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Sept. 3, 2023

True Crime Case Updates 8/29-9/3

True Crime Case Updates 8/29-9/3
  • The Case of the Lady of the Dunes, identified last year as Ruth Marie Terry last year, has been solved. Her decapitated body was found in the sand dunes of Provincetown in Massachusetts in 1974. She was 37 years old. According to Fox News, Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois announced that police have identified her killer as Guy Rockwell Muldavin, who died in 2002, as her murderer. Guy and Ruth were married just a few short months when Ruth disappeared after a trip to Tennessee to visit her family. Galibois said "When Mr. Muldavin returned from that trip, he was driving what was believed to be Ms. Teryr's vehicle and indicated to witnesses that Ms. Terry had passed away." He was also the prime suspect in the death of a previous wife and a stepdaughter in the 1960's. It took so long to identify Ruth's body due to the advanced stated of decomposition when she was found, the state of her soul, and the fact that her hands had been severed, most likely to prevent identification through her finger prints. She was identified, eventually, through genetic genealogy testing. https://www.foxnews.com/us/lady-dunes-case-solved-49-years-after-grisly-murder-mystified-vacation-town
  • Ruth Marie Terry via ARS Technica
  • Thomas Randolf was found guilty in a retrial of murdering his 6th wife, Sharon Causse and the hitman he hired to kill her, Michael Miller. He was previously sentenced to death, but his sentenced was overturned and he was granted a retrial with the jury finding him guilty, again, of conspiracy to commit murder, and two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, according to Fox News. Sharon's daughter, Colleen Beyer, said of the verdict "I'm so relieved, it's unbelievable. It's been 15 years and it's been a twisted nightmare. I'm absolutely ecstatic and thrilled and relieved that he's off the streets-that he cannot do this to another woman again. Because he's a predator, he's a serious predator." On May 8th 2008, Randolph called police and claimed a masked intruder entered the home and shot his wife. He himself shot the man, killing him and told police he knew the man as Michael Miller, his friend and handyman. Phone records later revealed that over 100's of calls to miller, Randolph arranged for the murder of his wife in order to collect $300,000 in insurance money due to policies he took out on her two years prior. He was also acquitted of the murder of his second wife, Becky Gault in 1986. Thomas Randolph is due to be sentenced on. October 12th. https://www.foxnews.com/us/nevada-black-widower-convicted-again-murdering-sixth-wife-hitman
  • Thomas Randolph Via The Las Vegas Review Journal
  • Former popular family blogger, Ruby Franke of the now defunct channel 8 Passengers, has been arrested on suspicion of two felony counts of aggravated child abuse, although, according to CBSNews, those charges have yet to be filed. She was arrested alongside Jodi Hildebrandt in Hildebrandt's home in Utah after her 12 year old son crawled through a window and ran to a neighbor's home asking for food and water. Duct tape was on his wrists and ankles, prompting the neighbor to call police. Law enforcement identified that the child was severely malnourished and, upon entering the home, discovered the boy's sister, 10, was also in the home and just as malnourished. Both children were taken to the hospital for treatment, with the boy being placed on a medical hold "due to his deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and from his malnourishment." Jodi Hildebrandt owns a counseling business and "teaches people to improve their lives by being honest, responsible, and humble." Franke and Hildebrandt both appear on the YouTube channel Connexions-and it is these videos that assisted in leading to Franke's arrest. A video posted two days prior featuring Franke in Hildebrandt's home proving they both had knowledge of the "abuse, malnourishment and neglect," according to the affadavit. A judge granted the request that Franke be held without bail due to the severity of her children's injuries. her other minor children are in the custody of DCFS. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ruby-franke-8-passengers-arrested-alleged-child-abuse-malnourished-son-escapes-authorities-say/
  • Hildebrandt and Franke via the Connexions Youtube Channel
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Courtney

host

Courtney is the host of The Book of the Dead and a lover of all things spooky. She started The Book of the Dead after noticing that a lot of True Crime podcasts focus on the killers, especially the sensationalized one, but fewer podcasts cover more obscure cases, or cases with victims that have yet to receive justice. her greatest hope is that she can help bring awareness to victims that need it and, in a perfect world, will maybe. even be part of the reason a case gets solved, by bringing attention to it.

A little about Courtney-
She Loves to read and crochet
her favorite genre of movies is Horror-specifically psychological horror
She has an aggressive addiction to iced coffee
She spends more time on the podcast than she does seeing her friends and family, but she knows its worth it to spread the word of unsolved crimes in an effort to solve them

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