Episode 5: Andy's Case for Premeditation (and why the law student turned FBI agent on the case thought so too)
Andy & Whitny discuss all of the facts of the case that point to the murders being premeditated instead of random or reactionary. Andy Hale shares information from a 40-page report written by William (Bill) Jansen who was a law student that was asked to consult on the case by authorities. The report, currently unobtainable, did have the base of its contents published in newspapers at the time of its release. In it, Jansen shared that as a professional this looked to be a revenge killing and not a killing based on sexual or violent urges. He also encouraged authorities to take a look at the Murphy family to see if they had any enemies and focus their investigation on the Moline area. Jansen went on to join the FBI and then serve as a judge in Nevada and is currently still alive. One of the only surviving members of the investigation side of this case.
One of the reasons that Jansen recommended this was because Mrs. Murphy had very specific and violent wounds to her body and other indicators that showed she may have been the focus of the killings.
There is a lot more to this conversation so make sure you listen to the episode and take a look at the documents and photographs provided and outlined below for more context to the discussion and the case! For our audience without the ability to listen to the audio, check out the full transcript provided!
Referenced Documents for the Episode
Click to view and download
News articles covering/stating that tree branch was not the murder weapon
Murphy autopsy* redacted more violent areas to be sensitive to the family