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crime. Junkie. Happy

2:11

New Year crime junkies. I'm

2:13

your host Ashley flowers, and I'm

2:15

bread. And the story I have for you, today is

2:17

one that I to tell in January

2:19

for stalking awareness month. It's

2:21

about a woman who was stalked for

2:23

over 20 years, but because

2:26

stalking is so widely, misunderstood. She

2:28

wasn't even sure if what she was, experiencing

2:30

was even a crime by the time it

2:32

escalated in, something even more dangerous,

2:35

the measures put in place to protect her

2:37

life were too little too late

2:39

now before we die, then I do and provide.

2:42

A bit of a disclaimer: The crime and I'm really

2:44

talking about in this week's episode happened between the

2:46

early nineteen eighties and two thousand and five,

2:48

however, the perpetrator in this. Case

2:51

has more recently come out as a transgender

2:53

woman, now we always try and tell

2:55

these stories in real time like how it happened

2:57

in the moment for the victim for. Their loved ones

2:59

or for investigators, but we are

3:01

also really mindful of the struggles of

3:04

the transgender community that they face

3:06

every single day, especially in the media,

3:08

so although or. Can be telling the story as

3:10

it unfolded, we will be using

3:12

gender neutral pronouns when referencing this

3:14

person to avoid using are dead name as much

3:17

as possible. If. The term that

3:19

name is totally new to you or your suddenly

3:21

realizing that maybe you don't know as much as you'd like

3:23

to, but the issue facing transgender people roxy

3:25

can. Include some links in the show notes for today's

3:27

episode, so hopefully be pretty helpful. And.

3:30

Also before anyone gets a click

3:32

with the one's darv you button because we're being to woke

3:34

or PC because you don't think a person who committed

3:37

a violent crime deserves all. The care that

3:39

we put into this episode honestly it's too

3:41

early in the morning for that yeah.

3:43

like you take incessant mean that it's but to

3:46

and is like is now

3:48

I'd rather than a hell of an idea

3:50

that is pretty much as it's, yeah,

3:53

but was it's not about them my

3:55

words? Brit's words, your word.

3:58

Hold a lot of power and there.

4:00

Even? entire community of wonderful

4:02

people who can be harmed if we

4:04

all aren't careful with our words, so

4:06

it's about showing love and respect to them,

4:09

the world would be a whole" Lot nicer have a

4:11

place if we all just showed a little more love

4:13

and respect one another don't you think oh

4:15

solely with? all

4:17

of that said this is the story

4:20

of mary lynn witherspoon

4:54

On. November fourteenth, two thousand three Jane

4:56

Well chill is having a pretty ordinary

4:58

day when she received a really

5:00

out of the ordinary phone call is

5:02

her mother's best friend and she's. Calling

5:04

to let Jane know that her mother didn't show

5:07

up for work that morning. Then. James

5:09

mother Mary Lynn Witherspoon is a French

5:11

teacher at a school in Charleston,

5:13

South Carolina, and not only did she not

5:15

show up to school that morning, but she didn't even.

5:18

Call in for a substitute and that's

5:20

not like her at all, like Mary

5:22

Lynn love teaching, she loves her students,

5:24

and she loves friend, she wouldn't it's not

5:27

sure to school. Especially without making play arrangements,

5:30

so right away, Jane knows something

5:32

isn't right, so had anyone tried to contact

5:34

Mary Lynn or, like, gone over to her, has

5:36

to check on it. Yet actually, according

5:38

to keep more since reporting for NBC

5:40

News, the school principal and

5:42

another person on his staff had gone over to

5:45

Maryland's house, they knocked on the door,

5:47

but. Maryland never answered need and

5:49

took a look around the house and didn't see anything

5:51

that really worried them to be honest, like there's no broken

5:53

glass anywhere and Maryland car wasn't.

5:55

There, so at first, I think any

5:58

normal person would probably be thinking that the.

6:00

He is gone somewhere on her own week,

6:02

set up, it's a school day and that would

6:04

have been completely unlike her, right?

6:06

Though her daughter Jane, his panic.

6:09

Feeling. Really helpless because she lives three

6:11

hours away from Charles and so she can't even like

6:13

go over herself in just like hop over to the

6:15

house to see there's anything wrong. Or look for

6:18

her mother, so her mind is just jumping to all

6:20

kinds of conclusions. The

6:22

Jane and her husband get in the car

6:24

and start heading to Charles and to get answers

6:26

for themselves. Along. The way

6:29

they contact police to report Mary

6:31

Lynn missing, and luckily this isn't one of those

6:33

cases where police tell them to wait twenty four hours

6:35

or something like that good. Know they get to work

6:37

immediately and Jane actually give them permission

6:40

to enter Maryland's home by force while

6:42

she makes her way there and that's what they do

6:45

now, although Maryland. "Colleagues

6:47

didn't notice anything wrong when they checked be

6:49

outside of the house as soon as

6:51

police and her, they come to a totally

6:53

different conclusion because, according

6:55

to an Associated Press. Report, published by the

6:57

item, when police and her bow

7:00

seems off, like, for example,

7:02

they noticed jewelry on the floor as well

7:04

as an apple plus some food in the kitchen.

7:06

That looks like it was kind of this left

7:08

their mid meal. They. Continue

7:11

searching the property, they noticed a broken

7:13

spindle on a staircase leading

7:15

up to the second floor, so that's where they had

7:17

next following this trail upstairs

7:20

into Maryland's bedroom and. When they

7:22

walk in, that's when they really know something

7:24

bad happened here. Then.

7:26

Doors are open, things have been

7:28

rifle through and there are close

7:31

all over the floor,

7:33

so basically the places been ransacked

7:36

pretty much, I mean, maybe

7:38

you could look at it. As if Mary Lynn had just left

7:40

in a panic or something, but if that's what police

7:42

are thinking, that theory is proven wrong

7:45

as soon as they enter the second floor.

7:47

Bathroom because that is where they

7:49

find Mary Lynn. Dad

7:51

in her back to. Now, obviously,

7:54

this has immediately become a completely

7:56

different situation for Pull. Leaf the

7:58

really. The at a potential for. Right? Now,

8:00

so they get right to work, processing

8:03

the scene and Miracle's body is sent

8:05

off for autopsy, where they find that her

8:07

cause of death with strangulation, the

8:09

results also note. That she had been sexually

8:12

assaulted and that her hands and feet

8:14

had been bound with Kate. Now,

8:16

as soon as Maryland's family learns,

8:19

what happened, they immediately Point

8:22

Police in the direction of someone who

8:24

they think could be for

8:26

her murder. And that person is Edmunds,

8:28

tennent-brown 4th,

8:30

who will be referring to his Brown, from here

8:32

on out. Okay. So, who is this

8:34

person to answer

8:36

that question? We kind of need to jump

8:39

back a little bit and I'm not talking, just a few

8:41

months here. We actually need to go all

8:43

the way to 1981.

8:46

That. Then Mary Lynn was a single

8:48

mom of one just coming out of

8:51

a painful, messy divorce, but

8:53

she definitely didn't laugh for interested

8:55

men and keep more since piece for NBC.

8:57

News a family friend says that she patted

8:59

basically like "be off potential suitors"

9:02

with a stick which may be is to

9:04

be expected considering this lady was

9:06

a cat's Mary Lynn. Was super

9:08

smart she had become a really popular

9:11

teacher, parent's students, colleagues, pretty much

9:13

everyone loved her, and on top

9:15

of all of that she had even one beauty

9:17

pageants in. The past, okay, so

9:19

this lady is the total package, yeah?

9:22

But one particular man caught her

9:24

attention and that was edmonds

9:26

tenant, Brown, the third. He.

9:28

Was a single parent to he had two children

9:31

and he came from are really prominent family in

9:33

Charleston, and as you might expect,

9:35

edmonds in Maryland were absolutely

9:37

smitten with one. Another and edmonds

9:39

also adored Maryland daughter Jane

9:41

and really doted on her. In

9:44

an interview with NBC News, Jane says that

9:46

he would actually come over in the mornings

9:48

after Mary Lynn had gone to work and would make

9:50

Chain's breakfast for her and take her to school

9:53

of hate that is a plus boys at retail

9:56

totally. Their relationship

9:58

wasn't quite as. Picture perfect

10:00

as you might expect, because although admins

10:03

welcome Jane with open arms, things

10:05

didn't go quite as smoothly with his

10:07

two children, a nine year old daughter

10:09

named Molly and his oldest child,

10:11

a ten year old named Brown, who I mentioned before.

10:14

The mean, like Marilyn, wasn't welcoming

10:16

to them. No. The furniture on

10:18

his he's all indicates that Maryland was very

10:20

good with Malian Brown, but there were a couple of

10:22

issues on the kids per really

10:25

one of the issues was. That Molly and Brown

10:27

seem to be quite jealous of the attention

10:29

Edmonds gave married Lynn's daughter, which

10:32

I can totally see that kind of a big changes

10:34

really tough for A. Kid, all for sure, but

10:36

despite that, Brown really seem to like

10:39

Mary Lynn and to her credit, she tried

10:41

really hard to look past all the awkwardness

10:43

and try to build. A relationship with them and

10:45

remember Mary, when was a teacher, see know how to connect

10:48

with kids, even challenging ones, and

10:50

Brown was of little challenging. The

10:52

source material is a little vague on this, but

10:54

Brown is mostly described as awkward

10:57

someone who wanted to fit in

10:59

but just Didn't forget coming

11:01

from a of teaching, Mary Lynn had encountered

11:03

cuz like this before and she wanted so

11:05

badly to be there for brown, but

11:07

there were a few incidents early

11:09

on in Maryland and Edmunds relationship,

11:12

but definitely made this more difficult, like,

11:15

what? Well, according to

11:17

an episode of obsession dark desires

11:19

that covered this case, Brown would

11:21

occasionally steal, some of

11:23

Mary Lynn's things, particularly her

11:26

clothes and jewelry, and actually

11:28

Mary Lynn initially thought it was her daughter.

11:31

Jane, who'd been taking them. But Jane

11:33

actually caught Brown wearing these items

11:35

at least once. So it definitely created

11:38

some tension, but the most

11:40

troubling incident happened one

11:42

day, when Mary Lynn and Edmunds had

11:44

the kids at the Country Club pool.

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13:02

At.

13:04

One point: Maryland and edmonds were

13:06

sitting by the pool watching their kids

13:08

play, and Brown was like, "Hey,

13:10

Jane, let's see who can hold their breath

13:12

the longest so Jane

13:14

takes" A deep breath and ducks under the

13:16

surface but Brown didn't

13:19

join her instead they please

13:21

their hands on James had and

13:23

like commonly held her below

13:25

the water luckily.

13:27

maryland notice is happening was able to rescue

13:30

jane before anything truly terrible happened Then.

13:33

Thing about this is it wasn't even really the

13:35

act itself that disturbed Mary

13:37

Lamb, and she knew better than anyone that sometimes

13:39

kids do stupid and dangerous thing right

13:42

way, what? Really struck Mary

13:44

Lynn with how Brown reacted afterward

13:47

how completely calm they were

13:49

like they had no remorse whatsoever

13:52

for what they've done yeah.

13:54

that with these killing prey But

13:57

they all moved on from that and Mary when

13:59

and admins. The together for a few more

14:01

years. In order hundred details

14:03

about what grounds behavior was like during

14:05

this time, it's definitely imply that

14:07

things were still awkward but does nothing

14:09

as serious as the swimming pool incident.

14:12

But. Either way, Maryland just was never really

14:14

comfortable with how their to families

14:16

were blending and so in nineteen

14:18

eighty eight, despite Edmonds having proposed

14:21

to her multiple times, Maryland decided

14:23

that. It would be best for her and Jane if

14:25

she ended her relationship with edmund Wake!

14:28

Up or hard, especially with long

14:30

term relationship on, also with long

14:33

term relationships, have kids right, yeah,

14:35

so I'm sure this was a difficult time for everybody

14:38

but the person. Who seem to have the most

14:40

trouble letting go wasn't Mary Lynn

14:42

or admins it actually was brown?

14:45

It would after Maryellen in edmonds broke

14:47

up that Brown certain just

14:49

showing up at Maryland House,

14:52

basically just kind of standing on her

14:54

porch or they might rather bicycle

14:56

to her house. What? You said breakups

14:58

can be really tough on kids for sure and

15:00

so the first few times it happen, Mary

15:02

Lynn would kind of engage with Brown like, "Hey,

15:05

how you doing?" You know, you wanna talk that

15:07

kinda thing, but they kept happening

15:09

to the point where Mary Lynn was noticing ground

15:11

watching her about every day

15:14

and polls would rather than at.

15:16

This point, like early teens and

15:18

sawyer know by this point

15:20

Brown would have been eighteen years old,

15:22

oh so would pretty much a full

15:24

grown adult, yeah, and look, it's not.

15:27

Like them showing up could have been something that was

15:29

explained away like, oh, maybe Brown is riding

15:31

through the neighborhood a lot or something like that I mean first

15:33

of. All this the frequency at it as is happening

15:35

pretty much every day, but also there

15:37

was a period where Mary Lynn and James actually

15:40

moved away from Charleston temporarily

15:42

nine or. What led to the move again this case, I

15:44

don't believe it was like their attempt to get away from.

15:47

Brown's creepy behavior. But they

15:49

relocated to a place called Mount Pleasant,

15:51

which isn't far from Charleston, me like

15:53

fifteen twenty minutes away, but not like

15:55

on Brown's route right to

15:57

is from schools but still Brown

15:59

was show. The up there too. Good.

16:01

Marilyn ever report it to the police at

16:04

this point, at least I feel like it's set up stocking

16:06

she didn't know, which is not

16:08

uncommon to be honest, and I think.

16:11

One of the big issues is that stalking

16:13

is not like other crimes against people

16:15

like assault, for example, that is really

16:17

clear, cut everyone knows exactly what it is

16:19

everyone knows. That the crime stasi

16:21

is different, what stocking is

16:24

the actual definition just isn't as well

16:26

known or understood, yeah, I'm

16:28

sitting here thinking.

16:30

They're an actual definition for second,

16:32

as I certainly don't know it.

16:34

Being. Legally, it actually varies from place

16:36

to place, but while they were putting together

16:39

this episode, we spoke with Spark,

16:41

which is the stalking prevention awareness and

16:43

resource center, and they say. That a good

16:45

definition of stalking his quote: "A

16:47

course of conduct directed

16:49

at a specific person that would cause a reasonable

16:52

person to feel fear and

16:54

quote have a set define" Feels like it

16:56

would apply in a situation absolutely,

16:58

but I still get, were Mary Lynn is coming

17:01

from in this situation to with not

17:03

calling the cops? Youtube. Include

17:05

know, like it's a stranger, the she's dealing with

17:07

this was someone who is basically a part

17:09

of her family for years and

17:11

her daughter Jane told he'd more thing with. NBC

17:14

News that at the time see

17:16

and Mary Lynn didn't even really think there was

17:18

a crime being committed. The

17:20

can't help but think that maybe Mary Lynn saw

17:22

Brown as right, the sort

17:24

of miss that we said before they were awkward

17:27

and so she probably was like

17:29

empathizing with them. Right,

17:31

earning, see new ban as a kid and

17:33

essentially. Watch them, girl and.

17:36

The be really hard to see them as anything else

17:38

than like just a kid is not imagine.

17:41

McKay, I'm sure she felt like from

17:43

the harmless and even that kind

17:45

of idea like yeah, they're creepy and I

17:47

hated that. The harm might not

17:49

be really hard to think it's your

17:51

mind pass rate because she knew

17:53

them, but honestly knowing

17:55

your stalker is also really comments

17:58

in that the majority of victims.

18:00

Or start by someone they know whether that be

18:02

an acquaintance or a former partner,

18:04

so what Mary Lynn was experiencing

18:06

with Brown Float she may be

18:08

couldn't see it herself was pretty

18:11

much a textbook case of stalking.

18:14

But. It didn't stop a just creepy

18:16

visits about a year after breaking

18:18

things off with admins Mary Lynn

18:20

had taken a trip to visit her mother, who lit

18:22

a few hours away. From Charleston, the

18:25

to went for a walk, and when they returned

18:27

to Maryland's mother's house, it was

18:29

clear that someone had broken in.

18:32

There was nothing mistake, or at least it didn't

18:34

seem like that as a time, but when

18:36

Mary Lynn returned home to Charleston

18:39

and started to unpack her suitcase,

18:41

that's when she saw it. From

18:43

one had gone to real her suitcase

18:46

and stole in her underwear and her

18:48

makeup. Mary, when I knew

18:50

immediately that it was brown.

18:52

Then. She called up her mother to tell her what

18:54

had happened to wait, why, as her

18:56

mind jumping they're like two hours away

18:59

wouldn't be more likely that the could have. Been

19:01

some random stranger, or even

19:03

it, maybe she just forgot them a short,

19:05

and we know that Brown had followed mariel into

19:07

other locations before, like when she moved Mt.

19:10

Pleasant. Way, but what about

19:12

the make up though?

19:13

From what I can tell, it seems like Brown

19:16

was struggling with their gender identity

19:18

and expression they were assigned

19:20

male at birth it, but they, how did this

19:22

interest in Maryland clothing and

19:24

make up going all the way back to childhood?

19:27

I. Have to warn you if you decide to look into Sound

19:29

the Sources for today's episode this part of the story

19:32

I don't think is handled release well

19:34

by other outlets covering. The keys, it's true

19:36

that's kind of this, a dark and disturbing

19:39

sat about Brown when that's probably

19:41

the least disturbing thing about any of this.

19:43

Yeah, the issue isn't that they were interested

19:46

in women's underwear or make up for that they

19:48

were exploring their gender identity, the

19:50

issue is they were starting Mary Lynn

19:52

right feeling from her and violating

19:55

her privacy exactly. Then

19:57

when Maryland mother learn says she actually

19:59

try.

20:00

The get in touch with Brown over the phone

20:02

and was basically like, "Look, I know,

20:04

is you who broke into my house and who stole

20:06

Maryland days, this is not cool,

20:08

so you need to return those things to Mary

20:10

Lynn" Brown. Didn't deny

20:13

it, but they also didn't apologize or

20:15

anything like that either, apparently they just put all the items

20:17

in a bag and left it in Maryland, carport

20:19

and in Maryland. Report it at that point like

20:22

this very clearly has escalated now

20:24

and it's clear a crime has been committed.

20:27

The yeah, you're right, but no Mary

20:29

Lynn decided not to get the police

20:31

involved. Again, I

20:33

don't think she saw this so much as an

20:35

escalation of the stalking behavior,

20:37

necessarily more like it's more of the same

20:40

stuff Brown had been doing for years

20:42

since they were a kid. Then. Other thing

20:44

is that Mary Lynn had always been

20:46

a very private person and the items

20:48

involved in this that were pretty personal

20:50

to herself that kind of factored

20:52

into the decision. To so did

20:55

getting caught and this confrontation with

20:57

Maryland mom Scare Brown off at

20:59

all. You know, I don't actually know

21:01

so that that's happened in nineteen eighty nine and

21:03

the period right after this isn't super

21:05

well covered in my source material, speak

21:07

as most of them to strumpf Street from there

21:09

to nineteen ninety one. You

21:12

know what happened? Ninety ninety one.

21:15

Well, that's when Brown just disappeared

21:18

white. According to NBC

21:20

News report, I mentioned at some

21:23

point in nineteen ninety one Mary

21:25

Lynn just stopped seeing Brown

21:27

around anywhere. It.

21:30

Was a few days that went by where this

21:32

person was an invading for life, but

21:34

then those days turned into weeks,

21:36

week, turn into months and months to

21:38

years and at. A certain point: Maryland's

21:40

finally let herself feel

21:43

at peace, she was no longer

21:45

constantly looking over her shoulder wondering

21:47

if Brown would be there, she wasn't worried

21:49

that she'd come home. To find her personal belongings

21:51

missing, she was just enjoying her light

21:54

enjoying Charleston, a city that she loved

21:56

so much enjoys teaching friends to

21:58

her students and at one point. Even

22:00

accompany them on a trip to France

22:02

so she suffered living her best was

22:05

totally. Mary Lynn

22:07

lived a pretty normal life, the nightmare

22:09

finally over for ten

22:11

years. Until one

22:13

day in two thousand and one. Mary

22:16

when was at home when something caught

22:18

her eye in her backyard know

22:20

something he was some one

22:23

and. as soon as she realized who

22:25

it was she was pulled right

22:27

back into that nightmare once again

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23:40

They're in Maryland, backyard

23:43

was brown. It had been a decade

23:46

since Maryland had seen them and now Brown

23:48

wasn't a ten year old kid or even a confused

23:51

eighteen year old anymore they were a

23:53

thirty year old adult calmly standing

23:55

on Maryland property almost.

23:58

inviting her to catch them

24:00

Even know she was terrified

24:03

Mary Lynn somehow found the courage

24:05

to walk outside, ready to talk

24:07

to Brown, and hopefully find a way to end things

24:09

once, and for all fits as soon

24:11

as he stepped outside, Brown turn

24:13

around and select. That. Wasn't

24:16

the end up because soon they

24:18

were back to their old ways showing

24:20

up on Maryland property, and they also

24:22

would harass her with phone calls, they

24:25

create all these different. Female persona

24:27

that we're obviously fake it's, even though

24:29

they weren't necessarily threatening Maryland

24:31

with these calls, she was still just feeling

24:34

worn down from the whole experience.

24:37

At this point, it was probably getting more

24:39

and more difficult for Marilyn to kind of excuse

24:42

all of this behavior.

24:43

And even Maryland's friends were seeing the red flags

24:46

are actually they decided to contact

24:48

Brown's father and the honestly I was

24:50

kind of wondering.

24:51

Where? He was in all of this to like,

24:53

"Not only is this your child, but there are stocking

24:56

a woman that you claim to love for years

24:58

who you propose to multiple"

25:00

Times right and it stood up to me too,

25:03

but actually it seems like Edmond's kind

25:05

of like washed his hands of Brown at some

25:07

point during the last decade.

25:09

Maryland sister Jackie told Keith Morrison

25:11

with NBC News that edmonds really didn't have

25:13

much to do with Brown at that point and when Maryland

25:16

friends that called him "he did nothing"

25:19

Did anyone contact the authorities

25:21

then?

25:22

No, Mary, when still prefer

25:24

to keep all this private.

25:26

You. Tell her friends and family that there wasn't

25:28

anything criminal about standing in front

25:30

of her house like brow wasn't hurting

25:32

anybody, really, would it's not

25:34

Brown's individual actions or behaviors

25:37

that? Makes this a crime, it is the pattern

25:39

of behavior that makes it a crime. Right

25:42

so like it hasn't had the.

25:44

Today and Brown was sending Maryland

25:46

like hundreds of text messages every

25:48

day, there's nothing illegal about

25:50

sending a text message or even multiple.

25:53

The amount of text messages and frequency

25:56

it is, what would you? The

25:58

data could elevate it to fucking. Yeah,

26:00

that's exactly it.

26:02

You know, I think Maryland probably saw this

26:04

behavior as disturbing, but ultimately

26:07

harmless. It doesn't mean

26:09

it can't cross a line which

26:11

is what happened in April of two thousand

26:13

and three. Mary Lynn was

26:15

doing her laundry when she

26:17

noticed that something was missing.

26:20

It. Was her underwear and obviously

26:22

this wasn't the first or even the

26:25

second time Mary Lynn had dealt with this,

26:27

but back then Brown had been

26:29

younger this time it really

26:31

seem. To get under Maryland's skin

26:34

and so this when she decided it was time to

26:36

protect herself. The installed

26:38

a new security system in her home,

26:40

then she got nice and pepper

26:42

spray plus a panic button on her

26:44

teaching.

26:46

He. Actually, did get in touch with some

26:48

police officers, it's not like filing

26:50

an official report, marry one was actually friends

26:53

with some local officers, so she basically just

26:55

like ask them. To keep an eye out for her and she had

26:57

a bunch of their phone number is like at the ready

26:59

for she called anything with Brown escalated

27:01

and she needed like. immediate help. That

27:04

day, when she needed help, actually came sooner

27:06

than Mary Lynn, expect it. Just

27:08

three months later, in July, two thousand and three

27:11

Mary Lynn once again spotted

27:13

Brown in her back yard. Something

27:16

was different this time because

27:18

Brown wasn't just standing

27:20

there and watching they were holding

27:22

something. With a pillow case

27:25

filled with Mary wins clothes

27:28

and, this really terrified

27:30

mary lynn because this is the first

27:32

time she had caught ground in me at

27:34

and she was only certain how they would

27:36

react in the moment it seemed

27:39

like brown was almost haunting mary

27:41

lynn like just standing there holding

27:43

there things looking for right in the eyes

27:45

zipping work wanting to get caught or maybe

27:47

even wanting to frighten her Definitely.

27:51

Work, I mean, Mary Lynn was too scared

27:53

to even move. Thankfully

27:56

Brown eventually just walked away.

27:59

That was soon as this. Incident happened her

28:01

whole family started, "Thank you, need to report

28:03

this and you need to do it now" Not.

28:06

At Maryland disagreed, but naturally

28:08

she was scared like what would

28:10

Brown do with a found out that Mary

28:12

Lynn had called the police on them, but ultimately

28:15

she decided it was. Worth the risks of report

28:17

the burglary and after that, Brown

28:19

was arrested and charged. It

28:21

turned out that in the years

28:23

since all this started happening with Mary when

28:26

Brown had a number of run ins with

28:28

police. For stalking other people.

28:31

No. Not that I'm aware of cheese, Morrison

28:33

reported that it was things like break

28:35

and enter is in part that's, and

28:37

when Brown was arrested for burglary

28:39

because the incident at Mary. limbs house, they

28:42

actually pled guilty and then just sat

28:44

in jail awaiting sentencing. The

28:46

marry my new that Brown wasn't going to be in jail

28:48

forever, and she didn't want to risk being caught

28:51

off guard by their presence ever

28:53

again.

28:53

Though he registered for a victim

28:56

notification system called By

28:58

which stands for victim information

29:01

and notification every day, which would automatically

29:03

call her and sent her a letter

29:05

if Brown was released or transferred, oh

29:07

yeah, I've heard that.

29:09

Then, in the meantime, this let Mary Lynn

29:11

like stand down a little bit, least until

29:13

she got that call about Brown's relief.

29:15

That that whole never't. t Instead,

29:19

there was that other call.

29:21

The one that Jane got on November fourteen,

29:24

two thousand and three telling her

29:26

that her mother hadn't shown up at work. That

29:29

brings us back to the investigation that's

29:31

happening.

29:32

Though Brown was in jail

29:34

when Maryland was killed.

29:35

Well. When Jane and the rest in Maryland family

29:38

find out about her murder, their minds automatically

29:40

jump to Brown like I said, because of course they

29:42

would, but they're also completely like.

29:44

You like they're like very, when would have

29:46

known if Brown had been released because if

29:48

she would have been one of those calls or letters to buy

29:51

and they feel like. You know, if you would have gotten a notification,

29:53

she would have at least mentioned it to some

29:55

well for sure. The police

29:58

look into it again, thinking like. The should

30:00

be sitting in jail, but Brown wasn't

30:03

in jail at all like. Not.

30:05

So much were Brown wasn't that was concerning

30:08

it's where they were, because when

30:11

the investigators at the scene are given

30:13

a photos of Brown there's stunt

30:16

because the person they're looking. At in these photos

30:18

had been at the scene

30:20

of the crime all day

30:23

long, walking up and down

30:25

the street watching the investigation

30:28

on the phone. You're kidding me,

30:30

know?

30:31

Gordon Brown isn't there any longer,

30:34

but Elise now, please know

30:36

it's only a matter of time before they come

30:38

back for another look's all investigators

30:40

need to do is set a trap.

30:43

Now, please know that their prime suspect has

30:45

been making a habit of returning to the scene

30:47

of the crime, so they decided to send

30:49

home the investigative unit, basically,

30:51

to make it look at the work at Maryland House,

30:53

has been like all wrapped up. The really good

30:55

as his are curious, like what will Brown

30:57

do with it looks like the house has just been

30:59

totally abandoned. But, of course,

31:01

the truth is that authorities have a stakeout

31:04

t monitoring the property and I'm

31:06

not exaggerating here within twenty

31:09

minutes of this whole trappings set

31:11

up brown thumbs, walking

31:13

down the street, walks right

31:15

up to Maryland's door.

31:17

Then and pulled out a set of keys,

31:20

unlock the front door, why, which

31:22

is all police need to see

31:24

before they pop out and start asking

31:26

questions.

31:28

Cleo right away that Brown

31:30

understand exactly what's going

31:32

on and why investigators or up Maryland's

31:34

house because they refuse to answer

31:36

any questions and they were classed

31:38

and attorney. I mean, Brown has the

31:40

keys to both Maryland's house and car,

31:42

which is enough for an arrest, yeah,

31:44

I agree, but I feel like we skipped over

31:47

a pretty big chunk of the story here.

31:49

Why wasn't Brown still in

31:51

jail, and why did Maryland

31:53

not know about this?

31:55

Yeah, so remember how I said that Brown

31:57

was awaiting sentencing play.

32:00

Then. Court ultimately decided that the best course of

32:02

action for Brown was mental health treatment,

32:04

a why report in The Times and Democrat noted

32:07

that brands of medication for bipolar

32:09

disorder and. Also had Asperger

32:11

Syndrome, so I suspected those were some of

32:13

the reasons that this option was even on the table,

32:15

but all this means that on November tenth

32:17

Four days before Maryland's murder.

32:20

Ground was released under the condition

32:22

that they receive outpacing, counseling, medication

32:25

and supervision, which is

32:27

the moment Maryland should have received

32:30

a notification thing by hey.

32:32

According to Glenn Smith's reporting for the

32:34

Post and courier.

32:36

Brown was taken to see a counselor at

32:38

a mental health clinic who evaluated them,

32:41

then told them that they are basically free to go,

32:43

but they just had to return in two days for additional

32:45

counseling.

32:46

The thing in a Brown never did come back

32:49

to that clinic in it's nothing else that

32:51

should have been enough for this clinic to basically sound

32:54

all of the alarm bells and had Brom picked

32:56

up, but that also just didn't

32:58

happen.

33:00

During all of this, Maryland just legit

33:02

never got the notification that from was

33:04

relief.

33:06

She actually did the,

33:08

you are not going to believe

33:10

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connect what matters most is almost

34:32

there. A me.

34:48

Apparently

34:51

there was a bit.

34:53

Blog. Or some kind of administrative

34:55

error, basically the notification

34:57

of from fine or right in her mailbox

35:00

one day after

35:02

she had been murdered, ah, but

35:04

here's a thing, even if it. Had arrived on time,

35:07

the letter is factually incorrect, anyway,

35:09

says at Brown has been transferred to another

35:11

facility, it's not released into

35:13

the community. Apparently. Vine

35:15

also attempted to contact Mary Lynn on her home

35:18

phone, like with a robo call kind of

35:20

situation, but she was never home when the calls

35:22

came in, and they just. ended up on her answering

35:24

machine and so she never like got them,

35:26

though again, even the automated message

35:28

was also in correct, so it's

35:30

not even clear how helpful that would. Have been

35:32

anyway, so basically this is a failure

35:35

like on every single level

35:37

we're absolutely which left Maryland

35:40

completely vulnerable. I'm not

35:42

even knowing it. And on top

35:44

of that, the more police dig into

35:46

Brown as a suspect, the more they

35:48

discover evidence that this wasn't

35:51

some spur of the moment escalation

35:53

he was something that Brown had been planning.

35:56

The find a hand written manifesto

35:58

that Brown had put together. In prison

36:01

in which they explicitly right out their

36:03

plans to quote take care

36:05

of'em 'em l. W. and quote ice,

36:08

M. L. W. Having.

36:11

ambiguous about that riot police

36:13

also signed pages among grounds, things

36:15

where they seem to be practicing

36:17

how to forge Mary Lindsay

36:19

signature, so well,

36:21

it's not like assesses Mary Lynn

36:24

and. Like I'm in love with her kind of way,

36:26

it's more like trying to a simmer identity.

36:29

That's kind of the theory that police land

36:31

on, and some of the other evidence police

36:34

discovered during the investigation actually supports

36:36

that theory. One. It turns

36:38

out that when Brown was arrested they

36:41

were wearing some of Maryland's clothing,

36:43

please also December that after Maryland's

36:45

murder, Brown had gone and Heather

36:47

driver's license updated to marry. One's address

36:50

and what's more as investigators

36:52

were continuing to process the seen a

36:54

package arrived, containing wigs

36:56

in Maryland hair color and other

36:59

items that to them could be used to. Help

37:01

Brown impersonate Mary Lynn. Over

37:03

there is a really solid circumstantial

37:06

case, but police find even more

37:08

than just circumstantial evidence they

37:10

find DNA at the crime

37:13

scene that is a match for Brown. How

37:15

do they know anything about what happened the day of the murder?

37:18

The know there was no sign of forced entry, how

37:21

did Brown get into the house?

37:23

They. Are ellison idea of how they think

37:25

things played out that day, basically,

37:27

they think that Brown likely surprised Mary

37:29

Lynn at her front door either by knocking

37:31

are just being there? When she opened it to leave

37:34

and from their brown of force,

37:36

their way inside the house and a talked

37:38

Mary Lynn.

37:39

They would definitely a struggle that's

37:41

like her things were scattered around on the floor, but

37:43

Brown eventually got her up to the second floor

37:46

with a sexually assaulted her, strangled

37:48

her and placed her in the bathtub. Luckily,

37:51

Mary Lens loved ones were spared

37:54

the additional trauma of going through a trial

37:56

because on July twelve, two thousand,

37:58

four brown, please. guilty to

38:00

Maryland murder and sentenced to life

38:02

without the possibility of parole. That

38:05

Maryland family know that they should have never happened

38:07

in the first place and they are determined

38:10

to make sure that it never happens again. Mary,

38:12

my sister, Jackie and her daughter

38:14

Jane work with state legislators to create

38:17

Maryland law, which is designed

38:19

to close all of those gaps in the system

38:22

that had left Mary Lynn vulnerable. The

38:24

Wine Maryland law would require authority

38:27

to notify a victim in person is

38:29

an offender is released from prison and the

38:31

automated system hasn't been able to make contact

38:33

with in three attacks. Maryland?

38:35

Law also proposed changes to South

38:37

Carolina Mental Health Court system,

38:39

for example, according to a letter written by

38:42

Maryland Sir Jackie and published

38:44

in the item if anyone who is arrested.

38:46

For stalking needs to undergo mental health

38:48

treatment, they would need to complete that

38:50

treatment while still incarcerated.

38:53

On May twenty six two thousand and five less than

38:55

two years after Maryland murder South

38:58

Carolina Gov Mark Sanford

39:00

signed the bill into law that's.

39:03

that's so amazing and let's see such

39:05

a relief for maryland family to know that

39:07

her legacy can protect other people

39:09

in similar situations absolutely

39:11

it's as tragic and senseless

39:13

as maryland's murder was i think it is

39:15

super important that we not

39:18

treat this case as only as

39:20

murder because mary lynn was also

39:22

stopped again for over twenty

39:24

years and that in and of

39:26

itself is a horrific and traumatizing

39:29

crime traumatizing crime that it's happening

39:31

all the time to people all around

39:33

us

39:34

In. Fact, according to Spark over

39:36

the course of a year, they're up to seven and a half

39:39

million people in the United States

39:41

alone who experience stalking

39:43

and nearly one in six. Women and one

39:45

and seventeen men will experience some

39:47

form of stocking in their lifetime, oh

39:50

wow, I mean, I kind of guess that starting

39:52

with disproportionately affect women, but that's

39:54

actually. A lot of men as well totally

39:56

and what I really want, crimes and keys to

39:58

know and to get out of this at. Notice. How

40:01

to identify Stocky in the first place

40:03

because he can start out seeming kind

40:05

of I don't know annoying or weird,

40:08

maybe but not outright dangerous like

40:10

this when a person. Is just walking

40:12

by too often are showing up once

40:15

or twice on announcer just calling

40:17

a little more than normal you might be

40:19

inclined to brush it off like oh I've. Known this

40:21

person forever, they're harmless, right

40:23

like I immediately would be freaked out

40:25

by your some stranger and a trenchcoat

40:27

walking by or showing up on my doorstep,

40:30

but right, yeah. I think human nature

40:32

would make it pretty easy to press off

40:34

that thing as saying or convince yourself you're overreacting

40:36

if it's someone that you know or like

40:39

of friends of. Friends and a person totally

40:41

and no one wants to be

40:43

weird or rude right and the.

40:46

other thing i couldn't something he about as i was researching

40:48

this story this not thing that thing say about

40:50

boiled frogs you mean that thing where like

40:52

as he put a frog into a pot of boiling water

40:54

or die You. Put it into this

40:56

like a part of regular water and slowly

40:58

bring it to a boil, it won't, yeah, that's

41:01

not true by the way, but the concept

41:03

is so. Spot on, I think, because you think about

41:05

is a person out of nowhere, broke

41:08

into your house and stole your underwear, you'd be

41:10

immediately like, "Okay, red flags, this

41:12

is this" Is a crime this is wrong,

41:14

but what if they were someone you knew, and

41:16

at first they started calling too

41:18

often and you're like, "Well, if they aren't showing up a"

41:20

Person, but then they start showing up

41:22

in person and you're like, "Well, you know they're dirty

41:25

in my house whatever, and then they start getting

41:27

in your house or well he's" They're not being violent

41:29

in Ceylon suits me worry as if we

41:31

don't spot this stuff early

41:33

and trust our guts and call

41:35

it for what it is stalking than how

41:38

can. We really protect ourselves or each

41:40

other.

41:41

I. Think you can set that we got from Spark and

41:43

I'm hoping that you can give us a little bit of a run down

41:45

on what people should be looking for

41:47

and. What they should do if

41:49

they see it suggests to be weird, be

41:51

rude, but like what kind of weird,

41:53

what kind of fight with so this

41:56

story happen in the nineties? And early

41:58

two thousand and obviously.

42:00

A time has seen in technologies

42:02

of and put the core behavior of

42:04

the living in. Really feel the same,

42:07

it's someone making and fills, and I know

42:09

when a presence in there, but.

42:10

In place, and I can still mean showing

42:13

up at your house or at work or whatever, but

42:15

it can also mean. Like you said I'm on a phone,

42:17

call the text messages a reference earlier

42:20

or. The media interaction and

42:22

another big component fucking is

42:24

monitoring, so these days

42:26

that could include things like. Yeah,

42:28

monitoring or cameras are listening

42:31

devices like all sorts of things were.

42:34

It me or like someone listens experiencing

42:36

that or even seen that happen to someone

42:38

else like what's the next step would you do well,

42:41

you already said at the most important thing you can

42:43

do is trust your gut.

42:46

According. To spark stocking victims will often

42:48

downplay the seriousness of what they're experiencing,

42:50

I mean, we saw that all over in this

42:53

case and I think that this is

42:55

one of the. Clearest instances where people should

42:57

be weird and rude if you

42:59

think you're experiencing stocking contact

43:01

the authorities, especially if you think you're

43:03

in immediate danger, but the

43:06

other thing Spark recommends. Is that victims

43:08

log be? The or, and it

43:10

feels a little bit like. The victims

43:13

to do the heavy lifting by

43:15

themselves, but it serves multiple

43:17

purposes because not only are you keeping

43:19

a record of whenever a potential soccer contact

43:21

you. You're. Also be better able to convince

43:24

yourself that you aren't just overreacting

43:26

like there will be a written live, yeah, you

43:28

can see it with your own eyes as it is so.

43:30

Let's see and black and white like, okay, it's not as a feeling

43:33

like this, this is a lot and I compare that

43:35

to, like, any other interaction I haven't my life.

43:37

Like this isn't.

43:38

Normal or okay, exactly

43:40

exactly, and you can hold onto A.

43:42

Repeated evidence you can like text messages

43:45

or voicemails and log those two.

43:47

You can reach out to domestic violence or of

43:49

the the.

43:49

Adam Services programs in your community and

43:52

they can help you build a safety plan which

43:54

might include things like varying your daily

43:56

routine or seeking a protective

43:59

order or even.

44:00

Providing a photo or description of

44:02

your stock or to your neighbors, your colleague's security

44:04

guard that your off as like that kind of thing.

44:06

Yeah. Listen to a spark which again is

44:09

the stalking prevention awareness and resource

44:11

center has so many incredible

44:13

resources and a lot of great information

44:15

on their website, which is stalking awareness.

44:18

Dot.org: org We're in a link to that in our show

44:20

notes on the blog post, like we always do, we have also

44:22

chosen to sponsor the organization to

44:24

help them continue. Their amazing work,

44:26

so please, please take some time

44:29

to get familiar with this and use

44:31

them as a resource again, even if you

44:33

don't feel like you've ever been stalker you.

44:36

Know this is so far away from you, it'll never be in

44:38

your realm, it might not be you, it might be someone

44:40

you know who need.

44:42

Mary. When Witherspoon lost her life

44:44

on November fourteenth, two thousand and three,

44:46

but for more than twenty years before that,

44:48

she also lost her right to live a happy

44:51

and peaceful life. Without the constant fear

44:53

that she was being watched are followed

44:55

or violate. There's. One thing

44:58

I want other Susie take away from this case: it's

45:00

that stalking is a truly

45:02

serious crime and one that can destroy

45:04

lives in so many different ways,

45:07

but there. Are ways to protect yourself, there

45:09

are resources out there, you

45:11

just need to take the time to educate

45:14

yourself.

45:28

All doing so, the resources we mentioned

45:30

for this episode in the show notes and

45:32

on our blog post, all of our source

45:34

material will also be on our blog post is and

45:36

by that, a Crime Gente podcast. I'll

45:39

be sure to follow the Instagram at I'm taking

45:41

Ah just and will. That next week

45:43

with a brand new episode.

46:15

Crime junkie is an audio chuck production

46:17

so, what do you think chuck do

46:20

you approve