Making Moves: Another Look At Victims And Choices In Ann Rule's True Crime Stories (1)
Randall Barfield

 

From "Book No. 1," A Rose for Her Grave and Other True Crime Cases


Campbell's Revenge


This story is about the deaths of Renae Wicklund and two others very close to her. A right move that Renae made was to marry Jack Wicklund, by whom she had a beautiful daughter, Shannah. Shannah was horribly murdered alongside her mother on April 14, 1982 in Clearview, Washington. A positive point is that Renae and Shannah enjoyed each other�s love for 9 years. A wrong move that Renae made was to stay in that isolated, rural house after her divorce from Jack. A woodsy, out-of-town place just isn�t appropriate for a woman and small daughter. Has it ever been? Just think of a Wild West lifestyle. Another wrong move was Renae�s taking no definitive action even though she �lived and walked in terror that something awful was going to happen again(p 355)." Yet we are told she was �super-cautious(p 358)," a contradiction. One knows the problem was that a �madman was on the loose(p363)," but one also knows there are many mad men and women. It is interesting that Renae had no interest in returning to her native North Dakota, where her mother, Hilda, and sister, Lorene, lived. Hindsight is, of course, 20-20, but one hopes there are lessons to be learned. As a society, we cannot depend solely on our government to provide us 100 percent protection. Our country is too big and �liberal" in the sense that we do not chop off the thief�s hand. Additionally, one never knows in which area a particular maniac is �making rounds." Thanks for reading.

The Hit Person

Strange story. One wonders where all of Cynthia Marler�s marbles were. Certainly not in her head where they belonged. Wanda Touchstone is the victim of murder. She has our complete sympathy because we know she wanted to better her life, to be someone important. A right move that she made was the action she took to get more education. A wrong move she made was getting mixed up with those horrid Touchstones. Why did the old man have 2 identities anyway? Was it legal? Why would the old man pursue Wanda as far as her native Poland until she agreed to go back to him? Obviously, her agreeing was a wrong move. How cunning the person was who set the poor, dumb killer up! In the end, only the Touchstones benefitted from Wanda�s death. Right?

The Runaway

Certainly the country club in this story must share blame for Janna Hanson�s murder. Maybe like sex offenders of late, murderers on parole will have to be revealed to a community. Ex-prisoners on parole surely deserve a job, but what kind is the question. In a toll booth? Several people were involved in the wrong move to allow Janna to go to the remote, empty mobile home alone. Had they known an ex-con worked nearby, it is unlikely her assistance would have been requested and/or consented to. Traditionally, we have been a too-trusting society. At a great cost. It is better to do certain activities in twos or threes or not at all. It is more costly and time-consuming, yes. But it�s also safer.

The Rehabilitation of a Monster

Betty, obviously, had very low self-esteem, but she was trying to break out of a self-destructive way of life back in North Carolina by living on the West Coast. It was a positive move for her. The negative move was her willingness to separate from her niece and the niece�s date on that night of April 18, even though they had suggested it while considering Betty�s love of dancing. Betty was among complete strangers, actually. It�s a pity she didn�t leave the restaurant at 11 p.m. when the couple returned for her.
It is less clear where Joan Caudle made the wrong move, although one was made. Anyone would say, �Can�t a person stop by a bar for a drink?" At least she�d called home at 9 to say she would be late. Apparently, she and Marquette had struck up a conversation and one thing may have led to another. We all make right and wrong moves in our lives and shall continue to, albeit some make more right and others more wrong. In analysis, we are trying to focus on those moves no one should make at any time for safety�s sake. Additionally, and even more so the past few decades, we can never take it for granted that a certain area or region is literally �free" of maniacs.

Molly�s Murder

One seethes upon realizing that Molly McClure was a victim not only of murder but of one of the oldest ruses in the book�that of the �Good Samaritan." Kvay was �helping" Molly, and, since he lived with someone already, that made him all the more credible. Molly�s life was a reflection of the countless right moves she had made along the way. She�s the �winner" we all like rooting for. Unfortunately, Molly was very trusting, as is mentioned, and revealed her over-confidence by turning down not one but two offers for help/companionship on the night-morning of her death. Not only that, Molly could have gone to a motel for a night or two if she�d wanted not to be a burden to those who offered help.
Who would not like to turn back the clock for Molly? Lastly, some blame must go to the owner(s) of the apartments on Franklin Avenue East for �harboring" or �mixing" an ex-con with law-abiding citizens such as Molly.

A Rose for Her Grave

Janis Miranda Roth had been known to leap without thinking and to make decisions sometimes �based on emotion rather than on common sense." She�d become Randy Roth�s second wife. One of Janis�s right moves was having a child she loved, Jalina, and who loved her in return much as Renae and Shannah Wicklund. Louise, Janis�s best friend, had remarked that she thought Randy capable of violence. Even Janis conceded that Randy lived �so dangerously." Rule says(p 19) �Jan knew practically nothing about Donna(Randy�s first wife)." Here, of course, is a wrong move. A little investigation could have helped Janis. We also see some distance between Janis and her family. Rule says �Janis hadn�t told her family in Dallas that she had married again�not at first." We think, why not? We learn too, that Janis didn�t meet Randy�s family for quite some time. There seemed to have been problems, however minor, in both families as far as Randy�s and Janis�s relations were concerned. Again, Louise and Janis are talking. �Finally she acknowledged quietly to her best friend that she had made a mistake." Even worse, we learn that �Janis believed(p 24) that if she left, she would have no claim at all on the property she and Randy co-owned." Even if there was no equity yet! Come on! Hard as it may be to believe, some people will put material interests before their own vital interests. Then Janis tells Jalina, her daughter, that if any thing should happen to her, etc." Yet she couldn�t pull herself away from the charmer, Randy. Janis paid some wrong moves with her life. We wonder�If Janis acted on her emotions when she became smitten and married Roth, why didn�t she act on them in order to leave him?

Donna Clift(Roth�s second Donna who did not become a murder victim)

Roth didn�t manage to kill this third wife of his, but it wasn�t necessarily because he didn�t want to. Donna, just as Janis, didn�t �press" Randy �for details" about his wives number 1 and 2. She �was lonely" and �very impressed" with Roth in general. And who could resist little cherubic Greg? To speed things up, �Randy and Greg(p 70) were welcomed into Donna�s family almost from the beginning." Roth was fun. Also,he could make Donna shed tears while recalling the circumstances of Janis�s death. So, Donna was �infatuated" with Randy, who wanted to �make an investment in her." (!)
Donna and Randy started out living together before a marriage that ensued. I know a lot of people live together unmarried and have done so for many years, but isn�t it requiring very little on the part of each one? It certainly entails making a move. Donna can thank God her �mom," Judy Clift, understood her fears of Randy and often sided with her. Donna herself said she guessed she shut her eyes �to a lot of things" she should have seen more clearly(p 72). Even on her honeymoon, Donna had an �eerie feeling" and realized she didn�t really know Randy �at all. I was so young and stupid," she said, and �became completely dependent on his decisions." Donna began to get cautious with Randy and, when she�d gotten frightened by him on a rafting trip on the Skykomish River, it was the last straw. She wouldn�t be alone with him again. It was an excellent right move that most probably saved her life at that time. Donna had �seen something" in Randy�s face, �in the grim set of his jaw."

Cynthia Baumgartner

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Charming convicted murderer Randy Roth so fascinated �Cindy" that she quickly began to break so many hitherto important personal rules. She practically threw caution to the wind as she was in love. One person, Ben Goodwin, who was extremely close to Randy, actually gave Cindy a warning to be careful with that man. Of course, we many times hear and accept only what we want to hear and Cindy was no exception. Cindy got involved with and married Randy without really knowing him. For instance, she knew absolutely nothing about either Donna I or Donna II. Later, she would begin discovering things here and there�some big, some little. She didn�t know to what extent Randy was going to control every facet of her life. Of course, we can�t ignore that there were good days and bad days just as there are in anyone�s life. Dottie Baker �was shocked to see that Cindy was no longer the bubbly, joyful woman she had known(p 143)" yet the family insurance rep, Bruce Timm, who called in person said Cindy was very happy, he�d noticed(p 191). We know this moment was still rather early in the marriage because Randy never beat around the bush about purchasing insurance. It was mainly after the first Christmas and New Year�s that Cindy began expressing certain disappointments to close family members and friends. Cindy�s ex-father-in-law �hated to see Roth calling all the shots "for someone who�d been a �feisty, happy young woman who made up her own mind. Now she seemed to follow every order her new husband gave her(p 140). "To conclude, it was tragic that Cindy let down her guard the way she did. Like Janis, this major wrong move cost Cindy her life and orphaned her two young sons. Fortunately for the latter, there were grandparents living who, if we judge by Tom Baumgartner and Cindy, were great people.


You Belong to Me and Other True Crime Cases
�Book No. 2"
Black Christmas

This sad story deals with the death of the Charles Goldmark family of Washington state. Four people�a whole family. Wrong move someplace? Maybe, but not exactly. None of the murder victims in this story made an obvious wrong move. But since that epoch(1985), a wrong move is being made all the time on a grand scale. We �Americans" can no longer afford the luxury of traditional, highly-independent residential practices. People of note and who are economically comfortable must live on residential compounds or in cluster housing situations where doorkeepers/guards are on duty 24 hours a day. This practice has become quite standard in developing countries which are, in general, poorer than our and have even more of a challenge regarding the policing of their populations. Maybe Charles Goldmark, and even Annie, would have been murdered later by David Rice, but had they been residing on a guarded compound that Christmas Eve of 1985, it is probable that that particular Christmas would not have turned out black and that their boys would have lived to survive them.

One Trick Pony

Donna Bennett. It�s a pretty name and she was a gorgeous dame. Donna had made many right moves in her life; consequently, she had a lovely family in many ways. Donna�s major wrong move was in letting Russ Howard know that she�d had it with him. Actually, when Russ had hit her during the argument they�d had that December night, she should�ve walked out right there. Bobbi would�ve come over to fetch her, without a doubt. Donna could�ve gone for her things and clothes later. Accompanied. Of course, one thinks, �My God, we�re talking about a man she�d been married to for ages�the father of her two daughters!" It�s true. But the murderer was infatuated with another woman. Infatuation will sometimes do weird things to us. As is pointed out in the story, all Russ needed was Donna�s removal. He had everything else. The strangest reaction we note lies in the two daughters. They sided with their convicted murderer dad instead of Bobbi, their mom�s devoted sister. Was Donna such a witch�or were the girls not on the level?

The Computer Error and the Killer

A maniac was running loose in Vonnie�s area and her major wrong move was to open that door on a ruse(the dog story) that November 27. Yet we learn from the family she�d been a careful person and didn�t take lightly to opening doors to strangers. Again, we have a charmer who can make himself sound as innocent as St. Joseph. What to do? For one thing, women in Vonnie�s situation should avoid staying alone. Maybe there are quarrels and fights in extended family living, but one can surmise, too, that there are fewer victims of maniacal murderers. Vonnie could have had such a living arrangement. Here again, we are a too-trusting society. Worse, Vonnie even let the killer know she was alone by saying, �come back tomorrow when Todd is home(p 372)." Again, defenders will say we wouldn�t have all these problems if and when real killers are locked up the way they are supposed to be. Exactly. But society isn�t perfect. Prisons and jails can hold only so many. It�s expensive to feed and clothe and house prisoners. You pay. I pay. To top this off, now in 2003, we even import prisoners or drug traffickers from other countries(extradition)!

The Vanishing

Stacy Sparks disappeared on July 9, 1979. What wrong move did Stacy make? She was a loving daughter and girlfriend. For one thing, Stacy was going too fast on the Floating Bridge according to Trooper Irwin. Speeding in a rain storm! Of course, when we are so young, as was Stacy(18), we think we are immortal. Something tragic happening to us is the last thing on our minds. The reader is relieved when Stacy is found, but sad upon realization that Stacy never made it to Hawaii.

The Last Letter

Poor Jackie. We think of Ibsen�s Nora. Maybe her love for Bill was too powerful for her. Then again, maybe Jackie was weaker than she seemed. Choices in life. Women choose to be the �other woman." Men also choose to cheat on their wives. Granted, it is very very hard not to cheat, but in the end, it�s still a choice. In this respect, Bill did finally get up the nerve to divorce his first wife so that he could marry Jackie, his doll. Finally. About the money that used to be, then wasn�t, we think of God. When money is so powerful a force and presence in our lives that it actually becomes our main god, it is only to be expected that upon its disappearance chaos and trouble will ensue. The wall comes tumbling down, the cookie crumbles. Jackie gave up so much for Bill. And in the end, he gave up a lot for her, too. Finally, there was nothing left to give up it seems. We are left bitter at the story�s end. Bill proved too coward to kill himself, yet he wasn�t when it came to killing another soul. That�s like money. It�s so easy to spend someone�s else�s, isn�t it?

You Belong to Me

Mates who don�t live in a cave don�t �belong" to each other. They are together by choice. Must this concept be hammered into some heads?

This is the long story of the 2nd book. Here, the murder victim didn�t make the wrong moves. The murderer�s wife made them. I doubt that any reader would not be convinced that the Florida Highway Patrol had no way of knowing/predicting that Trooper Harris was going to �snap." Every single incident in life simply cannot be foretold and Rule tells us as much in her many stories. Sandy Wessendorf Harris is an enigma to some readers. Of course, we all know what to some people is a minor irritant in a marriage to others is horrid. How many women would stay in a marriage in which the husband very frequently refers to his wife as a slut or bitch? Hopefully, those who would are a minority. If not, something is rotten in our homeland. We know that Sandy was very young when she met and married Harris, but still, maturity isn�t really based on chronological age, is it?
Another dilemma: Who do you believe if your mom doesn�t like your steady but your dad does? It�s a toughie. How long did Sandy�s dad like Harris�even after he knew Harris referred to his daughter constantly as slut and bitch? This story isn�t the first in which a daughter pays little or no heed to mom�s intuition, but it made me begin to think. I know every person wants to live her/his life. It�s normal and a right. However, if one has a really good and decent mom as Pat most likely was(though not perfect), then that mom�s intuition/advice should at least be taken into serious consideration and we see in many of Rule�s stories that this isn�t happening. Who�s going to ever care for our well-being more than our own good parents? We also learn that Harris had lots of trouble looking others in the eye. How many of us trust a person like that? We can go on and on, but you get the idea. One feels, on the positive side, that Sandy learned a lot that would help her in the future where choosing a mate is concerned. We hope so, at least. Finally, unlike most of the murders in Rule�s true crime stories, this murder was completely surprising and practically impossible to prevent on the part of the victim, Lorraine Hendricks.

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A Fever in the Heart and Other�
True Crime Cases �Book No. 3"
The Highway Accident

How could Lori Buckley�s murder have been prevented? What wrong move did she make? There is much information that we are not given in this story. For example, we learn very little about Lori�s and Walt�s personalities, just that they seemed an exceedingly happy couple. Almost everyone agreed on this point. We have questions, however. Why didn�t Lori check off her returned bank checks, even if she wouldn�t or couldn�t balance her checkbook? By failing to do so, she missed an opportunity to see exactly how much money was being paid out to utility companies, etc. What did Lori and Walt talk about? Why didn�t Lori ask Walt about his grades each term? Ask to see the grade report? Isn�t it normal for a partner to do so? Lori was a schoolteacher, no dummy. How can a partner hide the fact that she/he isn�t studying as is presumed by friends and family? Walt deceived Lori about his studies for at least a year and 3 months! Besides, accounting is a very time-consuming and task-oriented major. There is a lot of homework to be completed either with classmates or alone. All in all, I would venture to say this story is incomplete due to so many unanswered questions. Here, we only touch the surface in that regard. Ideally, Lori should have discovered deceptions earlier and broken away from Walt(unannounced, of course!). Lori would�ve had to be nearly deaf, dumb, and blind not to have picked up on so many inconsistencies. Perhaps she ignored a lot of her doubts.

Murder Without a Body

Vicki Brown obviously put up a fight as was clearly documented, especially by the testimony of Herb McDonnell, the blood spatter expert. That fight was silenced by a handgun. The handgun�s role gives fuel to opponents of the possession of these weapons. For my two-cents'worth, I say how can you ban something your enemy possesses? Isn�t it similar to possession of nuclear weapons? We�re gonna ban them, but countries X, Y, and Z are gonna keep theirs! Anyway, back to the story. Vicki�s major wrong move was to resist jerk-cum-laude Dexter Bryson. Had she not fought him, she could�ve pressed charges afterward. Such a decision, however, is made instantly so we cannot be at all harsh with Vicki. About Bryson�s having repaired some things for Vicki, so what? Does doing a favor give us some special right? Of course, mechanics are not exactly envied on the level of airline pilots or, say, aerobics instructors, and Bryson was a mechanic. On the other hand, mechanics are not lepers, either. Bryson�s self-esteem had to be exceedingly low. He really threw away his marriage and children as if they were akin to fish scales, guts, and heads. He had to have thought at that moment(of the killing) that he was really nothing, so what did he have to lose? His baser instincts got the better of him. Really sad. One is willing to be(and hopes) he did a lot of reforming, but if he hasn�t allowed the family to recover Vicki�s remains for a decent burial, he should BURN!! Perhaps in his mind he�s doing just that.

I�ll Love You Forever

Here we go again � la Cindy Baumgartner or Sheila Walsh! We�re going to learn a lot before we get through all of these cases. This title, to begin with, says something everyone wants to hear, man or woman, whether or not we�ll admit it. Rule uses the term �blandishments." Nice sound. Again, throw caution to the wind. Ruth was so smitten by Tony that she fell headlong into his trap. We think of one of those kind dug in the ground and covered over thinly with leaves, grass, straw, etc. Ruth had everything but a detective�s eye. She was love-starved, we�d have to conclude. Perhaps there are more out there(of either sex) than we are aware of. Again Rule�s term �whirlwind courtship" surfaces. At least Ruth had known Tony 10 months when they married. Could�ve been worse, but with the same result in the end we know. Rule herself refers to the blindness brought on by a new love experience. Ruth, because of her maturity and a degree of wisdom a younger woman might not be expected to have, was ultimately responsible for her own death, although it certainly isn�t to be condoned. She wanted some fun once again out of life and, undoubtedly, had lots of it during the 2 and a half years she was married to Tony. She just didn�t know how high the price was going to be. What�s more, if Tony was such an incurable liar as we are led to believe, Ruth had to be aware of that and to choose to ignore this condition. Women with a death wish might do well to refuse to listen to the advice of any of their closest relatives and friends who, as Rule points out, �truly" love them. Of course, Tony went way overboard because he thought he could get away with it. He must have actually disliked Ruth. Wealth, apparently, was Tony�s true god, and if he couldn�t have that, he�d have nothing. How�s that for a life�s philosophy?
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Black Leather

We aren�t surprised to see a story of this type(SM) come out of the 70s for both decades, the 60s and the 70s, were tumultuous for many people. Niels Honegger�s bravery and military training saved him from an ignominious death, to say the least. Zahnle�s fate was black, however. Like Penny in �Mirror Images," Zahnle met his death simply because he was an innocent pedestrian on the wrong road, wrong night. Hendricks, of course, was a holy terror with his expensive weapons collection!

Mirror Images

James Ruzicka and Carl Harp. Two convicted murderers. Two beasts unfortunate at birth as regards their personal development and social well-being. But that�s another story.
Our hearts bleed for Nina Temple. She was merely trying to get home after a hard day�s work shift. She made no wrong move. She was one among millions of women working their way home each evening. Unfortunately, we all were given 2 eyes, and not 3 or 4.
Tammie Fletcher, however, made a whopper of a wrong move when she agreed to meet the stranger(Ruzicka) at 8 p.m. that Valentine�s night! She could at least have gone with someone, but it wouldn�t have been any guarantee by any means. But alone?
Nancy Kinghammer, we see, practically set herself up for Ruzicka when she stormed out of her house in anger. Of course, she was only 16! I think we�ve all done that, but aren�t we at our most vulnerable at that moment? On the street, anybody can see we are unhappy or upset and practically wandering with no destination in mind. It�s a horrid move to make.
Penny�s situation was very different. The only way she could�ve been protected was for a law to have existed prohibiting young girls from walking on the streets alone. Here�s where the debate heats up again about early prisoner release, etc. How smart Lia and Brook were in their right moves when faced with Carl Harp. And really, who can say that Jesus wasn�t very far away when Lia mentioned his name? Did they pray? Doesn�t He say to call on Him in our distress? As far as Susan Harp is concerned in this story, she needed heavy medication and a shrink to boot the day she married Carl!

A Fever in the Heart


This is the long story in the 3rd book. Familiarity breeds not only contempt, but attractions as well�some noble, some fatal. In the case of this story, the attractions proved fatal. This has to be one of the saddest, most pitiful murder stories we�ll ever know about. A Greek tragedy comes to one�s mind instantly. Morris was a very beautiful person, both emotionally and physically. He was, in some ways, a Lincoln-like character. Moore was also a beautiful person prior to his descent into his own private hell. Many, many people have learned over the years not to bring anyone into their homes who could even remotely pose a threat to its stability. Morris�s insistence on doing exactly that led to his own untimely death. An outside male who is neither a kid nor grandfatherish should never be placed in a home with a beautiful and vibrant wife�for any reason. Morris could have helped and encouraged his ex-coach to rent a room or get some small apartment(which was got later anyway), then visited him frequently along with other friends and family members to help stave off loneliness. Jerilee didn�t help matters any with her yes-no-no-yes positions as regards the 2 important men in her life, but, again, she was awfully young and inexperienced for us to be harsh. Many times those athletes like Morris and Moore don�t ever sit still long enough to do any serious reading. Consequently, they are not aware that many of life�s major incidents, tragic or otherwise, tend to get repeated often. King Lear, for example. The play has been around hundreds of years yet there are parents who still sign property over to their offspring only to find themselves out on the streets rather penniless within a few short months or years. It was a tragic wrong move Morris made himself, I repeat. He should have recognized it as such. Just think, would you, the reader, go for a stroll in Central Park at 1 a.m.? Would you bring from a trip abroad a small package as a personal favor for someone if that someone asked you not to open it? Of course not. You'd be setting yourself up by doing these or similar things. As Rule says chillingly in the story, Morris had brought a "predator" into his house. In the end, people close to Morris could only content themselves with cherishing the good times they�d all had while they lasted.

 

 

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Copyright © 2002 Randall Barfield
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