93: Cold Blooded

Attention True Crime Fans.....Join us as we discuss the book "Cold Blooded" by Anita Paddock. The book recounts the senseless murders of four people in 1981. The murders occurred in our neck of the woods sometimes referred to as the Arkansas River Valley. Joy and I were completely unaware of these murders, how about you?

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Transcript

Welcome to Twin Talk. This is Angie and I'm here with Joy. And today we are discussing a book called Cold-Blooded. Now for most of you, you've probably figured out that Joy and I both read a book and then we prepare an outline and then we discuss the book. But this is a little different. So I actually was given a book recently and Joy knows nothing about us, about it at all. So this is her first time hearing it. So basically Joy, happened was Corby come home,

This was a couple of weeks before Christmas and I noticed that there was something wrapped under my tree and I could tell it was a book. And I was like, what's this? And he was like, well, do you want it now or later? I said, well, yeah. So I went ahead and opened it. And anyway, it was this book. And this book is called Cold-Blooded. Now, do you like true crime stories? I love true crime. Okay, I thought you did. And I should know this after all, you are my twin sister, but I was thinking you really liked true crime. So this is a true crime book.

And it was written in 2019 by a lady named Anita Paddock. And what's interesting about her is she was a librarian at the Fort Smith Public Library for years. So here we have a librarian, which is what you are, writing a book about a true crime. Okay. And I'll just read this really short summary. So Cold-Blooded is the true story of the murder of four people in the Arkansas River bottoms.

On a cold January morning in 1981, a knock on an apartment door began what would become one of the bloodiest crime sprees in Arkansas history. In the coming days, the bodies of Newlywood's Larry and Joanna Price, businessman Holly Gentry and police detective Ray Tate were discovered. They had been executed in cold blood and discarded like so much trash. What kind of person murders four people in cold blood and did the right one go to prison?

How did I miss this story? Exactly. So, how did Corby hear about this book? Okay, so Corby works for a guy named Rod on the side. It's like a second job he has and Rod and his wife read this book and he said they literally read it on their way to Little Rock. His wife read it to him while he was driving and I was like, really? Well, I picked up the book. I started reading it and Joy, it was like, I had the same reaction you did. I was like, okay, number one, how do I not?

have I never heard about this? Well, first of all, the crimes happened in 1981. So you and I were 11 years old. But what's crazy about this story, and I would highly recommend this book. Here's the thing. I'm wondering if I enjoyed it more because every single thing they talked about, I knew what they were talking about. I knew where it was, some of the names. They mentioned numerous names of people I've heard of, of judges, lawyers, defense attorneys.

Phoenix Village Mall, a that we used to go to often. The owners of them were involved in this. One of their sons was one of the ones that got killed. And then one of the detectives, Ray Tate, he got killed. It was a newlywed couple that lived next to Westark, the community college where you and I went to. So you're reading this and the author... So we were just too young to really be paying attention. Yes, and one of the guys that got murdered, guess where he worked at? He worked at Baldor, the same place that our dad was working at the time.

Okay, so I was thinking, okay, mom and dad knew about this. They knew four people had been murdered and then dad would not have come home and told his 11 year old daughters, hey, did hear about the murders? know, that probably would have scared us. You know, we probably wouldn't, it's not something that just would have talked about with children. But anyway, I literally read this book in the weekend. I want to say it took me less than probably six hours to read.

and every single page I felt like I was being transported back in time. They talked extensively about Central Mall, Phoenix Village Mall, Towson Avenue, West Stark, These are just places that we grew up going to and knowing about. These are places that anyone in our area instantly recognizes and knows what they're talking about.

For years and years, I wondered what happened to Phoenix Village Mall and why the mall went out of business. And they kind of, they touched on that throughout the book. And then they talk about where he drove these people when he kidnapped them and where he murdered So they have solved the crime. Yes, they solved the problem. was a very senseless, useless crime, but she is a very good writer. she, so she kind of takes a little, of course, license. She tells the, she tells it as though it's a,

a novel, it's more written like a novel. So it's not like it's just telling the facts and then it's not like listen to a documentary. She literally tells you, Joanna was happy this morning because the sun was shining and she couldn't wait for her husband to get home. And so she kind of takes a little license as to what she thought they might be feeling and saying and doing. And some of the, some of the, the scenes you're, you know, you're thinking, there's no way she knows what was said here or done here, but she does a very, very good job of

Piecing it all together and she's done extensive. You can tell it's obvious She's done extensive research and she's talked to many many of the players involved the people that were Closely related to these people she's talked to a lot of the investigators She's anyone that was willing to talk about the case with her. She's a retired librarian Yes, what are the chances of getting her on our podcast? I don't know

But here's the interesting thing, Joy. So she decided that this was her niche, like she likes the true crime. She's also written two other books. What's really sad is they were talking about how we live in a very safe area of Arkansas. We always have, we're very blessed. But what's really interesting was just like a month or two before this happened, there was a jewelry store owner in Van Buren, Arkansas, and he was kind of crippled and elderly, and his youngest daughter was helping him lock up the store up.

they get robbed and the guy shoots and kills both of them. And so she writes a book about, she has a book about that. And then this horrible crime spree happened where four people were murdered. And then there was another apparently a wealthy lady lived on Logtown Hill in Van Buren, which you and I are both familiar with Logtown Hill and Van Buren. She wrote a book about it. So because this book was so good, I really want to go read the other two books. But anyway.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you're from this area because I feel like familiarity just makes things a little bit more interesting. But even if you're not from here, it's still a really good book. it's what's kind of interesting at the end. There's a little bit of a twist at the end because they did send a guy to prison, but she feels like there was something that was missed at the end. And she gives you her theory of what happened at the end. And I think that's very interesting because that's a little different from what

was played out in the news and things like that. So anyway, just I'm telling you, it was almost surreal. I can't explain it. As I started reading it, I was like, this is so eerie because I knew everything they talked about that I didn't have to imagine anything because I knew I could visualize everything that was being said in the book. Right. So anyway, I just want to recommend it to you, especially you've definitely piqued my interest and we're on Christmas break. And do you have this book with you?

I do not have it with me, at my house. Bring it to me tomorrow, I'm try to read it over the break. Okay, all right. So I haven't really had time to think of a rating word, cold blooded, so I'll just have to give it stars this time. I don't have time to be creative right now, but I definitely would give it for the type of book it is for the true crime and how detailed she was. I would definitely give it four stars.

Awesome. Well, I'm excited and I look forward to reading it and I hope some of our listeners decide to read it as well Now since this is do you think this is available on Amazon or like major booksellers? Yes I was just googling it earlier and it's popping up all over the place. So yeah, like I said, I really don't know where Corby got the book I'll have to find out to see it kind of what he paid for it thank you for bringing it to my attention because I am

I do love watching true crime documentaries and I do like reading the books. I know, so this is just not a criticism, but Truman Capote has one of the most famous true crime books of all time in, cold blood. And I just wonder, I know it's hard to choose a title. I know it's gotta be super hard, but I wonder if she chose that because people could recognize the in.

In Cold Blood, the Truman Capote book and maybe immediately know it's true crime. I don't think so because when I looked up, I was trying to look up this up right before the podcast started to see what year this was written. And when I typed in Cold Blooded, multiple books come up called Cold Blooded. wasn't just Well, I guess that's my point. It's, I would want to kind of separate myself from other true crime books, but I know that's probably hard to do. But In Cold Blood is probably one of the most famous true crime books ever written by Truman Capote.

and you feel like you'd want to kind of separate yourself, but then again, maybe you want to have something similar so people automatically know, that must be True Crime Book. It doesn't matter. Yeah. And just as a side note, the names of her other books are Blind, Rage, and Closing Time. So I would like to read those. So anyway, I'm glad that you're interested in that.

I really think that you're gonna enjoy it. Of course it's not one of these feel-good books because four people were murdered. And I gotta tell you, I had the same reaction you did. I kept saying, how have I never heard of this before? And this is kind of interesting. We have a prosecuting attorney that goes to my church and he sits right in front of me at church and I was gonna ask him about this. But he really didn't wanna bring it up because I thought, lot of people don't wanna remember this stuff. They don't wanna relive it. So I asked his wife.

And she told me, she said, oh yeah, he's been involved in lots and lots of things. But she said, fortunately, he was not involved in that one. So I thought that was kind of interesting. Well, kind of on that same thought process. So we can edit this out later if you don't want to talk about it.

I saw a documentary True Crime the other night about Dave Evans and Christie Evans. Oh, they've already got something out about they already have. I saw a True Crime YouTube video. And I think it's just a matter of time before someone writes a book about that. Yeah, so unfortunately, I know a couple that was involved. Well, how do I say this? Someone hired someone to kill her husband and I knew the couple.

And needless to say, everyone was just totally astonished because no one knew that they were living this alternate life and we all had this image of them and who they were and it was nothing that met the eye. it's so, the story is so- scandalous because he's a preacher. Yes. That's why it's so scandalous. the, it made national news, the murder made national news and obviously because he was a preacher and she was the preacher's wife and apparently there was a-

love triangle and it's very scandalous but my point is there's it's got everything you want in a story that people want that you know the the juicy the juicy well that and just how outrageous it was of all the details and so i just knew it was a matter of time before this before someone made this into either a

TV movie or she was on snapped or something along I definitely see it becoming a movie or a book some day Yeah, cuz it the the details are it's very very sad The detail when you hear about like what she lived with it's very sad. It's Do you believe that he was an abuser?

You know what? I don't know. Her family backs her up. You she had her husband killed and even her own children are standing behind her. So I have to believe that yes, he was because even his own children say that he was. So yeah, I do lean more toward her. Now I'm not justifying that's a good reason to have someone murdered, but yeah, we'll have to watch for that. I mean, I'll have to watch that. So you'll have to tell me more details so we don't just ramble on on the podcast. I would like to hear what...

Well, can you do you know the name of it? I just ran across it on YouTube. It was just a YouTube video. I can't remember which YouTuber it was, but she did kind of a deep dive into.

the whole story. Okay, well that doesn't surprise me because it's got every aspect of a true crime story that people want. So, all right guys, well thank you for listening to us and like Joy mentioned on a previous podcast, we know your time is valuable and we appreciate you spending it with us. So we will see you next time on Twin Talk.