Case 43: Keith Warren

WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:04.700
For early access and ad-free episodes, check out our Patreon,
2
00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:12.900
Apple Premium and Spotify subscription memberships.
3
00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:17.600
This is John from the Dave McWilliams Podcast. Now, if
4
00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:22.160
you're looking to make sense of what's happening in the world, economically, politically, culturally,
5
00:00:22.589 --> 00:00:23.530
you'll find it here.
6
00:00:23.890 --> 00:00:26.050
We take the big ideas shaping your life and we
7
00:00:26.109 --> 00:00:28.789
break them down in a way that's clear, curious and
8
00:00:29.010 --> 00:00:30.449
actually worth your time.
9
00:00:30.850 --> 00:00:32.979
New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
10
00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:36.579
Follow the David McWilliams Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
11
00:00:36.859 --> 00:00:40.960
ACAST is home to the world's best podcasts, including Crime World,
12
00:00:41.539 --> 00:00:44.719
The Other Hand, and the one you're listening to right now.
13
00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:52.670
Listen to this ACAST show ad-free on Amazon Music with
14
00:00:52.710 --> 00:00:56.409
your Prime membership or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
15
00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:15.959
Silver Spring is part of Montgomery County in the state
16
00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.200
of Maryland, USA. It has a population of about 70,000
17
00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:23.280
people and is located about a 40-minute drive south of
18
00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:27.840
Maryland's largest city, Baltimore. Silver Spring is also only about
19
00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:31.609
a 20-minute drive north from the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
20
00:01:32.629 --> 00:01:36.689
Silver Spring was the home of 19-year-old Keith Warren. Keith
21
00:01:36.730 --> 00:01:42.420
was tall, handsome, bright, sociable, and extremely likable. It was
22
00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:46.659
the summer of 1986. Keith had just graduated from Kennedy
23
00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:49.420
High School and was looking forward to starting college in
24
00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:53.159
North Carolina. He was spending the summer enjoying time with
25
00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:57.930
friends and working two jobs. Keith made friends quickly and easily,
26
00:01:58.650 --> 00:02:01.230
and in those first few months of the summer, he
27
00:02:01.250 --> 00:02:04.769
had made friends with some disreputable people, some of whom
28
00:02:04.810 --> 00:02:30.110
were rumored to have involvement with drugs. Keith Warren was
29
00:02:30.169 --> 00:02:34.449
born on the 9th of April 1967 in Kansas. His
30
00:02:34.490 --> 00:02:38.449
parents were Mary and Cleo Warren. A few months after
31
00:02:38.490 --> 00:02:41.610
Keith's birth, the Warren family moved to Durham, North Carolina.
32
00:02:42.870 --> 00:02:48.129
In August 1977, Mary and Cleo divorced. In 79, Mary
33
00:02:48.219 --> 00:02:51.479
moved to Silver Spring, Maryland with Keith and his younger
34
00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:57.849
sister Sherry. Mary later remarried, becoming Mary Cooey. On the
35
00:02:57.909 --> 00:03:01.819
Tuesday the 29th of July 1986, Keith was at home
36
00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:06.439
at 3810 Tremaine Terrace, Silver Spring. Keith still lived with
37
00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:09.620
his sister Sherry and his mother Mary Cooey. However, he
38
00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:12.120
was preparing to move back to Durham to attend North
39
00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:17.659
Carolina Central University. Keith's father Cleo still resided in Durham,
40
00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.990
where he was a major in the Durham Police Department.
41
00:03:20.969 --> 00:03:23.710
Keith hoped to mend his relations with his father, but
42
00:03:23.750 --> 00:03:28.500
had suffered since the divorce almost 10 years earlier. That Tuesday,
43
00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:31.159
Keith received a phone call, after which he left home
44
00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:34.520
to hang out with some friends. When he hadn't returned
45
00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.759
home the next day, Mary started making some calls around town.
46
00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:41.120
But she struck out. No one had heard from Keith
47
00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:45.110
or knew where he was. Mary called the Wheaton Glenmont
48
00:03:45.150 --> 00:03:48.729
station of the Montgomery County Police. She didn't have any
49
00:03:48.789 --> 00:03:51.710
luck there either. They said they couldn't take a report
50
00:03:51.830 --> 00:03:57.180
until Keith had been missing for 48 hours. On Thursday
51
00:03:57.219 --> 00:04:01.099
the 31st of July 1986, two days after Keith had
52
00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:05.370
gone missing, EMTs and paramedics from the Kensington Fire and
53
00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:09.889
Rescue Station responded to a 911 call. The call was
54
00:04:09.930 --> 00:04:12.430
made by Claudia Lawson, who said there had been a
55
00:04:12.469 --> 00:04:14.689
suicide in the basement of 14655 Timewick Drive, Silver Spring.
56
00:04:14.770 --> 00:04:17.149
This address is only about 320 metres west of Keith's house.
57
00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:27.800
The occupant of 14655 Timewick Drive was Chip Wynn. His
58
00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.959
girlfriend was the caller, Claudia Lawson, and there was a
59
00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:34.980
second male present at the house with them. Paramedics knocked
60
00:04:35.019 --> 00:04:38.800
on the door, but it took a while before anyone answered. Chip,
61
00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:42.579
Claudia and the other male were having a discussion amongst themselves.
62
00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:46.959
When they did eventually answer, paramedics requested to be taken
63
00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:50.350
down to the victim. Chip, Claudia and the other male
64
00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:52.649
said the victim wasn't in the basement, He was in
65
00:04:52.689 --> 00:04:54.889
the woods, out the back of the house, only a
66
00:04:54.930 --> 00:04:58.930
short distance away. So paramedics were requested to be shown
67
00:04:58.970 --> 00:05:01.850
where exactly the victim was in the woods, but Chip
68
00:05:01.870 --> 00:05:04.709
and the other male declined. They told Claudia to go.
69
00:05:06.269 --> 00:05:09.170
As Claudia escorted the paramedics, she explained that she had
70
00:05:09.209 --> 00:05:11.509
been walking her dog through the woods and that that's
71
00:05:11.529 --> 00:05:13.689
when she came upon the victim hanging from a tree.
72
00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:17.199
When they got to the scene, they discovered the body
73
00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:20.660
of Keith Warren. There was nothing the paramedics could do
74
00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:24.240
for him, he'd already passed away. They stayed back to
75
00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:28.870
preserve the scene and awaited the arrival of police. Officer
76
00:05:28.930 --> 00:05:32.110
Luther Leverett from the Wheaton Glenmont station of the Montgomery
77
00:05:32.149 --> 00:05:36.730
County Police arrived on scene. Not long after arriving, he said,
78
00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:39.209
why would this have to happen on my lunch break?
79
00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:44.519
Detective Beasley attended the scene and the medical examiner Dr
80
00:05:44.540 --> 00:05:48.449
John Rogers was also notified. After a quick look at
81
00:05:48.470 --> 00:05:51.350
the scene and taking a few photos, Detective Beasley and
82
00:05:51.389 --> 00:05:56.410
Officer Leverett ruled the death as a suicide. The medical examiner, Dr. Rogers, agreed.
83
00:05:57.870 --> 00:06:00.550
The following is what Officer Leverett wrote in his report
84
00:06:00.569 --> 00:06:03.160
of the incident, and I'm reading his report word for
85
00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:08.079
word here. Investigation by the writer, Officer Leverett, revealed that
86
00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:11.819
the complainant, Claudia Lawson, while walking her dog, discovered the
87
00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:15.579
victim hanging from a tree. The complainant returned home and
88
00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:19.439
summoned the police. The rider arrived on the scene and
89
00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:22.250
observed the body of a young black male hanging via
90
00:06:22.290 --> 00:06:24.310
a rope with his feet on the ground in a
91
00:06:24.350 --> 00:06:29.529
sitting posture. Wheaton investigation was notified along with the county coroner.
92
00:06:30.589 --> 00:06:34.160
Detective Beasley and Dr Rogers arrived on the scene. A
93
00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:37.319
neighbourhood was conducted by the rider and Detective Beasley and
94
00:06:37.420 --> 00:06:41.879
ID was made by Rodney Lee Kendall, 3845 Tremaine Terrace,
95
00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:46.110
a fellow classmate. An attempt to notify the next of
96
00:06:46.149 --> 00:06:49.540
kin at the residence was negative The next door neighbour,
97
00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:53.399
Barbara Nichols, 3812 Tremaine Terrace, was shown a picture of
98
00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:56.860
the victim and ID saying, A work number for the
99
00:06:56.899 --> 00:07:00.100
mother was obtained and the neighbour Nichols called and spoke
100
00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:02.819
with the mother and left a message to contact the writer.
101
00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:07.449
Examination of the scene by Dr Rogers, Detective Beasley and
102
00:07:07.529 --> 00:07:11.629
the writer showed no evidence of foul play. The victim
103
00:07:11.709 --> 00:07:14.170
had in his pants pocket a picture ID school pass
104
00:07:14.310 --> 00:07:18.050
with the name Keith Warren. The victim tied the rope
105
00:07:18.089 --> 00:07:20.629
to the base of a tree and made several loops.
106
00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:23.399
The other end of the rope was looped around a
107
00:07:23.459 --> 00:07:26.220
smaller tree and was thrown between the fork at the
108
00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:30.220
top and the noose was made. The victim apparently used
109
00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:33.060
the log to jump off and his body weight completed
110
00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:38.079
his intent. I'll leave Officer Leverett's report there for now.
111
00:07:38.379 --> 00:07:41.829
I'll read the rest later in the episode. Next, let's
112
00:07:41.870 --> 00:07:45.480
hear the account of Dulles Lipp. Dallas Lipp was a
113
00:07:45.540 --> 00:07:48.560
firefighter with the Montgomery County and was also trained as
114
00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:53.339
an emergency medical technician, EMT. He had previously been a
115
00:07:53.379 --> 00:07:57.420
firefighter in the United States Air Force. He was assigned
116
00:07:57.540 --> 00:08:00.550
to medic at Kensington Station on the 31st of July
117
00:08:00.550 --> 00:08:04.709
1986 and was among the first responders on scene prior
118
00:08:04.750 --> 00:08:09.089
to police arrival. The following is Dallas Lipp's account taken
119
00:08:09.149 --> 00:08:13.500
directly from his affidavit. I was assigned to Medic 7
120
00:08:13.500 --> 00:08:17.120
at Kensington Station 25, and my unit was dispatched to
121
00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:20.639
an area in Silver Spring, Maryland, to respond to a
122
00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:25.019
call reporting a possible attempted suicide by hanging. When we
123
00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:27.560
arrived at the address given, there was no one waiting
124
00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.139
to guide us to the victim. When we knocked on
125
00:08:30.180 --> 00:08:32.879
the door, there was a long pause before anyone answered.
126
00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:37.019
The occupants, two males and a female, carried on some
127
00:08:37.070 --> 00:08:40.070
discussion among themselves about whether any of them had called.
128
00:08:41.269 --> 00:08:43.360
and then told us the victim was back in the woods.
129
00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:48.539
One of them reluctantly escorted us to the site. As
130
00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:51.320
we approached the site, we determined from the appearance of
131
00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:53.539
the body that it was too late to assist the victim,
132
00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:56.360
as the colour of the skin and the facial features
133
00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:58.940
indicated that the victim had been dead for some time.
134
00:08:59.950 --> 00:09:02.889
The paramedic went alone to investigate further, while the rest
135
00:09:02.909 --> 00:09:05.230
of the team stayed back in order not to disturb
136
00:09:05.269 --> 00:09:08.690
the site. Our training as rescue workers taught us to
137
00:09:08.730 --> 00:09:12.070
be aware of potential criminal activity, and preserve the site
138
00:09:12.110 --> 00:09:17.210
for police investigation. I was standing approximately 20 feet away
139
00:09:17.269 --> 00:09:19.750
from the body, from where I could carefully observe the
140
00:09:19.809 --> 00:09:23.470
scene while awaiting the arrival of police. My training as
141
00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:28.279
an EMT included training with respect to attempted hanging. It
142
00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:30.379
struck me that this was not the typical scene of
143
00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:34.600
a suicide by hanging. First, the body was hung from
144
00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:37.480
a small tree about four to six inches in diameter,
145
00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:41.299
hardly sufficient to support the weight of the body, as
146
00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:43.200
the tree had bent over to the point that the
147
00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:48.720
victim's knees were flexed to approximately a 45 degree angle. Second,
148
00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:50.870
there was nothing at the scene for the victim to
149
00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:54.529
stand on or from which he could have jumped. Finally,
150
00:09:54.889 --> 00:09:57.909
the rope was fastened to the tree in an unusual manner.
151
00:09:58.909 --> 00:10:01.179
Running from the victim's neck, through a fork in the
152
00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:03.279
tree that would have been about eight to ten feet
153
00:10:03.299 --> 00:10:06.559
off the ground had the tree been erect, down to
154
00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:08.559
the base of the tree where it wrapped around the
155
00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:12.320
tree a few times, and then it went horizontally about
156
00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:15.090
one foot off the ground running across to a larger
157
00:10:15.129 --> 00:10:18.649
tree approximately 20 feet away from the tree that suspended
158
00:10:18.690 --> 00:10:22.200
the victim. The rope appeared to me to be arranged
159
00:10:22.259 --> 00:10:24.850
in a way more conducive to hoisting a heavy load
160
00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:28.870
than for an attempted suicide. In fact, my impression at
161
00:10:28.889 --> 00:10:32.509
the time was that this looked like a lynching. When
162
00:10:32.529 --> 00:10:35.070
the police arrived, the officer in charge of the fire
163
00:10:35.129 --> 00:10:38.389
rescue response spoke to the police officer explaining what we
164
00:10:38.409 --> 00:10:41.509
had found, our actions to that point, and our unit
165
00:10:41.570 --> 00:10:46.340
identifications in case further follow-up was required. I was surprised
166
00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:50.909
that we heard nothing further. We will leave Dallas Sleep's
167
00:10:50.970 --> 00:10:56.200
affidavit there. No autopsy or toxicology tests were performed. There
168
00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:59.879
was no crime scene examination. Witnesses report that the area
169
00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:02.740
wasn't even roped off. People were milling about and walking
170
00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:06.759
directly through the site. Empty wine coolers were located in
171
00:11:06.779 --> 00:11:09.940
the vicinity, but they weren't taken as evidence. There's no
172
00:11:09.980 --> 00:11:12.909
mention of them in the police report at all. Keith's
173
00:11:12.970 --> 00:11:15.029
car was found parked in the car park of the
174
00:11:15.070 --> 00:11:19.570
Georgian Colonies Clubhouse, Silver Springs. where the community centre, swimming
175
00:11:19.610 --> 00:11:22.830
pool and tennis courts are located. The walk from the
176
00:11:22.870 --> 00:11:27.419
clubhouse to the tree is about 500 metres northwest. Police
177
00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:30.360
theorise that Keith parked his car at the clubhouse, then
178
00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:33.220
walked to the tree with a 40-foot long rope, his
179
00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:36.799
backpack with some cassette tapes and the wine, where he
180
00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:40.639
then killed himself. In case you're wondering, yes, there were
181
00:11:40.659 --> 00:11:43.399
many closer spots to park his car. It's your average
182
00:11:43.470 --> 00:11:46.870
suburban neighbourhood. The reason why he decided to park where
183
00:11:46.889 --> 00:11:51.330
he did has never been able to be explained. Police
184
00:11:51.409 --> 00:11:54.259
organised Keith's body to be removed from the scene and
185
00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:58.120
sent to Collins Funeral Home in Silver Spring. Their protocol
186
00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:01.580
was to send the body to the closest funeral home. However,
187
00:12:01.620 --> 00:12:04.039
the closest funeral home were going to be delayed getting
188
00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:07.129
to the scene, so they contacted Collins, which is the
189
00:12:07.190 --> 00:12:11.639
next closest. Keith's family state that the police gave instructions
190
00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:15.159
to Collins Funeral Home to have Keith's body embalmed immediately.
191
00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:19.259
This is denied by the Montgomery Police. They state they
192
00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:21.750
did not order Keith's body to be embalmed and that
193
00:12:21.779 --> 00:12:24.370
the embalming was not done until permission was given by
194
00:12:24.429 --> 00:12:28.090
Keith's family. This is denied by Keith's family, who state
195
00:12:28.110 --> 00:12:32.210
they never gave permission for embalming. Keith's family hadn't even
196
00:12:32.250 --> 00:12:34.730
been notified of his death at this point. They had
197
00:12:34.789 --> 00:12:38.370
no idea what had happened. They weren't notified until hours later.
198
00:12:39.379 --> 00:12:42.600
Embalming is the art of preserving human remains by treating
199
00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:47.840
them with chemicals to prevent decomposition. Mary Cooey was at
200
00:12:47.899 --> 00:12:50.230
work and she did receive a call from the neighbour
201
00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:54.149
who Officer Leverett spoke to, Barbara Nichols. Mary worked as
202
00:12:54.210 --> 00:12:58.250
a pathologist at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre. Barbara was
203
00:12:58.309 --> 00:13:01.190
upset on the phone but wouldn't tell Mary why. All
204
00:13:01.230 --> 00:13:03.769
she would say is that Mary had to contact Officer Leverett.
205
00:13:05.350 --> 00:13:07.909
Mary made the call however she was told Leverett was
206
00:13:07.950 --> 00:13:10.370
busy on another job and wouldn't be available for at
207
00:13:10.409 --> 00:13:14.409
least two hours. It was two hours later now about
208
00:13:14.490 --> 00:13:17.250
five hours in total since Keith's body was found that
209
00:13:17.340 --> 00:13:21.240
Officer Leverett visited Mary at work. He informed her Keith
210
00:13:21.259 --> 00:13:24.120
had committed suicide and asked if there were any reasons
211
00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:27.980
why he would want to end his life. Mary was distraught.
212
00:13:28.860 --> 00:13:31.519
She couldn't think of any reason for Keith to commit suicide.
213
00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:35.539
He had never displayed any signs of suicidal behaviour He
214
00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:38.279
had never harmed or attempted to harm himself. He had
215
00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:42.110
never even threatened to harm himself. He didn't suffer from depression.
216
00:13:42.830 --> 00:13:46.570
He was a happy teenager looking forward to college. In
217
00:13:46.610 --> 00:13:49.330
her distraught state, Mary tried to search for a reason
218
00:13:49.669 --> 00:13:52.070
and thought back to any disagreements there may have been.
219
00:13:53.330 --> 00:13:56.600
Officer Leverett placed this information in his report, which I'll
220
00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:59.919
read the rest of now. Again, this is word for word.
221
00:14:01.620 --> 00:14:05.799
Dr Rogers released the body to Collins Funeral Home, address
222
00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:10.289
500 University Boulevard, Silver Spring. No autopsy was ordered. All
223
00:14:10.350 --> 00:14:16.269
evidence indicated suicide. On July 29th, 86, the father called
224
00:14:16.330 --> 00:14:18.230
and told the son that he would be in Maryland
225
00:14:18.370 --> 00:14:21.730
on July 31st to take the car back. That was
226
00:14:21.789 --> 00:14:24.240
the last day anyone in the family saw or heard
227
00:14:24.289 --> 00:14:28.019
from the son. The victim felt that his father showed
228
00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:30.899
no love towards him and that his father was very demanding.
229
00:14:32.009 --> 00:14:34.820
While visiting his father nearing one year ago, the son
230
00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:37.679
had a nervous breakdown and spent four days in the hospital.
231
00:14:38.980 --> 00:14:41.100
The mother went to North Carolina and picked up her
232
00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:45.000
son and brought him back to Maryland. Shortly thereafter, the
233
00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:47.889
father bought the son a Corvette, which the mother fears
234
00:14:47.929 --> 00:14:52.250
gave the son a new temptation in life, friends, girls, etc.
235
00:14:53.629 --> 00:14:56.049
The son lost his job on the 21st of this month.
236
00:14:56.730 --> 00:15:07.529
The car insurance was due in nine days. Casefile will
237
00:15:07.549 --> 00:15:11.149
be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening
238
00:15:11.210 --> 00:15:16.169
to this episode's sponsors. Having a great business idea is
239
00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.899
one thing. Getting it online is another. Shopify makes that
240
00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:23.879
part easy with everything you need to start selling from
241
00:15:23.940 --> 00:15:28.230
day one. That's exactly what Casefile team member Paulina found
242
00:15:28.309 --> 00:15:31.759
when she switched her online store to Shopify. She said
243
00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:34.919
the migration was simple, there were plenty of professional themes
244
00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:38.139
to choose from and lots of built-in features she hadn't
245
00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:41.659
had access to before. What really stood out was the
246
00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:45.659
checkout experience. Shopify checkout makes it quick and easy for
247
00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:49.279
customers to complete their purchase, while returning customers can check
248
00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:53.110
out with their saved details in just a tap. Because
249
00:15:53.179 --> 00:15:56.789
Shopify handles the setup and day-to-day essentials, you can spend
250
00:15:56.950 --> 00:16:00.649
less time managing your website and more time growing your business.
251
00:16:01.399 --> 00:16:07.230
With inventory integrations, responsive support, secure infrastructure and easy collaboration
252
00:16:07.259 --> 00:16:12.210
with developers, it's built to grow with you. With Shopify,
253
00:16:12.470 --> 00:16:16.490
nothing stands between your idea and a real business. So,
254
00:16:16.850 --> 00:16:24.669
go make it one. Start your free trial at shopify.com.
255
00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:29.500
Acast recommends....
256
00:16:30.090 --> 00:16:33.350
This is John from the David McWilliams podcast. Now, if
257
00:16:33.389 --> 00:16:37.919
you're looking to make sense of what's happening in the world, economically, politically, culturally,
258
00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:39.279
you'll find it here.
259
00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:41.820
We take the big ideas shaping your life and we
260
00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:44.559
break them down in a way that's clear, curious, and
261
00:16:44.759 --> 00:16:46.220
actually worth your time.
262
00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:48.710
New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
263
00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:52.330
Follow the David McWilliams podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
264
00:16:52.610 --> 00:16:56.710
Acast is home to the world's best podcasts, including Crime World,
265
00:16:56.730 --> 00:16:59.990
The Other Hand, on the one you're listening to right now.
266
00:17:00.009 --> 00:17:00.509
Thank you for.
267
00:17:04.849 --> 00:17:07.390
Listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you
268
00:17:07.410 --> 00:17:09.410
support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content.
269
00:17:31.349 --> 00:17:34.869
That's the end of Officer Leverett's report. Keith's family spoke
270
00:17:34.890 --> 00:17:38.789
to his employer. Keith hadn't been fired. He voluntarily left
271
00:17:38.849 --> 00:17:42.329
because he had secured another job. It's unknown where Leverett
272
00:17:42.349 --> 00:17:45.670
got the information that Keith had been fired from. As
273
00:17:45.690 --> 00:17:48.299
he was leaving, Leverett handed Mary a business card from
274
00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:51.460
Colin's funeral home and told her to contact them after
275
00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:54.980
9am the next day. Mary called her brother who lived
276
00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:58.000
in North Carolina. He immediately made the trip to Silver
277
00:17:58.019 --> 00:18:01.640
Spring and arrived at the funeral home about 1am. they
278
00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:04.900
denied him entry. He and Mary made two more attempts
279
00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:07.440
to get in and see Keith, however they continued to
280
00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:11.309
be denied access. A note in the police file from
281
00:18:11.369 --> 00:18:14.150
Detective Beasley states that he called the funeral home at
282
00:18:14.470 --> 00:18:17.190
10am the next day, the 1st of August, when he
283
00:18:17.210 --> 00:18:21.410
was informed the body had been processed. Mary and Keith's
284
00:18:21.470 --> 00:18:24.630
uncle weren't allowed in to see Keith until later that afternoon,
285
00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:28.480
the 1st of August. The embalming of Keith's body had
286
00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:33.329
already been completed by then, Mary requested Keith's clothes, however
287
00:18:33.349 --> 00:18:35.759
the funeral home informed her they had destroyed the clothes
288
00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:37.940
he was wearing at the time of his death, as
289
00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:41.779
Keith's body was severely decomposed and had deteriorated his clothes.
290
00:18:43.539 --> 00:18:47.019
Keith's uncle then met with Officer Leverett. Leverett handed him
291
00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:50.279
a brown bag containing the 40 foot long rope, although
292
00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:53.549
the police kept the noose as evidence. He also gave
293
00:18:53.589 --> 00:18:56.190
him the empty wand coolers, a pair of brown boots
294
00:18:56.250 --> 00:18:59.670
that Leverett said Keith was wearing, his jacket and and
295
00:18:59.710 --> 00:19:04.759
a backpack containing some of his favourite cassette tapes. Keith's shirt,
296
00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:08.180
pants and underwear were not handed over, the police confirming
297
00:19:08.220 --> 00:19:10.220
what the funeral home had said, they had to be
298
00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:15.650
thrown out due to being destroyed by severe decomposition. Dr
299
00:19:15.710 --> 00:19:19.670
John Rogers, the county medical examiner, also completed a report
300
00:19:19.710 --> 00:19:24.549
about Keith's death. He listed the time of death as 2.05pm
301
00:19:24.710 --> 00:19:27.809
on the 30th of July, the day before Keith was found.
302
00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:32.160
The report says he was first notified by police communications
303
00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:36.440
at 2.10pm the 31st of July, and Keith was pronounced
304
00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:40.140
dead by Officer Leverett at 3pm the 31st of July.
305
00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:46.900
Cause of death? Asphyxiation as a consequence of hanging. The
306
00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:49.759
body of his report states, and this is word for word,
307
00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:54.779
The deceased was depressed last year. This spring he graduated
308
00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:57.839
from high school. His sister stated she hadn't seen him
309
00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:01.109
for about one week. This afternoon he was found by
310
00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:03.670
a person walking through the woods, hanging by the neck,
311
00:20:04.009 --> 00:20:07.470
with a half-size of rope from a tree. Police and
312
00:20:07.569 --> 00:20:10.400
I were notified and responded. He had a lot of
313
00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:13.410
green blowflies around him but only a few small maggots
314
00:20:13.450 --> 00:20:16.849
in the mouth and probably had been dead since last PM.
315
00:20:18.250 --> 00:20:20.730
That was the full and complete report of the county
316
00:20:20.789 --> 00:20:26.119
medical examiner, Dr John Rogers. Keith's only sister, Sherry, was
317
00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:28.980
not contacted by Dr Rogers and did not speak to
318
00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:32.299
the police at the time as she was only a minor. Plus,
319
00:20:32.420 --> 00:20:35.460
she was out of the state when Keith died. Sherry
320
00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:38.500
later inquired how Dr Rogers was able to write in
321
00:20:38.539 --> 00:20:41.259
his report that she said she hadn't seen Keith for
322
00:20:41.299 --> 00:20:44.839
about one week, when she in fact hadn't spoken to anyone.
323
00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:49.299
Sherry was told that this information came from an undocumented
324
00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:54.019
third party. Leverett had written in his report that Keith
325
00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:57.480
had been hospitalised the previous year, and Dr Rogers touched
326
00:20:57.539 --> 00:21:00.140
on it very briefly in his report, mentioning Keith was
327
00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:04.390
depressed last year. The incident they were referring to occurred
328
00:21:04.430 --> 00:21:09.220
in July 1985, one year prior to Keith's death. Keith
329
00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:13.500
was hospitalised at Duke University Medical Centre. He had returned
330
00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:17.369
to North Carolina to visit his father. They became involved
331
00:21:17.420 --> 00:21:20.369
in an argument over issues relating to the family breakdown,
332
00:21:20.589 --> 00:21:24.589
which left Keith extremely distraught, stressed and struggling to cope
333
00:21:24.630 --> 00:21:27.950
with the family issues. So he was hospitalised for a
334
00:21:27.970 --> 00:21:32.150
few days. Nowhere in his hospital discharge papers does it
335
00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:36.269
mention the word depression or suicidal. The treating doctor wrote
336
00:21:36.309 --> 00:21:39.410
that he had treated Keith for adjustment disorder resulting from
337
00:21:39.470 --> 00:21:45.910
severe family discord involving his now divorced biological parents. Keith
338
00:21:45.970 --> 00:21:48.609
didn't leave a suicide note. He had never talked about
339
00:21:48.650 --> 00:21:52.690
suicide or made a previous attempt. His friends and family
340
00:21:52.730 --> 00:21:54.490
said he was happy in the time leading up to
341
00:21:54.529 --> 00:21:57.329
his death, that he loved life and was looking forward
342
00:21:57.369 --> 00:22:01.210
to college. crime scene was not examined and no autopsy
343
00:22:01.230 --> 00:22:05.009
was conducted. So it was this previous incident at the hospital,
344
00:22:05.650 --> 00:22:10.210
the fact Keith had just lost his job and a $ 2, 000
345
00:22:08.609 --> 00:22:12.390
car insurance payment was looming, which he couldn't pay, and
346
00:22:12.430 --> 00:22:14.910
the fact Keith's father was threatening to take his car
347
00:22:14.950 --> 00:22:18.390
off him, that police and the medical examiner used to
348
00:22:18.450 --> 00:22:22.190
justify their ruling of suicide. The fact Keith lost his
349
00:22:22.210 --> 00:22:25.319
job is in dispute by his family. The police didn't
350
00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:27.859
receive this information until they had already ruled the death
351
00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:30.460
a suicide and sent Keith's body to the funeral home.
352
00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:34.670
Although in Officer Leverett's notes that Keith's family obtained from
353
00:22:34.690 --> 00:22:37.950
the police file years later, there is the following handwritten
354
00:22:38.029 --> 00:22:41.450
note made at the scene by Leverett. Beasley knew of
355
00:22:41.529 --> 00:22:45.259
mental problems from one year ago at scene. No mention
356
00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:48.519
as to source of info on mental background at scene.
357
00:22:50.339 --> 00:22:53.339
It's unknown how Detective Beasley knew this information or where
358
00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:55.859
he got it from, as Keith's family were told that
359
00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:59.559
neither Leverett nor Beasley had any prior interaction with Keith.
360
00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:05.460
This information didn't make Leverett's report. The police told Mary
361
00:23:05.529 --> 00:23:08.789
Cooey Keith's death was an open and shut case. He
362
00:23:08.809 --> 00:23:13.750
had hung himself. One month after Keith's death, his auntie
363
00:23:13.789 --> 00:23:15.809
and grandmother wished to be taken to the site of
364
00:23:15.869 --> 00:23:20.029
Keith's suicide in order to pray. Rodney Kendall knew the
365
00:23:20.069 --> 00:23:22.789
site well. He had gone to school with Keith and
366
00:23:22.809 --> 00:23:25.410
you heard his name mentioned in Leverett's report earlier as
367
00:23:25.470 --> 00:23:29.450
making identification of Keith's body. He actually went to the
368
00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:31.500
site while Keith was still in the tree to make
369
00:23:31.559 --> 00:23:35.160
that ID. So he took Keith's auntie and grandmother to
370
00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:38.140
the site so they could pray. Only when they arrived,
371
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:42.900
Rodney found the tree was no longer there. Mary Cooey
372
00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:46.579
immediately contacted the police and spoke with Detective Beasley. He
373
00:23:46.619 --> 00:23:53.069
told her, Mary wanted to know why the tree had
374
00:23:53.089 --> 00:23:55.089
been cut down for evidence if the case was an
375
00:23:55.190 --> 00:23:59.130
open and shut suicide and was now closed. She wasn't
376
00:23:59.150 --> 00:24:03.150
given an answer other than it was evidence. Detective Beasley
377
00:24:03.170 --> 00:24:06.000
confirmed the case was closed and would not be reopened.
378
00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:09.519
He told Mary she needed to start worrying about raising
379
00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:13.779
the only child she had left. Mary always had a
380
00:24:13.819 --> 00:24:17.640
hard time believing Keith had killed himself. In the following years,
381
00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:21.500
she raised her concerns repeatedly to Montgomery County Police, in
382
00:24:21.539 --> 00:24:25.930
particular Detective Beasley. They refused to reopen or to re-examine
383
00:24:25.970 --> 00:24:29.690
the case. Mary was told, Another comment made about Mary was,
384
00:24:29.710 --> 00:24:43.420
Mary wasn't alone though. Dallas Lipp, the EMT who was
385
00:24:43.460 --> 00:24:45.799
one of the first on scene, said in his affidavit
386
00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:48.880
that he was convinced it wasn't a suicide. The scene
387
00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:52.369
just didn't look right to him. Photos had been taken
388
00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:54.549
of the scene, but no one was allowed to see them,
389
00:24:54.849 --> 00:25:00.170
as they were classified to the Montgomery County Police Photo Archives. Eventually,
390
00:25:00.349 --> 00:25:03.890
Mary reluctantly accepted Keith's death was a suicide and tried
391
00:25:03.910 --> 00:25:07.799
to move on as best she could. Six years later,
392
00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:11.000
on what would have been Keith's 25th birthday, the 9th
393
00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:16.049
of April 1992, Mary arrived home from work. There was
394
00:25:16.089 --> 00:25:18.640
a manila envelope addressed to her on the front porch.
395
00:25:19.269 --> 00:25:23.210
There was no return address. Mary opened the folder and
396
00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:26.490
was shocked to find five crime scene photos showing Keith
397
00:25:26.529 --> 00:25:30.589
hanging from the tree. After getting over the initial trauma
398
00:25:30.609 --> 00:25:35.829
of seeing the pictures, Mary noticed several things that unsettled her. One,
399
00:25:36.910 --> 00:25:39.650
She didn't recognise any of the clothes Keith was wearing.
400
00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:42.380
She had never seen him wearing them before and she
401
00:25:42.420 --> 00:25:46.880
had never come across them while doing his washing. 2.
402
00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:49.460
Keith was not wearing the brown boots Officer Leverett had
403
00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:52.140
given to Keith's uncle at the station after his death.
404
00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:58.259
He was wearing white running shoes. 3. Mary had not
405
00:25:58.339 --> 00:26:00.880
spoken to Dallas Lip at this point and only had
406
00:26:00.940 --> 00:26:03.450
Leverett to count, but it looked like Keith had jumped
407
00:26:03.470 --> 00:26:06.089
off a log and his body weight completed his intent.
408
00:26:07.089 --> 00:26:11.269
as stated in Leverett's report. Mary was surprised to see
409
00:26:11.329 --> 00:26:14.150
Keith's feet touching the ground, almost in a sitting position,
410
00:26:14.430 --> 00:26:17.289
with the tree bent, and the complicated rope set up.
411
00:26:18.309 --> 00:26:20.910
She formed the same view as Dallas Lipp. It looked
412
00:26:20.930 --> 00:26:23.890
like he had been hoisted. When Mary went to the
413
00:26:23.930 --> 00:26:26.359
police with the photos, they were shocked to see them.
414
00:26:26.990 --> 00:26:30.460
They were supposed to be classified. They weren't the original photos,
415
00:26:30.619 --> 00:26:33.519
they were copies, but they couldn't explain how or why
416
00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:37.509
they were delivered to Mary's porch. The Montgomery County Police
417
00:26:37.549 --> 00:26:40.829
refused to reopen the investigation, again stating it was an
418
00:26:40.930 --> 00:26:44.769
open and shut case. However, the photos convinced Mary something
419
00:26:44.849 --> 00:26:48.579
wasn't right. She requested to see the tree taken from
420
00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:52.059
the scene that police took as evidence. She was told
421
00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:55.420
that wouldn't be possible. Several reasons have been given over
422
00:26:55.460 --> 00:26:58.299
the years. One was that the tree was destroyed in
423
00:26:58.339 --> 00:27:02.599
a fire. The other was that it had been lost. However,
424
00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:06.190
Detective Beasley denies the tree was even cut down. He
425
00:27:06.230 --> 00:27:15.099
told the Washington Post years later, Rodney Kendall and Keith's
426
00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:21.220
family are adamant the entire tree was cut down within
427
00:27:21.339 --> 00:27:25.079
one month of Keith's death. We can't tell today, it's
428
00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:27.920
a completely different sight. Houses have been built up where
429
00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:31.369
the trees once were. The photos weren't the only thing
430
00:27:31.430 --> 00:27:34.329
delivered to Mary that day. There was also a note
431
00:27:34.390 --> 00:27:37.630
to go with them. The note said that Mark Findlay
432
00:27:38.069 --> 00:27:42.170
and Laurent Berman would be next. Mary recognised these names.
433
00:27:42.519 --> 00:27:47.000
They were friends of Keith. Mark Findlay found out about
434
00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:50.339
the threatening note. He contacted Mary and left a message
435
00:27:50.420 --> 00:27:58.490
on her answering machine. He said, Rumours were circulating that
436
00:27:58.529 --> 00:28:01.289
Mark had allegedly been bragging that he had put Keith's
437
00:28:01.349 --> 00:28:04.529
body up on the tree. Mark never did get round
438
00:28:04.569 --> 00:28:07.500
to see Mary. and four months after the photos and
439
00:28:07.539 --> 00:28:12.579
note appeared on Mary's porch, Mark Findley was dead. Killed
440
00:28:12.619 --> 00:28:15.900
in what was called a freak bike accident. His bicycle
441
00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:18.980
hit the curb and he fell off and died. It
442
00:28:19.029 --> 00:28:21.549
occurred in the early hours of the morning. No one
443
00:28:21.609 --> 00:28:26.309
else involved, no one at fault, no witnesses. Perry White,
444
00:28:26.549 --> 00:28:29.130
a paramedic called to the scene of Mark's accident, is
445
00:28:29.170 --> 00:28:31.890
of the opinion that the injuries suffered by Mark and
446
00:28:31.910 --> 00:28:34.309
the damage to his bike were much too great for
447
00:28:34.349 --> 00:28:37.309
him to have simply fallen off Plus, there were no
448
00:28:37.369 --> 00:28:40.000
rash burns on his hands, common from people who fall
449
00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:42.079
off a bike as they try to break their fall.
450
00:28:43.640 --> 00:28:45.920
Perry was of the opinion that Mark had been hit
451
00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:49.240
by a car. But the death was officially ruled a
452
00:28:49.289 --> 00:28:52.490
freak accident and no autopsy was performed by order of
453
00:28:52.509 --> 00:28:58.299
the state's chief medical examiner's office, Baltimore, Maryland. After receiving
454
00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:01.980
the photos in 1992, Mary continued to lobby the Montgomery
455
00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:05.920
County Police, various elected officials and even the FBI to
456
00:29:05.980 --> 00:29:10.240
reopen the investigation into Keith's death. Every time her requests
457
00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:13.480
were denied, the FBI referred her back to the County
458
00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:17.869
Police as there were no violations of federal law. Local
459
00:29:17.900 --> 00:29:20.130
media took a renewed interest in the case and it
460
00:29:20.170 --> 00:29:24.400
was even featured on the television show Unsolved Mysteries. He
461
00:29:24.420 --> 00:29:39.180
went on to say that Montgomery He went on to
462
00:29:39.240 --> 00:29:42.480
say that Montgomery Police had conducted three internal reviews of
463
00:29:42.500 --> 00:29:46.259
the case. Each review determined Keith's death to be a suicide.
464
00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:49.819
They found no evidence Keith had been hoisted, and stated
465
00:29:49.859 --> 00:29:52.500
that Keith wouldn't have needed to jump off anything, as
466
00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:54.980
the manner in which someone can kill themselves by hanging
467
00:29:55.220 --> 00:30:00.809
is limitless. Mary Cooey responded, saying, They never treated my
468
00:30:00.869 --> 00:30:03.589
son's death as a crime scene. They treated it as
469
00:30:03.650 --> 00:30:08.150
a sideshow. After seeing the photos left on Mary's porch,
470
00:30:08.450 --> 00:30:11.700
Keith's father, Cleo, a police officer of 21 years at
471
00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:15.779
the time in Durham, North Carolina, offered a $ 5, 000 reward
472
00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:19.660
for any information about Keith's death. The office of the
473
00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:23.359
state's chief medical examiner is in Baltimore, and Dr. John
474
00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:26.990
Smilak was now performing the role, although he wasn't in
475
00:30:27.009 --> 00:30:30.299
the role at the time of Keith's death. He confirmed
476
00:30:30.339 --> 00:30:33.369
with the media that Maryland law gives the state medical
477
00:30:33.430 --> 00:30:38.329
examiner discretion in deciding when an autopsy should be performed. However,
478
00:30:38.410 --> 00:30:41.289
since he had taken over, he had decided that autopsies
479
00:30:41.329 --> 00:30:44.849
are now required in all cases of suicides involving teenagers
480
00:30:45.029 --> 00:30:50.559
and young adults. Regarding Keith's specific case, Dr Smilak said,
481
00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:54.779
An autopsy would not have eliminated all questions in this case,
482
00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:57.920
but it would have at least eliminated the criticisms about
483
00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:02.589
one not having been done. A spokesman for Montgomery Police
484
00:31:02.769 --> 00:31:05.869
said the department was conducting an internal review as to
485
00:31:05.910 --> 00:31:08.490
how the photos came to be placed on Mary's porch.
486
00:31:09.269 --> 00:31:11.450
He said it was a puzzle and a mystery and
487
00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:21.740
admitted the photo lab had sloppy record keeping. Case File
488
00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:25.119
will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by
489
00:31:25.180 --> 00:31:27.200
listening to this episode's sponsors.
490
00:31:32.430 --> 00:31:35.990
Listen to this ACAST show ad-free on Amazon Music with
491
00:31:36.029 --> 00:31:39.730
your Prime membership or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
492
00:31:43.930 --> 00:31:47.730
Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting
493
00:31:47.819 --> 00:31:52.559
our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content.
494
00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:02.410
Convinced something was seriously wrong with her son's case, Mary
495
00:32:02.470 --> 00:32:05.650
Cooey sought the assistance of a social group. They became
496
00:32:05.710 --> 00:32:08.349
interested in Keith's case and helped raise money to have
497
00:32:08.430 --> 00:32:12.440
Keith's body exhumed from his North Carolina grave. They hired
498
00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:17.660
an independent pathologist to conduct an autopsy. That independent pathologist
499
00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:22.380
was Dr. Isidor Mihalakis. The autopsy was conducted on the
500
00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:27.210
26th of May 1994, eight years after Keith's death, at
501
00:32:27.269 --> 00:32:32.420
Lehigh Valley Hospital Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Mihalakis had
502
00:32:32.460 --> 00:32:35.880
been the medical examiner for Warren County, Pennsylvania, for eight
503
00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:38.579
years at that point. He would go on to remain
504
00:32:38.619 --> 00:32:42.140
in that role for another 17 years. He testified at
505
00:32:42.180 --> 00:32:45.650
a number of high-profile cases, including that of serial killer
506
00:32:45.710 --> 00:32:49.349
Charles Cullen. He was known by his colleagues as extremely
507
00:32:49.390 --> 00:32:54.529
knowledgeable and very thorough. His findings were as follows, and
508
00:32:54.549 --> 00:32:58.220
this is taken directly from parts of his report. The
509
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:02.119
autopsy findings on an anatomic basis showed a body hanging
510
00:33:02.180 --> 00:33:04.720
from a tree limb with feet touching the ground and
511
00:33:04.759 --> 00:33:08.150
the knees bent. There is nothing in the autopsy findings
512
00:33:08.309 --> 00:33:11.009
which will distinguish whether he was alive or dead when
513
00:33:11.049 --> 00:33:15.390
the hanging occurred. The clinical history is in contention between
514
00:33:15.410 --> 00:33:19.839
the investigators and the family. The scene investigation into the
515
00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:23.539
handling of the body immediately afterward was inappropriate and and
516
00:33:23.660 --> 00:33:26.720
not in accordance with accepted standards of a good medical
517
00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:34.329
legal investigation system. Subsequent toxicological findings after exhumation and complete
518
00:33:34.430 --> 00:33:37.869
autopsy of the body, as well as preliminary literature review,
519
00:33:38.410 --> 00:33:41.490
indicate the presence of substances which would not expect it
520
00:33:41.509 --> 00:33:43.569
to be found in a body that has been buried,
521
00:33:44.250 --> 00:33:47.670
even taking into consideration the eight years that it was interred.
522
00:33:49.450 --> 00:33:53.470
Such substances are not normal constituents of embalming fluids or
523
00:33:53.529 --> 00:33:59.059
decompositional effect. The substance that most stands out is trichloroethane.
524
00:34:00.039 --> 00:34:08.480
Also found was dichloroethane, ethylbenzene, xylene and toluene. Trichloroethane is
525
00:34:08.519 --> 00:34:14.480
commonly found in degreases, dry cleaning agents, glue and paint removers. Ethylbenzene,
526
00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:19.570
xylene and toluene are often found together in gasoline. The
527
00:34:19.610 --> 00:34:22.880
level of trichloroethane found in Keith's blood and liver were
528
00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:26.599
at a fatal level. The level of dichloroethane was at
529
00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:30.480
a toxic level. Based on the levels noted, I do
530
00:34:30.519 --> 00:34:33.059
not believe he would have had the ability to hang himself,
531
00:34:33.639 --> 00:34:36.179
and for that matter, he would in all likelihood not
532
00:34:36.260 --> 00:34:39.360
even have the ability to make a decision about hanging himself.
533
00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:42.280
It is even possible that he may have been dead
534
00:34:42.679 --> 00:34:45.150
and subsequently hung by others to make it look like
535
00:34:45.210 --> 00:34:49.039
a suicide. He may also have been near death, unconscious,
536
00:34:49.400 --> 00:34:52.570
and hung by others. If he did it to himself,
537
00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:55.170
then I would think that the utensils used in terms
538
00:34:55.210 --> 00:34:58.610
of canisters, rags, etc. would have been noted by the
539
00:34:58.650 --> 00:35:02.670
investigators when they arrived at the scene. By this scenario,
540
00:35:03.170 --> 00:35:05.650
one would presuppose that he put the noose about his
541
00:35:05.710 --> 00:35:08.170
neck in the manner in which he was found, and
542
00:35:08.230 --> 00:35:12.050
then used the suspect's substances until he passed out, at
543
00:35:12.090 --> 00:35:16.440
which point the hanging would cause his death. Under the circumstances,
544
00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:20.400
in a good medical legal investigation system, a case such
545
00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:23.719
as Keith Warren's must be considered and investigated as a
546
00:35:23.760 --> 00:35:28.980
homicide until proven otherwise. The funeral director handling the case
547
00:35:29.019 --> 00:35:32.219
was queried by representatives of the family and denies having
548
00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:36.230
infused the body with anything other than embalming fluid. The
549
00:35:36.289 --> 00:35:40.570
substances recovered from Keith are found in various solvents, paints, lacquers,
550
00:35:40.789 --> 00:35:46.150
thinners and similar substances. The possibility of groundwater contamination was
551
00:35:46.210 --> 00:35:49.679
entertained by this pathologist. However, so far as we know,
552
00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:53.679
there is no such contamination of the cemetery. The vault
553
00:35:53.760 --> 00:35:56.599
and casket were sealed and personally, I do not believe
554
00:35:56.659 --> 00:36:01.559
that the distribution levels would have been as found on Keith. Unfortunately,
555
00:36:01.619 --> 00:36:04.539
the casket broke in the process of their exhumation and
556
00:36:04.639 --> 00:36:09.409
Keith was placed in a new casket and transported to Allentown. Neck.
557
00:36:10.510 --> 00:36:14.869
There are no fractures or dislocations or hemorrhages. The tongue, larynx,
558
00:36:15.150 --> 00:36:19.010
laryngeal cartilages, hyoid bone and soft tissues of the neck,
559
00:36:19.489 --> 00:36:23.269
as well as the cervical vertebral column, visually are without note.
560
00:36:24.090 --> 00:36:26.909
There are no undue hemorrhages. In the region of the
561
00:36:26.969 --> 00:36:30.880
ligature groove, no hemorrhages are noted about the neck. Cause
562
00:36:30.909 --> 00:36:34.940
of death is undetermined. In spite of decedent found hanging
563
00:36:35.019 --> 00:36:37.980
from tree limb with feet touching the ground and knees bent,
564
00:36:38.750 --> 00:36:42.889
It is undetermined because toxicological findings are incompatible with the
565
00:36:42.969 --> 00:36:47.659
autopsy findings and in fact do not support a hanging diagnosis.
566
00:36:49.800 --> 00:36:54.219
We will leave the autopsy report there. So the substances
567
00:36:54.260 --> 00:36:59.250
found in Keith's body bothered Dr. Mihalakis. Further investigation was
568
00:36:59.289 --> 00:37:02.070
conducted by him to ascertain if those chemicals could have
569
00:37:02.130 --> 00:37:07.460
come from the embalming fluids. Dr Mason, the toxicologist, informed
570
00:37:07.559 --> 00:37:11.440
Dr Mihalakis these chemicals were highly unlikely to be found
571
00:37:11.500 --> 00:37:15.460
in embalming fluid. He had never encountered them before from
572
00:37:15.519 --> 00:37:20.780
embalming fluids during his career. As a preliminary check, three
573
00:37:20.820 --> 00:37:26.230
embalming chemical companies were canvassed. Arlington Chemical Company, Dodge Chemical
574
00:37:26.269 --> 00:37:31.429
Company and Gold Bond Company. Each said no, those chemicals
575
00:37:31.489 --> 00:37:34.480
found in Keith don't form part of embalming fluid. and
576
00:37:34.539 --> 00:37:37.179
even if they did, it would be very remote they
577
00:37:37.199 --> 00:37:41.289
would get into the blood and liver. Keith was embalmed
578
00:37:41.329 --> 00:37:44.730
at Collins Funeral Home. Inquiries with them revealed that in
579
00:37:44.730 --> 00:37:48.969
1986 they were using embalming fluids produced by Pierce Royal
580
00:37:49.030 --> 00:37:54.280
Bond Company and Dodge Chemical Company. Both companies provided affidavits
581
00:37:54.340 --> 00:37:57.159
declaring their embalming fluids do not contain any of the
582
00:37:57.219 --> 00:38:02.110
substances found in Keith's body. Dr. Mason also confirmed that
583
00:38:02.150 --> 00:38:05.690
higher levels of trichloroethane were found in Keith's brain, at
584
00:38:05.750 --> 00:38:08.599
levels three times higher than found in his liver and blood.
585
00:38:09.860 --> 00:38:13.699
As the trichloroethane was widely distributed through Keith's body, his brain,
586
00:38:13.860 --> 00:38:16.820
liver and blood, Dr. Mason is of the belief the
587
00:38:16.840 --> 00:38:21.010
chemicals were in his body before Keith's death. A quote
588
00:38:21.030 --> 00:38:25.090
from Dr. Mihalakis, The presence of these substances, they have
589
00:38:25.150 --> 00:38:28.519
no business being there. they are not products of decomposition
590
00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:32.800
and are thoroughly distributed throughout the body. The possibility exists
591
00:38:33.039 --> 00:38:36.659
that this young man was incapable of hanging himself. You
592
00:38:36.699 --> 00:38:39.380
need to put the district attorney on notice of these things.
593
00:38:40.840 --> 00:38:43.860
After the results of the autopsy were released, Mary Cooey
594
00:38:43.909 --> 00:38:47.269
told the Montgomery Journal, I always wondered how he got
595
00:38:47.309 --> 00:38:50.250
on the tree and why he was wearing someone else's clothes.
596
00:38:51.010 --> 00:38:53.090
I would hope that this case would be looked at again.
597
00:38:54.099 --> 00:38:57.239
But Montgomery County Police Chief Clarence Edwards said a new
598
00:38:57.280 --> 00:39:00.659
investigation would not be granted. However, he did say he
599
00:39:00.699 --> 00:39:03.380
would pass the full autopsy report onto the Major Crimes
600
00:39:03.400 --> 00:39:08.239
Division for review. A spokeswoman for the department told the
601
00:39:08.280 --> 00:39:11.159
Morning Call newspaper that a copy of the autopsy report
602
00:39:11.179 --> 00:39:13.800
would also be sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office
603
00:39:13.860 --> 00:39:17.980
for review, Dr Smileyk. And if he felt there was
604
00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:20.960
some discrepancy between the autopsy and the outcome of the
605
00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:26.010
police investigation, then the case would be reopened. Dr Smilak
606
00:39:26.050 --> 00:39:29.010
did review the autopsy report at the State Medical Examiner's
607
00:39:29.050 --> 00:39:34.269
Office in Baltimore. In January 1995, he released his findings.
608
00:39:35.380 --> 00:39:40.420
Keith Warren committed suicide. Contradicting the findings of Dr Michalakis,
609
00:39:41.059 --> 00:39:44.139
Dr Smilak ruled that the chemicals were injected into Keith's
610
00:39:44.179 --> 00:39:47.420
body after his death. He said in his report, quote,
611
00:39:48.349 --> 00:39:51.590
It is my opinion that the toxicological findings are consistent
612
00:39:51.659 --> 00:39:54.639
with the effects of the embalming and body preparation process.
613
00:39:55.480 --> 00:39:57.980
The absence of any physical injury on the body supports
614
00:39:58.039 --> 00:40:01.320
the conclusion that Keith Warren's hanging was a self-inflicted act.
615
00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:06.530
Dr Smilak specifically mentioned Sanvino, a solvent that is applied
616
00:40:06.550 --> 00:40:09.469
to the skin to decontaminate bodies as being the source
617
00:40:09.489 --> 00:40:13.869
of the chemicals. Although Mary Cooey said a representative from
618
00:40:13.929 --> 00:40:17.849
Sanvino told her that their product does not and never has,
619
00:40:18.030 --> 00:40:22.869
contained the chemicals found in Keith's body. Mary didn't believe
620
00:40:22.969 --> 00:40:26.449
Keith's death was necessarily a homicide. She accepted it was
621
00:40:26.510 --> 00:40:29.730
possible he could have accidentally overdosed with other teens, who
622
00:40:29.769 --> 00:40:32.800
then panicked and staged a suicide to avoid any trouble
623
00:40:32.820 --> 00:40:35.960
with the law. Mary hired an attorney to file a
624
00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:40.579
civil action lawsuit against Montgomery County, citing police negligence and
625
00:40:40.619 --> 00:40:45.500
violations of both hers and Keith's civil rights. Unfortunately, the
626
00:40:45.539 --> 00:40:48.159
attorney she hired filed the suit three months after the
627
00:40:48.199 --> 00:40:52.389
statute of limitations on civil rights violations had passed, so
628
00:40:52.409 --> 00:40:57.969
the lawsuit was dismissed. In 1999, Mary petitioned the Montgomery
629
00:40:58.010 --> 00:41:01.230
County State's Attorney, Douglas Gansler, to look into the case.
630
00:41:02.289 --> 00:41:05.179
After spending two years going over the case documents and
631
00:41:05.219 --> 00:41:09.340
tracking down old witnesses, Gansler agreed to reopen the case,
632
00:41:09.920 --> 00:41:13.219
albeit it was left as inactive, so it wasn't being
633
00:41:13.260 --> 00:41:16.280
looked at. but if further information came to light, then
634
00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:20.860
it would be investigated. Gansler said, It seemed to me
635
00:41:20.900 --> 00:41:23.800
there were a lot of open ends, loose ends, regarding
636
00:41:23.840 --> 00:41:28.199
the investigation. Clearly circumstances surrounding Keith's death had not been
637
00:41:28.300 --> 00:41:32.320
fully investigated. We still don't know definitively what happened on
638
00:41:32.360 --> 00:41:37.000
that day. In February 2003, Gansler sent a letter in
639
00:41:37.059 --> 00:41:39.900
response to a request for an update on Keith's case.
640
00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:45.590
I'll read from that letter now. In coordination with the
641
00:41:45.619 --> 00:41:50.329
Sheriff's Office for Montgomery County, Maryland, a very thorough investigation
642
00:41:50.389 --> 00:41:55.050
was conducted. It remains unsolved precisely how Keith Warren died
643
00:41:55.110 --> 00:42:00.409
on July 31, 1986. As we previously discussed, many witnesses
644
00:42:00.449 --> 00:42:02.980
were put before the grand jury in regards to Mr.
645
00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:07.360
Warren's death. Given the confidential nature of grand jury proceedings,
646
00:42:07.599 --> 00:42:11.280
we are not able to share specific details with you. However,
647
00:42:11.320 --> 00:42:13.420
I want to reassure you that the case remains open
648
00:42:13.849 --> 00:42:17.980
albeit in an inactive status, and if any new leads materialise,
649
00:42:18.179 --> 00:42:23.599
we will pursue them. Signed, Douglas Gansler, Montgomery County State's Attorney.
650
00:42:25.119 --> 00:42:28.429
The grand jury was news to Keith's family. They weren't
651
00:42:28.469 --> 00:42:32.409
aware there had been one, never notified. They weren't called
652
00:42:32.449 --> 00:42:35.750
to attend or give evidence at the grand jury. As
653
00:42:35.809 --> 00:42:39.170
the letter says, the proceedings of a grand jury are confidential,
654
00:42:39.760 --> 00:42:41.900
so we have no idea who was called and what
655
00:42:41.940 --> 00:42:47.079
evidence was given. In a media interview, Gansler said, We
656
00:42:47.139 --> 00:42:50.739
reopened the case. We used a grand jury. We examined
657
00:42:50.780 --> 00:42:54.389
all the leads. We talked to all possible witnesses and
658
00:42:54.449 --> 00:42:58.489
came to a conclusion of inconclusiveness. There are very strong
659
00:42:58.550 --> 00:43:01.349
arguments having looked at everything in this case that Keith
660
00:43:01.389 --> 00:43:05.289
Warren died of suicide. But there are equally strong arguments
661
00:43:05.329 --> 00:43:08.239
to suggest that he did not die of suicide, that
662
00:43:08.260 --> 00:43:11.219
he was killed or died accidentally and then was put
663
00:43:11.260 --> 00:43:14.460
on the tree afterwards. Then he was asked if it
664
00:43:14.480 --> 00:43:17.820
was his opinion that police botched the case. He replied,
665
00:43:18.840 --> 00:43:24.119
Under today's guidelines and procedures, this would have been botched. Still,
666
00:43:24.280 --> 00:43:26.960
the Montgomery County Police maintained they were happy with their
667
00:43:27.000 --> 00:43:30.780
investigation and their determination that Keith's death was a suicide.
668
00:43:32.500 --> 00:43:35.280
Keith's family requested that the cause of Keith's death on
669
00:43:35.340 --> 00:43:39.730
his certificate at least be changed to undetermined. However, the
670
00:43:39.769 --> 00:43:43.909
State Medical Examiner's Office refused. Dr. Smilak was no longer
671
00:43:43.949 --> 00:43:46.730
the state's chief medical examiner. He died of a heart
672
00:43:46.769 --> 00:43:55.269
attack in 2001. Keith's family continued their fight. In February 2012, Dr.
673
00:43:55.309 --> 00:44:01.239
Muhammad Ali Al-Bayati, a toxicologist and pathologist, conducted an investigation
674
00:44:01.360 --> 00:44:05.460
into Keith Warren's death. He has over 25 years experience
675
00:44:05.500 --> 00:44:08.219
in both fields and has served as an expert witness
676
00:44:08.280 --> 00:44:12.030
in many medical legal cases. He has published over 50
677
00:44:12.030 --> 00:44:16.909
articles in medical and scientific journals. After completing a thorough
678
00:44:16.969 --> 00:44:19.789
investigation of all of the evidence, he wrote in his
679
00:44:19.829 --> 00:44:24.590
report the following. Keith had a lethal level of trichloroethane
680
00:44:24.809 --> 00:44:28.889
and a toxic level of dichloroethane in his blood, brain, liver,
681
00:44:29.110 --> 00:44:33.190
kidney and muscles. The concentrations and the pattern of the
682
00:44:33.250 --> 00:44:37.570
chemical distribution in tissues indicated indicate Keith received these chemicals
683
00:44:37.730 --> 00:44:41.159
about one to two hours prior to his death via ingestion,
684
00:44:42.159 --> 00:44:46.199
and they were likely mixed with alcoholic drinks. The ingestion
685
00:44:46.239 --> 00:44:49.280
of high doses of these chemicals led to vomiting, diarrhoea,
686
00:44:49.530 --> 00:44:55.389
central nervous system depression, and aspiration pneumonia. Empty wine cooler
687
00:44:55.409 --> 00:44:57.969
bottles were found in the densely wooded area where Keith
688
00:44:57.989 --> 00:45:02.230
was found hanging from a tree. Alcohol increases the absorption
689
00:45:02.250 --> 00:45:07.590
of trichloroethane and dichloroethane from the gastrointestinal tract, which explains
690
00:45:07.630 --> 00:45:10.989
the presence of high concentrations of these chemicals in Keith's tissues.
691
00:45:12.070 --> 00:45:16.840
Both chemicals are very soluble in alcohol. Autopsy studies of
692
00:45:16.900 --> 00:45:20.739
suicide hanging cases have shown injuries to the neck soft tissues,
693
00:45:21.000 --> 00:45:24.699
bones and organs in the majority of cases, and bleeding
694
00:45:24.739 --> 00:45:27.260
in the soft tissues of the neck in all cases.
695
00:45:28.429 --> 00:45:32.670
The autopsy showed no hemorrhages, soft tissue injury, dislocation or
696
00:45:32.730 --> 00:45:36.610
fractures in Keith's neck. The lack of bleeding and injury
697
00:45:36.719 --> 00:45:39.860
in Keith's neck can be explained by the following medical evidence.
698
00:45:40.960 --> 00:45:43.739
Keith died as a result of ingesting a lethal dose
699
00:45:43.760 --> 00:45:47.079
of chemicals. Keith's body was lifted and put in a
700
00:45:47.139 --> 00:45:49.880
hanging position a few hours after his death, when the
701
00:45:49.920 --> 00:45:52.610
muscles of the neck became stiff due to rigor mortis.
702
00:45:53.889 --> 00:45:58.000
In 1992, Keith's mother received five crime scene photos showing
703
00:45:58.059 --> 00:46:01.159
Keith was hanging from a tree. She noticed that Keith
704
00:46:01.199 --> 00:46:04.190
was not wearing his own clothing, which indicates that key
705
00:46:04.210 --> 00:46:08.250
information for the investigation was missed. It is likely that
706
00:46:08.289 --> 00:46:11.050
Keith's body was washed after death and his clothes were
707
00:46:11.110 --> 00:46:14.369
changed because they became dirty with vomit and possibly with
708
00:46:14.429 --> 00:46:18.179
fecal materials due to the lethal doses of chemicals mixed
709
00:46:18.219 --> 00:46:23.340
with alcohol that Keith ingested. Embalming Keith's body also interfered
710
00:46:23.360 --> 00:46:27.659
with the collection of important medical evidence. The police and
711
00:46:27.679 --> 00:46:30.360
the county medical examiner missed the cause of death in
712
00:46:30.400 --> 00:46:33.860
Keith's case because they did not conduct the required standard
713
00:46:33.949 --> 00:46:38.829
medical legal investigation in his case. We will end the
714
00:46:38.869 --> 00:46:44.469
doctor's report there. Despite these findings, nothing has changed. The
715
00:46:44.510 --> 00:46:47.449
state medical examiner's office still refused to change the cause
716
00:46:47.489 --> 00:46:50.889
of death on Keith's certificate. Montgomery County Police are still
717
00:46:50.909 --> 00:46:54.250
happy with their investigation and determination of suicide and will
718
00:46:54.289 --> 00:46:59.380
not reinvestigate. Officer Leverett retired from the Montgomery County Police
719
00:46:59.409 --> 00:47:03.139
in March 2000 after pleading guilty to assaulting his girlfriend.
720
00:47:03.780 --> 00:47:07.480
Second degree assault. Beat her, choked her and banged her
721
00:47:07.519 --> 00:47:10.179
head against the wall during an argument, as reported by
722
00:47:10.199 --> 00:47:14.159
the Washington Post. He was subsequently charged with violating a
723
00:47:14.199 --> 00:47:18.389
protective order. He was immediately suspended by Montgomery County Police
724
00:47:18.530 --> 00:47:22.610
before retiring. Chip Wynn is dead from a drug overdose.
725
00:47:23.199 --> 00:47:25.440
He was the boyfriend of Claudia Lawson, who made the
726
00:47:25.440 --> 00:47:29.460
911 call. Chip lived in the house Keith was found behind.
727
00:47:30.820 --> 00:47:33.340
Claudia Lawson and the second male present in the house
728
00:47:33.380 --> 00:47:37.940
that day are still alive. Laurent Berman, the other male
729
00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:40.500
named along with Mark Finlay in the note delivered with
730
00:47:40.579 --> 00:47:44.619
Keith's crime scene photos to Mary, is still alive. The
731
00:47:44.659 --> 00:47:48.139
noose was never given to Keith's family. Montgomery Police actually
732
00:47:48.199 --> 00:47:52.960
admit it has been lost. possibly thrown out. Mary Cooey
733
00:47:52.980 --> 00:47:59.039
passed away in 2009. Currently, Mary's daughter, Sherry Warren, is
734
00:47:59.059 --> 00:48:01.320
still trying to have the cause of death changed on
735
00:48:01.380 --> 00:48:04.889
Keith's death certificate. She'll be happy to be met halfway
736
00:48:05.090 --> 00:48:29.349
and have the cause of death changed to undetermined. Hey,
737
00:48:29.449 --> 00:48:30.179
Prime members.
738
00:48:30.500 --> 00:48:33.710
You can listen to this show ad-free on Amazon Music.
739
00:48:34.030 --> 00:48:35.960
Download the Amazon Music app today.