One detective took time to sketch Ackroyds loose connections to Melissa and Sheila how he and the teenagers knew some of the same people in Sweet Home, his hometown. Was it important to use it here? Call the police, Marlene said. I wanted the reader to feel rooted in that time and place. A report from the trial in the Bend (OR) Bulletin. I know from watching Dave Killens powerful documentary that much of what you summarize in the story, especially peoples voices, appears there instead of the print narrative. Later, Ackroyd would drive back roads, shooting squirrels and cutting off their tails. Ackroyd worked out of Corvallis and continued to roam the highway. You dont describe the rape, instead skipping over graphic details. Just weeks later Ackroyd was arrested for the murder of Kaye Turner. It took a lot of force to break them. He recalled the blood, Ackroyds unlikely story and the odd timing. You could win the lottery four or five times before something like that would happen, Salsbery said. How did you decide which characters to include in the epilogue? At one point, Kelley Benham French was a consultant on the series. sat and waited to hear his fate. The project was a true collaboration. Her case remained unsolved. Weeks after the teens disappeared, Ackroyd was finally arrested for Kayes murder and booked into the Jefferson County jail in Madras. His partner, Detective Will McAnulty, sat nearby. Load the dishwasher. The highway worker had hurt Rachanda, stuffed her into a garbage bag and hauled her away, Linn County Sheriffs Detective Jim Salsbery said during one of their interviews. How did you decide on these and did they form part of the narrative strategy? But detectives long suspected Ackroyd preyed on women who disappeared along or around Highway 20 from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. What triggered the new investigation? Be sure to examine it, as it makes for compelling and highly instructive reading. She thinks those factors played a role in their handling of the investigation. He was based in Santiam Junction, about 25 miles from Camp Sherman, and said hed gotten off work at 6:30 a.m. A while later, he drove through the camp, planning to hunt coyotes. But its worth noting that it took many years for this particular serendipity to play out. He said her body was lying in the same wooded area where scraps of her clothing and bits of bone were found. Looking for John Ackroyd online? Their bodies were found off a logging spur. Some of the most important sources never appear in the print component of this project. Its also a newspaper story, not a book. It made sense to strip it down. You aim to anticipate the next question theyll have. John Arthur Ackroyd was born on month day 1902, at birth place, to George Ackroyd and Annie Ackroyd (born Sharp). It was one of those details I tucked away knowing Id use it somewhere. Narrative is not typically what Ive done. As investigators scoured the woods for clues, a state police trooper rested against a tree. I read. This day, prosecutor Bill Hanlon told jurors, has been long in coming.. His wife, Pam, said the two men were around the trailer for most of the morning, which helped give Ackroyd an alibi. Like Mark Foster, one of the cops who worked on the Kaye Turner investigation. Then Linda tells her that Rachanda has been gone for 24 hours and the dispatcher stumbles a bit. The couple had since divorced and Pam had moved to California. It was earlier in the year, though he couldnt recall the date. Its 41 years too late, but finally she is believed. Christmas presents Noel bought for his wife were wrapped and in the car. It was scary. Maybe we can see each other again, Ackroyd said. A lone truck makes its way along Highway 20 at dusk. Sheila Swanson and Melissa Sanders were murdered in 1992, in Lincoln County, Oregon. We talked about this stuff pretty much nonstop at work and when we hung out together outside of work. My mom was yelling at John to stop. They were investigating the killing of a young woman on an isolated stretch of road outside Sisters. He had already raped a young mother by the time he happened upon Kaye the day before Christmas in 1978. The watch played a key role in helping to pin down when she was killed. The Turner case file filed a metal file cabinet and was a reporters dream as far as narrative details. Ackroyds grim speculation about the harm that had likely come to Rachanda echoed gory stories like the ones hed replay over and over in Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.. She once showed up at Sheilas with bruises on her face and asked if she could stay. Kayes husband Noel remarried. The sheriff declined to comment last year and has since retired. What was your reaction when you discovered it? How did you decide which characters to include in the epilogue? Her head slammed into the door frame. And so the case reached a quiet end in the fall of 2013. The Oregonian has published the 1977 polygraph reports for both John Arthur Ackroyd and Marlene K. Gabrielsen, who credibly alleges that he raped her at knifepoint. I had to gut him out.. No, what do you think I am? Ackroyd said, his voice rising in rare agitation. I wanted the reader to hear Ackroyds reaction when confronted with the detectives suspicions. Most of your sentences are short and simple; subject-verb-object, short sentences, short paragraphs. The district attorney said he was unable to talk about it something was prohibiting him. The home showed no signs of foul play. A cop once mentioned to me that Ackroyd always had a bunch of these candies in his pocket and would pop them into his mouth during interrogations. The conference room where we met to discuss this story features a wall-sized whiteboard. It also won best special section in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Associations annual awards. The report was a summary of what he told police. Oh my God, her mother-in-law said, opening the door. . The general store in Camp Sherman, Oregon, where John Ackroyd showed up to report he had discovered some clothing in the woods that might've belonged to Kaye Turner, whose disappearance in 1978 caused a stir that lingered for years in this small vacation community just off Highway 20. She felt the cool blade of Ackroyds hunting knife against her neck. Old coworkers told Benson and Snow how theyd seen Ackroyd around a highway project near a gravel logging road off Highway 20. What the heck happened to you? Laront asked. The Oregonian/OregonLives five-part series on John Ackroyd details crimes that include sexual abuse, rape and murder. Each of the multimedia elements in powerful in its own right. She hadnt been out long when a state highway worker named Thomas Hanna spotted her, running south, alone. I tried to give quick references to time to guide without distracting the reader. They were turned over to her husband and cremated. Did you assume readers would know what a Fireball is? Did she feel shed been raped? Now he admitted hed not only stopped but also had spoken with her. Without the film, do you think you would use more voices? From the outside, he seemed to lead an ordinary life: Raised in small-town Oregon, he hunted and fished, held a steady Rachanda and Byron Pickle in an undated photograph. I also was liberated by knowing the companion photos and video would fill in many of the details in a different way. The two had history that extended to childhood. At one point before the trials, investigators had returned to Camp Sherman to re-enact theories of what had happened. She admitted it could have been her. Unsatisfying because he pleaded no contest but his sentence was suspended as part of the plea so he was never formally convicted and his plea deal didnt require him to reveal what hed done with Rachanda. It was scary. The young mother managed to survive. He was caught trying to steal equipment and supplies. Yes, we saw Highway 20 as its own theme and character. Their stories have another connection: John. The couple married in the mid-1980s but divorced after a year. Hes a grandfather now. Their stories have another connection: One man is linked to all five crimes. Yes and it was something I struggled with. There was so much information to move through. How and why did you settle on that approach? Is that what youre saying? I like how direct, clean and certain Hanlons quote is here. Gillmore knew Ackroyd had abducted a runner near Highway 20. A used rivet was discovered near her body. Later that morning, the door to the house opened unexpectedly. Your lead is a classic roundup that focuses on several people or events. Our overarching purpose was to hold their rapist/killer accountable in public for the first time. He was drawn to Melissa and Sheila, making a point to chat them up. The men drove by Santiam Junction, slowing as they passed the eastern edge of the highway compound where Ackroyds manufactured home backed up to the woods. If I put 50 dollars on a gamble that there wasnt punishment in a week I would lose that 50 dollars. When John snapped, it was scary. Somebody could have just come in, he said, knocked her over the head, throw her over the shoulders and just walk out without anybody seeing her. Then, two decades later, in 2010, another detective picked up the file. Goodreads members who liked. John Arthur Ackroyd was an American murderer, rapist and most likely a serial killer. Among the files were details from grand jury testimony, which included precise accounts of Kayes state of mind and the days and hours before and after her disappearance. Then it was time to go. It seemed like decent shorthand for conveying the remoteness of this area. When she was 12, Ackroyd tattooed his initials on her arm. Constant references make Highway 20 a character in its own right? John Arthur Ackroyd - Wikipedia 1926 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 1927 The Big Four 1928 The Mystery . Two years later, at age 14, she married Beck. I asked him for an interview. Biography Edit. Who was this guy and what made him tick? But the work of discovery keeps you going as well as the realization (maybe anxiety) that you must make a fair and supportable case and do justice to the time involved, the expense and most of all, the material. From the outside, Ackroyd seemed to lead an ordinary life: Raised in small-town Oregon, he hunted and fished, held a steady job and married a woman with a couple of young kids. Oh, I think you do, Harmon said softly. He struggles to breathe and its clear he takes time to move around. Were other approaches considered? Then Rachanda Pickle, Ackroyd's 13-year-old stepdaughter, disappeared. When the couple pulled into the compound that evening, Rachanda wasnt hanging around outside like she had the day before. The next day, Hanlon hopped in a car with a Jefferson County deputy for a briefing on the search for Rachanda. I had some of these details from my initial interviews with Marlene, but Kelley pressed me to go back for more, to really flesh out that evening in detail. She was calm as she told the dispatcher that her daughter, a homebody, had gone missing. I think the local DA wanted to take another look at this cluster of unsolved cases involving young women, and Melissa and Sheila were among them. Most of your sentences are short and simple; subject-verb-object, short sentences, short paragraphs. One of those visits stood out: Shed discovered him fondling himself while looking at Oui, an explicit mens magazine sold at the store. Actually, the beginning and the ending were the most rewritten parts of the series, as we knew they would be. She invited us in and we waited for Noel to return from running an errand. He offered no explanation. Another Oregon courthouse provided the backdrop for Ackroyds second prosecution. He was painting the tailgate. The television was on. I spent considerable time trying to answer this very question. His excuse for his bloody arms and hands around the time Melissa and Sheila vanished was that hed just gutted a roadkill deer. The woman demurred. Melissa and Sheila joined a list of girls last heard from or seen late at night in coastal Lincoln County. That may have also played a role in their response. Those footnotes helped me sleep at night. He showed signs of a disturbed mind. They began walking along U.S. 101, covering more than six miles to the turnoff to Highway 20, then headed east. Sandy Turner, Noels wife, answered and greeted us warmly. The sheriff declined to comment last year and has since retired. Over time, the two made painstaking progress. John Arthur Ackroyd (October 3, 1949 December 30, 2016) was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. When the men turned them down, Melissa and Sheila said theyd hitchhike instead. When he got home, I explained the purpose of our visit, what the series would report and how it would include details about his wifes killing that would be upsetting. She was alone with Ackroyd, a big man who reeked of sweat and freshly cut wood. For now, I just want the reader to know something triggered their interest in what happened to Marlene and leave it at that. These particular details are important as circumstantial evidence. In class, she counted down the minutes, a sense of dread rising as the end of the school day approached. Harmon kept the tone conversational as he directed Ackroyd back to Rachanda. Due to his connection with Rachanda's disappearance, many women at Santiam Junction were uncomfortable with his behavior and he began to work out of Corvallis.[2]. And Bill Hanlon, the prosecutor who helped put Ackroyd away. It moved around a bit until it landed here. Still, police seemed skeptical. During the course of my reporting, I heard several references to this infamous Cline Falls attack, which took place around the time of Marlenes rape and Kayes murder. Forensic experts and search-and-rescue workers spent nearly a week looking for her remains. Pretty bleak. The focus seemed wrong. So I shifted to the women he encountered. Its also a testament to the human need to find answers and how these disappearances and Ackroyd himself affected people who knew there had to be a connection. Kaye Turners killing became a faded memory. I kept approaching the local cops, detectives, some quite elderly, retired. She asked if she could sleep over. The extraordinary arrangement meant Ackroyd would die in prison. Why did you include a trigger warning at the top of the story? Did you have a knife in your hand when you had sex? Why did you choose to end the narrative with Marlene Gabrielson? Country. It was dark, around midnight. A scrap from her blue pullover, her underwear and a remnant of the heel from one of her Nikes. No one was ever charged. The DA knew Ackroyd had changed his story and admitted he had talked to Kaye the morning he encountered her on a run. She had been drinking and her husband was known to local cops in their small town. She handed police a brown paper bag with clothes Marlene wore on the night of the attack. She had two children, Rachanda and Byron. I relied on interviews with a detective and the woman deputy to reconstruct this scene. Maybe they just walked in, seen an opportunity and grasped at it.. When you have one you really hang tight to them. What role did she play? I built this profile from those various sources. Date of Interment 21/Jan/1929, Temuka Cemetery, Section B, Block 5, Plot 335 MI. Harmons manner was low-key and friendly as he tried to gauge Ackroyds interest in pursuing parole. The details throughout are extraordinarily vivid. I found her through Nexis, I think. Bewildered by the explanation, the men watched as Ackroyd washed up. Early on in the project videographer Dave Killen and photographer Beth Nakamura were riding together on Highway 20 on one of our many reporting trips. We had multiple victims across a large swath of rural Oregon and crimes that covered a long period of time. Its dramatic and I wanted to draw it out for the reader. Investigators talked to Marlenes mother-in-law, too. Both were present for almost every interview. What are the chances that two serial killers were active during the same time and place? In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. I knew this would be an essential scene. This time you use a direct quote? Was it difficult to learn about Kaye Turners husband since her murder? But they knew Ackroyd was a killer. Polygraph "test" of Marlene K. Gabrielsen conducted by Sergeant Phil R. Ensminger of the Lane County Sheriff's Office . We felt and processed their profound grief. The trackers noticed two sets of footprints preserved in the frozen ground. He made a brief stop at the house he shared with his mother in Sweet Home, his hometown. Its not a transcript. Ackroyd had indeed come across Kaye but didnt go to police, even though he saw posters with her picture at the nearby Santiam Junction highway compound, where he lived. Then theres Ackroyds first known victim. This time you dramatize the action instead of summarizing it. She clung to her boots, which shed grabbed from the clearing. The sisters knew why she was afraid. She seemed withdrawn and tired. It was the last time any cop talked to Ackroyd. He saw another highway worker driving through Camp Sherman that morning. He stuffed his cell with food from the prison commissary dozens of packages of processed meats and cheese, candy bars and beans. The ending because you want to leave readers with a meaningful and hopefully memorable coda, the lasting impression. Its got humanity and poignancy but it also lets readers know that ultimately some questions about the Turner murder were never answered. There was nothing in the record that showed where this request came from or why it had been sought. What lay behind this approach? John Arthur Ackroyd (October 3, 1949 - December 30, 2016) was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. He claimed hed reached down to touch the slain womans arm and hair. We had a lot of discussion about the ending. I was so bewildered by this I was unclear where this was going and then he said, And when he entered his plea. You can hear me echo him on my recorder, When he entered his plea? I was so stunned that (Ackroyd) had done that, a no contest plea, and that there was no record of that in the court system. You shift now to the killer. In all, five teens disappeared on or around highways in the county from 1984 through 1995. Im not sure what the reader gains from reading a detailed description of a rape. Ackroyds name emerged early on. Detectives didnt dwell on the highway worker. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped along the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. We talked to grieving loved ones. He appeared to become sexually aroused when shown a pair of pants that police had found in the woods and initially suspected belonged to Rachanda. A cinnamon candy? Ackroyds explanations of his encounter with her never added up, but detectives found no physical evidence directly tying him to the killing. He was the main suspect, but the case had vanished from local news reports even though her disappearance triggered one of the largest search efforts in the countys history. I heard the river on one of those trips and took the liberty of saying he would have heard it too if his windows were rolled down. . The teens had managed to build a sordid social circle in their young lives, so investigators had plenty of violent men to consider. Our overarching purpose was to hold their rapist/killer accountable in public for the first time. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results John Arthur Ackroyd (1903 - 1914) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Now and then, like here, you use complex sentences. It made sense to strip it down. His parents worked as a maintenance man and as an office worker at the police department. He wondered aloud if Rachanda had been dumped and buried in the woods or threatened with a knife, tied up and gagged, her body rolled in plastic. The cause: heart disease. It seems clear that for many of those involved, including most importantly the victims and their families, the system (and to a larger extent society) failed them. I am totally innocent, he said, his breathing labored, and Ill say that until the day I die. After the rape, Ackroyd slapped the knife against his grimy jeans held up by orange suspenders. She said her son was shy around women. Marlene suspects it was rooted in their bias against Native Americans. They kept their exasperation in check, rarely raising their voices as they combed fine details for any new revelation. I have the audio of this conversation. Over two decades, four women disappeared and one was raped along the same stretch of road in rural Oregon. He told Linda to wait until the next day to call police. Yes, youre right. Occasionally, Ackroyd would reach for one of the Fireball candies he carried in his pocket. I never got a clear answer about why it was sealed or who made that request. Like Kayes watch and her hair in the birds nest, this Fireball detail is one I knew I would use. I sought to write a driving narrative that relied on detail, dialogue and description with a bedrock of reporting and research. Ackroyd was spotted there at least three times after they went missing. How come he had all this blood on his hands?. [5] He sliced off her boots and her underwear and threw her to the ground. John Arthur Ackroyd was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. They looked for similarities how none of the victims had been buried, for example. Dave Killen was the video editor and genius behind the documentary series that accompanied the stories and Beth Nakamura was the gifted photojournalist whose work captured the subjects and remote landscape where these crimes took place. In the courtroom, she turned to face Ackroyd. On Christmas Eve morning, Ackroyd showed up at the house. She wanted to make sure he knew what was coming. These particular details are important as circumstantial evidence. Ackroyd was abusive to both Byron and Rachanda. Ackroyd entered a no contest plea to his stepdaughters murder. putter loft and lie adjustment; you my baby daddy i want child support; apartments for rent in gander nl; Search Had police believed her, none of the subsequent murders committed by Ackroyd would likely have occurred. Then 29, Ackroyd had worked for the highway department for nearly a year. My goal all along was to limit reader confusion. Why did Pam Ramirez lie when first interviewed by the cops? Trauma had seared these details into her memory. There was a tremendous amount of secrecy. He steadfastly maintained his innocence, admitting only that he had seen Kaye that morning and found her remains. If a jury acquitted Ackroyd, it could clear the way for him to seek parole. Was it difficult to have to summarize so much of the story when your reporting had turned up more than enough details to dramatize the action? She answered right away and was willing to tell me about her experience so the three of us headed to Salem to interview her. My sister was denying it. Serial Killer John Arthur Ackroyd was a true monster. A few months later, in 2013, the Linn County district attorney took Rachandas case to grand jurors. They tracked down Marlene Gabrielsen, who easily could have been the killers first victim but managed to escape after Ackroyd brutally raped her in 1977. He said hed gone to photograph wildlife when Rachanda went missing. By this point, it was time to flesh him out. George was born on March 29 1875, in East Bierley, Yorkshire. Pronunciation of John Arthur Ackroyd with 1 audio pronunciation and more for John Arthur Ackroyd. That day, she tied her hair back and pulled on her green Levis. He and his wife walked out of the county courthouse, where he paced and wept. He had raped a young woman, led detectives to a runners remains off an isolated road in central Oregon and was the last person to see his stepdaughter alive. Then he started swinging at her with his hand.. I knew all along I wanted to make a passing reference to this crime because it was such a horrible act that touched on some of the same themes as Ackroyds crimes. The men heard a truck pull into the yard. A spare style is my natural tendency. Dried blood covered his arms and hands. Then a confession by a convicted murderer sidetracked detectives before they determined he was lying. At 17, Melissa was tough-talking and independent. How did it affect you? This time, the DA and the cops who believed Ackroyd had gotten away with Kaye Turners killing were determined to get the highway worker off the street for good. He knew how to navigate the hills and hairpin turns during winter, when fierce storms swept through the Cascades. This is a crucial moment where Ackroyd is confronted with one of these crimes, in this case Rachandas disappearance. The watch played a key role in helping to pin down when she was killed. Its ugly to describe and imagine these killings. I asked her about his clothing. For a long time, the lead was a scene from his cell immediately after his death. They didnt hear from Ackroyd, who had decided not to testify. He told police he was poaching when Kaye was killed. He mentioned it only after a pair of state police troopers approached him a couple of weeks later. The Turner case file filed a metal file cabinet and was a reporters dream as far as narrative details. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results John Arthur Ackroyd (1902 - 1997) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. And to explain why this story has currency and impact today. A few days later, I received a handwritten letter from Noel. Hed stopped by a half-dozen times since Kaye had gone missing. Did you have to listen to them to be able to write that sentence? Kayes remains sat forgotten in the Jefferson County Courthouse until three years ago when court staff came across them. Mike Harmon, a longtime investigator with the Linn County Sheriffs Office, worried Ackroyd had a shot at parole. The police detective who originally investigated the rape was long dead, so we couldnt ask him. Pretty much all the details of the attacks and deaths are sickening in the series. The answer was no. Secondary trauma from reporting stories like this is real. Their stories. Earlier in the year, shed finished a marathon, run two half-marathons and climbed Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack. US Highway 20, 1976-1992. Why? So while I did the interviews, reporting and wrote the stories, their work helped elevate the project into something pretty special. I listened to them all, some multiple times. June 12, 2022 / 1 / 0 / 1 / 0 The anecdote revealed that Ackroyd knew Melissa and Sheila and that the young women were comfortable enough with him to climb into his truck. His work meant long hours alone on Highway 20, the route that bisects Oregon from east to west. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian/OregonLive Beck had bragged to family members about killing Kaye. What was your source for this description of Ackroyds temper? They climbed back into the truck and continued west on Highway 20. Maybe thats why these are the cases that stuck with investigators. They pressed him again and again about his interactions with Kaye. This is a messy story that jumps around in time. United States. I used a massive spreadsheet for reference. Too good to be true, Snow thought. Those contradictions, discrepancies and outright lies had led him to this moment. Biography. In 1992, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison for the abduction and murder of Kaye Turner. Marlene put them on, holding tight to the waist to keep them from slipping off. Dave listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen. The interview sputtered to a halt. So we had to make clear to the reader why we were telling these stories. He read about how Ackroyd had been with an old hunting buddy on the morning of Kayes killing. I knew I wanted to use this somewhere in this series. Vulnerable and adrift, Melissa and Sheila knew nothing of Ackroyds sinister background when he entered their lives. Its a combination of rhythm the variety is more interesting and simply finding ways to weave in the necessary details of who, what, when, where and why without overwhelming readers. I lied like hell back then, she told McAnulty. His wife sat by his side. The three of us had a favorite restaurant on the road. The dialogue and scene-setting details how Ackroyd tapped his leg with his knife, for instance came from interviews with Marlene. The girls mother eventually moved to California and remarried. Why was it important to do so? He eluded police even as their suspicions about him deepened. Ackroyd was a prime suspect and he knew it. Ackroyd was jailed in 1993 for a 1978 . Crombies lean prose, set off by stretches of staccato dialogue between investigators and their elusive suspect, relentlessly draws the reader into the mystery and misery behind Ackroyds killing spree. But the story cant be fully appreciated without viewing Killens gripping documentary; so far its YouTube views top 847,000 hits and 22.6 million minutes of viewing time, Bottomly said. Sinister Sunday topic about serial killer John Arthur Ackroyd, who committed his crimes along Highway 20 in Oregon between 1978 - 1992. I wanted him to know that the reporting was continuing and that a story would likely appear sometime in the coming months. If I put 50 dollars on a gamble that there wasnt punishment in a week I would lose that 50 dollars. When John snapped, it was scary. They located the woman who had introduced Melissa and Sheila to Ackroyd. Was it difficult to have to summarize so much of the story when your reporting had turned up more than enough details to dramatize the action? Kaye and husband, Noel, had joined friends on a holiday getaway at Camp Sherman, a vacation and fly-fishing retreat along the pristine Metolius River off Highway 20 with a two-room school, country store and 200 year-round residents. Another time, they snuck her into their bedroom closet.
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