Podcast Summary: Revisionist History – The Alabama Murders – Part 2: Coon Dog Cemetery Road

Podcast: Revisionist History
Host: Malcolm Gladwell (Pushkin Industries)
Episode Title: The Alabama Murders – Part 2: Coon Dog Cemetery Road
Release Date: October 2, 2025

Overview

In this gripping second installment of "The Alabama Murders," Malcolm Gladwell delves deep into the murder of Elizabeth Sennett in Florence, Alabama, in 1988—a killing that sparked a decades-long cascade of crime, trauma, and unresolved questions. Through interviews with locals, law enforcement, and those tangentially affected, Gladwell reconstructs the event and explores how justice, grief, and retribution ripple through generations. The episode contemplates why efforts to right wrongs often perpetuate suffering, and unpacks the enduring myth of a "tidy" ending in crime stories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Revisiting Coon Dog Cemetery Road

• Location as Character: Gladwell and colleague Ben Nadaff Haffrey search for the Sennett home, ending up at the famed pet cemetery. The rural, isolated, almost mythic setting underscores how such violence could unfold undetected ([02:28]).
• Gladwell on Rural Secrecy: "If you wanted to hide, let's just say this is a very good place to hide. Nobody's gonna trouble.” ([04:35])

2. The Murder of Elizabeth Sennett

• Crime Details:

  • Charles Sennett, preacher and husband, returns home on March 18, 1988, to find his house ransacked and his wife gravely wounded—later pronounced dead in the hospital ([09:16–11:55]).
  • The local response: Shock and speculation among friends, family, and church members, with suspicion quickly falling on Charles ([14:20]).

• Community Reactions & Suspicions:

  • Lacey Kennamer describes Sennett as “kind of looked like a 1980s TV evangelist... she was homely as a mud fence” ([07:00]).
  • Charlie Bill remembers, “My husband looked right straight at me and he said, ‘He did it.’” ([13:40])
  • Carl Rhoden recalls, “The only thing he ever said...they shouldn’t have done her that way.” ([15:15])

3. Investigation and Evidence

• Law Enforcement Perspective:
  • Investigator Ricky Miller describes how a Crime Stoppers tip led police to three young men: Billy Gray Williams, John Forrest Parker, and Kenny Eugene Smith ([20:39]).
  • Details from the anonymous caller proved highly accurate—including the stolen VCR being at Kenneth Smith’s home ([22:30–23:00]).
  • Confessions reveal a paid murder-for-hire plot, staged as a burglary gone wrong ([24:11–26:45]).
  • Smith’s statement: "Billy said the person would pay $1,500 to do the job... John and I went back to the door. We told Mrs. Sennett we needed to use the bathroom and she led us inside… John walked up behind Mrs. Sennett and started hitting her." ([25:28])

4. Red Flags and Motives

• Alibis & Behavior:
  • Charles Sennett over-prepared his alibis on the day of the murder, visiting and calling an unusual number of people. Miller: “He made too many alibis. It was overkill... Why is he seeing all these people for the first time?” ([27:35])
  • Sennett’s lack of physical contact with his wounded wife—despite being CPR-trained—raised further suspicion ([29:18]).

5. The Broader Southern Gothic Narrative & Moral Reckoning

• Gladwell on True Crime Myths:

  • Contrasts the fantasy of justice in stories like "Little Red Riding Hood" or "Law & Order" with the messy, real-life ambiguity of the Sennett case ([33:38–36:18]).
  • Quote: “We are more than happy to wallow in stories of madness and depravity, so long as order is restored in the end. Crime stories are exercises in moral assurance.” ([34:45])

• Community Trauma:

  • Local historian Billy Warren describes the murder’s impact: “Abject horror throughout the whole community.... It was gripping, really, for the whole community because there was so much unknown” ([37:48]).

6. Sennett’s Confession, Suicide, and Aftermath

• The Final Days:
  • Charles Sennett is called in for questioning, admits to his affair but denies involvement in the murder. Under pressure, he falsely suggests a Black man from a nearby town as the culprit ([39:20]).
  • After learning he had failed a lie detector test, he confessed his affair to his son, and then—one week after the murder—died by suicide in his truck ([41:43]).
  • Sennett’s sons: “Lost them both in seven days. I don’t know how much you can take until you go through something like that.” ([42:28])

7. Refuting the "Tidy Ending”

• Gladwell’s Closing Reflection:
  • Despite the case having apparent resolution—guilty parties caught, the planner dead, the victim buried—the story’s true consequences continue to cascade. Justice, as Gladwell emphasizes, is neither swift nor straightforward.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lacy Kennamer’s description: “He was handsome, dark headed, kind of had that southern... a little bit, little bit redneck. But look, she was homely as a mud fence.” ([07:00])
• On investigation, Ricky Miller: "The caller said they had taken a VCR and the call I received even told me where the VCR was being used. And it was on Kenneth Smith's TV. Said it's sitting there right now. He's using it. And come to find out that was accurate." ([22:40])
• On Sennett’s over-alibis, Miller: "He made too many alibis. It was overkill... He stopped to see people they’d never seen." ([27:38])
• Gladwell on narrative illusions: “Crime stories are exercises in moral assurance. With the Sennett case, it's enormously tempting to tell a story this way. The case is pure Southern gothic... You want that version, you can find it online.” ([34:40])
• Billy Warren on community reaction: “It was gripping, really, for the whole community because there was so much unknown in the middle of this.” ([37:56])
• Sennett’s son on family devastation: "Lost them both in seven days. I don’t know how much you can take until you go through something like that." ([42:30])
• Gladwell’s parting words: “But we’re not telling that version of the story. We’re just getting started.” ([43:19])

Important Timestamps

• 02:28: Gladwell’s journey to Coon Dog Cemetery Road
• 07:00: Lacy Kennamer’s colorful family portrait
• 09:16–11:55: Step-by-step account of the Sennett murder and hospital attempt to save Elizabeth
• 13:40: Community suspicions and family reactions
• 20:39: Ricky Miller introduces the anonymous tip and suspects
• 25:28: Kenny Smith’s confession excerpted
• 27:35: Miller on the suspicious string of Sennett’s alibis
• 29:18: Discussion of Sennett’s strange post-murder behavior
• 34:45: Gladwell’s thesis on moral order and true crime narratives
• 37:56: Billy Warren reflects on Florence’s shaken community
• 41:43–42:30: Sennett’s confession, suicide, and impact on his sons
• 43:19: Gladwell signals the story’s ongoing complexity

Tone & Style

The episode blends Gladwell’s signature narrative clarity and thoughtfulness with raw, local voices that bring emotional authenticity and Southern texture to the retelling. The tone alternates between investigative, reflective, and at times, morbidly humorous or poignant, especially when community members share colloquial language and unvarnished opinions.

Summary

Part 2 of “The Alabama Murders” meticulously reconstructs the murder of Elizabeth Sennett and the subsequent unraveling of her family and community. By weaving together investigative details, personal testimonials, and broader cultural reflections, Malcolm Gladwell underscores the fallacy of neat justice. The episode challenges listeners to reconsider the morality plays embedded in true crime stories—and sets the stage for a deeper analysis of how violence, grief, and justice can spiral far beyond a single act.