January 17, 2024 • 26 mins
Welcome to 'Box in the Basement', where we delve into the enigmatic and often overlooked cold cases of America. Today, we take you back to a serene evening in 2007 in an upscale neighborhood of the DFW metroplex, where a heinous act shattered the tranquility. Marianne Wilkinson, a devoted mother and grandmother enjoying a quiet night at home, was abruptly gunned down at her doorstep. This tragic event left the community and law enforcement perplexed. Was it a case of mistaken identity, a random act of violence, or a robbery gone awry? Join us, your hosts Leah and Arlene, as we unravel the mystery surrounding Marianne Wilkinson's untimely demise, exploring every lead and theory in a bid to find justice. We aim to shine a light on forgotten cases, dusting off evidence long relegated to the shadows. Our journey is not just for enlightenment but to actively engage you, our listeners, in the quest for truth. Perhaps among us lies the key to answering the lingering questions and bringing closure to those left behind.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bree (00:00):
Please be advised this episode contains detailed
discussions of violence and maynot be suitable for all
listeners.
Arlene (00:08):
Today's story is one that has baffled law enforcement
and the public alike for over 15years.
It devoted mother andgrandmother.
Enjoying a quiet evening at homewith her husband in an upscale
neighborhood in the DFWmetroplex.
She was gunned down at her ownfront door.
And to this day, very fewanswers have been found.
(00:32):
Was it a case of mistakenidentity?
Was it a random shooting?
Was it an attempted robbery gonewrong.
Keep listening as we discuss thecase of Marianne Wilkinson.
Leah (00:45):
Hello and welcome to the box in the basement.
A podcast covering the coldestcases in Texas and around the
United States.
I'm your host, Leah
Arlene (00:54):
and Dom Arlene.
Our goal here as always is tobring attention to unsolved
murders, to dust off those boxesof evidence.
And note sitting in the basementon a shelf or in some massive
digital warehouse.
This isn't just aboutentertainment or education.
We strive to get the publicinvolved.
(01:14):
Maybe someone listening here hasinformation that will help bring
justice.
And or answers to the friendsand families left behind.
Today's story
is that a Marianne Wilkinson?
It's 68 year old retired motherand grandmother who was shot in
her own home by an undignifiedgunman.
Leah (01:36):
2007 seems like so long ago, but at the same time, it
feels like yesterday.
The very first iPhone wasreleased in 2007.
A mass shooter went on a rampageat Virginia tech killing 32
people.
And the war in Iraq, raged on, Ideployed to Baghdad in the
summer of 2007.
(01:57):
The week of December 9th, 2007,when our story takes place.
The number one song on thebillboard hot 100 was no one by
Alicia keys.
The number one movie at the boxoffice was the golden compass.
And double-cross by JamesPatterson was at the top of the
New York times bestseller list.
The spurs won the NBAchampionship.
(02:17):
The Colts won the super bowl.
The red Sox won the world seriesand the ducks won the Stanley
cup.
Marianne Wilkinson and herhusband of 46 years, Dawn.
Lived in an upscale neighborhoodin north Richland Hills, which
is just to the Northeast of Fortworth, Texas.
Today, north Richland Hills hasa population of just over 70,000
(02:39):
people.
And in 2007, the population wasaround 65,000.
That population is mostly white.
Fairly well-educated.
And sits well above the nationalmedian household income.
For perspective in 2007.
A house in the same neighborhoodas the Wilkinson's and nearly
identical to that owned by thevictim in this story.
(03:02):
Was valued at$400,000.
Which is just under$600,000 in2020$3.
And with today's real estateprices.
Houses are probably going formuch higher in that area.
The median age is right around40 and most adults are employed.
The average commute time in thesuburb is just shy of 30
(03:25):
minutes, which indicates mostresidents are working in Fort
worth or in Dallas proper morethan likely.
Violent crime was slightly lowerin north Richland Hills than the
national average.
With 3.2 murders per 100,000.
Compared to 5.4 at the nationallevel.
The most common crimes in northRichland Hills at the time of
(03:47):
this incident were propertycrimes, which makes sense, given
the economic profile.
That brings us to Spence drivein north Richland Hills where
Marianne and her husband, Donresided at the time of her
death.
Marianne was born on November12th, 1939 in Dallas, Texas, and
was raised in Highland park.
(04:08):
She went to Southern Methodistuniversity and was a member of
Zeta tau alpha sorority.
She and her husband had twochildren.
Uh, son, Michael and a daughter,Melanie, who both still live in
the metroplex at the time of herdeath.
She also had four younggrandchildren who referred to
Marianne as Mimi.
She was active in her church,the first Baptist church of
(04:30):
Keller.
Where she helped run vacationBible school and was on the
social committee for her Sundayschool class.
Marianne was a certified mastergardener.
She enjoyed decorating herhouse.
And she loved spending time withfriends and family.
She and her husband were fairlyrecently retired and they spent
a good amount of time traveling.
(04:52):
The evening of Sunday, December9th.
Was the quiet one in thewilkinson household.
Marianne had no doubt gone tochart earlier that day.
But Mariana has been Dawnplanned on spending the evening
together alone.
They had dinner.
And they watched the DallasCowboys beat the Detroit lions.
(05:13):
When the game ended.
Marianne slapped her husband'sknee and said, how's that?
Perfect ending to a perfectweekend.
And that really breaks my heart.
At around 8:00 PM, Marianne andher husband were still watching
TV.
When the doorbell rang.
Marianne got up to answer thedoor.
(05:33):
I'm pretty much, as soon as sheopened it, a man in the doorway
shot her at least three times.
And then quickly fled.
And neighbor heard the gunshotsand called 9 1 1.
Police responded quickly.
And attempted to perform CPR, aMarianne who was still alive.
But their efforts were in vain.
(05:55):
Marianne died shortlythereafter.
The martyr shocked, the quietneighborhood and police were
stumped from the start.
Witnesses in the area related tothe cops that they saw a man
fleet.
They woke us in houseimmediately after firing three
or four shots in the doorway.
He was described as wearing ahoodie.
(06:16):
He jumped into a gold or tancolored sedan that was waiting
nearby.
Well, this case isn't as old assome others we've covered.
And planned to cover.
This was still a few yearsbefore residential security
cameras became the norm.
Most of the houses on our bloghave a ring doorbell.
We're an overhead camera.
(06:36):
Or one of those little stick-upcameras in the front.
But 2007 was still a littleearly for that.
The Wilkinson house was tuckedinto a suburban neighborhood.
Far from intersections andcommercial areas.
So there were no traffic cams orbusinesses with security cameras
in the immediate vicinity.
(06:58):
There were traffic cameras onthe main roads nearby.
And investigators searched forthe gold sedan and its
occupants, but to no avail.
Police had to rely on theevidence at the scene.
Of which there was very little.
And accounts from neighbors andpassers by.
Which would be problematicbecause it was dark.
(07:19):
I've seen photos of theneighborhood.
Large houses, setback on biglawns.
Not many street lights around.
And the days before, easy homesecurity cameras.
It will be pretty easy to runaway from someone's residence
without the neighbors getting agood look.
As we said before, there wasvery little physical evidence
(07:40):
found at the scene because theincident happened so quickly and
unexpectedly.
There was no struggle, noargument, nothing.
The killer didn't attempt tobreak in through a back window
or climb over a fence.
He simply rang the doorbell andshot the woman who answered the
door.
There was no time for a struggleor a fight.
(08:01):
And Marianne's husband, Dondidn't have any time to react
before the killer fled thescene.
He heard the shots ran to thefoyer.
And found Maryanne bleeding frommultiple gunshot wounds.
There was a single spent shellcasing found at the scene that
had a fingerprint, but to myknowledge, nothing ever came of
this.
(08:21):
This was 2007, not 1977.
So technology for analyzingevidence like fingerprints was
pretty solid.
However, the fingerprint was apartial and was probably of poor
quality.
Because the north Richland Hillspolice sent the shell casing all
the way to England for advancedforensic analysis.
(08:42):
And this analysis didn't occuruntil almost a year after the
murder.
The only articles I've read fromthe years between 2008 and now
indicate that nothing of valuehas come from the fingerprint
analysis.
Analysts were able to recoverthe print successfully, but no
match has been found.
I found an article on sciencedaily that explained the
(09:04):
forensic science involved inthis fingerprint analysis.
And I thought it was reallyinteresting to take a look at
how this kind of thing washandled back in 2008.
Dr.
John Bond and honorary researchfellow at the university of
Leicester forensic researchcenter developed a way to
visualize fingerprints.
Even if the print itself hadbeen removed.
(09:26):
Basically fingerprints cancorrode metal surfaces and Dr.
Bond's technique could recoverthose prints from a shell
casing.
I thought that was kind of cool.
It's unfortunate.
It didn't work in this case, butthe evolution of forensic
science is something that all ofus true crime nerds find
interesting on one level oranother.
(09:47):
What police hoped would be abreak came in March of 2008.
On Easter Sunday.
Almost five months after themurder.
When a child found a discardedlarge caliber handgun.
Around eight miles from themurder scene.
This gun was determined to be.
The weapon that killed MarianneWilkinson.
(10:08):
And investigators jumped on thechance to recover some
meaningful evidence.
Unfortunately.
Since months had passed and thegun had been exposed to the
elements.
And different environments.
There wasn't much to go on.
Records showed that the gun inquestion had changed hands
(10:29):
numerous times between itsinitial purchase And the murder.
And spanned at least two statesSo the likelihood of finding a
legitimate registered owner.
Or even an illegitimate owner islow.
That being said.
There is still value inattempting to trace ownership.
(10:49):
Like the shell, Casey.
The gun is just another puzzlingclues sitting in that box in the
basement, collecting dust.
On Marianne's family waits.
Marianne Wilkinson had no knownenemies.
By all accounts.
She was a good human who lovedher family and spend her free
time at church traveling or inher garden.
(11:11):
Her husband was the only otherperson inside the Wilkinson
house when the murder happened.
So why did she die?
Who would just gun down agrandmother while she watched
Sunday night football in hersuburban home.
Rumors started almostimmediately after the murder, as
they tend to do.
But because there were so fewpieces of physical evidence
(11:32):
available.
And I witnessed accounts werespare.
Police had to lean into avariety of theories.
One neighborhood rumor claimedthat two drugged out weirdos
were knocking on doors in thearea, trying to sell fake
mistletoe.
Well, this kind of thing iscertainly not out of the realm
of possibilities.
It seems rather strange thatsomeone trying to make a quick
(11:55):
buck would just pull out a gunand start shooting when a
potential scam victim answeredthe door.
Thus, the rumor was quicklydismissed.
Could this have been some sortof gang initiation.
A random shooting to provide thepotential gang members.
A random shooting to prove thepotential gang members worth.
(12:15):
It's possible, I suppose, but tome it's just as nonsensical as
the fake mistletoe theory.
Why go all the way out to anupscale subdivision in north
Richland Hills.
To me, it seems like too big ofa risk.
Do you remember the movie gonein 60 seconds where the crew
steals a car out of a garage ina suburban housing development.
(12:37):
That's what I think when Iconsider this scenario.
The car thieves in the movie gotlost in the neighborhood.
And their whole plan went tohell.
I can't remember the exactquote, but one of them says
something like we're lost insuburban hill.
Don't come for me.
It's been like 10 years since Isaw it last..
This neighborhood isn't exactlylike the one in the movie, but
(12:58):
it still seems like a bad idea.
North Richland Hills is a good25 minutes from Fort worth,
proper and 40 minutes from theheart of Dallas.
It is worth mentioning that thisgang initiation theory kind of
took off with the public.
And this was partially becausesome of the media hype going on
at the time.
(13:18):
A little bit of fear-mongeringclickbaiting whatever you want
to call it.
Combined with overzealouscitizens, trying to quote
unquote, warn their neighborswith half-baked conspiracy
theories.
And then there was an emailforward making the rounds,
claiming a local news stationreported that a quote unquote,
local gang was doing aninitiation.
(13:39):
Where they'd go knock on randomdoors and shoot whoever
answered.
2007 was prime time for emailforwards.
Most of us don't even botherreading our emails nowadays.
But before social media was asbig of a deal as it is now.
That's how things went viral.
Email.
This email went on to say thatthere were two other related
(14:02):
shootings in the Fort worth areathat were attributed attributed
to gang initiations.
But these claims turned out tobe false.
Neither of the other incidentswere random attacks.
One is believed to be an armedrobbery.
And the other was part of anongoing dispute between two
individuals.
We were just as keen to believeany old nonsense that came
(14:23):
through our inbox back in 2007,as we are any random YouTube
videos or memes today.
It doesn't help in unsolvedcases at all.
It just creates more clutter forinvestigators and families to
Wade through.
Again, a gang initiation ispossible, I suppose.
But seems very unlikely to meetfor a lot of reasons.
(14:46):
That leads us to the thirdpossibility, which is the one
police had favored since earlyon in the investigation.
That Marianne Wilkinson was theunfortunate victim of mistaken
identity.
Investigators theorize that theshooter was looking for someone
else.
And either panicked and shot thefirst person who came to the
door.
(15:06):
Or he was a hired Hitman anddidn't recognize he had the
wrong target.
In 2008, police identified twopersons of interest, his
activities and circumstancesseem to fit the narrative.
That this was a hit, gone wrong.
Dennis Michael Taylor, age 45 atthe time.
And Vincent Lane, each 44.
(15:29):
Taylor was caught up in acontentious divorce.
At the time of the murder.
He and his estranged wife livedon the next street over.
Same house number.
Different street, just one blockaway.
Taylor's.
Soon to be ex went to the policeherself with this theory.
(15:51):
She was afraid of her husbandand felt like maybe she was the
intended target.
Her house and the Wilkinsonhouse looks pretty similar.
And they were practicallyneighbors.
According to court records,restraining orders came down
from both sides of the divorce.
There were multiple accusationsof violence between them.
(16:14):
And ownership of the couplesbusiness.
And a whole lot of money whereat stake.
So the idea of escalating tomurder is not entirely
unbelievable.
It sounds like a perfect murderfor hire situation.
That maybe it's a little tooperfect.
Since nothing has kind of it.
(16:35):
Lane, the other person ofinterest is just listed as an
associate of Taylor's.
In 2008 journalists noted that aman named Vincent Lane worked at
Dennis Taylor's trucking companyin Fort worth.
But that is all the informationavailable to us at that time.
Neither Dennis Taylor.
(16:56):
Or Vincent Lane have ever beenarrested or charged with this
crime?
They both had clean recordsapart from the restraining
orders related to Taylor'sdivorce.
There's also the matter of thegun.
Which was just discarded in thebushes.
I could never be definitelylinked to anyone in the area or
anyone related to the murder.
(17:19):
That to me, sounds like a murderfor hire.
But again, I'm speculating.
So while this does seem like themost plausible explanation for
the events of December 9th,2007.
There are obviously some biggaps in questions that can't be
answered.
And then one year turned intotwo.
(17:40):
Then five.
Then in August of 2013, a thirdindividual, Willie Boley who at
the time of the murder lived inPalestine, Texas.
I was named a person ofinterest.
No information was published atthe time.
Bully came under scrutiny.
And there is no obviousconnection.
At least not one that wecivilians can make between Bali
(18:01):
and the other two persons ofinterest named back in 2008.
Some sources claim that Boleymay have been an employee of
Taylor's, but there's noconfirmation on that.
At least not that I've found.
Bully did have a criminalrecord, including a domestic
violence related charge.
But that's all the informationwe have on his life.
(18:22):
In December of 2013, bullyhimself was shot dead in
Oklahoma city during an allegeddomestic dispute with his
girlfriend.
The girlfriend claimed bully wasphysically assaulting her.
So she defended herself with agun.
And that was the end of thatlead, at least for the time
being.
And unfortunately it eliminateda potential source of
(18:44):
information and or evidence fromthe investigation.
If Boley was actually involved.
The 10th anniversary of MarianneWilkinson's death came and went
with no new answers.
No new persons of interest, nosuspects and no new evidence.
The next development in the casecame in 2019.
When police announced they wereable to develop a DNA profile
(19:08):
from some of the evidence.
This was the most significantmovement in the entire history
of the case.
Or at least that's whatinvestigators and the family
hoped.
But sadly, as of January 20, 24,Nothing has come of this DNA
profile.
At least not anythinginvestigators have made public.
(19:28):
It has now been 16 years sinceNerian Wilkinsons murder.
aNd there are frustratingly fewanswers.
There is a Facebook pagededicated to her memory called
justice for Marianne.
The page is full of familypictures, memories.
Photos of Marianne's collectionof Christmas decorations and
(19:48):
celebrations of her life.
There's no anger.
No betterness only love.
Sadness and hope.
Marianne's family.
And we here at box in thebasement.
Believe this case is solvable.
Like so many of the other casesvesting in dusty boxes.
And the dark corners of servers.
(20:10):
Someone knows what happened.
We know that there were at leasttwo people in the car that fled
the Wilkinson street that night.
So discussions were had.
The killer talked.
The person who planned thistalked.
Someone got drunk and saidsomething at a party.
Someone confessed to anacquaintance at work on a bad
(20:32):
day.
Selling brag to buddy orthreatened a lover.
It's unfortunate that onepossible source of information
is now dead.
But there is still someone outthere who has the ability to
bring answers to the Wilkinsonfamily and justice for Marianne.
If you have any informationregarding the 2007 shooting of
(20:54):
Marianne Wilkinson.
Please do the right thing andcome forward.
Contact the north Richland Hillspolice department at 8 1 7 2 8 1
1000.
Or if you choose to remainanonymous, you can contact
Crimestoppers at 8 1 7 4 6 9 8 47 7.
And that information will be inthe show notes.
Bree (21:18):
bree Hi, I'm Bree producer here at box in the basement.
Since 1976, there have been17,366 tragic murders of women
aged 65 and older.
In the United States.
Among these 4,000 remainunsolved echoing as for Lauren
(21:39):
whispers in the basements of ourjustice system.
These are women who lookedforward to the golden sunset of
their lives only to have theirstories cut short and the most
heartbreaking manner.
When we delve into the detailsof these cases, we find a mosaic
of methods and motives.
For all murders in thiscategory, there is a
disheartening diversity in thechoice of weapons, guns, knives,
(22:02):
and physical beatings, eachaccount for nearly a quarter of
these crimes.
And the Rome of the unsolved.
Knives emerge as the weapon ofchoice in 25% of cases followed
by beatings at 16%.
And blunt objects at 15%.
Which is really disgustingbecause these are some of the
most vulnerable people in oursociety.
(22:25):
Firearm, surprisingly onlyaccount for 12%, which is what
we saw in today's murder.
This information while grimcarries a silver lining.
Close range, weapons andphysical altercations increase
the likelihood of the offenderleaving behind DNA evidence.
Whether it's a knife slippingand cutting the assailant or the
(22:46):
victims, desperate struggle,leaving traces of the offender's
DNA under their nails or ontheir skin.
These are critical pieces ofevidence that could lead to a
breakthrough.
Most of these unsolved casesinvolve burglaries or robberies
with about 5% showing evidenceof sexual assault.
Each incidents.
Represents a potential trope ofDNA evidence.
(23:08):
When we shift our focus to solvecases, we gain insights into the
typical profiles of offenders.
It's heartening to know that 75%of these heinous crimes do find
closure and examining therelationship between the victim
and perpetrator.
We see a pattern emerge,strangers, spouses and children
are the most commonrelationships found in these
(23:29):
solved cases.
Acquaintances other familymembers and neighbors also
feature prominently.
This data points a picture ofthe potential circle from which
an offender may arise.
Interestingly in cases wherefirearms were the chosen weapon.
The relationship dynamic shifts,slightly spouses, particularly
husbands.
(23:49):
And sons are more commonlyassociated with these incidents.
This nuance and the data helpsus better understand what may be
happening.
But for Marianne Wilkinson'scase, the mystery deepens with
her husband present in the houseand the fleeting glimpse of a
car driving away.
It suggests a stranger'sinvolvement in her untimely
(24:09):
demise.
Stranger killings arenotoriously challenging to solve
often hinges on the look of DNAevidence or the conscience of an
informant.
And Marianne's case.
And in so many likers, our hopeclings to the advancing science
of DNA and the persistence ofinvestigators.
It's a hope that one day, theseunsolved mysteries will find
(24:31):
their answers.
And these boxes in the basementwill finally be closed, bringing
peace to the souls we've lostand solace to those they've left
behind.
This podcast has a biggerpurpose than Just providing
information and theentertainment.
The homicide victims, familiesrights act is a bipartisan bill
(24:55):
that was signed into law byCongress in 2021.
And we want to see it put intoaction.
This law establishes asystematic process for reviewing
case files.
Related to cold case murders.
The focus is on providing amechanism for the families and
friends of murder victims.
To request a formal review ofsuch cases.
(25:19):
We need an attorney or teams ofattorneys and legal
professionals To take on thebold and brave fight against the
system around the country.
In our case, we need someone tofight for Leon to help not only
put fresh eyes on the case.
But to get his body zoomed, tosearch for evidence that was not
(25:40):
collected the first time around.
We and other families andfriends need assistance with
getting foyer requests.
If you want to hear more aboutvictim focused.
Unsolved cases.
And get updates about what weknow.
Please subscribe, like and shareour podcast.
(26:00):
Also visit our website.
Justice for leon.com to donateto our cause to hire an
attorney.
You can also join our email listto stay current on developments
on Leon's case and other cases.
We cover as they happen.
Thank you for spending time withus.
(26:21):
If you'd like to support us, youcan like, and follow our
podcasts wherever you listen.
You can like follow and sharethe justice for Leon Lorella is
GoFund me and Facebook page.
As well as following our box inthe basement, Facebook and Insta
pages.
We have some wonderfulorganizations.
We'd like to suggest where youcan volunteer or donate.
(26:43):
Which are season of justiceuncovered and The looking out
foundation.
aLl who help victims andfamilies.
Thank you.
Please be kind.
Bye.
Please be advised this episode contains detailed
discussions of violence and maynot be suitable for all
listeners.
Arlene (00:08):
Today's story is one that has baffled law enforcement
and the public alike for over 15years.
It devoted mother andgrandmother.
Enjoying a quiet evening at homewith her husband in an upscale
neighborhood in the DFWmetroplex.
She was gunned down at her ownfront door.
And to this day, very fewanswers have been found.
(00:32):
Was it a case of mistakenidentity?
Was it a random shooting?
Was it an attempted robbery gonewrong.
Keep listening as we discuss thecase of Marianne Wilkinson.
Leah (00:45):
Hello and welcome to the box in the basement.
A podcast covering the coldestcases in Texas and around the
United States.
I'm your host, Leah
Arlene (00:54):
and Dom Arlene.
Our goal here as always is tobring attention to unsolved
murders, to dust off those boxesof evidence.
And note sitting in the basementon a shelf or in some massive
digital warehouse.
This isn't just aboutentertainment or education.
We strive to get the publicinvolved.
(01:14):
Maybe someone listening here hasinformation that will help bring
justice.
And or answers to the friendsand families left behind.
Today's story
is that a Marianne Wilkinson?
It's 68 year old retired motherand grandmother who was shot in
her own home by an undignifiedgunman.
Leah (01:36):
2007 seems like so long ago, but at the same time, it
feels like yesterday.
The very first iPhone wasreleased in 2007.
A mass shooter went on a rampageat Virginia tech killing 32
people.
And the war in Iraq, raged on, Ideployed to Baghdad in the
summer of 2007.
(01:57):
The week of December 9th, 2007,when our story takes place.
The number one song on thebillboard hot 100 was no one by
Alicia keys.
The number one movie at the boxoffice was the golden compass.
And double-cross by JamesPatterson was at the top of the
New York times bestseller list.
The spurs won the NBAchampionship.
(02:17):
The Colts won the super bowl.
The red Sox won the world seriesand the ducks won the Stanley
cup.
Marianne Wilkinson and herhusband of 46 years, Dawn.
Lived in an upscale neighborhoodin north Richland Hills, which
is just to the Northeast of Fortworth, Texas.
Today, north Richland Hills hasa population of just over 70,000
(02:39):
people.
And in 2007, the population wasaround 65,000.
That population is mostly white.
Fairly well-educated.
And sits well above the nationalmedian household income.
For perspective in 2007.
A house in the same neighborhoodas the Wilkinson's and nearly
identical to that owned by thevictim in this story.
(03:02):
Was valued at$400,000.
Which is just under$600,000 in2020$3.
And with today's real estateprices.
Houses are probably going formuch higher in that area.
The median age is right around40 and most adults are employed.
The average commute time in thesuburb is just shy of 30
(03:25):
minutes, which indicates mostresidents are working in Fort
worth or in Dallas proper morethan likely.
Violent crime was slightly lowerin north Richland Hills than the
national average.
With 3.2 murders per 100,000.
Compared to 5.4 at the nationallevel.
The most common crimes in northRichland Hills at the time of
(03:47):
this incident were propertycrimes, which makes sense, given
the economic profile.
That brings us to Spence drivein north Richland Hills where
Marianne and her husband, Donresided at the time of her
death.
Marianne was born on November12th, 1939 in Dallas, Texas, and
was raised in Highland park.
(04:08):
She went to Southern Methodistuniversity and was a member of
Zeta tau alpha sorority.
She and her husband had twochildren.
Uh, son, Michael and a daughter,Melanie, who both still live in
the metroplex at the time of herdeath.
She also had four younggrandchildren who referred to
Marianne as Mimi.
She was active in her church,the first Baptist church of
(04:30):
Keller.
Where she helped run vacationBible school and was on the
social committee for her Sundayschool class.
Marianne was a certified mastergardener.
She enjoyed decorating herhouse.
And she loved spending time withfriends and family.
She and her husband were fairlyrecently retired and they spent
a good amount of time traveling.
(04:52):
The evening of Sunday, December9th.
Was the quiet one in thewilkinson household.
Marianne had no doubt gone tochart earlier that day.
But Mariana has been Dawnplanned on spending the evening
together alone.
They had dinner.
And they watched the DallasCowboys beat the Detroit lions.
(05:13):
When the game ended.
Marianne slapped her husband'sknee and said, how's that?
Perfect ending to a perfectweekend.
And that really breaks my heart.
At around 8:00 PM, Marianne andher husband were still watching
TV.
When the doorbell rang.
Marianne got up to answer thedoor.
(05:33):
I'm pretty much, as soon as sheopened it, a man in the doorway
shot her at least three times.
And then quickly fled.
And neighbor heard the gunshotsand called 9 1 1.
Police responded quickly.
And attempted to perform CPR, aMarianne who was still alive.
But their efforts were in vain.
(05:55):
Marianne died shortlythereafter.
The martyr shocked, the quietneighborhood and police were
stumped from the start.
Witnesses in the area related tothe cops that they saw a man
fleet.
They woke us in houseimmediately after firing three
or four shots in the doorway.
He was described as wearing ahoodie.
(06:16):
He jumped into a gold or tancolored sedan that was waiting
nearby.
Well, this case isn't as old assome others we've covered.
And planned to cover.
This was still a few yearsbefore residential security
cameras became the norm.
Most of the houses on our bloghave a ring doorbell.
We're an overhead camera.
(06:36):
Or one of those little stick-upcameras in the front.
But 2007 was still a littleearly for that.
The Wilkinson house was tuckedinto a suburban neighborhood.
Far from intersections andcommercial areas.
So there were no traffic cams orbusinesses with security cameras
in the immediate vicinity.
(06:58):
There were traffic cameras onthe main roads nearby.
And investigators searched forthe gold sedan and its
occupants, but to no avail.
Police had to rely on theevidence at the scene.
Of which there was very little.
And accounts from neighbors andpassers by.
Which would be problematicbecause it was dark.
(07:19):
I've seen photos of theneighborhood.
Large houses, setback on biglawns.
Not many street lights around.
And the days before, easy homesecurity cameras.
It will be pretty easy to runaway from someone's residence
without the neighbors getting agood look.
As we said before, there wasvery little physical evidence
(07:40):
found at the scene because theincident happened so quickly and
unexpectedly.
There was no struggle, noargument, nothing.
The killer didn't attempt tobreak in through a back window
or climb over a fence.
He simply rang the doorbell andshot the woman who answered the
door.
There was no time for a struggleor a fight.
(08:01):
And Marianne's husband, Dondidn't have any time to react
before the killer fled thescene.
He heard the shots ran to thefoyer.
And found Maryanne bleeding frommultiple gunshot wounds.
There was a single spent shellcasing found at the scene that
had a fingerprint, but to myknowledge, nothing ever came of
this.
(08:21):
This was 2007, not 1977.
So technology for analyzingevidence like fingerprints was
pretty solid.
However, the fingerprint was apartial and was probably of poor
quality.
Because the north Richland Hillspolice sent the shell casing all
the way to England for advancedforensic analysis.
(08:42):
And this analysis didn't occuruntil almost a year after the
murder.
The only articles I've read fromthe years between 2008 and now
indicate that nothing of valuehas come from the fingerprint
analysis.
Analysts were able to recoverthe print successfully, but no
match has been found.
I found an article on sciencedaily that explained the
(09:04):
forensic science involved inthis fingerprint analysis.
And I thought it was reallyinteresting to take a look at
how this kind of thing washandled back in 2008.
Dr.
John Bond and honorary researchfellow at the university of
Leicester forensic researchcenter developed a way to
visualize fingerprints.
Even if the print itself hadbeen removed.
(09:26):
Basically fingerprints cancorrode metal surfaces and Dr.
Bond's technique could recoverthose prints from a shell
casing.
I thought that was kind of cool.
It's unfortunate.
It didn't work in this case, butthe evolution of forensic
science is something that all ofus true crime nerds find
interesting on one level oranother.
(09:47):
What police hoped would be abreak came in March of 2008.
On Easter Sunday.
Almost five months after themurder.
When a child found a discardedlarge caliber handgun.
Around eight miles from themurder scene.
This gun was determined to be.
The weapon that killed MarianneWilkinson.
(10:08):
And investigators jumped on thechance to recover some
meaningful evidence.
Unfortunately.
Since months had passed and thegun had been exposed to the
elements.
And different environments.
There wasn't much to go on.
Records showed that the gun inquestion had changed hands
(10:29):
numerous times between itsinitial purchase And the murder.
And spanned at least two statesSo the likelihood of finding a
legitimate registered owner.
Or even an illegitimate owner islow.
That being said.
There is still value inattempting to trace ownership.
(10:49):
Like the shell, Casey.
The gun is just another puzzlingclues sitting in that box in the
basement, collecting dust.
On Marianne's family waits.
Marianne Wilkinson had no knownenemies.
By all accounts.
She was a good human who lovedher family and spend her free
time at church traveling or inher garden.
(11:11):
Her husband was the only otherperson inside the Wilkinson
house when the murder happened.
So why did she die?
Who would just gun down agrandmother while she watched
Sunday night football in hersuburban home.
Rumors started almostimmediately after the murder, as
they tend to do.
But because there were so fewpieces of physical evidence
(11:32):
available.
And I witnessed accounts werespare.
Police had to lean into avariety of theories.
One neighborhood rumor claimedthat two drugged out weirdos
were knocking on doors in thearea, trying to sell fake
mistletoe.
Well, this kind of thing iscertainly not out of the realm
of possibilities.
It seems rather strange thatsomeone trying to make a quick
(11:55):
buck would just pull out a gunand start shooting when a
potential scam victim answeredthe door.
Thus, the rumor was quicklydismissed.
Could this have been some sortof gang initiation.
A random shooting to provide thepotential gang members.
A random shooting to prove thepotential gang members worth.
(12:15):
It's possible, I suppose, but tome it's just as nonsensical as
the fake mistletoe theory.
Why go all the way out to anupscale subdivision in north
Richland Hills.
To me, it seems like too big ofa risk.
Do you remember the movie gonein 60 seconds where the crew
steals a car out of a garage ina suburban housing development.
(12:37):
That's what I think when Iconsider this scenario.
The car thieves in the movie gotlost in the neighborhood.
And their whole plan went tohell.
I can't remember the exactquote, but one of them says
something like we're lost insuburban hill.
Don't come for me.
It's been like 10 years since Isaw it last..
This neighborhood isn't exactlylike the one in the movie, but
(12:58):
it still seems like a bad idea.
North Richland Hills is a good25 minutes from Fort worth,
proper and 40 minutes from theheart of Dallas.
It is worth mentioning that thisgang initiation theory kind of
took off with the public.
And this was partially becausesome of the media hype going on
at the time.
(13:18):
A little bit of fear-mongeringclickbaiting whatever you want
to call it.
Combined with overzealouscitizens, trying to quote
unquote, warn their neighborswith half-baked conspiracy
theories.
And then there was an emailforward making the rounds,
claiming a local news stationreported that a quote unquote,
local gang was doing aninitiation.
(13:39):
Where they'd go knock on randomdoors and shoot whoever
answered.
2007 was prime time for emailforwards.
Most of us don't even botherreading our emails nowadays.
But before social media was asbig of a deal as it is now.
That's how things went viral.
Email.
This email went on to say thatthere were two other related
(14:02):
shootings in the Fort worth areathat were attributed attributed
to gang initiations.
But these claims turned out tobe false.
Neither of the other incidentswere random attacks.
One is believed to be an armedrobbery.
And the other was part of anongoing dispute between two
individuals.
We were just as keen to believeany old nonsense that came
(14:23):
through our inbox back in 2007,as we are any random YouTube
videos or memes today.
It doesn't help in unsolvedcases at all.
It just creates more clutter forinvestigators and families to
Wade through.
Again, a gang initiation ispossible, I suppose.
But seems very unlikely to meetfor a lot of reasons.
(14:46):
That leads us to the thirdpossibility, which is the one
police had favored since earlyon in the investigation.
That Marianne Wilkinson was theunfortunate victim of mistaken
identity.
Investigators theorize that theshooter was looking for someone
else.
And either panicked and shot thefirst person who came to the
door.
(15:06):
Or he was a hired Hitman anddidn't recognize he had the
wrong target.
In 2008, police identified twopersons of interest, his
activities and circumstancesseem to fit the narrative.
That this was a hit, gone wrong.
Dennis Michael Taylor, age 45 atthe time.
And Vincent Lane, each 44.
(15:29):
Taylor was caught up in acontentious divorce.
At the time of the murder.
He and his estranged wife livedon the next street over.
Same house number.
Different street, just one blockaway.
Taylor's.
Soon to be ex went to the policeherself with this theory.
(15:51):
She was afraid of her husbandand felt like maybe she was the
intended target.
Her house and the Wilkinsonhouse looks pretty similar.
And they were practicallyneighbors.
According to court records,restraining orders came down
from both sides of the divorce.
There were multiple accusationsof violence between them.
(16:14):
And ownership of the couplesbusiness.
And a whole lot of money whereat stake.
So the idea of escalating tomurder is not entirely
unbelievable.
It sounds like a perfect murderfor hire situation.
That maybe it's a little tooperfect.
Since nothing has kind of it.
(16:35):
Lane, the other person ofinterest is just listed as an
associate of Taylor's.
In 2008 journalists noted that aman named Vincent Lane worked at
Dennis Taylor's trucking companyin Fort worth.
But that is all the informationavailable to us at that time.
Neither Dennis Taylor.
(16:56):
Or Vincent Lane have ever beenarrested or charged with this
crime?
They both had clean recordsapart from the restraining
orders related to Taylor'sdivorce.
There's also the matter of thegun.
Which was just discarded in thebushes.
I could never be definitelylinked to anyone in the area or
anyone related to the murder.
(17:19):
That to me, sounds like a murderfor hire.
But again, I'm speculating.
So while this does seem like themost plausible explanation for
the events of December 9th,2007.
There are obviously some biggaps in questions that can't be
answered.
And then one year turned intotwo.
(17:40):
Then five.
Then in August of 2013, a thirdindividual, Willie Boley who at
the time of the murder lived inPalestine, Texas.
I was named a person ofinterest.
No information was published atthe time.
Bully came under scrutiny.
And there is no obviousconnection.
At least not one that wecivilians can make between Bali
(18:01):
and the other two persons ofinterest named back in 2008.
Some sources claim that Boleymay have been an employee of
Taylor's, but there's noconfirmation on that.
At least not that I've found.
Bully did have a criminalrecord, including a domestic
violence related charge.
But that's all the informationwe have on his life.
(18:22):
In December of 2013, bullyhimself was shot dead in
Oklahoma city during an allegeddomestic dispute with his
girlfriend.
The girlfriend claimed bully wasphysically assaulting her.
So she defended herself with agun.
And that was the end of thatlead, at least for the time
being.
And unfortunately it eliminateda potential source of
(18:44):
information and or evidence fromthe investigation.
If Boley was actually involved.
The 10th anniversary of MarianneWilkinson's death came and went
with no new answers.
No new persons of interest, nosuspects and no new evidence.
The next development in the casecame in 2019.
When police announced they wereable to develop a DNA profile
(19:08):
from some of the evidence.
This was the most significantmovement in the entire history
of the case.
Or at least that's whatinvestigators and the family
hoped.
But sadly, as of January 20, 24,Nothing has come of this DNA
profile.
At least not anythinginvestigators have made public.
(19:28):
It has now been 16 years sinceNerian Wilkinsons murder.
aNd there are frustratingly fewanswers.
There is a Facebook pagededicated to her memory called
justice for Marianne.
The page is full of familypictures, memories.
Photos of Marianne's collectionof Christmas decorations and
(19:48):
celebrations of her life.
There's no anger.
No betterness only love.
Sadness and hope.
Marianne's family.
And we here at box in thebasement.
Believe this case is solvable.
Like so many of the other casesvesting in dusty boxes.
And the dark corners of servers.
(20:10):
Someone knows what happened.
We know that there were at leasttwo people in the car that fled
the Wilkinson street that night.
So discussions were had.
The killer talked.
The person who planned thistalked.
Someone got drunk and saidsomething at a party.
Someone confessed to anacquaintance at work on a bad
(20:32):
day.
Selling brag to buddy orthreatened a lover.
It's unfortunate that onepossible source of information
is now dead.
But there is still someone outthere who has the ability to
bring answers to the Wilkinsonfamily and justice for Marianne.
If you have any informationregarding the 2007 shooting of
(20:54):
Marianne Wilkinson.
Please do the right thing andcome forward.
Contact the north Richland Hillspolice department at 8 1 7 2 8 1
1000.
Or if you choose to remainanonymous, you can contact
Crimestoppers at 8 1 7 4 6 9 8 47 7.
And that information will be inthe show notes.
Bree (21:18):
bree Hi, I'm Bree producer here at box in the basement.
Since 1976, there have been17,366 tragic murders of women
aged 65 and older.
In the United States.
Among these 4,000 remainunsolved echoing as for Lauren
(21:39):
whispers in the basements of ourjustice system.
These are women who lookedforward to the golden sunset of
their lives only to have theirstories cut short and the most
heartbreaking manner.
When we delve into the detailsof these cases, we find a mosaic
of methods and motives.
For all murders in thiscategory, there is a
disheartening diversity in thechoice of weapons, guns, knives,
(22:02):
and physical beatings, eachaccount for nearly a quarter of
these crimes.
And the Rome of the unsolved.
Knives emerge as the weapon ofchoice in 25% of cases followed
by beatings at 16%.
And blunt objects at 15%.
Which is really disgustingbecause these are some of the
most vulnerable people in oursociety.
(22:25):
Firearm, surprisingly onlyaccount for 12%, which is what
we saw in today's murder.
This information while grimcarries a silver lining.
Close range, weapons andphysical altercations increase
the likelihood of the offenderleaving behind DNA evidence.
Whether it's a knife slippingand cutting the assailant or the
(22:46):
victims, desperate struggle,leaving traces of the offender's
DNA under their nails or ontheir skin.
These are critical pieces ofevidence that could lead to a
breakthrough.
Most of these unsolved casesinvolve burglaries or robberies
with about 5% showing evidenceof sexual assault.
Each incidents.
Represents a potential trope ofDNA evidence.
(23:08):
When we shift our focus to solvecases, we gain insights into the
typical profiles of offenders.
It's heartening to know that 75%of these heinous crimes do find
closure and examining therelationship between the victim
and perpetrator.
We see a pattern emerge,strangers, spouses and children
are the most commonrelationships found in these
(23:29):
solved cases.
Acquaintances other familymembers and neighbors also
feature prominently.
This data points a picture ofthe potential circle from which
an offender may arise.
Interestingly in cases wherefirearms were the chosen weapon.
The relationship dynamic shifts,slightly spouses, particularly
husbands.
(23:49):
And sons are more commonlyassociated with these incidents.
This nuance and the data helpsus better understand what may be
happening.
But for Marianne Wilkinson'scase, the mystery deepens with
her husband present in the houseand the fleeting glimpse of a
car driving away.
It suggests a stranger'sinvolvement in her untimely
(24:09):
demise.
Stranger killings arenotoriously challenging to solve
often hinges on the look of DNAevidence or the conscience of an
informant.
And Marianne's case.
And in so many likers, our hopeclings to the advancing science
of DNA and the persistence ofinvestigators.
It's a hope that one day, theseunsolved mysteries will find
(24:31):
their answers.
And these boxes in the basementwill finally be closed, bringing
peace to the souls we've lostand solace to those they've left
behind.
This podcast has a biggerpurpose than Just providing
information and theentertainment.
The homicide victims, familiesrights act is a bipartisan bill
(24:55):
that was signed into law byCongress in 2021.
And we want to see it put intoaction.
This law establishes asystematic process for reviewing
case files.
Related to cold case murders.
The focus is on providing amechanism for the families and
friends of murder victims.
To request a formal review ofsuch cases.
(25:19):
We need an attorney or teams ofattorneys and legal
professionals To take on thebold and brave fight against the
system around the country.
In our case, we need someone tofight for Leon to help not only
put fresh eyes on the case.
But to get his body zoomed, tosearch for evidence that was not
(25:40):
collected the first time around.
We and other families andfriends need assistance with
getting foyer requests.
If you want to hear more aboutvictim focused.
Unsolved cases.
And get updates about what weknow.
Please subscribe, like and shareour podcast.
(26:00):
Also visit our website.
Justice for leon.com to donateto our cause to hire an
attorney.
You can also join our email listto stay current on developments
on Leon's case and other cases.
We cover as they happen.
Thank you for spending time withus.
(26:21):
If you'd like to support us, youcan like, and follow our
podcasts wherever you listen.
You can like follow and sharethe justice for Leon Lorella is
GoFund me and Facebook page.
As well as following our box inthe basement, Facebook and Insta
pages.
We have some wonderfulorganizations.
We'd like to suggest where youcan volunteer or donate.
(26:43):
Which are season of justiceuncovered and The looking out
foundation.
aLl who help victims andfamilies.
Thank you.
Please be kind.
Bye.
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