The Unsolved Case of Marilyn and Sam Sheppard

TW: Murder

This bizarre case, which has yet to be solved, will raise a lot of questions about what transpired on the night Marilyn Sheppard was brutally murdered. The Sheppard family had a party for their neighbours on July 3rd, 1954, with drinks, a movie, and dinner. Marilyn had said her goodbyes to their neighbours after Sam had fallen asleep on the couch around midnight. The events over the next few hours will transform the formerly respectable and attractive couple into one of Lake Erie’s biggest murder mysteries. Mayor Spencer Houk, a friend of Sam’s, was awoken late one night by a phone call from Sam, who urgently said, “God, Spence, “Get over here quick, I think they have killed Marilyn.” Spencer and his wife arrived at the Sheppard home to find Sam shirtless and distraught. Around 20 minutes after Sam had phoned Mayor Spencer, the police arrived on the scene. Mariyln’s body was discovered upside down in their bedroom, battered to death. Her blood was all over the covers, and splatters of her blood were all over the walls. Her pyjamas were gone, and she was naked as she lay facing the doorway on their bed. Her death occurred around 4:30 a.m., according to an autopsy. Unfortunately, Marilyn was pregnant with their second child at the time of her death, as determined by the autopsy. 

Sam claimed he was sleeping on their couch when he heard Marilyn scream and raced upstairs. He claimed he witnessed her being attacked by an unidentified figure and began attacking it. During the fight, Sam was struck in the back of the head and knocked out. He awoke to Marilyn’s dead corpse on the bed and the unidentified figure gone when he regained consciousness. He claimed he rushed downstairs and observed the individual depart through the back door, which he immediately pursued. While chasing him, Sam described the figure as tall and hairy. When Sam attempted to lunge at the figure, he found himself jerking and choking, knocking him out for the second time. It was nearing dawn when he awoke, and he was missing his shirt and watch. 

When the cops came, they found a horrible murder scene and a witness who was most likely the perpetrator. The most widely held belief was that Sam had made up his entire tale and was the true offender. There was no sign of forced entry into the home, and no murder weapon was found at the scene, according to the evidence. The fact that all of the desk drawers were orderly, which is unusual in most crimes, ruled out the likelihood of it being a theft. Marilyn’s blood on her pillow was likewise said to have come from a surgical instrument. This didn’t bode well for Sam, who was a well-known neurosurgeon who worked with medical devices on a regular basis. Finally, a bag containing Sam’s watch, ring, and the key was discovered in a shrub outside the house. Police began looking for a motive that Sam might have had, and their investigation led

them to a lady who worked as a lab technician in the same hospital as Sam and with whom he allegedly had a secret affair. While the police investigated the crime, the media became involved, worsening the situation. “Someone is getting away with murder,” read the headlines, and it was demanded that Sam be apprehended and convicted of his crime. Soon after, Sam was summoned for an investigation and interrogated about the case. Sam Sheppard was charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Marilyn Sheppard, on July 30th, 1954. On Sam’s first trial, the lady with whom he had been having an affair admitted to their infidelity. As a result, Sam appeared arrogant and a liar, making his narrative even less credible. Sam was found guilty on December 16th and sentenced to life in prison. 

Even after being locked up, Sam’s brother continued to support him. He hired a forensic specialist to review the evidence again since no actual blood or fingerprint evidence was shown during the trial. Sam’s brother also hired a new attorney who managed to get the trial open again by convincing the judge that it was poorly managed. It was soon revealed that the judge on the case had been having unprofessional conversations on the case and failed to shield the jury from the media, making it a biased trial. On October 24th, 1966, the trial was reopened. The forensic scientist presented evidence that the blood splatter would have covered the perpetrator in blood, but Sam was found with only a single spot on him. They also determined that the blood came from the backswing of the weapon, indicating that the murderer had been left-handed, but Sam was right. It was also revealed that Marilyn’s teeth were found under the pillow, meaning she had broken them while biting her attacker, but Sam was found with no teeth marks anywhere on him. However, the most convincing evidence was that the blood examined on the closet door did not match Sam’s or Marilyn’s, meaning it must have come from someone else. After the re-trial in June 1966, the court ruled that Sheppard did not get a fair trial and was sent free from prison. 

Although Sam had first been proven guilty but then let free, it remains unknown whether it was Sam who had a secret hatred for his dear wife or whether it was a “tall” and “hairy” man who had committed this brutal murder. Both sides of the story relay solid and convincing evidence that can atone for each case. Nevertheless, this perplexing mystery can still be deemed as vague and irresolute. 

Bibliography 

Cayetano, Ferdison, director. “BuzzFeed Unsolved Network.” BuzzFeed Unsolved, season 6, episode The Puzzling Case of Marilyn and Sam Sheppard, 10 April

2020. Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRFPjBuRRCg. Accessed 17 September 2021.