October 4, 2023 • 21 mins
Nine-year-old Lisa Ann French never made it back home from Halloween trick-or-treating in 1973.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tell me a true crime story.
Hey there guys, welcome to TellMe a True Crime Story podcast.
(00:21):
I'm your host, holly.
I'm so appreciative of you forbeing here and allowing me to
keep you company.
Thanks for letting me be a partof your day.
I hope that you and your familyare happy, healthy and together
forever.
Big hugs to all of you.
So I've been asking for reviewsand you guys have been so kind.
(00:41):
I've gotten so many sweetreviews and you can't imagine
how much that helps out thispodcast.
I have more ratings and reviewson Apple and on Spotify this
week.
So the latest one on Apple isfrom Kelly and she said great
work.
Just want to say these are wellresearched and wonderfully
executed episodes.
Found you on TikTok whichactually inspired me to put my
(01:05):
podcast on TikTok as well.
So thank you, keep up the greatwork.
You've got a subscriber, slashfellow podcaster from Louisiana,
now Sendlaw podcast host.
Thank you so much, kelly, andbig, big hugs to you.
So if you want to check out herpodcast, it's a true crime
podcast and it features casesfrom Louisiana and it's called
(01:29):
Sendlaw C-E-N-L-A-W.
Sendlaw podcast and it is verygood.
They're kind of new.
I think they're like maybe nineor 10 episodes in, but they do
have some very enjoyable,interesting cases on there.
So go check her out.
(01:51):
And so for those of you whoenjoy the podcast and you
haven't done so yet, please takea minute and leave me a review
on Apple podcast or on Spotify.
So to leave me a rating andreview on Apple, you just go to
my show page and scroll down to.
You see ratings and reviews.
You select a star rating, thenbelow that, you click on write a
(02:12):
review.
So thank you so much for takinga few minutes to do that for me
, because it really does help meout.
So so much, please follow me onFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
So my username on all three ofthose is at tell me a true crime
story.
At tell me a true crime storyon Facebook, instagram and
(02:33):
TikTok.
Today I have a case for youthat inspired a new law and
changed Halloween in the stateof Wisconsin forever.
Now let me tell you a truecrime story.
This case takes us to Fond duLac, wisconsin, on Halloween,
october 31, 1973.
Fond du Lac is in Fond du LacCounty and is located about 155
(02:55):
miles, or almost a three-hourdrive northwest of Chicago,
illinois.
The city of Fond du Lac,wisconsin, got its name in the
17th century from French traders.
Fond du Lac means the base orfoot of the lake.
This is because Fond du Lacsits on the south shore of Lake
Winnebago.
The population of Fond du Lacin 1973 was around 40,000 people
(03:19):
and the population of the wholecounty of Fond du Lac in 1973
was about 86,000 people.
A headline on the first page ofa 15-cent copy of the Fond du
Lac reporter dated ThursdayNovember 1, 1973, read quote
Wide Search is on for MissingGirl.
(03:39):
End.
Quote.
The day before had beenHalloween.
It was about 42 degreesFahrenheit when 9-year-old 4th
grader Lisa Ann French sat outin the dark around 6 pm to go
trick-or-treating.
It was just after dinner andLisa kissed her mom, mary Ann,
and her stepdad Bruce goodbye.
Lisa's mom, who stayed home tocare for her newborn son, told
(04:02):
Lisa to be home by 7 pm.
Lisa was dressed as a hobo thatevening.
She'd put duct tape on herjeans, donned a floppy felt hat,
a green parka and had drawnfreckles on her face.
Lisa had an adorable shaghaircut that her hairdresser mom
had given her and deep browneyes.
(04:22):
She was trusting and friendly.
Lisa had wanted to be abutterfly that Halloween, but
her mom wouldn't allow itbecause she thought it'd be too
flimsy for the cold night.
Autumn leaves scattered, thesidewalks and porch lights were
glowing, welcomingtrick-or-treaters.
Lisa lived in a working-classtree-lined neighborhood.
She left her house, located at192 Amory Street, and was headed
(04:47):
to meet her best friend, annParker.
Lisa and Ann were planning towalk together to attend an
outdoor Halloween party hostedby neighborhood parents.
However, at the last minute Annmisbehaved and was not allowed
to go with her best friendtrick-or-treating.
So Lisa carried on by herself.
First she stopped at ateacher's house, then at a
(05:09):
classmate's house who livedacross the street from her.
Her third stop was at a formerneighbor's house, a man named
Gerald Turner.
Gerald Turner was divorced andhad two small children.
He worked as a machinist forSioux Line Railroad.
Lisa knew Gerald Turner becausehe used to live on the other
side of her duplex on AmoryStreet.
Now he and his girlfriendArlene Penn lived at 152 Rose
(05:33):
Avenue, about a half a blockaway from Lisa and her family's
home.
Lisa and French's third stoptrick-or-treating that Halloween
night in 1973 would be her last.
She would not walk out ofGerald Turner's house.
She would never make it to theHalloween party at Pumpkin Place
.
Lisa missed her 7 pm curfew andwhen Lisa still didn't return
(05:57):
home by 7.30 pm, a half hourpassed her curfew, her mom began
to worry and phoned the police.
Soon an all-night search beganfor Lisa and continued on for
the next two and a half days.
The whole community cametogether to look for one of
their own.
More than 5,000 people wereinvolved in the massive search
for little Lisa.
(06:17):
A PTA group called the BlockParents took action.
On that first night A womannamed Betty, who was head of the
Block Parents, called 50 otherBlock Parents to inform them of
the missing child.
They all turned their porchlights back on and put signs in
their front windows.
In the days following Halloween, private planes and National
(06:38):
Guard helicopters scoured thearea from above, while police
and volunteers searched inwooded areas, bushes, fields,
marshes, outbuildings, garagesand along river banks.
Police dragged creeks andrivers.
Six thousand copies of Lisa'sschool photo were distributed
and placed throughout theneighborhood and surrounding
(07:00):
areas.
Local gas stations offered upto 25 gallons of free gas to
anyone using a vehicle to searchfor Lisa.
But Lisa was nowhere to befound.
The last sighting of Lisa hadbeen at 6.15 pm on Halloween
night.
No one in Fond du Lac waspraying for Lisa's safe return,
but Lisa's mom and no one inFond du Lac could have imagined
(07:22):
the awful truth of where Lisawas and what had happened to her
.
On Halloween night, arlene Penn,the girlfriend of Gerald Turner
, attended the Halloween partyat Pumpkin Place with her
daughter.
This is the same party thatLisa was planning to attend.
Afterward, arlene and herdaughter returned to the home
they shared with Gerald Turner.
They were all supposed to gotogether to visit Arlene's mom.
(07:46):
Turner met Arlene at the frontdoor.
He said that he was not feelingwell and for her and her
daughter to go ahead and visither mother without him.
Although Arlene left but soonreturned home because she had
realized that her mom would notbe back at her house for another
hour or so.
At home she found Turner stillin his work clothes and still
claiming to be sick.
He sat with her on the couchbut went back and forth to their
(08:09):
bedroom several times, toquote-unquote lay down About an
hour later she left to go visither mom.
She returned home around 11 pm.
When she got back home, turnerwas wearing a bathrobe.
She saw their green bedspreadon the floor in the laundry room
when she asked him why it wason the floor, he said he'd
thrown up on it.
(08:29):
Three days later, on Saturday,november 3, 1973, at 11.30 am, a
farmer named Gerald Braun wasdriving his tractor down a
country road in Techita,wisconsin.
He spotted a brown plastic bagbehind a barbed wire fence near
some woods.
He parked his tractor at hisfarm then went back to check out
the bag he'd seen.
(08:49):
Inside the bag he foundchildren's clothing.
He then saw another brownplastic bag nearby and inside
that, when he found the nakeddead body of a child Lisa and
French had been found.
News quickly spread that Lisa'sbody had been discovered
Reportedly.
Reverend Clarence Nicolai,pastor at St Peter's Catholic
(09:11):
Church in Malone, wisconsin,went to the scene and climbed
the barbed wire fence, cuttinghis hand to reach the body of
little Lisa.
He said the Our Father, prayerand Hail Mary over her little
lifeless body.
On November 6, 1973, at EmanuelTrinity Lutheran Church, lisa's
classmates, fellow Girl Scoutsin the community, paid their
(09:33):
respects to Lisa at her funeral.
Her small body lay in a whitecasket as mourners filed past.
Lisa was wearing a purple andwhite dress, the same dress
she'd had her school picturetaken in that year.
Her mom had styled her hair forthe funeral.
Two days after Lisa's funeral,on November 8, 1973, the Chamber
(09:54):
of Commerce posted a $10,000reward for the capture of Lisa's
killer.
In 2023, that amount would beequal to a little more than
$69,000.
Gerald Turner was a suspectearly on in the case and the
police made contact with himseveral times in the days and
months following Lisa's murder.
On August 8, 1974, nine monthsafter the rape and murder of
(10:19):
little Lisa, gerald Turnerconfessed.
According to his confession,when Lisa had gotten to his home
, his door was open and shestepped inside.
He discovered her standing inhis doorway.
He told police.
When he saw her in the doorwayhe was quote unquote highly
sexually motivated.
He took her to his bedroom,removed her clothes and
(10:40):
sodomized her.
At some point he realized shewas not breathing.
He claimed he tried to reviveher, but then his girlfriend
Arlene arrived back home fromattempting to visit her mother
the first time, he said he putsocks on his hands to move
Lisa's body into the bathroom.
When Arlene left again an hourlater, he used this time to
(11:00):
dispose of Lisa's body.
He put her naked body in abrown garbage bag.
He put her Halloween costumeshe'd been wearing in another
brown garbage bag.
He then went to the town ofTecheeta, about three and a half
miles away, and dumped bothbags in a ditch off of McCabe
Road.
In his statement to police,turner drew a diagram of where
(11:22):
he'd disposed of the trash bagscontaining her clothes and her
body.
Lisa's autopsy revealed thatshe'd died from cardiac arrest,
from circulatory shock, from thesexual trauma she'd endured
during the rape.
Hair and fibers on Lisa's bodyand her clothing later matched
hair samples police hadcollected from Turner and fibers
they'd collected from hisbedspread.
(11:44):
He later recanted hisconfession, stating that, quote
I got sick and tired of beingharassed by police calling on me
.
End quote On February 3, 1975,a Fond du Lac jury convicted
26-year-old Turner of abnormalsexual perversion, indecent
liberties with a child under theage of 16, and second-degree
(12:05):
murder.
A judge sentenced him to 38years and six months in prison.
Unbelievably, since then,gerald Turner has been let out
of prison two times.
He was released on parole forgood behavior in 1992, after
serving only 17 and a half yearsof his 38 and a half-year
sentence.
However, in November of 1993 acivil lawsuit led to an appeals
(12:29):
court decision that determinedthat the state of Wisconsin had
made an error in the way itcalculated his mandatory release
date.
After Turner's brief release andthe subsequent public outcry,
lawmakers in Wisconsin created anew law, chapter 980, known as
Turner's Law.
This law allows for violent sexoffenders to be committed to a
(12:50):
secured treatment center whenthey come up for parole if they
are deemed sexually violentpersons, subjecting them to
indefinite confinement andtreatment.
This law blocked Turner'srelease in 1994.
When he again was slated forparole, the state of Wisconsin
fought to have him committed toa secure mental institution
(13:11):
under Turner's law.
Turner went on trial in 1998 todetermine if he deserved to be
held as a sexual predator.
The jury decided he did not fitthe description.
That meant he could no longerlegally be held in custody.
After years of legal wrangling,turner was released in 1998 to
a halfway house in Madison,wisconsin.
(13:31):
In 2003, he was sent back toprison on a parole violation.
When he was discovered to havepornographic images on his
computer and pornographic videosand magazines in his room at
the halfway house.
He was sentenced to another 15years in prison.
Turner was incarcerated atRacine Correctional Institution
as inmate number 71727.
(13:53):
He was scheduled to be releasedin 2018.
After serving his time, lisa'smom, mary Ann, started an online
petition in 2017, hoping itwould keep Turner behind bars.
By December 2017, the petitionhad nearly 20,000 signatures.
Mary Ann didn't know if thepetition would make a difference
(14:15):
, but she'd felt compelled to dosomething to spread the word
about Turner's upcoming release.
She was quoted in the MilwaukeeJournal Sentinel as saying
quote when Lisa can come backand have her freedom, so can he
end quote In early February 2018, 68-year-old Turner was
released from supervision atRacine Correctional Institution
(14:38):
of the Wisconsin Department ofCorrections.
He is now under the supervisionof the Wisconsin Department of
Health Services at Sand RidgeSecure Treatment Center.
The Wisconsin Department ofHealth website states that the
Sand Ridge Secure TreatmentCenter, established in 2001,
houses Wisconsin's sexuallyviolent persons program.
(14:59):
It also states, quote men aretransferred to Sand Ridge Secure
Treatment Center when theDepartment of Justice or a
county district attorney files apetition for commitment.
Commitment through this courtprocess requires that the
individual has a mental disorderthat predisposes them to commit
future acts of sexual violence.
(15:19):
End quote.
Turner was transferred to theSecure Treatment Center because
the Wisconsin Department ofJustice had filed a petition
with the court, citing Chapter980, turner's Law, that he
should be held in a securemental health facility because
he is a sexually violent person.
Turner's lawyers argued intheir defense motion that it was
(15:42):
the Wisconsin Department ofCorrections doctor that
evaluated Turner, concluded thathe did not have a qualifying
mental illness and that he wasnot more likely to commit a
future act of sexual violence.
Another doctor disagreed.
Turner's lawyer also filed amotion to have Turner release
pending the outcome of the 980petition.
(16:04):
In February of 2022, fond duLac County Judge Paul Sissney
ruled that Turner, now in hisearly 70s, will remain confined
at the Secure Mental HealthFacility and that probable cause
exists for commitmentproceedings to continue in
Turner's case.
Legal hearings to keep Turnercommitted were ongoing.
(16:25):
As of this year, gerald Turnermust register as a sex offender
for the remainder of his life.
Gerald Turner, dubbed theHalloween Killer, forever
changed Halloween in the stateof Wisconsin.
Long gone are the days ofcarefree innocence when children
roamed their neighborhoodstrick-or-treating on Halloween
(16:45):
night.
Most towns and cities inWisconsin now have designated
days during daylight hours forHalloween trick-or-treating.
In 2019, the City Council ofFond du Lac moved all
trick-or-treating to theSaturday before Halloween from
3.30 to 5.30 pm.
In 2017, 44 years after Lisa'smurder, her best friend at the
(17:10):
time of her murder, anne Parker,described Lisa as funny, bubbly
and outgoing Anne told SharonRosnick of the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel that she and Lisa wereinseparable back then and that
she'd loved being with her.
She said she still lives withguilt, wondering how things may
have been different if she'dbeen able to go
trick-or-treating with Lisa thatnight.
(17:32):
On October 5, 2022, emilyMatessick of NBC15.com wrote
that Mary Ann, lisa's mom,recalled that Lisa was
quote-unquote wise beyond heryears and she was such a kind
person that was always thinkingof other kids.
Her mom said Lisa came homefrom school one day when she was
nine years old the age she waswhen she was killed and told her
(17:56):
mom that there was a littlegirl in school who didn't have
nice clothes.
She'd asked her mom if shecould go through her own clothes
and take some she didn't wearto the little girl, and her mom
said she did.
She took a big bag of clothesto that little girl.
This Halloween will mark 50years since Lisa's murder.
(18:16):
I'm going to leave you withLisa's own beautiful words on
notes her mom discovered inLisa's room the day after her
funeral.
Her mom found them folded up,stapled and tucked inside her
Bible.
On the outside it said a giftfrom God.
Inside one of the notes writtenin Lisa's hand read Smile, god
loves you.
And another said If you askJesus to take over, you will
(18:41):
begin a new life.
As you can see, this is anongoing, ever-developing case,
according to a 2021 article inthe Fond du Lac reporter quote
Turner's lawyers, robertPeterson and Evan Wheats, argued
that to be deemed a sexuallyviolent person, someone must
have been convicted of asexually violent offense, found
(19:03):
delinquent for a sexuallyviolent offense, found not
guilty of a sexually violentoffense by reason of mental
disease or defect, have a mentaldisorder or be dangerous to
others because the person'smental disorder makes it likely
that he or she will engage inacts of sexual violence.
Well, turner certainly fits thatbill.
(19:23):
I know his lawyers are legallyand ethically bound to mount a
vigorous defense on theirclient's behalf, but the
argument over having Turnerreleased should cease because he
clearly meets the requirementsunder Chapter 980 Turner's law
to remain committed in a securefacility after having served his
time in prison.
Could Turner's lawyers feelcomfortable with him living in
(19:46):
their neighborhood?
How would they sleep at nightwith him released into any
community?
Thank you, guys, so much forlistening to this episode 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.
So I have two ways that you cansupport the podcast.
(20:10):
You can buy me a coffee bygoing to buymeacoffeecom slash
truecrimestorypod, and the otherway is totally free.
You can write a short but sweetreview for the podcast on Apple
Podcast or give it a five-starrating on Spotify.
Thank you again for being here.
I love you guys lots.
(20:30):
I wish you safety as you goabout your days.
I wish you all good health andlots of happiness too.
Please join me in episode 30when I'll tell you another True
Crime Story.
Big, big hugs to each and everyone of you.
Bye.
Tell me a true crime story.
Hey there guys, welcome to TellMe a True Crime Story podcast.
(00:21):
I'm your host, holly.
I'm so appreciative of you forbeing here and allowing me to
keep you company.
Thanks for letting me be a partof your day.
I hope that you and your familyare happy, healthy and together
forever.
Big hugs to all of you.
So I've been asking for reviewsand you guys have been so kind.
(00:41):
I've gotten so many sweetreviews and you can't imagine
how much that helps out thispodcast.
I have more ratings and reviewson Apple and on Spotify this
week.
So the latest one on Apple isfrom Kelly and she said great
work.
Just want to say these are wellresearched and wonderfully
executed episodes.
Found you on TikTok whichactually inspired me to put my
(01:05):
podcast on TikTok as well.
So thank you, keep up the greatwork.
You've got a subscriber, slashfellow podcaster from Louisiana,
now Sendlaw podcast host.
Thank you so much, kelly, andbig, big hugs to you.
So if you want to check out herpodcast, it's a true crime
podcast and it features casesfrom Louisiana and it's called
(01:29):
Sendlaw C-E-N-L-A-W.
Sendlaw podcast and it is verygood.
They're kind of new.
I think they're like maybe nineor 10 episodes in, but they do
have some very enjoyable,interesting cases on there.
So go check her out.
(01:51):
And so for those of you whoenjoy the podcast and you
haven't done so yet, please takea minute and leave me a review
on Apple podcast or on Spotify.
So to leave me a rating andreview on Apple, you just go to
my show page and scroll down to.
You see ratings and reviews.
You select a star rating, thenbelow that, you click on write a
(02:12):
review.
So thank you so much for takinga few minutes to do that for me
, because it really does help meout.
So so much, please follow me onFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
So my username on all three ofthose is at tell me a true crime
story.
At tell me a true crime storyon Facebook, instagram and
(02:33):
TikTok.
Today I have a case for youthat inspired a new law and
changed Halloween in the stateof Wisconsin forever.
Now let me tell you a truecrime story.
This case takes us to Fond duLac, wisconsin, on Halloween,
october 31, 1973.
Fond du Lac is in Fond du LacCounty and is located about 155
(02:55):
miles, or almost a three-hourdrive northwest of Chicago,
illinois.
The city of Fond du Lac,wisconsin, got its name in the
17th century from French traders.
Fond du Lac means the base orfoot of the lake.
This is because Fond du Lacsits on the south shore of Lake
Winnebago.
The population of Fond du Lacin 1973 was around 40,000 people
(03:19):
and the population of the wholecounty of Fond du Lac in 1973
was about 86,000 people.
A headline on the first page ofa 15-cent copy of the Fond du
Lac reporter dated ThursdayNovember 1, 1973, read quote
Wide Search is on for MissingGirl.
(03:39):
End.
Quote.
The day before had beenHalloween.
It was about 42 degreesFahrenheit when 9-year-old 4th
grader Lisa Ann French sat outin the dark around 6 pm to go
trick-or-treating.
It was just after dinner andLisa kissed her mom, mary Ann,
and her stepdad Bruce goodbye.
Lisa's mom, who stayed home tocare for her newborn son, told
(04:02):
Lisa to be home by 7 pm.
Lisa was dressed as a hobo thatevening.
She'd put duct tape on herjeans, donned a floppy felt hat,
a green parka and had drawnfreckles on her face.
Lisa had an adorable shaghaircut that her hairdresser mom
had given her and deep browneyes.
(04:22):
She was trusting and friendly.
Lisa had wanted to be abutterfly that Halloween, but
her mom wouldn't allow itbecause she thought it'd be too
flimsy for the cold night.
Autumn leaves scattered, thesidewalks and porch lights were
glowing, welcomingtrick-or-treaters.
Lisa lived in a working-classtree-lined neighborhood.
She left her house, located at192 Amory Street, and was headed
(04:47):
to meet her best friend, annParker.
Lisa and Ann were planning towalk together to attend an
outdoor Halloween party hostedby neighborhood parents.
However, at the last minute Annmisbehaved and was not allowed
to go with her best friendtrick-or-treating.
So Lisa carried on by herself.
First she stopped at ateacher's house, then at a
(05:09):
classmate's house who livedacross the street from her.
Her third stop was at a formerneighbor's house, a man named
Gerald Turner.
Gerald Turner was divorced andhad two small children.
He worked as a machinist forSioux Line Railroad.
Lisa knew Gerald Turner becausehe used to live on the other
side of her duplex on AmoryStreet.
Now he and his girlfriendArlene Penn lived at 152 Rose
(05:33):
Avenue, about a half a blockaway from Lisa and her family's
home.
Lisa and French's third stoptrick-or-treating that Halloween
night in 1973 would be her last.
She would not walk out ofGerald Turner's house.
She would never make it to theHalloween party at Pumpkin Place
.
Lisa missed her 7 pm curfew andwhen Lisa still didn't return
(05:57):
home by 7.30 pm, a half hourpassed her curfew, her mom began
to worry and phoned the police.
Soon an all-night search beganfor Lisa and continued on for
the next two and a half days.
The whole community cametogether to look for one of
their own.
More than 5,000 people wereinvolved in the massive search
for little Lisa.
(06:17):
A PTA group called the BlockParents took action.
On that first night A womannamed Betty, who was head of the
Block Parents, called 50 otherBlock Parents to inform them of
the missing child.
They all turned their porchlights back on and put signs in
their front windows.
In the days following Halloween, private planes and National
(06:38):
Guard helicopters scoured thearea from above, while police
and volunteers searched inwooded areas, bushes, fields,
marshes, outbuildings, garagesand along river banks.
Police dragged creeks andrivers.
Six thousand copies of Lisa'sschool photo were distributed
and placed throughout theneighborhood and surrounding
(07:00):
areas.
Local gas stations offered upto 25 gallons of free gas to
anyone using a vehicle to searchfor Lisa.
But Lisa was nowhere to befound.
The last sighting of Lisa hadbeen at 6.15 pm on Halloween
night.
No one in Fond du Lac waspraying for Lisa's safe return,
but Lisa's mom and no one inFond du Lac could have imagined
(07:22):
the awful truth of where Lisawas and what had happened to her
.
On Halloween night, arlene Penn,the girlfriend of Gerald Turner
, attended the Halloween partyat Pumpkin Place with her
daughter.
This is the same party thatLisa was planning to attend.
Afterward, arlene and herdaughter returned to the home
they shared with Gerald Turner.
They were all supposed to gotogether to visit Arlene's mom.
(07:46):
Turner met Arlene at the frontdoor.
He said that he was not feelingwell and for her and her
daughter to go ahead and visither mother without him.
Although Arlene left but soonreturned home because she had
realized that her mom would notbe back at her house for another
hour or so.
At home she found Turner stillin his work clothes and still
claiming to be sick.
He sat with her on the couchbut went back and forth to their
(08:09):
bedroom several times, toquote-unquote lay down About an
hour later she left to go visither mom.
She returned home around 11 pm.
When she got back home, turnerwas wearing a bathrobe.
She saw their green bedspreadon the floor in the laundry room
when she asked him why it wason the floor, he said he'd
thrown up on it.
(08:29):
Three days later, on Saturday,november 3, 1973, at 11.30 am, a
farmer named Gerald Braun wasdriving his tractor down a
country road in Techita,wisconsin.
He spotted a brown plastic bagbehind a barbed wire fence near
some woods.
He parked his tractor at hisfarm then went back to check out
the bag he'd seen.
(08:49):
Inside the bag he foundchildren's clothing.
He then saw another brownplastic bag nearby and inside
that, when he found the nakeddead body of a child Lisa and
French had been found.
News quickly spread that Lisa'sbody had been discovered
Reportedly.
Reverend Clarence Nicolai,pastor at St Peter's Catholic
(09:11):
Church in Malone, wisconsin,went to the scene and climbed
the barbed wire fence, cuttinghis hand to reach the body of
little Lisa.
He said the Our Father, prayerand Hail Mary over her little
lifeless body.
On November 6, 1973, at EmanuelTrinity Lutheran Church, lisa's
classmates, fellow Girl Scoutsin the community, paid their
(09:33):
respects to Lisa at her funeral.
Her small body lay in a whitecasket as mourners filed past.
Lisa was wearing a purple andwhite dress, the same dress
she'd had her school picturetaken in that year.
Her mom had styled her hair forthe funeral.
Two days after Lisa's funeral,on November 8, 1973, the Chamber
(09:54):
of Commerce posted a $10,000reward for the capture of Lisa's
killer.
In 2023, that amount would beequal to a little more than
$69,000.
Gerald Turner was a suspectearly on in the case and the
police made contact with himseveral times in the days and
months following Lisa's murder.
On August 8, 1974, nine monthsafter the rape and murder of
(10:19):
little Lisa, gerald Turnerconfessed.
According to his confession,when Lisa had gotten to his home
, his door was open and shestepped inside.
He discovered her standing inhis doorway.
He told police.
When he saw her in the doorwayhe was quote unquote highly
sexually motivated.
He took her to his bedroom,removed her clothes and
(10:40):
sodomized her.
At some point he realized shewas not breathing.
He claimed he tried to reviveher, but then his girlfriend
Arlene arrived back home fromattempting to visit her mother
the first time, he said he putsocks on his hands to move
Lisa's body into the bathroom.
When Arlene left again an hourlater, he used this time to
(11:00):
dispose of Lisa's body.
He put her naked body in abrown garbage bag.
He put her Halloween costumeshe'd been wearing in another
brown garbage bag.
He then went to the town ofTecheeta, about three and a half
miles away, and dumped bothbags in a ditch off of McCabe
Road.
In his statement to police,turner drew a diagram of where
(11:22):
he'd disposed of the trash bagscontaining her clothes and her
body.
Lisa's autopsy revealed thatshe'd died from cardiac arrest,
from circulatory shock, from thesexual trauma she'd endured
during the rape.
Hair and fibers on Lisa's bodyand her clothing later matched
hair samples police hadcollected from Turner and fibers
they'd collected from hisbedspread.
(11:44):
He later recanted hisconfession, stating that, quote
I got sick and tired of beingharassed by police calling on me
.
End quote On February 3, 1975,a Fond du Lac jury convicted
26-year-old Turner of abnormalsexual perversion, indecent
liberties with a child under theage of 16, and second-degree
(12:05):
murder.
A judge sentenced him to 38years and six months in prison.
Unbelievably, since then,gerald Turner has been let out
of prison two times.
He was released on parole forgood behavior in 1992, after
serving only 17 and a half yearsof his 38 and a half-year
sentence.
However, in November of 1993 acivil lawsuit led to an appeals
(12:29):
court decision that determinedthat the state of Wisconsin had
made an error in the way itcalculated his mandatory release
date.
After Turner's brief release andthe subsequent public outcry,
lawmakers in Wisconsin created anew law, chapter 980, known as
Turner's Law.
This law allows for violent sexoffenders to be committed to a
(12:50):
secured treatment center whenthey come up for parole if they
are deemed sexually violentpersons, subjecting them to
indefinite confinement andtreatment.
This law blocked Turner'srelease in 1994.
When he again was slated forparole, the state of Wisconsin
fought to have him committed toa secure mental institution
(13:11):
under Turner's law.
Turner went on trial in 1998 todetermine if he deserved to be
held as a sexual predator.
The jury decided he did not fitthe description.
That meant he could no longerlegally be held in custody.
After years of legal wrangling,turner was released in 1998 to
a halfway house in Madison,wisconsin.
(13:31):
In 2003, he was sent back toprison on a parole violation.
When he was discovered to havepornographic images on his
computer and pornographic videosand magazines in his room at
the halfway house.
He was sentenced to another 15years in prison.
Turner was incarcerated atRacine Correctional Institution
as inmate number 71727.
(13:53):
He was scheduled to be releasedin 2018.
After serving his time, lisa'smom, mary Ann, started an online
petition in 2017, hoping itwould keep Turner behind bars.
By December 2017, the petitionhad nearly 20,000 signatures.
Mary Ann didn't know if thepetition would make a difference
(14:15):
, but she'd felt compelled to dosomething to spread the word
about Turner's upcoming release.
She was quoted in the MilwaukeeJournal Sentinel as saying
quote when Lisa can come backand have her freedom, so can he
end quote In early February 2018, 68-year-old Turner was
released from supervision atRacine Correctional Institution
(14:38):
of the Wisconsin Department ofCorrections.
He is now under the supervisionof the Wisconsin Department of
Health Services at Sand RidgeSecure Treatment Center.
The Wisconsin Department ofHealth website states that the
Sand Ridge Secure TreatmentCenter, established in 2001,
houses Wisconsin's sexuallyviolent persons program.
(14:59):
It also states, quote men aretransferred to Sand Ridge Secure
Treatment Center when theDepartment of Justice or a
county district attorney files apetition for commitment.
Commitment through this courtprocess requires that the
individual has a mental disorderthat predisposes them to commit
future acts of sexual violence.
(15:19):
End quote.
Turner was transferred to theSecure Treatment Center because
the Wisconsin Department ofJustice had filed a petition
with the court, citing Chapter980, turner's Law, that he
should be held in a securemental health facility because
he is a sexually violent person.
Turner's lawyers argued intheir defense motion that it was
(15:42):
the Wisconsin Department ofCorrections doctor that
evaluated Turner, concluded thathe did not have a qualifying
mental illness and that he wasnot more likely to commit a
future act of sexual violence.
Another doctor disagreed.
Turner's lawyer also filed amotion to have Turner release
pending the outcome of the 980petition.
(16:04):
In February of 2022, fond duLac County Judge Paul Sissney
ruled that Turner, now in hisearly 70s, will remain confined
at the Secure Mental HealthFacility and that probable cause
exists for commitmentproceedings to continue in
Turner's case.
Legal hearings to keep Turnercommitted were ongoing.
(16:25):
As of this year, gerald Turnermust register as a sex offender
for the remainder of his life.
Gerald Turner, dubbed theHalloween Killer, forever
changed Halloween in the stateof Wisconsin.
Long gone are the days ofcarefree innocence when children
roamed their neighborhoodstrick-or-treating on Halloween
(16:45):
night.
Most towns and cities inWisconsin now have designated
days during daylight hours forHalloween trick-or-treating.
In 2019, the City Council ofFond du Lac moved all
trick-or-treating to theSaturday before Halloween from
3.30 to 5.30 pm.
In 2017, 44 years after Lisa'smurder, her best friend at the
(17:10):
time of her murder, anne Parker,described Lisa as funny, bubbly
and outgoing Anne told SharonRosnick of the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel that she and Lisa wereinseparable back then and that
she'd loved being with her.
She said she still lives withguilt, wondering how things may
have been different if she'dbeen able to go
trick-or-treating with Lisa thatnight.
(17:32):
On October 5, 2022, emilyMatessick of NBC15.com wrote
that Mary Ann, lisa's mom,recalled that Lisa was
quote-unquote wise beyond heryears and she was such a kind
person that was always thinkingof other kids.
Her mom said Lisa came homefrom school one day when she was
nine years old the age she waswhen she was killed and told her
(17:56):
mom that there was a littlegirl in school who didn't have
nice clothes.
She'd asked her mom if shecould go through her own clothes
and take some she didn't wearto the little girl, and her mom
said she did.
She took a big bag of clothesto that little girl.
This Halloween will mark 50years since Lisa's murder.
(18:16):
I'm going to leave you withLisa's own beautiful words on
notes her mom discovered inLisa's room the day after her
funeral.
Her mom found them folded up,stapled and tucked inside her
Bible.
On the outside it said a giftfrom God.
Inside one of the notes writtenin Lisa's hand read Smile, god
loves you.
And another said If you askJesus to take over, you will
(18:41):
begin a new life.
As you can see, this is anongoing, ever-developing case,
according to a 2021 article inthe Fond du Lac reporter quote
Turner's lawyers, robertPeterson and Evan Wheats, argued
that to be deemed a sexuallyviolent person, someone must
have been convicted of asexually violent offense, found
(19:03):
delinquent for a sexuallyviolent offense, found not
guilty of a sexually violentoffense by reason of mental
disease or defect, have a mentaldisorder or be dangerous to
others because the person'smental disorder makes it likely
that he or she will engage inacts of sexual violence.
Well, turner certainly fits thatbill.
(19:23):
I know his lawyers are legallyand ethically bound to mount a
vigorous defense on theirclient's behalf, but the
argument over having Turnerreleased should cease because he
clearly meets the requirementsunder Chapter 980 Turner's law
to remain committed in a securefacility after having served his
time in prison.
Could Turner's lawyers feelcomfortable with him living in
(19:46):
their neighborhood?
How would they sleep at nightwith him released into any
community?
Thank you, guys, so much forlistening to this episode 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.
So I have two ways that you cansupport the podcast.
(20:10):
You can buy me a coffee bygoing to buymeacoffeecom slash
truecrimestorypod, and the otherway is totally free.
You can write a short but sweetreview for the podcast on Apple
Podcast or give it a five-starrating on Spotify.
Thank you again for being here.
I love you guys lots.
(20:30):
I wish you safety as you goabout your days.
I wish you all good health andlots of happiness too.
Please join me in episode 30when I'll tell you another True
Crime Story.
Big, big hugs to each and everyone of you.
Bye.
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