Episode Transcript
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crime. Junkie. Happy
2:11
New Year crime junkies. I'm
2:13
your host Ashley flowers, and I'm
2:15
bread. And the story I have for you, today is
2:17
one that I to tell in January
2:19
for stalking awareness month. It's
2:21
about a woman who was stalked for
2:23
over 20 years, but because
2:26
stalking is so widely, misunderstood. She
2:28
wasn't even sure if what she was, experiencing
2:30
was even a crime by the time it
2:32
escalated in, something even more dangerous,
2:35
the measures put in place to protect her
2:37
life were too little too late
2:39
now before we die, then I do and provide.
2:42
A bit of a disclaimer: The crime and I'm really
2:44
talking about in this week's episode happened between the
2:46
early nineteen eighties and two thousand and five,
2:48
however, the perpetrator in this. Case
2:51
has more recently come out as a transgender
2:53
woman, now we always try and tell
2:55
these stories in real time like how it happened
2:57
in the moment for the victim for. Their loved ones
2:59
or for investigators, but we are
3:01
also really mindful of the struggles of
3:04
the transgender community that they face
3:06
every single day, especially in the media,
3:08
so although or. Can be telling the story as
3:10
it unfolded, we will be using
3:12
gender neutral pronouns when referencing this
3:14
person to avoid using are dead name as much
3:17
as possible. If. The term that
3:19
name is totally new to you or your suddenly
3:21
realizing that maybe you don't know as much as you'd like
3:23
to, but the issue facing transgender people roxy
3:25
can. Include some links in the show notes for today's
3:27
episode, so hopefully be pretty helpful. And.
3:30
Also before anyone gets a click
3:32
with the one's darv you button because we're being to woke
3:34
or PC because you don't think a person who committed
3:37
a violent crime deserves all. The care that
3:39
we put into this episode honestly it's too
3:41
early in the morning for that yeah.
3:43
like you take incessant mean that it's but to
3:46
and is like is now
3:48
I'd rather than a hell of an idea
3:50
that is pretty much as it's, yeah,
3:53
but was it's not about them my
3:55
words? Brit's words, your word.
3:58
Hold a lot of power and there.
4:00
Even? entire community of wonderful
4:02
people who can be harmed if we
4:04
all aren't careful with our words, so
4:06
it's about showing love and respect to them,
4:09
the world would be a whole" Lot nicer have a
4:11
place if we all just showed a little more love
4:13
and respect one another don't you think oh
4:15
solely with? all
4:17
of that said this is the story
4:20
of mary lynn witherspoon
4:54
On. November fourteenth, two thousand three Jane
4:56
Well chill is having a pretty ordinary
4:58
day when she received a really
5:00
out of the ordinary phone call is
5:02
her mother's best friend and she's. Calling
5:04
to let Jane know that her mother didn't show
5:07
up for work that morning. Then. James
5:09
mother Mary Lynn Witherspoon is a French
5:11
teacher at a school in Charleston,
5:13
South Carolina, and not only did she not
5:15
show up to school that morning, but she didn't even.
5:18
Call in for a substitute and that's
5:20
not like her at all, like Mary
5:22
Lynn love teaching, she loves her students,
5:24
and she loves friend, she wouldn't it's not
5:27
sure to school. Especially without making play arrangements,
5:30
so right away, Jane knows something
5:32
isn't right, so had anyone tried to contact
5:34
Mary Lynn or, like, gone over to her, has
5:36
to check on it. Yet actually, according
5:38
to keep more since reporting for NBC
5:40
News, the school principal and
5:42
another person on his staff had gone over to
5:45
Maryland's house, they knocked on the door,
5:47
but. Maryland never answered need and
5:49
took a look around the house and didn't see anything
5:51
that really worried them to be honest, like there's no broken
5:53
glass anywhere and Maryland car wasn't.
5:55
There, so at first, I think any
5:58
normal person would probably be thinking that the.
6:00
He is gone somewhere on her own week,
6:02
set up, it's a school day and that would
6:04
have been completely unlike her, right?
6:06
Though her daughter Jane, his panic.
6:09
Feeling. Really helpless because she lives three
6:11
hours away from Charles and so she can't even like
6:13
go over herself in just like hop over to the
6:15
house to see there's anything wrong. Or look for
6:18
her mother, so her mind is just jumping to all
6:20
kinds of conclusions. The
6:22
Jane and her husband get in the car
6:24
and start heading to Charles and to get answers
6:26
for themselves. Along. The way
6:29
they contact police to report Mary
6:31
Lynn missing, and luckily this isn't one of those
6:33
cases where police tell them to wait twenty four hours
6:35
or something like that good. Know they get to work
6:37
immediately and Jane actually give them permission
6:40
to enter Maryland's home by force while
6:42
she makes her way there and that's what they do
6:45
now, although Maryland. "Colleagues
6:47
didn't notice anything wrong when they checked be
6:49
outside of the house as soon as
6:51
police and her, they come to a totally
6:53
different conclusion because, according
6:55
to an Associated Press. Report, published by the
6:57
item, when police and her bow
7:00
seems off, like, for example,
7:02
they noticed jewelry on the floor as well
7:04
as an apple plus some food in the kitchen.
7:06
That looks like it was kind of this left
7:08
their mid meal. They. Continue
7:11
searching the property, they noticed a broken
7:13
spindle on a staircase leading
7:15
up to the second floor, so that's where they had
7:17
next following this trail upstairs
7:20
into Maryland's bedroom and. When they
7:22
walk in, that's when they really know something
7:24
bad happened here. Then.
7:26
Doors are open, things have been
7:28
rifle through and there are close
7:31
all over the floor,
7:33
so basically the places been ransacked
7:36
pretty much, I mean, maybe
7:38
you could look at it. As if Mary Lynn had just left
7:40
in a panic or something, but if that's what police
7:42
are thinking, that theory is proven wrong
7:45
as soon as they enter the second floor.
7:47
Bathroom because that is where they
7:49
find Mary Lynn. Dad
7:51
in her back to. Now, obviously,
7:54
this has immediately become a completely
7:56
different situation for Pull. Leaf the
7:58
really. The at a potential for. Right? Now,
8:00
so they get right to work, processing
8:03
the scene and Miracle's body is sent
8:05
off for autopsy, where they find that her
8:07
cause of death with strangulation, the
8:09
results also note. That she had been sexually
8:12
assaulted and that her hands and feet
8:14
had been bound with Kate. Now,
8:16
as soon as Maryland's family learns,
8:19
what happened, they immediately Point
8:22
Police in the direction of someone who
8:24
they think could be for
8:26
her murder. And that person is Edmunds,
8:28
tennent-brown 4th,
8:30
who will be referring to his Brown, from here
8:32
on out. Okay. So, who is this
8:34
person to answer
8:36
that question? We kind of need to jump
8:39
back a little bit and I'm not talking, just a few
8:41
months here. We actually need to go all
8:43
the way to 1981.
8:46
That. Then Mary Lynn was a single
8:48
mom of one just coming out of
8:51
a painful, messy divorce, but
8:53
she definitely didn't laugh for interested
8:55
men and keep more since piece for NBC.
8:57
News a family friend says that she patted
8:59
basically like "be off potential suitors"
9:02
with a stick which may be is to
9:04
be expected considering this lady was
9:06
a cat's Mary Lynn. Was super
9:08
smart she had become a really popular
9:11
teacher, parent's students, colleagues, pretty much
9:13
everyone loved her, and on top
9:15
of all of that she had even one beauty
9:17
pageants in. The past, okay, so
9:19
this lady is the total package, yeah?
9:22
But one particular man caught her
9:24
attention and that was edmonds
9:26
tenant, Brown, the third. He.
9:28
Was a single parent to he had two children
9:31
and he came from are really prominent family in
9:33
Charleston, and as you might expect,
9:35
edmonds in Maryland were absolutely
9:37
smitten with one. Another and edmonds
9:39
also adored Maryland daughter Jane
9:41
and really doted on her. In
9:44
an interview with NBC News, Jane says that
9:46
he would actually come over in the mornings
9:48
after Mary Lynn had gone to work and would make
9:50
Chain's breakfast for her and take her to school
9:53
of hate that is a plus boys at retail
9:56
totally. Their relationship
9:58
wasn't quite as. Picture perfect
10:00
as you might expect, because although admins
10:03
welcome Jane with open arms, things
10:05
didn't go quite as smoothly with his
10:07
two children, a nine year old daughter
10:09
named Molly and his oldest child,
10:11
a ten year old named Brown, who I mentioned before.
10:14
The mean, like Marilyn, wasn't welcoming
10:16
to them. No. The furniture on
10:18
his he's all indicates that Maryland was very
10:20
good with Malian Brown, but there were a couple of
10:22
issues on the kids per really
10:25
one of the issues was. That Molly and Brown
10:27
seem to be quite jealous of the attention
10:29
Edmonds gave married Lynn's daughter, which
10:32
I can totally see that kind of a big changes
10:34
really tough for A. Kid, all for sure, but
10:36
despite that, Brown really seem to like
10:39
Mary Lynn and to her credit, she tried
10:41
really hard to look past all the awkwardness
10:43
and try to build. A relationship with them and
10:45
remember Mary, when was a teacher, see know how to connect
10:48
with kids, even challenging ones, and
10:50
Brown was of little challenging. The
10:52
source material is a little vague on this, but
10:54
Brown is mostly described as awkward
10:57
someone who wanted to fit in
10:59
but just Didn't forget coming
11:01
from a of teaching, Mary Lynn had encountered
11:03
cuz like this before and she wanted so
11:05
badly to be there for brown, but
11:07
there were a few incidents early
11:09
on in Maryland and Edmunds relationship,
11:12
but definitely made this more difficult, like,
11:15
what? Well, according to
11:17
an episode of obsession dark desires
11:19
that covered this case, Brown would
11:21
occasionally steal, some of
11:23
Mary Lynn's things, particularly her
11:26
clothes and jewelry, and actually
11:28
Mary Lynn initially thought it was her daughter.
11:31
Jane, who'd been taking them. But Jane
11:33
actually caught Brown wearing these items
11:35
at least once. So it definitely created
11:38
some tension, but the most
11:40
troubling incident happened one
11:42
day, when Mary Lynn and Edmunds had
11:44
the kids at the Country Club pool.
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At.
13:04
One point: Maryland and edmonds were
13:06
sitting by the pool watching their kids
13:08
play, and Brown was like, "Hey,
13:10
Jane, let's see who can hold their breath
13:12
the longest so Jane
13:14
takes" A deep breath and ducks under the
13:16
surface but Brown didn't
13:19
join her instead they please
13:21
their hands on James had and
13:23
like commonly held her below
13:25
the water luckily.
13:27
maryland notice is happening was able to rescue
13:30
jane before anything truly terrible happened Then.
13:33
Thing about this is it wasn't even really the
13:35
act itself that disturbed Mary
13:37
Lamb, and she knew better than anyone that sometimes
13:39
kids do stupid and dangerous thing right
13:42
way, what? Really struck Mary
13:44
Lynn with how Brown reacted afterward
13:47
how completely calm they were
13:49
like they had no remorse whatsoever
13:52
for what they've done yeah.
13:54
that with these killing prey But
13:57
they all moved on from that and Mary when
13:59
and admins. The together for a few more
14:01
years. In order hundred details
14:03
about what grounds behavior was like during
14:05
this time, it's definitely imply that
14:07
things were still awkward but does nothing
14:09
as serious as the swimming pool incident.
14:12
But. Either way, Maryland just was never really
14:14
comfortable with how their to families
14:16
were blending and so in nineteen
14:18
eighty eight, despite Edmonds having proposed
14:21
to her multiple times, Maryland decided
14:23
that. It would be best for her and Jane if
14:25
she ended her relationship with edmund Wake!
14:28
Up or hard, especially with long
14:30
term relationship on, also with long
14:33
term relationships, have kids right, yeah,
14:35
so I'm sure this was a difficult time for everybody
14:38
but the person. Who seem to have the most
14:40
trouble letting go wasn't Mary Lynn
14:42
or admins it actually was brown?
14:45
It would after Maryellen in edmonds broke
14:47
up that Brown certain just
14:49
showing up at Maryland House,
14:52
basically just kind of standing on her
14:54
porch or they might rather bicycle
14:56
to her house. What? You said breakups
14:58
can be really tough on kids for sure and
15:00
so the first few times it happen, Mary
15:02
Lynn would kind of engage with Brown like, "Hey,
15:05
how you doing?" You know, you wanna talk that
15:07
kinda thing, but they kept happening
15:09
to the point where Mary Lynn was noticing ground
15:11
watching her about every day
15:14
and polls would rather than at.
15:16
This point, like early teens and
15:18
sawyer know by this point
15:20
Brown would have been eighteen years old,
15:22
oh so would pretty much a full
15:24
grown adult, yeah, and look, it's not.
15:27
Like them showing up could have been something that was
15:29
explained away like, oh, maybe Brown is riding
15:31
through the neighborhood a lot or something like that I mean first
15:33
of. All this the frequency at it as is happening
15:35
pretty much every day, but also there
15:37
was a period where Mary Lynn and James actually
15:40
moved away from Charleston temporarily
15:42
nine or. What led to the move again this case, I
15:44
don't believe it was like their attempt to get away from.
15:47
Brown's creepy behavior. But they
15:49
relocated to a place called Mount Pleasant,
15:51
which isn't far from Charleston, me like
15:53
fifteen twenty minutes away, but not like
15:55
on Brown's route right to
15:57
is from schools but still Brown
15:59
was show. The up there too. Good.
16:01
Marilyn ever report it to the police at
16:04
this point, at least I feel like it's set up stocking
16:06
she didn't know, which is not
16:08
uncommon to be honest, and I think.
16:11
One of the big issues is that stalking
16:13
is not like other crimes against people
16:15
like assault, for example, that is really
16:17
clear, cut everyone knows exactly what it is
16:19
everyone knows. That the crime stasi
16:21
is different, what stocking is
16:24
the actual definition just isn't as well
16:26
known or understood, yeah, I'm
16:28
sitting here thinking.
16:30
They're an actual definition for second,
16:32
as I certainly don't know it.
16:34
Being. Legally, it actually varies from place
16:36
to place, but while they were putting together
16:39
this episode, we spoke with Spark,
16:41
which is the stalking prevention awareness and
16:43
resource center, and they say. That a good
16:45
definition of stalking his quote: "A
16:47
course of conduct directed
16:49
at a specific person that would cause a reasonable
16:52
person to feel fear and
16:54
quote have a set define" Feels like it
16:56
would apply in a situation absolutely,
16:58
but I still get, were Mary Lynn is coming
17:01
from in this situation to with not
17:03
calling the cops? Youtube. Include
17:05
know, like it's a stranger, the she's dealing with
17:07
this was someone who is basically a part
17:09
of her family for years and
17:11
her daughter Jane told he'd more thing with. NBC
17:14
News that at the time see
17:16
and Mary Lynn didn't even really think there was
17:18
a crime being committed. The
17:20
can't help but think that maybe Mary Lynn saw
17:22
Brown as right, the sort
17:24
of miss that we said before they were awkward
17:27
and so she probably was like
17:29
empathizing with them. Right,
17:31
earning, see new ban as a kid and
17:33
essentially. Watch them, girl and.
17:36
The be really hard to see them as anything else
17:38
than like just a kid is not imagine.
17:41
McKay, I'm sure she felt like from
17:43
the harmless and even that kind
17:45
of idea like yeah, they're creepy and I
17:47
hated that. The harm might not
17:49
be really hard to think it's your
17:51
mind pass rate because she knew
17:53
them, but honestly knowing
17:55
your stalker is also really comments
17:58
in that the majority of victims.
18:00
Or start by someone they know whether that be
18:02
an acquaintance or a former partner,
18:04
so what Mary Lynn was experiencing
18:06
with Brown Float she may be
18:08
couldn't see it herself was pretty
18:11
much a textbook case of stalking.
18:14
But. It didn't stop a just creepy
18:16
visits about a year after breaking
18:18
things off with admins Mary Lynn
18:20
had taken a trip to visit her mother, who lit
18:22
a few hours away. From Charleston, the
18:25
to went for a walk, and when they returned
18:27
to Maryland's mother's house, it was
18:29
clear that someone had broken in.
18:32
There was nothing mistake, or at least it didn't
18:34
seem like that as a time, but when
18:36
Mary Lynn returned home to Charleston
18:39
and started to unpack her suitcase,
18:41
that's when she saw it. From
18:43
one had gone to real her suitcase
18:46
and stole in her underwear and her
18:48
makeup. Mary, when I knew
18:50
immediately that it was brown.
18:52
Then. She called up her mother to tell her what
18:54
had happened to wait, why, as her
18:56
mind jumping they're like two hours away
18:59
wouldn't be more likely that the could have. Been
19:01
some random stranger, or even
19:03
it, maybe she just forgot them a short,
19:05
and we know that Brown had followed mariel into
19:07
other locations before, like when she moved Mt.
19:10
Pleasant. Way, but what about
19:12
the make up though?
19:13
From what I can tell, it seems like Brown
19:16
was struggling with their gender identity
19:18
and expression they were assigned
19:20
male at birth it, but they, how did this
19:22
interest in Maryland clothing and
19:24
make up going all the way back to childhood?
19:27
I. Have to warn you if you decide to look into Sound
19:29
the Sources for today's episode this part of the story
19:32
I don't think is handled release well
19:34
by other outlets covering. The keys, it's true
19:36
that's kind of this, a dark and disturbing
19:39
sat about Brown when that's probably
19:41
the least disturbing thing about any of this.
19:43
Yeah, the issue isn't that they were interested
19:46
in women's underwear or make up for that they
19:48
were exploring their gender identity, the
19:50
issue is they were starting Mary Lynn
19:52
right feeling from her and violating
19:55
her privacy exactly. Then
19:57
when Maryland mother learn says she actually
19:59
try.
20:00
The get in touch with Brown over the phone
20:02
and was basically like, "Look, I know,
20:04
is you who broke into my house and who stole
20:06
Maryland days, this is not cool,
20:08
so you need to return those things to Mary
20:10
Lynn" Brown. Didn't deny
20:13
it, but they also didn't apologize or
20:15
anything like that either, apparently they just put all the items
20:17
in a bag and left it in Maryland, carport
20:19
and in Maryland. Report it at that point like
20:22
this very clearly has escalated now
20:24
and it's clear a crime has been committed.
20:27
The yeah, you're right, but no Mary
20:29
Lynn decided not to get the police
20:31
involved. Again, I
20:33
don't think she saw this so much as an
20:35
escalation of the stalking behavior,
20:37
necessarily more like it's more of the same
20:40
stuff Brown had been doing for years
20:42
since they were a kid. Then. Other thing
20:44
is that Mary Lynn had always been
20:46
a very private person and the items
20:48
involved in this that were pretty personal
20:50
to herself that kind of factored
20:52
into the decision. To so did
20:55
getting caught and this confrontation with
20:57
Maryland mom Scare Brown off at
20:59
all. You know, I don't actually know
21:01
so that that's happened in nineteen eighty nine and
21:03
the period right after this isn't super
21:05
well covered in my source material, speak
21:07
as most of them to strumpf Street from there
21:09
to nineteen ninety one. You
21:12
know what happened? Ninety ninety one.
21:15
Well, that's when Brown just disappeared
21:18
white. According to NBC
21:20
News report, I mentioned at some
21:23
point in nineteen ninety one Mary
21:25
Lynn just stopped seeing Brown
21:27
around anywhere. It.
21:30
Was a few days that went by where this
21:32
person was an invading for life, but
21:34
then those days turned into weeks,
21:36
week, turn into months and months to
21:38
years and at. A certain point: Maryland's
21:40
finally let herself feel
21:43
at peace, she was no longer
21:45
constantly looking over her shoulder wondering
21:47
if Brown would be there, she wasn't worried
21:49
that she'd come home. To find her personal belongings
21:51
missing, she was just enjoying her light
21:54
enjoying Charleston, a city that she loved
21:56
so much enjoys teaching friends to
21:58
her students and at one point. Even
22:00
accompany them on a trip to France
22:02
so she suffered living her best was
22:05
totally. Mary Lynn
22:07
lived a pretty normal life, the nightmare
22:09
finally over for ten
22:11
years. Until one
22:13
day in two thousand and one. Mary
22:16
when was at home when something caught
22:18
her eye in her backyard know
22:20
something he was some one
22:23
and. as soon as she realized who
22:25
it was she was pulled right
22:27
back into that nightmare once again
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They're in Maryland, backyard
23:43
was brown. It had been a decade
23:46
since Maryland had seen them and now Brown
23:48
wasn't a ten year old kid or even a confused
23:51
eighteen year old anymore they were a
23:53
thirty year old adult calmly standing
23:55
on Maryland property almost.
23:58
inviting her to catch them
24:00
Even know she was terrified
24:03
Mary Lynn somehow found the courage
24:05
to walk outside, ready to talk
24:07
to Brown, and hopefully find a way to end things
24:09
once, and for all fits as soon
24:11
as he stepped outside, Brown turn
24:13
around and select. That. Wasn't
24:16
the end up because soon they
24:18
were back to their old ways showing
24:20
up on Maryland property, and they also
24:22
would harass her with phone calls, they
24:25
create all these different. Female persona
24:27
that we're obviously fake it's, even though
24:29
they weren't necessarily threatening Maryland
24:31
with these calls, she was still just feeling
24:34
worn down from the whole experience.
24:37
At this point, it was probably getting more
24:39
and more difficult for Marilyn to kind of excuse
24:42
all of this behavior.
24:43
And even Maryland's friends were seeing the red flags
24:46
are actually they decided to contact
24:48
Brown's father and the honestly I was
24:50
kind of wondering.
24:51
Where? He was in all of this to like,
24:53
"Not only is this your child, but there are stocking
24:56
a woman that you claim to love for years
24:58
who you propose to multiple"
25:00
Times right and it stood up to me too,
25:03
but actually it seems like Edmond's kind
25:05
of like washed his hands of Brown at some
25:07
point during the last decade.
25:09
Maryland sister Jackie told Keith Morrison
25:11
with NBC News that edmonds really didn't have
25:13
much to do with Brown at that point and when Maryland
25:16
friends that called him "he did nothing"
25:19
Did anyone contact the authorities
25:21
then?
25:22
No, Mary, when still prefer
25:24
to keep all this private.
25:26
You. Tell her friends and family that there wasn't
25:28
anything criminal about standing in front
25:30
of her house like brow wasn't hurting
25:32
anybody, really, would it's not
25:34
Brown's individual actions or behaviors
25:37
that? Makes this a crime, it is the pattern
25:39
of behavior that makes it a crime. Right
25:42
so like it hasn't had the.
25:44
Today and Brown was sending Maryland
25:46
like hundreds of text messages every
25:48
day, there's nothing illegal about
25:50
sending a text message or even multiple.
25:53
The amount of text messages and frequency
25:56
it is, what would you? The
25:58
data could elevate it to fucking. Yeah,
26:00
that's exactly it.
26:02
You know, I think Maryland probably saw this
26:04
behavior as disturbing, but ultimately
26:07
harmless. It doesn't mean
26:09
it can't cross a line which
26:11
is what happened in April of two thousand
26:13
and three. Mary Lynn was
26:15
doing her laundry when she
26:17
noticed that something was missing.
26:20
It. Was her underwear and obviously
26:22
this wasn't the first or even the
26:25
second time Mary Lynn had dealt with this,
26:27
but back then Brown had been
26:29
younger this time it really
26:31
seem. To get under Maryland's skin
26:34
and so this when she decided it was time to
26:36
protect herself. The installed
26:38
a new security system in her home,
26:40
then she got nice and pepper
26:42
spray plus a panic button on her
26:44
teaching.
26:46
He. Actually, did get in touch with some
26:48
police officers, it's not like filing
26:50
an official report, marry one was actually friends
26:53
with some local officers, so she basically just
26:55
like ask them. To keep an eye out for her and she had
26:57
a bunch of their phone number is like at the ready
26:59
for she called anything with Brown escalated
27:01
and she needed like. immediate help. That
27:04
day, when she needed help, actually came sooner
27:06
than Mary Lynn, expect it. Just
27:08
three months later, in July, two thousand and three
27:11
Mary Lynn once again spotted
27:13
Brown in her back yard. Something
27:16
was different this time because
27:18
Brown wasn't just standing
27:20
there and watching they were holding
27:22
something. With a pillow case
27:25
filled with Mary wins clothes
27:28
and, this really terrified
27:30
mary lynn because this is the first
27:32
time she had caught ground in me at
27:34
and she was only certain how they would
27:36
react in the moment it seemed
27:39
like brown was almost haunting mary
27:41
lynn like just standing there holding
27:43
there things looking for right in the eyes
27:45
zipping work wanting to get caught or maybe
27:47
even wanting to frighten her Definitely.
27:51
Work, I mean, Mary Lynn was too scared
27:53
to even move. Thankfully
27:56
Brown eventually just walked away.
27:59
That was soon as this. Incident happened her
28:01
whole family started, "Thank you, need to report
28:03
this and you need to do it now" Not.
28:06
At Maryland disagreed, but naturally
28:08
she was scared like what would
28:10
Brown do with a found out that Mary
28:12
Lynn had called the police on them, but ultimately
28:15
she decided it was. Worth the risks of report
28:17
the burglary and after that, Brown
28:19
was arrested and charged. It
28:21
turned out that in the years
28:23
since all this started happening with Mary when
28:26
Brown had a number of run ins with
28:28
police. For stalking other people.
28:31
No. Not that I'm aware of cheese, Morrison
28:33
reported that it was things like break
28:35
and enter is in part that's, and
28:37
when Brown was arrested for burglary
28:39
because the incident at Mary. limbs house, they
28:42
actually pled guilty and then just sat
28:44
in jail awaiting sentencing. The
28:46
marry my new that Brown wasn't going to be in jail
28:48
forever, and she didn't want to risk being caught
28:51
off guard by their presence ever
28:53
again.
28:53
Though he registered for a victim
28:56
notification system called By
28:58
which stands for victim information
29:01
and notification every day, which would automatically
29:03
call her and sent her a letter
29:05
if Brown was released or transferred, oh
29:07
yeah, I've heard that.
29:09
Then, in the meantime, this let Mary Lynn
29:11
like stand down a little bit, least until
29:13
she got that call about Brown's relief.
29:15
That that whole never't. t Instead,
29:19
there was that other call.
29:21
The one that Jane got on November fourteen,
29:24
two thousand and three telling her
29:26
that her mother hadn't shown up at work. That
29:29
brings us back to the investigation that's
29:31
happening.
29:32
Though Brown was in jail
29:34
when Maryland was killed.
29:35
Well. When Jane and the rest in Maryland family
29:38
find out about her murder, their minds automatically
29:40
jump to Brown like I said, because of course they
29:42
would, but they're also completely like.
29:44
You like they're like very, when would have
29:46
known if Brown had been released because if
29:48
she would have been one of those calls or letters to buy
29:51
and they feel like. You know, if you would have gotten a notification,
29:53
she would have at least mentioned it to some
29:55
well for sure. The police
29:58
look into it again, thinking like. The should
30:00
be sitting in jail, but Brown wasn't
30:03
in jail at all like. Not.
30:05
So much were Brown wasn't that was concerning
30:08
it's where they were, because when
30:11
the investigators at the scene are given
30:13
a photos of Brown there's stunt
30:16
because the person they're looking. At in these photos
30:18
had been at the scene
30:20
of the crime all day
30:23
long, walking up and down
30:25
the street watching the investigation
30:28
on the phone. You're kidding me,
30:30
know?
30:31
Gordon Brown isn't there any longer,
30:34
but Elise now, please know
30:36
it's only a matter of time before they come
30:38
back for another look's all investigators
30:40
need to do is set a trap.
30:43
Now, please know that their prime suspect has
30:45
been making a habit of returning to the scene
30:47
of the crime, so they decided to send
30:49
home the investigative unit, basically,
30:51
to make it look at the work at Maryland House,
30:53
has been like all wrapped up. The really good
30:55
as his are curious, like what will Brown
30:57
do with it looks like the house has just been
30:59
totally abandoned. But, of course,
31:01
the truth is that authorities have a stakeout
31:04
t monitoring the property and I'm
31:06
not exaggerating here within twenty
31:09
minutes of this whole trappings set
31:11
up brown thumbs, walking
31:13
down the street, walks right
31:15
up to Maryland's door.
31:17
Then and pulled out a set of keys,
31:20
unlock the front door, why, which
31:22
is all police need to see
31:24
before they pop out and start asking
31:26
questions.
31:28
Cleo right away that Brown
31:30
understand exactly what's going
31:32
on and why investigators or up Maryland's
31:34
house because they refuse to answer
31:36
any questions and they were classed
31:38
and attorney. I mean, Brown has the
31:40
keys to both Maryland's house and car,
31:42
which is enough for an arrest, yeah,
31:44
I agree, but I feel like we skipped over
31:47
a pretty big chunk of the story here.
31:49
Why wasn't Brown still in
31:51
jail, and why did Maryland
31:53
not know about this?
31:55
Yeah, so remember how I said that Brown
31:57
was awaiting sentencing play.
32:00
Then. Court ultimately decided that the best course of
32:02
action for Brown was mental health treatment,
32:04
a why report in The Times and Democrat noted
32:07
that brands of medication for bipolar
32:09
disorder and. Also had Asperger
32:11
Syndrome, so I suspected those were some of
32:13
the reasons that this option was even on the table,
32:15
but all this means that on November tenth
32:17
Four days before Maryland's murder.
32:20
Ground was released under the condition
32:22
that they receive outpacing, counseling, medication
32:25
and supervision, which is
32:27
the moment Maryland should have received
32:30
a notification thing by hey.
32:32
According to Glenn Smith's reporting for the
32:34
Post and courier.
32:36
Brown was taken to see a counselor at
32:38
a mental health clinic who evaluated them,
32:41
then told them that they are basically free to go,
32:43
but they just had to return in two days for additional
32:45
counseling.
32:46
The thing in a Brown never did come back
32:49
to that clinic in it's nothing else that
32:51
should have been enough for this clinic to basically sound
32:54
all of the alarm bells and had Brom picked
32:56
up, but that also just didn't
32:58
happen.
33:00
During all of this, Maryland just legit
33:02
never got the notification that from was
33:04
relief.
33:06
She actually did the,
33:08
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connect what matters most is almost
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there. A me.
34:48
Apparently
34:51
there was a bit.
34:53
Blog. Or some kind of administrative
34:55
error, basically the notification
34:57
of from fine or right in her mailbox
35:00
one day after
35:02
she had been murdered, ah, but
35:04
here's a thing, even if it. Had arrived on time,
35:07
the letter is factually incorrect, anyway,
35:09
says at Brown has been transferred to another
35:11
facility, it's not released into
35:13
the community. Apparently. Vine
35:15
also attempted to contact Mary Lynn on her home
35:18
phone, like with a robo call kind of
35:20
situation, but she was never home when the calls
35:22
came in, and they just. ended up on her answering
35:24
machine and so she never like got them,
35:26
though again, even the automated message
35:28
was also in correct, so it's
35:30
not even clear how helpful that would. Have been
35:32
anyway, so basically this is a failure
35:35
like on every single level
35:37
we're absolutely which left Maryland
35:40
completely vulnerable. I'm not
35:42
even knowing it. And on top
35:44
of that, the more police dig into
35:46
Brown as a suspect, the more they
35:48
discover evidence that this wasn't
35:51
some spur of the moment escalation
35:53
he was something that Brown had been planning.
35:56
The find a hand written manifesto
35:58
that Brown had put together. In prison
36:01
in which they explicitly right out their
36:03
plans to quote take care
36:05
of'em 'em l. W. and quote ice,
36:08
M. L. W. Having.
36:11
ambiguous about that riot police
36:13
also signed pages among grounds, things
36:15
where they seem to be practicing
36:17
how to forge Mary Lindsay
36:19
signature, so well,
36:21
it's not like assesses Mary Lynn
36:24
and. Like I'm in love with her kind of way,
36:26
it's more like trying to a simmer identity.
36:29
That's kind of the theory that police land
36:31
on, and some of the other evidence police
36:34
discovered during the investigation actually supports
36:36
that theory. One. It turns
36:38
out that when Brown was arrested they
36:41
were wearing some of Maryland's clothing,
36:43
please also December that after Maryland's
36:45
murder, Brown had gone and Heather
36:47
driver's license updated to marry. One's address
36:50
and what's more as investigators
36:52
were continuing to process the seen a
36:54
package arrived, containing wigs
36:56
in Maryland hair color and other
36:59
items that to them could be used to. Help
37:01
Brown impersonate Mary Lynn. Over
37:03
there is a really solid circumstantial
37:06
case, but police find even more
37:08
than just circumstantial evidence they
37:10
find DNA at the crime
37:13
scene that is a match for Brown. How
37:15
do they know anything about what happened the day of the murder?
37:18
The know there was no sign of forced entry, how
37:21
did Brown get into the house?
37:23
They. Are ellison idea of how they think
37:25
things played out that day, basically,
37:27
they think that Brown likely surprised Mary
37:29
Lynn at her front door either by knocking
37:31
are just being there? When she opened it to leave
37:34
and from their brown of force,
37:36
their way inside the house and a talked
37:38
Mary Lynn.
37:39
They would definitely a struggle that's
37:41
like her things were scattered around on the floor, but
37:43
Brown eventually got her up to the second floor
37:46
with a sexually assaulted her, strangled
37:48
her and placed her in the bathtub. Luckily,
37:51
Mary Lens loved ones were spared
37:54
the additional trauma of going through a trial
37:56
because on July twelve, two thousand,
37:58
four brown, please. guilty to
38:00
Maryland murder and sentenced to life
38:02
without the possibility of parole. That
38:05
Maryland family know that they should have never happened
38:07
in the first place and they are determined
38:10
to make sure that it never happens again. Mary,
38:12
my sister, Jackie and her daughter
38:14
Jane work with state legislators to create
38:17
Maryland law, which is designed
38:19
to close all of those gaps in the system
38:22
that had left Mary Lynn vulnerable. The
38:24
Wine Maryland law would require authority
38:27
to notify a victim in person is
38:29
an offender is released from prison and the
38:31
automated system hasn't been able to make contact
38:33
with in three attacks. Maryland?
38:35
Law also proposed changes to South
38:37
Carolina Mental Health Court system,
38:39
for example, according to a letter written by
38:42
Maryland Sir Jackie and published
38:44
in the item if anyone who is arrested.
38:46
For stalking needs to undergo mental health
38:48
treatment, they would need to complete that
38:50
treatment while still incarcerated.
38:53
On May twenty six two thousand and five less than
38:55
two years after Maryland murder South
38:58
Carolina Gov Mark Sanford
39:00
signed the bill into law that's.
39:03
that's so amazing and let's see such
39:05
a relief for maryland family to know that
39:07
her legacy can protect other people
39:09
in similar situations absolutely
39:11
it's as tragic and senseless
39:13
as maryland's murder was i think it is
39:15
super important that we not
39:18
treat this case as only as
39:20
murder because mary lynn was also
39:22
stopped again for over twenty
39:24
years and that in and of
39:26
itself is a horrific and traumatizing
39:29
crime traumatizing crime that it's happening
39:31
all the time to people all around
39:33
us
39:34
In. Fact, according to Spark over
39:36
the course of a year, they're up to seven and a half
39:39
million people in the United States
39:41
alone who experience stalking
39:43
and nearly one in six. Women and one
39:45
and seventeen men will experience some
39:47
form of stocking in their lifetime, oh
39:50
wow, I mean, I kind of guess that starting
39:52
with disproportionately affect women, but that's
39:54
actually. A lot of men as well totally
39:56
and what I really want, crimes and keys to
39:58
know and to get out of this at. Notice. How
40:01
to identify Stocky in the first place
40:03
because he can start out seeming kind
40:05
of I don't know annoying or weird,
40:08
maybe but not outright dangerous like
40:10
this when a person. Is just walking
40:12
by too often are showing up once
40:15
or twice on announcer just calling
40:17
a little more than normal you might be
40:19
inclined to brush it off like oh I've. Known this
40:21
person forever, they're harmless, right
40:23
like I immediately would be freaked out
40:25
by your some stranger and a trenchcoat
40:27
walking by or showing up on my doorstep,
40:30
but right, yeah. I think human nature
40:32
would make it pretty easy to press off
40:34
that thing as saying or convince yourself you're overreacting
40:36
if it's someone that you know or like
40:39
of friends of. Friends and a person totally
40:41
and no one wants to be
40:43
weird or rude right and the.
40:46
other thing i couldn't something he about as i was researching
40:48
this story this not thing that thing say about
40:50
boiled frogs you mean that thing where like
40:52
as he put a frog into a pot of boiling water
40:54
or die You. Put it into this
40:56
like a part of regular water and slowly
40:58
bring it to a boil, it won't, yeah, that's
41:01
not true by the way, but the concept
41:03
is so. Spot on, I think, because you think about
41:05
is a person out of nowhere, broke
41:08
into your house and stole your underwear, you'd be
41:10
immediately like, "Okay, red flags, this
41:12
is this" Is a crime this is wrong,
41:14
but what if they were someone you knew, and
41:16
at first they started calling too
41:18
often and you're like, "Well, if they aren't showing up a"
41:20
Person, but then they start showing up
41:22
in person and you're like, "Well, you know they're dirty
41:25
in my house whatever, and then they start getting
41:27
in your house or well he's" They're not being violent
41:29
in Ceylon suits me worry as if we
41:31
don't spot this stuff early
41:33
and trust our guts and call
41:35
it for what it is stalking than how
41:38
can. We really protect ourselves or each
41:40
other.
41:41
I. Think you can set that we got from Spark and
41:43
I'm hoping that you can give us a little bit of a run down
41:45
on what people should be looking for
41:47
and. What they should do if
41:49
they see it suggests to be weird, be
41:51
rude, but like what kind of weird,
41:53
what kind of fight with so this
41:56
story happen in the nineties? And early
41:58
two thousand and obviously.
42:00
A time has seen in technologies
42:02
of and put the core behavior of
42:04
the living in. Really feel the same,
42:07
it's someone making and fills, and I know
42:09
when a presence in there, but.
42:10
In place, and I can still mean showing
42:13
up at your house or at work or whatever, but
42:15
it can also mean. Like you said I'm on a phone,
42:17
call the text messages a reference earlier
42:20
or. The media interaction and
42:22
another big component fucking is
42:24
monitoring, so these days
42:26
that could include things like. Yeah,
42:28
monitoring or cameras are listening
42:31
devices like all sorts of things were.
42:34
It me or like someone listens experiencing
42:36
that or even seen that happen to someone
42:38
else like what's the next step would you do well,
42:41
you already said at the most important thing you can
42:43
do is trust your gut.
42:46
According. To spark stocking victims will often
42:48
downplay the seriousness of what they're experiencing,
42:50
I mean, we saw that all over in this
42:53
case and I think that this is
42:55
one of the. Clearest instances where people should
42:57
be weird and rude if you
42:59
think you're experiencing stocking contact
43:01
the authorities, especially if you think you're
43:03
in immediate danger, but the
43:06
other thing Spark recommends. Is that victims
43:08
log be? The or, and it
43:10
feels a little bit like. The victims
43:13
to do the heavy lifting by
43:15
themselves, but it serves multiple
43:17
purposes because not only are you keeping
43:19
a record of whenever a potential soccer contact
43:21
you. You're. Also be better able to convince
43:24
yourself that you aren't just overreacting
43:26
like there will be a written live, yeah, you
43:28
can see it with your own eyes as it is so.
43:30
Let's see and black and white like, okay, it's not as a feeling
43:33
like this, this is a lot and I compare that
43:35
to, like, any other interaction I haven't my life.
43:37
Like this isn't.
43:38
Normal or okay, exactly
43:40
exactly, and you can hold onto A.
43:42
Repeated evidence you can like text messages
43:45
or voicemails and log those two.
43:47
You can reach out to domestic violence or of
43:49
the the.
43:49
Adam Services programs in your community and
43:52
they can help you build a safety plan which
43:54
might include things like varying your daily
43:56
routine or seeking a protective
43:59
order or even.
44:00
Providing a photo or description of
44:02
your stock or to your neighbors, your colleague's security
44:04
guard that your off as like that kind of thing.
44:06
Yeah. Listen to a spark which again is
44:09
the stalking prevention awareness and resource
44:11
center has so many incredible
44:13
resources and a lot of great information
44:15
on their website, which is stalking awareness.
44:18
Dot.org: org We're in a link to that in our show
44:20
notes on the blog post, like we always do, we have also
44:22
chosen to sponsor the organization to
44:24
help them continue. Their amazing work,
44:26
so please, please take some time
44:29
to get familiar with this and use
44:31
them as a resource again, even if you
44:33
don't feel like you've ever been stalker you.
44:36
Know this is so far away from you, it'll never be in
44:38
your realm, it might not be you, it might be someone
44:40
you know who need.
44:42
Mary. When Witherspoon lost her life
44:44
on November fourteenth, two thousand and three,
44:46
but for more than twenty years before that,
44:48
she also lost her right to live a happy
44:51
and peaceful life. Without the constant fear
44:53
that she was being watched are followed
44:55
or violate. There's. One thing
44:58
I want other Susie take away from this case: it's
45:00
that stalking is a truly
45:02
serious crime and one that can destroy
45:04
lives in so many different ways,
45:07
but there. Are ways to protect yourself, there
45:09
are resources out there, you
45:11
just need to take the time to educate
45:14
yourself.
45:28
All doing so, the resources we mentioned
45:30
for this episode in the show notes and
45:32
on our blog post, all of our source
45:34
material will also be on our blog post is and
45:36
by that, a Crime Gente podcast. I'll
45:39
be sure to follow the Instagram at I'm taking
45:41
Ah just and will. That next week
45:43
with a brand new episode.
46:15
Crime junkie is an audio chuck production
46:17
so, what do you think chuck do
46:20
you approve
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