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The Murder Book: A True Crime Podcast
Each week, The Murder Book will present unsolved cases, missing persons, notorious crimes, controversial cases, and serial killers, exploring details of the crime scenes and the murderer's childhood. Some episodes are translated into Spanish as well. The podcast is produced and hosted by Kiara Coyle.
The Murder Book: A True Crime Podcast
The Dark Side of Friendship: Unraveling the Ken Register and Crystal Todd Murder Case Part II
We're taking you on a unique journey through the tragic murder of Crystal Todd, a trip that will pull you deep into the raw reality of crime, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Step into the shoes of Detective Bill Knowles as we guide you through the palpable tension of a crime scene and the mounting pressure on law enforcement to restore a sense of peace amidst the chaos.
. Feel the heartbeat of a small community shattered by a horrifying act and the ripple of dread. When a young life is snuffed out so brutally, the scars etched on the town's psyche are hard to heal.
We'll also delve into Ken's reluctance to join friends and family on the road where Crystal was found—does this stir the pot of speculation? Tune in as we unravel this case.
Sources:
Newspapers:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal/159938097/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-news/159938177/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-news/159938235/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-news/159938295/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-news/159938412/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-news/159938463/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-news/159938500/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-news/159938577/
Books:
Hudson, D., Hills, B. (2001). An Hour to Kill: A True Story of Love, Murder, and Justice in a Small Southern Town.
Welcome to the Murder Book. I'm your host, chiara, and this is part two of the murder of Crystal Todd committed by Ken Vegister, and we're going to focus on the investigation. Let's begin. So Bill knows was getting ready to go to church with his wife and children when his page went off and he knew that he needed to report to the office and see what was going on. So he told his wife that he was unable to go to church with them. He called the office to the dispatcher and see what was going on And the dispatcher said to Bill knows that it was really ugly, that it was apparently a homicide. It was a young female. He said it's terrible. There's all kinds of rumors about certain things that happened in the crime scene, so I don't want to say anything, but please just go quick as you can.
Speaker 1:And knows who has always wanted to be a detective since he was a little child. What he liked to do was to. On his way to the crime scene. He liked to mentally prepare his mind for it, because for him a homicide means looking at a dead body, and drive time, if properly used, allowed him to brace for the first shock of seeing the remains of yet another cruel and twisted act. A good bracing in turn allowed him to quickly move beyond the first jolt to the detecting part of the job And knows, couldn't have known that this scene of the crime wasn't far enough out of town for a proper bracing. Knowles was one of only three officers in his department to have finished the special three month FBI training academy in Quantico And his peers consider him to be a very good detective. So he arrived to College Jolly Road and he saw Officer Petty in the middle of the road who motioned him to where to park. He saw that there was a lot of police tape and he looked at Officer Petty's road sorry face, and he know that it was. It looked pretty grim. And so he say good morning. and he move not move past the tape, to where Lieutenant Gilbert Lewis and the assistant coroner Gerrit Whitley stood. And Lieutenant Lewis said this is a mess Officer way Petty follow missing persons report on a young girl this morning. But we don't know if this is her. So Knowles of course asked so what do you already know? And Wade said well, nothing. Yet We cordoned the scene. We were waiting for evidence. Evidence is on the way.
Speaker 1:The fine scene included portions of Colleen Jones Road. On both sides of the mouth of the dirt lane where the body have been discovered And at the far end of the lane, bill Knowles saw some yellow tape and it was chest chest height to the trees. So he said well, i'm going to take a look In. Knowles looked with this may at the narrow dirt lane They have to work from. They would have to work from the outside in to preserve evidence on the path. So he carefully picked his way forward, stopping to focus his thoughts as he began encountering evidence of the homicide, something there in the dirt, beside the pool blood. There's marks on the road. So he's already making a mental note of that.
Speaker 1:Knowles felt the anticipated shock through his forehead as he saw the foot sticking up beyond the side of the ditch. Moving down to his left he stepped over a clump of weeds growing in the bottom of the ravine and east forward. He squatted to take his first full view of the mutilated corpse And a numbing heat through his entire body quickly replaced the minor shock of seeing the foot And he said oh my god. And he had to appraise himself early in life of the rigors of his chosen profession and understood and accepted the unknowns. Even as a boy, he didn't like surprises, no matter how they turned out. Surprises usually started poorly and usually got worse, and when he became a police officer he had found out that the job included something that can only be understood by being there.
Speaker 1:The experience of homicide detectives with hardcore evil is immediate. They look at it, they smell it, they touch it. They have to explain it. They see and know things other people don't know, don't want to know, and usually will not believe anyway. Because of his training, though, and particularly his experience, bill Knowles had begun to feel there wasn't anything he had not seen or couldn't handle.
Speaker 1:Until that moment, the warm French stench rose and steered his stomach, forcing his head to the side. Holding his breath, detective Knowles realized he could not estimate the age of the victim. In addition to the blood that drenched the hair and clothes and the pulled blood in the road, the blood soaked earth circling. The body made Knowles think it just couldn't be any more blood in her body. Someone certainly wanted this person dead, he thought, but it didn't take over this to accomplish it. This was way too much. This was overkill.
Speaker 1:A mutilated body presents the worst possible scenario for the police. Family outpourings for the death of a loved one are terrible to witness under normal circumstances, but a murder can't often be understood in context and accepted over time as a tragic consequence of human failure. There is nothing, however, that compares with family grief when a loved one has been ravaged. The police, always on the front line, feel a tremendous responsibility to provide answers and bring a reassembly sorry, a semblance of order, to the ensuing chaos, and there is intense pressure to solve the case quickly to avoid having a panic community. A person who is capable of this roaming around is roaming around free. So Knowles now standing over this mutilated homicide victim.
Speaker 1:That clear Sunday he was able to experience the palpable evil that the Allen brothers had felt just before they dashed to the truck and sped away. He recognized the evil as unwelcome an acquaintance that it's more like an intruder who sought to indiscriminately sell sorrow and despair. There will be no dashing away for him, though Nolz had bested intruders before and he would another time. This time That was the oath he had taken. Besides, he knew the demon had probably already left a clue. That would be his undoing Feeling the familiar excitement build and urge him into action. Detective Nolz looked for a moment at the small blooded figure and he said I don't know who you are yet, but I will find out. Who did this to you, i promise.
Speaker 1:The evidence team, directly by Custodian Kelly Chestnut, was responsible for going to Collins Jolie Road and observing the body and the crime scene before any evidence was compromised. By the time Chestnut arrived at 10.45 am, a few onlookers had gathered around the crime scene's perimeter. Chestnut's assignment was theoretically simple and employed a formula developed from previous murder investigations Examine, sketch, photograph the body and the crime scene, collect as much evidence as possible. Chestnut knew, however, that what was theoretically simple wasn't really always simple. As he opened the trunk of his car to begin assembling his tools, he noted with concern that the crime scene included a dirt road that had probably been traveled on since the crime was committed. And Nolz said to Chestnut well, ken, really say good morning, so let's take a look at this crime scene.
Speaker 1:So the two men examined the surface of the lane first And he said that the Allen boys were the ones who found the body. And he said the Allen boys, they drove in here and again when they came back. So that's, you have to take that into consideration when we are examining the surface of the lane. There were two cars in here, then part end to end there, and then they backed in out And then they didn't come up this far though. And then he said footprint two we have been walking along here. And he indicated a single lane passage along the edge of the bushes And he said of course, the Allen boys probably walked over it and there's a puke spot that belongs to one of them.
Speaker 1:And Chestnut asked about SLED, referring to the forensic assistance of the state law enforcement division located in Columbia, about two hours away. And Horry, like most other counties in the state, didn't have a forensic pathologist who could be called to a crime scene. So the state law enforcement division, or SLED, provided specialized teams consistent of experts in fingerprinting, imprinting tool and murder weapons, the identification of hairs, fibers and other substances that could be sent to a scene upon request. So Detective Nose said well, i talked to Chief Harris and he called and requested a team And they said they would be here, but not before about three o'clock in the afternoon. So he and I agree that we need to go ahead. There's a preliminary evidence of a sexual assault, and the longer she lays out there, the less chance we have of getting DNA. As it is, our luck is good with those of boys founding her as quick as they did. So Chestnut said well, the temperature is going to be around the 70s And he said, yes, so we need to get her out of here. And so he said okay, let's start working on the body.
Speaker 1:Most people think of crime scene investigations as involving a series of visible, well-defined steps, which is true carried out by people who operate like scientists, which is only partially true. Homicide detectives begin with collected evidence and then construct hypotheses and draw conclusions. The process employed by the police to solve crimes is similar to the process employed by scientists to solve problems, but differs in a significant way. Evidence develop, the hypothesis or the about the way things work. Then they collect the evidence that directly bears on the hypothesis. In other words, the evidence gathering process is specifically directed around the hypothesis and the actual evidence gathered is determined by the hypothesis.
Speaker 1:The police face a different situation. A crime about which little or nothing is known is committed and the police have a limited amount of time to collect as much evidence as possible to gain clues about the crime. Since the hypotheses are not formed and follow until after, much of the data collection has already taken place. The police collect everything they can and hope they have what they need as leads or develop and follow. The police don't have the advantage that the armchair critics have of knowing which evidence was important. Many blind leads are often round down and exhausted before something important is discovered.
Speaker 1:Looking for quick results, the public recognizes the work as useful only when it results in a solution to the crime. So Detective Nolz and Chesna both knew that a crime scene is corrupted. The moment somebody invades the space, changing blades of grass, the dirt, even the air, the very act of stunning something changes in an unknown way. Nothing is perfect. Given that, detective Nolz knew that Chesna would do what was needed, his confidence in the trial and truth process employed by the Horry County Police Department was borne out with their 96% success rate and solving homicides in 1991, all above state and national averages. The two men had worked side by side many times and understood each other's work habits without a lot of small talk. But so far Nolz knew, and Chesna was about to find out, that this case was unlike any of the others they have worked.
Speaker 1:Judging from the marks along the dirt road, the victim had apparently struggled with the assailant before she was killed. Drag marks to the ditch approximately 10 feet from the bloodstain indicated that the victim was dragged to the ditch while dying or dead, possibly to forestall discovery. The position of her body in the ditch indicated the victim was thrown or heaved into the fight for deep ravine. There were tire marks in the dirt and sand on the rotted road, possibly including those of the hunters who had discovered the body. The packed soil would probably make tire and footprint identification difficult, if not impossible. The lack of tire prints through the blood and the narrow road indicated the probable stopping point of the assailant. The position of the bloodstain relative to the probable parking spot suggested that the struggle had started in one spot and moved to the murder location. A gold-colored herringbone necklace, probably lost when the victim's throat was slashed, was found next to the bloodstain. A gold-colored herring was found on the ground close to the body.
Speaker 1:The evidence team discussed the possibility of the crime being sex-related. The victim had been found with her belt and blue jeans unfastened and pulled down around her hips. Her shirt was pulled open and torn and, along with her bra, was pulled up, exposing her breasts. The buttons from her shirt were missing. There was a large amount of blood on her face and a gaping 3-4 inch opening across the throat area. The victim's throat had been slashed perhaps more than once. Small black incisive parts were lodged in the fleshy purplish opening. They appeared to be several stab and slashed wounds and the breast and abdomen area. She had a cut on the stomach and a ball of inner body portion protruding from her body. The victim's body appeared to have bloodstained fingerprints on her left side under the arm.
Speaker 1:38 photographs of the body were taken from several angles. The body and crime scene was videotaped. Plaster casts were made of footprints and tire impressions in the road and small envelopes of dirt were placed in plastic bags. Four swabs were taken from the blood in the road and additional swabs were taken from a brick found in the gully along Colling's Jolly Road. Also found were two condom packages and one condom and a black and orange piece of material. Because the crime scene contained signs of a struggle, hair and skin from the assailant possibly remained under the victim's fingernails.
Speaker 1:Mike Hill, the EMS dispatcher who knew Christor Todd, was called upon to make a positive identification of the body. Hill was led past the yellow tape and the gathering crowd to the half-naked figure that was partially covered by leaves. She grimaced when he saw the bloodied and torn corpse. Her hair was matted with sand and blood. Light and blunt stained flesh dispelled any preconceived notions he had about being able to positively identify the body. He covered his face with his hand and fell sick to his stomach.
Speaker 1:Still covering his nose, he looked again. The thought of Christor sitting beside him on his piano stool with her little fingers dancing across the keys suddenly seemed very remote And Hill muffled the words. It looks like a little lamp, but I can't tell for sure. He took one last look and turned away. Sorry, he had looked at all. He couldn't help but admit to himself that it probably was her. But he silently prayed it wasn't Otherwise. His memories of Christor as the bubbly, laughing little girl eager to learn piano so she could help at church would be gone. He would, until his dying day, remember her as the poor, pitiful creature lying awkwardly in the ditch Fearing the worst.
Speaker 1:Hill passed Officer Petty on the way back to his car and choked back his emotions And he said you can probably change your report on that missing girl. Wait, i think she just have been found. Later in the day, the crime scene team removed from the victim's hand a high school ring engraved with the name Christofay Todd Notes, instructed Petty to update the status of the blue-eyed, dark-haired 17-year-old Kangway High School senior Christofay Todd, from missing person to murder victim. Detective Knowles mentally rehearsed what he wanted to say to Bonnie Feitard as he drove to Johnny Perr Bay Road. He dreaded the task.
Speaker 1:When they arrived at the Todd House, detective Nalds, officer Petty and Whitley sat in the police vehicle for a couple of minutes. Bonnie Faye had been alone with the dispatcher when the dispatcher had called, but was soon joined by her nephew, kevin James. The three men took James' arrival as their cue and followed him across the lawn and to the small porch From her window. Bonnie Faye thought that perhaps these men in Sunday suits were bringing her good news about Crystal. She had no idea that one of them was the assistant coroner. She thought they were just policemen. Note what.
Speaker 1:Bonnie Faye threw the doorway as her nephew entered. As he searched her eyes, he watched for some sign of how she was holding her emotions together. The piercing worry was taking its toll on her And she looked rough. Her eyes were red and dry, with deep dark blue circles. She had not slept in many hours and her grey, short-cropped hair was unruly and matted. Her mouth seemed creviced with uncertainty. Her voice was deep and scratchy. She looked like a person who had been dealt a tough hand This tense and took a deep breath And he said I'm sorry to have to bring you this bad news.
Speaker 1:And she interrupted note and she said you have found my Crystal And she's dead, ain't she? Detective Note saw the last glimmer of hope fade as Bonnie Faye listened quietly. He said yes, ma'am, it is my unfortunate responsibility to inform you that your daughter has been found dead. And her lips were trembling. But she talked. She was able to talk and said you better come on in.
Speaker 1:Bonnie Faye offered the men a seat. Two of the officers sat on seat edges while she sat back heavily on the couch. There was a long quiet moment And then she said, crossing her arms on her chest, and she was rocking forward. She said well, if she ain't alive, then I don't want to live neither. And she starts sobbing And her cries slowly accelerated and they became screams. And these screams stunned the officers with their force. Two of the officers stepped outside, leaving only her nephew, kevin James, and Detective Note to assuage this tiny, anguished mother as her mystery filled the living room And for 10 agonizing minutes they sat helplessly offering meager sympathies, feeling increasingly inadequate. When Bonnie Faye's cries finally subsided, detective Note knocked on the front window and the two men re-entered the house.
Speaker 1:Detective Note told the grieving mother what little he knew about Christos death. He hoped Bonnie Faye could provide some of the information they needed so they could get started on finding whoever was responsible for the murder. The windows of opportunity for solving the crime was closing with every minute. And she said Christos attended a party with a friend and then dropped her off at the mall to pick up her car. That was the last time anyone reported seeing her alive. That's all we know. And you told us that. Is there anything else, anything at all, that you can think of? And the mother said well, christos always loved parties And she showed and handed her Christos senior picture to.
Speaker 1:Detective Note Said she loved to talk to her friends on the phone and ride around with them on Friday and Saturday nights. Detective Note knew to let Bonnie Faye talk, so grieving will often vent their feelings by talking. A skilled interviewing can guide the conversation and get answers to questions already anticipated and more information that arises out of unexpected revelations. Note knew he needed to cultivate a good relationship with Bonnie Faye, and so he would prompt her only a few times if he said she needed to be quiet. She was relieved as she continued talking. She said Christos didn't like for boys or girls to be jealous of other friends, because she wanted to have lots of friends. It didn't matter, she loved children and animals, people of old ages. They loved her too, and Detective Note felt sorry for Bonnie Faye and was ashamed that he had no information for her about the killer. So he said well, it sounds as if she was a wonderful person.
Speaker 1:And Note's look at the picture, this girl in the picture. She had a carrot face, dark, curly hair, tan, olive skin, a bright smile. Note reminded himself to give his children an extra hug when he got home that evening. The beautiful, happy teenager in the picture was so unlike the horrible corpse he had seen lying dead in the ditch just an hour earlier. He tried to block out the image of the slain girl and turn his attention back to Bonnie Faye. She described how Christos, as a youngster, could cook her own breakfast, complete with grits and eggs and sausage and coffee. And he listened as the proud mother described how handy Christos was to have around doing the shopping cleaning, always straightening up.
Speaker 1:The officers were shown through the house as Bonnie Faye talked. Pictures of Christos were on almost every wall. In one she was a drooling infant, in another she was a shy, innocent child. In still another she was a vivacious, laughing teenager. Many other mementos and keepsakes were placed neatly around the house. Bonnie Faye would be reminded of Christos no matter what she looked.
Speaker 1:Bonnie Faye gave Nolte's permission to look through Christos room As she sat on the bed. The detectives moved through the small room. Christos obviously was found off clothes. Her closet and clothes chest was stuffed. They were stuffed. The officers found the contents of her undergarment drawer curious and Nolte's exchange of puzzle plans with Petty Panties and bras and lingerie items were fancy and expensive. Most were silkia or satin and trimmed with lace and frills. They appeared through the detectives as the type one could find in a Victoria's Secret catalog, not in a 17 year old dresser drawer. All kinds of teddy bears were on Christos bed, the dresser and the floor. Other items were ordinary and identified as the occupant of the room as feminine and a high school student. And Bonnie Faye said Christos especially liked to go shopping for clothes. She loved blue jeans, makeup, jewelry and she loved perfume and to smell good. She liked to go to parties too. Detective Nolte picked up an examine and unopened pack of gum from Christos top dresser drawer And she said oh yeah, she liked big red. And she said, don't get me wrong, it were an all good times for Christos.
Speaker 1:Her daddy was sick when she was a little obiti thing and she helped take care of him. She watched him die. You know He was so bad I have to take her to the doctor and get something on account of her nerves. She had a sick uncle and got a sick grandma too. She lives next door. Christos hauled him back and forth to the doctor for me. Both of them were crippled up, real bad.
Speaker 1:And then Bonnie's face turned ashen and she started crying and she said seems like, oh, she's ever known was suffering. And taking a deep breath, she wiped her tears with a tissue And she said she liked everything clean. That's why she cleaned this house all the time. She did the cooking and the washing, the mopping. She even cut the grass. It was like she always wanted it. She didn't like for me to smoke, especially in her car And if I did she would clean out the ash tray right time we got home. She ain't done with boys that smoke either. And so officer petty asked what time was your daughter's curfew last night, misty? And she said her regular time was 1230. And I got a good bit worried when she didn't at least call. I knew something had happened when she didn't let me know.
Speaker 1:The officers finished searching the bedroom, sending a site, christos address book, several items of paper, hand drawn maps and loose leaf school notebooks, and detective asked is there anything else you can tell us, mr Todd, above your daughter, that would help us find her killer? And Mrs Todd said nothing. But she used to be the assistant piano player in church, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to know more. I believe some of her friends couldn't make fun of her. I don't know. She didn't like too many black people. She liked to go to the movies and eat out And she didn't like anyone to stare at her when she was busy.
Speaker 1:When she got, when she got honest from me And Boniface was just rambling and knows, knew that the interview was over. Moving again through the small house he stepped to shake Boniface's hand, followed us for the bad news. And then the three men left. Once inside the car, knowles ran his hand through his hair, said you know, i can't wait to see the face to face with the sorry bastard who killed this poor girl. This could have been one of our kids just as easily. And the three men sat quietly for a moment. Boniface watched as the great police car backed out of her yard onto the road And excusing herself to her next few. She then walked back down the hall to Crystal's bedroom, opened the door and stared inside. Although the detectives had thoroughly searched the room, nothing seemed to be out of order or missing, other than the few things she knew that they had taken.
Speaker 1:Sitting on the edge of the bed. She picked up the phone and dialed her niece's home, 30 miles away and nearby Marion, south Carolina. The day before she and Crystal had agreed to write to Marion on Sunday to eat dinner at her niece's When Crystal didn't come home. Boniface had called her niece that morning and cancelled. She had told the detectives just a little while earlier that she had gotten angry with her niece for taking the news of Crystal's absence so lightly. The niece, who knew Crystal well, had insisted everything would turn out alright and that Boniface should have just come to Marion. The niece assured Boniface that when she returned home Crystal would be there safe and sound.
Speaker 1:Boniface sat on Crystal's bed and listened to the phone ring And Boniface answered. She said hello, i called to tell you all, to let you know that the police just left my house and they found Crystal. And the niece asked is she okay? And she said no, she ain't. And she said they found her dead laying in a ditch down in the woods somewhere. And her niece gasped oh no, i'm so sorry, boniface. And she said we'll be right there. Don't you go nowhere? Will you be right over until we get there? She said yes, tina's boy's here, kevin, and he'll stay with me. The niece was feeling so bad She's like Boniface, i can't believe it. We'll be right there, honey.
Speaker 1:So when Bonnie heard the line click, she looked around at the room, at Crystal's things. In holding onto the cord she let the phone slipped out of her hand. Her mind slipped back to the first day she and Crystal had a phone, just a couple of years before. They used to have to go next door to Crystal's grandmother's house to make a call, but Crystal complained that she didn't have any privacy for her conversations with friends. When Boniface's boyfriend said that every teenager needs a phone, she finally relented, called a phone company and had a phone line installed in Crystal's bedroom.
Speaker 1:Bonnie Faye had admitted it would be nice to have a phone so she could reach Crystal at night. She worked the night shift at a VX micro-computer component manufacturing plant in Myrtle Beach, about a 45-minute drive from home. She hated to be so far away but she had to work. And Boniface told her niece I don't know what I'm going to do with her. Crystal had been resistant going next door to her grandmother's and uncle's each night. She said she wants to stay home by herself, but I'm kind of afraid for her to do that. But I guess I ain't got no choice. So she decided to get a phone for Crystal. She made it a surprise, a present, and remember how happy Crystal had been when she saw the phone. Bonnie Faye had never been phone shopping and was intimidated when she saw the large selection. But then she saw it. Bonnie Faye chose a princess phone for her little princess.
Speaker 1:Bonnie Faye slid down off the bed onto the carpet. She grabbed her hair, pulling at it with clenched fists, started to sob. Her wails accelerated from a barely audible murmur to a hearing moan that shook her body. Each time she gasped for air, her hand instinctively grasped the phone, received her and she relentlessly slammed it to the floor over and over again until she finally collapsed face down on the carpet.
Speaker 1:Then, minutes after Crystal's body was positively identified, word of her death spread through the rural community. The tauts small trailer home was soon overrun with family members and well-wishers who spilled into the yard and rode Trucks and cars parked up and down the drainage ditch, slowing traffic and forcing neighbors and late arriving relatives to walk in Cars of the heinous nature of Crystal's death had already leaked out into the community and were fuelled by the little information offered by the police. Just what had happened. No one seemed to know anything, but everyone had heard something. The location of the crime scene had also leaked out and some people jumped right back into the cars and raced off to the Maple community. And calling Julie Road A murder in a small town stands the community.
Speaker 1:The rare event forces each citizen to face the possibility that life might not be so predictable. The close communication network buzzes with talk of who done it. Tom's folk look over their shoulders and lock their doors. Regaining a sense of personal safety and comfort usually doesn't require much more than quick apprehension and harsh punishment of the criminal. Citizens associated with the murder are affected, but the ripples tend not to spread far from the source. But when the murder involves a young person, the fear is intensified and exaggerated. The murder of a child tears at the very social fabric of community life. As each parent faces, at least for a moment, the question what if that had been my child? Restrictions and curfews are put into effect, straining family relations to the breaking point. A heightened sense of suspicion tears away a community life. The murder of a child in a small town came to Conway, south Carolina, on November 16, 1991, only hours had passed since the discovery and the identification of the body when the collective voice of the stunt community started asking why would anyone want to murder such a kind, sweet, fun-loving, innocent person? Why would anyone want to murder Crystal Fade Todd?
Speaker 1:Detective Knowles returned to the crime scene and took a last look at the pull of blood. The surprise was over, he realized, and the feelings of shock had passed And he said I am not going to forget my promise. He took a deep breath. He abandoned his inner focus and opened his senses to the outside world. He saw blue sky and the movement of evergreen branches. A few birds flittered through partially bare branches, dry leaves steered in the hardwoods and rustled, then floated gently to the ground. The breeze on Detective Knowles' cheeks brought an unidentifiable yet familiar blend of wood smells And he thought winter's coming on. How appropriate.
Speaker 1:Carla Allen's father met Knowles at the door and asked to speak with him outside, and he said I guess you are here to see Carla. And he said, mr Allen, we need to speak with your daughter about the death of Crystal Todd. And he said well, we heard about it already. Tell me why you need to speak with Carla. If you would, she's probably torn up right now. Detective Knowles understood his concern and appealed to him as a father. He said look, i have teenage daughters that I would want to protect too, but in this set of circumstances I would want them to speak with the police. As you probably know, carla was the last person that we know of to see Crystal alive. So it's critically important that we find out everything we can as quickly as possible. If it could wait at all, we would, but we just can't. We have to cover as much ground as possible before too much time has elapsed, and I have to tell you that we may need to speak with her more than once. If this thing resolved quickly, then maybe not.
Speaker 1:Detective Knowles looked closely at the concerned father and sense he wasn't convinced. So he appeared to be waiting the benefits of what Carla might know against the possibility of her getting more upset by the ordeal. And Detective Knowles took a calculated risk and said Mr Allen, i know people are already talking about the terrible way Crystal died, but I can tell you that almost nobody really knows anything, and we of course don't want them to. This crime is going to require special attention, the likes of which has never really been seen before around here. I have been a detective for years, but Crystal's murder is the worst I have ever seen.
Speaker 1:Detective Knowles allowed his words to hang for a few minutes and then continued. He said I'm going to show you something, sir, not to shock you, but to convince you that we absolutely have to speak to Carla about this. I apologize in advance and you understand this is done in the strictest of confidence. So he slipped a Polaroid from his shirt pocket and offered it to the father. Mr Allen took the picture and looked at it for a long moment. He lowered his head and he said are you sure that's crystal? And he said yes, sir, there's no mistake. And he said well, i understand. Detective Knowles put the picture back in his pocket, waited while Mr Allen lit up a cigarette, took several deep draws and he said Carla cannot see that. And the detective said no, no, sir, she won't sit, under no circumstances. Say no, sir, you have my word, i'll do my best to protect her through this and every possible way. And he said and I'll be with her at every moment, do you agree? And Detective Knowles said yeah, i agree.
Speaker 1:Carla was in the living room crying on the couch with some of her and Crystal's friends. And Detective Knowles said softly excuse me, carla, i hate to interrupt you all, but I know this is a difficult time. But I'm Detective Knowles of the Horry County Police Department And I need to ask you a few questions about Crystal. Carla looked at her father and he nodded yes. And she said yes, sir, and her voice, she was trembling. And he said if the rest of you could just wait in another room for a few minutes, I would appreciate it. We won't belong. And, one by one. The girls hugged Carla and stood up. When the room cleared, detective Knowles said in a chair facing the couch, carla said beside her father and held his hand And he began I am so sorry, your friend, instead Carla, i can understand why you might be feeling. And Carla was holding a box of tissues in her lap and she said thank you, sir.
Speaker 1:Say, carla, can you help us reconstruct last night so we can try to figure out where Crystal might have gone after you? And she split up. She said well, you know, she came by where I work I work at Belks, at the mall And she said let's go to a party out in the punchboat section at a friend's pawn house. So I said okay. And then Carla went ahead and recounted for the detective the events of the early evening, and so Detective Knowles said okay.
Speaker 1:So you then went to the party at nine o'clock. Do you remember what you talked about on the way there? She said nothing really that I can remember. She said it felt good to have her car back. She wasn't in a pretty good mood, i thought, at least until we got there. She said what happened. Then He said, oh, this boy was there, but he wouldn't talk to her. I told her he was so he was no good, but she, likes Carla, cut her mistake and started sniffling again And she's in a tear, came down her cheek and said um, and she's. And she said I'm sorry, sir, i didn't mean to cry. And she said no, you're doing fine, carla, just take your time. And Carla said well, she liked him a lot. For some reason I never could figure out why Sammy Bird is his name. He was there with another girl and didn't even say hello to crystal. The girl even came and sat on the couch where we were, right beside crystal, but I don't think she knew anything. Christopher certainly didn't say anything to her.
Speaker 1:It was shortly after that that crystal told me she was ready to leave whenever I was. So when I told her a few minutes later I needed to go to get home on time, she jumped out and practically ran out the door, and so he asked what time do you leave the party, carla? And she said I supposed to. I was supposed to be home by 1115. But I was a little late. We left at 11 o'clock and got back to the mall mall to my car at 1113. According, to, crystals clock and then I came home.
Speaker 1:So detective notes asked her. So you say crystal was upset by seeing Sammy And she didn't talk to him or argue with him at the party. She said no, no, nothing. That's why I upset her. She saw him the night before an anor and wrote around with him and a friend of his I don't know who, and she said he was real nice to her. Then I think she went to the party hoping to see him, and so the detective asked was there anyone else there that crystal talked to that she might have wanted to see later? She said nobody that I saw, said she didn't have words or anything with anybody that you know of. And Carla said no, sir, nobody really seemed to pay much attention to to her at all. So we just left And detective notes asked was Sammy still at the party when you left?
Speaker 1:And Carla said yes, sir, he went into the back of the house with his date earlier on And that's the last that we saw of him. Detective Noll asked her do you remember what you talked about on the way home? And she said just the regular. I tried to get her to not be upset over Sammy. I thought she was some better because we left a little. I knew she was sad, though She said did crystal said anything to you about what she was going to do when she left you off? And Carla said no, sir, she usually likes to eat or something like that. She didn't have to be in until 1230. And she just said she was going to look for something to do. I don't think she wanted to be by herself, if I have just. And then her voice trail off in. Detective says that all she said And detective said well, one last question Carla, do you know anybody that crystal hung around with that would do anything like this, like maybe somebody in a gang or cold of some kind?
Speaker 1:And Carla gave the detective a parcel to look and turn to her. That's a no. I don't understand the question. Carla had not been told the details of the murder and believe crystal had been run over by a car and left to die in a ditch. She wouldn't learn how her best friend had died until the visitation at the funeral home. So she said I wish I could help you, but I don't have any idea who would want to kill crystal. She has so many friends And at this moment Carla was unable to hold back her tears any longer And she starts sobbing And she bury her face in her father's shirt. Detective don't stood, thank them, excuse himself. He didn't have much He knew, but it was still very early in the investigation.
Speaker 1:Later detective notes visited Kelly Chestnut of the evidence team And he said Kelly, give me some good news. And Kelly said well, i hope I can. We got some loose hairs, including some dark pubic hairs, looks like, and some clothing fibers. There were not any obvious signs of sexual assault Besides what you saw. But the full autopsy will determine that we completed a rape kid including vaginal, anal and oral swabs and fingernail scrapings from fingers on both hands for forensic analysis in Columbia at Sled's new lab. And he said what's the autopsy? And Kelly said she'll stay in the freezer at the mark tonight and then go to Charleston to the medical university tomorrow morning for the full deal.
Speaker 1:Detective notes knew that that state law mandated an autopsy for any wrongful or even suspicious death And he asked Kelly, are you going down for that? He said, oh, yeah, a couple of us will. And so what about Prince Kelly Were those prints on her that we saw And he said well, there was not enough rich detail, looked like a palm and a couple of partials, but we got nothing. So what about the car? He said no, doesn't look like anything there either. You know, the family went and got it and drove it home before we found her, but it hadn't be wiped down or anything. And notes said well, i guess that about does it for now, kelly, how does it look to you? And Kelly said well, it looks okay, bill, we've got some solid stuff to go on. And then, of course, we hope the forensic analysis will tell the tale. And Detective notes say yeah, i hope it will.
Speaker 1:So Detective notes went, goes back to his office, sat down. So far he thought he had been a hell of a day And it wasn't over yet. And he starts thinking, okay, why have I missed? And he started going over the case from the beginning. And he spent the next hour pouring over his notes, preparing assignments. The homicide task force would meet together for the first time at the crack of dawn. Apparently there were plenty of leads.
Speaker 1:Satisfied with the progress so far, he allowed a nagging thought in the back of his mind to call forward Somewhere out there on the street was a maniac Even if it was a first time experience for the murderer. Going through the actual motions of the kill might have steered something evil deep inside him. Detective notes added books on sexual and fantasy killing to his list of materials to read immediately And he thought maybe it was more than one person to maniacs. This type of crime, he admitted to himself, definitely put him and his colleagues in a new territory. He said well, thank God for sled. Whoever did this was going to remain unknown to the police and the public. For how long, he wondered. Maybe he would just walk in, give himself a fat chance. No, whoever did it was probably either very scared or not worry about it at all. He contemplated the difference and couldn't decide which would be better. This first timer would make errors of judgment and give himself away. The hardened sociopath usually identify himself in other ways, typically through carelessness. The first timer might be panicking and thinking he had made a very big mistake. Naud wrote motive with a big question mark on his list of things to think about, And whoever committed the murder was still out there. The thought of another mutilated teenager sent a shudder through Naud's And he decided that he needed to call his wife because he was going to be a long night.
Speaker 1:Southerners traditionally flock to the home of the bereaved to help ease the family's suffering and facilitate the healing process. This formalized etiquette of condolence allows all those affected by the loss to reconnect with the departed through shared pain and regret, to offer what comfort they can to the family and, in return, to find absolution for the guilt from what they should or could have done. Carla needed nearly an hour after speaking with detective Naud to compose herself enough so that she could visit with her deceased friend's mother. Bound by the loyalty of true friendship, she was determined to speak with Boniface and express her sorrow, and she asked her father on the way to the house what would I say to her? I feel like it was by fault If I have just done something different. Ask her to spend the night something, just anything, but what I did.
Speaker 1:And Carla's father was aching from his daughter's distress and said quietly what she was talking and condemning her behavior of the previous night. And so he looked at her and said Carla, honey, one of the things that we love about you so much is your ability to feel so deeply for your friends and those who you love. But you know you are not any more responsible for her death than you are for the behavior of the one that killed her. And Carla was. You know. I know you're right, daddy, but I just can't believe this is happening.
Speaker 1:And as they approached the thought residence, carla saw vehicles parked on and around the yard. She said oh, daddy, this doesn't feel right. And she was getting anxious because she didn't count on so many people being there. And he said well, what do you want me to do, honey? We can come back another time. She said no, no, no, i want to be with Bonnie Ray. And he said all right, i'm right here with you, honey, i'll pull around the back of the house, let's, let's people will see you go in.
Speaker 1:So Carla got out of the car and she saw Kevin James standing by the shrubs bordering the back of the house And he said you know, you're right, i'm going to be with you The back of the house and say hello. He greeted her and say hi, carla, how's it going? She said hi, kevin, i guess okay, considering the circumstances. And then she saw a person that was kneeling near Bonnie Fay And he said who's that? And he said oh, that's Ken. And then Ken got up and he went and was throwing up in the bushes. He said, yeah, is he sick? He said yeah, some, some lady gave him some punch that make him sick, it looks like. And he said but don't worry about him, ken's a big boy, he can take care of himself.
Speaker 1:And so Carla and Kevin expressed her heartfelt sentiments for the lost friend and cousin, and they were among the last people to see Crystal alive and felt an unaccountable responsibility for the events surrounding her death. Kevin was heartbroken about not contacted Crystal as he had planned and prayed for forgiveness for his sin of omission. Carla was heart sick for not altering the course of Crystal's last movements and pray for forgiveness for his sin of commission. So both understood, though, that their anguish was but a shadow of the misery Crystal's mother had to withstand, and they agree it was time to visit Bonnie Fay.
Speaker 1:With Kevin close on her heels, carla moved past the people blocking the doorway, walked into a thick clout of cigarette smoke, being pushed around the room by an overhead fan, rubbing her eyes. She worked her way through the living room and into the kitchen, where small card tables have been set up to hold the overflow of from a kitchen table covered with castles, various meats and breads and assortment of pies and desserts, pictures of sweet tea, liter bottles of soda, four quart of black coffee. And Kevin said well, there's enough here to feed an army. And Carla nodded. And any other time he said, and any other time I would make a dent in it myself. He said yeah, I know exactly how you feel. So Kevin and Carla remained positioned by the kitchen door. They talked for more than an hour to each other, classmates, friends.
Speaker 1:Bonnie Fay had taken sanction in Crystal's room and people walked back to pay their respects and share in her affliction. Carla so surely. And kin came register as the mother and daughter filed through the front door and moved toward the kitchen. And although Carla didn't know Ken's mother, well, she had seen her several times at ball games and school functions. So she, she agreed her, she said hello, mrs Registrar. And she said oh, yes, hello. So about the, these casserole dishes, would you mind sitting these on the table for me? And so she gave Carla the casseroles and then she hugged Kevin And then she said Kevin said well, thank you, we appreciate you coming over. And Kevin took Carla's arm and pulled her closer for introduction. So we'll close. You know, this lady and I. I practically lived over at their house for a while, when my family was going through some rough times, and Shirley said well, what do you mean? Practically, you did live over at my house And Kevin said yeah, i know you were like a second mom to me. I don't know what I will have done without you.
Speaker 1:And Shirley went to Crystal's room and she found Bonnie Fay. She was with two teenagers and she was talking on the phone And two of the teens were Ken, her son, sitting on the floor adjacent to the bed next to Bonnie Ray, bonnie Fay and Ken's girlfriend. And Bonnie Fay waived everybody to be quiet And she asked into the phone now which one of the brothers are you? She was talking to the Allen brothers, the ones that discovered Crystal's body, and she said and when was it you found her? Because she wanted, you know, she was desperate for information about her daughter And she was repeating out loud, word for word, everything the Allen brothers told her, so that everybody could hear what they were saying. And she said young guns. He said she says she was butchered like a hog. And Shirley motioned to Ken that she was leaving. He didn't want to hear that and Kevin immediately excused himself and follow And Ken watched his mother and sister get in the car and drive away And several friends, including Kevin, came out of the house and they said hey, ken, we're going to ride over to Collins Jolly Road where they found Crystal this morning.
Speaker 1:Do you want to go with us? And Ken hesitated. He said no, i don't think so You'll go ahead. And Kevin said how come you don't want to? And he said I just don't think I can handle it. Thank you for listening to the murder book. Have a great week.
