Illustrations from Secrets of the Congdon Mansion
Prosecutor John DeSanto’s Theory
Marjorie and Roger Caldwell work out a notarized agreement that she will give him $2.5 million of her inheritance. In exchange, he will murder Elisabeth Congdon. A drunk Roger flies to Minneapolis then takes a bus to Duluth. He uses a rock to create the appearance of a break-in in the billiard room but actually uses his wife’s key to enter Glensheen.
He is surprised on the main stairs by night nurse Velma Pietila. She attempts to fight Roger, but he finds a candlestick holder and beats her, breaking her jaw and fracturing her skull. Pietila strikes out at him with her shoe, cutting him on the lip and finger, but she ultimately dies of her wounds on the staircase.
Roger walks upstairs to Elisabeth’s bedroom and holds a pillow over his mother-in-law’s face until she’s dead. He washes up in the bathroom, changes his clothes, finds a wicker basket and fills it with jewelry. He also takes a Byzantine-era gold coin from a memorabilia case as well as a ring and gold watch from the dead heiress’s body.
Roger takes Pietila’s white and tan Ford Granada, but before leaving town, he drops the stolen coin into a hotel envelope and mails it to himself in Colorado to signal to Marjorie that the deed is done. He drives to the Minneapolis airport, where he buys a suede suit bag to hold the wicker case, then flies back to Colorado. When the Caldwells return to Minnesota for Elisabeth’s funeral, they stupidly bring with them the stolen jewelry, the wicker case and the suede suit bag, which are discovered in their Bloomington hotel room by the Duluth police.
Defense Attorney Doug Thomson’s Theory
Marjorie and her two eldest sons, Peter and Stephen, conspire to murder Elisabeth while framing Roger. Using their mother’s key to enter Glensheen, the sons carry out the murders and burglary in the manner laid out by the prosecution. Before they leave town, they drop the stolen coin into a hotel envelope and mail it to their stepfather in Colorado as part of the frame-up. They drive Velma Pietila’s car to the Minneapolis airport to create the impression that the murderer is from out of town. When their mother arrives for the funeral, the sons furnish her with the stolen jewelry, wicker case and suede suit bag. Marjorie plants the evidence in her Bloomington hotel room to be discovered by the Duluth police.
Defense Attorney Ron Meshbesher’s Theory
Tom Congdon, an heir to the family fortune, conspires with Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Bob Harmon and shady private investigator William Furman to murder Elisabeth while framing Marjorie and Roger. Using Tom’s key to enter Glensheen, Harmon and Furman carry out the murders and burglary in the manner laid out by the prosecution.
Before they leave town, they drop the stolen coin into a hotel envelope and mail it to Roger in Colorado as part of the frame-up. They drive Velma Pietila’s car to the Minneapolis airport to create the impression that the murderer is from out of town. When the Caldwells arrive for the funeral, Furman surreptitiously plants the stolen jewelry, wicker case and suede suit bag in the Caldwells’ Bloomington hotel room to be discovered by the Duluth police.
