October 11, 2023 • 26 mins
In Oak Harbor, Ohio, in the early morning hours of Halloween in 2010, William "B.J." Liske murdered his dad, Bill Liske; his stepmom, Susan Liske; and his stepbrother, Derek Griffin.
Please give this podcast a 5-star rating and review on Apple or a 5-star rating on Spotify. Spread the word about this podcast - tell your friends, coworkers and family about it. Follow the podcast on social media; Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok are @tellmeatruecrimestory.
You can support the podcast at buymeacoffee.com/truecrimestorypod
Thank you so much and big, big hugs to each and every one of you!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tell me a true crime story.
Hey there, welcome to Tell Me aTrue Crime Story podcast.
(00:20):
I'm your host, holly.
I'm so appreciative of you forbeing here.
I know that you have a wholelot of quality choices out there
as far as true crime podcastsgo, so I am truly honored and
thrilled that you choose tolisten to me.
Thank you for taking me alongwith you and allowing me to be a
(00:41):
part of your day in your life.
I hope that you and your familyare happy, healthy and together
forever.
Big, big hugs to all of you.
Don't worry, I'm not going toblab a lot, but some things are
important to cover, so if youdon't want to hear anything
except for the story, hit thatfast forward button a few times.
(01:04):
Besides, some people like tohear me blab a little bit, so,
in an effort to make everyonehappy, I'm just going to say a
few quick things before we getstarted.
I'm just going to reiterate howimportant reviews are to me and
this podcast.
I want to ask those of you whoenjoy the podcast and haven't
(01:25):
done so to please take a fewminutes and give me a five-star
rating and a written review onApple.
Many of you have done thatfavor for me already and I thank
you from the bottom of my heartbecause I know you guys are
super busy out there witheverything and everyone you have
to take care of this.
Last week, I received five-starreviews from Shapa 21, faye
(01:48):
Susie and Kasey Welles 2014.
Shapa said I came across yourpodcast on TikTok.
I had to look you up on ApplePodcast.
I must say I'm a new follower.
I really enjoy the stories youtell.
I also really like how youengage with your audience.
I think it's so cool.
Keep up the good work, thankyou, thank you.
(02:09):
Thank you, shapa.
I want to give you a big, bighug.
Faye Susie said found you onTikTok and I'm now addicted to
this show.
Lol.
You're doing a good job.
Thanks for doing this, thankyou, thank you.
Thank you so much, faye Susie.
I appreciate you taking thetime out of your day to write
that for me.
Big hugs to you.
(02:29):
And Kasey Welles 2014 said myabsolute favorite thing to
listen to while working.
Great job, keep these episodescoming, please.
Thank you so much.
Kasey Welles, thank you forletting me keep you company as
you work and big, big hugs toyou.
Thank you for writing me thatreview.
So, oh my gosh.
(02:51):
You know, like when I receivethese, I can't tell you how much
they make my whole day, weekand month.
Thank you so much, you guys,and the biggest of hugs to you
guys.
So, to leave me a rating andreview on Apple, like those kind
peeps did, just go to my showpage and scroll down to you see
ratings and reviews, select astar rating.
(03:13):
Then below that, click on writea review and if you listen on
Spotify, you can write a comment, like, about each individual
episode and you can also give mea five star rating.
So for those of you that aregiving me those five star
ratings on Spotify because theyare, you know, I am getting more
of those.
I can't see who you are tothank you by name, to thank you
(03:34):
personally.
But thank you so very much.
You know who you are and greatbig hugs to all of you.
Please follow this podcast onFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
My username on all three ofthose is at tell me a true crime
story.
So, okay, okay, enough of that.
Now let me tell you a truecrime story.
(03:56):
It's that time of year, so I'mcontinuing to cover murders that
occurred on Halloween.
Here's another one of thosestories.
So let me set the scene for youjust a bit.
Our story takes place onHalloween in 2010 in a small
village in Ohio called OakHarbor.
A village in Ohio is amunicipality with less than
(04:16):
5,000 residents.
The population of Oak Harbor in2010 was a little less than
2,800 and hasn't grown muchsince then.
The population of Oak Harbornow is just a little over 2,800
people.
Oak Harbor is mostly rural andis located in north-central Ohio
, in Ottawa County, about 30miles southeast of downtown
(04:38):
Toledo.
The village is located alongthe shoreline of one of the five
great lakes, lake Erie.
Oak Harbor is known as theWarbler Capital of the World.
What's a Warbler, you say?
Well, a Warbler is a small,adorable little bird.
I didn't know what it waseither.
I had to go look it up.
(04:59):
According to VisitToledoorg,the shores of Lake Erie quote
serve as a resting spot forthousands of Warblers each
spring before they continuetheir trek across Lake Erie to
Canada.
Visitors from all over theUnited States and around the
world flock to witness thisphenomenon each May end.
Quote.
Oak Harbor also hosts a popularannual Apple Festival, which
(05:23):
attracts thousands of people tothe village.
Man the random off-the-wallstuff we learn together in these
episodes.
So on Sunday, october 31st,halloween morning in 2010,
16-year-old Devon Griffinstopped at home at about 9.30 am
to change his clothes beforegoing to sing in the choir at
(05:44):
church.
His parents were divorced andhe had been at his dad's house
that weekend.
He didn't know it then, butbeing at his dad's house that
weekend very likely saved hislife, while Devon was at home.
While Devon was at the homethat he shared with his stepdad,
his mom and his brother gettingon his church clothes, he'd
(06:05):
only encountered his stepbrother, 24-year-old William Lisk, who
went by BJ.
Bj Lisk didn't live there withthem, but had only spent the
night there.
The prior evening, devon saw BJloading something into his
dad's white F-150 pickup truck.
Devon found BJ to be happierand more chatty and upbeat than
normal that morning.
(06:25):
Typically, he was gloomy anddarkish.
Bj had asked him what he wasdoing and how long he'd been
gone, but he didn't think muchof it and quickly changed his
clothes and went off to church.
Devin was in and out of thehouse within about five minutes.
Devin returned from church aboutan hour and a half later and
went directly upstairs to playvideo games.
(06:46):
A couple of hours later, atabout 1.30 pm, he realized that
the house was too quiet, like noone was around.
Where was everybody?
16-year-old Devin couldn't haveimagined the unbelievably
grisly, shocking scene that hewas about to encounter.
It was so unbelievable that fora few seconds he thought it was
a Halloween prank.
(07:07):
He moved through the eerilysilent house and went downstairs
to the master bedroom.
There he found his mom and hisstepdad still in bed covered up
under their comforter.
He started talking to them towake them.
As he walked in and went to hismom's side of the bed, their
maroon comforter was pulled upover their heads, with only his
mom's foot sticking out.
He tapped her on the leg, butshe didn't move.
(07:29):
He continued to talk to her ashe pulled the covers down a
little, and that's when he sawthat her pillow was soaked with
blood.
At that moment is when hethought it may be a Halloween
prank, but it quickly registeredwith him that this was real.
He began to cry as he ran outof the room and out of the house
.
Devon called his aunt, lori, ina complete panic and told her
(07:52):
what he'd discovered.
But Lori had already beenconcerned because Devon's older
brother, derek, hadn't showed upthat morning as planned to do
some work for her husband, loriimmediately called the police
and then went straight over toconsole her 16-year-old nephew,
devon.
Authorities responded to theLisk home located at 7052 North
(08:12):
Ohio 2 that sat on about ahundred acres and found Bill and
Susan Lisk in their bed, bothdead from gunshot wounds.
Blood spatter covered the wallsof their bedroom.
Fifty-three-year-old Bill Liskhad the covers pulled up over
him and was in a naturalsleeping position.
He'd been shot five times inthe head and face from a
(08:32):
distance of only one to two feetaway.
However, investigators notedthat 46-year-old Susan Lisk was
sprawled more awkwardly, as ifshe'd been moved or repositioned
.
She had been shot with a smallcaliber weapon, probably a
twenty-two, three times, also atclose range.
Two shots were to her head andone shot was a defensive wound
(08:54):
to her hand.
A medical examination laterrevealed that she'd been
sexually assaulted either rightbefore or after she was killed.
Authorities then went upstairsto check on 23-year-old Derek
Griffin and found the door tohis room locked.
They kicked the door in andfound Derek curled up in his bed
in a fetal position, dead.
He'd suffered severe trauma tohis head, but it was not
(09:18):
immediately clear if he'd beenshot or had suffered injuries
from a blunt object.
It was later determined thathe'd been bludgeoned with both
sides of a claw hammer and diedas a result of blunt force
trauma to the head.
Investigators found a bloodyhammer in a closet, which was
found to be consistent withDerek's wounds.
Investigators surmised thatduring the wee hours of the
(09:40):
morning on Halloween, whileeveryone slept, the killer
entered Derek's room and killedhim, first using the hammer
instead of a gun, so as not toawaken Bill and Susan Lisk.
Then the killer locked Derek'sbedroom door as they walked out,
possibly to delay the discoveryof his body.
Investigators also figured thatsixteen-year-old Devon Griffin
(10:03):
likely would have been murderedtoo, had he not been with his
father that weekend.
How could this have happened tothese great people?
Who would have wanted them dead?
Who was responsible for theseheinous, cold-blooded murders?
People familiar with the familymay have said that it wasn't
that much of a surprise thatthey would have guessed that
(10:23):
something like this couldpossibly happen one day.
Neighbours, friends, familymembers and even police records
gave authorities a solidinvestigative angle to pursue
when they told them of the priorviolent acts that BJ Lisk had
committed against his dad, hisstepmom and others, and of the
(10:44):
strained relationship between BJ, his dad and his stepmom.
Now let's go back in time alittle bit and talk about some
of those previous acts ofviolence perpetrated by BJ
Reportedly.
After BJ's mom and dad divorced, he started skipping school and
misbehaving.
His dad married Susan in 2001,when BJ would have been about 15
(11:07):
years old.
Bj and his new stepmom had acontentious relationship from
the start.
Some of the reason for that maybe because Susan attempted to
establish some rules and BJbegan to resent her for that.
About eight years prior to themurders in 2002,
then-16-year-old BJ Lisk wasalready on house arrest when he
(11:29):
threatened to harm himself.
His dad, bill, called the copsand when they arrived, bj Lisk
attacked the officers and gotcharged as a juvenile with
assaulting a peace officer.
At some point neighbors began tosuspect BJ Lisk of torturing
and killing their pets.
Only friend and neighbor MarkGradel said his dog was shot
(11:51):
twice with 22 caliber bullets.
Mark Gradel told investigatorsthat Bill often called him for
help when BJ was causingproblems.
Bill would say something toMark like hey, come over, it's
BJ, or BJ is getting goofy.
But on at least one occasionDerek Griffin, susan's son and
Bill's stepson, called Markbecause BJ and his dad, bill,
(12:14):
were physically fighting.
Mark Gradel also toldinvestigators that he'd had some
serious talks with Bill aboutthe family's safety where BJ was
concerned.
Mark said it was a hardconversation to have because
Bill could never see the bad inBJ.
Bj was Bill's only son and Billwould just tell Mark BJ won't
(12:35):
hurt us.
Even though Bill had receivedphysical injuries from BJ.
In October of 2004, bj Lisk wasjust one month shy of 19 when he
hit his stepmom, Susan Lisk,hard in the chest, and I'm not
sure if this was part of thesame incident, but BJ Lisk
attempted to attack Susan as sheshowered too.
(12:57):
Bj Lisk was kicked out of hisparents' home Just two months
after that.
Bj Lisk hit Susan with a coffeecup and stole her car keys.
As a result, he was chargedwith felonious assault and
robbery.
However, the charges wereeventually dropped when he was
found incompetent to stand trial.
(13:17):
In February of 2006, bill Liskfiled for guardianship over
then-20-year-old BJ.
The guardianship applicationstated, quote Mr Lisk wants to
protect William and to get himthe help that he needs.
He would eventually like to seehim in a halfway house or a
group home.
When William is on hismedication he does really good.
(13:38):
After a while he will stoptaking it because he thinks he
is OK, starts drinking smokingpot, end quote.
Court records show that in 2007,bj was hospitalized for
Schizoaffective Disorder,bipolar type.
He went to live at a group homefor mental health patients in
Sandusky, ohio, which was onlyabout 30 miles away from where
(14:00):
his dad and step family live.
Bj's father, bill, visited himat the group home often.
Since moving into the grouphome, bj Lisk had had at least
three encounters with police.
One time he and his father,bill, got into a physical fight
when his dad had gone there topick him up.
Despite everything, bill Lisknever gave up on his only son.
(14:20):
In fact, the week before themurders, he had taken some
vacation time from work in orderto take BJ on a trip to the
family's hunting cabin on PokerRoad in rural Carroll County,
ohio, about a three-hour driveaway.
On Saturday, october 30, the daybefore the murders, bill and BJ
Lisk had returned from deerhunting.
(14:40):
That evening they drank a fewbeers with Mark Gradle.
Later, mark Gradle would tellinvestigators that everyone had
a good time and that the smallget-together had broken up
around midnight.
Mark Gradle said that he didn'tsee Derek Griffin, susan's
23-year-old son, that night, butthat was not unusual because
the stepbrothers, derek and BJLisk, did not get along.
(15:03):
Bj Lisk was not allowed to liveat the home and was living at
the group home at the time.
He rarely even spent the nightat his parents' home because of
his tendency to get violent, butBill Lisk had been drinking and
he didn't think it was a goodidea to drive BJ back to the
group home in Sandusky thatnight, although BJ was permitted
to spend the night.
(15:24):
When investigators searched thehouse after the murders they
found a bed made up on theliving room sofa, apparently for
BJ Lisk.
Authorities spoke withwitnesses, collected evidence
and pieced together a timelineof events surrounding the
murders.
They looked into 16-year-oldDevon Griffin but rather quickly
ruled him out as a suspect.
(15:44):
The murder investigation beganto focus solely on 24-year-old
BJ Lisk.
There was no sign of forcedentry or of anything being
stolen from the home.
The.22 caliber rifle that wasused to shoot and kill Bill and
Susan would have ejected brassshell casings.
However, none were found at thescene.
(16:05):
The killer had obviously pickedthem up.
Neighbor Michelle Gradle, whowas Mark Gradle's wife, heard
banging sounds, which werelikely the gunshots that killed
Bill and Susan at about 6.30 amon Halloween, october 31st, the
morning of the murders,detectives found out that when
Devon Griffin left the house andheaded to church, bj Lisk had
(16:27):
taken off in his dad's whiteFord F-150 truck with his dad's
cell phone and wallet also inhis possession.
He'd driven to the family'shunting cabin Remember that was
about three hours away in ruralCarroll County, ohio.
Bj Lisk had been at the cabinfor less than an hour when
Sheriff's deputies from thatcounty went there and arrested
(16:48):
him.
Ottawa County Sheriff'sdetectives traveled to the cabin
to look for evidence.
They searched the cabin andsurrounding property.
On the counter they found anuneaten subway sandwich.
Detectives went to a subwaynear the camp to view their
security video which showed BJLisk purchasing the sandwich.
Apparently, he hadn't had timeto eat it before the Carroll
(17:09):
County Sheriff's deputiesdescended upon the cabin and
took him into custody.
Detectives working back at themurder scene at the family home
learned from the survivingstepbrother, sixteen-year-old
Devon Griffin, that the familyowned quite a few guns.
They confiscated many of themand sent them for forensic
testing.
The sprawling property wassearched and a muddy footprint
(17:31):
was discovered along a dock neara pond.
Investigators thought that thekiller may have thrown the
murdered weapon into the pondfrom the dock.
However, the pond was drainedand no weapon was found.
Evidence sniffing dogs foundnothing on the property either,
but in the white F-150 truck,investigators found blood and
(17:51):
a.22 caliber rifle.
Later on, testing of BJ Liskclothing would reveal that his
boxer shorts and shoes containedblood and DNA from all three
murder victims his dad Bill, hisstep-mom Susan and his
step-brother Derek.
Bj Lisk was charged with threecounts of aggravated murder,
which he pleaded not guilty to,and was held on a $3 million
(18:13):
bond.
He was initially held in OttawaCounty, but because one of his
family members worked incorrections there, he was moved
to the Erie County Jail.
The court appointed a guardianto BJ Lisk and he underwent a
competency evaluation.
Despite his history of mentalillness, he was deemed competent
to stand trial.
According to Detective GeorgeByington of the Ottawa County
(18:37):
Sheriff's Office, bj Lisk talkedwith his mom on the phone from
jail and she asked him aboutwhat he'd done.
In the March 19, 2011conversation, she read her son,
bj, a full newspaper articleabout the killings and then
asked him you did this, you didall this stuff?
Her son replied yeah.
(18:57):
She said BJ, how could you?
And he answered I wasn't in myright mind.
Then he said Mom, I can't talkabout this anymore.
After that phone conversationwith his mom, bj Lisk gave up
his right to a jury trial andchanged his plea to guilty.
In August of 2011, he enteredinto a plea agreement that the
(19:19):
prosecutor had worked out withthe family of the victims.
Bj Lisk's defense attorneycalled the plea deal quote
unquote a fair resolution.
Bj Lisk avoided a possibledeath sentence and, under the
plea deal, accepted three lifesentences without the
possibility of parole.
He signed the plea agreement incourt.
(19:40):
Judge Winters asked BJ Lisk Isit true you have agreed to
imprisonment without thepossibility of parole?
He answered yes, your Honor.
As Ottawa County Prosecutor MarkMulligan detailed the murders
to the courtroom, people weptand shook their heads.
When he finished reading thefacts of the case, bj Lisk
(20:00):
admitted to the honorable judge,bruce Winters, that they were
all correct.
He said yes, your Honor,effectively admitting an open
court, before Judge Winters andin front of a gallery full of
family, friends and others, thathe murdered his dad, stepmom
and stepbrother on Halloween in2010.
(20:20):
The next month, on September 14, 2011, before the judge
officially handed down hissentence, bj Lisk apologized for
the killings quote.
I want to say I'm extremelysorry, it is all my fault, I
don't blame anyone but myself.
End quote.
He blamed his actions on Satanand mental illness quote.
(20:41):
I cannot explain why ithappened, only my eternal
struggle with mental illnesscaused by great affliction from
the devil.
End quote he said that Satanwas, and still is working to
destroy his soul.
Almost a year after the murders,ottawa County Common Pleas
Judge Bruce Winters sentenced BJLisk to three life sentences
(21:03):
without the possibility ofparole.
Three and a half years later,at 11.25 pm on March 31, 2015,
29-year-old BJ Lisk was founddead in his prison cell from a
self-inflicted wound.
He'd been serving his time atRoss Correctional Institution in
Chillicothe, ohio, as inmatenumber A-604625.
(21:27):
As if the survivors of thisfamily hadn't suffered enough
loss, another incomprehensibletragedy befell them.
Just hours after the murders ofBill, susan and Derek, on
November 1, 2010, bill Lisk,younger sister, 52-year-old Zoo
Dunmire, who lived about 30minutes away from Bill, died in
(21:50):
an explosive fire in herdetached garage next to her
house.
So surely young.
The mother of Bill Lisk and ZooDunmire, who died in the fire,
shirley, lost her son, herdaughter, her daughter-in-law
and her grandson in less than 24hours.
I guess it's to be expected, butit seems that there's always so
(22:11):
much fallout in true crimecases.
I mean, think about 16-year-oldDevon Griffin, who lost not
only his mama but his bigbrother and his stepdad.
They didn't die in a car wreckor an accident.
They were senselessly murdered,violently ripped away from him
forever, and he doesn't evenhave the benefit of remembering
(22:34):
them as they were in life, happyand whole.
No, he has to live with theimage etched into his memory of
what he discovered that day,when he pulled the comforter
down from his mom's face andfound her cold, damaged and dead
on her blood-soaked pillow.
And mercifully he didn'tdiscover his older brother's
(22:56):
body.
But he still has to live withthe knowledge of the dreadful
details of how he lost his life.
We're going to end this episodeas we usually do, talking about
the good, good people that welost that day, on Halloween in
2010.
Bill, or Billy as his friendsand family called him, was born
(23:17):
on May 11, 1957 in Toledo, ohio.
The United States Air Forceveteran was 53 when he was
murdered and had been married tohis wife, susan, for about nine
years.
He was employed at wastemanagement as a front-end loader
.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing,gardening and all things
(23:37):
outdoors.
His 100 acres that he lived onwas said to be his personal
heaven.
Today, bill would be 66 yearsold.
Bill's wife, susan, was born onJanuary 30, 1964.
She graduated from Oak HarborHigh School in 1982 and went on
(23:57):
to get an associate's degree.
She first married Gary Griffin,with whom she shared two sons
with and later married Bill Liskin 2001.
She worked as the officemanager for Northwest Ohio
Carpenter's Joint Apprenticeshipand Training Committee.
Like her husband, bill, sheenjoyed outdoorsy activities
like hunting, camping andgardening.
(24:19):
She is said to have had a bigheart and was a loving mother,
aunt and friend.
Susan would be 59 years oldtoday.
Derek Griffin was born on July30, 1987.
Like his mom, he was also agraduate of Oak Harbor High
School.
There he was active in trackand set a school record in 2005
(24:40):
for the 4x2 relay.
He was also a second-degreeblack belt and had fought in
Italy for the US Taekwondo team.
His favorite pastime wasspending time on Lake Erie in
his sailboat or in his dad'sinflatable dinghy.
He loved to sneak it away inthe early morning hours when the
water was calm.
Had he not been murdered, derekwould be 36 years old now.
(25:06):
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of Tell Me a True Crime
Story.
Please follow this podcast onsocial media at Tell Me a True
Crime Story on Facebook,instagram and TikTok.
I have two ways you can supportmy podcast.
You can buy me a coffee bygoing to buymeacoffeecom slash
truecrimestorypod.
They call it Buy Me a Coffee,but it's really just a way to
(25:29):
show your appreciation and sendme a tip.
And the other way is totallyfree, but it helps me out so
very much.
You can write a short but sweetreview for the podcast on Apple
Podcast or give it a 5-starrating on Spotify.
Thank you again for being here.
I love you guys lots.
I wish you safety as you goabout your days, always be aware
(25:51):
of your surroundings, and Iwish you all in your family good
health and happiness too.
Please join me in episode 31when I'll tell you another True
Crime Story.
Big, big hugs to each and everyone of you.
Bye, bye.
Tell me a true crime story.
Hey there, welcome to Tell Me aTrue Crime Story podcast.
(00:20):
I'm your host, holly.
I'm so appreciative of you forbeing here.
I know that you have a wholelot of quality choices out there
as far as true crime podcastsgo, so I am truly honored and
thrilled that you choose tolisten to me.
Thank you for taking me alongwith you and allowing me to be a
(00:41):
part of your day in your life.
I hope that you and your familyare happy, healthy and together
forever.
Big, big hugs to all of you.
Don't worry, I'm not going toblab a lot, but some things are
important to cover, so if youdon't want to hear anything
except for the story, hit thatfast forward button a few times.
(01:04):
Besides, some people like tohear me blab a little bit, so,
in an effort to make everyonehappy, I'm just going to say a
few quick things before we getstarted.
I'm just going to reiterate howimportant reviews are to me and
this podcast.
I want to ask those of you whoenjoy the podcast and haven't
(01:25):
done so to please take a fewminutes and give me a five-star
rating and a written review onApple.
Many of you have done thatfavor for me already and I thank
you from the bottom of my heartbecause I know you guys are
super busy out there witheverything and everyone you have
to take care of this.
Last week, I received five-starreviews from Shapa 21, faye
(01:48):
Susie and Kasey Welles 2014.
Shapa said I came across yourpodcast on TikTok.
I had to look you up on ApplePodcast.
I must say I'm a new follower.
I really enjoy the stories youtell.
I also really like how youengage with your audience.
I think it's so cool.
Keep up the good work, thankyou, thank you.
(02:09):
Thank you, shapa.
I want to give you a big, bighug.
Faye Susie said found you onTikTok and I'm now addicted to
this show.
Lol.
You're doing a good job.
Thanks for doing this, thankyou, thank you.
Thank you so much, faye Susie.
I appreciate you taking thetime out of your day to write
that for me.
Big hugs to you.
(02:29):
And Kasey Welles 2014 said myabsolute favorite thing to
listen to while working.
Great job, keep these episodescoming, please.
Thank you so much.
Kasey Welles, thank you forletting me keep you company as
you work and big, big hugs toyou.
Thank you for writing me thatreview.
So, oh my gosh.
(02:51):
You know, like when I receivethese, I can't tell you how much
they make my whole day, weekand month.
Thank you so much, you guys,and the biggest of hugs to you
guys.
So, to leave me a rating andreview on Apple, like those kind
peeps did, just go to my showpage and scroll down to you see
ratings and reviews, select astar rating.
(03:13):
Then below that, click on writea review and if you listen on
Spotify, you can write a comment, like, about each individual
episode and you can also give mea five star rating.
So for those of you that aregiving me those five star
ratings on Spotify because theyare, you know, I am getting more
of those.
I can't see who you are tothank you by name, to thank you
(03:34):
personally.
But thank you so very much.
You know who you are and greatbig hugs to all of you.
Please follow this podcast onFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
My username on all three ofthose is at tell me a true crime
story.
So, okay, okay, enough of that.
Now let me tell you a truecrime story.
(03:56):
It's that time of year, so I'mcontinuing to cover murders that
occurred on Halloween.
Here's another one of thosestories.
So let me set the scene for youjust a bit.
Our story takes place onHalloween in 2010 in a small
village in Ohio called OakHarbor.
A village in Ohio is amunicipality with less than
(04:16):
5,000 residents.
The population of Oak Harbor in2010 was a little less than
2,800 and hasn't grown muchsince then.
The population of Oak Harbornow is just a little over 2,800
people.
Oak Harbor is mostly rural andis located in north-central Ohio
, in Ottawa County, about 30miles southeast of downtown
(04:38):
Toledo.
The village is located alongthe shoreline of one of the five
great lakes, lake Erie.
Oak Harbor is known as theWarbler Capital of the World.
What's a Warbler, you say?
Well, a Warbler is a small,adorable little bird.
I didn't know what it waseither.
I had to go look it up.
(04:59):
According to VisitToledoorg,the shores of Lake Erie quote
serve as a resting spot forthousands of Warblers each
spring before they continuetheir trek across Lake Erie to
Canada.
Visitors from all over theUnited States and around the
world flock to witness thisphenomenon each May end.
Quote.
Oak Harbor also hosts a popularannual Apple Festival, which
(05:23):
attracts thousands of people tothe village.
Man the random off-the-wallstuff we learn together in these
episodes.
So on Sunday, october 31st,halloween morning in 2010,
16-year-old Devon Griffinstopped at home at about 9.30 am
to change his clothes beforegoing to sing in the choir at
(05:44):
church.
His parents were divorced andhe had been at his dad's house
that weekend.
He didn't know it then, butbeing at his dad's house that
weekend very likely saved hislife, while Devon was at home.
While Devon was at the homethat he shared with his stepdad,
his mom and his brother gettingon his church clothes, he'd
(06:05):
only encountered his stepbrother, 24-year-old William Lisk, who
went by BJ.
Bj Lisk didn't live there withthem, but had only spent the
night there.
The prior evening, devon saw BJloading something into his
dad's white F-150 pickup truck.
Devon found BJ to be happierand more chatty and upbeat than
normal that morning.
(06:25):
Typically, he was gloomy anddarkish.
Bj had asked him what he wasdoing and how long he'd been
gone, but he didn't think muchof it and quickly changed his
clothes and went off to church.
Devin was in and out of thehouse within about five minutes.
Devin returned from church aboutan hour and a half later and
went directly upstairs to playvideo games.
(06:46):
A couple of hours later, atabout 1.30 pm, he realized that
the house was too quiet, like noone was around.
Where was everybody?
16-year-old Devin couldn't haveimagined the unbelievably
grisly, shocking scene that hewas about to encounter.
It was so unbelievable that fora few seconds he thought it was
a Halloween prank.
(07:07):
He moved through the eerilysilent house and went downstairs
to the master bedroom.
There he found his mom and hisstepdad still in bed covered up
under their comforter.
He started talking to them towake them.
As he walked in and went to hismom's side of the bed, their
maroon comforter was pulled upover their heads, with only his
mom's foot sticking out.
He tapped her on the leg, butshe didn't move.
(07:29):
He continued to talk to her ashe pulled the covers down a
little, and that's when he sawthat her pillow was soaked with
blood.
At that moment is when hethought it may be a Halloween
prank, but it quickly registeredwith him that this was real.
He began to cry as he ran outof the room and out of the house
.
Devon called his aunt, lori, ina complete panic and told her
(07:52):
what he'd discovered.
But Lori had already beenconcerned because Devon's older
brother, derek, hadn't showed upthat morning as planned to do
some work for her husband, loriimmediately called the police
and then went straight over toconsole her 16-year-old nephew,
devon.
Authorities responded to theLisk home located at 7052 North
(08:12):
Ohio 2 that sat on about ahundred acres and found Bill and
Susan Lisk in their bed, bothdead from gunshot wounds.
Blood spatter covered the wallsof their bedroom.
Fifty-three-year-old Bill Liskhad the covers pulled up over
him and was in a naturalsleeping position.
He'd been shot five times inthe head and face from a
(08:32):
distance of only one to two feetaway.
However, investigators notedthat 46-year-old Susan Lisk was
sprawled more awkwardly, as ifshe'd been moved or repositioned
.
She had been shot with a smallcaliber weapon, probably a
twenty-two, three times, also atclose range.
Two shots were to her head andone shot was a defensive wound
(08:54):
to her hand.
A medical examination laterrevealed that she'd been
sexually assaulted either rightbefore or after she was killed.
Authorities then went upstairsto check on 23-year-old Derek
Griffin and found the door tohis room locked.
They kicked the door in andfound Derek curled up in his bed
in a fetal position, dead.
He'd suffered severe trauma tohis head, but it was not
(09:18):
immediately clear if he'd beenshot or had suffered injuries
from a blunt object.
It was later determined thathe'd been bludgeoned with both
sides of a claw hammer and diedas a result of blunt force
trauma to the head.
Investigators found a bloodyhammer in a closet, which was
found to be consistent withDerek's wounds.
Investigators surmised thatduring the wee hours of the
(09:40):
morning on Halloween, whileeveryone slept, the killer
entered Derek's room and killedhim, first using the hammer
instead of a gun, so as not toawaken Bill and Susan Lisk.
Then the killer locked Derek'sbedroom door as they walked out,
possibly to delay the discoveryof his body.
Investigators also figured thatsixteen-year-old Devon Griffin
(10:03):
likely would have been murderedtoo, had he not been with his
father that weekend.
How could this have happened tothese great people?
Who would have wanted them dead?
Who was responsible for theseheinous, cold-blooded murders?
People familiar with the familymay have said that it wasn't
that much of a surprise thatthey would have guessed that
(10:23):
something like this couldpossibly happen one day.
Neighbours, friends, familymembers and even police records
gave authorities a solidinvestigative angle to pursue
when they told them of the priorviolent acts that BJ Lisk had
committed against his dad, hisstepmom and others, and of the
(10:44):
strained relationship between BJ, his dad and his stepmom.
Now let's go back in time alittle bit and talk about some
of those previous acts ofviolence perpetrated by BJ
Reportedly.
After BJ's mom and dad divorced, he started skipping school and
misbehaving.
His dad married Susan in 2001,when BJ would have been about 15
(11:07):
years old.
Bj and his new stepmom had acontentious relationship from
the start.
Some of the reason for that maybe because Susan attempted to
establish some rules and BJbegan to resent her for that.
About eight years prior to themurders in 2002,
then-16-year-old BJ Lisk wasalready on house arrest when he
(11:29):
threatened to harm himself.
His dad, bill, called the copsand when they arrived, bj Lisk
attacked the officers and gotcharged as a juvenile with
assaulting a peace officer.
At some point neighbors began tosuspect BJ Lisk of torturing
and killing their pets.
Only friend and neighbor MarkGradel said his dog was shot
(11:51):
twice with 22 caliber bullets.
Mark Gradel told investigatorsthat Bill often called him for
help when BJ was causingproblems.
Bill would say something toMark like hey, come over, it's
BJ, or BJ is getting goofy.
But on at least one occasionDerek Griffin, susan's son and
Bill's stepson, called Markbecause BJ and his dad, bill,
(12:14):
were physically fighting.
Mark Gradel also toldinvestigators that he'd had some
serious talks with Bill aboutthe family's safety where BJ was
concerned.
Mark said it was a hardconversation to have because
Bill could never see the bad inBJ.
Bj was Bill's only son and Billwould just tell Mark BJ won't
(12:35):
hurt us.
Even though Bill had receivedphysical injuries from BJ.
In October of 2004, bj Lisk wasjust one month shy of 19 when he
hit his stepmom, Susan Lisk,hard in the chest, and I'm not
sure if this was part of thesame incident, but BJ Lisk
attempted to attack Susan as sheshowered too.
(12:57):
Bj Lisk was kicked out of hisparents' home Just two months
after that.
Bj Lisk hit Susan with a coffeecup and stole her car keys.
As a result, he was chargedwith felonious assault and
robbery.
However, the charges wereeventually dropped when he was
found incompetent to stand trial.
(13:17):
In February of 2006, bill Liskfiled for guardianship over
then-20-year-old BJ.
The guardianship applicationstated, quote Mr Lisk wants to
protect William and to get himthe help that he needs.
He would eventually like to seehim in a halfway house or a
group home.
When William is on hismedication he does really good.
(13:38):
After a while he will stoptaking it because he thinks he
is OK, starts drinking smokingpot, end quote.
Court records show that in 2007,bj was hospitalized for
Schizoaffective Disorder,bipolar type.
He went to live at a group homefor mental health patients in
Sandusky, ohio, which was onlyabout 30 miles away from where
(14:00):
his dad and step family live.
Bj's father, bill, visited himat the group home often.
Since moving into the grouphome, bj Lisk had had at least
three encounters with police.
One time he and his father,bill, got into a physical fight
when his dad had gone there topick him up.
Despite everything, bill Lisknever gave up on his only son.
(14:20):
In fact, the week before themurders, he had taken some
vacation time from work in orderto take BJ on a trip to the
family's hunting cabin on PokerRoad in rural Carroll County,
ohio, about a three-hour driveaway.
On Saturday, october 30, the daybefore the murders, bill and BJ
Lisk had returned from deerhunting.
(14:40):
That evening they drank a fewbeers with Mark Gradle.
Later, mark Gradle would tellinvestigators that everyone had
a good time and that the smallget-together had broken up
around midnight.
Mark Gradle said that he didn'tsee Derek Griffin, susan's
23-year-old son, that night, butthat was not unusual because
the stepbrothers, derek and BJLisk, did not get along.
(15:03):
Bj Lisk was not allowed to liveat the home and was living at
the group home at the time.
He rarely even spent the nightat his parents' home because of
his tendency to get violent, butBill Lisk had been drinking and
he didn't think it was a goodidea to drive BJ back to the
group home in Sandusky thatnight, although BJ was permitted
to spend the night.
(15:24):
When investigators searched thehouse after the murders they
found a bed made up on theliving room sofa, apparently for
BJ Lisk.
Authorities spoke withwitnesses, collected evidence
and pieced together a timelineof events surrounding the
murders.
They looked into 16-year-oldDevon Griffin but rather quickly
ruled him out as a suspect.
(15:44):
The murder investigation beganto focus solely on 24-year-old
BJ Lisk.
There was no sign of forcedentry or of anything being
stolen from the home.
The.22 caliber rifle that wasused to shoot and kill Bill and
Susan would have ejected brassshell casings.
However, none were found at thescene.
(16:05):
The killer had obviously pickedthem up.
Neighbor Michelle Gradle, whowas Mark Gradle's wife, heard
banging sounds, which werelikely the gunshots that killed
Bill and Susan at about 6.30 amon Halloween, october 31st, the
morning of the murders,detectives found out that when
Devon Griffin left the house andheaded to church, bj Lisk had
(16:27):
taken off in his dad's whiteFord F-150 truck with his dad's
cell phone and wallet also inhis possession.
He'd driven to the family'shunting cabin Remember that was
about three hours away in ruralCarroll County, ohio.
Bj Lisk had been at the cabinfor less than an hour when
Sheriff's deputies from thatcounty went there and arrested
(16:48):
him.
Ottawa County Sheriff'sdetectives traveled to the cabin
to look for evidence.
They searched the cabin andsurrounding property.
On the counter they found anuneaten subway sandwich.
Detectives went to a subwaynear the camp to view their
security video which showed BJLisk purchasing the sandwich.
Apparently, he hadn't had timeto eat it before the Carroll
(17:09):
County Sheriff's deputiesdescended upon the cabin and
took him into custody.
Detectives working back at themurder scene at the family home
learned from the survivingstepbrother, sixteen-year-old
Devon Griffin, that the familyowned quite a few guns.
They confiscated many of themand sent them for forensic
testing.
The sprawling property wassearched and a muddy footprint
(17:31):
was discovered along a dock neara pond.
Investigators thought that thekiller may have thrown the
murdered weapon into the pondfrom the dock.
However, the pond was drainedand no weapon was found.
Evidence sniffing dogs foundnothing on the property either,
but in the white F-150 truck,investigators found blood and
(17:51):
a.22 caliber rifle.
Later on, testing of BJ Liskclothing would reveal that his
boxer shorts and shoes containedblood and DNA from all three
murder victims his dad Bill, hisstep-mom Susan and his
step-brother Derek.
Bj Lisk was charged with threecounts of aggravated murder,
which he pleaded not guilty to,and was held on a $3 million
(18:13):
bond.
He was initially held in OttawaCounty, but because one of his
family members worked incorrections there, he was moved
to the Erie County Jail.
The court appointed a guardianto BJ Lisk and he underwent a
competency evaluation.
Despite his history of mentalillness, he was deemed competent
to stand trial.
According to Detective GeorgeByington of the Ottawa County
(18:37):
Sheriff's Office, bj Lisk talkedwith his mom on the phone from
jail and she asked him aboutwhat he'd done.
In the March 19, 2011conversation, she read her son,
bj, a full newspaper articleabout the killings and then
asked him you did this, you didall this stuff?
Her son replied yeah.
(18:57):
She said BJ, how could you?
And he answered I wasn't in myright mind.
Then he said Mom, I can't talkabout this anymore.
After that phone conversationwith his mom, bj Lisk gave up
his right to a jury trial andchanged his plea to guilty.
In August of 2011, he enteredinto a plea agreement that the
(19:19):
prosecutor had worked out withthe family of the victims.
Bj Lisk's defense attorneycalled the plea deal quote
unquote a fair resolution.
Bj Lisk avoided a possibledeath sentence and, under the
plea deal, accepted three lifesentences without the
possibility of parole.
He signed the plea agreement incourt.
(19:40):
Judge Winters asked BJ Lisk Isit true you have agreed to
imprisonment without thepossibility of parole?
He answered yes, your Honor.
As Ottawa County Prosecutor MarkMulligan detailed the murders
to the courtroom, people weptand shook their heads.
When he finished reading thefacts of the case, bj Lisk
(20:00):
admitted to the honorable judge,bruce Winters, that they were
all correct.
He said yes, your Honor,effectively admitting an open
court, before Judge Winters andin front of a gallery full of
family, friends and others, thathe murdered his dad, stepmom
and stepbrother on Halloween in2010.
(20:20):
The next month, on September 14, 2011, before the judge
officially handed down hissentence, bj Lisk apologized for
the killings quote.
I want to say I'm extremelysorry, it is all my fault, I
don't blame anyone but myself.
End quote.
He blamed his actions on Satanand mental illness quote.
(20:41):
I cannot explain why ithappened, only my eternal
struggle with mental illnesscaused by great affliction from
the devil.
End quote he said that Satanwas, and still is working to
destroy his soul.
Almost a year after the murders,ottawa County Common Pleas
Judge Bruce Winters sentenced BJLisk to three life sentences
(21:03):
without the possibility ofparole.
Three and a half years later,at 11.25 pm on March 31, 2015,
29-year-old BJ Lisk was founddead in his prison cell from a
self-inflicted wound.
He'd been serving his time atRoss Correctional Institution in
Chillicothe, ohio, as inmatenumber A-604625.
(21:27):
As if the survivors of thisfamily hadn't suffered enough
loss, another incomprehensibletragedy befell them.
Just hours after the murders ofBill, susan and Derek, on
November 1, 2010, bill Lisk,younger sister, 52-year-old Zoo
Dunmire, who lived about 30minutes away from Bill, died in
(21:50):
an explosive fire in herdetached garage next to her
house.
So surely young.
The mother of Bill Lisk and ZooDunmire, who died in the fire,
shirley, lost her son, herdaughter, her daughter-in-law
and her grandson in less than 24hours.
I guess it's to be expected, butit seems that there's always so
(22:11):
much fallout in true crimecases.
I mean, think about 16-year-oldDevon Griffin, who lost not
only his mama but his bigbrother and his stepdad.
They didn't die in a car wreckor an accident.
They were senselessly murdered,violently ripped away from him
forever, and he doesn't evenhave the benefit of remembering
(22:34):
them as they were in life, happyand whole.
No, he has to live with theimage etched into his memory of
what he discovered that day,when he pulled the comforter
down from his mom's face andfound her cold, damaged and dead
on her blood-soaked pillow.
And mercifully he didn'tdiscover his older brother's
(22:56):
body.
But he still has to live withthe knowledge of the dreadful
details of how he lost his life.
We're going to end this episodeas we usually do, talking about
the good, good people that welost that day, on Halloween in
2010.
Bill, or Billy as his friendsand family called him, was born
(23:17):
on May 11, 1957 in Toledo, ohio.
The United States Air Forceveteran was 53 when he was
murdered and had been married tohis wife, susan, for about nine
years.
He was employed at wastemanagement as a front-end loader
.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing,gardening and all things
(23:37):
outdoors.
His 100 acres that he lived onwas said to be his personal
heaven.
Today, bill would be 66 yearsold.
Bill's wife, susan, was born onJanuary 30, 1964.
She graduated from Oak HarborHigh School in 1982 and went on
(23:57):
to get an associate's degree.
She first married Gary Griffin,with whom she shared two sons
with and later married Bill Liskin 2001.
She worked as the officemanager for Northwest Ohio
Carpenter's Joint Apprenticeshipand Training Committee.
Like her husband, bill, sheenjoyed outdoorsy activities
like hunting, camping andgardening.
(24:19):
She is said to have had a bigheart and was a loving mother,
aunt and friend.
Susan would be 59 years oldtoday.
Derek Griffin was born on July30, 1987.
Like his mom, he was also agraduate of Oak Harbor High
School.
There he was active in trackand set a school record in 2005
(24:40):
for the 4x2 relay.
He was also a second-degreeblack belt and had fought in
Italy for the US Taekwondo team.
His favorite pastime wasspending time on Lake Erie in
his sailboat or in his dad'sinflatable dinghy.
He loved to sneak it away inthe early morning hours when the
water was calm.
Had he not been murdered, derekwould be 36 years old now.
(25:06):
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of Tell Me a True Crime
Story.
Please follow this podcast onsocial media at Tell Me a True
Crime Story on Facebook,instagram and TikTok.
I have two ways you can supportmy podcast.
You can buy me a coffee bygoing to buymeacoffeecom slash
truecrimestorypod.
They call it Buy Me a Coffee,but it's really just a way to
(25:29):
show your appreciation and sendme a tip.
And the other way is totallyfree, but it helps me out so
very much.
You can write a short but sweetreview for the podcast on Apple
Podcast or give it a 5-starrating on Spotify.
Thank you again for being here.
I love you guys lots.
I wish you safety as you goabout your days, always be aware
(25:51):
of your surroundings, and Iwish you all in your family good
health and happiness too.
Please join me in episode 31when I'll tell you another True
Crime Story.
Big, big hugs to each and everyone of you.
Bye, bye.
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!