507 - Adult Woman

Summary

My Favorite Murder – Ep. 507: Adult Woman

Date: November 20, 2025
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark

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Episode Overview

This solo episode, led primarily by Georgia Hardstark with commentary from Karen Kilgariff, dives into the chilling case of James Wayburn Hall—an Arkansas serial killer from the 1940s. Inspired by a Murderino's submitted family story, Georgia traces the life, crimes, and conviction of Hall, unpacking a forgotten piece of American true crime history. The episode also features moments of reflection on the hosts' recent tour and shoutouts to the Murderino community.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Tour and Life Updates

[02:02-04:54]

• The hosts reflect on their ongoing live tour, their bittersweet finale in Brooklyn, and the emotional high of connecting with fans.
• Georgia shares her recent obsession with "A Mother's Reckoning" by Sue Klebold (Dylan Klebold's mother), highlighting its themes of grief, shame, loss, and the importance of mental illness awareness in teenagers.

  “She talks about grief and shame, loss and a lot about mental illness and how we treat it here in the US and what can be done to change things…” – Georgia (03:07)

2. Exactly Right Network & Merch Drop

[04:01-05:50]

• The hosts promote recent shows and the limited series Hell in Heaven, the launch of new holiday merch, encourage YouTube subscriptions, and mention their legal podcast Brief Recess.

3. Listener (“Murderino”) Story Introduction

[07:20-07:59]

• Georgia reads an email from listener Abby, who discovered as a child that her great-uncle was executed for multiple murders in the 1940s.

  “He proceeded to blow my tiny little mind by dropping the bomb that his uncle murdered a bunch of people in the 1940s and was executed by electric chair.” – Georgia (07:23)

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Main True Crime Story: James Wayburn Hall, The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer

Introduction & First Murder

[08:13-09:44]

• January 17, 1945: C.F. Hamilton, a Black barber and bootlegger, is found murdered in Arkansas. Police provide limited investigation due to race.

  “Hamilton is black and this is Arkansas in 1945. So the police officers basically investigate the crime much.” – Georgia (08:51)

• Context: Bootlegging is still significant in the post-Prohibition South.

Pattern of Killings & Police Work

[09:45-12:38]

• February 1, 1945: Second body found (E.C. Adams), shot with a different caliber gun.
• Authorities identify a pattern, suspecting a hitchhiking “highwayman.”
• February 9, 1945: Third victim, Doyle Mulherin (meat truck driver), is killed. Witnesses identify a suspicious “young man with wavy red hair.”

  “The passenger was a young man with wavy red hair.” – Georgia (12:23).

Notable Moment:

• The “missing wave” as a distress signal between drivers – the victim tries to alert a colleague by not waving, underscoring the subtle human signals that can point to danger.

  “It’s the absence of the normal thing that's gonna hopefully let that guy know, totally.” – Karen (12:29)

Hitchhiking Culture & Next Victim

[13:03-15:10]

• March 1945: J.D. Newcomb Jr., a prominent boiler inspector, disappears after giving a hitchhiker (fitting the killer’s profile) a ride. His burned body is later found in his car.
• A bus driver’s tip helps police trace the killer’s movement; a woman’s call incriminates James Wayburn Hall.

Investigation & Arrest

[15:13-17:14]

• Police link Hall to the crimes via personal items found mailed through an acquaintance and belongings found in his boarding house.
• They also recover a .38 caliber pistol matching the murder weapon.
• Hall confesses unequivocally:

  “Okay, I'll tell you all about it. I killed them all.” – Georgia (18:17) “If you were the cop he was talking to...what do you mean all? All.” – Karen (18:22)

Hall’s Background: Childhood & Early Signs

[18:33-21:26]

• Born in 1921, Hall’s upbringing was marked by abuse and possible head trauma—two “threads” the hosts note are common among serial offenders.

  “Behind closed doors, James’s father Samuel is abusive, and he focuses most of his anger on James.” – Georgia (19:01)

• He grows up transient, working on farms, and becomes known as "Big Jim" due to his size and limp.
• First marriage at 17, then a dishonorable discharge from the army for “indifference.”

Domestic Abuse and Wife’s Disappearance

[21:31-24:23]

• Hall’s second marriage to Faerien ("Faye") Clemens is troubled; Faye disappears after a public fight. Her remains later identified via a jawbone.

  “James himself ... says, 'That's Fay, all right,' and points out the characteristic front tooth in the jawbone. So sinister.” – Georgia (25:24)

Confessions, Further Crimes, and M.O.

[25:59-27:26]

• Hall claims responsibility for numerous other killings, possibly up to 10 migrant workers and a Bible salesman, following a similar MO of hitchhiking and robbing isolated travelers.

  “He also says he killed a bible salesman in Texas. Because of his itinerant lifestyle, he's suspected of several more murders.” – Georgia (26:29)

• Hosts discuss the limitations of evidence and how transient lifestyles allowed many such cases to go unsolved.

Trial and Execution

[27:35-28:53]

• Hall is tried and convicted for the murder of his wife Faye—considered the strongest case linking him to the death penalty.
• Guilty verdict leads to execution in January 1946, days before his 25th birthday.

  “He was executed a few days before his 25th birthday in the electric chair on January 4, 1946. Fay's father attends the execution and says, 'May God have mercy on your soul. I can't.'” – Georgia (28:47)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On crime and investigation:

  “It’s disappointing when you haven't heard of a serial killer. Cause it just means there's so fucking many of them.” – Georgia (08:09)

• On 1940s social context:

  “It's Arkansas in 1945. So the police officers basically investigate the crime much. And unfortunately, this also means that we know less about him and his life than we know about some of the other victims who are discovered shortly after.” – Georgia (08:51)

• On warning signals between drivers:

  “It's the absence of the normal thing that's gonna hopefully let that guy know, totally.” – Karen (12:29)

• On Hall’s confession:

  “Okay, I'll tell you all about it. I killed them all.” – Georgia, quoting Hall (18:17)

• On tour experiences:

  “Getting a reception like that [in Denver] was such a lovely gift from that audience.” – Karen (31:19)

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Tour Reflections & Listener Shoutouts

[30:22-32:38]

• The hosts express gratitude to fans who attended shows, shared gifts, and participated in the community, highlighting memorable live show moments (like the “stuffed animal” incident in Denver).
• Upcoming plans include unboxing gifts sent by fans for the fan cult.

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Closing Thoughts

• Karen and Georgia express thanks to their support team and sign off with the classic:

  “Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered.” – Karen (33:01)

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Timestamped “Must-Listen” Segments

• Book Recommendation (A Mother's Reckoning): [02:29–04:01]
• Listener Story Email: [07:20–07:59]
• Hall’s Double Confession Moment: [18:17–18:23]
• Description of Faye’s Remains Discovery: [25:10–25:34]
• Execution and Aftermath: [28:29–28:53]
• Tour “Hooray” and Fan Love: [30:23–31:52]

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Overall Tone

The conversation balances MFM’s signature blend of true crime detail with irreverence, warmth, and care for the victims. Karen and Georgia’s banter—darkly comedic, compassionate, and deeply human—lends weight and texture to this lesser-known but sobering story from American history.

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Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is exactly right. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

So whether you're buying tickets to an improv show or a whodunit board game, PayPal helps you make the most of your money. This holiday.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Expires December 8th. See paypal.com, subject to approval.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Learn more at paypal.com payinfor Paypal Inc. NMLS 910457 Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, a grieving writer. Rhys plays Nile Jarvis, her new neighbor and possible murderer.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But who's the monster and who's the bad neighbor? That's another story.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's a game of cat and mouse that sets them on a collision course with fatal consequences.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The Beast in Me now playing only on netfl.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You will not want to miss this. Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hello and welcome to my favorite murder. That's Georgia Hardstark, that's Karen Kilgariff.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And this is a solo episode.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's a solo episode. Just me. Because we're still on tour as of.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This recording in recording world.

[Georgia Hardstark]

We're going to New York this week for our last live show.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right. Brooklyn King's Theater. Wrapping it up. Saying goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I can't. It's gonna be crazy and so sad that last episode. I'm gonna cry. Maybe I have a book real quick. Can. I've been waiting to. I've just been waiting to tell you about this book. Cause I'm so obsessed with it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Great.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And I listened to it through the tour and I cried. So. It's a memoir called A Mother's Reckoning.

[Karen Kilgariff]

By Sue Klebold, Dylan Klebold's mother.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes. Wow. It is the most powerful, intense, beautiful memoir I've ever listened to. It is so powerful. She talks about grief and shame, loss and a lot about mental illness and how we treat it here in the US and what can be done to change things and, you know, what she knew and what she didn't know and what she wishes she had known. I was just in awe of this book.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. So A Mother's Reckoning. I feel like every parent of a teenager needs to read this because it's also about hiding being a teenager and hiding stuff from your parents. And I think knowing those signs and knowing and being able to recognize the little tells that they do give is so important for parents. And she really hits on that and takes responsibility for not knowing what to look for. Cause you don't know what you don't know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. And as a parent, that's the weight that I'm sure is on her. It's just horrible, that idea of having to take responsibility for thing that, you know, if you're the mother, you're gonna get blamed first anyway.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Absolutely. And it was like the 90s, so it was just toxic. Toxic. And she talks about all of that. So. A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold. I highly recommend it. Okay. Should we do a quick Exactly Right media check in?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Let's do it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hey, we have a podcast network called Exactly Right Media. Here are some highlights.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, it's very exciting. Our brand new limited series, Hell in Heaven. The finale is now out. This series has been doing incredibly well. It's a Blanchard House production. They're the best in the biz. In today's last episode, Ann contemplates leaving Costa Rica for good. A drug bust changes everything. And those closest to the Bender family recognize with the mystery that refuses to die. It's an unbelievable series. If you haven't heard it yet and.

[Georgia Hardstark]

If you're making your list and checking it twice, we've got good news. Our holiday merch is now live in the merch store. This is some good shit, you guys. It's exciting every year to pick the stuff. I think this might be the best year. Visit exactlyrightstore.com for all the new items from your favorite shows and be sure to order by Sunday, December 14th to guarantee holiday delivery.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And while you're out there just doing our bidding, why don't you go over to YouTube and hit like and subscribe on all of us of our channels on YouTube at myfavoritemurder and also over at exactlyrightmedia. And please go support our newest Always on Legal podcast at Brief Recess. It is going to be a hit. We talked to Melissa and Michael on this show. It was so much fun. So go support those guys, please.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

I love my Aura frame. I've given so many away. But the one I have every year comes out at a big family holiday party. It's got pictures from like the 70s through now of holiday parties and the past two years of the holiday parties I've had at my house. It's just become a tradition. We put it out in the kitchen. Everyone oohs and ahhs over it and like takes pictures to add for next year. It's the fucking perfect gift.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

This exclusive black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year, so order now.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Before it ends, support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This podcast is sponsored by PayPal.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, let's talk holiday shopping.

[Karen Kilgariff]

From now through December 8th, you can get 20% cash back when you pay in four with PayPal. No fees, no interest.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This limited time offer is perfect for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals you've been eyeing. Save the offer in the app now.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So whether you're buying tickets to an improv show or a whodunit board game, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Expires December 8th. See paypal.com promoterms subject to approval.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Learn more at paypal.com payinfor PayPal Inc. NMLS 910457 Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye. All right, Solo.

[Karen Kilgariff]

All right, Solo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, this is a real one. And it was suggested by a Murderino who emailed in April of 2023. Just gonna read you a little bit of it. It says hi. When I was about nine years old, I was being nosy, digging through random stuff at my dad's house and found a scrapbook full of old newspaper. I asked dad about it and he proceeded to blow my tiny little mind by dropping the bomb that his uncle murdered a bunch of people in the 1940s and was executed by electric chair. It goes on and on. I have photos of the chair where he was executed and his death mask that are kept at a state museum and would be happy to email them in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's okay, we're good.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Thanks for getting me through my commute to work every day, Abby. So Abby suggested this and I'd never heard of it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow, family murderer. That's crazy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's disappointing when you haven't heard of a serial killer. Cause it just means there's so fucking many of them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

There's so many.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is a story of highway killer James Wayburn Hall. The main source for the story is a book called the Arkansas Hitchhike Killer by Janie Nesbit Jones. And the rest of the sources can be found in the show notes. Okay, so on January 17, 1945, the body of a man named C.F. hamilton is found on a road in Arkansas. Hamilton is a barber and also a bootlegger. Though prohibition has long been over and there are plenty of liquor stores. As we know, bootleggers still do good business in the area.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, you know, get it driving around real fast in those souped up cars. That's right, that homemade liquor and homemade NASCAR. That's how NASCAR began.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh yeah. So CF Hamilton has been shot with a.45 caliber bullet and the scene looks like a robbery. Hamilton is black and this is Arkansas in 1945. So the police officers basically investigate the crime much. And unfortunately, this also means that we know less about him and his life than we know about some of the other victims who are discovered shortly after.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Who are white.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Who are white.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

About two weeks later, on February 1st, another body is found. A deputy sheriff is driving along a Road about 80 miles south of Little Rock when he sees an abandoned car at the turnoff for a dirt road. And it's still there. And he makes his return trip about 90 minutes later. So he pulls over to inspect the car. The glove compartment looks like it's been rifled through and the papers are strewn on the passenger seat. The deputy sheriff then looks at the dirt road and sees two sets of footprints going into the woods and only one set returning.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He follows the footprints and after a short walk, finds the body of a man who has been shot. This man is identified by police as E.C. adams. He has been shot with a.38 caliber bullet. Adams had been on his way to a new job and a new home at a Navel plant where his wife and newborn daughter were supposed to join him. Later, after speaking to his wife, police believe he was killed by a highwayman or a robber who steals from travelers. She gives him a long list of the items he had with him, including razors, a shaving mug, a watch, and two alarm clocks, because he was moving. And these items are all missing from the car. When they inspect it. Captain Earl Scrogan.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I am Delft. Woman.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's spelled like you can't help it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just say it. No.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Captain Earl Scrogan of the newly formed Arkansas State Police believes the same highwayman, probably hitchhiking, may have killed both Adams and Hamilton, even though they were shot with different guns. They backtrack Adams route to Little Rock, where they believe he picked up the hitchhiker. And they alert Little Rock police. About a week later, on February 9, a meat truck driver named Doyle Mulherin leaves on his typical route, but doesn't make it to any of his stops. And it's very out of character of him, so people begin searching for him immediately. And a grocer who's also the mayor of the town of Stuttgart, Arkansas, finds his truck at the edge of town. Were you gonna say something?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just that the grocer would know that the meat guy didn't show up.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And be like, that's very not like him. And what's happening, like, the first person.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Little Rock's a tiny town now that back then 45, it was probably just like everyone knew everyone.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Right. And this is outside of Little Rock. Right. So that was probably the big town.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, yeah. God, that's sad.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. The next day, two fishermen find Doyle's body about 25ft away from the highway. The state police determine that he has also been shot with a.38 caliber bullet. And the money from all of his collections that day is missing. While retracing his steps, the state police speak to another driver whose route. Route? Route is the reverse of Doyle's. What do you say? Route or route?

[Karen Kilgariff]

I think. Well, it's like Route 66 in the song. But then if I was reading it, I think I'd say route.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, same. The two men usually wave when they pass each other in their trucks. But this driver says that on the day Doyle died, he didn't wave at him and seemed distracted, that he had a passenger with him. The passenger was a young man with wavy red hair. Can you imagine the state you're in? You're driving past, you're trying to signal to the guy that you always wave to that you know that something is wrong. So you don't wave.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like it's the absence of the normal thing that's gonna hopefully let that guy know totally.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And, like, make him pay more attention so he can give information.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's so upsetting. And also just that idea of, like, was there a gun in his ribs? I mean, like, this threat of. Yeah. There's so many of those stories that we've heard over the years of, like, a girl in a car with someone trying to get the cops attention or whatever.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's why I love this. That there's the hand gesture that you can do now that we all know and all should know, where you just kind of hold up four fingers with your thumb on the inside of your palm.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm in danger.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm in danger.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Amazing. In early March, A man named J.D. newcomb Jr. Is reported missing. He's the state's chief boiler inspector for the Department of Labor. I know. I don't. I don't even.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, boilers are a big deal back then.

[Georgia Hardstark]

They needed to be inspected a lot.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And they needed people to be at certain levels of boiler inspection.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Sure.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Because you had to be able to come and be like, this one is.

[Georgia Hardstark]

About to blow up. I can tell something's wrong with it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So he was the chief.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He was the guy. And it was a prominent position, he says. So Newcomb had been on his way back to Little Rock when he disappeared, and he was known to offer rides to hitchhikers. So fucking ominous. Right? Because, like, we always think of, like, hitchhiking as being so dangerous.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. But this is like the mid-40s, so it's like. I bet you it's like after the Depression, people being used to. People just, hey, look, I'm just trying to get from one place to the other.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, like, doing a favor for your fellow man. Probably the thinking.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. Totally. On March 8, a badly burned body is found in the back of a burned Oldsmobile, which matches Newcomb's car. The car is found in a clearing, and from the way the blood has sprayed backward, it looks like it was driven quickly before. Dental records determine that the body is Newcomb's. And police find that his wristwatch is missing, as is his blue gray overcoat. The police ask the public for tips. A bus driver reports picking up a young man near where the car was found. And the driver says that the man was wearing an ill fitting blue gray coat. The driver can't remember where the man got off, but that his bus was headed to Little Rock. On March 16, a woman calls the state police and tells them a man she knows had loaned his car back in February to a friend who had business with a bootlegger outside of Little Rock. The car's owner kept a.45 caliber pistol in the car and when the car was returned, two rounds were missing from it. Remember, the guy in the beginning of the story was a bootlegger. The man who owned the car had heard about the murder of C.J. hamilton. The black man, who was a barber and fearful that he would be implicated, sold the gun. Oh, didn't call it in. Sold it. So this woman calls it in, thankfully.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And is like, hey, hey, missing piece here.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, I don't want this guy to get away with it. The woman says that the person who borrowed the car is a cab driver named James Wayburn Hall. The state police bring this information to the Little Rock police who take James in for questioning. James has wavy red hair like the person that was spotted in the truck. When police search James wallet, they find a receipt from a parcel service. And the parcel service had delivered a package to Little Rock from Camden, Arkansas, near where Adams, the man with the new Navy job, had been found. Police go to the address from the parcel receipt, which belongs to a woman named Corrine Franklin. Franklin admits that she's a friend of James and she produces the contents of that parcel that had been sent. Razors, a shaving mug and an alarm clock. So it looks like James had mailed himself through this woman, stolen items from Adam's car.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So basically making federal witnesses out of the postal service, Right? Basically.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And this woman who's name and address are on it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, they were just like, here's my things.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And the government's now involved because it's Posto.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes. Oh my God. Surprise, surprise.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Federal fucking poor man's trademark. You just trademarked your murder cash, Basically.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. You just proved that it was yours.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Kinda put your name on it. Yeah, I took these. Don't give them to anybody else. Just one alarm clock. Not both.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, I don't know what he liked to sell items.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, yeah, right. I thought he kept two. Cause whoever originally had them, like needed two to wake up. Oh, you know, remember before you could snooze your alarm.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. You'd have to put one in the hallway. Cause otherwise you would not get up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Drunks.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Remember when those alarm clocks came out that jumped off. They had wheels and they'd jump off your dresser and like roll around the house. You'd like chase it to wake up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You couldn't sneeze, snooze it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So you couldn't snooze it and you had to chase it to. To turn it off.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We need the commercial for that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Brilliant. Right? And there was one that was like a Boggle machine, like a puzzle that you had to put back together to.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Be able to snooze it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Incredible. There was a real oversleeping problem in the 80s 90s, it sounds like.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes. So police also searched James room at a boarding house where he's been living for the last few months. Oh, man. Boarding houses just like give me the creeps.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's, you know, a lot of back then, especially transient, you know. Hey, do you not want anyone to know your name? Is your last name sm?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Did you just get off a boxcar?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Come here.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What's that blood on your neck? A small fine mist of blood on your cheek.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And at this place, they find J.D. newcomb's missing watch and a blue gray overcoat that matches the description of the one he had been missing. They also find a box of.38 caliber bullets and a.38 caliber pistol. It turns out that the Little Rock police had just arrested James a few weeks prior for assault when he badly injured another man in a fight. And they also tell their colleagues at the Arkansas State Police that they had questioned James six months earlier about the disappearance of his own wife. When the police go back to James with the evidence from the package and from his room in the boarding house, he says, quote, okay, I'll tell you all about it. I killed them all.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Straight up Jinx style.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I killed them all.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I killed them all.

[Karen Kilgariff]

If you were the cop he was talking to or whoever it was that's feeling in your stomach, we're doing. What do you mean all? All.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Also, he's 24 years old at this time.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oof.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's like a child.

[Karen Kilgariff]

A child with probably like kind of evil eyes. I mean.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, okay, let me tell you about him. James Wayburn hall is born in 1921 in Happy Valley, Arkansas. He's the fourth of 11 children, though one dies in infancy and from childhood on. James is nicknamed Red because of his red hair.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You know, every man in my Dad's family's nickname. They all call each other that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I always forget your dad has red hair because I've never seen him with red hair.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Not since the late 80s. Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So. His father, Samuel hall, is a farmer and also a preacher in the local church. And as we've heard time and time again, James childhood contains two of the common threads we wind up seeing in the childhood of serial killers. Abuse and head trauma. From the outside, the halls appear to have a pretty idyllic life. The children are looked after by a caring grandmother. James, his siblings and his cousins roam the outdoors together most days. But behind closed doors, James father Samuel is abusive, and he focuses most of his anger on James. In his early teens, James starts leaving the home for long intervals, finding work on farms. When he's 14 years old, he's hit in the head with a metal fence post. Although the story is that he ran into it or it fell on him, we're not sure. It knocked him unconscious for about an hour. And some people who know James say that he was never himself again after this. Although some people also say the fence post story is completely made up and that it was actually James father who gave him the head trauma.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know. So around that same time, James drops out of school and starts riding the rails to Oklahoma and Kansas doing farm work. He was 6 foot 5, so he was a very large man. He had wavy red hair, and he also had a limp that made him very recognizable, and people called him Big Jim.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just the idea of, like, it's one thing to get a head injury, you know, by chance, have your father give you a head injury that changes your life forever totally is like, you know, we love to talk about trauma, but that's next level. It's so horrible.

[Georgia Hardstark]

James meets his first wife in 1938, a woman named Walsey McKee. James is 17 and Walsie is two to five years older, according to different accounts. Seventeen. They get married, doesn't last long, and he flows in and out of town. She doesn't see him often. They have two children, but the first dies shortly after being born. The second is a healthy boy born in 1943, but James and Walsi divorce shortly after he's born. James is then drafted into the army, but after six weeks of basic training, he's given a dishonorable discharge for, quote, indifference.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, no.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yikes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Dead eyes. That's very Full Metal Jacket vibes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. I think within six weeks, getting discharged for that means they were like, we can't.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, we missed this Guy in the mental health evaluation. Something's going on, right? Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So that same year, James winds up in Little Rock, where he meets his second wife. Listen to this name. Faerien Clemens.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Faerien.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Faerien.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Alabama, you say?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Arkansas.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Arkansas.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hey, Thyrene. Hey, Thayrene. Thyrone.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Come on over here.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Come here. Let me do your hair, my dear roots. She goes by Fay, and they meet in December of 1943. He's 22 years old, and by March of 1944, they're married. And Faye is very different from Walsey, his first wife. When James gets the urge to travel, she wants to come with him. He doesn't want her to.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Cause it's true love, right?

[Georgia Hardstark]

So by the summer of 1944, just a few months after their marriage, Faye confides in her family that she doesn't think she can stay married to James. And the family thinks that he's being abusive towards her. On Thursday, September 14, James is back in Little Rock after another period on the road, and he takes Faye and a friend of hers dancing at a club called the Rainbow Garden. They leave the club at about midnight, at which point the friend says he and Faye began fighting. As James, Faye and the friend walk to the car. Faye tells James that she wants to leave him and move to California. He slaps her across the face, and they all get in the car. And when they drop the friend off at her house, Faye and James are still fighting. And that is the last time anyone besides James sees Faye alive.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, that friend.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So sad.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know when your friend is dating someone or married to someone that you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Know is fucking terrible, and you're like, she's about to get beaten up and I'm getting out of the car. What do I do?

[Georgia Hardstark]

What would you do?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Go get a guy that's six foot six. I mean, that's the problem with someone big and abusive. Those kinds of bullies are hard to fight if you don't have anybody around to fight them.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, they don't listen to reason or women. Or women. Reason meaning women. Three days later, some of Faye's cousins come by to see her. James tells them that she left him three days before. The cousins tell Faye's parents about this, and they come to look for her. Of course, Faye's clothes are all in the closet. It doesn't look like she's gone anywhere. But they give it some time, hoping that maybe Faye. She said she wanted to go to California. Her friend heard that maybe she just fucking booked it. And they're about to hear from her. But when a week goes by, they go to the Little Rock police. James tells the police that he last saw his wife on the night they came back from the Rainbow Garden and that she left for California, blah, blah, blah. So shortly after that, James moves out of the apartment he and Faye had shared and goes out on the road again. We don't know James exact route between September and December of 1944. We do know of several of middle aged men in this time period in Kansas and Oklahoma that some people will later tie to James similar mos. In the next few months, James stays closer to Little Rock and commits the four murders. From the beginning of our story that will eventually lead to his arrest. And that brings us to where we started in the story and him saying, yes, I killed them all.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

When he finally confesses to those murders, he tells police that the first murder was only supposed to be a robbery. He says that he had intended on stealing the whiskey from Hamilton and that James ended up shooting him with that.45 caliber pistol and then using Hamilton's gun, which he stole from the car, to commit the rest of the murders. When the police ask James where Faye's body is, James says he took her to a remote road along a riverbank and beat her to death.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know. James brings the police and several press photographers to the site, but they can't find anything. Then a woodcutter named Cecil Foster, who lives nearby walks over. Cecil tells the police that he found part of a skull a few weeks back and that he thought it washed down the river and he took it home. He says he also saw what he thought was part of a jawbone on the riverbank. Cecil looks in the spot and it's like, see, it's still there. James himself, who's there to show them where her remains are, says, quote, that's Fay, all right, and points out the characteristic front tooth in the jawbone. So sinister.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's so gross. And also this idea that they. And maybe it wasn't him particularly, but that idea of like, I'm gonna get the press to come too.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It just is. All those ways that I think back then, nobody knew. You're feeding right into the psychopath plane and the ego.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Let's let him control this.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. Ugh. It's so awful.

[Georgia Hardstark]

James ultimately confesses to killing Faye and the four other men and to multiple other murders. When he was 17, in 1938, he killed a woman in Salinas, Kansas. He kills a man in San Marcos, Texas, in 1944. And then he admits to killing 10 migrant workers from 1938 to 1944 in Arizona. And then he'd offer up some clues and decline to talk about them. He also says he killed a bible salesman in Texas. Because of his itinerant lifestyle, he's suspected of several more murders. There are at least three similar murders in cities where he was likely to have been. But there isn't enough evidence to charge him still.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is so honest. Tool.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, like, but real.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But real. But then also can they prove it's real?

[Georgia Hardstark]

It sounds like he's not making this shit up. Yeah, you know, I mean like it all fits. The MO Adestool's shit was all like. Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

All of this anywhere they brought him, he was like, yes, he.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But God, it's just so. I know, it's so evil. It's so scary.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And he's 24.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. Like with red hair. And it's like, hey, can you give me a ride?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm a friendly guy. Can you give me a ride? I have a limp.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Fun times. Oh, Bible salesman. I love Bibles.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And 24, which imagine like what would if he hadn't been caught right then, that woman hadn't called and said this gun that my friend had, I think it's the murder weapon. If she hadn't called in, what would he have like ramped up to when he was like 30 and 35, you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Know, I mean, maybe he would have gotten the car and then been like, it'll be faster if I'm picking people up.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like that. I mean, who knows?

[Georgia Hardstark]

True crime James is arraigned in the spring of 1945. He's charged with first degree murder only for the killing of Faye, his wife. Because this is thought to be the strongest case against him and it's a possibility that he'll get the death penalty in this case. So they want to try this one first. James trial begins on the same day Germany surrenders and World War II ends in Europe. And because of that, the case didn't get as much national attention. But still there are murderinos back then. The courthouse is packed to the gills for the two day trial. Two days, that's it?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

On the first day of the trial, James takes back his confessions and instead pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, blah, blah blah. James first wife Walsey testifies at the trial and brings their two year old son James, entire relationship with Faye, her murder and at least four others. But likely many more have all taken place within less than two years.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That was all two years. James is found guilty and sentenced to death. He was executed a few days before his 25th birthday in the electric chair on January 4, 1946. Fay's father attends the execution and says, quote, may God have mercy on your soul. I can't. End quote. And that is the story of the hitchhike killer, James Wayburn Hall.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Literally. I've never heard anything about this.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know. Thank you to Abby for sending this in. She says that he was her grandmother's older brother.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Mm.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow. Oh, yeah. Cause there's 10 kids or by the time, nine kids.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yep.

[Karen Kilgariff]

With him. Wow. Yeah. That's a big one. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, let's talk holiday shopping.

[Karen Kilgariff]

From now through December 8th, you can get 20% cash back when you pay in four with PayPal. No fees, no interest.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This limited time offer is perfect for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals you've been eyeing. Save the offer in the app now.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So whether you're buying tickets to an improv show or a whodunit board game, PayPal helps you make the most of your money. This holiday.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Expires December 8th. See paypal.com promoterms subject to approval.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Learn more at paypal.com payinfor PayPal Inc. NMLS 910457. Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Big news. Aldi is now on Uber Eats, and you get 40% off on your first order with code NEWALDI25.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So whether your fridge is empty and you're too tired to shop or you just ran out of essential ingredients in the middle of meal prep, don't worry.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Fill your fridge in just a few taps and get 40% off your first Aldi order on UberEats.

[Georgia Hardstark]

For orders over $30, you can save up to $25. Ends December 31st. See app for details. Goodbye. Should we do a quick Hooray.

[Karen Kilgariff]

A tour. Hooray.

[Georgia Hardstark]

A tour. Hooray.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay. Do you have one in mind?

[Georgia Hardstark]

No. Go.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, I mean, the experience of this tour has been so incredible, and the Murderinos have just shown up in every way possible, every way we've asked them to.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So my Hooray, I think, would just be all of our listeners, all the people that have, like, actually gone to the shows, told their stories. We've had some incredible hometowns. Just incredible, like, participation. Yeah, it's been so cool to, like, be able to be out there with people.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And how about when you kick that stuffed animal back into the audience, though.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You guys, we had a gift of a very large, very scary sized stuffed animal thrown at us onto the stage from the dark, and it scared everybody, especially me and Georgia. So I then kicked it back out into the audience and the audience went insane. That was a pretty good one.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That was good.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What about. I think there's also the very first night of Denver night. One night. Show one.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't think I expected the volume and the reception.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Getting a reception like that was such a lovely gift from that Denver audience.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally nothing. Like I had completely forgotten what that felt like, what it sounded like, how incredible and overwhelming it was. And I'm going to miss that after.

[Karen Kilgariff]

New York because it's very magical to be able to get something like that from a room full of people.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. It's life affirming. You forget that people are listening when you're recording in a studio, and then to walk out there and be like, there you are.

[Karen Kilgariff]

These are all the people that are not emailing in complaints in some way, shape or form. They like it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

They like it. They want you to have stuffed animals.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And we say, no, no, thank you. No, thank you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Thank you for everyone who's come. Thank you for all the incredible gifts you've given us. I think we're gonna go through them in a video for the fan cult soon.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, yeah, we're gonna go through. We're gonna unbox our boxes of gifts that we basically get to go through, like raccoons real fast and then have to box up and ship home.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I can't wait.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, it's gonna be really good. That was a great story. This is a great solo. Thank you for your patience as we are on wrapping this tour up, which has been an incredible amount of work for our team on the podcast team. So thank you to the MFM production team led by C. Molly Smith, the great producer, and everybody else.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It made it possible for us to, like, leave and not worry about what's going up. She was on it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And our supervising producer, Jess Keck, who worked with Molly, and they basically made the grids that made it all possible. Thanks to everybody for making all of these things that we're able to do simultaneously. It's only because we have this incredible story.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. Yeah. Thanks, guys.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Thanks, guys. Well, stay sexy and don't get murdered.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye, Elvis. Do you want a cookie?

[Karen Kilgariff]

This has been an exactly right production.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Our senior producer is Molly Smith and our associate producer is Tessa Hughes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This episode was mixed by Liana Squillace.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our researchers are Mary McGlashan and Ali Elkin.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail.com.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And follow the show on Instagram at.

[Georgia Hardstark]

My favorite Murder Listen to my favorite murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Or you can Watch us on YouTube. Search for my favorite murder, then like and subscribe.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye.

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[Georgia Hardstark]

12:31 see paypal.com promoter points can be redeemed for cash and more. Paying for subject to terms and approval. PayPal Inc. And MLS 910457 no, it's.

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