In this gripping final chapter of Only Murders on the Harbor, Kaydee and James trace the complex and haunting aftermath of Laura Law’s murder—a case that refused to fade quietly into history. From failed federal investigations and unsealed tax court revelations, to political conspiracies and Cold War hysteria, this episode dives deep into how Laura’s death became a pawn in local and national power struggles.
Listeners will hear how key figures like County Commissioner Richard Ultican and union leader Dick Law became entangled in allegations of corruption, cover-ups, and Communist paranoia. We follow the trail through a federal grand jury, a tax evasion conviction, and bizarre testimony by professional anti-Communist Paul Crouch—all of which only muddy the waters further.
Ultimately, we explore the enduring mystery and legacy of Laura Law’s tragic death, the weight it left on her family, and how political narratives tried to reshape her story for decades. It's a powerful, thought-provoking close to one of Grays Harbor’s most unsettling and politically charged murder cases.
Sources:
Jennifer Ott's "Laura Law is found murdered in her Aberdeen home on January 5, 1940", https://www.historylink.org/File/9260.
Robert Saltvig's "The Tragic Legend of Laura Law", https://www.jstor.org/stable/40490240
Washington State's Archives' File on the case of Laura Law's murder, https://www.sos.wa.gov/about-office/from-our-corner/general/archives-75th-anniversary-law-murder-case
Matthew N. Wells's "Billy's Back: Walk of the Undead", https://www.thedailyworld.com/news/downtown-aberdeen-association-seeking-input-tuesday-for-spooky-october-tour/
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