1 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: M M A Wall Street line, shackle change, Oh do 2 00:00:23,199 --> 00:00:31,480 someome girdie, it's calling my name. There is no mercy 3 00:00:31,879 --> 00:00:37,640 and it's been a tentery juice as the huge stream 4 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:42,119 game Rango three. 5 00:00:42,719 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 2: Come in by me to die. 6 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:59,479 Speaker 1: Inside these walls, inside the wild han't went no girls. 7 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 2: I Hey everyone, and welcome back to Bloody Angola, a 8 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,040 podcast one and forty two years in the making, the 9 00:01:37,159 --> 00:01:41,959 complete story of America's bloodiest prison. I'm Jim Chapman, and 10 00:01:42,079 --> 00:01:47,200 today I'm bringing you another story of someone incarcerated in 11 00:01:47,439 --> 00:01:52,840 America's bloodiest prison and a female accomplice incarcerated elsewhere. Is 12 00:01:52,959 --> 00:01:58,439 we cover the crimes, conviction, and incarceration of Eric Michelson 13 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:04,000 and Beverly Arthur. Now, before we get into this, just quickly. 14 00:02:04,799 --> 00:02:08,719 This is the first episode I have recorded on Bloody 15 00:02:08,759 --> 00:02:12,800 and Gola since the horrific terrorist attack in New Orleans 16 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:17,840 that left fifteen people dead, including the piece of shit responsible, 17 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,479 and many more injured. I'm sure that most of you 18 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:25,039 have heard the details, so I won't get into that here. 19 00:02:25,439 --> 00:02:28,879 This event happened about an hour from where I record 20 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,199 here in South Louisiana, and obviously my heart and prayers 21 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,199 go out to the victims of this tragedy in my 22 00:02:36,319 --> 00:02:40,319 home state of Louisiana. It goes without saying, there's no 23 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,919 honor in what this fuckstick did. He's a coward and 24 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,599 he died a coward, and that is that. So we're 25 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,199 gonna get into today's episode, and I'm going to start 26 00:02:51,199 --> 00:02:56,039 off by telling you a little bit about Charles Martin Junior. Now, 27 00:02:56,159 --> 00:03:00,159 Charles Martin Junior was born on May fourteenth, nineteen twenty one, 28 00:03:00,199 --> 00:03:04,039 in Colorado. He was from a large family, actually one 29 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:08,560 of eleven children, and of course, during this time in history, 30 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:13,439 the twenties, large families were very common. And when Charles 31 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,639 was five years old, his family picked up and they 32 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:21,199 moved to Shreveport, Louisiana. Which Shreport is in the northern 33 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,719 part of Louisiana, about four and a half to five 34 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,039 hours from where I record, and it borders Texas to 35 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,879 the west in Arkansas to the north. Now, when he 36 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,560 was a little boy, Charles was a musical talent. He 37 00:03:34,879 --> 00:03:38,960 loved to play the harmonica. He would go to nursing 38 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,439 homes and he would cheer up the older folks by playing, 39 00:03:42,599 --> 00:03:45,639 and he actually got so good at it he started 40 00:03:45,639 --> 00:03:49,439 composing his own songs, but it spoke to who he 41 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,240 was as a person, even at a very young age. 42 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,000 And then he would go to those nursing homes and 43 00:03:54,039 --> 00:03:56,759 want to put a smile on the face of these 44 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:01,319 older people just by entertaining them and playing harmonica. But 45 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:06,039 he was very mechanically inclined as well. He loved to 46 00:04:06,159 --> 00:04:09,800 work with his hands. He even designed and built his 47 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:14,599 own home security system as well as many other electronic devices. 48 00:04:14,639 --> 00:04:18,480 At the time in history where electronics really being discovered 49 00:04:18,879 --> 00:04:23,040 for the first time. Now Charles grandsons Martin and Chriss 50 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,879 would later say, we took a part on copy machines 51 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,560 to get the parts to make that alarm system. So 52 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,600 he would repurpose other electronic items. Just an amazing guy 53 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,800 with his hands. He also loved to fish, and when 54 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,319 he had his own children later on in life, he 55 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:44,279 would take them fishing on Caddo Lake any chance that 56 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,879 he got. But throughout his life it was the military 57 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:53,639 in serving his country where Charles really found his calling. 58 00:04:54,199 --> 00:04:57,279 He enlisted in the army during World War II, and 59 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,600 he was a true blue war he wrote, y'all. He 60 00:05:01,879 --> 00:05:05,959 served as a radio operator. He took classified calls as 61 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,680 a member of the B Company, sixty second Signal Battalion, 62 00:05:11,399 --> 00:05:13,759 and it was during World War Two, while on a 63 00:05:13,879 --> 00:05:17,199 mission off of the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean, 64 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,480 that he was wounded when a German U boat attacked 65 00:05:20,519 --> 00:05:23,680 the ship he was on. By the time he left 66 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:29,680 military service, he was a very highly decorated military individual, 67 00:05:29,759 --> 00:05:33,600 having received the Purple Heart, the Military Merit Award, the 68 00:05:33,639 --> 00:05:39,279 Good Conduct Award, in numerous other awards. So he gets 69 00:05:39,399 --> 00:05:42,600 discharged from the Army and then Charles works as an 70 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:47,839 aircraft mechanic at Barksdale Air Force Base. He then went 71 00:05:47,879 --> 00:05:51,040 on to work for Bronx Auto as a mechanic and 72 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:56,040 eventually Charles and his brother they open up a specialty 73 00:05:56,199 --> 00:05:59,959 paint coutings company called Martin's Specialty Coatings, where he will 74 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:04,240 work as a house painting contractor until he retired in 75 00:06:04,439 --> 00:06:09,839 nineteen eighty five. Now service was important for Charles, and 76 00:06:09,879 --> 00:06:13,319 throughout his life he not only dedicated himself to it, 77 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,000 but he was also recognized often for it. He spent 78 00:06:17,079 --> 00:06:21,160 his time educating people on the laws, the constitution, and 79 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:25,279 he had some pretty conservative Christian beliefs. He spoke all 80 00:06:25,319 --> 00:06:28,879 over the country. He campaigned and ran for many offices, 81 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,399 and he drew up a lot of petitions to support 82 00:06:32,439 --> 00:06:36,560 the causes that he compassionately believed in. He was the 83 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:42,040 founder and president of the National Petitioning Committee for Constitutional Government, 84 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:46,160 and he even received the Young Americans for Freedom Award 85 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:52,000 for that committee. And interestingly enough, in nineteen sixty Charles 86 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:57,920 obtained an estimated twelve million signatures to impeach US Chief 87 00:06:58,199 --> 00:07:02,360 Justice Earl Warren, who sought to repeal the Fourteenth Amendment 88 00:07:02,519 --> 00:07:07,199 and oppose the Federal Reserve system. Now, in addition to 89 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,959 all that, he was also a lifetime member of the 90 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:15,439 VFW Post twenty two thirty eight, and he was awarded 91 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:21,360 the State of Louisiana's Honorary Attorney General Award by the 92 00:07:21,399 --> 00:07:25,199 State of Louisiana Department of Justice in nineteen fifty six 93 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:29,800 and then again in nineteen sixty. This guy was a 94 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:34,680 stud He was even honored for outstanding patriotism to God 95 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,399 and country on May twenty eighth, nineteen sixty. He was 96 00:07:38,439 --> 00:07:41,600 given the key to the City of New Orleans and 97 00:07:41,639 --> 00:07:45,120 awarded Honorary Citizen of New Orleans by the mayor in 98 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:50,399 nineteen sixty seven, and he was even awarded the Honorary 99 00:07:50,519 --> 00:07:56,120 Secretary of State Award in nineteen eighty five under Jim Brown. Now, 100 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,519 even with all that, he was also a family man. 101 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,600 Been married to his wife Mary for fifty six years, 102 00:08:05,079 --> 00:08:11,920 and he had three children, nine grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren 103 00:08:12,639 --> 00:08:18,519 and three great great grandchildren. And even at eighty six 104 00:08:18,639 --> 00:08:22,680 years old, when his amazing life came to a tragic end, 105 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,000 he was a go getter. He would get up early 106 00:08:26,079 --> 00:08:28,160 and he would work on things around the house at 107 00:08:28,199 --> 00:08:31,959 eighty six years old, and he would do that until nighttime. 108 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:34,879 And his grandson would say, even at eighty six, he 109 00:08:34,919 --> 00:08:38,639 could still whip my ass if he wanted to. It's 110 00:08:38,759 --> 00:08:43,759 how he earned his nickname peaceful warrior, A true family 111 00:08:43,799 --> 00:08:46,919 man and a warrior, just an amazing human being. So 112 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:51,039 on July eleventh of two thousand and seven, a then 113 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,960 eighty six year old Charles Martin, he gets reported missing 114 00:08:55,399 --> 00:08:58,360 by his daughter. She had tried to call him several 115 00:08:58,399 --> 00:09:01,919 times she could not reach it, which was way beyond 116 00:09:01,919 --> 00:09:05,399 the pail for Charles. So she goes to his home 117 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:10,480 and she finds no sign of Charles or his vehicle. 118 00:09:10,919 --> 00:09:13,799 Now one thing is daughter noticed when she and other 119 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:17,200 family members went inside the home was how clean it was. 120 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:21,080 It wasn't that he did not keep a tidy home, 121 00:09:21,639 --> 00:09:25,559 but this was like museum quality clean, not just tidy. 122 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:30,240 Another strange thing they noticed was that the motion detectors 123 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,639 that were positioned throughout the home were turned off. Of course, 124 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:37,320 at eighty six years old, hearing is something you lose 125 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:39,879 as you age, and Charles was hard of hearing, and 126 00:09:39,919 --> 00:09:42,639 those motion detectors were what he used to alert him 127 00:09:42,639 --> 00:09:45,480 when somebody was approaching the home or entering the home. 128 00:09:45,799 --> 00:09:49,000 They also found a wat of hair under a seat 129 00:09:49,039 --> 00:09:53,720 cushion and the bedroom door was broken, so police get 130 00:09:53,799 --> 00:09:56,879 called to the scene and they interview his daughter and 131 00:09:56,919 --> 00:09:59,080 they asked her if she had any idea who may 132 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,080 have wanted to hurt Charles. It's not like Charles had 133 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,320 a bunch of enemies. He was really beloved by everyone, 134 00:10:06,399 --> 00:10:11,000 as you can tell who knew him. But there was 135 00:10:11,039 --> 00:10:14,159 one person that his daughter thought may have something to 136 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:18,799 do with his disappearance. His daughter mentioned to police that 137 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,960 Charles had been spending time with someone by the name 138 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,759 of Beverly Arthur. She said Beverly had stolen prescriptions from 139 00:10:26,919 --> 00:10:31,320 Charles in the past, and the daughter suspected a rug 140 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:35,000 in a wooden barrel full of rare in foreign coins 141 00:10:35,039 --> 00:10:37,799 that it went missing in the past from Charles' home 142 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:42,679 to have been stolen by Beverly So police armed with 143 00:10:42,919 --> 00:10:46,720 this information, they find a copy of charles bank statement 144 00:10:46,919 --> 00:10:51,440 at his home and they discover some suspicious bank transactions. 145 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,080 So they go directly to the bank and they speak 146 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,720 with the staff and sure enough, not only did they 147 00:10:58,799 --> 00:11:02,320 find out that Beverly Author had recently tried to cash 148 00:11:02,399 --> 00:11:06,360 a check from Charles Martin's account, but they also get 149 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,000 a copy of the surveillance video showing her attempting to 150 00:11:10,279 --> 00:11:15,240 cash that check, as well as her address because when 151 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:19,240 she attempted cash said check, she provided her driver's license, 152 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:21,919 which the bank happened to make a copy of. They 153 00:11:21,919 --> 00:11:25,799 were also told by bank personnel that another individual they 154 00:11:25,879 --> 00:11:29,799 identified as Michael Jones had attempted to cash a check 155 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:34,799 from Charles's account. So, on Thursday, July twelfth of twenty 156 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:39,279 twenty four, armed with Beverly Author's address, a corporal for 157 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,480 the Shreport PD as well as his partner, they head 158 00:11:42,519 --> 00:11:46,519 over to Beverly Author's home and their idea there was 159 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,960 We're going to surveill it and see if they spot 160 00:11:49,039 --> 00:11:51,799 Charles Martin coming or going from the house, or anything 161 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:56,639 that may lead to his disappearance without necessarily alerting Beverly 162 00:11:56,759 --> 00:12:00,159 Author that they're doing so. So they turned out down 163 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,000 the street. They arrive at the home and right away 164 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,879 they have a key piece of evidence. Right there in 165 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:11,639 the driveway is Charles Martin's Chrysler three hundred m vehicle, 166 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:16,840 which a white male is standing right beside it, who 167 00:12:16,879 --> 00:12:20,519 police would identify later as Eric Michelson, but at the 168 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:24,639 time they thought was Michael Jones, the other guy that 169 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,240 tried to cash that check. So there's no need to 170 00:12:27,279 --> 00:12:30,080 surveil now, right, you got the car right there in 171 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:33,080 the driveway. Police pull into the driveway, and as soon 172 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,840 as they pull in Eric Mickelson, who they described as 173 00:12:36,879 --> 00:12:41,559 appearing very nervous, he starts reaching for his waistband and 174 00:12:41,639 --> 00:12:46,120 of course the officers they s freak out. They fear 175 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,559 that he's reaching for his gun. So one of the 176 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,240 detectives he pulls his weapon and he orders Micklson onto 177 00:12:52,279 --> 00:12:56,519 the ground where he is searched and he is handcuffed. Meanwhile, 178 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:59,120 one of the other detectives he makes his way to 179 00:12:59,159 --> 00:13:02,240 the front door of the house, and he spots Beverly 180 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:07,440 Author and her mother exiting that house. So the scene 181 00:13:07,519 --> 00:13:11,759 gets secure and everyone is taken into custody for questioning, 182 00:13:11,799 --> 00:13:16,679 and the police do determine that Michael Johnson is actually 183 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:22,039 Eric Mickelson. But Eric Mickelson was definitely the guy that 184 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:27,960 tried to cash a check. So who is Eric Mickelson? Well, 185 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:33,440 Eric was not what you would consider a model citizen. 186 00:13:34,039 --> 00:13:37,399 Between nineteen ninety five and two thousand and six, he 187 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:42,360 had been booked into jail five times, from charges ranging 188 00:13:42,399 --> 00:13:47,000 from vandalizing cooke machines to drug possession, the felony theft 189 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:50,360 to simple burglary. He had a son, though they were 190 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,159 estranged and they didn't speak until his son was eighteen 191 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,360 years old, and he also had a brother. His shreport 192 00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:01,679 neighbors would describe him as very strong, saying he would 193 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,399 spend hours just sitting outside his house and talking on 194 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,279 the phone and pacing back and forth. Just a weird guy. 195 00:14:09,879 --> 00:14:14,039 And what about Beverly Author, Well, in all honesty, she 196 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:16,840 had her shit together a little more than Mickelson did 197 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,840 in some ways. She was a graduate of LSU's report. 198 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:24,440 She had a bachelor's degree in accounting and she had 199 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,399 been married, but in two thousand and four, her husband Michael, 200 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:32,440 committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with the 201 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,759 twenty two caliber handgun and get ready for this. That 202 00:14:35,919 --> 00:14:42,759 handgun was registered to Charles Martin. Charles Martin had actually 203 00:14:42,799 --> 00:14:47,279 reported the gun stolen three days before the suicide at 204 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,440 Beverly Author, who was known by our friends as Susie, 205 00:14:50,519 --> 00:14:55,080 also had a five year old son. Now in the onset, 206 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:57,720 it might seem that Beverly might have been a pretty 207 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:00,279 good citizen, you know, with the degree in all that 208 00:15:01,559 --> 00:15:04,000 this can be further from the truth. As a matter 209 00:15:04,039 --> 00:15:07,519 of fact, her rap sheet was actually twice as long 210 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:13,559 as Michelson's. Between nineteen ninety five in two thousand and seven, 211 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,840 Beverly had been arrested and booked into the Cato Parish 212 00:15:16,919 --> 00:15:22,399 Correctional Center ten times for everything from unauthorized use of 213 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:26,320 a motor vehicle, the forgery to theft to drug possession. 214 00:15:26,639 --> 00:15:31,399 She and Mickelson had been lifelong friends, and Beverly Author's mother, Betty, 215 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:36,960 would later describe Michelson as weird and demanding, and described 216 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,240 her daughter as having a dark side that was often 217 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,120 triggered when she was under the influence of drugs. So 218 00:15:44,639 --> 00:15:48,559 police on the scene they asked Mickelson whose car that 219 00:15:48,639 --> 00:15:51,639 three hundred m was, and Mickleson confirms that it was 220 00:15:51,759 --> 00:15:56,799 the still missing Charles Martin's vehicle. And Micklson tells the 221 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,919 detective on the scene that he and Beverly Author dropped 222 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,120 Charles off at a bus stop in downtown Shreeport, and 223 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:07,919 the detectives, knowing this sounded like bullshit, they radio for 224 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:11,480 backup and then they get the keys from Beverly Author 225 00:16:11,559 --> 00:16:14,919 and they conduct a search of the vehicle, which doesn't 226 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,840 really turn up anything that would raise an eyebrow. No 227 00:16:19,039 --> 00:16:21,240 signs of a struggle on the inside of the vehicle, 228 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:26,480 no blood droplets anywhere, nothing that they saw that would 229 00:16:26,559 --> 00:16:31,159 raise any sort of suspicion. The detectives then asked to 230 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:35,039 search Michelson for a second time, and when doing this, 231 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:39,279 what do you think they find? Well, they find Charles 232 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:44,200 Morton's wallet and his ID in the pocket of Mickelson. 233 00:16:44,519 --> 00:16:48,759 They then confer with Author's mother, who granted permission to 234 00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:53,639 search the residents, and during the search, the officers found 235 00:16:53,879 --> 00:16:57,720 some of the coins that had been taken from Charles's 236 00:16:57,759 --> 00:17:02,080 home in a portion of a check with Charles's signature 237 00:17:02,159 --> 00:17:05,480 on it. So with this discovery, the detectives know they 238 00:17:05,519 --> 00:17:09,200 have enough to haul both Mickleson and Author to the 239 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:14,119 station for further questioning, and they ensure that both are 240 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,440 transported in separate police cruiser. And the reason they do this, y'all, 241 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,359 is they don't want them communicating with each other and 242 00:17:21,519 --> 00:17:23,960 getting their stories straight right. If they're in the same 243 00:17:24,039 --> 00:17:26,359 cruiser and they're headed to the station at the same time, 244 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:28,799 they can come up with the whole stories, and they 245 00:17:28,799 --> 00:17:33,160 make sure they're separated. So at the station, initially Micklson 246 00:17:33,319 --> 00:17:36,799 he denies everything and he sticks to his story that 247 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:42,000 they drop Charles Martin off at that bus stop. However, 248 00:17:42,839 --> 00:17:47,680 police continued to question and eventually broke Mickleson down, and 249 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,319 he admits that he had helped Beverly Author break into 250 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,960 Charles Martin's home. He said that he helped open a 251 00:17:56,039 --> 00:17:58,799 window in the rear of the home and the Beverly 252 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:02,000 Author climbed in, went to the front of the home 253 00:18:02,319 --> 00:18:07,240 and let Mickelson in. So once inside, Beverly knocked on 254 00:18:07,279 --> 00:18:11,000 the bedroom door in an attempt to wake up Charles Martin, 255 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:15,480 whose bedroom door was locked, but as I told you, 256 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,240 Charles was hard of hearing and he didn't wake up 257 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:23,480 even with Beverly banging on that door. So Mickelson and 258 00:18:23,519 --> 00:18:27,759 Beverly they kick it in. Mickelson said, Charles woke up 259 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:32,759 and quote wasn't real happy. Micholson said. He then quote 260 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,119 grabbed eighty six year old Charles Morton by the neck 261 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:41,599 and strangled him until he stopped moving. He then placed 262 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,640 Charles Martin's body in the bathroom while Beverly Author went 263 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,000 around the house stealing shit. He then said he and 264 00:18:49,039 --> 00:18:53,000 Beverly dressed Charles Martin, put his body in the back 265 00:18:53,079 --> 00:18:58,240 seat of the car and drove the car to purchase drugs, 266 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:03,480 literally with the in the backseat sitting up as if 267 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:09,559 Charles Morton was a live So police start asking Michelson why, 268 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,079 and his claim was he did it all for Beverly, 269 00:19:14,599 --> 00:19:16,960 that it was what she wanted him to do. He 270 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:22,160 claimed that she manipulated him to quote ring his neck. Now, 271 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,720 Beverly Author, in her own interview with police, more or 272 00:19:25,799 --> 00:19:29,839 less confirmed everything Mickleson had told police, and claimed that 273 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:33,359 Mickleson dismembered the body and disposed of it in more 274 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,680 than one location, but she was unable to lead police 275 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:42,680 to where that correct location was. So police they questioned 276 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:46,200 Mickleson again and he said they killed Charles to keep 277 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:49,039 him from going to police regarding money that he was 278 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:52,519 giving the Beverly Author and that they needed money to 279 00:19:52,559 --> 00:19:56,480 purchase cocaine, and they kind of freaked out and killed him. 280 00:19:56,799 --> 00:20:00,400 Police say, well, will you lead us to where he's married, 281 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,920 and he agrees to do that, and he leads police 282 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,960 to the dismember remains of Charles Morton, referring to it 283 00:20:08,599 --> 00:20:12,759 as his treasure hunt jokingly. And the remains of this 284 00:20:13,039 --> 00:20:16,559 eighty six year old war hero now it is the 285 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:22,880 peaceful Warrior were found in four different spots. The police 286 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:26,559 found Charles Martin's torso wrapped in a trash bag and 287 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,920 dumped in a wooded area in Shreveport. His legs were 288 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:35,160 found at a dumpster at an amusement park in Shreveport. 289 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,400 His head and arms were found inside a dumpster at 290 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:46,160 a mobile home park in neighboring Keithville, Louisiana. So at 291 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:50,880 the end of this day, obviously, Mickelson and Beverly Author 292 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,519 are arrested in the charge with the first degree murder 293 00:20:54,559 --> 00:20:58,799 of Charles Martin, with both receiving a one point five 294 00:20:59,039 --> 00:21:04,319 million dollar back, but Michelson he hadn't done talking, and 295 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,240 the next day, on Friday, July thirteenth of two thousand 296 00:21:08,279 --> 00:21:13,559 and seven, he makes another confession regarding a missing person's 297 00:21:13,599 --> 00:21:17,200 case from eleven years prior. So let me tell you 298 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:22,599 about Christy o'prye. Christy O'Pry was born on May eighth, 299 00:21:22,799 --> 00:21:28,200 nineteen seventy in Mending, Louisiana, which is also in North Louisiana. 300 00:21:29,039 --> 00:21:32,720 She had three sisters and one brother, who tragically died 301 00:21:32,839 --> 00:21:36,839 the day he was born, and Christy had a tough 302 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:39,839 go of it, to say the least. Early in life, 303 00:21:40,039 --> 00:21:42,640 when she was just seven years old, she was sexually 304 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:46,400 abused by a neighbor. One of her sisters would later 305 00:21:46,519 --> 00:21:49,720 say that even at such a young age, she felt 306 00:21:49,839 --> 00:21:54,799 like that crushed her spirit. By the time Christy was 307 00:21:54,799 --> 00:21:59,279 a teenager, she would become a ward of the state. Now, 308 00:21:59,519 --> 00:22:04,200 once she crossed over into adulthood, it would not get 309 00:22:04,319 --> 00:22:08,599 much easier for Christy to describe her. She was a 310 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:13,920 really beautiful girl, five foot seven, one hundred and fifteen 311 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,480 pound head turner, and although she worked at a gentleman's 312 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,599 club at one time in the Shreeport area called the 313 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:26,319 Centerfold Lounge. She was able to maintain a long term 314 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,759 relationship of six years with a guy by the name 315 00:22:29,799 --> 00:22:33,000 of Todd Dean, who she had a child with. Her 316 00:22:33,039 --> 00:22:36,160 friends described her as a gentle soul who never met 317 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:40,640 a stranger, in a free spirit who laughed, loved and 318 00:22:40,799 --> 00:22:46,079 enjoyed life. Now, at the time that Mickelson was sitting 319 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:50,720 in that Shreveport police station, Christy had been missing for 320 00:22:50,799 --> 00:22:56,480 some eleven years. It was on July nineteenth of nineteen 321 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,759 ninety six that Christie she needed to run some air 322 00:22:59,839 --> 00:23:04,400 and in Shreeport, Louisiana, Eric Michilson, who was a friend 323 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:09,559 of Christy's boyfriend, Todd Dean. He agreed to driver if 324 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,359 she paid for the gas used. Now there's a long 325 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,079 story behind that. Her and Todd Dean had gotten in 326 00:23:17,079 --> 00:23:20,039 an argument because he didn't want to have to bring 327 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:22,680 her to run these errands and he left the house. 328 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,319 She kind of lived out in the country, and so 329 00:23:26,559 --> 00:23:30,640 she couldn't just walk to go run those errands, and 330 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:35,839 that's why she called Eric Mickelson. So Mickleson and Christy 331 00:23:36,039 --> 00:23:39,839 they hop in his nineteen seventy one Chevy pickup, and 332 00:23:40,039 --> 00:23:43,839 off they went. They also went by Christie's sisters house 333 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,079 that was at around eight o'clock that evening, and her 334 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:52,839 sister said they made small talk and she acted fine. 335 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:55,759 Her sister also mentioned that Mickelson had stopped by a 336 00:23:55,759 --> 00:23:58,799 liquor store and bought some whiskey, and he kind of 337 00:23:58,839 --> 00:24:01,200 sat on the bed of his truck while they talked 338 00:24:01,319 --> 00:24:06,759 and just drank his whiskey. Eventually they laughed, and according 339 00:24:06,759 --> 00:24:10,039 to Michelson, his story is they went by a convenience 340 00:24:10,079 --> 00:24:12,759 store so she could use the payphon. This is in 341 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:17,880 nineteen ninety six. Y'all cell phones were around, but they 342 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,559 weren't the cell phones of today. You had to zip 343 00:24:20,599 --> 00:24:22,480 them up to use them and all that sort of thing. 344 00:24:22,759 --> 00:24:27,640 Police did later attempt to confirm and verify that they 345 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,359 went by that convenience store, but they were unable to 346 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:33,640 do so. According to Michelson, he said he then dropped 347 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:37,319 Christy off at the Shremport Maull This was at approximately 348 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:42,640 eight thirty PM that evening, and Christy oh Pry was 349 00:24:42,759 --> 00:24:47,839 never seen again. Christy was reported missing four days later, 350 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:52,039 and it was revealed that Christy was actually pregnant at 351 00:24:52,079 --> 00:24:57,160 the time of her disappearance. So police noticed a lot 352 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:01,200 of things when they started investigating this that did that up. First, 353 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,240 when they searched the home that she shared with her boyfriend, 354 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:07,880 none of her stuff was missing, not even her makeup, which, 355 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:11,079 according to family and friends, there's no way she's going 356 00:25:11,279 --> 00:25:16,559 anywhere without her makeup for any length of time. In addition, 357 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:19,680 she had a child, and everyone who knew Christy knew 358 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,559 how dedicated she was to her daughter. There was just 359 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:26,000 simply no way in their minds she would up and 360 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:31,240 leave her daughter. Police in their investigation also spoke with 361 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:34,559 the South Park Mall security guard who were at the 362 00:25:34,599 --> 00:25:38,359 mall entrance actually on horseback, and they stated they did 363 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:43,319 not recall anyone fitting Christie's description being dropped off between 364 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:47,079 eight and nine o'clock PM on the night that Christy vanished. 365 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:49,519 So a lot of things aren't adding up now. Her 366 00:25:49,519 --> 00:25:53,000 and her boyfriend, they had on and off again relationship 367 00:25:53,079 --> 00:25:56,200 for six years. They fought a lot. She left the 368 00:25:56,279 --> 00:25:58,319 house a lot, you know, in the middle of the 369 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,799 night and went and stayed with friend because they were 370 00:26:00,799 --> 00:26:04,400 getting an arguments. It was a rocky relationship. So if 371 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,720 you're the police or you're investigating this, you're gonna want 372 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,559 to talk to Todd dem right, And they did, and 373 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:14,559 he actually took a polygraph and he passed that polygraph 374 00:26:14,599 --> 00:26:18,759 with flying colors. So although that didn't completely remove him 375 00:26:18,799 --> 00:26:23,119 as a suspect, it definitely took the focus off of him. 376 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,960 So obviously, the last person to see her, I don't 377 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:29,559 want to say alive, but the last person to see 378 00:26:29,599 --> 00:26:34,000 her period was Eric Michelson, and he's going to become 379 00:26:34,079 --> 00:26:38,640 the prime suspect that you would think. Now, this particular 380 00:26:38,759 --> 00:26:44,000 case became very high profile throughout the state of Louisiana. 381 00:26:44,599 --> 00:26:47,559 As a matter of fact, a private investigator and retired 382 00:26:47,599 --> 00:26:51,160 Sreeport police officer by the name of Ken Hudson. He 383 00:26:51,319 --> 00:26:54,720 was a private investigator that was very well thought of 384 00:26:54,799 --> 00:26:57,960 in that community. He offered his services free of charged. 385 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,519 He offered his services free of charge, and he advised 386 00:27:01,559 --> 00:27:04,759 the family to obtain Christie's dental records so they could 387 00:27:04,799 --> 00:27:10,039 be added to nc IC. Ken also set up a 388 00:27:10,079 --> 00:27:14,839 hotline and was working with a detective named Charles Skoles 389 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:18,400 of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's office, and he was quoted 390 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,039 as saying, my main objective is to find Christy, not 391 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:26,160 to conduct an investigation, and not to find who may 392 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:31,440 have kidnapped her. A few days later, another private investigator 393 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,880 by the name of William Bill Meeks. He joined in 394 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:38,519 and offered to donate his services to assist in the 395 00:27:38,599 --> 00:27:42,640 search for Christy. So time passes and in September of 396 00:27:42,759 --> 00:27:46,279 nineteen ninety six, Michelson and he gets approached about taking 397 00:27:46,279 --> 00:27:50,279 a polygraph and he flat out refuses. He claims that 398 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:55,880 he does not believe in the accuracy of polygraphs. Christie's 399 00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:00,359 mother she visits Michelson at some point during all this, 400 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,880 and she presses him on if he knows where Christie is, 401 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,920 and he again denies knowing anything past dropping her off 402 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:12,279 at the mall. Now, strangely, around this time, someone starts 403 00:28:12,279 --> 00:28:16,599 destroying all the missing poster signs around shreport Louisiana of 404 00:28:16,759 --> 00:28:20,319 Christie's disappearance. They were hung everywhere. This is big, high 405 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,880 profile shit going on right now, and somebody was going 406 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,519 around and just pulling them off and throwing them away 407 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,599 or tearing them up and throwing them in dumpsters every 408 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,440 time one would be put up. And that was very 409 00:28:32,799 --> 00:28:37,519 odd and strange. Now, in October of nineteen ninety six, 410 00:28:37,599 --> 00:28:40,680 there was actually a change in the detective that was 411 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:45,079 investigating the case. According to the Pry family, the original 412 00:28:45,279 --> 00:28:49,039 detective just did not seem to be real concerned about 413 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,559 finding Christy at all in their mind. A new detective 414 00:28:52,599 --> 00:28:54,599 took over the case and he kind of had a 415 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,599 what seemed to be a desperation in finding out who 416 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,359 did this, and that was a good thing. And in 417 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:04,880 March of nineteen ninety seven, this case went national when 418 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:11,880 the Heraldo rivera show actually featured the Oprie missing person's case. 419 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:17,240 So this whole time, the main suspect is, of course 420 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:21,680 the last person to see Christy, Eric Minchilson. And in 421 00:29:21,759 --> 00:29:26,559 December of nineteen ninety seven, police search dogs from South 422 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:32,000 Louisiana they comb a one hundred and eighty acre tract 423 00:29:32,079 --> 00:29:35,599 of land in South Catto Parish. Now the dogs were 424 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:40,519 specially trained German Shepherds, Black Labrador retrievers and what's known 425 00:29:40,559 --> 00:29:45,039 as curly coated retrievers from Acadian Canine Search and Rescue 426 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:47,920 in Gonzalez, Louisiana, which is not too far from me 427 00:29:48,599 --> 00:29:53,319 and Louisiana Search and Rescue Dogs of slidel And. The 428 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:56,559 land was actually owned by the family of Eric Michilson, 429 00:29:56,839 --> 00:30:00,720 and police were directed to search the property after an 430 00:30:00,799 --> 00:30:04,880 anonymous tip came into a hotline. The Catto Pair sheriff 431 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,279 spokesman a guy by the name of Greg Trusty. He said, 432 00:30:08,519 --> 00:30:11,359 we'll be getting an early start, but we don't want 433 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,240 to disclose the site because we don't want to attract 434 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,119 any attention. The more people around, the harder it is 435 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:20,440 for the dogs to work. The five trained police dogs 436 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:23,920 and their handlers they searched for more than eight hours 437 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:27,839 for a suspected shallow grave. The dogs did not find 438 00:30:28,119 --> 00:30:33,720 anything in the dense woods, hills or the pasture searched, 439 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:38,119 and the detective said, I feel like her body is 440 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:43,039 out there on the property, but we just are unable 441 00:30:43,079 --> 00:30:47,000 to find it. After the search day ended, the spokesman 442 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:53,519 said it does not look promising now. Eventually the case 443 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:58,640 runs completely cold and there were no fresh leads until 444 00:30:58,759 --> 00:31:04,799 July thirteenth of two thousand and seven, when Michelson was 445 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,839 sitting in that confession room with detectives over the Charles 446 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:14,160 Morton murder and he confesses to the murder of Christy O. Pry. 447 00:31:15,319 --> 00:31:19,319 Michelson admitted to cutting off Christie's limbs and throwing them 448 00:31:19,359 --> 00:31:23,079 in dumpsters around Kato Parish, and he also said he 449 00:31:23,319 --> 00:31:28,759 sexually defiled her body. Cato Paarish Sheriff Steve Proctor said 450 00:31:28,839 --> 00:31:32,200 the Priye case has haunted us. It has haunted her 451 00:31:32,279 --> 00:31:36,680 family for years. The investigators worked hundreds of hours on it, 452 00:31:36,759 --> 00:31:39,279 but they were never able to find physical evidence that 453 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,880 link Michelson to the case, and he refused the polygraph. 454 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,799 We are relieved. It's a good thing to get it closed, 455 00:31:45,839 --> 00:31:49,079 but it's a bad thing that had happened. He went 456 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,359 on to say, our people were on it. Just as 457 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:54,680 soon as we heard he was suspected of killing Martin. 458 00:31:55,359 --> 00:31:58,759 His name immediately raised a flag. They are very familiar 459 00:31:58,799 --> 00:32:02,519 with it. A pair of Sheriff's department began excavating the 460 00:32:02,599 --> 00:32:07,599 area where Eric claimed to have abandoned Christie's remains. Detective 461 00:32:07,599 --> 00:32:11,799 search a creek emboggy area on Jefferson Page Road near 462 00:32:11,839 --> 00:32:15,720 the American Rose Center for evidence. Deputies dug with shovels 463 00:32:15,759 --> 00:32:19,799 and sent trained cadaver dogs to search the area. Parish 464 00:32:19,839 --> 00:32:22,519 workers later joined in the search, and they used a 465 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:25,359 track head to dig out chunks of concrete and mud 466 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,200 and put them in a dump truck that sludge will 467 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:33,160 be sifted through at another location. And her sister said, 468 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:36,359 we really tried to find Christie's remains because we knew 469 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,200 if Michelson killed her, he would do it again. I'm 470 00:32:39,319 --> 00:32:41,799 very sad mister Martin had to die. If they could 471 00:32:41,839 --> 00:32:44,799 have gotten Mickelson back then, then this poor man would 472 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:47,359 still be here today. And next week we're going to 473 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:52,839 pick up with the continued search for Christy. O'prize remains 474 00:32:53,599 --> 00:32:59,079 the conclusion to this entire story, which you're not going 475 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:02,359 to believe what we have coming up in this trial, 476 00:33:02,559 --> 00:33:06,680 in this conviction, and then an overturn. So much still 477 00:33:06,839 --> 00:33:09,720 tell you on this one. Thank you so much for listening. 478 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,799 Check out the Patreon at patreon dot com. Bloody in 479 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:15,759 Goola Podcast. I'm gonna be uploading all kinds of extra 480 00:33:15,839 --> 00:33:19,559 files and pictures on this case. Look for that and 481 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:24,160 until next time, I'm Jim Chapman for Blooding in Gola Podcast, 482 00:33:24,279 --> 00:33:28,079 a podcast two years and the making the complete story 483 00:33:28,559 --> 00:33:31,759 of America's bloodiest present piece. 484 00:33:47,559 --> 00:33:59,359 Speaker 1: A Wall Street line, shackle chain. It's calling my name, 485 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:08,000 there is no mercy and its been a tentery j 486 00:34:08,159 --> 00:34:15,679 just as the Hillstream game Rango the three. I'm here be. 487 00:34:18,079 --> 00:34:19,880 Speaker 2: By mere, to die. 488 00:34:21,519 --> 00:34:31,760 Speaker 1: Inside these walls, inside the wild. And when Mores I 489 00:34:32,079 --> 00:34:46,519 know it's olbody angle, ohbody angle.