Mary Byron was waiting for her car to warm up in the parking lot of the mall where she worked on the night of her 21st birthday. She was about to head home to decorate the Christmas tree with her family. Instead she was shot to death by Donavan Harris, her former boyfriend.
Just a few weeks earlier, Harris was arrested for holding Mary hostage at gunpoint and assaulting her in the basement of her own home. He was released on bond, and less than a week later, Mary was dead.
This left the Mary's family, and the community, wondering if things could have been different if they had been notified of his release from jail. This case ultimately led to the creation of the victim notification service known today as VINE.
*Listener discretion advised*
Thanks to Christopher B. for recommending this case.
Thanks to Ms. Lillie for becoming a Patreon member!
Thanks to Neal for your donation and for hyping the show up while visiting local landmarks!
The 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-844-BESAFE1 (237-2331)
Follow the show on Instagram @kyhistory haunts or look it up on Facebook by typing the show name in the search bar. Send emails to kyhistoryhaunts@gmail.com
Send mail to:
Kentucky History & Haunts
9115 Leesgate Rd, Suite A
Louisville, KY 40222
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!