Police picked up a docile McCowen at his rooming house, lying on the bed, watching cartoons; marijuana and an open bottle of prescription pain killers were on the table nearby. Though he was linked to the remains of four women, Tony Costa was thought to have killed up to eight victims total. He got up close and personal, and the horror didn't end with the victim's death. "Muldavin has introduced programs dealing with homosexuality, the erosion of culture and his belief that killing has become a habit," the article reads. "Trooper Mawn slammed his hand down on the table and said, 'This is a murder investigation. The state police, Department of Corrections, and district attorneys are distributing playing cards featuring the victims in unsolved homicides and missing-persons cases. Williams says. The victim? In December: Boston man charged with murder in Hyannis shooting. The results were disappointing to police, because the DNA from Christa didn't match Tim Arnold or Tony Jackett, or any other suspect the police had. And his DNA doesn't show up anywhere at the crime scene. ET. In the wake of every murder, clues appear. Despite an earlier diagnosis as a "schizoid personality," the jury apparently believed Costa knew exactly what he was doing, and he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his crimes, making further trials unnecessary. As with many recent identifications, the breakthrough was finally achieved through genetic genealogy, the process by which investigators use publicly available DNA profiles from genealogy kits to trace down living relatives. As reported by Murderpedia, Costa wrote a "factual novel" while serving his life sentence in prison. Now, it's revered. Despite new concerns raised by the feds around a proposed machine gun training range at Joint Base Cape Cod, the National Guard says the location remains best suited for the facility. Between 1966 and 1969, Tony Costa killed as many as eight women in separate incidents in different locations. So he blames the worst part of it on someone else," O'Keefe says. Authorities identified the victim as Ruth. Police widened their circle. With the police? George's witness, forensic psychologist Eric Brown, claims that with an IQ of about 76, Christopher McCowen simply couldn't understand the police's questions. Then he would transport the remains to the unofficial garden he tended in the woods for a quick burial. I saw Christa two weeks before she was murdered, roughly. Investigators guessed she was between 25 and 40 years old, but they had little else besides her physical description to go off of. This fight is not for the few, it is for the many, Tangela Clark, Tamaras mother, told The Republican. Terry is seen here as a teenager. Uncovered is the nation's largest database of information powered by you. The cause of death was determined at the time to be a blow to the head and is estimated to have occurred several weeks prior. But the judge ruled against McCowan, upholding his conviction. The womans identity remains unknown to this day and many have speculated over the years as to who the woman was. And by the time of the murder, the Jacketts claim, it was more or less working. Costa bought the girls ice cream, gave them rides in his truck, and even gave them a tour of his "secret garden" where he grew cannabisand eventually buried his mutilated, dismembered victims. Again, when questioned, Costa told police that Perry had run away to Mexico. "They did exactly the same thing to them that they did to McCowen, except they were smart enough and they had the wherewithal and the background to know when to say stop, cut it out, I'm not doing this anymore, I want a lawyer," George says. Officials hope the cards inspire someone with information to come forward. As reported by The Lineup, Vonnegut and Costa corresponded several times after Costa's arrest. Filmmaker, writer, and artist John Waters, who has been summering in Provincetown, Massachusetts for decades, writes about Costas string of murders in his 2019 book, Mr. Know-It-All. The Massachusetts Army National Guard has proposed building the new 138-acre gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod. The district attorney believes McCowen was alone and didn't have a prior relationship with Christa. Sign up forThe Lineup's newsletter, and get our most terrifying investigations delivered straight to your inbox. Darrel Jenkins, Jr. The same conclusion was reached by famed true crime writer Ann Rule, who wrote about the Muldavin case in her 2007 book Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder. Rule, unknowingly, was the first to report on Muldavins marriage to Terry, noting the man had married a woman named Teri in Washoe County, Nevada before slipping out of the public eye. There were fibers, hairs and DNA that never made it to a lab, and a crime scene contaminated by careless EMTs. Once the police learned that the "garden" had been created by Costa, they had the connection they needed. In January of 1969, a resident tipped local police off to an abandoned Volkswagen parked on a dirt road in Truro, Massachusetts. The FBI's Oct. 31 announcement of Terry's identity brought the long-unsolved murder case to a sharp focus on Terry's husband, Guy Rockwell Muldavin, now dead, whose history of evading a double murder charge in 1960 makes him a prime suspect. "I don't think that she ever entertained the idea that this was going to develop into a long term relationship, that they were going to get married or anything like that. The year before the gruesome Cape Cod murder, a female bank robber named Rory Gene Kesinger escaped from the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. The disarray continued inside. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. And the baby was very enchanting," says Susan Jackett. Now, it's revered. "Now, I'm just still in a lot of disbelief about what's happened. Little Ava, his daughter with Christa, was sent to live with a friend, Amira Chase, whom Christa had named as a guardian in her will. The State Police Unresolved Cases Unit headed the project, according to a press release from the agency. As for the statement, Trooper Christopher Mason tells the court that although McCowen didn't actually confess, he did admit to police that he beat Christa and watched her die. This is due, in part, to its technical definition: While we might think of "serial killers" as having dozens and dozens of victims, Britannica tells us all you need is two. The New York Post reports that author Liz Rodman lived in Provincetown. She was found dead on August 22 in a barn in Kennebunk with a rope around her neck. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A man is found dead on a beach, his identity unknown. Couldn't believe they'd come up with a match.". "Chris McCowan could have reasonably had a consensual sexual relationship with Christa Worthington and anybody who doesn't believe it is someone who just can't accept it," George told jurors. The agencies believe Muldavin and Terry married in February 1974, and both went by a number of other names including Raoul Guy Rockwell, Guy Muldavin Rockwell, Teri Marie Vizina, Terry M. Vizina and Teri Shannon. They shouldn't bother. He also dabbled in a little babysitting. The New York Daily News reported he had three wives and many sweethearts by 1960 and was known around Greenwich Village for his nightly soirees with beatniks, art lovers, celebrities and celebrity hunters, all bound by Muldavins magnetism and offbeat philosophy.. And McCowen's attorney, Bob George, thought it was sufficient grounds for a retrial. "How would you want to tell her about the past?" More Local Journalism to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 4/30/23, Maureen Boyle, author of Shallow Graves a book about the investigation into the New Bedford highway killer, told CBS. Related: Israel Keyes: The Vile and 'Meticulous' American Serial Killer Who Stumped the FBI. I don't' know.". As well, Molly's case was one of many unsolved murders that were recently reviewed by the Massachusetts State . It's a nightmare after nightmare. Now, Costas garden of horrors is said to be overgrown. Tips can also be emailed to tips.fbi.gov or MSPtips@pol.state.ma.us. And if we so chose we will turn your life inside out,'" Amato testified. Based on newspaper reports from 1960 and 1961, it appears homicide charges were not filed against him. After his arrest, Costa tried to turn his drug habit into an asset by implying that his drug use was to blame for the violent murders he'd committed, and often claimed his drug use had clouded his memory so he couldn't remember any of his actions. And he was clever enough, the state argues, to concoct a story blaming someone else, his friend Jeremy Frazier, who appeared uncomfortable the moment he took the stand. Karina Holmer laughed with friends outside a nightclub in Downtown Boston, marking the last time the 20-year-old Swedish au pair would be seen alive. In the prosecution's scenario, McCowen was drinking heavily that night. His theory catapulted the case back into the spotlight, turning the Lady of the Dunes into one of true crimes best-known unsolved cases. The author lived in the same town, less than a mile from the crime scene. More than 25 years after the teenagers savage killing, the Boston Police Department continues to seek leads in the decades-old, unsolved slaying. Tweet. Since Terry was found brutally murdered in the dunes of Provincetown, generations of investigators professional and amateur have taken up her case. Over 44 years later, Stephen King's son, writer Joe Hill, believes he's solved the case. In an interview with MassLive, Marchionis daughter Jennifer Case said her mother was airlifted to UMass Medical Center where she died two hours later. Shocked EMTs carelessly grabbed a blanket from the house to cover Christa's body. It was surprise he didn't share with his wife of 26 years, even when Christa gave birth to a daughter, Ava, in May 1999. The best potential lead to the murderer's identity was DNA found on Christa's body. The attorney says his client was putty in the hands of police. An obituary for Guy Rockwell Muldavin that ran in The Californian in March 2002. "She was mysterious, enigmatic, somewhat of a loner.". According to author Robin Smith-Johnson, Costa was held in jail for 14 months before finally being brought to trial, with charges involving only the two of his victims who had initially been positively identified: Mary Ann Wysocki and Patricia Walsh. Murder Decoded tells forensics-driven stories of committed investigators deciphering which clues mean nothing and which ones will put a killer behind bars and bring justice to victims' loved ones. But she stayed back at the house with her daughter, who was having a friend over. But the name that really stuck was most horrifying of all: "The Cape Cod Vampire.". According to him, investigators first zeroed in on her immediate circle, especially past boyfriends. I have never meant for this to ever take place," he said. When the story of the Cape Cod Vampire murders exploded in 1969, it dominated everyone's attentionincluding famed novelist Kurt Vonnegut. "I felt there was reasonable doubt all over the place," he tells Spencer. "We were just like electrified. Radlauer says her relationship with Arnold, at times contentious, apparently was over. (Jeanette DeForge/Republican staff). Months passed with no word on the DNA taken from Christa's body. Days went by and the clock ticked on without a verdict. Terrys DNA was compared to other samples, creating a family tree that grew narrower and narrower until a close relative was found last week. Related: Weepy Voiced Killer: The Serial Murder Spree of Paul Michael Stephani. 13. Costa also used the site to bury a stash of drugs he'd stolen from a doctor's office a few years earlier, and frequently brought women there to take drugs. Arnold's story was that he had simply dropped by the house at 4:30 that afternoon to return a flashlight and instead got the shock of his life. But then, on April 7, investigators caught a stunning break, when the crime lab had a hit -- a match for DNA found outside and inside Christa's body. Bish, who lived in Warren, was abducted on June 27, 2000, from Comins Pond, where she was working as a lifeguard. Two days after a new juror was seated, the logjam was broken and the jury rendered its verdict. In May of 1970, Costa was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Mary Ann Wysocki and Patricia Walsh. Walsh and Monzon had been shot in the head, but Costa had then dismembered them and cut them up badly with a knife. A lot of people had no idea who McCowen was. "If you had the same body of evidence and Johnny Whitebread was home for the holidays from college and was from an affluent family on the Cape and he was not black, the same body of evidence, he wouldn't have been charged," George argues. As correspondent Susan Spencer reports, almost everyone in the town became a suspect, when police decided to take a look at the entire male population. Officials hope the cards inspire someone with information to come forward. Her mother often hired Tony Costa to watch her daughters, and Rodman carried fond memories of her "favorite" babysitter. And for most Cape Codders, that's good enough," he says. Sources report that Costa was asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, and his reply was, keep digging.. Firefighters from Truro and neighboring towns responded to a . Christopher McCowen never testifies, betting that his attorney has created enough doubt to set him free. Tony Costa was convicted of murdering two young women in Provincetown, Massachusetts and sentenced to life in prison. According to Boston.com, when it was explicitly stated that the bodies had teeth marks on them implying that the murderer had bitten the victims the media almost immediately came up with the vampire nickname, and it stuck. Another one time suspect, Keith Amato, described a similar experience. He's a little suspicious about what really happened to get that juror removed. Unsolved Crimes Taking French Leave: Jailbreak in Cape Cod By crimecapsule 1912 Harold Tracy claimed he was 'a public scapegoat' at a hearing for sentence reduction on the jailbreak charge. According to Murderpedia, the body parts displayed bite marks and other post-mortem violations. But Bob George wants the jury to believe Frazier could have. Police bungled that investigation, he charges, from the moment they arrived at the crime scene. But he doesn't want to bring himself to admit that he killed her. Teenage runaways were a common occurrence, so the claims were plausible. Jean Bones-Colon. With pressure mounting, District Attorney O'Keefe took an unprecedented step, asking for DNA from single every man in Truro. This method would use genealogy in order to generate new leads in cold cases. All rights reserved (About Us). Vonnegut thought that Costa seemed to sincerely believe in his own innocence. Long before O.J. But he still claims he had nothing to do with Christa Worthington's death. One of the most remarkable aspects of Tony Costa's serial killer career was how he evaded suspicion for so long despite being pretty obviously linked to the victims. The unidentified woman found naked with a broken skull near Provincetowns Race Point Beach in 1974 became known as the Lady of the Dunes.. Tony Costa was a product of the 1960s counterculture, so the fact that he was an enthusiastic amateur cannabis farmer isn't too surprising. No arrests have been made in connection with the killing. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. The show will run through May 11. The proximity of the murder, along with the fact that she was a single mother, like the victim, lead Flook to identify with her on both levels and to conduct a "literary investigation" into the case. In October 2020, authorities reportedly exhumed a body from a Hampden County grave in connection with the more than 27-year-old unsolved homicide. The most surprising thing about serial killers is just how many of them there have been. Here are some of the states remaining unsolved homicides. Christa was dead, lying in a hallway off the kitchen. "Last night at approximately 7:15 p.m. detectives from the Massachusetts State Police arrested Christopher A. McCowen for the 2002 murder of Christa A. Worthington," the D.A. Incredibly, he'd been right under their noses from the start. It seems so unreal.". Gregarious, smart, ah, you know, really a pleasant fellow, you know, who likes the ladies, the ladies you know!" One twin murdered, the other abducted, and the lead detective is missing while on the killer's trail. What is your emergency? A true crime series on a Cape Cod serial killer is in development with Robert Downey Jr. and Casey Sherman "Helltown" tells the story of two legendary American authors and their obsession. According to Murderpedia, on May 12, 1974, a corrections officer found Costa hanging from a leather belt in his cell, dead. O'Keefe argues, saying Frazier had nothing to do with the murder. Searches by SFGATE in newspaper archives discovered more details about Muldavin, who was born on Oct. 27, 1923 in New Mexico and died in Salinas, Calif., in 2002. She was dubbed the Lady of the Dunes and, as years turned to decades, she became Massachusetts oldest unidentified murder victim. As far as horrifying unsolved crimes go on Cape Cod there are few the make one's skin crawl more than that of the 'Lady In the Dunes.' On July 26, 1974 the mutilated, decomposing body on an unidentified woman was discovered in the dunes near an access road along the Dunes' Edge Campground in Provincetown. During a 2015 viewing of Jaws, which was filmed around Martha's Vineyardaround the time of Terrys murder, Hill noticed an extra who looked similar to the description of the Lady of the Dunes. "Ava won't have her. "He deserves every bit of reasonable doubt if it's there," another said. When Terry was 20, she married Korean War veteran Billy Ray Smith, and it seems Terry left Tennessee for good sometime after the wedding. Its not clear if Terry and Smith had children, but FBI Special Agent Joe Bonavolonta referred to Terry as a wife and mother in a Monday press conference. During his trial, Costa's attorney attempted to use an insanity defense, claiming that Costa's heavy drug use was responsible for his violent behavior. "Chris wants to explain, Chris regrets . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. During closing arguments, he said, "It's based on an assumption -- a false assumption -- that a Vassar-educated, 46-year-old world-traveling wealthy heiress could not possibly have had consensual sex with a black, uneducated, troubled, garbage man.". A Cape Cod home was destroyed in a powerful explosion that caused a massive fire and left behind an expansive debris field. But it was his final group of victims that made him famousand earned him the nickname "The Cape Cod Vampire.". Another theory for why Costa's fellow criminals would go to the trouble of murdering him could be the bizarre "factual novel" he wrote detailing his version of how the crimes were committed, which may have offended the other prisoners. Courtesy of the Martha's Vineyard Museum. "We're still taking DNA from people, dozens of people. Four of the unsolved homicide cases featured in the deck are murders that happened on the Cape: one in Sandwich, one in Cotuit, and two in Mashpee. There are so many unsolved cases in the city of Springfield. We all have to get involved to solve this gun violence in this city and in this state.. Murderpedia states that the remains bore human teeth marks, and the coroner saw signs indicating possible necrophilia. A month later, the police found a head and torso of Mary Anne Wysocki and the bodies of Patricia Walsh and Sydney Monzon. An especially easy target, he says, because Christopher McCowen literally wasn't smart enough to defend himself. I'm like, all of a sudden I realize I'm, uh, in deep s---!". Although the grisly murder scene was huge news in Cape Cod, no one came forward with the womans identity. When detectives took him in for questioning, McCowen waived his right to a lawyer. "I could tell that there was an attraction. She was by turns bright, talented and ambitious, and then a homebody who wanted nothing more than to spend time with her child," he says. "I feel fortunate and blessed that I was born and raised here.". In the 1980s, Unsolved Mysteries was a big television hit. "It's a real challenge being out on the water, you knowmentally and physicallyreally. Perry had a three-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and he and his wife Laura had a baby on the way, the paper reported. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Murder Decoded: With Michael David Yuhl, Daniel Lukes, Albert L. Taylor, Bonnie Kourvelas. She was born in 1936 in rural Marion County, Tennessee to Johnny Terry and Eva Lois Keener. Simpson tried to cash in on his horrific alleged crimes with "If I Did It," Tony Costa, a.k.a. : Key players in the Christa Worthington murder case 20 years later. The woman was shot in the temple and had died anywhere from three months to a year before her discovery, the medical examiner said. Though three appeals have been denied, he now has a new legal team, and they have filed another motion for a new trial. In the wintertime, Cape Cod can feel like the end of the world and it's the only world 56-year-old fishing warden Tony Jackett ever really has known. In 2012, George was convicted of money laundering in an unrelated case and served three years in prison. As correspondent Susan Spencer. George argued in court. Ava became the center of Christa's universe, says Linda Schlecter, who babysat a few times a week. In fact, Costa was soon the biggest dealer in Provincetown, Massachusettsand the only one who worked year-round. Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good? "All I can say is I'm an innocent man" he tells the court at his sentencing. No one has ever been charged in connection with any of the deaths. During the winter of 2002, the quiet Cape Cod community of Truro was rocked, when a former New York City fashion writer was found murdered inside her home. Quarantine. The three of them had a relationship of sorts, with Ava at its center. Eric Williams, who has covered the case from day one, says while replacing the juror confused things, in the end he's confident in the jury's decision. In our Crime . Officials hope the cards could inspire someone with information to come forward. He then called 911: Operator: 911, this call is recorded. The seven of clubs card highlightsthe case of an unidentified Black man whosebody was found at Town Neck Beach in Sandwich on June 4, 2014. Mixing the counterculture of the 1960s, drug culture, and a handsome, charismatic young man, it's a story that lends itself to myth-making. "I think about it a lotI think about it just about every day," he acknowledges. (FBI via AP) Officials used investigative genealogy to identify a woman whose mutilated body was found on the Cape Cod National Seashore nearly 50 years ago, solving the mystery of the "Lady of. Is it her and could it help lead to her identity? Christopher McCowen reacts as the jury's verdict is read in court finding him guilty of the 2002 rape and murder of fashion writer Christa Worthington in Barnstable, Mass., on Nov. 16, 2006. And it was a little uncomfortable the first time. An entire American colony disappears completely, with only mysterious tree carvings as evidence. One local cop was quoted as saying "The press is bad, but the tourists are even worse.". While Tim Arnold may have been at the top of the suspect list, early on, Ava's father, Tony Jackett, wasn't far behind. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. And that, according to reporter Eric Williams, is pretty much how everybody in the town of Truro saw him. A month later, the remains of Walsh and Wysocki were found buried in the woods outside Truro. In the late 1960s, when most young men were either worrying about the draft, experimenting with growing their hair long, or discovering their love for Eric Clapton, a Massachusetts resident named Antone Charles Costa was butchering young women and dumping their bodies in shallow graves on and around a seemingly innocuous patch of land in Truro, Massachusetts. The decks will be given out to state prison inmates, who state police hope will have information about some of the cases and be willing to come forward. According to Christa's friends, Jackett had little time for the baby at first and eventually, Christa demanded that he at least pay child support. He began serving his sentence at the Massachusetts Correctional InstitutionCedar Junction (formerly known as MCI-Walpole) in 1970. The EPA launched a review of the project in August 2021. ", But reporter Eric Williams has an opinion on this move. Her remains were exhumed multiple times in the hopes of making DNA matches to living relatives. In his letters, Costa protested his virtue and tried to convince the author that he was incapable of harming anyone. But The Lineup notes that Costa was only arraigned on three counts of murder. "The complication was that she was not married and didn't have a boyfriend.". I thought she was a nice person. Yes! The State Police Unresolved Cases Unit headed the project, according to a press release from the agency. But Steve Radlauer, who dated Christa for two years in New York, says she never felt part of the glamorous world she covered. His vehement denial coupled with a lack of forensic evidence, according to Rams' lawyer, resulted in his. In 1974 a still-unidentified body was discovered in the dunes of Cape Cod. Officials say a man's torso was dumped in the dunes and his identity is still unknown. Provincetown, at the far tip of Cape Cod, would seem a perfect place to spend a summer day. A medical examiner determined that the body belonged to a young woman, around 19 to 27 years old, who was approximately 5 feet, 4 inches tall and had dirty blond hair. The death was officially ruled a suicide, but as The New York Post notes many people question that conclusion and speculate that Costa was murdered by his fellow inmates. Which makes Antone Charles Costa, usually known as Tony, ahead of his time: He killed at least two and probably eight women between 1966 and 1969. Help us speak for these souls, who can no longer speak for themselves, said Col.Christopher Mason of the Massachusetts State Police, in a video that shows each of the playing cards. And that's the defense's explanation for the damning DNA evidence: that Christa Worthington voluntarily had sex with McCowan, probably that Thursday, his day for picking up the trash, and that later, someone else came along and killed her.
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