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True Murder with your host, 61 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:48.680 journalist and author Dan Zupanski, Good Evening. 62 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:53.680 The Great Ranch along Third Avenue in the sleepy Midwestern 63 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:57.199 town of less than four hundred people was the recurring 64 00:02:57.400 --> 00:03:03.520 site of screaming, mad chaos, and horrific domestic violence. Then 65 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:08.599 one day, abusive husband Scott Shanahan was gone. Some thought 66 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:12.560 he packed his bags and left town. Weeks, past months 67 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:15.719 went by, still no sign of the volatile wife beater. 68 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:19.639 But what really happened to him was so shocking and 69 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:24.080 so unbelievable that even grizzled longtime law enforcement officials were 70 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:27.719 gassed by the sight and awful smell. The town wondered 71 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:30.719 why Dixie Shanahan managed to live with her husband's rotting 72 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:36.199 body inside her master bedroom for fourteen months. This fascinating 73 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:39.159 story will leave you asking yourself. One question was the 74 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:43.479 punishment that Dixie received in her case justified. The book 75 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:47.719 that we're profiling this evening is Dixie's Last Stand? Was 76 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:51.120 it Murder or Self Defense? With my special guest, journalist 77 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:54.159 and author John Ferrick. Welcome back to the program, and 78 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:57.000 thank you for agreeed to dis interview John Ferrick. 79 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:00.560 Dan, thanks very much for having me back on. 80 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:05.280 Very thankful, Thank you very much. We had a great 81 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:09.439 time last time speaking with you. So let's jump right 82 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:14.360 into this. Tell us why how you came to be 83 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:18.040 interested in this story and why you decided to write 84 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:20.319 this book Dixie's last name? What was it about this 85 00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:22.759 case that compelled you to write this book? 86 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:27.040 Well, one of the things that was kind of interesting too, Dan, 87 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:31.240 just from a timeliness standpoint, I think this was probably 88 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.399 my second or a third day. I was a newspaper 89 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:38.480 journalist in Omaha, Nebraska. I wound up being out there 90 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:40.399 for about nine years, but it was actually, I think 91 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:45.439 my second second third day on the job, and a 92 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:49.399 brief story came over the Associated Press wire back at 93 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:53.199 the downtown office, and it was just real short, and 94 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:58.199 it announced that a woman in Defiance, i Iowa had 95 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:04.439 been arrested for murder. But it also pointed out that 96 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:08.759 her husband had apparently been left in the house for 97 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:15.079 more than a year, which was just unbelievable. So that day, 98 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:21.040 myself and a seasoned veteran, a photographer by the name 99 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:23.279 of Rudy Smith who had been at the Omaha newspaper 100 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:26.959 for forty years, we loaded up the photography gear and 101 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.720 got our notebooks and made the hour long drive out 102 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:36.480 to Defiance, Iowa. And it just really was an unusual 103 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:42.399 murder case to be covering. I really couldn't recall up 104 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:47.240 at that point in time, really covering an odd murder 105 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:50.519 case such as this in the town of less than 106 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:54.959 four hundred people, in a county of about thirteen thousand people, 107 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.519 And it just really was unbelievable. In the first thing 108 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:02.040 that kind of jumped in my mind, uh and a 109 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:05.759 lot of other people was how could how could this 110 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:08.079 have been hidden for for over a year? You know? 111 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:11.519 How is how is Scott Shanahan's body hidden from uh, 112 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:13.560 you know, from the public, just you know, how come 113 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:14.560 nobody knew about this? 114 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:15.040 Uh? 115 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:17.920 And we'll get into this, I'm sure in the show. 116 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:21.839 But but eventually a lot of the peculiarities of the case, 117 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:26.079 but then also other aspects of domestic violence and issues 118 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:31.839 about uh fair and righteous sentencings and actually kind of 119 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.920 a forgotten point. But but when I really focused in, 120 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:37.040 it really drove me to kind of write the book 121 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:39.639 as well. Dan was along the lines of I thought 122 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:44.480 this was a very well done small town sheriff's investigation. 123 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:48.199 This was an agency that that only had I think 124 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:52.360 seven or eight full time deputies plus the plus the sheriff, 125 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:54.920 and in this case, the sheriff actually did his own 126 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.519 investigations and played a key role in getting to the 127 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:00.720 bottom of things. So so kind of all those things 128 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.920 came together, and you know, that's what it's gonna ultimately 129 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:07.079 lead me to write a book on this that came 130 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:08.000 out earlier this year. 131 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:13.000 Dan, now tell us, basically, I like to get for 132 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:15.519 people that don't live in this area. I'm not familiar 133 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:17.439 with it and might not even be familiar with the 134 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:22.800 United States so much. But let's get the geographical position 135 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:26.680 in terms of there's Des Moines, which is a place 136 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:28.879 more well known. And you said, like, this is less 137 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:31.759 than four hundred people, but this is about sixty miles 138 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:37.120 outside of Omaha. So give us basically the basic the 139 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:40.680 cities that are bigger that we might note and tell 140 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.360 us where this place is and then tell us a 141 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:48.600 little bit more about Harlan, Iowa. So where basically the bigger, 142 00:07:49.639 --> 00:07:52.519 the closest, biggest town to in this county. 143 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:56.480 So tell asal of that great yeah for people again 144 00:07:56.560 --> 00:08:02.000 throughout North America, United States and Canada. Like Dan had mentioned, 145 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:07.639 the two most populated cities, so you know, one is Omaha, Nebraska, 146 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:15.480 which is about an hour to the west of of 147 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:19.519 of Defiance, Iowa, and and Des Moines, which would probably 148 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:24.600 be about two hours to the to the east of 149 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:27.319 of of Defiance, Iowa. And again, Defiance is a little 150 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:31.839 town of about four hundred people in the county Shelby County, Iowa, 151 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:36.000 which had about thirteen thousand people. And this is this 152 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:41.799 is a very agriculture, agriculturally dominated area in the region 153 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:46.039 of Iowa. So a lot of people throughout this region 154 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:50.480 either work in agriculture, work in farming, or have have 155 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:53.159 some type of job that's connected, you know to the 156 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:58.360 agriculture community, you know, economy, while others may work in 157 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.919 government sector jobs such as working for the county, county government, 158 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:06.759 county courthouse, or a school teacher or you know, law 159 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:09.440 enforcement jobs and stuff like that. This is an area 160 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:12.039 of the country that really or at least this area 161 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:16.200 here Shelby County and in particular Defiance, you know, we're 162 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:21.039 really trying to trying of maintain status. Quote, there really 163 00:09:21.600 --> 00:09:25.799 weren't too many new job opportunities, let alone any companies 164 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:29.519 opening up, so uh, Defiance in particular had had a 165 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:33.360 downtown that really didn't have very much aside from the 166 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:40.720 volunteer fire station, a small bank, and uh you know, 167 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:43.840 a village hall and the clerk's office and one restaurant, 168 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:47.440 uh slash bar that was kind of a you know, 169 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:51.720 tucked in, uh you know, chucked in the community. While Harlan, 170 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:56.159 as you mentioned, Dan was the county seat and Harlan 171 00:09:56.279 --> 00:10:00.960 was a still is a very viable, uh strong small 172 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:06.399 town community, has excellent schools, really good sports programs, and 173 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:11.080 really is the economic hub of Shelby County. A town 174 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.440 of about five or six thousand with a handful of 175 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:19.399 key I think manufacturing companies and major employers, so really 176 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:24.559 a lot of people throughout the Shelby County area, particularly Defiance. 177 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:27.679 You would often make the twelve or thirteen mile drive 178 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:32.840 either into Harlan and Iowa or also up Highway fifty 179 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:36.519 nine toward Dennis and Iowa, which was about again another 180 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:40.360 eight or nine miles up the road. But really Harlan 181 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:43.799 was the economic base of the county. And Harlan is 182 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:46.960 actually where the Sheriff's office and the City of Harlan 183 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:50.080 police department were located, and that's where all the county 184 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:57.000 government offices, including the courthouse in the jail were located. 185 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:01.200 Now, let's talk about scotch hand. He was born in 186 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:05.480 nineteen sixty two, not really a big guy. But tell 187 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:07.559 us a little bit about his as much as you 188 00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:10.840 could find you found out about his early life and uh, 189 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.799 and tell us what happens according to Harlan Police later 190 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:19.320 Deputy John Kelly. But let's start off with his earliest 191 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:22.279 background and if it's some kind of indication of what 192 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:24.600 later he becomes. 193 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:27.960 Right, Well, I'm going off a memory here and uh 194 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.279 and I'm Scott was. 195 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:30.600 Uh. 196 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:34.360 He was short, five foot four, tough kid, tough guy, 197 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:41.279 and was an only child. And his uh, his parents 198 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:46.519 had had moved when he was really little from from 199 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:49.039 I believe Dennison. Yeah, he was born in Dennison and 200 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:52.039 then they moved just right down the road. And uh, 201 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:55.879 in the early nineteen eighties, had built a house in 202 00:11:55.960 --> 00:11:59.000 the town of Defiance, Iowa. And it's a nice piece 203 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:02.360 of property. It's a ranch. Uh, it's got a nice 204 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:07.600 big backyard, really nice, nice mature trees now and uh, 205 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:09.720 like I said, it's a it's a it's a nice house. 206 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:13.399 And uh. And this is where he grew up, lived 207 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:19.440 there with his mom and dad, and and really just 208 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:21.519 kind of putted around as he as he grew up, 209 00:12:21.559 --> 00:12:26.240 really didn't you know, wasn't very motivated either for career 210 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:30.960 or education. And uh, he really took a liking to 211 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:35.519 uh two automobiles, but really didn't pursue that as a career. 212 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.720 And he had worked a handful of different jobs over 213 00:12:38.759 --> 00:12:43.480 the years, but uh oftentimes got fired from these jobs. 214 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:47.200 Uh usually related to not showing up for work. So 215 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:51.279 he was not really dependable. And he also wasn't very motivated, 216 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:56.240 you know, to to make something of himself more or less. 217 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:00.759 But but his his family had or they came into 218 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:05.240 a into a garage property that was right across the street. 219 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:09.399 Dan And it's really this garage where he spent the 220 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:16.519 bulk of his time restoring and acquiring older vehicles, a 221 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:19.080 lot of classic cars. And this is kind of where 222 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:22.440 he would just putts around most of his days and 223 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:26.240 just really refurbish these cars, you know, you know, cut 224 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:28.840 them down a little bit, but but spend a lot 225 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:33.320 of his time there. And you know, as his future 226 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:36.120 wife is could eventually talk about and testify, this really 227 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:38.679 wasn't a job or anything where he was making a 228 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:40.480 lot of money. It just really was more or less, 229 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:44.559 you know, his hobby and that really didn't help out, 230 00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:47.120 you know, as far as generating income. You know, once 231 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:50.080 he eventually does get married and have children. 232 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.600 Now, what was his earliest the earliest record of in 233 00:13:55.720 --> 00:14:00.320 terms of alcohol and or drug problems be before we 234 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:03.879 talk about just his relationships with women in general, how 235 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:06.159 he was and how he was received by women. 236 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:12.039 I know he had a couple of minor skirmishes with 237 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:15.240 the law enforcement, I believe in his uh let's see 238 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:19.639 born sixty two in in his twenties, but nothing that 239 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:24.679 really landed him in in any serious hot water with authorities. Uh. 240 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:27.399 I mean there were there were different reports, like I said, 241 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:30.080 just minor drug use, you know, marijuana, but this is 242 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:34.960 not really hardcore distribution or dealing, you know, I think 243 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:38.159 by in large, like I said, he he came in contact, 244 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:41.360 he interacted with a lot of the local law enforcement officials. 245 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:44.600 And again in a small town, small county, you know, 246 00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:48.679 such as Shelby County, you know, wasn't uncommon for the 247 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.679 cops to know the locals and vice versa, even if 248 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.840 they weren't causing trouble. But but the problems by in 249 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:57.960 large that you know, that he was involved with, you know, 250 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:04.600 prior to his marriage with Dixie. You know, really we're 251 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:08.799 pretty minor. And you know, again didn't amount twenty any 252 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:11.639 significant crime that would have ever you know, put him 253 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:14.840 in jail, you know, a quite along prison. Dan. 254 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:19.840 Now, let's talk about Dixie Schreiber. She was born in 255 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:25.399 nineteen sixty seven in Muscatine, Iowa. And her parents are 256 00:15:25.480 --> 00:15:28.840 Richard and Darlene, And she's got two brothers and two 257 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:31.720 sisters or part of two brothers and two sisters. And 258 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:34.559 her father dies when she's three, and then a stepfather 259 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:38.440 comes into the scene and he's sexually abusive. So tell 260 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:42.039 us a little bit more about this chaotic family situation 261 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:43.799 that Dixie grew up in. 262 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:48.360 Yeah, this is actually one of the the family that 263 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:54.000 she came from, you know, is well known nowadays. Unfortunately, 264 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:57.440 more infamous for you know, for its dysfunction and uh, 265 00:15:57.960 --> 00:16:03.200 you know, and there was there was a lot of reports, 266 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:06.720 you know, over the years after, uh you know, even 267 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:09.320 after Dixie had had gotten away from this family Dan, 268 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:12.159 but uh, you know, just all kinds of uh you know, 269 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:16.600 unfortunate reports of incest and uh you know, and sexual 270 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:22.080 abuse by by stepfather, you know, toward his uh you know, 271 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:24.480 toward his stepdaughters and stuff. And you know, and as 272 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:28.519 as as Dixie later testified, she you know, she she 273 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.919 testified that she she had been a victim, uh you know, 274 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:35.879 as well as uh, her siblings. But uh, it's a 275 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:38.360 it's a it's yeah, it's a rough situation. It's an 276 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:42.799 unfortunate situation and uh and people certainly understood and felt 277 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:47.200 sorry for her. And uh and as a teenager, around 278 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:52.320 fifteen or sixteen, she's going to come to live with 279 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:59.200 Scott Shanahan and his parents Beverly and uh al and 280 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:02.559 uh and and that's it's around that point in time 281 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:06.200 where I think Dixie was fifteen or sixteen, Scot's about 282 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:10.599 five years older. That's where they started dating and became 283 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:14.079 a serious item, you know. Again, at the same point 284 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:16.359 that they're you know, living under the same roof. But 285 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:20.079 it's really, yeah, this house on third third Street or 286 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:23.039 third Avenue in Defiance is where Dixie's going to move 287 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:27.119 and you know, during the nineteen eighties, and it's it's 288 00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:31.599 really where she's going to spend the next twenty years 289 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:35.720 or so, you know, of her of her life. No, 290 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:38.759 but like you said, yeah, she came from a tough family. 291 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:43.480 Now let's talk about the age that she there's an 292 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:46.559 age difference, and so it's important at this young age. 293 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:50.680 So she's sixteen, Scott is twenty one at this time. 294 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:58.119 Correct, And and and he also he's he possesses a 295 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:04.720 very domineering, overbearing personality. But it sounds like that wasn't 296 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:09.519 immediately apparent or at least at first to Dixie. You know, 297 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:13.599 it it may have involved you know, you know, yelling 298 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:17.240 and you know, screaming, you know, you know, kind of 299 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:19.880 more of a domineering personnel, but it wasn't any type 300 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:25.319 of serious, you know, violence at first that eventually perpetuates 301 00:18:25.359 --> 00:18:29.759 and becomes a huge issue and a huge factor in 302 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:33.119 you know, the events that unfold over a matter of time. 303 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:38.920 But at first, you know, like like like we pointed out, 304 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:41.759 you know about a five or six year age difference 305 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.039 between the two of them, but you know, they got along. 306 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:48.799 You know, they yell at each other, but we're willing 307 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:51.920 to put up with each other. And and I think 308 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.920 Dan the fact that Dixie was so young, you know, 309 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:59.200 fifteen or sixteen, she really especially in a real small 310 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:01.799 isolated town like this too. You know, I think she 311 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:06.559 really wasn't exposed you know to other other guys, you know, 312 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:10.960 other potential suitors are just just having an opportunity to 313 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:15.240 even see what else is out there. That's kind of 314 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:17.960 my my take from you know, from studying the case 315 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:21.480 over the years. But uh, but it just it just 316 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:27.319 seems like those two start serious romance, serious relationship with 317 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:29.640 each other while they're very young, while she's very young 318 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:33.160 and he's a little bit older, and and that's really 319 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:38.480 all Dixie is exposed to. And she really just uh, 320 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:42.160 you know, falls head over heels for Scott Shanahan and uh, 321 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:45.000 you know, and uh and and unfortunately it's going to 322 00:19:45.079 --> 00:19:48.559 lead to a downward spiral, you know, over over a 323 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:49.319 period of time. 324 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:53.599 What we didn't mention, and I think is important to 325 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:59.279 to to sort of understand the character of of uh, Dixie, 326 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:02.759 and that is that in nineteen eighty four she finally 327 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:06.119 broke away from this sexual abuse that was rampant in 328 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:10.880 her family, this continual sexual abuse. So she broke away 329 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:13.240 in nineteen eighty four. But you talk about how she 330 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:16.640 did that, She said she threatened her her father that 331 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:18.039 she was going to go to police, and then the 332 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:22.039 father took off with one of his female companions. So 333 00:20:22.599 --> 00:20:26.519 you could see that the father dying at three. She 334 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:29.359 finally breaking away, but in that that she had to 335 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:33.160 actually tell actually threatened to call police, and then her 336 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:38.079 father the solution was to take off with his newest girlfriend. 337 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:45.880 Thanks for this function, right right, And and I remember 338 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.279 I think they were living right across the state line 339 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.880 again close to Omaha, in the small community of Utah 340 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:55.039 On Nebraska, which was a small town of about eleven 341 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:59.480 hundred people just west of Omaha, Nebraska. And I remember 342 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:01.640 it either come out in the trial or in court 343 00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:04.359 testimony a later day two but I think Dixie had 344 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:07.559 pointed out that that the family was constantly on the 345 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:10.400 move when she was young, and her belief was that 346 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:14.200 that was often because it was harder for the police 347 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:18.160 to especially the smaller community police to keep tabs on 348 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:24.240 her family, especially her abusive stepfather, and more or less 349 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:26.480 they were always kind of the family of the stepfather 350 00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:30.279 always kept one step ahead of the police and the investigators, 351 00:21:30.279 --> 00:21:32.799 and especially at that day and age, in that time frame, 352 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:34.799 you know, it was a lot harder for police to 353 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:37.759 make a case and investigate a case. You know, if 354 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:40.279 by the time they're going out to the house, no 355 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:42.599 sooner do they find out that the family had moved 356 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:47.960 sixty miles away. And that seemed to be kind of 357 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.599 the events that were unfolding when when Dixie was very young, 358 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:54.680 her father, stepfather, you know, had the family moving around 359 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:59.319 a lot, and you know, Dixie as she got older 360 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:01.279 just was fed up, put the abuse and kind of 361 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:03.960 put her foot down into you know, eventually got out 362 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:09.000 of that house, got away from that environment. But the 363 00:22:09.079 --> 00:22:11.519 unfortunate and result is that that's going to lead to 364 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:15.720 you know, bad decisions and you know, and bad, bad, 365 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:17.240 bad events. 366 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:17.319 For her. 367 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:22.000 Over the course of her adult over the course of 368 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:22.799 her adult life. 369 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:28.519 Dan, Now, let's talk about the environment that she's living 370 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:34.880 in for this twenty years. And the parents are Alfesser 371 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:37.880 and Bev and and he's got diabetes and so he's 372 00:22:37.880 --> 00:22:41.079 got two legs amputated, and he's legally blind, and she's 373 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:43.680 had a heart attack triple bypass, and she's on an 374 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:47.359 oxygen tank. So tell us about the beginning of this 375 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:51.920 relationship in terms of what Dixie sees in the relationship, 376 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:58.039 and tell us how it in, how it proceeds, and 377 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:02.000 before we talk about the dissent into something a lot 378 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:03.759 different than when it started with. So tell us what 379 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:07.599 it started off with and what was his relationship with 380 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:10.640 with all the people in the home, including Dixie. 381 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:14.200 Well, with Dixie's situation, you know, back then, she got 382 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:17.880 along real well with with Al and Bov, especially Bev 383 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:22.119 and you know, and and part of living in this 384 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:26.480 environment too, in this house again, the four of them, Al, 385 00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:32.559 Bev and their their child, Scott. But uh, Dixie took 386 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:36.799 it upon herself to really also help care for Bev 387 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:40.160 and and and Al. And then as you pointed out 388 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:44.680 for listeners, Uh, both of them, especially Al, you know, 389 00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:50.640 really had some serious serious health issues and uh, you know, 390 00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:54.000 and and so so you Dixie kind of take it 391 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:56.519 upon herself to you know, really be the caregiver to 392 00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:00.160 help both of them out, you know, whereas Scott is 393 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:03.799 kind of absence or really that's not something that you know, 394 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:06.359 he really took upon himself. Dixie would go, you know 395 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:09.960 and help buy groceries, you know, and help run errands, 396 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:15.119 you know, especially since Al couldn't really get out of 397 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:18.480 the house very much and stuff, and you know, als 398 00:24:18.519 --> 00:24:21.640 eventually you know, going to pass away, and uh, there's 399 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:24.039 gonna be a conversation at a later point in time. 400 00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:27.920 You know that Dixie's going to really remember as she 401 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:31.079