Post by auntym on Feb 19, 2016 15:47:24 GMT -6
www.huffingtonpost.com/garry-rodgers/how-a-ghosts-evidence-con_b_9252062.html
How a Ghost's Evidence Convicted a Murderer
02/19/2016
by Garry Rodgers / Former homicide detective and forensic coroner / www.huffingtonpost.com/garry-rodgers/
In July of 1897, Edward Stribbling (Trout) Shue was convicted of first-degree murder for strangling his wife and breaking her neck. Trout Shue's trial, held in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, rested entirely upon circumstantial evidence that strangely proved Shue's guilt -- beyond a reasonable doubt -- to jurors who were presented evidence from beyond the grave.
The "facts" included postmortem statements from Shue's wife, Zona Heaster Shue, who was said to appear before her mother four weeks after death and reported what truly occurred in her murder. It was the first -- and only -- time testimony from a ghost was admitted as evidence in a United States Superior Court trial and it secured a conviction.
At 10:00 a.m. on January 23, 1897, twenty-three-year-old Zona Shue's body was found by an errand boy. She was lying on the floor in their house, face down at the foot of the stairs, stretched with one arm tucked underneath her chest and the other extended. Her head was cocked to one side.
Trout Shue arrived home before the coroner, Dr. George Knapp, attended. Shue had already moved his wife's body to their bed where he'd dressed her in a high-necked gown. As Dr. Knapp began examining Zona, Trout Shue exhibited overpowering emotions and cradled Zona's head and her shoulders, sobbing and weeping. Dr. Knapp stopped his exam out of respect for the grieving spouse and signed-off the death to "everlasting faint".
A traditional wake was held before Zona's next-day burial and attendants noticed peculiar behavior from Trout Shue. When the casket was opened for viewing, he immediately placed a scarf over Zona's neck as well as propping her head with a pillow and blanket. Shue then put on another spectacular show of grief and made it impossible for mourners to get a close look at her face.
Zona Shue was buried in the Soule Chapel Methodist Cemetery in Greenbrier County. Initially, everyone who knew the Shules accepted Zona's death as not suspicious -- except for her mother, Mary Jane Heaster.
Heaster disliked Shue from the moment they met and suspected foul play at hand. "The work of the devil!" Heaster exclaimed. She prayed every night, for four weeks on end, that the Lord would reveal the truth.
Then, in the darkness of night, when Mary Jane Heaster was wide awake, Zona's spirit allegedly appeared.
It was not in a dream, Heaster reported. It was in person. First the apparition manifested as light, then transformed to a human figure which brought a chill upon the room. For four consecutive nights, Heaster claimed her daughter's ghost came to the foot of her bed and reported facts of the crime that extinguished her life.
Zona's ghost was said to reveal a history of physical abuse from her husband. Her death reportedly resulted from a violent fight over a meal the night before she was found. Trout Shue was said to have strangled Zona, crushing her windpipe and snapping her neck "at the first joint". To prove dislocation, Zona's figure turned its head one hundred and eighty degrees to the rear.
Mary Jane Heaster steadfastly maintained her daughter's ghost was real and Zona's reports of the cause of her death were accurate. Heaster was so compelling in her paranormal description that she convinced local prosecutor, John Preston, to re-open the case.
Preston's investigation found Trout Shue had a history of violence. In another State, he'd served prison time for assaults and thefts. He'd been married twice before -- one other wife dying under mysterious circumstances. By now the Greenbrier community was reporting more peculiar behavior from Shue. He'd been making comments to the effect that "no one would ever prove I killed Zona".
Combined with Coroner Knapp's admission that he failed to conduct a thorough exam, Preston established sufficient grounds to exhume Zona's body and conduct a proper postmortem examination.
Zona was autopsied by three medical doctors on February 22, 1897 with the official cause of death being anoxia from manual strangulation compounded by a broken neck. Bruising consistent with fingermarks was noted on Zona's neck, her esophagus was contused, and her first and second cervical vertebrae were fractured. Anatomically, they're known as the C1 Atlas and the C2 Axis which combines to make the first joint at the base of the skull.
An inquest was held and Trout Shue was summoned to testify. Although he denied being present at the time of Zona's death and bearing culpability, he was unable to establish an alibi and considered an unreliable, self-serving witness. It was ruled a homicide and Trout Shue was charged with her murder.
Trout Shue's first-degree murder trial began in Greenbrier Circuit Court on June 22, 1897. A panel of twelve jurors was convened who heard evidence from a number of witnesses, including Shue himself.
John Preston was reluctant to subpoena Mary Jane Heaster as a witness, fearing her ghost story would damage credibility. However, Shue's defense lawyer opened that can of worms and called Zona's mother to the stand.
Evidently, it backfired.
This verbatim excerpt is from the transcript of Mary Jane Heaster's testimony. It's still on record in the West Virginia State Archives: www.wvculture.org/history/crime/shuearticles.html
CONTINUE READING: www.huffingtonpost.com/garry-rodgers/how-a-ghosts-evidence-con_b_9252062.html
How a Ghost's Evidence Convicted a Murderer
02/19/2016
by Garry Rodgers / Former homicide detective and forensic coroner / www.huffingtonpost.com/garry-rodgers/
In July of 1897, Edward Stribbling (Trout) Shue was convicted of first-degree murder for strangling his wife and breaking her neck. Trout Shue's trial, held in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, rested entirely upon circumstantial evidence that strangely proved Shue's guilt -- beyond a reasonable doubt -- to jurors who were presented evidence from beyond the grave.
The "facts" included postmortem statements from Shue's wife, Zona Heaster Shue, who was said to appear before her mother four weeks after death and reported what truly occurred in her murder. It was the first -- and only -- time testimony from a ghost was admitted as evidence in a United States Superior Court trial and it secured a conviction.
At 10:00 a.m. on January 23, 1897, twenty-three-year-old Zona Shue's body was found by an errand boy. She was lying on the floor in their house, face down at the foot of the stairs, stretched with one arm tucked underneath her chest and the other extended. Her head was cocked to one side.
Trout Shue arrived home before the coroner, Dr. George Knapp, attended. Shue had already moved his wife's body to their bed where he'd dressed her in a high-necked gown. As Dr. Knapp began examining Zona, Trout Shue exhibited overpowering emotions and cradled Zona's head and her shoulders, sobbing and weeping. Dr. Knapp stopped his exam out of respect for the grieving spouse and signed-off the death to "everlasting faint".
A traditional wake was held before Zona's next-day burial and attendants noticed peculiar behavior from Trout Shue. When the casket was opened for viewing, he immediately placed a scarf over Zona's neck as well as propping her head with a pillow and blanket. Shue then put on another spectacular show of grief and made it impossible for mourners to get a close look at her face.
Zona Shue was buried in the Soule Chapel Methodist Cemetery in Greenbrier County. Initially, everyone who knew the Shules accepted Zona's death as not suspicious -- except for her mother, Mary Jane Heaster.
Heaster disliked Shue from the moment they met and suspected foul play at hand. "The work of the devil!" Heaster exclaimed. She prayed every night, for four weeks on end, that the Lord would reveal the truth.
Then, in the darkness of night, when Mary Jane Heaster was wide awake, Zona's spirit allegedly appeared.
It was not in a dream, Heaster reported. It was in person. First the apparition manifested as light, then transformed to a human figure which brought a chill upon the room. For four consecutive nights, Heaster claimed her daughter's ghost came to the foot of her bed and reported facts of the crime that extinguished her life.
Zona's ghost was said to reveal a history of physical abuse from her husband. Her death reportedly resulted from a violent fight over a meal the night before she was found. Trout Shue was said to have strangled Zona, crushing her windpipe and snapping her neck "at the first joint". To prove dislocation, Zona's figure turned its head one hundred and eighty degrees to the rear.
Mary Jane Heaster steadfastly maintained her daughter's ghost was real and Zona's reports of the cause of her death were accurate. Heaster was so compelling in her paranormal description that she convinced local prosecutor, John Preston, to re-open the case.
Preston's investigation found Trout Shue had a history of violence. In another State, he'd served prison time for assaults and thefts. He'd been married twice before -- one other wife dying under mysterious circumstances. By now the Greenbrier community was reporting more peculiar behavior from Shue. He'd been making comments to the effect that "no one would ever prove I killed Zona".
Combined with Coroner Knapp's admission that he failed to conduct a thorough exam, Preston established sufficient grounds to exhume Zona's body and conduct a proper postmortem examination.
Zona was autopsied by three medical doctors on February 22, 1897 with the official cause of death being anoxia from manual strangulation compounded by a broken neck. Bruising consistent with fingermarks was noted on Zona's neck, her esophagus was contused, and her first and second cervical vertebrae were fractured. Anatomically, they're known as the C1 Atlas and the C2 Axis which combines to make the first joint at the base of the skull.
An inquest was held and Trout Shue was summoned to testify. Although he denied being present at the time of Zona's death and bearing culpability, he was unable to establish an alibi and considered an unreliable, self-serving witness. It was ruled a homicide and Trout Shue was charged with her murder.
Trout Shue's first-degree murder trial began in Greenbrier Circuit Court on June 22, 1897. A panel of twelve jurors was convened who heard evidence from a number of witnesses, including Shue himself.
John Preston was reluctant to subpoena Mary Jane Heaster as a witness, fearing her ghost story would damage credibility. However, Shue's defense lawyer opened that can of worms and called Zona's mother to the stand.
Evidently, it backfired.
This verbatim excerpt is from the transcript of Mary Jane Heaster's testimony. It's still on record in the West Virginia State Archives: www.wvculture.org/history/crime/shuearticles.html
CONTINUE READING: www.huffingtonpost.com/garry-rodgers/how-a-ghosts-evidence-con_b_9252062.html