
This week, in Everson, Washington, a strange tale unfolds when a woman, with a history of murder in her background, shoots her boyfriend, while he's in bed, watching tv. Her story is that they were discussing the possibility of ghosts, which prompted...
Loading summary
James Petrigallo
Hey, everybody. Just gonna take a quick break from the show to tell you about one of my favorite things in the world. Audible.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, audible.com or the app.
James Petrigallo
Oh, I give that app a workout. Let me tell you something. Listening on Audible helps your imagination soar. You can listen to anything. There's so many genres on there. There's more to imagine when you listen. And let me tell you something that makes my imagination soar in a terrible way. I've been listening to Secrets in the Cellar.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, boy.
James Petrigallo
Which is by John Glatt, and it's about Joseph Fritzl and locking his daughter in the basement for decades. And as you want to talk about imagination of who's the devil in a human skin? That's the guy. So check that out. Or a whole bunch of them. As an Audible member, you can choose one title a month to keep from the entire catalog, including the latest bestsellers and new releases. Audible's the best. Let's be honest here. New members can try audible free for 30 days. Visit audible.com smalltownmurder or text small town murder to 500. 500. That's audible.com small town murder. Or text small town murder to 500. Five hundred.
Jimmy Wisman
Now back to the show.
James Petrigallo
Hey, everybody. Just going to take a quick break from the show to tell you a little bit more about Shutterfly. Reconnecting with the people in your life is so important, and sending a holiday card is a meaningful way to do that. But it could be hard to know where to start. Who knows? Shutterfly makes it easy to share custom cards that are perfectly you. I already know what I'm doing here. Yeah, yeah. Why not? We'll put the puppies on the cards this year. That's what we're doing with Shutterfly. Sen. Everybody likes pictures of the dogs.
Jimmy Wisman
Sure do.
James Petrigallo
Find the perfect holiday card for you@shutterfly.com and start customizing today. Enjoy. 40% off your Shutterfly order with the promo code Small Town. And send something meaningful this year. Get free shipping on qualified orders. See site for details.
Jimmy Wisman
And now back to the show.
James Petrigallo
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing. Mint Mobile unlimited premium wireless. 30. 30. Biddy. Get 30. Get 20. 20. 20. Better get 20. 20. Better get 15.
Jimmy Wisman
15. 15.
James Petrigallo
15. Just 15 bucks a month. Sold. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch. $45 upfront payment, equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only. Taxes and fees, extra Speed slower above 40G detail. Hello everybody and welcome back to Small Town Murder Express.
Jimmy Wisman
Yoo choo.
James Petrigallo
Oh yay indeed, Jimmy. Yay indeed. My name is James Petrigallo. I'm here with my co host.
Jimmy Wisman
I'm Jimmy Wisman.
James Petrigallo
Thank you folks so much for joining us today on another exciting edition of Small Town Murder Express. As we know, we stuffed ten pounds of murder in a two pound episode and we are coming strong today with some wild stuff. There's ghosts involved. Oh, it's Halloween. Why not? Let's throw that in there too. Not real ghosts, but you know, we'll, we'll get into all that. Before we do though, hey, I believe in ghosts. Before we do though, I would like to definitely say head over to shut up and give me murder.com tickets are available. Austin, Texas, you are up next. Phoenix, you're sold out, so don't worry about it. But Austin, Texas, you're up next. Also get your tickets for Tarrytown and Boston there too. We are going to release the last Tarrytown tickets. There's like 100 tickets left that would have been on hold and we want them to be released so you can buy them. So we're going to release those, get those and get your tickets for the virtual live show.
Jimmy Wisman
Here we go.
James Petrigallo
That's what I'm talking about. Comes out on October 30, but it's available to listen to, to watch, to buy, to purchase, to watch a hundred times for two weeks after that date. So get in there just like a regular live show, except you're wherever the hell you want to be. And we are sitting there, same thing, the pictures, everything. We're going to be wearing crazy costumes, by the way, so you definitely want to check that out. They are wild. I mean, so good. We took it to another level this year. So you're going to really enjoy that. Get your tickets right now there. Shut up and give me murder.com patreon.com Crime in sports is where you get all of your bonus episodes.
Jimmy Wisman
There you go.
James Petrigallo
Get Those there. Anybody $5 a month or above, a mere cup of coffee. You can get hundreds of back episodes of things you've never heard before. All these bonus episodes, new ones every other week. One crime in sports, one small town murder, and you get every damn drop of it. This week, what we're going to talk about for crime in sports, we're going to talk about the Vince McMahon documentary. Not so much the wrestling parts, mainly the parts where he said insane things on camera. What's wrong with that guy? We'll talk about that and we'll get into a little bit of the lawsuit against him as well. And some of the more disgusting points of that. Those text, wow, that's crazy. And then for small town Murder, we're going to finish up the Ted Bundy psychological assessment from 1976. What a doctor trying to figure out, is Ted Bundy a violent man. Spoiler alert. Yes, he's a violent man. We'll get into the rest of that. Those. Him describing what those pictures are are hilarious. So can't wait for that. Patreon.com/crime and sports and listen to crime and sports. If you haven't. We've had an ax murderer lately. We've had a man who peed his pants in a Pizza Hut parking lot on body cam, all sorts of stuff. And listen to your stupid opinions as well, because, man, have we had some fun stuff on there, too. So check that out. That said, I think it's time to get into this. Here we go, everybody. Let's do this from. I think it's time to shout. Come on.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah. From the tree.
James Petrigallo
Let's do it. From the treetops. Let's all take a deep breath, Arms to the sky. Let's all shout. Shut up and give me murder. Let's do this, everybody. Okay, let's go on a trip, shall we?
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
We are going to Washington this week. Washington State. Northwest. Love it. This is northwestern Washington. Even so, northwestern, northwestern United States. Northwest of the northwest, indeed. It's about an hour 45 to Seattle. It's kind of east northeast of Seattle, about two and a half hours to Lopez Island, Washington, which was our last Washington episode. Turning a Husband into flowers was the name of that one. You can kind of imagine what happened there. And it's a crazy episode. The county is Whatcom County. What? Watcom. Which sounds like a bad stadium name. Like, oh, you're going to Whatcom. Yeah, yeah. The 49ers are playing over at Whatcom. Yeah, sounds good. What the hell?
Jimmy Wisman
It's a discount. Discount cell carrier.
James Petrigallo
Whatcom. What? Con. Yeah, come on in. Here you go. What? What? Because it doesn't work. Area code 360. Population here, 2,859 people in this. That's a small area and a bunch of little weird small towns. The median household income here is $63,958, which is slightly below the national average. But the median home cost is well above the national average. So it's tough. Tough Going here. Median home cost $431,100, which is a little bit of history here. Everson was named to honor a local pioneer. This guy. This is his name. I looked it up several places. Ever Everson is his name.
Jimmy Wisman
Is that right?
James Petrigallo
They just said, we can't think of anything. We'll just name him the first four letters of our last name.
Jimmy Wisman
That works.
James Petrigallo
Ever. Ever Everson. Not ever. Writ. Everson. Ever Everson. He's the first, you know, settler. European settler. Here, north of the Nooksack river. Nooksack, which definitely sounds like slang for taint. Nooksack. It's in between Masac and my butthole. Nooksack River. Everson was incorporated in 1929. In February 2009, a citizens group and local officials proposed consolidating Everson and Nooksack into a single city.
Jimmy Wisman
Calling it what?
James Petrigallo
That's the great part of this. Obviously, they shared several municipal services at the time, and a combined government would cause. Would provide cost savings, so why not? But the Bellingham Herald compared the merger to that of the four towns that formed Bellingham in 1903. So they were like, this could work. Names for the proposed new city include the worst possible name. Nooksack Valley, which definitely sounds like taint at that point, right?
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
That's the Nooksack valley. Yeah. She was licking me down in my Nooksack Valley. You'd be like, ooh, she's a freaky one. All right. The proposal was dropped after a unanimous vote by the Nooksack city council not to move forward because the people didn't want it. But then they'll complain about paying taxes, even though they were given an option to be less. But they're like, we don't want to be called the Nooksack Valley. I can't. I can't write that on things. That's my address. Reviews of this town A little bit here. Here's five stars. I've grown up all my life here and still live here today. I've lived here all my life. Would be a fine way to say that.
Jimmy Wisman
Two sentences. You could have done it in one.
James Petrigallo
Consolidation. It's the perfect. Little, big town. Little, big town. There's 2,800 people. It's a little, little town. That's. Little town is a band, but would fool a lot with saying big at all. Yeah, it's. Yeah, it's comfy and isn't too far from the bigger surrounding cities. Okay, here's a review. Another one here. This one is one star. Everson is A true small town. Okay. That's good on this show. Then there's one small grocery store, a drugstore, a dentist, an eye doctor and a physician. Okay. There's a couple of small restaurants, local restaurants, but no mainstream restaurants other than Little Caesars. That's right.
Jimmy Wisman
What's the best chain restaurant you've got?
James Petrigallo
Little Caesars.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, my God.
James Petrigallo
The best chain restaurant they have is the worst chain restaurant on the planet. In the country. In the country. Where they're like, it's just $5. I don't know. Just take it.
Jimmy Wisman
It's a $5 hot and ready.
James Petrigallo
It's barely cooked. This doesn't look very good. Yeah. It's $5. What do you expect? Eat it.
Jimmy Wisman
It's hot and ready. Nowhere in that. Does it.
James Petrigallo
No. It doesn't say hot and tasty. It says hot and ready. Is it hot? Yes. Is it in your hands? It is.
Jimmy Wisman
Get out.
James Petrigallo
Five bucks, motherfucker. Take a step aside. So this guy goes on. Everyone knows everyone. It's a five minute drive to wherever you need to be. The schools. Nooksack in parentheses are decent. You get more house for your money than in Bellingham. Apparently Bellingham is even more expensive than this.
Jimmy Wisman
That sort of sound ages.
James Petrigallo
Yep. You're 15 minutes from the Canadian border and 20 to 30 minutes from shopping in Bellingham. There's not a lot to do. But it's quiet and a simple way of life. But it rains in all caps. And then it rains some more. And then it rains some more. Get used to it.
Jimmy Wisman
Welcome to Washington.
James Petrigallo
And this was on a different site that has people that you can agree and disagree with. The reviews. 282 agree. 269 disagreements. So I have no idea. It's right at.
Jimmy Wisman
The country is divided.
James Petrigallo
We're very divided. Are they disagreeing with the fact that it rains? I don't know. Are they saying there's more restaurants than this guy found? I don't know what you're disagreeing with.
Jimmy Wisman
Where's the discretion here?
James Petrigallo
Don't get it. Things to do. Oh boy. The Everson Summer Festival.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh yeah.
James Petrigallo
Oh, yeah. If it stops raining for a couple of days, we're going to have this. There's a three on three basketball tournament. That's fun. First day also includes live music. Dakota Black will be performing.
Jimmy Wisman
Right.
James Petrigallo
Don't know who that is. But I can. I can guess what kind of music they play.
Jimmy Wisman
Just gonna guess those two words together. Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Yeah. The word Dakota in there. Really?
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Sends it strong. The Saturday they'll have a pancake breakfast. They have the Everson Auto Parts car show and Shine. Just shine your car up. A lunch, barbecue, round two of the 3 on 3 tournament. I don't know if that's the championship round or what. Here, there's a book sale. The grand marshals of the parade are the Scott Mitchell family. Okay, thanks.
Jimmy Wisman
Scott Mitchell.
James Petrigallo
Is that the old quarterback for the Lions? The lefty number 19 there? The fucking. He's in there. Kids games. And then there is also live music. Hot Wally will be playing.
Jimmy Wisman
Shit, yeah.
James Petrigallo
Hot Wally's in town. Hell yeah, boy.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
If you. If you get Hot Wally and Dakota Black together, they will have some awesome kids. Let me tell you something. So that said, let's talk about some murder.
Jimmy Wisman
Here we go.
James Petrigallo
Let's do this. We know what we're doing. Let's start out with a lady. Let's talk about Linda Ray Holman. We're going to start with here and we'll find out a little bit more about her childhood life because she's had. She has a rough life. She's in foster homes. And. Yeah. So she's got some problems. And I didn't really even need to tell you that. If I tell you about her adult life, you go, oh, she had a lot of problems when she was a kid. Yeah, we'll talk about this. She's born in 1963. By 1986, she has a daughter named Daisy, Daisy Holman. And then by 1988, she has another kid named Travis. And we'll hear a lot from Travis here later on. Travis has a real interesting life. They both do. But Travis talks about it. The son here, Travis, like I said, born in 88. December 13, 1991, the children's father dies.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, no.
James Petrigallo
Apparently he had a heart condition that was ongoing. He's a young guy, too. It wasn't even 40 years old or whatever, but had a heart condition that was ongoing and the father died. So Travis, the son, said that he and his sister Daisy had a pretty complicated childhood because of his mom being kind of not stable.
Jimmy Wisman
Not a single mom. Yeah.
James Petrigallo
And she's very not stable. He called her a wild child, but said that she did care for him and his sister. So it wasn't like she hated them or was mean to them. She was sweet to them. She was just kind of unreliable. He said, I remember she did a lot of partying. He said, for instance, she had a muscle car and I remember us doing donuts in it. Probably a. No, we don't know what the hell she's got. But she sounds like a cool chick. She's got a muscle car. She's doing donuts with the kids hanging out the window. There's no mom. That's mom doing that. No car seats in there either. You know, they're just like. She goes, hang on, kids. And then they're going, dumps the clutch. So he said she was an affectionate mother all the time. It was, I love you and you're special. My sister and I felt that. We felt loved. But she had a difficult upbringing, just like my sister and I ended up having. So she did continue the cycle, whether she wanted to or not. Exactly the same cycle that she had. And we'll talk about it. Gets worse for these kids, which sucks. She meets a young man here in the early 90s after her kid's father dies. Linda meets a young man named Travis. Another Travis.
Jimmy Wisman
Is that right?
James Petrigallo
Not her son, but a different Travis. Yeah, it happens in certain trash circles. Travis is a very popular name.
Jimmy Wisman
It really is.
James Petrigallo
It's a very popular name. I knew two kids named Travis growing up. They were both total scumbags. That's the funny part. Total scumbags.
Jimmy Wisman
I know several mullets.
James Petrigallo
Well past the time of mullets. Things like that. Very.
Jimmy Wisman
I've got two friends named Travis right now that both have sons. Both their kids have mullets.
James Petrigallo
Yeah, that's what it is. The one kid I knew named Travis smoked cigarettes when he was 10. He was smoking. That tells you a lot. Travis is an early smoker for sure.
Jimmy Wisman
Travis knows how to pack cigarettes at night.
James Petrigallo
Totally. He knows how to roll them. He's like, just, I don't need. Just get me some of the job stuff. I'll roll it myself. I don't even need.
Jimmy Wisman
Grab me some top.
James Petrigallo
Grab me some top. That's all I need. He said, this is Travis Cargyle. C A R G I L E. Cargill or Cargyle, however you want to say it. Carg. He's born in 1973. So he's 10 years younger than Linda.
Jimmy Wisman
No shit.
James Petrigallo
But they hook on up. Yeah. And they are, like, quite the mess of a couple, as we'll find out here in 1994. They've been together for a couple of years now. They come across a guy named Floyd. Robert England. Like Freddy Krueger? Like Freddy Krueger. Except. Doesn't Robert England have a U in his name? It was in England. This is England, like the country. Floyd. Robert England. He's not 59 years old. Floyd is, at this point, so well older than them? Yeah. She's 31, he's 21, Travis. So they hang out. They end up meeting him at a bar. And here, this is from Floyd. Robert England's son describes Floyd a little bit. He says, my dad came from a moonshining family in southern Missouri and he liked to drink. All right, that sounds fun. I'm on board so far. But he was a happy drunk and quite entertaining. That's great. I love a happy drunk. I hate a mean drunk. I hate the Sarah Boone drunk. That's my name, so I'm wearing it out. I don't like that. He was a captivating storyteller and befriended folks everywhere he went. He was living in Conway during this time in 1994, doing work for whoever needed a handyman. He was a very talented finish carpenter. He and his father had milled all the lumber and did all the interior work at the bar for the bar at FX McRory's in downtown Seattle years ago.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
He was very proud of that bar and frequented it often, as he did many other bars wherever he was living. He liked the drink. So he says. Dad met a young couple in a bar one day after he'd been paid cash for a big job he'd done. Okay. The couple, Linda Holman and Travis Cargile, were a bit low on cash and saw all the hundred dollar bills my dad was flashing.
Jimmy Wisman
No.
James Petrigallo
Linda had promised her son a hundred dollar bill for his birthday. So she started scheming on how to fulfill that promise.
Jimmy Wisman
Wow.
James Petrigallo
To try to get little Travis, who's about six years old at this point. One hundred dollar bill here.
Jimmy Wisman
Show him. Show him what a hundo looks like.
James Petrigallo
That's it. So what really happened? Only they know. But the story they told went something like this. Okay. They met. This is Travis and Linda met Robert or Floyd, Robert England. And he bought them a few drinks. Yeah, I guess they were talking and he was buying drinks for people. They decided. They decided to go bar hopping together. And along the way, Linda said she needed to stop in the woods to relieve herself. She's please pull over and take a leak. It was her plan to, quote, roll him, take all his money, shove him out of his van, take his wallet and vehicle and leave him in the woods. But things didn't exactly work out like that. By the way. From what it says later on, it seems like he was living in this van. By the way, Floyd Robert England.
Jimmy Wisman
Really?
James Petrigallo
Yes. He lived in this van and like traveled to different places to work. That's what he was doing. So he goes on to say my dad's driver's license was revoked for a previous drunk driving ticket. So he let other people drive as often as possible, probably especially after drinking. Travis was driving, and when they turned up a dirt road out near Concrete, they supposedly hit a deer. In the dirt road near Concrete? Concrete's a town. They supposedly hit a deer. Dad loved to hunt and always had guns with him. He grabbed his rifle and was gonna put the deer out of his misery, but he decided instead to let Travis do it. Travis said, oh, I'll take care of it. Don't worry about that. With dad sitting in the passenger seat, Travis took the rifle and as he stepped out of the van, turned the gun on my dad and pulled the trigger.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, shit.
James Petrigallo
Yep, he died instantly. Just fucking up close. Rifle shot, Boom, right in the chest. They drug him out of his van, took his wallet and headed up to Canada. After Linda stopped to give her son a hundred dollar bill.
Jimmy Wisman
Holy shit.
James Petrigallo
How awful would little Travis feel about that? That hundred dollar bill is probably so special to him. Has fucking blood on it. Mom had to kill for this money. Literally shot a man in his own van. In his own van. Fucking scummy shit. So November 30, 1994. This is a few days later, they are captured here. They're captured. After reentering, they took off to Canada.
Jimmy Wisman
They got up there and got across.
James Petrigallo
They got across the border, but they're caught coming back across from Canada because they have any money. I think they probably ran out of money. They said that Linda and Travis were arrested on first degree murder warrants as they tried to return to the United States from Canada at the Sumus border crossing. So they are accused obviously of killing him. They said that this was a 1976 Ford Econoline van that poor Floyd lived in.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, my God.
James Petrigallo
Jesus Christ. That is fucking horrible. But yeah, the sheriff's department just went to several different bars and said, you've seen this guy? And they all went, yeah, he was with the younger couple, these two people, and wasn't real hard to track them down.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, it's a quick trace.
James Petrigallo
Yeah. So they're both going to be sentenced to prison, but Linda is out within three years for murder. For fuck. Well, she was convicted of robbery and manslaughter, which still seems like you do more than three years for that in the 90s, especially this is the 70s.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Now Travis pleads guilty to first degree murder.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
And he is sentenced to. I guess you, sir, may fuck off. 25 years in prison with community custody to follow. So even if he does all of his time, he's still going to have some sort of like a parole type of situation. So he will not get his first parole hearing until 2015. Yeah. Which is a pretty 20 years away from now. It's a stretch now, son. Travis, we'll talk about him again. We'll put Travis. We'll put murderer Travis on the shelf for a minute. He'll be back later, don't worry. But we'll put him on the show. Oh, absolutely. We're gonna hear a lot of fun from Travis. He's a dangerous man, Travis. 20 something years in prison does him no chill. It just does not put any chill on him whatsoever.
Jimmy Wisman
Didn't do anything.
James Petrigallo
Nope. Not no. These people, some people, you can let them out and they won't hurt anybody again. He's not one of them, apparently.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
So Linda must have been out by 97 or 98 because she meets a new man.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
And we know they were together around then. His name is Mark McCollum, and he is born April 4, 1961. So he's about two years older than her. And one night, I GUESS it was 1998, Linda went out for, you know, a night at the bar and met Mark and brought him back to the family home in Kendall, where her kids were, by the way, because she still has her kids with her at this point. Daisy and Travis are both there. This guy, she's like, here, I brought your new stepdaddy home from the bar.
Jimmy Wisman
One night stand.
James Petrigallo
One night stand. But he's not going anywhere. Anywhere. He's just like, he's moving in now. Fucking someone you just met is a commitment. But to say you just met them and you're like, not only will I fuck you, please stay, go home and get your shit and come back is a lot.
Jimmy Wisman
These are my kids.
James Petrigallo
Ballsy.
Jimmy Wisman
Get a U Haul.
James Petrigallo
Yeah, these are my kids. Mind if they call you dad? Okay, let's rent a U Haul. So they dated for a few months, Mark and Linda, and then out of nowhere, she just abandoned her two children.
Jimmy Wisman
She just left.
James Petrigallo
She just not. She didn't drop them off at her mom's house and take off. She left them at the apartment and just moved out and left the kids there.
Jimmy Wisman
What?
James Petrigallo
It's 1998. They're like 12 and 10, and she just left them there.
Jimmy Wisman
Holy shit.
James Petrigallo
Yeah, to move to Deming, Washington or Deming or whatever the fuck it is. So this Travis said she came home after being away for a week or so. So he's probably. Oh, God. Finally, Mom's back. And so she just packed up her duffel bag and then never came out. Never came back.
Jimmy Wisman
What?
James Petrigallo
She came home after a week, Hi, kids. How you doing? Packed up all her shit and left and then just never came back. Just left them there.
Jimmy Wisman
She left for a week to see if they'd still survive. She's like, you did it for a week. You'll be all right for the rest of your lives.
James Petrigallo
Y'all are alive still. So it's all good.
Jimmy Wisman
You're doing it. See you around, guys.
James Petrigallo
She figured eventually. She didn't call somebody. She has relatives and family. She didn't call any of them and say, I got problems. Please go take care of my kid. Nothing.
Jimmy Wisman
Nothing.
James Petrigallo
She just left. He said, we spent four months fending for ourselves alone. 12 and 10.
Jimmy Wisman
Four months.
James Petrigallo
They didn't know what to do. They didn't know what to do.
Jimmy Wisman
What did they end up doing?
James Petrigallo
She said when she left, we went months without contact with anybody. They didn't talk to anybody in their family. They just acted like she was home and went to school and came home and acted like they had a mom and everything was normal. They just thought that eventually she'd come back probably. Wow. And he said, and eventually our auntie and uncle came to collect us. Yeah, she just left them there for four months.
Jimmy Wisman
Fucking wow.
James Petrigallo
So Travis and Daisy still continued to have a relationship with their mom after this.
Jimmy Wisman
Is that right?
James Petrigallo
And they'd see her once or twice a year. She just left them. Just fucking abandoned them, that is. Look, being a parent is hard and all that, but it's hard to judge people. But that is a bad mother. That's fucking bad. I'm sorry. I never thought that you could just leave your kids and just go somewhere and not come back. I know. That never even crossed my mind as an option.
Jimmy Wisman
I mean.
James Petrigallo
Wow.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah. My dad left, but, I mean, I still had my mom, so it was fine.
James Petrigallo
He didn't leave you alone?
Jimmy Wisman
No, he left me with my mom.
James Petrigallo
Yeah, that's. That's okay. This is fucking crazy. This is just. I'll just leave the kids here alone. What was going to happen? Like, when rent came due or something? I mean, how'd they pay the electric bill? What are we talking about?
Jimmy Wisman
In a few hours. Shit is 98. They've seen home Alone. They know how to do it.
James Petrigallo
I just see the kids start, you know, in front of the checkbook with the bills out, going, how do we do this?
Jimmy Wisman
I don't know how. We're Gonna do it.
James Petrigallo
Calculator there 10 year old sister.
Jimmy Wisman
You're gonna have to get a job. We're fucked.
James Petrigallo
This isn't balancing.
Jimmy Wisman
You know how much kicks cost?
James Petrigallo
Cocoa Puffs?
Jimmy Wisman
You like those things?
James Petrigallo
This is way worse than mom the babysitter. Don't tell mom the babysitter's dead. Like this is. At least There was a 17 year old in charge of that situation.
Jimmy Wisman
You got a boyfriend at Clown Dog? I'm hungry.
James Petrigallo
Please, Daisy, go to Clown Dog, would you? So they end up being brought up by their aunt and uncle, seeing mom once or twice a year. And Travis is so understanding. He says this young Travis son, Travis says, even though my mom struggled with alcoholism and likely PTSD from her childhood and foster homes and the trauma of like that, I'd say I said she was a very affectionate, loving mother. From a distance. We'll just say from a distance. Yeah, but over time here they. He lose. They lose contact with mom. Okay, once or twice a year for a while. And over time it's just no more. So March 6, 2007, I. We catch back up with Linda here and from what I understand, she's arrested a whole lot of times for a whole lot of stuff, I'm sure. Yeah, she does meth, she's fucking, you know, drinking and driving, she's stealing. So I only found a few though. On March 6, 2007, she had a banner day. She's arrested not only for marijuana possession, which who cares, and possession of drug paraphernalia, but also making a false settlement to a pub servant.
Jimmy Wisman
What is that?
James Petrigallo
I think that's, I guess not paying your bill at the bar, not paying your bar tab.
Jimmy Wisman
That's all I got.
James Petrigallo
Not paying your bar tab, I guess, or whatever. Paying with a check or something that didn't clear, I don't know. And oh, also obstructing a law enforcement officer that day as well.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay, so I'm not, I'm not arrested. I paid with an apple.
James Petrigallo
Yeah, see, seems like that was the problem. Cops caught up to him and they searched her and went, oh, you also have weed on you is probably where it went there. So that's kind of all there is now by 2009, 2010 here, she. She's still with Mark McCollum, by the way. Yeah, the guy she abandon her kids for. And he must have hated kids, boy, because. No shit, because if you went out with a woman, you know, she had two kids at home and then she just moved out, moved in with you, wouldn't you be like hey, where's your kids? What'd you do with them?
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, he's got to be like, fuck, you can just leave them behind.
James Petrigallo
He must have said, you're come with me, but your kids can't come. I'm not a fucking welcome. I'm not dealing with these kids. And she was like, okay, I don't have. Wow.
Jimmy Wisman
I don't have kids for a reason.
James Petrigallo
So they live at the. In the 5900 block of Lawrence Road, which is outside of Everson and actually down more near Nugent's Corner.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Where watch out, head on a swivel because there is gunfire going off a lot at Nugent's Corner.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, there's a lot of cat scratch fever.
James Petrigallo
A lot of cat scratch fever happening here. So that's where they live. Nugent's Corner, though, is so small. There's not really much town stuff to it. So. January 4, 2010, there is an article. Remember Travis, our murderer from the beginning there. Travis is now a quilter.
Jimmy Wisman
What?
James Petrigallo
He makes quilts in prison. There's a big article about him and it says, prison can change a man. It turned Travis Cargile into a quilter.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Apparently there's a guy at the prison, a recreation guy who started a quilting program about two years ago, putting the sewing machines in the hobby shop back to good use.
Jimmy Wisman
Sure.
James Petrigallo
They say Cargile serving 25 years at the Monroe Correctional Complex for first degree murder, he could watch TV, shoot hoops, or walk around the prison yard during his recreation time. Instead, he goes to the hobby shop and quilts with a half dozen dozen other roommates or inmates. Not roommates.
Jimmy Wisman
Same thing.
James Petrigallo
He says it's forced roommates. That's what that is, forced cohabitation. He said it's very constructive. I don't think anyone who comes in here leaves mad. It's kind of hard. I'd be so mad because I'd suck at quilting.
Jimmy Wisman
I'd leave mad because I have early arthritis and that would destroy my fucking head.
James Petrigallo
Fucking screw everything up. Hey, everybody, just gonna take a quick break from the show to tell you a little bit more about the most safe sponsor there is. SimpliSafe.
Jimmy Wisman
SimpliSafe.com S I M P L isafe.com that is correct.
James Petrigallo
Jimmy, let's get these people safe. If you've ever worried about the safety of your home and family, there's no better time to act. Right now you can get. This is amazing, 60% off. Wow. A new Simplisafe security system. It's their best deal of the year. Simplisafe is the home security that we trust. We've been using it for years. Seven, eight years now. I think we've been using almost eight years. And I love. We love Simplisafe. So easy to install. Honestly, it's the best. And the price of it, it's fantastic. You need it. Trust us here. Simplisafe is offering our listeners exclusive early access to their Black Friday sale this week. Only you can get 60% off any new system with a select professional monitoring plan. This is their best offer of the year. Head to SimpliSafe.com Small that's SimpliSafe.com Small S I M P LisaFe.com Small there's no safe like Simplisafe.
Jimmy Wisman
Now back to the show.
James Petrigallo
All right, everybody. Today we're talking about Dr. Squatch. Now you might know this brand from their natural cold processed bar soaps, which are all great. They're amazing. If you haven't done it, check those out. But now they've got the same real soap formula available in body wash form. And it is good. I'm telling you right now. They're made with natural ingredients derived from coconuts and plants to provide all day skin hydration. Available in four unique and manly scents. Coconut Castaway, Pine Tar, Wood Barrel Bourbon and Fresh Falls. Dermatologists tested and clinically proven to provide 24 hour moisturization so you can still smell tough while taking care of your maybe your soft side. You know what I mean? Dr. Squatch products are made for men. But we're telling you these soaps, no matter what and in what form, are loved by all. So you really can't go wrong here, everybody. My favorite, by the way, is the Fresh Falls. I tried that and I dig it. So what are you waiting for? Go pick one up at your favorite store or@drsquatch.com today. DrSquatch Body Wash for men who prefer natural. The quilting program at the Monroe prison has attracted a small but loyal following of inmates. Program organizer says there's really no tangible benefit for them other than the emotional satisfaction of coming in and doing work. It's not like they're getting extra good time for this. Travis has made about 50 quilts since he's joined the program.
Jimmy Wisman
Wow.
James Petrigallo
He was sewing together squares of thin pink and blue cloth as he spoke to the other people. Cargile takes anger management courses as part of his rehabilitation therapy. He said quilting should be part of the treatment. He said it gets me out of here. It's a no stress zone. Out of his head, he says. He points to his head. Program also can help prisoners rebuild bridges with the outside world. For every 10 or so quilts a prisoner completes, an inmate can send one to a family member. So you get to keep one. So it's. That's like a postcard. When I was a kid and I first started selling drugs. When you sell them for somebody, you get 10 bags and you sell nine. And you can keep one and sell it or use it, do whatever the fuck you want with. That's basically what they're doing here. You guys understand this program, don't you? Except with quilts now.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Not meth. So Cargill mailed one to a niece, another to a cousin. His family was shocked by the packages. What are you doing? They asked. Positive things, he said. Positive things, they said. The prison made quilts need homes. So they may. They maintain contact with groups like Project Linus and East Bay Baby Corner. The nonprofit groups distribute blankets to those in need. That's nice.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, Project Linus. I like that. That's an interrupt to the penis character.
James Petrigallo
That drags the blanket behind him. The prisoners churn out hundreds of quilts. One of their designs used old blue denim and bright red corduroy. The tough cloth and stark colors made for an eye popping design. That's not a soft quilt. You don't give that to a baby.
Jimmy Wisman
Here, kid, use these old jeans.
James Petrigallo
Rub that jean on your cheek and see how soft it is. Nothing softer than corduroy.
Jimmy Wisman
Cuddle up with this fucking Jordache.
James Petrigallo
Jesus, that's so weird. While the inmates finish products is always a respectable blanket, their work area is far removed from your grandmother's quilting circle. Rotary rotary wheels, the handheld blades that cut cloth and look like pizza slicers are kept in locked cabinets behind a solid red line. That entire area is out of bounds to prisoners.
Jimmy Wisman
And of course you could fucking break out with that shit.
James Petrigallo
Well, yeah. They also said that they must inspect fabric donations for contraband so prisoners can't bring something sharp back to their cells.
Jimmy Wisman
Right, right.
James Petrigallo
The one guy said people will leave safety pins in the cloth. That's actually something we always have to look out for.
Jimmy Wisman
Wow.
James Petrigallo
Because this guy's going to go from making a quilt to murdering someone with a safety pin. These are the people you're dealing with.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
So the relationship between Linda and McCollum here, Mark McCollum, starts to kind of have to hit a snag here in this time period. McCollum's mother said that the relationship was Bad and had gotten worse. At the end of 2009, beginning of 2010, apparently, Mark often stayed at his mother's house, which, by the way, was, like, right across the street, right by the house that they lived in that Linda and Mark lived in. He would stay there just to be able to get some sleep, because if he had to get up early for work because Linda was all over the place.
Jimmy Wisman
Wow.
James Petrigallo
Wouldn't let him sleep. When McCollum was at his mother's house, Linda would come over and knock on the door or repeatedly call the mother's house.
Jimmy Wisman
She's a lot.
James Petrigallo
She's a lot. She's on meth is what it is. I feel like that's meth behavior. Is she there? Is she still there? The calls became so frequent that McCollum's mother had to unplug her telephone. She couldn't stop it anymore. It was too much. Some nights, McCollum left his mother's house and stayed at a hotel because of the knocks and calls. So this poor lady drives this poor woman from her home. The mother also said that when McCollum was with her, Holman would turn the volume up on McCollum's stereo so high that McCollum would wake him up from another house. He'd have to get up, put his shit on, go over there and turn it down so the speakers wouldn't blow out. But she would do that to get his attention, to make him come home. Wow. McCollum's younger brother also said that when McCollum was with his mother or his brother, Linda would turn the volume up again on the speakers to the point where McCollum would fear the speakers were going to blow and would be forced to return home to turn down the stereo volume.
Jimmy Wisman
Golly, man, what's her fucking problem?
James Petrigallo
She's a fucking mess, dude. She's an issue now. There's February 14, 2010. So Valentine's Day. Very romantic.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah. Good day.
James Petrigallo
Three messages Linda leaves on McCollum's mother's answering machine here. This day first is, hey, Shirley, I need you to please call the cops here, because, I don't know, uh, Mark obviously didn't approve or anything, but I want to report a stolen vehicle in the shop and all of. And then you can't hear unintelligible. So can you call the cops on me or anything? So can you call the cops on me or anything? Hello? Okay. This is the same message, by the way. Hello? Okay. Hey, sir. Hello? Okay.
Jimmy Wisman
She's on the people.
James Petrigallo
Yeah. Hello?
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
Well, I'm going to call them on my own. I don't have a problem with that. And you know what? You're involved in that because you got your car in there and you're. That you're involved. You're protecting stolen fucking goods. So is Mark.
Jimmy Wisman
Hello? Okay.
James Petrigallo
Hello? Okay. The second message was hello? Ok. No. She said, well, I'm not promising or threatening. I'm promising. Matter of fact, I'm not threatening. That's how she starts out. I'm not promising or threatening. Well, I am promising. Hello? Okay, let me start over. Let me start. Let me reset. Hello? Okay, because by morning I want Mark's shit out of here because I'm calling the cops in here. And you better call them on me first because I really do want the cops here. So whoever's brave enough, bring it on, little boys.
Jimmy Wisman
Why is she calling?
James Petrigallo
What are you talking about?
Jimmy Wisman
Call the cops, lady.
James Petrigallo
Then she says, mark, you started this. I'll finish it. Happy fucking V Day.
Jimmy Wisman
Hello?
James Petrigallo
Okay, sorry. Happy V fucking Day. She says, V. Valentine's Day. The fucking day. Hello? Okay.
Jimmy Wisman
She is so much fun.
James Petrigallo
And then her third message. And the final message is, well, Shirley. And don't call me Shirley. I'm glad that I don't qualify this family, but since you couldn't call the cops, I did. And I suppose that you and Mark don't have time to hide the car, but. Banks. Okay.
Jimmy Wisman
You left this on an answering machine. They're not home.
James Petrigallo
They're not there. They are. They're standing there staring at the answering machine in terror. Standing around and going, what do we do? She's a crazy. I don't know. This is crazy, right? So apparently the car to which she's referring was a car that McCollum's brother owned and stored in a garage near McCollum and Holman's home. The brother said that he owned the car. It wasn't stolen. Nothing was stolen. It's been registered to him for years. And what the fuck is she talking about? She's just crazy. Making crazy phone calls. It gets crazier. February 16, 20102 days later 2 days later this is the Whatcom County Sheriff's. Deputy Peter Stevenson is dispatched to a 911 call to investigate a shooting at a house that they shared. This is. This is Linda and Mark's house. When the deputy arrived at the scene, Linda and three other people are standing outside the house, none of which are marked by the way they're standing out there. The deputy spoke with Linda at the crime scene. Here. We'll Find out will be a crime scene. She told him that she and McCollum had been together for about 13 years and that their relationship was strained. And the cop said, why? And she said, well, he works overtime. Oh, wow.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
Hello. Okay. He works overtime. Does no one understand this? He works. He.
Jimmy Wisman
You know, stress man.
James Petrigallo
Paying bills and stuff.
Jimmy Wisman
The man works his ass off. Our relationship is fucked.
James Petrigallo
It's terrible. He goes to his mom's to sleep before work. Like he needs sleep to work overtime. She said that McCollum had had February 15 the day before, the day after the phone calls, and before this, off from work. So they went to a casino where they gambled, ate pizza and drank beer. That's a fine day. I guess they went into gambling much, but pizza and beer signed me up. They went home. Not casino pizza. No, no. They went home, had more pizza and beer. I had casino pizza a couple weeks ago. You remember that? I told you about it? Yeah. One piece. One piece was the weight of four pizzas. It was horrible.
Jimmy Wisman
Five pound slice.
James Petrigallo
Oh, they were so heavy and gross and greasy. Said they went home, had more pizza and beer and decided to go to bed. Okay. Now, Linda says she woke up to use the bathroom and saw Mark watching a science fiction movie, quote, unquote. She told the deputy here that Mark made a comment about killing ghosts. Oh, that's normal. Yeah, that's a. Okay.
Jimmy Wisman
What movie? If you weren't watching Ghostbusters, what the.
James Petrigallo
Fuck are we talking about? That would be about busting ghosts, not killing them. They didn't kill the ghosts. They just put them in stores.
Jimmy Wisman
They trapped them.
James Petrigallo
They trapped them. They put them in ghost jail. And in response, Linda has a strain. He says, yeah, this is killing ghosts. And she says, okay. So she takes a shotgun off the rack.
Jimmy Wisman
That doesn't do it.
James Petrigallo
I don't understand what she's gonna do with that. Takes it off the rack. She puts the butt of the gun on the floor and put the barrel of the gun up to her chin. You know, like someone who blows their brains out.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
And said, well, hell, I'll just kill myself too.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
McCollum told her to put the gun down, you know, like a normal person. And according to her, according to Linda, when she was putting the gun back on the rack, she's just, you know, place. She said, okay. Placed it back on the rack. It went off. Wow, this is a sensitive gun, man. Yeah, it went off and hit McCollum perfectly right in the chest. Hit Mark. I mean, by fucking rat, rack is a great shot. She Put it down. Bang. Yeah. So Linda told the deputy she saw that McCollum shirt was becoming soaked with blood, and she heard gurgling sounds.
Jimmy Wisman
That's a death rattle.
James Petrigallo
That's called a death rattle, by the way. Did you notice that this was yesterday this happened. What? This is. She's talking about yesterday.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
Yeah.
Jimmy Wisman
And now she's reporting it.
James Petrigallo
She. After that, they go, okay. She said the sound stopped after a few minutes and she figured he was dead. Yeah, the breathing stopped. She covered him with a blanket and then called a friend and then drove away with the friend. I gotta go somewhere. There's a body in my living room. I'd really like to get out of here. So she told the detectives it was an accident. She was just trying to put it back on the rack. But perfect shot got him right in the right side of his chest at pretty close range. She said she was standing to his left side when this happened. Okay. Now, deputies search the inside of the house. They discover a note beside the bed in which Mr. McCollum's body had been discovered. This is all in a bedroom, by the way this happened. The note, it's in her handwriting. Handwritten note, and it says, I keep holding back for you and I, Mark. And then a hand drawn, frowning face. You know, very mature there. I can't keep holding back my emotions for you. That's one note. Then on the mirror in the bathroom, there's another note in her handwriting that says, one more kiss could mean everything, but one more lie could end everything.
Jimmy Wisman
It's a great poem.
James Petrigallo
That's wonderful. She admitted writing this phrase, but she said it had nothing to do with infidelity or didn't mean she was mad. She was just writing stuff and pinning it to a bathroom. I was just writing a poison song from the 80s. I was writing. I was writing part two to. Every Rose has its thorn. And this is what came out.
Jimmy Wisman
Pretty solid.
James Petrigallo
It's pretty solid. Now, the friend of hers, Valentina Valashenko, is an acquaintance of both Linda and Mark. She said about 12:30 in the afternoon, February 16, which is the day the cop was there and the day after the shooting that she showed up. Linda showed up at the kidney dialysis center where she knew that Valentina's fiance was having his weekly dialysis.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
So she's like, I know where my friends are. They're getting dialysis. I'll go bother them with this shit.
Jimmy Wisman
They can't move. They're having their blood filtered.
James Petrigallo
They're hooked up to something.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
So Linda was Upset and crying and told Valentino that she, quote, did something really bad. Okay, that's one way to put it. So Valentina asked Linda to walk into the parking lot where Linda told her that she had shot and killed Mark. And Linda also told her that the shooting occurred the previous night, but she hadn't called the cops yet. They're like, okay.
Jimmy Wisman
Nobody's given him any medical attention in 36 hours.
James Petrigallo
It's been at least 24 here, so. Or at least 20. So the obituary, by the way, for Mark. So he's going to be buried in Nooksack, it looks like.
Jimmy Wisman
Wow.
James Petrigallo
That's one way to do it. Now that's all going on. They are going to arrest Linda even though she said it was an accident. They go, you waited till the next day.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah. It doesn't sound like.
James Petrigallo
It doesn't sound accidental. Let's bring you in now. While this is going on, she's sitting in jail awaiting a resolution to this. There's an article in the paper about Travis. Not son, Travis, Murderer. Travis, now he likes kitties, too. Likes little kittens. Cats, kitties. Yeah. So now he quilts and he likes kitties.
Jimmy Wisman
Soft guy.
James Petrigallo
He's really turning into a 55 year old single woman. He really is.
Jimmy Wisman
Prison works.
James Petrigallo
This is crazy. So don't say that so fast. That's like, he's my kind of guy. Because this prison doesn't work for shit.
Jimmy Wisman
Rehabilitated.
James Petrigallo
So it says. Behind the barbed wire at the prison in Monroe, a unique program is saving hundreds of lives through an unusual pairing of convicts and kittens. Yeah, unusual Convict kittens. The Monroe Corrections Kitten Connections program partners prisoners with perfect Purr Purr Fect Pals Rescue Agency in Arlington. Saving hundreds of kittens. Travis Cargill, another convicted murderer, was also selected to take part in this program. He said, I'm helping an animal that would not have a home and be euthanized and giving a new chance at life, which is what we look for, a new chance at life. He's like, let this kitten be a metaphor for me. Let me the fuck out of here.
Jimmy Wisman
I'm such a good person.
James Petrigallo
Offenders must meet stringent requirements to care for kittens in their cells. They also must be psychological, psychologically stable and follow prison rules. Travis said, I've never had an ambition in life before. I knew we could come here and get cats right now. It's his ambition. Another that's the. It's his ambition.
Jimmy Wisman
Had one ever to get. I can have a cat.
James Petrigallo
Get cats is the funniest way to.
Jimmy Wisman
Put it get cats.
James Petrigallo
I knew I could get cats. Like, there's cats everywhere. You can get as many cats as you want. Yeah, he said. Another inmate said, it's something positive when there's not a lot of positive things here in prison. This other inmate, Chris Howe, who's serving a sentence of life in prison without parole, is one of several inmates selected to raise a kitten in a cell. He said, I just try to make the best of what I've got. I killed somebody. Something I'm not proud of. Wish I would never have done any of my crimes. But now he's got cats.
Jimmy Wisman
Kill your mittens.
James Petrigallo
Come here. There. Jesus. So the tax. This, by the way, does not cost the taxpayers a penny. This is a yes. The Perfect Pals covers all the costs of care and after spaying or neutering the kittens, puts them up for adoption. So this isn't like that's what they're spending my money on. It's no. No one's spending money on shit. So even though it's free, a lot of people don't want the program to continue because they want the prisoners to be miserable. Yeah, they want them to be miserable. So March of 2011, Linda's got a murder trial she's got to do here. Uh.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh.
James Petrigallo
Now, the state offered evidence of conflict in the relationship between them, and there's a pretrial hearing of whether that's going to be able to come into play, whether the state can present the fact that they've been having problems, all the stereo incidents and everything. They held a hearing on this and concluded that the evidence was admissible to prove her intent, motive, and absence of accident, and that the probative value was substantial and outweighed the prejudicial value. So it's at this point that her son Travis finds her when she's awaiting a murder trial.
Jimmy Wisman
Jesus.
James Petrigallo
He was living in Sacramento, California, and was becoming increasingly worried about his mom as the years passed and was curious to see if he could just find her name in a Google search. Yeah, so he searched her. He said, I Googled the names of a few family members I haven't seen for a while. I knew my mom had priors. She was convicted of manslaughter in the 90s. That's some sentence right there, man.
Jimmy Wisman
I knew my mom had priors.
James Petrigallo
I knew my mom had priors. She's got a little manslaughter conviction, and you know how it goes. She's a bitch.
Jimmy Wisman
What do you want from her?
James Petrigallo
Whose mom doesn't have a manslaughter conviction in their background. You know, a few priors, he said. I typed her name into Google, and the first article that popped up was Linda Holman's arrest. I thought it was her previous conviction, but when I looked up at the date, it said February 16, 2010. And my mind imploded because that was, like, the week before this happened.
Jimmy Wisman
She's doing it all the time, he said.
James Petrigallo
I went to her arraignment, really? And that was the last time I ever saw her. He said, this time I could see her from the other end of the courtroom. I will never forget the look on her face. It was a combination of complete happiness to see me, but at the same time, it was shame. It was also, who the fuck are you? I haven't seen you since you were 13. I don't recognize you anymore. Who are you, dude? So she pleaded guilty to the second charge, not to murder. There's unlawfully possessing a firearm, which she is not allowed to have because, you know, she does a manslaughter conviction and all.
Jimmy Wisman
She's a bad guy.
James Petrigallo
So there's no doubt that there's guns in the house where she lives. She has to plead guilty to that. But she is saying that absolutely she did not murder this man. This is an accident. So intent is the big thing here, and the court defines this. It is undoubtedly the rule that evidence of quarrels between the victim and the defendant preceding a crime and the evidence of threats by the defendant are probative upon the question of the defendant's intent. Evidence of previous disputes or quarrels between the. The accused and the deceased is generally admissible in murder cases, particularly where malice or premeditation is at issue. Such evidence tends to show the relationship of the parties and their feelings toward one another and often bears directly upon the state of mind of the accused, with consequent bearing upon the question of malice and premeditation. So they're going to let that in the prosecution. They argue that he shot. She shot Mark because of troubles they were having, not for any other reason. No accident. They said the relationship had turned rocky. And they. And also the prosecutor calls her account of where everybody was physically impossible.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
He argued that she's lying and was actually standing in the doorway of the bedroom, putting her slightly to McCollum's right and that he was sitting upright when she shot him. She said, the bull. The wounds are to his right side. And she says she was standing on his left. Yeah. Put the gun away. That doesn't. Unless the bullets. I want to talk about A magic bullet. Holy shit. That's a magic bullet?
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, unless he's standing sideways.
James Petrigallo
Yeah.
Jimmy Wisman
Right side posted to her left. I don't know.
James Petrigallo
But the way he was found, that's not the way he was. It makes no sense whatsoever the way she was lying. So they're saying you came into the bedroom, stood in the fucking doorway with a gun and shot this guy while he was watching tv. Need a holiday gift that will keep her sparkling all year long. Blue Nile, the original online jeweler has Experts on hand 247 who can help you find the perfect piece. Beyond that, Blue Nile makes the gifting experience easier than ever, with guaranteed free shipping and returns, as well as a wide assortment of jewelry of the highest quality at the best price. Right now, get 30% off jewelry@bluenile.com that's bluenile.com for 30% off bluenile.com remember when.
C
Gaming meant dropping hundreds on a console or gaming PC? Well, those days are over. Amazon Luna lets you play your favorite video games instantly on devices you already own. Just like streaming a movie. No expensive hardware required. Here's the Amazon Luna Magic. All you need is an Internet connection and a screen. Your phone, tablet, laptop, fire, tv, they all instantly become your gaming oasis. No game downloads, no special hardware. No just gaming. And we're talking hundreds of amazing games here, from the latest releases to beloved classics. Fortnite, Sonic, Assassin's Creed, Fallout, Batman, action adventure, racing, strategy, RPGs. So much game, so little time. But the best part, if you're an Amazon prime member, you can play on Luna for free. That's right, free. Ready to level up your gaming? Head to Amazon.com Luna to start playing today. No console, no problem. That's cloud gaming. With Amazon Luna, fall is in the air.
D
And that cooler weather calls for an update in your skincare. Moisturizing is key to keeping wrinkles at bay. That's why we need a skincare routine that's easy, fast and gives us results. Plus, what if your products had thousands of five star reviews were natural and affordable? Well, say hello to Dime Beauty. Dime Beauty is clean, high end skincare that is affordable and it really works. Not sure where to start. I highly recommend the work system. It's everything you need in one powerful package. Take out the guesswork with a proven routine that includes a gentle yet effective cleanser, a super skin toner, two incredible serums and two luxurious moisturizers. See what everyone is raving about. From serum sets to the always sold out retinol alternative TBT cream, you'll find your perfect skincare match. Dime has over 2 million happy customers and their product reviews are literally five stars. Love your skin. Again, go to dimebeautyco.com and unlock, unlock your discount. That's Dime Beauty Co dot com. That's Dime Beauty Co.com.
James Petrigallo
So the defense says their main issue was whether the account of the shooting was believable. And they're saying, you know, everything she says is believable. This is why are we even having a trial? So they admit the evidence of the prior bullshit. Here they talk about that. Here is her. By the way, she's not going to write this till later, but here is her handwritten hand. Look at this, Jimmy. I'm going to turn the fucking screen cursive.
Jimmy Wisman
Beautiful.
James Petrigallo
It gets with deteriorates over calligraphic. Yeah, it deteriorates to a point where it's hard for me to read it after a while. Bear with me.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, perhaps that she has the arthritic hand too.
James Petrigallo
Maybe that's possible from all that. Maybe she's quilting also. She's doing sympathy quilting. You never know. So here is what she says. On February 15th, Mark McCollum and I, as well as a good family friend named Rod Pody left the Nooksack Casino. At the Nooksack Casino. Oof, that's some hot stuff there. At approximately 7:55 we all had a wonderful evening. Mark and I said our goodbyes to Rod and headed home, arriving there at approximately 8:20. Once home, Mark gave me a valium to help me ease the pain in my right shoulder. Okay, I'm sure that's what it's for. I'd been having issues with this for some time. After Mark. What is this? Attended to me, he headed to his mother's home. What is this? To speak with her, I prepared for bed as was my custom to get up early to get breakfast for Mark and get him off to work. She's like I was plan and I needed to get up and make him a good breakfast so I went to bed early. He said, she said I was in bed by approximately 9pm I heard Mark come into the come in at that time. He came in and got into bed, turning on the tv. I went to sleep. Later I woke up at about 10, 10:30. Seeing Mark was still awake watching TV. I what is this? I rolled out of bed to go to the bathroom. Well Christ, you've been in bed an hour, you already have to pee. Why didn't you pee before you went to bed?
Jimmy Wisman
Elderly man?
James Petrigallo
Yeah, I put my Jeans on, elderly. She's like, fucking christ. She's like 45.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, but that's what a lot of people. I don't know. Maybe she's got. Maybe she's advanced age from drugs.
James Petrigallo
Also she drank a bunch of beer.
Jimmy Wisman
That'll do it.
James Petrigallo
That'll do it. Okay. I put my jeans on, thinking I'd also go outside to have a smoke. Who the fuck wakes up in the when they're sleeping to pee and goes, I'll go outside and smoke too. I've never done that once, have you? No, not once. I can see the bedroom from the bathroom and was wondering what Mark was watching. Once I had. I'm wondering too. Once I had finished in the bathroom, rather than have a smoke, I went back into the bedroom. And arriving at the foot of the bed, I asked Mark what he was watching on tv. He said he was watching a program called Supernatural. He's watching Supernatural. He's a. What the fuck? He's like a 40 something year old man. He's just watching Supernatural on. Okay.
Jimmy Wisman
On fucking USA now.
James Petrigallo
I think it's a fire like the WB or the fucking CW or some shit like that. I believe it's like one of those syndicated.
Jimmy Wisman
Very funny. Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Continuing our conversation, I walked to my side of the bed and sat down on a chair. What is this thinking to remove my jeans to get back into bed. But Mark asked me a question regarding the program. So you stopped removing your jeans? Hold on. I got my jeans on to talk about this. I. He asked me a question regarding a character on the show. I responded to the question by going to the. What is this? The gun rack stand. The gun rack. Standing on my toes, bumping one of the guns off the rack and into my hands. How high up is this thing? I proceeded to place the muzzle of the gun under my chin the same way the actor on the show was doing. Why? Why are you doing this?
Jimmy Wisman
What?
James Petrigallo
This makes no sense. You were just sleeping. I answered Mark questions with, what should I do? Kill myself? At that point, Mark turned from laying on his back to sitting up onto his left side and raising his right arm up and told me, put the gun away. I did as he told me to do. As I was swinging the gun around to put the gun up into the gun rack, the gun went off, causing a loud explosion. So loud it stunned me. It's a fucking shotgun blast in a bedroom. I've had no idea what position the muzzle of the gun was in when it went off. Since I was looking up at the gun rack, scaring me. Let's see. What is this? Something lately heard Mark say ow. As I turned and saw Mark, I guess they would say, ow, starting to face back onto his back. At first I thought Mark was joking and I thought maybe I'd hit the wall. What made you think you were joking? You just fired off a gunshot. But then I saw blood on his T shirt. I called his name and he didn't answer. I threw the gun down and jumped up onto the bed, saying his name and asking, mark, are you all right? Mark, are you all right? Mark, don't die. Don't die. Please don't die. I could see all the blood on his chest. And his eyes were staring up at me like he wasn't there.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, boy.
James Petrigallo
I left screaming. I kept screaming his name. I checked for a pulse and didn't feel it. I saw blood coming out of his mouth. It wasn't very much, but it seemed thick. I moved his head from side to side, calling his name and over and over. I was so scared. By the way, by now, look at this handwriting. Not the same at all.
Jimmy Wisman
What is going on?
James Petrigallo
It's. It's. It's. That's her emotion. She's talking about the murder. She's totally deteriorated from. She had very nice, easily legible handwriting to this fucking mess. And it's also, like, copied, so it's really hard to read. Really hard to read. So he said that. She goes on to say, I moved ahead from side to side. Okay. I was so scared. He didn't respond. I couldn't think. All I could. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. I got off the bed and ran to the bathroom, almost peeing my pants.
Jimmy Wisman
Really?
James Petrigallo
Yeah, she just peed too, so. And got sick in the bathroom. There is throwing up into the toilet if you occasionally didn't understand what she meant. I felt like. I felt like things weren't real. I felt dizzy and could barely stand up. I felt so sick. I recall saying over and over again, mark, I'm so sorry. I went back into the bedroom and looked at Mark, not believing what I had done. How could he be dead? I couldn't stop crying and calling his name. It felt unreal. I didn't know what to do. Well, yeah, I guess not. I needed help and all I could do was call Rod.
Jimmy Wisman
Who's Rod?
James Petrigallo
Huh? Rod's the guy from the casino they hung out at with earlier.
Jimmy Wisman
That's the answer to.
James Petrigallo
That's the answer.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah. Okay.
James Petrigallo
Rod will solve all here. Apparently not the ambulance or the police. Rod is going to handle everything. He's an EMT slash detective. Rod. He's coming over. He's like my dad. Rod's an older guy, too, by the way. Caring about both Mark and I. I wanted to feel safe. Wanted it all to go away. I called Rod, but no one answered. So I called his sister. She took the phone out to Rod's trailer. I don't recall exactly what I said to Rod, just that I needed him and it was an emergency. He said he'd be there right away. That the. That hit something. That hid something. Now, I called off the. I called. I got off the phone and went back to the back to look at Mark, make sure he was still dead.
Jimmy Wisman
Still dead.
James Petrigallo
Make sure I didn't turn into a ghost. And then I saw where I'd thrown the gun. All I could hear was Mark's last word, telling me to put the gun away. I kept hearing those words. I went and picked up the gun and returned it to the gun rack. You know, because she's like, I'll listen to him now. After I killed him, I know I spent. I know I put my shoes on and my coat, but I didn't remember doing it. I just felt sick and kept crying. What is this? I went to the window and started and. Fuck, this is hard to read. So. Waiting for Rod to come. That's what she says. Then I saw his headlights. I saw that. Oh, that's right. I saw his dog. Okay, my dog. Following me to Rod's car. Both my dog and I got into Rod's car. In the car, I continued to break down. I tried to tell Rod what happened, but I wasn't making sense. Not to Rod anyway, or not to Rod or myself. Rod didn't understand what had happened. I still don't either. I'm.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, I'm lost.
James Petrigallo
Yeah. He drove us back to his place. Once we got to his place, I just kept crying, trying to get out at Rod's, what had happened. Later, Rod told me he never seen me this way and hadn't been sure what to do to help me. He'd agreed. He'd agreed with me. What is this? To try. I don't know. Try to calm me down. But I took. I took a. Something and only I don't even know what the hell she says. I finally got it all out. What had happened. Okay, Telling Rod everything. I recall little after that. Exact little after that, except some. Something being under a lot of covers and on the bed and just crying and crying. I felt so cold and could not stop shaking. I wanted to die. I couldn't believe what I had done. It didn't have to be. It didn't seem to be real. Yes, I something more that it wouldn't stop. I don't know what the hell she said there. I have no idea at the time. I have no idea at the time. I had no idea what the time it was. I think is what she's saying I needed had gone by. But it was morning. Yet it didn't feel like it. Okay, let's see. The night Rod hadn't called anyone. Okay. I recall thinking we needed to get Mark safe to take care of this. I told Rod this. I knew Mark's mother needed to be told that Mark was dead. That would help. How was I to do all of this? What would I pay? I needed to do this. I needed to something his best friend Mike. I need to tell his best friend Mike. I needed Rod's help. But Rod's in his 70s and realizing he was upset by all of this too. I know my frame of mind had frightened Rod and he was confused by all of this. He's a 70 year old man who gets a call in the middle of the night. I asked Rod to drive me to Whatcom County Hospital to see Mike, Mark's best friend who was in kidney dialysis that day. I felt he needed to see. I felt I needed to see him and I needed his help. I wanted him to know that Mark was dead. I arrived at the hospital about 1pm I went to do the. I went to something to tell Mike, I guess but was in the. What the fuck? And couldn't speak with. Oh, he couldn't speak with me. Okay. That's what. It was busy. His wife came to speak with me. She took a look at me and could tell something was wrong. She asked me what was wrong, that I would be back. I wanted to talk to Mike, but that was. But he was sleeping. Mike's wife asked where Rod was and I told her that he was in the car. She said let's go to the car. Arriving at the car, I was told. I was told. I told her I did a bad thing. She asked what did you do? I tell her that I shot Mark. But it was only an accident. Is he dead? Are you certain he's dead? I told her yes. Did you call 91 1? Told her no. Rod drove me home. We weren't. We. We weren't something. Have to go to the bedroom. It was the first time Rod had seen Mark since leaving the casino. Okay. They Took Rod into the bedroom. I guess he wanted to see if he was really dead or not. I feel I fell apart again. Rod was upset too. Rod got the phone and called 91 1. The operator told Rod that we something have to go outside and wait for the police. That's where they were when they found him. And went to get Mark's wallet off the nightstand because he hadn't taken. Hadn't taken something me. The night before the prosecutor stated something. Rod and I went outside. While waiting for the police. I called Mark's mother on the cell phone. I told her Mark was hurt bad. She asked how bad. I told her he'd been shot.
Jimmy Wisman
Super bad.
James Petrigallo
That I'd shot Mark. Well, actually pretty bad. I shot him. So I don't recall word for word exactly what was said. The best I can recall was the following. I told her Mark had been shot. She asked how badly. I said he'd been hurt badly. She asked if he was. If he was okay. I told her no. She asked if she could talk to him. She asked. I guess she asked me if he was dead. I told her yes. So that's how that goes. She then asked who killed him. That's a fair question. I told her I did. That it was an accident. I told her I was so sorry. I broke down and couldn't. And couldn't talk anymore. I do, however, recall telling her the beginning of the conversation. She replied as she came to the home right away I was wondering what was being done for Mark. I told the detectives I wanted to make sure Mark was okay. He's not. He's fucking dead.
Jimmy Wisman
You killed him.
James Petrigallo
You killed him. You've said this several times. I also told them I didn't feel well. Oh, that's going to happen.
Jimmy Wisman
That's too bad.
James Petrigallo
I said I needed to go to the hospital because I was sick. There's a hospital at the jail. Don't worry, honey. Let's see that. They said that detectives were coming, that I wanted. I said I wanted a lawyer. And they were confusing me and didn't want. And I didn't want to talk anymore. Instead, I was talking. I was taken to the hospital, but not for help, but to have my DNA taken and take photo. Intrusive photos of my body.
Jimmy Wisman
No, those are booking photos.
James Petrigallo
Those are called booking photos. And they're looking for bruises. Yeah. So I was crying, not believing any of this was happening. I still can't believe any of this has happened. That Mark is dead. That I'll never see him again. I'd like to thank you for your valuable time to listening to this. So that's her whole thing here. And she says, I love Mark very much and still do. I haven't been able to mourn him properly. We had a good relationship. Not the picture of the state that the state paints. She also says she has mental issues. A handwritten thing talking about mental issues that she has and she hasn't. She says she wanted to talk to a psychologist or psychiatrist, but they let her talk to one. But then the psychiatrist, you know, used it against her in court.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah, so she's fine, too.
James Petrigallo
She said she thought medical shit was all confidential. She didn't realize. She didn't realize that when you murder somebody and then you talk to the state's person, they can say anything. So, yeah, she's like, I thought it was confidential. So the prosecution, in their closing, said there's no accident here. The only misfortune is the fact that Mark was killed. But it was done intentionally. And there's certainly no excusable homicide in this case. The evidence is very, very clear. Evidence is clear. And it adds up to a very, very failed relationship. That Mark was actually chased out of his home, had to stay with his mother, was repeatedly being bothered, and that that failed relationship resulted in the problems we are addressing today in this courtroom. And they were problems that related to the shooting with the gun. And you can see all the way through here. This relationship is really the basis, and it gives us the threshold for what happened. Yes. The jury deliberates for more than a day.
Jimmy Wisman
Really?
James Petrigallo
More than a full day here? Yeah, more than a full day. They come out here and they find her guilty of second degree murder. Second degree murder.
Jimmy Wisman
Okay.
James Petrigallo
Yeah, that sounds right. Yeah. Although maybe not, but I don't know.
Jimmy Wisman
I don't trust the story, but there's no way to prove otherwise.
James Petrigallo
McCollum's brother Scott said justice was served. She's a menace to society, and she doesn't deserve to walk the streets.
Jimmy Wisman
Yeah.
James Petrigallo
He said, I knew deep down what happened. I knew that we were right. It's just a huge relief. A huge relief for the family. Now, the son, Travis, this is how he found his mom. Now, he said, I called my sister immediately when I found out my mom was convicted, but there was no answer. I then called my best friend as I just needed to speak to someone. The next day, I drove up to the police station to try to see my mom, but I wasn't allowed. I knew for a fact that she was going away for a long time.
Jimmy Wisman
Long time. Yeah.
James Petrigallo
Sentencing. She Tells the judge she was sorry. She cried, she begged for mercy, saying, quote, it was totally an accident. Yeah, it was, like, totally an accident. Your Honor.
Jimmy Wisman
Hello? What?
James Petrigallo
The judge says, you, ma'am, Hello? What? They. Fuck off. 28 years in prison. Okay, 28 years. Yep. She was. Apparently this was at the top end of the sentencing range. And the judge said it's because this is the second murder you've been involved with.
Jimmy Wisman
Why does murder touch you so much?
James Petrigallo
Why are you constantly involved in murders? The son said, when my sister told me the ruling was second degree murder and my mom was sentenced to 28 years, I collapsed. I told my boss I had to go for the day. And it was a lot to process, by the way. Travis then visits his mom in prison.
Jimmy Wisman
Really?
James Petrigallo
She told him what happened. Travis said, according to my mom, there was a ghost show on tv and she went over to the wall where there was a gun. She grabbed it off the wall and said, I'm going to shoot the ghost, and shot Mark in the chest. That's what she told her son. I'm going to shoot the ghost.
Jimmy Wisman
Boom.
James Petrigallo
He said, sitting in jail, talking through bulletproof glass on a phone wasn't weird. I saw her in her jumpsuit. It broke my heart because I know that she had done something that was so terrible they were not going to let her out. Okay. 2015, Travis. Remember Travis? Travis, yeah. Denied for parole.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, Is that right?
James Petrigallo
2018, he is paroled, though. Oh, no. 2021, he violates parole. Don't worry about him. He's taken into the jail for repeatedly, reportedly repeatedly violating the terms of his electronic home monitor since a previous parole violation arrest in June. He reportedly left home on multiple occasions, including taking more than one trip to Spokane, testing positive for methamphetamines on multiple occasions, and threatening to kill his estranged wife.
Jimmy Wisman
And now we lock him up.
James Petrigallo
Wow. He's racked up parole violations, including traveling throughout the state, all this type of shit. Cargill's been living in Okanagan County. He was booked into the jail. They said he became physically abusive with his wife and made threats to, quote, chop her up into little pieces. A court document states he's back in prison here. Travis still talks to his mom. She has been getting chemotherapy because she had breast cancer in prison.
Jimmy Wisman
Oh, no.
James Petrigallo
He said she had a double mastectomy and she's going through chemotherapy. Apart from that, we joke around a lot. For someone who's been locked away for over a decade, she has a terrific sense of humor.
Jimmy Wisman
Is that right?
James Petrigallo
Hello? What? Oh, okay.
Jimmy Wisman
That's what she's all carved up and she fuck. Okay.
James Petrigallo
From speaking to her I can tell that she's remorseful. What happened with what happened. She tried to appeal on the facts that she didn't get mental health that she wanted and that the previous stuff shouldn't have been let in and ineffective assistance accounts. So they told her, keep on keeping on sister. There you go. So there you go everyone. That's Everson Washington and don't try to shoot ghosts is the moral story.
Jimmy Wisman
The extent of the ghost was a show called Supernatural.
James Petrigallo
Supernatural. There's a ghost. I'm going to shoot this ghost anyway. There you go. If you like this, tell everyone about it. Get on whatever app you're listening on and give us five stars. It helps a lot. Follow on social media at small town murder on Instagram, small town pot on Facebook and at murder small on Twitter. Shut up and give me a murder.com, get your tickets for live shows. Austin, Texas. You're up next, baby. Virtual live show October 30th. It's available for two weeks after that, just like a regular live show. But you're in the goddamn living room and we're having costumes on telling you a crazy story. The costumes are great. Worth the price of admission right there. Shut up and give me murder.com patreon.com crime and sports $5 or above gets you everything. Hundreds of back episodes. New ones every week. This week, crime and Sports, Vince McMahon, documentary for Small town Murder. Ted Bundy. Finish up that psychological assessment. Spoiler Alert, he's violent. Patreon.com crime and sports. You want to follow us? Shut up and give me murder.com drop down menu. Find us. Follow us. Let's do that. Until next week everybody, it's been our pleasure. If you like small town murder, you can listen early and ad free now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts prime members can listen early and ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com survey.
E
In November 1991, media tycoon Robert Maxwell mysteriously vanished from his luxury yacht in the Canary Islands. But it wasn't just his body that would come to the surface in the days that followed. It soon emerged that Robert's business was on the brink of collapse. And behind his facade of wealth and success was a litany of bad investments, mounting debt and multimillion dollar fraud. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wondry Show Business Movers. We tell the true stories of business leaders who risked it all, the critical moments that define their journey, and the ideas that transform the way we live our lives. In our latest series, a young refugee fleeing the Nazis arrives in Britain determined to make something of his life. Taking the name Robert Maxwell, he builds a publishing and newspaper empire that spans the globe. But ambition eventually curdles into desperation, and Robert's determination to succeed turns into a willingness to do anything to get ahead. Follow business movers wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad free on the Amazon Music or Wondry app.
Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmy Wisman
Release Date: [Specific Release Date Not Provided]
Episode Title: Ghost Hunter
Location Focus: Everson, Washington
In this episode of Small Town Murder, hosts James Pietragallo and Jimmy Wisman delve into the intriguing and tragic story surrounding Everson, a small town in Whatcom County, Washington. With a population of just 2,859, Everson epitomizes the quintessential small American town, characterized by its tight-knit community and limited amenities. The town's median household income stands slightly below the national average at $63,958, while the median home cost is significantly higher at $431,100, presenting economic challenges for its residents.
Notable Quote:
James Pietragallo [06:43]: "It's a little, big town. Little town is a band, but would fool a lot with saying big at all."
Linda Ray Holman
Travis Cargile
Mark McCollum
Robert England ("Floyd")
The narrative begins with Linda Holman's troubled relationship with Robert England. In 1994, Linda, along with her son Travis, conspired to rob Robert, who lived in a 1976 Ford Econoline van. Their plan was to claim the stolen money to fulfill Linda's promise of a hundred-dollar bill to Travis for his birthday.
Notable Quote:
James Pietragallo [18:28]: "How awful would little Travis feel about that? That hundred dollar bill is probably so special to him. Has fucking blood on it."
However, the plan went awry when Travis, entrusted to shoot a deer with his father's rifle, turned on Robert and killed him instantly. The duo attempted to flee to Canada but were apprehended at the Sumus border crossing due to a lack of funds.
Notable Quote:
Jimmy Wisman [20:07]: "Oh, shit."
Linda was convicted of robbery and manslaughter, receiving a sentence of approximately three years, which seemed lenient given the gravity of the crime. Travis pled guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison with community custody to follow.
Notable Quote:
James Pietragallo [21:53]: "He is sentenced to... 25 years in prison with community custody to follow."
Post-release from prison around 1998, Linda resumed her tumultuous lifestyle, engaging in methamphetamine use, drinking, and frequent arrests. She entered a relationship with Mark McCollum, whom she abruptly abandoned her children for, leading to further instability in her life.
On February 16, 2010, during a strained relationship with Mark, Linda claims she intended to "kill ghosts"—a reference to a science fiction show Mark was watching. In a tragic turn of events, while handling a shotgun in a distressed state, Linda accidentally discharged the gun, fatally shooting Mark in the bedroom.
Notable Quote:
James Pietragallo [42:39]: "He was watching Supernatural. He's watching Supernatural on. Okay."
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence of prior conflicts between Linda and Mark to establish intent and motive, arguing against the accidental killing narrative. Contrarily, Linda maintained that the shooting was purely accidental, influenced by her mental state.
The jury deliberated for over a day before convicting Linda of second-degree murder. She was sentenced to 28 years in prison, marking a significant escalation from her previous sentence and underscoring the severity of her actions.
Notable Quote:
James Pietragallo [73:43]: "He was killed. She was sentenced to 28 years. Yeah, that sounds right."
Travis Cargile, serving time for the first murder, found solace and rehabilitation through a quilting program at Monroe Correctional Complex. Contrary to the grim nature of his crimes, Travis developed a passion for quilting, producing approximately 50 quilts during his incarceration. Additionally, he participated in programs like Monroe Corrections Kitten Connections, where inmates care for and facilitate the adoption of kittens, fostering emotional healing and responsibility.
Despite these programs, Travis's struggles continued post-parole. In 2018, he was paroled but re-incarcerated in 2021 due to multiple parole violations, including substance abuse and threats against his estranged wife.
Notable Quote:
James Pietragallo [34:00]: "Not meth. So Cargill mailed one to a niece, another to a cousin. His family was shocked by the packages."
The Ghost Hunter episode of Small Town Murder offers a harrowing glimpse into the destructive cycles of instability, substance abuse, and abusive relationships in small-town America. Linda Holman's life, marred by her tumultuous past and poor decision-making, ultimately led to two tragic deaths and prolonged suffering for her family. Travis Cargile's journey underscores the challenges of rehabilitation within the prison system, highlighting both the potential for personal transformation and the persistent struggle against ingrained behavioral patterns.
Final Notable Quote:
James Pietragallo [77:34]: "That's Everson Washington and don't try to shoot ghosts is the moral story."
For listeners interested in exploring more about the case or attending live shows, the hosts provide information on their website and social media platforms. They also mention their Patreon for exclusive content and encourage audience engagement through reviews and social media follows.
Notable Promotional Mention:
James Pietragallo [73:58]: "She is a menace to society, and she doesn't deserve to walk the streets."
Disclaimer: This summary is based on a provided transcript and aims to encapsulate the key discussions and narratives presented in the podcast episode. For a comprehensive understanding, listeners are encouraged to tune into the full episode of Small Town Murder.