"I'm not saying he's guilty. And I'm not saying he's innocent. But I think once you factor in everything we just learned, then I think we have to look beyond the black and the white of guilt and innocence and ask, is Williams guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?" — Ashley Flowers
"The entire city was on edge waiting to find out what's going to happen next. I mean, parents were locking their doors and windows now, afraid that another boogie man like William is going to come snatch their children." — Britt
"The problem is, it's totally fake. Like the author cites unimpeachable sources as his main source and gets super imaginative about what he assumes William was thinking, breaching all kinds of journalistic ethics in the process." — Ashley Flowers
The episode delves into the harrowing 1946 case of six-year-old Suzanne Degnan, abducted from her Chicago home on January 6th. The initial investigation revealed a ransom note, but the Degnan family, neither wealthy nor connected to the Office of Price Administration, struggled to meet the demand. The discovery of Suzanne's dismembered body in the following days intensified the media frenzy and police pressure. Early investigation focused on a local janitor, Hector, who was later released. The case gained significant traction with the arrest of 17-year-old William Hirons, whose fingerprints were allegedly found on the ransom note, and who was linked to the unsolved murders of Josephine Ross and Frances Brown, the latter providing the "Lipstick Killer" moniker due to a note left at the scene.
The narrative then meticulously unpacks the circumstances surrounding William Hirons' arrest and subsequent conviction, highlighting numerous questionable aspects. These include alleged coercive interrogation tactics, including physical abuse and deprivation, a disputed handwriting analysis, and the questionable reliability of eyewitness testimony. The episode also scrutinizes the use of sodium pentathol (truth serum) and the unexplained secrecy surrounding its transcripts. Furthermore, it explores the possibility that the physical evidence, including fingerprints and handwriting samples, may have been tampered with or misinterpreted, potentially due to police pressure or even a planted note.
The discussion expands to include alternative suspects and theories, such as Richard Russell Thomas, who confessed to the crime before Hirons became the primary suspect, and a more recent theory linking the "Lipstick Killer" to the Black Dahlia murder based on the precise nature of the dismemberment. Despite persistent doubts and legal challenges, William Hirons maintained his innocence until his death in prison in 2012, leaving the case with unresolved questions about true justice and the potential for wrongful conviction.