Elisabeth was found suffocated with a satin pillow and Velma had been beaten to death with a candlestick. Her regrets would be of a different, more vexing nature. Marjorie Congdons sudden magnetic appeal to men is remarkable in light of the fact that she was in no way conventionally attractive. murder The next day the house caught fire. If they want something from you, they will stop at nothing to get it. Glensheen Mansion Adding to the fascination: the scene of the crime, the historic Glensheen mansion, is open for public tours. In 1883 at the age of thirty he started his own practice and traveled to Duluth on the shores of Lake Superior where he became interested in mining. Avoid being drawn in. When Marjorie was three, Elisabeth adopted a second daughter who she named Jennifer. A second daughter, Jennifer Susan Congdon (1935-2017)[5], was adopted in 1935. Partially paralyzed by a stroke for more than a decade, eighty-three-year-old Elisabeth Congdon required around the clock care. [3] Rather than risk an acquittal at retrial, the prosecution offered him a plea deal, a confession, guilty plea to second-degree murder and time served (he had served five years of a twenty-year sentence). She took her pulse. But it didnt stop there. Someone remembered that Marjorie had fed her some homemade orange marmalade. Gary Waller died Tuesday at age 72, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.. Waller served 21 years with the Duluth Police Department, during which time he investigated the brutal 1977 killings of 83-year-old Elizabeth Congdon and her night Yet a trail of evidence began to emerge. Glensheen Mansion There wouldnt be any big money oreven a book deal if she wasnt more forthcomingabout her role in the murders. She was divorced after twenty years of marriage. The killers cemetery vigil ended that night when Elisabeth Congdon, one of Minnesotas wealthiest women, drifted off to sleep and the night nurse turned off the lights. They worried that if they lost and Roger walked free the citys biggest murder case would remain unsolved. Glensheen Two years later, the town experienced a rash of forty-three fires, at least fifteen of which were attributed to arson. Overnight, Congdon became a very wealthy man. He was obese, alcoholic and on welfare. In the bedroom upstairs, he held a pillow over Elisabeths face; partially paralyzed, she was unable to fight back. Jurors later saw him walking by himself in the parking lot. Around 2 a.m., he stumbled onward. Glensheen Mansion Minnesotas Infamous Glensheen Murders Its one of Americas great houses. She wasjailed for eight months, unable to make bail. Glensheen Historic Estate In an act brazen for the time, Elisabeth traveled to New York City on a summer day in 1932 and adopted a child. After the murders, someone stole Velma Pietilas car and left it at the airport, suggesting the killer had fled the city. It was finished 3 years later. [4], At the time of her death, Elisabeth needed round-the-clock care after having a stroke. Some psychopaths are highly successful, exercising wealth and power, but no less dangerous for all that. 3.81 894 ratings137 reviews Will to The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings Genres True Crime Nonfiction History Book Club 352 pages, Paperback First published January 1, 2003 Book details & editions About the author Gail Feichtinger 3 books1 follower Friends 221 (24%) Can't find what you're looking for? At Marjories sentencing, she asked the judge for one more day of freedom to take care of Wally. And it had been postmarked in Duluth the day of the murders. They dazzle and captivate. Employing a cardboard mockup of the window, Rogersattorney had a testifying police officer reach through as if to unlatch a lock on the other side. They are friendly and engaging. I was one of nine people at his funeral. They turned him down flat. As investigators began looking into her inner circle And in a theatrical ploy, the defense demonstrated that Rogers arm wouldnt have fit through the shards of glass inthe broken basement window that the killer used for entry. Back at home, her third husband, Walter Hagen, was delighted at her return. WebThe Glensheen murders describe the murders of Elisabeth Mannering Congdon and her night nurse Velma Pietila on June 27, 1977 in Duluth, Minnesota, USA, at the Glensheen Historic Estate. murder Another major difference in the trials? Afterward, Marjorie moved to Colorado for a fresh start in the mountains. He was later released from prison, and in 1988 he committed suicide. His mission: break into the 39-room mansion and solve his massive financial problems. But I was wrong. He passed the bar and took a job as a high school principal in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. The Murders at Glensheen Mansion WebOn the night of June 26, 1977, Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse, Velma Pietila, were murdered by an intruder. The marriage lasted twenty years and cost Dick LeRoy an estimated $1 million in debt and liabilities. She bounced checks, trusting her mother would eventually pay the bills. One of Duluth's most famous murders was 45 years ago this week The Murders at Glensheen Mansion [3] She had been confined to a wheelchair and she was paralyzed on one side. Marjorie Caldwell's adopted sister, Jennifer Congdon Johnson, who died in 2017, told Kimball that she believed Marjorie was directly involved. Chester Adgate Congdon was a go-getter. murder Elisabeth never married, and adopted two infants. Roger later claimed he didnt realize it when they met, but Marjorie wasnt your typical Minnesota transplant. One night, the neighbor, a border-patrol officer, heard a fuss at his window and found a kerosene-soaked rag on the sill. [3] Years later, he had it DNA tested and it was a 99% match for Roger Caldwell. Police arrived and searched the grounds. Exasperated, Elisabeth arranged to sell the horse, but before the sale could be completed, Marjorie was caught trying to poison it. Marjorie used her inheritance to acquit her of the murder of the person who controlled her inheritance. (function(d, s, id) { True Crime. Her ability to coerce him in this way hinted at deeper implications. The child shed adopted was olive skinned with straight, black hair and was so nearsighted she had to wear thick glasses. Furthermore there was the envelope, addressed to Mr. Roger Caldwell, in what appeared to be his own handwriting, found in the Caldwells Colorado mailbox (it arrived after theyd left for the funeral). Roger Caldwell was identified by a Duluth cab driver who remembered taking him out to Glensheen on the night of the murders. In the 1930s, she adopted two infants and raised them in the grandeur of Glensheen. And he insisted there was no getaway scheme: I didnt have any plan, he said in the confession. In addition to the new evidence from Marjories trial, witnesses had died. Marjorie's children filed a civil suit against her inheritance, arguing she was involved in the murder. [3]. She pleaded guilty to fraud and removing monies from the bank account of Roger Sammis, who prior to his death had been under her care. A neighbor said she was giving him pills to sleep. Covered with the nurses blood, he washed his hands andface in the small bathroom across the hall, leaving a bloody residue but no fingerprints. They are cold-hearted, deceitful, manipulative, and cruel. Eighty-nine-year-old Marjorie Congdon has been called both a sociopath and a psychopath. He committed suicide[1] on May 18, 1988. It was finished 3 years later. On June 27, 1977, Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse Velma Pietila murdered inside the Glensheen Mansion. She went up to the prone figure. At a family gathering a few years earlier, Elisabeth had become quite ill. Upon questioning, Marjorie told police the baubles belonged to her and that she and her mother owned many identical items. Glensheen Someone broke into the 39-room Duluth home, killed Elizabeth Congdon's night nurse with a candlestick on the grand staircase, and then smothered the 83-year-old heiress in her bed with a satin pillow, the Duluth News Tribune says. To them, a psychopath is a person like Norman Bates in the classic 1960 Hitchcock thriller Psycho, a deranged maniac with little control over his mental state, a twisted monster made that way by abuse and trauma. Upon her release from prison, she was arrested for arson again, receiving a fifteen year sentence. She was convicted of the attempted arson and would later plead no-contest to other arson charges. [4], On June 27, 1977, at 7:00am, Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse Velma Pietila (born April 26, 1911)[citation needed] were found murdered. If Roger would confess, theyd offer him a much shorter sentence: just one additional year in prison. in a column published in 2017 in the Star Tribune, Patrick Reusse on what Twins proved by sweeping feeble Athletics, Lucy Laney students ride to Dairy Queen for ice cream, Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run in Forest Lake; suspect jailed, Driver leaves Wright County bar after drinking, crashes vehicle and kills man, officials say, New Duluth Essentia Health hospital opens this month after four years and $915M, Canoeing family finds human remains on Nemadji River bank in Carlton County, Duluth-based St. Luke's to merge with Wisconsin medical system Aspirus Health, Grand Marais man's death has locals pulling for his alleged killer. Elisabeth Congdon and Velma Pietila were murdered at Glensheen mansion in 1977. Elisabeth never married, and adopted two infants. Police found a piece of hose, cut just long enough to reach from the oven to the bedroom. Roger didnt testify during his trial. Will to Murder They never suspected what was about to happen. The lead investigator of the infamous murders at Glensheen mansion has died. Thered been earlier scares, they reported, like themarmalade incident. Elisabeth Congdon and Velma Pietila were murdered at Glensheen mansion in 1977. [1] Her nurse, Velma Pietila, had been a regular nurse for Mrs. Congdon until she retired. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; Testimony started May 9 with lead investigator Sergeant Gary Waller showing gruesome pictures of the crime scene and taking jurors through the evidence. And in 1981, she married a man named Wally Hagen in a North Dakota civil ceremony without first divorcing Roger. Police tried to determine his cause of death but learned that Marjorie had used her power of attorney to have him cremated. But when Marjorie was released, pending trial, Wallys health deteriorated again. In 1977, a Minnesota heiress was found murdered in the bed of her mansion alongside her night nurse, who lay next to a bloodied candlestick. On June 27, 1977, Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse Velma Pietila murdered inside the Glensheen Mansion. About three years after her release from prison, she was arrested for computer fraud and several other counts. Derek Montgomery for MPR News Share It was the stuff of an Agatha Christie novel. It didnt register. There was no smoking gun, but chief prosecutor John DeSanto and his team felt their case was strong. The Congdons are notable for many things, and the docents dont want those accomplishments overshadowed by the taint of Marjorie Congdons behavior. Within a year, I learned that Marjorie had accused that attorney of stealing her money while she was in prison. [1] Three days before Elisabeth's death, Marjorie had authorized a paper saying Roger was to receive about $2.5 million of her share. The nurses car was discovered at the MinneapolisSt. Rogers lawyers worried about getting a fair trial in Duluth, which has an indisputable Congdon legacy; theres a Congdon Boulevard, a Congdon Park and a Congdon school. Glensheen Mansion Thats when the Hagen family publicly wondered if she had been involved in their mothers death, too. In 1977, a Minnesota heiress was found murdered in the bed of her mansion alongside her night nurse, who lay next to a bloodied candlestick. It's one of the most publicized murder cases in Minnesota history. Elisabeth named her Marjorie. In 1975 Marjorie Congdon met Roger Caldwell at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Colorado. She knitted at the defense table, openly smiled at jurors and kept a book nearby. Dumbest of all, a rare Byzantine coin that had been taken from Elisabeths Congdons room on the night of the murders turned up in Roger Caldwells home in Golden, Colorado. Marjorie visited Roger only once while he was inprison. Marjorie Congdon Caldwell had enough notoriety as an heiress that she could hire one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota. By late morning, with the scene secured, police gavetheir first official statement. The note was a lie. Jennifer was bubbly and outgoing, a treasure to all those who knew her, except perhaps to Marjorie whose behavioral problems got worse after her arrival. Marjories trial was moved to Hastings. Authorities filed bigamy charges against her, but because its not an extraditable crime, she was never arrested. People are drawn to psychopaths like moths to a flame. Elisabeth was found suffocated with a satin pillow and Velma had been beaten to death with a candlestick. When word reached Jennifer Congdon, Marjorie Congdons younger sister, the first thing she said was, Marjorie did it. But proving that was going to be difficult. She got along swimmingly with the other inmates, and she sent a bouquet of flowers to the warden every week. Upon hearing that the Minneapolis newspaper planned to publish a story onthe Colorado connection, they arrested Roger two weeks afterthe homicides. It's one of the most publicized murder cases in Minnesota history. Glensheen By the spring of 1977, the Colorado Caldwells were broke, their home foreclosed, their cars repossessed. As investigators began looking into her inner circle Glensheen murder Three days later, relatives from around the country arrived in Duluth for Elisabeths funeral. It took the authorities less than two weeks to arrest Roger Caldwell, but not before he wound up in the hospital after having collapsed at breakfast with seizures. They know exactly what theyre doing. Elisabeth Mannering Congdon, Chester Congdons third daughter, didnt prefer the company of men, at least not to the extent that she would marry one. (KQDS / Supplied). It's one of the most publicized murder cases in Minnesota history. Her life at Glensheen ended abruptly on June 27, 1977, when the ailing, 83-year-old heiress was killed in the mansion along with her night nurse, Velma Pietila, 67. Now she was free to do whatever she wanted. Antabuse is a prescription drug that reacts badly with alcohol. It was a pattern that would repeat itself throughout her life. Marjorie had lived a troubled life and, before the murder, demanded money from Elisabeth. murder Yet she destroyed the lives of all those around her. Monday marks the 45th anniversary of the murders of Elisabeth Congdon and Velma Pietila at Glensheen mansion. As a result, no autopsy was possible. Days before her death, Elisabeth had signed paperwork to leave a large sum of her fortune to Roger. Her life at Glensheen ended abruptly on June 27, 1977, when the ailing, 83-year-old heiress was killed in the mansion along with her night nurse, Velma Pietila, 67. Before Elisabeth's death, the family had planned to donate the Glensheen Mansion to the University of Minnesota Duluth. They wished to be buried together, in one casket, along with their dog. The murders at Glensheen mansion were sloppy. [1] Three days before Elisabeth's death, Marjorie had authorized a paper saying Roger was to receive about $2.5 million of her share. [1], The motive was initially thought to be robbery, but soon the authorities began to suspect Congdon's son-in-law Roger Caldwell and adopted daughter Marjorie Congdon. He had the advantage of knowing exactly what evidence the prosecution would use against his client as he had the transcript from Rogers trial. Glensheen Historic Estate But psychopaths are different. [1] It was open to tours two years after the murders, but the tour guides were instructed not to speak of them. Derek Montgomery for MPR News Share It was the stuff of an Agatha Christie novel. A deposit of iron ore had been found sixty miles to the north in the Mesabi range, and Pittsburgh steel magnate Andrew Carnegie had shown an interest in it. The police investigation quickly focused on Elisabeth's daughter by adoption, Marjorie Caldwell, 44, and Marjorie's husband, Roger, 43, in a murder-for-inheritance plot. [2] Eventually he would be convicted and she would be acquitted. Suspicion fell on Marjorie and her husband, Roger Caldwell. The hit murder musical has returned for 2023. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Marjorie, who still owed money on the mortgage, was charged with arson. A hole in the case arose when police couldnt identify two handprints found in the bathroom where the killer had washed up. She was sentenced two and a half years in prison and fined $10,000. Elisabeth Congdon They deliberated for two and a half days before declaring him guilty of both murders. The Murders at Glensheen Mansion WebGoing West: True Crime. When the new buyers inspected the house just days before they were to move in, they noticed the floors had been varnished, and there was a strong chemical odor. Elisabeths face was purple, her mouth hanging open. Marjorie married an accountant and lived in Minneapolis. With that promise in hand, he quickly agreed. Marjorie was acquitted in 1979[1].