, 30, most of the death row inmates gathered in front of the threshold of C pod, which was a section of death row. The guards working that night did not do a head count. Pretty big fuck up. Inmate Earl Clinton, Jr. snuck into the control room restroom that unlocked door and then locked it. When a nurse then tried to go into the bathroom and get some water to give out to some inmates for their medications.

She complains about the locked door. That's when James Briley set the plan into motion according to Stockton's diary. Briley told the control room guards that he overheard someone else saying that the plumbing wasn't working. So the guards now decide to send the nurse somewhere else to get some water. Around 9 p.m. James asked the guard to get him a book. Books were kept in a day room next to the control room. When the control room door was open to go access the day room, James brought it in, called out with a signal to Earl Clanton who had been hiding in the bathroom.

He now pops out of the bathroom over powers the guard in the control room. And then Clanton opens every fucking cell door on death row. The guards working in that area are quickly overpowered. This is terrifying. If you're working a strip of their uniforms taped up and restrained. The six inmates making a break for it now pick uniforms that fit them best and put them on. Soon some additional guards enter the block because they're worried about a recent lack

of communication. They haven't heard anything. They're overpowered and taken hostage. It's crazy. James Briley because he was a fucking psychopath like his brother, Linwood. Now decide he wants to pour rubbing alcohol on some of the guards and set him on fire. But another inmate Willie Lloyd Turner stops him. Linwood now decides he wants to rape the nurse. Of course, that crazy fucked it.

But inmate Wilbert Lee Evan stops him. Linwood now decides he wants to rape the nurse. Of course, that crazy fucked it. But inmate Wilbert Lee Evan stops him. Well, this incident inside this block lasts for about 90 minutes. The warden during this time has no idea. Shit has gone horribly wrong on death row. When a prisoner then manages to trick a lieutenant into thinking that he's a guard and overpowering the lieutenant, the six guys going for or able now to get out of death row. Now with the knife against his throat, the lieutenant is forced to request a van. Also informs a guard that the death row inmates had a bomb and they needed a van to transport the bomb out of the prison for safety issues, obviously. So now a guard quickly drives a van over.

The six inmates, meanwhile, they put on riot gear, they got a hold of helmets, gas masks, and shields. The group next needs to get out of building one where the main control room is located. A female guard outside of building one receives a message That there is an outside call. The lieutenant tells the guard that someone is on the way To cover the control room while she takes the call. The guard opens the door. See someone walking towards her inmate Derek L. Peterson One of the six, right, disguised, now overpowers her and calls James, you know, Riley, right? Let's burn all these motherfuckers alive, Riley. The group runs out of building one with the fake bomb on a gurney now covered by blanket.

It was actually a TV covered by blanket and two inmates kept spraying it with the fire extinguishers, right, for dramatic effect. They put the bomb in the van, they ordered the guard to opened the doors to lift the van out of the facility. She initially refuses, but eventually they convinced her to do it remarkably, no one is seriously injured during this escape attempt. And the group reportedly stole $758 bucks and cash from some of the guards and made off with a bunch of the weed that they were fucking growing somehow in prison. And did I say escape attempt earlier? No, they made it out. All six guys, it is the biggest death throw prison escape

to this day in US history. Records manager Jerry Davis later said this about the escape. It was a freak happening. They walked out, they did not break out. You have to remember that. It took human error for them to escape. Well, they just drove the fuck on out of prison at 1047 pm in disguises. Stay police reporter noted that the prison command did not learn about the escape for another 30 minutes

until 11 15 pm, you know, 28 minutes, if you're counting the minutes exactly. And then more of a fuck up, stay police not notified until after 11 30 pm by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office not the prison. So these six murders have around a 45 minute head start. Governor not notified until between 1.32 a.m. the entire city of Richmond terrified when news comes out about the escape to follow in the morning. The general public didn't know what the Brides were up to when they were killing, but now they had known the truth about them for years. And now two of the three brothers, the worst two by far are loose. Many people purchase guns in the coming days. Those associated with the trials

of the killers or relatives and friends of victims are offered police protection after this game. This is so fucked up. It is funny to me. Right after the escape, one of Warren Vaughn Schuch's neighbors put up a sign that said, Von Shook lies over there with an arrow pointing to Warren's house. Von Shook was a richman assistant Commonwealth attorney and lead prosecutor. Ha ha! In the Riley murder case, that's so fucked up. That was a kind of funny.

Like, what have you hated one of your neighbors? And then some murder with an axe to grind against them escaped from death row. Like, would you be tempted to help him find them? Like, if that happened now, it feels like it would take place on social media, just like with like a series of TikTok videos or something. Just please share this video, everybody. Linwood.

Linwood, if you're watching, Warren lives at 4367 Wall on Avenue, split level rancher, his bedroom window is on the northeast side of the building, facing the backyard. He's asleep by 11 p.m. Every night, leaves the garage unlocked. Has guns, keeps all them locked up, has them in the range in years. Animal boxes are covered in dust. You fucking got this. I love you.

Let's fucking go share this video. 2019. Eight news will speak with three of the officers who are working during the prison escape. Former correctional officer Prince Thomas, former shift commander, Larry Hawkins, and officer Coraline Epps. After the inmates put on the guard's uniforms, they radioed officers in other areas of the prison,

bringing them to the control room. Larry Hawkins said, when I got up to the top of the stairway, I saw an inmate I knew, and he had an officer uniform on. So as I turned to go back down steps, that's when I met James Riley Cohen of the steps. He He had a shank put it to my neck, said, if I tried anything, he would kill me. This is like this, like some

thought of a movie. I can't believe a movie has been made about this officer Prince Thomas told eight news. When I get up there, I see in mate Joe Guirantano in the control room. I knew something was wrong. I ran back down the stairs. James Briley and Lem Tuggle came up behind me with shanks, shanks around my neck through my legs. Thomas also saw Linwood Briley with a fucking lawnmower blade, made him a shetty out of a lawn tool. He took from the yard. Of course he did. He's the fucking neakin of death row, holding his Lucille now. Linwood said, if I thought you were lying, I'd kill you now. They undressed him, took off his uniform. He saw other officers

lined up on the steps officer. Thomas said that they were all locked up in a closet behind the shower. Right? This is like the fucking purge movie. He's setting this prison. Officer Epps overpowered in the control room. She was terrified that the inmates were going to rape her and murder her. She was thinking about her newborn baby at home. She was taken to a room, but there are inmate Earl Clan prevented anyone from raping her. He told her he was a father and said, I'm not going to let anyone come in here and hurt you. You have my word. Earl following being captured after escaping will still be executed in the electric chair in 1988 for strangling a neighbor in a 1980 robbery. Interviewed over 35 years later, some of these officers still traumatized by

what had happened to them. Officer Ep said that she had to take anxiety medication, had difficulty sleeping. Officer Thomas said he hadn't slept at the night since 1984. Officers also criticized by their colleagues. That with that stress, Officer Ep said, I felt very underappreciated or unappreciated because I didn't give up my life. I was being blamed.

They didn't care if we lived or died. They put me on a lie detector test and tried to say I was part of the escape and I had failed the polygraph and let me go. Five officers were fired after the escape. Epses one of them. Hawkins and Thomas questioned for several days, but you know, not fire. But I will say, you know, a lot of sources talk about how, yes, terrible what happened these guards, but also that they were fucking completely incompetent and not good at their jobs on any level. Derek Peterson or Earl Clandon were caught quick. They were found in a laundromat and warranted North Carolina the next day.

June 1st, their prison shoes gave them away. Fucking idiots. Escape from death row, but you can't just like go barefoot or steal some shoes from a thrift store or something real quick. Police also found the stolen prison van that day. Right. They ditched it stole some other vehicles. Uh, week later, June 8, Lehm Tuggle, the van driver captured in Woodford, Vermont by

local police officer after he pulled a knife on a gift store clerk in a robbery. He made it quite a waste, disinsewise. Tuggle confessed that they got, uh, out of the stolen truck in Philadelphia, Tuggle also said he saw the bribes stuffed their stolen uniforms into a tree hollow there. And then admitted to driving Willie Jones up to the border, then Willie was arrested a few hours later Vermont, just a few miles from the Canadian border. Fucking almost free Willie, almost makes it. Why would Lem rat on him? He was going to go back to death row anyway, whether he rat it or not, he was still going to be executed, whether he rat it or not. He was executed by the state in 1996.

Wonder if Willie ever found out, you know, what he did. Willie was fried in the lecture chair in 1992. The briley brothers, they're still on the loose. Please start a surveillance of the briley's friends and relatives after the escape, paying close attention to the briley's uncle, Johnny Lee Council, who lived on the north side of Philadelphia. After getting the, you know, the Philly details from a limb rat toggle about stealing truck and Philly and the Briley stuff and prison prison uniforms into that tree hollow.

The FBI gathered information about the relatives in the area through prison records. FBI spent the days leading up to the arrest stalking out council's home and repair shop on June 19th, 1994, nearly three weeks after escaping, they do arrest James and Linwood Briley and Philly. Please find the Briles by tapping phone lines and unidentified individual New York was under surveillance at that time.

They got a phone call that was traced to an auto repair garage in North Philly, an FBI informant sent out to check out the garage. June 19th is out two men who sure looked a lot like Linwood and James Bri Bradley. James and Linwood were active in the neighborhood, which is crazy to me. James gave himself a nickname, a slim Linwood lucky, just slim and lucky, just fucking around in Philly. What could go wrong? James and Linwood listened to media coverage of their escape with a garage owner, Dan Latham, who didn't know the real identities, but that's pretty balzy, because they showed their pictures on the news. They were recaptured in Philly by the FBI 9.51 PM. They were caught grilling chicken in the alley, like in an alley behind their uncle's house.

They were completely surprised, but arrested without incidents. Guys, grilling chicken in an alley, and almost 10 at night on a Tuesday. You just can't fucking let your uncle grill it for you for the next day? Or, you know, wait for the next day or something. I mean, smart enough to escape, but just kind of arrogant it feels like. Like, they just couldn't lay low for a few months. Just thought they could just be out in the open and out smart people. Like, why didn't they stay inside?

You know, hollow out part of the floor or something. Watch TV, grow some weed, sell later to help your uncle. Maybe try and sneak into Canada, something other than grilling chicken in a fucking alley. Just a few weeks after breaking out. June 20th, there are Uncle Johnny Council charged with harboring criminals. James Briley said, as you walk past reporters

on the night of his arrest, I am innocent and that's it. I want to talk to the governor. I am innocent of everything that was done in Virginia. And then Linwood Briley said, much ado about Satan. Yes, his eye, Billy Shakes, the ghost of William Shakespeare, the world's most diabolical killer. They turned from the grave once again. You can arrest the body, but you can never confine my dark and tormented soul. All the worlds are stage, and all of them and women merely actors.

Waiting for me, Billy Shakes, to write their tortured roles and death scenes and the most fiendish of all whole place. The bodies will continue to fall. And then you snap that out of a trance and it was like, wait, what? The fuck you Packer was looking at? Uh, no, he didn't say anything. I'm not sure if anyone other than me likes the recurring, really, shakes gag, but still makes me chuckle. Uh, after Linwood and James were recaptured, they were ordered to be held on $10 million bail.

Johnny Lee Council's bail set at $8 million. Once returned to Virginia, there would be no more grown weed in their cells, no more running death row, no more hanging out with other inmates at 11 p.m. Everything had changed. Shit locked down way tighter now. New cameras installed in a bunch of places, a whole bunch of upgrades, better guards, and then they will quickly be killed. Caught on June 19, 1984, 30 year old Linwood Briley executed by the electric chair less than four months later

October 12th 194 browns dead at 11 o'clock O5 PM His mother Bertha visited her son allowed to hug him before he died His brother James wanted to stay with his brother right up until his death had to be shocked twice with a stun gun so he could be taken away He said I told him I wouldn't leave my brother. I wouldn't walk out. Linwood's final meal was a steak, baked potato, peas, salad, rolls with butter, cake, peaches, punch, and milk. 19 inmates signed a petition to say to hunger strike to try and protest

his execution, to try and save him, but 11 of them, you know, quickly gave up on it, which I get. I mean, it's death row. Food's one of the last pleasures you have there. Probably not going to like want to skip out a bunch of meals. There were 500 demonstrators for and against the death penalty outside the prison, the NWACP, Linwood's attorney, black ministers group, petition governor Charles Robb to spare him, but the governor did not halt the execution and the Supreme Court refused four times to hear appeals. Deborah Wyatt, Linwood's defense attorney told the press, he made it a little easier on everyone by being exceedingly brave and he maintained his innocence.

Those were his last words. However, Richmond PD's head of homicides tour cook said he was not brave. He was coward in his final moments. He said that Linwood had to be sedated and carried to the electric chair because he was so afraid to die. I'll surprise that doesn't happen more often actually. Like why make it easy for them to kill you? But I guess also, I mean, you know, fight as much as you want.

It's still gonna happen. Little over six months later, March 28th, 1975, weeks before he was executed, James Briley gets married. He marries 44-year-old, Evangeline Grant Redding, a writer and activist, like anti-death penalty activist. Evangeline was a former broadcast journalist with 10 years of experience in public television. I've been a freelance writer since 1976. Divorced with four kids.

She hoped the marriage would add credibility to her efforts to win Bradley's release from prison. Wedding took place in James' cell with Evangeline standing outside. She told the associate of press, we held hands. I even got a few kisses. Oh, how fucking lovely. Banjolene standing outside, she told the associate of press, we held hands, I even got a few kisses. Oh, how fucking lovely. Conjugal visits, not allowed, but she gave James some bourgeois photos according to

author Jack Rosewood and Dwayne Walker. And there are 2015 book about this. So you know, he got to jerk off to something special for his honeymoon. Not sure he deserved that at all. Banjolene said about her new husband. He's a fantastic person. Easy. He's gorgeous, charming and intelligent.

He lights up my life. He's six foot four and 190 pounds. Imagine a woman in my age, marrying someone like that. Ha, ha, ha. Fuck, he's going on here, Lucifino. She said she believed James was innocent because he says he's innocent. Ha, ha, ha.

Okay, that's all I took for. Why did he say that? He said so, he told me it was. These guys never lie. Guys on death row never lie about being guilty innocent, ever. Okay, that's all I took for. What did he do? He said so. He told me it was. These guys never lie. Guys on death row never lie about being guilty innocent. Ever. She did say though, he says he's innocent and I would soon believe him as racist authorities.

And historically she does have a case there. Evangeline became interested in the Browley brothers back in 1979, sort of writing to James after Linwood was executed and fell in love with him. In January or February of 1985, what happened to her and her upbringing that would lead to that possibility? She told the associate of press that she planned to write a book about James and argued that he was a victim of a police conspiracy because the brothers had criminal records and could just be blamed randomly for unsolved murders.

Evangelion convinced that James would not be executed because he was innocent, but you know, he was not innocent. He was sound guilty if you recall recall in a lot of different trials, by a lot of different juries. Few days before the wedding, March 25th, 1985, the Supreme Court refused to consider James's case for a second time. Vangeline said after the Supreme Court refusal,

we are going to seek a new trial for him based on the fact that he is innocent. I think of this country really stands for justice and freedom for all. We are eventually going to see him walk out freely and not be executed. James would keep a scrapbook of newspaper articles about the Browley Brothers crimes. And James used this scrapbook as a reference to support for an appeal for a retrial. The appeal stated, defendant claims that the lower court aired and denying his motion for a

change of venue or in the alternative of a change of veneer, veneer. In support of his motion for a change of venue or in the alternative a change of veneer veneer In support of his motion the defendant filed a notebook containing over 70 articles from three rich men newspapers Which he says unduly emphasized his criminal record and his connection with other crimes allegedly committed by him his brothers and meekens Interestingly governor rob's assistance reported the office received over a thousand letters asking for clemency for Linwood, but only 216 for James. Well, 28-year-old James Bradley would be executed. April 18, 1995, in the same electric chair that his brother died in. The very last minute, James attorneys, his appeals were rejected by Fred will judge D.

Dortch Warner. They presented the testimony of a female prisoner who said that another gang member committed the Barton Avenue murders, but the judge rejected her testimony as being unreliable. And one last flash of Briley brother related bloodshed, other inmates at the prison on the nine of his execution tried to disrupt it with the prison uprising. 17 prisoners, I'm sorry, it was the morning of execution. This happened. It's where it started, not the evening.

17 prisoners involved in the melee for inmates or pillowcases over their heads, use clubs, screwdrivers, and more to try and drag some poor guard into a cell. Nine guards, one inmate would end up getting stabbed and beaten. Four guards would have to have surgery for stab wounds. Inmates broke cell windows and then were subdued after James was executed. And then he was pronounced dead at 11 and 07 pm. His final meal, fried shrimp, and a soft drink. Kathy King, prison operations officer told the AP he had no final statement.

He just smiled and asked the witnesses twice. Are you happy? Catherine Allen, a Richmond Sheriff's Department employee and a witness to the execution said, I had to stop and think about the people that were killed. They wanted to live. The unborn baby didn't have a chance to be born. The little boy didn't have a chance to grow up.

It, the execution is a sad thing to have to be done, but it did have to be done. Evangeline Briley did not attend the execution, but did visit James that afternoon. She praised the inmates for their uprising, saying, we're very sorry you were hurting the process, but this is what happens when a state acts in a violent manner. They are planning on committing a violent crime against James Briley tonight. Violence breeds violence. Six days before the execution, Shirley Barton Hayes, victim Judy Barton's mother told

the Richmond news, uh, uh, letter that she didn't think James would be executed. I wish that James Briley would confess that he did it so his soul would be right with God. Life from prison, that would give him something to think about the rest of his life. Give him time to try and get his mind together. Shirley said on April 19th, 1985, the day after James's execution, that she would sue Evangelion Briley for any money she might earn from any book she might write about the Briley brothers. Doesn't seem to chanted up right in any books.

Not about that. Skipping away ahead now June 17th 2009, former assistant commonwealth's prosecutor attorney, Robert J. Rice, now a criminal defense attorney, and Warren von Schuch attended a close meeting with Rudolph C. McCollum, former mayor of Richmond and member of the Virginia parole board and the and the spoke on behalf of now 45 year old Duncan Meakins emphasized that his testimony might have stopped the murder spree in the sense that, you know, had he not testified that Bradley brothers might have been able to get away with some of their crime because of innocent verdicts and be back on the streets. Meakins was being considered for parole

at the time. I had now spent almost 30 years in prison, held at a facility outside Virginia under a fake name. Robert Jones though, Harvey Wilkerson's nephew contacted the parole board to oppose this release. Robert said he had planned to visit the Wilkerson's two days before they were murdered, but had tonsillitis. And said he believed that if he would have visited he would have been killed as well. You know, August 13th 2009, the Virginia parole board denies parole to Duncan, citing the seriousness of his crimes. This was the seventh time Meekens was denied parole

since 1993. Due to him being held under an a list, hard to tell what's going on with him right now. From everything I can tell, he is still incarcerated somewhere, but no real news about him since 2009. 2013, real estate developer David Dagonhart, Jr. purchases the brilies old childhood home 3117 Fourth Avenue from James brilie senior Dagonhart claimed he didn't know the house's history until October 28th 2014 claimed he didn't know the house's history until October 28th 2014. The Agonhart plan to remodel the home but lost heart when the Richmond Times Dispatch reported about it. In October 2014 he told WTVR that he just wanted to get rid of the house. And it was only asking now $29,000 for it. Someone bought it, Halloween, 2017 for 60 grand,

sold it to someone else, December 17th 2018 for 90 90 grand Then that person clearly put a lot of work into it flipped it sold it for 315,000 on May 24th 2021 looks fucking great now But I do wonder if whoever's living there knows its history Today using Virginia's inmate locator the youngest last remaining Briley brother Anthony Ray Briley Currently 65 years old been in prison since he was 21. Been in prison for murder and rape for over twice as long as he was free before that. He is inmate number 1015001 at the Augusta Correctional Facility in Craig'sville, Virginia, a maximum security prison, which is over 1200 inmates. He's one of two of the most notable inmates.

He and Monty Rizzle are the most notable. Monty is a 64 year old fellow serial killer who raped and killed five women in 1976, 1977 had raped at least seven other women and did all of that before the age of 18. When he was apprehended, been in for 46 years. Man, some people really know how to waste a life, years. And some people really know how to waste a life, others lives and their own. And that will take us out of today's timeline. Good job, soldier. You made it back. Barely. The briley brothers. Did anyone else think at any point during this episode that their name would be like the perfect name

for like a circus trapeze act? I think it's for me it's because the name, I kept thinking that, because the name Briley sounds like a hybrid of Barnum and Bailey. A little bit, right? Barnum and Bailey and Deca to go circuses, they would present like trapeze performers as like families, you know, like these amazing brothers or whatever, just...

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight performing in the big top for the people of Richmond! Are you ready for the Flying Riley Brothers? Put your hands together for Anthony Ray, the backip kid, and make more noise for James Jr. The Robin to Tonight's High Flying Batman, the greatest performer the trapeze has ever known. Linwood Briny! Are you ready to be entertained, and maybe robbed, and probably raped, and then be shot at or have your skull crushed by a cinder block or be set on fire Or treated like your head is a fastball that's just been thrown over the heart of the plate It is about to be knocked out of the park No safety net tonight ladies and gents. No death to find tricks actually either

Just Linwood briley aiming at one of you from the top of the trap he is with a 22 rifle While his briley brothers run through the crowd and wreak havoc in mayhem are you not entertained by the flying no the bloody briley brothers thanks for letting me get that on my system i was thinking about it a lot late last night i was was finishing research. Now, how glad are you to not have had Linwood for your older brother or James? Two fucking psychopaths. Did old boot Riley know how fucked up

two of his little brothers were? Is that why he bounced in the North Carolina? Did Linwood keep sneaking a boa constrictor into his bed at night? Did Linwood try and talk him into shooting a neighbor lady? Did his little brother Linwood and James know, beat the shit out of him when mom and dad weren't home? Was Lindwood, or were Lindwood and James, you know, why their mom had to go get her own place

again, right? What scary shit were they doing at home that no one talked about? I do feel bad for Anthony Briley, the youngest. After boot bounced both his older brothers, brothers his dad was so scared of he started locking his fucking bedroom door with a padlock at night. Now they're his primary influences. Two scary motherfuckers he's sharing a home with.

Two dudes who would scare both the guards and other inmates on Virginia's death row. I feel like Linwood could have also ended up being a cult leader, but maybe the most terrifying cult leader in US history if he would have just focused his dark charisma and power in a slightly different direction. Man, what happened to him? Born evil? Or are there a lot of extra parts of the story that just never became public knowledge? Glad I did not grow up with these guys. Glad I did

not grow up anywhere near them. And glad they're either dead or locked up now. In 1984, Linwood and James would go on after their crimes to lead the biggest death row prison escape in US history. Spent two years plotting with accomplices. On the day of their escape, they utilized poor security and lack of proper protocols to take over the control room, let death row inmates out of their cells in some terrifying situation. Held guards hostage, stole uniforms, pretended they had a bomb to get out of prison. What a wild fucking story.

And now let's talk about it. It's a little bit more with today's Top Five takeaways. Time suck, top five takeaways. Number one, unlike many serial killers, the Bradley brothers seem to have had a somewhat normal childhood minus a few peculiar details, right? They kept exotic pets like snakes, transels, pranas. Their mom left the family when they were teens, left the boys alone with their dad who padlocked

his door every night, likely in fear of them. Although he would say that he didn't know why they became murderers, but maybe he did know and just didn't want to say and now he'll never say because James Bradley senior did die in 2020 at the age of 92 Number two, perhaps the most brutal murder committed by the Bradley crew was their last The group went to the home of the or their acquaintance Harvey Wilkerson known drug dealer with the intention to rob him Or maybe not maybe Linwood and co wanted to have a blood bath right from the start. Harvey lived with his common law wife, Judy Barton, who was eight months pregnant, and Judy's young son, and like the his son, young son Harvey Barton. The brother and meekin entered the house, bound Harvey and Judy raped Judy several times and killed

the whole fucking family. Judy shot four times, little Harvey Wayne is dead, each shot once. The police found the bodies two days later, and the rallies were arrested the next day, finally bringing to an end their murderous rampage in the city of Richmond. Number three, again, Linwood James led the biggest death row escape in US history. I just found that I can't believe more that's not more commonly known. May 31, 1984 James Linwood four more inmates overpower guard stealing uniforms, pretending TV is a bomb

and escape a maximum security prison. It was successful, shockingly no one was hurt, only because the other inmates kept the briley brothers from raping a nurse and burning some guards alive. And then all inmates recapture within three weeks. James and Lindwood made it out the longest, were arrested in Philadelphia, right? They were caught grilling some chicken in an alley

While they were staying at their uncle's house Bet that dude locked his door at night I can't feel bad for him for getting in trouble for the situation. I bet he was too scared to tell them that they just couldn't stay with him Number four when Linwood Riley was just 16 years old. He committed his first murder All right, right shot shot a neighbor lady from his bedroom window We just don't't work on some laundry. And for initially claiming it was an accident that occurred while he was shooting at some birds, he callously said

that she had a bad heart anyway. All right, she was gonna die, what's the big deal? What's this big deal? She dies soon, I help! I help rassul her up into afterlife. I should be give metal. Linwood served just one year in Juvee, for manslaughter for that.

And then number five, new info, the cycle of violence repeats after being captured following their 1984 escape. Linwood and James told the prison chaplain, sister Eileen Heaps, that they both had kids. Linwood said he had a 10 year old son named Norman. James had a daughter, never revealed her name. Some accounts say he actually had three daughters. This info was revealed by sister Heaps during Linwood's baptism on August 2nd. He wanted to be baptized on his son's birthday. In November of 2007, the Richmond Times dispatch talked to Norman Ampie, son of Linwood Briley,

who was at that time 33 years old and in inmate at the Riverside Regional Jail and Prince George County. Ampie had been sent to jail repeatedly for drug and robbery charges over the years, due to didn't have much of a male role model in his life. Ampey said he wasn't told about his dad's execution until the day it happened. He told the paper, I love my dad. I didn't know that my dad was going to die, and that's what really got to me. I never knew the day was coming. Ampey said his crimes were response to his pain. He said, I had no respect for the law. All I knew was my dad was dead and the police killed him. So that's what I grew up thinking until I got old enough to understand what really happened.

That's what I think led me to get in trouble. Ampy wrote in a pre-sentencing report about his crimes that his father's past followed him his whole life. He said in a prison interview, put it this way, man. It seems like I didn't have a shot at being a normal kid with this happening to my father. I've been in trouble since 13, 14 years old, man. I didn't never have a shot at a regular life, you know? Amping his younger brothers were raised by their mom, Patricia Lee Amping. He found school difficult as his dad's crimes became more public. I didn't learn the truth about what really

happened until his dad escaped prison in 1984. Amping wrote, about the time my dad escaped off of death row, people started looking into who my dad was. It made school very hard for me as far as dealing with my peers. And if he was diagnosed as emotionally disturbed by the school system in seventh grade, by the age of 13,

already using and selling drugs, and then he dropped out in the ninth grade. When he was 14, he was committed to the Virginia Department of Youth and Family Services, renamed Department of Juvenile Justice, for a trespassing and failing to abide by terms of probation. When he was 15, he was charged with possession of cocaine and tent to distribute and possession of a firearm with cocaine. When he was 16, moved in with his girlfriend, they had a daughter together. In March 1993, the age 18, Ampy was sentenced

to five years in prison for distributing heroin. At a sentencing, his lawyer acknowledged his juvenile record, but noted that a lot of it stemmed from his involvement with drugs, but Ampy had never gone through treatment for drug abuse. The prosecutor argued that his criminal record required a prison term. State counsel advised that he was not amenable to additional treatment because he had consistently demonstrated noncompliance as juvenile. Ampy wrote, they never gave me a program or a second chance like they did my peers. They all got boot camp. Maybe that could have turned me around. Who knows? And P was released on parole the little over two years later while in prison he earned a GED,

became a certified welder, but said, I've never worked today in my life. And it doesn't be proud of now, you know? In April of 1996, he was charged with capital murder for the robbery and shooting of 22 year old George Alexander Ross, November 7, 1995. But then those charges were dropped and never reinstated because a witness boxed at testifying against Ampie. Maybe like his dad, he knew how to scare somebody. Two months later, Ampie was attacked by two men outside an East Coast service station

on Jefferson Davis highway shot repeatedly. His daughter, her mother, and his steps on witness is shooting. He believed he was shot in retaliation for the murder. George Alexander Ross' brothers believed Ampe killed George in reprisal for Ross killing Ampe's best friend. And Ampe told the Times dispatch, I didn't say that I did. I didn't say that I didn't. You know what I mean?

I think I do. I think it means he killed him. Ampe now spent two years recovering at the VCU Medical Center two years. He was in a drug induced coma for six months. Underwent several operations, became addicted to pain meds. Around 2004, his left leg was amputated above the knee because of a shooting related infection, what he lived and then returned to more crime. January 13, 2007, Ampie caught Rob in a Sun trust bank in Chesterfield also charged with attempting to rob a pharmacy in Henrico in 2006 Ampy said that he robbed the pharmacy because he had just been released from the hospital after a

skin graft operation and was desperate for pain meds According to Henrico deputy commonwealth attorney uh or a attorney Ampy entered a Kruger pharmacy with two Ford prescriptions for Percaset and methadone. Pharmacist told him he'd have to wait until Monday, so he could verify the prescriptions. He left the store, then came back 15 minutes later, talked to the pharmacist, talked him into checking out his wounds.

When he was taken into a counseling room now, he cornered her and pulled out a knife and then escaped when she told him she had to get a key to unlock a cabinet. And then fled before please got there. And then August 90 was sentenced to 10 years in prison with six for suspended, or six were suspended for this robbery. And if you blame the Chesterfield robbery on his mental state at the time saying the drugs messed me up, man, he was just released from a psychiatric top psychiatric hospital for

a 10-bit suicide out of his mind on pain and depression medication. In a statement to the police, he talked about committing a robbery with two patients at the Tucker Pavilion at C.J. W Medical Center, where he was sent for treatment. After he was discharged, he then met him in a motel and Richmond and planned a robbery. Later told investigators he didn't need the money because he got state settlement from his father's execution. I guess he just wanted to fucking rob something. I also received over $2,000 a month in disability, as well as his dad's social security income.

The two accomplices waited in the car, he entered the bank in his wheelchair. My God, I tried to rob a fucking bank from a wheelchair. Gave the teller a note saying, I have a gun, if you don't do as I demand, I will shoot you. He got $14 in cash, but then the die pack exploded in the parking lot from the cash. And then as the accomplices left him in the wheelchair

just fucking took off. Ampie then went to this is so fucking sad. This final freema, Ampie then goes to a submarine sandwich shop and just buys a sandwich with one of the stolen $20 bills with fucking ink all over it and just waits for the police to come find him. I always lease a tasty sandwich. April 10th he sends to 25 years 17 to spend the accomplices never caught prosecutor Tom McKenna said that they could not find the accomplices because Ampie did another names, just with their street names. Finally, Ampie recalled that during his final business with his dad, he showed off his drawings to him and said that Linwood cried during their last visit. And

then outside, when he left, after seeing his dad for the last time, there was a crowd of people supporting his dad's execution, said a lot of people out there wanting, wanting to kill him, murder him, fry him. I was young at the time. I didn't understand why they were saying that. He told the time to dispatch about his final call with his father. And he said, uh, his dad said, stand tall, never fall. Don't let no one tell you you can't do something.

And then Norman Ampe died April 3, 2015. Uh, I feel bad. He had to grow up without a dad, but Hadlin would actually been around, would his life have been better? Or as sad as his life was, would it have been so, so much worse? Time suck, tough, right takeaway.

The bloody briley brothers have been sucked. Thank you to Olivia Lee for the initial research on this one. Thanks to the suck Ranger, Tyler C recording editing this episode. So you can watch it on YouTube in addition to listening if you want. Also, you can watch trying to get better out now on YouTube. The standup special. Next week on Time Suck, we get bloody again. We get brutal again.

We get in situations where people were trapped in coffin size boxes for years at a time and savagely tortured. But we're not sticking with true crime. No, we're heading to the Korean War. The conflict that lasted between 1950 and 1953 took place on the underdeveloped and until just then colonized Korean peninsula in eastern Asia. And but though in a remote corner of the world and not very long, the Korean War would leave its mark on history and global politics. Just a few weeks ago, on August 22nd, the U.S. State Department renewed its ban on the use of U.S. passport for travel to North Korea. The ban first set in place by the Trump administration in 2017, been renewed annually since.

And that could never happen without the Korean War because the Korean War is what turned Korea into North and South Korea. A hundred years ago, Koreans dreamed of a United Korea, a Korea that wasn't ruled by imperialist Japan, which had annexed it in 1910, a Korean which there would be a government run by Koreans for Koreans, but then that didn't happen. Instead, the US and Soviet Russia hashed out a plan for what to do with newly independent Korea post-World War II, and the one one time allies suddenly found themselves in a state of extreme tension kick off of the Cold War. Russia poured his troops in money to North Korea and tent on establishing a communist ally. The US meanwhile scrambled to unite a politically fragmented South Korea.

The two were separated temporarily, everyone hoped, along the 38th parallel. But soon North Korea backed by Russia and later China, we'll start making a plan, a plan to invade South Korea, capture Seoul, and turn the entire country communist. And on June 25th, 1950, that plan would kick off, and the Korean War would begin, and we suck it next week on TimeSucker. Right now let's head on over to this week's Times Sucker Updates. Updates? Get your time, sucker updates! This week's first update, short and funny, and courtesy of someone creating their own

Cummins Law situation, outside of the podcast. Super Sucker Jeremy Ward writes, Master Sucker, this is a situation where I created a Cummins Law event with my own mouth. Due to my brain not thinking it through before the words came out. My 11 year old daughter who loves princesses was at my house watching Disney Plus and it settled upon a nat geo show about Cleopatra. I was juggling, trying to cook brunch, clean up after a nerf gun battle and pay attention to her. I did not hear specifically what the show said but it apparently referred to something regarding tolami intermarriage. My daughter asked so they marry people in their own family and then a father of the year performance out of my mouth comes. Yeah, they were all a bunch of

cousin fuckers. Oops! I thank you so much for introducing that term to my brain to slip out to my daughter in a moment of distraction. Very classy father moment. Jeremy. Well, Jeremy, you know, maybe it was time that she learned some real history. Although technically, you should have said sister fucker or maybe sibling fucker. But I guess, especially if you have other kids, you know, that could have made that moment so much worse. And also, maybe cousin fuckers more fun to say. You should try and save some face and tell her that a lot of great people have been cousin fuckers. Even Einstein. Next up, cool sucker, Allie, youwing Bradshaw has like a badass aunt and shit. And she got excited about her relation to her, our charity this month, project, Mori and Allie writes, holy shit balls. Listening to the new suck on the trailside killer and the charity was announced.

I literally screamed, no shit! That's Project Mori, Sasha Mori's camp is my second home. My aunt Don Ewing has been the executive director for 20 plus years, so I grew up visiting camp for a few days during my summers and fell in love. It's a safe place where kids from difficult backgrounds learn that there are good people in this world who want them to succeed. My love turned into me working there for four summers with the same group of kids. I started with them when they were 12. Then worked on the weekends with my kids during their school year program until they graduated high school. Some of my campers are now lawyers and I see you nurses. Some even went

to work there as alumni staff. That place creates good human beings that we all know this world needs more of. My campers learned what a network of support was, how to gain self-esteem, how to support others, how to take care of one another. I have chills writing this and I just want to thank you all a bad magic. You have no idea what the donation means to me personally and how many kids will impact.

My aunts has influenced and motivated me my entire life through Project Mori and I'm proud to say I work for a non-profit in upstate New York and Project Mory is a huge part of who I am today. Can't wait to see you in Buffalo Dan, my husband and I are massive fans about time so I can scare to death. Proud to support podcasts to do good for this odd world.

My husband is like your biggest fan so shout out to Otis Bradshaw. We'll be dope. We just got married in July and actually watched your new standup special while on our honeymoon in Punta, Kana, Hale Nimrod, thanks for all you do for so many alley-ewing Bradshaw. Well, alley-concratz and getting married to Otis, I heard he has a huge cock, like way too big for an adult novelty key, KJ.

That's the word on the street about his meet. I had not heard of Punta, if that's what you say before, but look at it, some pics, I'm jealous. That part of the Dominican Republic is beautiful. So cool about your aunt, so cool about the connection to Project Mori. I were excited to help some kids out, thanks to our patrons, supporters, love it.

I did make me think of Ampy, it's like, man, if a kid like that could have been given this opportunity, maybe his life would have turned out so different. Not so sure about Lindwood, but maybe Lindwood too. Hail Nimrod and see him Buffalo. Next up, we all need to watch out for confirmed devil worshiper, Christina Bentley. Ugh, that sneaky southpaw sidewinder shares the following. Hello master sucker.

I was listening to the recent trailside killer suck when you mentioned being left handed was historically considered a sign of the devil Well, I just had to write in tell you about the time my sinful South Pa cause an end to a budding relationship A girl I was becoming friends with back in high school made the tragic discovery This is so fucking crazy the way people think and I remember her grimacing and saying oh You're left-handed. You're going to go to hell. To which I replied, well, I sold my soul to the devil. So duh. So it's like she was kidding. And then she goes, she avoided eye contact with me the next day. I later find out she was pretty religious.

And while the time I was upset and thought it was really dumb, I now find it hilarious, but still dumb. Thanks for reading and keep doing what you're doing. Hail Satan, hail them, Rod. Christina, well, Christina, I have five words for you. To help me the devil. You know who also has left hand, I'm not even joking. My dad, kind of fits, doesn't it? But, seriously, thank you for sharing that.

What a ridiculous thing. For people to believe, the left-handed people are just going to help. Glad you messed with her a little bit. And now for another goofy message, funny sack, guy green, points out my absurd level of hypocrisy with a following short message. So severed human body parts are cool on keychains, but sex toys are too much fear liking. I

Supposed I shouldn't be surprised the older I get the less sense the world makes three out of five suck on That's short message killed me guy. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks to us care to death We do sell novelty severed body part keychains in the bad magic store Which I guess are probably fucking weirder than sex toy keychains Thanks time suckers. I need a net. We all did Well, thank you for listening to another Bad Magic Productions podcast. Scared to death, time suck each week. If you're listening from death row this week and inspired to make a break for it, probably not going to happen.

The last death row inmate to escape was Martin Guruli in 1998. Broke out in Texas, but as he escaped, got shot in the neck. As he scaled over the last fence, and later that night, weekend from he escaped, got shot in the neck as he scaled over the last fence and later that night, weakened from blood loss. He drowned in a river. Should have stayed to sell and probably just kept on sucking. And magic productions. Anyone else love the classic circus theme song? That always gets me all pumped up.

Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed this weird chapter of the book of the bad magic productions. History, conspiracy, killers, oh my! Fucked up jokes, but also quite a bit of heart. Sometimes some mental health advice, often times a lot of dark shit. There might not be so good for your mental health! Ha ha ha! How does this work at all? Am I some kind of dark wizard that I learned spells from lost scrolls from the Library of Alexandria? Is anyone even still listening anymore

or just to know it and waiting for the next podcast in their queue to begin playing? Why am I still talking? I really think I'm done now. Time to check in with the bearded lady! Does the carpet match the beard, I guess? I could have left that one out! Probably should have stopped ten seconds ago, at least. Okay, I'm really done. 10 seconds ago! At least! Okay, I'm really done.