the Sheppards

Marilyn Reese-Sheppard, her unborn son, and the ashes of her husband are in a Mayfield Hts. mausoleum.

Is there a locale in this country that does not have a famous murder? In the 1930s Cleveland had a serial killer with many similarities with London's 'Jack-the-Ripper', Kingsbury Run, or Torso murderer. Elliot Ness did not have the evidence to arrest the politically connected doctor, who murdered street people. The doctor admitted himself to a mental hospital, in state but well out of town. I would wager that the most interesting is the murder of Marilyn Sheppard, which the political community (both parties) and establishment pinned on her physician husband (peculiarly he was often pointed out to be an osteopath).

She was beaten to death in the early morning of Independence Day 1954, at home in the suburb of Bay Village. Immediately the Cleveland Police, and the editor of the Cleveland Press insisted that her husband, Dr. Sam Sheppard was the killer. The story did not stop. The trial was a national media circus. Soon after the verdict of guilty, Dr. Sheppard's mother shot herself, his father died a few days later. Marilyn's father years later would also use a gun for suicide.

Official Cleveland has always maintained (they made a campaign of it) the doctor's guilt. Much of the country did not think so. The remarkable television show, "The Fugitive" (120 episodes, 1963-1967), was partially based on Doctor Sam, though denied. In 1964 it is ruled that the trial was unfair, and he is freed. In 1966 there is a second trial, and he is not found guilty. When i grew up, most people did not like Dr. Sam Sheppard, and considered him guilty. F. Lee Bailey won the argument 8-1 before the Supreme Court,  Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333 (1966), that Sheppard did not receive due process. Many people, here, did not like Bailey.

The tale has more acts. Sam Sheppard marries an in-law of Goebbels, the nazi propagandist. Dr. Sam becomes a professional wrestler, and marries the daughter of his coach and partner.

Years earlier, the family hired a forensic biochemist. Paul Kirk examined blood splatter evidence to prove a man other than Sheppard was the killer. Sheppard was arrested without blood, the killer had to have been bloodied. In 1989 Richard Eberling [click] is found guilty of murdering another woman. The Sheppards' son, Sam Reese Sheppard, found the murderer of his mother. It was Eberling, a serial murderer, thief, interior decorator.

videre:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sheppard/chronology.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2613sheppard.html