Ep 137 Marilyn K Plantz

We’re baaaaaaccckkkk!!

Welcome cousins to Season 4! We are so excited that you all are with us again this season! 

We’re kicking off Season 4 with Jess’ second installment of “Women on Death Row”. This episode, part 1 of 2, covers Marilyn K Plantz. 

Marilyn Kay Plantz, originally Marilyn Kay Sellers, was executed by lethal injection after spending 12 years on Oklahoma's Death Row. Born in 1960 into a modest, working-class family, Marilyn had a quiet upbringing that emphasized traditional roles for women. She married James "Jim" Plantz, her childhood sweetheart, at a young age, and they appeared to live a typical suburban life with their two children. However, underlying tensions began to surface as Marilyn grew increasingly dissatisfied with her domestic situation. Feeling emotionally isolated and unappreciated, she sought attention outside her marriage, which led to an affair with an 18-year-old named William Clifford Bryson.

This relationship quickly escalated from casual conversations to a deadly plan against Jim Plantz. Marilyn manipulated Bryson into believing her husband was abusive, fostering a scheme to stage Jim's death to collect on a life insurance policy. She involved Bryson's friend, Clinton McKimble, and together they plotted Jim's murder. On the night of August 26, 1988, after a brutal attack with a baseball bat, they attempted to set his body on fire in his truck. Following the murder, Marilyn helped cover up the crime and mislead investigators while her children remained asleep in the house. The tragic events ultimately led to her arrest and a trial that would reveal the shocking details of the crime.

Join us as we dive into how a church-going mother ended up on death row. 

Sources:

• Justia.com

• News Channel 6 

• Murderpedia

• Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

• The Oklahoman

• The Oklahoman 2 

• Crime Quarter on YouTube  

• The Washington Post