Small Town Murder Podcast

Episode: The Fireplace Poker Murder – Spring Grove, Illinois

Hosts: James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman
Date: January 29, 2026

Overview

In this episode, James and Jimmie journey to rural Spring Grove, Illinois, to dissect a particularly brutal 1992 murder case: the bludgeoning death of 21-year-old Kathleen (“Kathy”) Twarowski. The main suspect is her on-again, off-again boyfriend, John Cumby, a former small-town cop with a violent record. The hosts balance deep research and grim facts with their trademark irreverent comedic riffs, laying out the small-town quirks, legal maneuvers, and the maddening labyrinth of evidence, trials, and appeals that followed Kathy’s murder.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Spring Grove, Illinois

• Location & Demographics:
  • Rural commuter town between Chicago and Milwaukee; pop. 5,713, area code 815.
  • Notoriously high median income ($131k), almost zero racial diversity (92.8% white, 0% black), 54% religious, "Catholics are the Baptists of the North" (13:50).
  • Home to the driest fact ever: "First vertical silo in North America was built here in 1873.” (9:19)
• Social Life:
  • B4 Summer Festival ("bacon sizzles, bourbon flows, ziplining, and more–all while drinking heavily"), (19:12).
  • Eclectic local cover bands: "Rock Brigade plays only the biggest and best of Def Leppard," (22:15).
• Crime Rate:
  • Extremely low; violent crime 1/3 national average. “This place is very safe. Incredibly safe. That said, let's talk about some horrible murder that happened here.” (24:57)

2. Victim and Suspect Backgrounds

Kathleen “Kathy” Twarowski

• Born 1971. Oldest child, close to her family.
• Model student and athlete: National Honor Society, student council, anti-drug and drunk-driving groups, girls’ basketball.
• Described as "loyal, kind, striking – always smiling, always laughing," (Math teacher, 36:04).

John A. Cumby

• 11 years older than Kathy (b. 1960), ex-cop, divorced, two kids, “bullied hard for that last name.”
• Became police officer “to live out a power trip” (41:16); known for brutality.
  • Example: pulled a gun on a man for a burned-out turn signal (41:24).
• Had a history of domestic violence (“beat wife with his gun”) and restraining orders.
• Pattern of controlling, stalking behavior: started contact with Kathy when she was 12, later stalked her at clubs, assaulted her physically, and damaged her property.

3. The Abusive Relationship Unfolds

• John meets Kathy at age 12 while on patrol; by 18, they’re dating—he’s 29, separated with two young kids.
• Cyclical breakup/make-up pattern (moves in, moves out, buys house, moves out again).
• Multiple documented incidents of abuse:
  • Nov 1991: Strangled, hair pulled out (50:25)
  • Jan 1992: Bites her face at a nightclub; beats her, slashes her car, steals belongings (54:41, 57:02)
  • Cops arrest John for battery & violating protection order
• Controlling, stalking, and “showing up wherever she is” (62:11).
• Kathy obtains protective order—then “starts dating him again” (65:31), often hiding it from her parents.

Quote:
Kathy to friend, Nov. 1991: "Helen, this is fucked up. This time I thought he was going to kill me." (51:00)

4. Timeline of the Crime

• May 5, 1992 (Murder Night):
  • Kathy leaves parents’ home at 8:30pm after dinner; says she’s going to a friend’s.
  • John allegedly calls her at 6:30pm and again after 9pm to set up a meeting/study session.
  • 11:20pm: Local narrowly avoids head-on collision with car driven by man (“dark hair”) with “slumped over” woman passenger—likely Kathy, dead or dying (71:17).
• May 6, 1992: Kathy’s body found in her white Geo Tracker, in tall grass one mile from Cumby’s home, near his old job. Severe head trauma, pants unzipped, reclined seat. (74:13)
  • 14 lacerations to scalp, 7 to face, broken teeth. Bludgeoned with heavy rod-like object—likely fireplace poker.
  • Blood, hair, and physical evidence (fibers, hair, blood, etc.) subsequently found at John’s house, especially on bathroom linens and a push broom.
• Police immediate suspicion:
  • “It was probably John, the guy who bit her face up two months ago.” (82:08)
  • Cumby’s immediate response: "Where's Kathy? You can check my alibis." (83:10)

5. The Investigation

• Interviews and Deflection:
  • John lies about relationship ("just buddies"), offers confusing timeline, has fresh wounds (blames on “log from fireplace” and “stethoscope burn,” 86:03).
  • Tries to shift blame to “stalkers” and invents "a fancy-dancing Mexican" (115:05)—an obviously fabricated, racist scapegoat.
• Forensics & Evidence:
  • Extensive testing: some bloodstains in Cumby’s house, lots of Kathy's hair on his broom (with blood and pulled roots), fibers linking his, hers, and house.
  • Fireplace poker consistent with weapon used, though no conclusive blood found (101:16).
  • No semen or evidence of recent sex.
  • Jailhouse confession to fellow inmate: “I did it. So what?” and “...dropped the body off in McHenry county because you can't get tried in two counties.” (94:45, 162:01)

6. Legal Shenanigans: Trials and Appeals

• First Trial (1993):
  • Prosecution: Detailed abuse history, circumstantial and forensic evidence, stalking, confession to police/detective.
  • Defense: Attack forensics, argue lack of direct evidence, highlight absence of Cumby’s fingerprints/hair in the car, blame “police hunch.”
  • Jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder (“exceptionally brutal and heinous as well”).
  • Memorable moment: John’s sentencing speech is a 20-minute rant scapegoating everyone—judge, police, victim’s family, “I help everybody. I never hurt anyone. I think of myself as calm and serene." (154:50)
  • Sentence: Life without parole
    • Judge: “You, sir, may fuck off…” (155:45)
• Appellate Reversal (1995):
  • Technicality: Jury wasn’t properly instructed regarding venue (which county had jurisdiction), so verdict overturned.
• Second Trial (2003):
  • All previous evidence, plus testimony from jailhouse informant about Cumby’s confession.
  • Same verdict and sentence: Guilty, life without parole (174:52)
• Endless Appeals:
  • Cumby and his attorneys repeatedly blame everyone else, claim evidence was mishandled, even allege the murder weapon was misidentified, float more conspiracies, and blame “fancy-dancing Mexicans.”
  • All appeals denied, withering ridicule from the court and hosts alike.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Jokes on Small Town Quirkiness:
  “If they don’t have what you want, it’s your fault.” (10:44)
  "They worship the AR-15. Catholic is the Baptist of the North." (13:50)
• On Cumby’s Violence:
  "He became a police officer to ‘live out a power trip’, which is the worst reason to become a police officer for everybody around you.” (41:16)
• On Cumby’s defense:
  “According to him, I’ll show you my guns… but we never said it was a shooting.” (88:16)
• On the incredulous scapegoating:
  “He danced real fancy. Sorry.” (118:19)
  “No fancy-dancing Mexicans in rural Illinois in 1992. Doesn't exist.” (118:56)
• On Cumby’s self-sabotaging testimony:
  “If he just shut the fuck up, I'd go, ‘Maybe he's innocent’. But he got up in front of a judge and said, ‘they’re all liars’. He convinced me that he did it.” (182:25)
• On misogyny and entitlement:
  “The world does not owe you pussy. No, you gotta work for that shit… It’s the most arrogant thing anyone can do.” (133:12)

Important Timestamps

• 01:01 – 14:48: Spring Grove background and comedy on small-town quirks
• 36:04 – 65:31: Kathy and John: backgrounds, relationship, abuse, stalking incidents
• 74:13: Kathy’s body found; discussion of injuries and crime scene
• 86:03: Cumby’s physical wounds and far-fetched explanations
• 94:45: Jailhouse confession, “I did it. So what?” moments
• 115:05: Cumby’s bizarre defense: “fancy-dancing Mexican”
• 154:50: Cumby’s disastrous sentencing speech, "I never hurt anyone. I think of myself as calm and serene."
• 155:45: Judge’s iconic line: "You, sir, may fuck off. Life without parole."
• 182:25: Hosts’ closing reflections: Cumby’s own words proved his guilt

Conclusion

This episode captures the tragic murder of a young woman at the hands of a controlling ex-cop, the failings of the criminal justice process, and the layers of forensic, legal, and psychological complexity involved in solving—and retrying—a murder case. The hosts bluntly spotlight the danger of unchecked male entitlement and domestic violence, while cutting through the darkness with comic relief and biting critique of small-town absurdities.

Final Reflection:
"If he just shut the fuck up, I'd go, ‘Maybe he's innocent.’ But he got up in front of a judge and said, ‘they’re all liars.’ He convinced me that he did it.” (182:25––James Petregallo)

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