MARGARET’S LAST KISS WAS TERROR: Cold Blood, Black Eyes, And Bells For The Dead | #MurderNoir

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Inspired by a true story; scroll down for the real-life case. | Millhaven, 1937. A woman lies barely clinging to life. A man with no past returns from the dead. A detective who thought he’d seen everything knows that most of his cases are puzzles. Some are warnings. This one feels like a curse. In this city, the church bells toll without reason, the dead won’t rest, and something ancient hums just beneath the surface.

THE TRUE CRIME CASE THIS STORY IS BASED ON: On Sunday, October 13, 1867, Ferdinand Hoffman fatally stabbed his ex-wife, Caroline Yost, inside the German Reformed Church in Canton, Ohio. The attack occurred after Hoffman, recently released from prison, followed Yost into the church and confronted her behind the belfry door. Witnesses reported hearing screams as Hoffman fled, leaving Yost with eighteen stab wounds. Yost, who had divorced Hoffman after years of reported abuse and his repeated arrests for crimes including counterfeiting and theft, survived for nearly a week before succumbing to her injuries. The tip of Hoffman’s knife had broken off during the attack, lessening the severity of later wounds. Hoffman was captured shortly after the stabbing by a group of citizens who prevented a lynching. He was held in jail awaiting murder charges. Authorities reported that Hoffman expressed no remorse, stating he regretted not killing Yost outright. The morning after Yost’s death, Hoffman was found dead in his cell, having hanged himself with a bedsheet. Officials left his body hanging for public viewing throughout the day.

SOURCES…
http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2022/06/murdered-in-church.html
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Originally aired: April 25, 2025

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TAGS: murder noir, paranormal detective story, weird darkness, supernatural thriller, creepy true crime, haunted noir, ghostly crime tale, cursed knife, vintage horror mystery, 1930s murder mystery, noir horror podcast, creepy historical fiction, foggy city murder, occult detective, dark noir fiction, horror blog post, supernatural noir, spooky podcast episode, weird tales, haunted investigation, demonic possession, knife with symbols, black-eyed killer, cursed love story, Margaret’s Last Kiss