October 2023 - George Pallas

2023/10/292023/11/01

Beulah Annan: The Beautiful Murderess is a Man Killer

In my previous post, I presented the death of Matthew Shepard. In 1998, two men severely beat Shepard, leaving him tied to a rural fence to die. This week, we examine the case of Beulah Annan. In 1924, Beulah stood accused of murdering her lover, Harry Kalstedt. The press dubbed her “The Beautiful Slayer” and “The Jazz Killer.”

Beulah Annan

Born Beulah May Sheriff in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1899, Beulah Annan seemed to have a restless soul. As a young woman, she married a linotype operator named Perry Stephens. Their union was apparently unhappy because they soon split up and divorced. Not long after, she met Albert “Al” Annan, an auto mechanic. Beulah and Annan traveled together from Kentucky to Chicago, where they married on March 29, 1920.

Beulah Annan and Harry Kalstedt

Al Annan took a job as a mechanic in Chicago, while Beulah went to work as a bookkeeper for Tennant’s Modern Laundry. Harry Kalstedt also worked at Tennant’s, and he and Beulah soon began a lengthy affair.

The Affair Turns Deadly

On April 3, 1924, Harry “invited himself” over to Beulah and Al’s south-side apartment (Al was at work). He brought two quarts of wine with him, which he and Beulah proceeded to consume. In this less-than-sober condition, an argument arose. Beulah later told investigators, “We drank all of it [the wine] and began to quarrel. I taunted Harry with the fact that he had been in jail once, and he said something nasty back to me. Seems like we just wanted to make each other mad—and to hurt each other.”

Harry Kalstedt (scandalsandsweets.com) — Harry Kalstedt (*scandalsandsweets.com*)

A gun happened to be lying on the bed (no one explained why it was there). One of Beulah’s stories—she told more than one—was that she and Harry both went for the gun. She got it first. “I ran, and as he reached out to pick the gun up off the bed, reached around him and grabbed it,” she said. “Then I shot. They say I shot him in the back, but it must have been sort of under the arm,”

Kalstedt fell back against the wall as the phonograph playing the jazz song “Hula Lou” reached the end of the record. Saying she couldn’t stand the silence, Beulah started playing it again. Although the shooting occurred around 2:00 p.m., she did not call the police. Instead, she told reporters, “I just kept going back and forth between the living room and the bedroom, where Harry’s body lay, and playing the phonograph,”

Beulah Annan confesses to police at the Hyde Park station that she shot her lover earlier that day, April 3, 1924. (Chicago Tribune) — Beulah Annan confesses to police at the Hyde Park station that she shot her lover earlier that day, April 3, 1924. (*Chicago Tribune*)

The police were finally called after Al came home from work around 5:00 p.m.

Beulah Annan on Trial

Beulah’s trial was, unsurprisingly, a media sensation. Her husband, Al, stood by her, draining his savings to hire the best lawyers.

Beulah Annan with her attorney, William Scott Stewart (L), and her husband, Albert Annan (R) (Chicago Daily News) — Beulah Annan with her attorney, William Scott Stewart (L), and her husband, Albert Annan (R) (*Chicago Daily News*)

Beulah first claimed she shot Kalstedt in self-defense, fearing he was about to rape her. During the trial, however, she said she told him she was pregnant, after which they both went for the gun, and it went off. In the end, it didn’t matter much what story she told. The jury acquitted her on May 25, 1924 (justice was much swifter in those days).

Epilogue

Beulah Annan did not replay Al’s loyalty. She promptly left him after her acquittal and divorced him in 1926. In 1927, she married boxer Edward Harlib but quickly divorced him also. As part of the settlement, Harlib paid her $5,000 (about $85,000 in 2023).

Beulah Annan died of tuberculosis in 1928 at the Chicago Fresh Air Sanitarium. She’d been living there under the name of Beulah Stephens.

One of the reporters covering the case was Maurine Dallas Watkins, who wrote for the Chicago Tribune. She used the Beulah Annan trial and another case as inspirations to write the play Chicago in 1926. Beulah was the model for the character Roxy Hart. Watkins based the character Amos Hart on Al Annan. The play was the basis for the 2002 film Chicago.

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2023/10/222023/10/22

Matthew Shepard: Astonishing Murder of a Gay Man

My last blog post discussed the case of Christopher Wilder, an Australian serial killer who terrorized the United States in 1984. This week, we look at the murder of Matthew Shepard. In 1998, two young men abducted Shepard, tortured him, and left him to die.

Matthew Shepard

Matthew Shepard was born in 1976 in Casper, Wyoming. He and his younger brother attended schools in Casper through Matthew’s junior year in high school.

In 1994, Matthew’s father took a job with the Saudi Arabian Oil Group and moved the family to a residential camp in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Matthew studied at the American School in Switzerland for his senior year of high school, graduating in May 1995.

Matthew Wayne Shepard (Kickstarter) — Matthew Wayne Shepard (*Kickstarter*)

After high school, Matthew first studied at Catawba College in North Carolina and Casper College in Wyoming. He then enrolled in the University of Wyoming in Laramie as a political science major.

Murder of Matthew Shepard

On October 6, 1998, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson approached Matthew in Laramie’s Fireside Lounge. McKinney and Henderson offered to give Matthew a ride home. Instead, they drove to a remote area and proceeded to rob, pistol-whip, and torture him. They concluded the attack by tying him to a split rail fence and leaving him to die. (News reports erroneously identified the fence as barbed wire.)

Matthew's ordeal started outside the Fireside Lounge (Pinterest) — Matthew’s ordeal started outside the Fireside Lounge (*Pinterest*)

McKinney and Henderson returned to town after attacking Matthew, leaving him tied to the fence in near-freezing temperatures. McKinney proceeded to pick a fight with two men, nineteen-year-old Emiliano Morales and eighteen-year-old Jeremy Herrara. The fight resulted in head wounds for both Morales and McKinney. Police officer Flint Waters arrived at the scene of the fight and arrested Henderson. When he searched McKinney’s truck, he found a blood-smeared gun. He also found Shepard’s shoes and credit card. Henderson and McKinney later tried to persuade their girlfriends to provide alibis for them and help them dispose of evidence.

Russell Henderson (L) and Aaron McKinney (R) after their arrest (CBS News) — Russell Henderson (L) and Aaron McKinney (R) after their arrest (*CBS News*)

Eighteen hours after the attack, a cyclist, Aaron Kreifels, discovered Matthew still tied to the fence. (Kreifels first thought the young man he saw was a scarecrow.) Shepard was in a coma but still alive—barely. First responders took him to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie. However, doctors soon transferred him to the more advanced trauma ward at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Laramie police take custody of evidence at the scene of Matthew Shepard's fatal attack (John Epperson/AP) — Laramie police take custody of evidence at the scene of Matthew Shepard’s fatal attack (*John Epperson/AP*)

Matthew’s head injuries affected his body’s ability to regulate his vital functions and were too severe for doctors to operate. He died six days after the attack on October 12, 1998. He was twenty-one.

Matthew Shepard’s Killers Face Justice

Police arrested McKinney and Henderson and charged them with attempted murder, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery. After Matthew died, they upgraded charges from attempted murder to first-degree murder. Authorities charged their girlfriends, Kristen Price and Chasity Pasley, with being accessories after the fact.

There was some controversy over the motivation for this heinous crime. Sergeant Rob Debree testified that McKinney had stated in an interview that he and Henderson had identified Matthew as a robbery target and pretended to be gay to lure him out to their truck. McKinney further stated that McKinney had attacked Shepard after Shepard put his hand on McKinney’s knee. Price told another detective that McKinney told her McKinney’s feelings about gays triggered the violence against Matthew.

Matthew Shepard (Matthew Shepard Foundation) — Matthew Shepard (*Matthew Shepard Foundation*)

In December 1998, Pasley pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Henderson avoided going to trial by pleading guilty to murder and kidnapping charges on April 5, 1999. District Judge Jeffrey A. Donnell sentenced him to two consecutive life terms despite Henderson’s lawyer arguing that he had not targeted Matthew because he was gay. Henderson avoided the death penalty by agreeing to testify against McKinney.

McKinney’s trial took place in October and November 1999. Prosecutor Cal Rerucha alleged that McKinney and Henderson pretended to be gay to gain Shepard’s trust. McKinney’s lawyer attempted to put forward a gay panic defense, arguing that McKinney was driven temporarily insane by Matthew’s sexual advances. The judge promptly rejected this defense. Rerucha argued that the killing had been premeditated, driven by “greed and violence” rather than Shepard’s sexual orientation. The jury convicted McKinney of felony murder.

Matthew’s parents brokered a deal that resulted in McKinney receiving two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

Epilogue

Following her testimony at McKinney’s trial, Price pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor interference with a police officer.

Despite disagreements over whether Matthew’s being gay was a motivation, his murder is generally considered a hate crime.

Today (2023), Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson are forty-five years old. McKinney resides at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, while Henderson is at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington.

In 2009, Matthew’s mother, Judy Shepard, wrote a book, The Meaning of Matthew, about her son’s life and death.

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2023/10/182023/10/18

Christopher Wilder: Secrets of a Down Under Serial Killer

In my last blog post, I presented the case of Scottsdale, Arizona, beautician Valerie Pape. In 2000, Pape murdered and dismembered her husband, leaving his torso in a dumpster. This week’s case is Christopher Wilder. Born in Australia, Wilder abducted and raped at least twelve women across the U.S., killing at least eight in 1984.

Christopher Wilder

Christopher Wilder was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1945 to an American father, a naval officer, and an Australian mother. In 1963, at seventeen, he raped a thirteen-year-old girl in the company of two other youths. Both of his companions denied any part in the assault. Wilder got off with probation. Later, he claimed he received electroshock therapy, which some speculated might have led to his sexual violence. However, journalist Duncan McNab reported that he found no evidence Wilder ever had electroshock therapy. McNabb also said Wilder made up a story of nearly drowning in a swimming pool when he was two years old.

Wilder married in 1968, but the union was short-lived. His wife left him after only a week because of his sexual abuse and the lingerie and nude photos she found in his car. In 1969, Wilder emigrated to the United States, settling in Boynton Beach, Florida. His success in real estate allowed him to vacation in exotic locations like Hawaii and the Bahamas. He also became interested in photography, converting a bedroom in his upscale home into a darkroom.

Sex Crimes of Christopher Wilder

Despite an appearance of normalcy, Wilder faced several charges related to sexual misconduct between 1971 and 1975. In one case, he raped a woman he lured into his truck by promising to photograph her for a modeling contract. This established a pattern he used in later crimes. Despite several convictions during this period, he never served any prison time.

Wanted poster after Wilder made the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list (FBI) — Wanted poster after Wilder made the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list (*FBI*)

In 1977, a psychologist determined Wilder was dangerous except in a structured environment. The report noted Wilder’s desire to dominate women and to turn them into sex slaves for his pleasure.

During a visit to his parents in Australia in 1982, he was charged with forcing two fifteen-year-old girls to pose nude. His parents posted bail, and the Australian authorities allowed him to return to Florida to await trial. By the time his case came up, however, Wilder was dead.

Christopher Wilder on a Rape and Murder Spree

Christopher Wilder began his murder spree in Florida on February 26, 1984, when twenty-year-old Rosario Teresa Gonzalez went missing. Gonzalez, a model handing out aspirin samples at the Miami Grand Prix, was last seen leaving with a Caucasian man in his thirties.

Less than a month later, Wilder’s former girlfriend, Elizabeth Ann “Beth” Kenyon, vanished. Kenyon was a Miss Florida finalist and had competed against Rosario Gonzalez in that pageant. Authorities have never located either woman’s remains.

Wome of Wilder's victims. Top row (L to R): Rosario Gonzalez (20), Elizabeth Kenyon (22), Terry Ferguson (21), Terry Walden (23). Bottom row (L to R): Suzanne Logan (21), Sheryl Bonaventura (18), Michelle Korfman (17), Dawnette Wilt (16, survived), Beth Dodge (33). — Some of Wilder’s victims. Top row (L to R): Rosario Gonzalez (20), Elizabeth Kenyon (22), Terry Ferguson (21), Terry Walden (23). Bottom row (L to R): Suzanne Logan (21), Sheryl Bonaventura (18), Michelle Korfman (17), Dawnette Wilt (16, survived), Beth Dodge (33).

Wilder’s orgy rape and murder continued. Theresa Anne “Terry” Wait Ferguson, 21, and Linda Grover, 19 (Grover ultimately escaped) abducted in Florida. Terry Diane Graham Walden, 23, kidnapped in Texas. Suzanne Wendy Duchan Logan, 21, taken in Oklahoma and murdered in Kansas. Sheryl Lynn Bonaventura, 18, murdered in Utah. Michelle Lynn Korfman, 17, killed in California. Dawnette Sue Wilt, 16, abducted in New York State (she survived). Beth Elaine Spofford Dodge, 33, murdered in New York State.

Survivor Linda Grover (Daily Telegraph) — Survivor Linda Grover (*Daily Telegraph*)

Wilder is a suspect in at least ten more murders in the United States and Australia.

Death of Christopher Wilder

On April 13, 1984, Wilder stopped at a Colebrook, New Hampshire, service station to ask directions to Canada. By now, he was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. Two New Hampshire state troopers, Leo Jellison and Wayne Fortier, approached him. Wilder retreated to his car and retrieved a Cold Python .357 magnum. Jellison grabbed Wilder from behind, and the gun discharged twice as Wilder tried to die by suicide. The first shot hit Wilder and exited through his back into Jellison. The second bullet hit Wilder in the chest, killing him. Although seriously wounded, Jellison recovered and returned to full duty.

Christopher Wilder dead in his car after an encounter with New Hampshire state troopers Leo Jellison and Wayne Fortier (Daily Telegraph) — Christopher Wilder dead in his car after an encounter with New Hampshire state troopers Leo Jellison and Wayne Fortier (*Daily Telegraph*)

Epilogue

Unlike most serial killers, Wilder had money, leaving an estate worth about $7 million (more than $20.5 million in 2023). In June 1986, a court-appointed arbitrator ruled that the after-tax balance was to be divided among the families of his victims.

Wilder’s body was cremated in Florida.

You can read more about Christopher Wilder and his trail of destruction in Duncan McNab’s The Snapshot Killer.

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2023/10/102023/10/10

Valerie Pape: Fascinating Case of the Scottsdale Torso Murder

My previous blog post involved the still-unsolved murder of five people in a Las Cruces, New Mexico bowling alley. This week, we look at a bizarre case from Scottsdale, Arizona, where, in 2000, beautician Valerie Pape killed and dismembered her husband.

Valerie Pape

In 2000, Valerie Pape was 47 years old and owned a beauty salon in Scottsdale, Arizona. She also had a husband, Ira Pomerantz, 60, a Chandler, Arizona bar owner. They married in 1995. Theirs was not a happy union, as friends and family knew the couple had a volatile relationship. On more than one occasion, the police had been called to their McCormick Ranch home.

Valerie contended that her husband was an abusive alcoholic. He denied this, but friends reported seeing Valerie with bruises. She filed for a protection order against him in 1999, claiming he’d thrown knives at her during a fight over bills. Pomerantz admitted the argument but stated he’d never “been physical” with his wife. For whatever reason, Valerie withdrew the request a week later, maintaining the couple had reconciled.

Valerie Pape's salon in Scottsdale, Arizona (Arizona Republic via azcentral.com) — Valerie Pape’s salon in Scottsdale, Arizona (*Arizona Republic via azcentral.com*)

Reconciliation or not, the bills continued to pile up. Pomerantz complained that his wife was bleeding him dry financially. Moreover, he suspected her of having an affair with a Frenchman staying with the couple (the man had a stake in her salon). Friends later told police he planned to file for divorce.

Valerie Pape and Murder

On January 27, 2000, Valerie Pape pulled her Jaguar beside a dumpster behind a Mesa, Arizona grocery store. Removing a heavy-duty plastic bag from the car, she managed with effort to heave it into the trash bin. Unfortunately for her, a deliveryman saw this strange episode and notified the police. Inside the bag, investigators found Ira Pomerantz’s headless, limbless body. The media naturally dubbed it the “Torso Murder” case.

A week after discovering Pomerantz’s torso, police arrested Valerie Pape. At first, she claimed she found her husband shot to death on the kitchen floor of their home. She dumped the body, she said, because she feared she’d be blamed for his murder. But she eventually confessed to shooting him during an argument on January 23, then disposing of his body four days later.

How the petite blonde dismembered the body remains a mystery, as Valerie never offered an explanation. Detectives believed she had an accomplice who they never identified. They also found a receipt for an electric saw bought just before the murder, but not the saw itself.

Instead of going to trial, Valerie Pape pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August 2002. She received a sentence of sixteen years with no chance for parole.

Epilogue

In 2006, the Arizona Department of Corrections arranged a deal to transfer Pape to a prison in France (she was a French citizen). She was flown to a holding facility in Oklahoma City in preparation. However, Pomerantz’s daughters objected, fearing the French would release her on parole. The Arizona DOC had her transferred back to Arizona.

Valerie Pape served her sentence and was released on January 26, 2016. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported her to France on March 7, 2016.

Investigators never found Ira Pomerantz’s missing body parts.

The Oxygen network’s show, Snapped, aired an episode on the Valerie Pape case on January 7, 2018.