Tom Richardson Fall from grace and Pictured Rocks features The Tomas Esparaza Band

This is a pretty popular story among the true crime crew.  Hopefully, we were able to cover the story of Tom Richardson in a different way.  Listen to the only known murder at Pictured Rocks.

Leaving you with a happy ending and on a good note, as always.  This week we are featuring:

The Tomas Esparaza Band

 
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Transcript

Tom Richardson 

Mdoc # 687060

1.       Born February 27, 1962 making him 61 years of age. 

2.       Tom Richardson grew up in McBain.

3.       He met his wife,  Juanita, I believe that she also grew up in McBain and they married in 1983.

4.       The couple resided in McBain upon getting married and they started their family.   They would have 2 girls and a boy.

5.       Tom was employed as a Fed Ex driver and most likely made decent money.

6.       His beautiful wife, Juanita worked as a secretary at their local school district.  

7.       The town of McBain is small.  Really, really small.  Their population is 633 people.

8.       Eventually Tom would build the log home of his dreams for his family and they lived happily ever after.

9.       The home was said to be stunning and it definitely came with a hefty debt factor.

10.   The little family of 5 attended church.

11.   Juanita was a card carrying member of the choir and Tom was head of a youth group.

12.   (no this isn’t about the children.)

13.   Friends, co-churchers and family said that the family was initially very happy but that eventually the couple seemed less passionate. 

14.   Tom’s daughter would describe her father as a man of integrity who worked hard.

15.   I am just going to start copying and pasting this whole family concept situation because I swear to god that I have typed this shit before.

16.   Here we are with the all american couple  By June of 2006 the couple had raised their children and were coming upon 23 years of marriage, a bit of baggage upon their backs, no children left at home and vacation time.

17.   When Tom and Juanita were young and still very much in love, they had travled up to Pictured Rocks as a sort of honeymoon.  It remained a favorite place of theirs.  

18.   For their 23rd anniversary Juanita wanted to go back to Pictured Rocks to maybe rekindle some of their love. 

19.   Pictured Rocks is way up north.  I think it’s the northern most point of the Upper Penisula.

20.   The week of June 19, 2006 the two headed North on a Monday leaving from their home in McBain.  (great travel/drive thinking.)  

21.   From McBain to PR it’s 269 miles and according to Google Maps a 4 hour drive.  I can guarantee you that if you leave on a Friday…that is going to take a lot longer than 4 hours.

22.   **Find out where they stayed when up there**

23.   The fourth day into their vacation, Thursday June 22.  Juanita and Tom went hiking on one of the many trails at the rocks.

24.   Pictured Rocks has approximately 100 miles of hiking trails.  42.4 of said miles are litterally along the shoreline of Lake Superior.   

25.   On top of that, there are numerous unofficial trails that lead off to stunning views that people have treaded through the years.  

26.   All of the trails are well maintained, they are wore smooth and not rocky or rooty.  None of them would be considered dangerous.

27.   Between 1972 and 2006 approximately 14.7 million people had visited the rocks.

28.   I’m sure the weather was gorgeous that day (try to find what it was).  Juanita was stading along the cliffs takign picturesque pictures.

29.   At 10:55 that morning, Juanita asked her husband of 23 years to sitty on a nearby grassy area and she snapped a photo of him.

30.   Tom had to pee and like a good boy, he proper peed.  Boot, that means he actually walked back to the miners castle to use the lavitry.

31.   When Tom returned to the area that they were, Juanita was gone.  

32.   *chk distance from miners castle  to where they were if can)

33.   Tom ran back to the Miner’s Castle to retrieve help.

34.   He found the park rangers they were they first people to hear Tom’s story.  Well, Tom’s first story.

35.   When he approached the rangers he said, “My wife is missing and unaccounted for”

36.   Miner’s Castle does not have a land line and cell phone service if iffy at best when you are in the up.   They radioed in for help.

37.   Unfortunately, visitors at the castle heard the commotion and joined in the conversation to offer help.  Alfred Dennis, his granddaughter Kaylee and her boyfriend Joe.

38.   The group headed down the trail to look for his wife Juanita.  

39.   In the court documents, it states that this group sadly found Juanita.  She was approximately 10 feet above the shoreline of Lake Superior, strewn upon the rocks.

40.   Soon after Alger County Deputy Sherriff and paramedic, Steve Webber arrived at the scene with his partner Amber Denman.  

41.   They too helped to secure the scene and would aid in the recover of Miss Juanita’s body.  

42.   Once the arduous task of respectfully recovering Miss Juanita from the precarious shoreline, Steve Webber and Amber Denman would transport her to Munising Hospital.

43.   Sadly, she would be pronounced dead here.

44.   We often do not think about everyone who is involved in recovering a person in this situation.

45.   Before long, the scene contained 2 emts, the sherrif with his boat, a tourist boat that turned back when call went out, the park rangers, the chief park ranger,  visitors from the park,  a local photographer and looky loo who’s.

46.   The scene was kept pardoned off to protect any evidence. 

47.   During this time, one of the searcher’s found a sandal stuck a ways down the cliff, someone actually used a wire hanger to measure how far down it was for later use/data.

48.   Many people noted that there were no noticeable areas at all that looked like someone slipped, slid or like any rock had given away.

49.   From the start and during the rescue of his wife, Tom showed very little emotion.  What emotion he did show, every single person on site would testify that it seemed fake.

50.   He also complained about his shoulder pain.  HIS SHOULDER PAIN.

51.   Also, take note that he didn’t ask any questions about the well being of his wife.  Not during the recovery and not at the hospital.

52.   Off hand comments were continuously made to different people.  

53.   -juanita had an injured foot

54.   -juanita was depressed because of a students recent suicie

55.   -juaita had a huge lump on her breast that day and was concerned

56.   -That he suffered a head injury and had a bad memory

57.   -Juanita was a risk taker with her photos, she would even grab a tree and lean over a cliff edge for a good photo

58.   -That he, himself was extremely afraid of heights.

59.   Just numerous odd comments…but never seemed to show concern about her.

60.   He did not show any interest in how she actually died, what injuries she may have sustained…he didn’t even ask if she was alive.

61.   Sheriff Blank would eventually be dispatched to Munising Memorial Hospital to aid in the investigation there.

62.   Blank would eventually join Steve Webber and Shaun Hughes during their interrogation of Tom.  

63.   Meanwhile, Miss Juanita would be transported to a different hospital for the autopsy.  

64.   She was lovingly driven there by the same emt’s who were at the scene of the crime and one of the emt’s even was part of the questioning for a while, I believe.

65.   When Tom was interviewed by Webber, Hughes & Blank at the hospital, he told a second story.

66.   This time he crawled to the edge…because he is afraid of heights, saw something white thought it was Juanita then ran back to Miners Castle for help.

67.   Of course, the interview continues through the evening.  Eventually, Tom would tell the same officers a third story.

68.   This time when he came back from his bowel movement attack, he saw his lovely wife, Juanita, standing at the cliff’s edge.  He says that Juanita made eye contact with him, she turned and jumped off the cliff screaming, “Oh my god.”

69.   (I personally don’t think that she would take the lords name in vain.  Lol)

70.   Tom has now told 3 stories.  It’s understandable that under duress and extremem stress, that one might tell slightly different stories.  However, these are not just small discrepencies.

71.   Tom makes a sappy call to his daughter, which could be viewed both ways depending on what side you are on.

72.   Tom is allowed to go home and the investigative team would dig into a new case.

73.   He is eventually questioned again by Blank and gave yet another story.  Is this the third or the fourth?  

74.   THIS TIME when he returns from Miners Castle, Juanita is bent down near the cliff’s edge as if to show him something.  She turned and just fell off.  Bloop just fell over into open sky above the great lake.

75.   When the investigation team digs into Tom’s life they seem to find that he lives two very different lives and/or has two very different personalities.

76.   On one hand we have the kid’s version of their life which we all know can be completely clouded.

77.   Then we have everyone else’s version of Tom and their life.

78.   So many people testified regarding Tom’s character.  Neighbors, friends, family, coworkers.  

79.   Many of the people testified that he was very degrading to her.  Sometimes mildly degrading and others simply nasty assed.

80.   He would do this on dates or at family functions, in front of others, basically.  

81.   The kids did not see that side of their dad at all.  They said the marriage was normal.  That their parents didn’t fight a lot that it was a normal happy marriage.

82.   It appeared that all 3 of their kids had their dad’s back during trial and after the death of their mom.  I think they still do.

83.   Investigators kept digging and dug right up an affair that Tom had 7 years prior to this incident.  Yup, Mister Church had an affair.

84.   Unfortunately, they made up and Juanita forgave him. 

85.   During their investigation a few people had shared things that Tom said directly to them.  Things like, “I wish I didn’t reconcille with her.”

86.   They also learned about the ginormous debt that Tom and Juanita were in.  You remember, Tom said that they had no money problems at all.  They did…

87.   Then, they looked into Tom’s Fed Ex route and questioned those people. 

88.   This is how they discovered Kelly Brovey.  Kelly worked at a party store that Tom delivered to regularly.  

89.   Kelly swears up and down that they were just friends though.  She worked the night shift and needed telephone companionship.

90.   This part…uuugh.  So, Keith Morrison is interviewing Kelly on Dateline (because you gotta) and Keith asks her what the two of them would talk on the phone about.  

91.   “Bible study.”  She answered.   Of course, he is an upstanding member of the church community after all.

92.   The team pulled phone records and in 10 months time 383 calls between the two had occurred.

93.   One of those calls, was the night before Miss Juanita died.

94.   Tom called his ol buddy, his pal….his bible study friend from pictured rocks. 

95.   The two of them conversed, probably prayed, for 13 minutes that night.

96.   Need we say less?  Kelly Brovey is now being looked into as a major part of the investigation and definitely questioned, a lot.

97.   Upon poking at Kelly more about their conversations, they learn that as the close friend that they were, Tom would sometimes tell her personal things.

98.   He actually told Kelly that Juanita had cancer and would not be alive by christmas.  

99.   Kelly gives them a lot of information about her and Tom.  She states what she expects from a man, that Tom asked her if she would wait for him….

100.                       Kelly told Tom that she would indeed wait for him.  Of course I’ll wait for you, that’s what friends do.

101.                       Where did this turn from friendship to I’ll wait for you???  Wait for you???  To go to church?

102.                       When they asked Kelly about the 13 minute conversation that they had the night before Juanita died, she said that Tom had called and woke her up needing to talk.    So she llistened.

103.                       During court we would learn from the couples lawyer, anthony Badavinik that days before their trip Tom was adamant about getting together. 

104.                       Tom instantly commaanded an urgen visit and said, “got to have a will, got to have a will.”

105.                       **Dateline clip of lawer 14:27 to 14:33

106.                       It wasn’t long before friends were saying that Tom was asking to get a hook up with some of their single lady friends.  

107.                       He asked numerous friends for a line on the single ladies.  Slime ball.

108.                       With all of the stories that Tom has told, his extra marital activies (both past and present), his own behaviour and other things that he did and ways that he acted…all led up to NO GOOD.  Suspected.

109.                       Finally, on Febrary 6, 2007 Tom is charged with first degree murder of his wife.

110.                       The case finally went to court starting on ….. and we heard from everyone that I stated above.

111.                       Karen Barman, the prosecuting attorney juped on Tom’s changing stories and took note of his debt and just how much he would receive from life insurance police.

112.                       How much, you ask???  One quarter of a million dollars!  Boot….up your insurace.

113.                       The coroner took the stand and stated that two linear bruises on Juanitas thigh.  A double bruise if you will.  

114.                       He stated that the bruises indicated the bruises were there before the fall.  That something linear caused the bruises…like a stick or a rod.  HOWEVER, when cross examined he said it could be from falling too.

115.                       Tom’s character was obviously torn apart during the trial.  Defense claimed that Tom’s stories differed from trauma due to ptsd from watching his wife fall off a cliff.

116.                       Defense also brought up Juanita’s bum, previously broken knee….making her unsteady, thus causing her fall. 

117.                       Defense also jumped on the fact that Juanita was wearing sandles, making her unsteady along the cliffs.

118.                       I’m not sure if I already said that the kids were put on the stand.  They testified to the stand-up man their dad was.  

119.                       When the jury finally went into deliberation, one of the main points they focused on was the bruising.  Those parallel lines of bruises.  

120.                       The jurors took this literall.  They stood eachother up and pretend pushed another juror…like to see how they would fall, etc.   A live demonstration for the rest of the group, if you will.

121.                       After 11 hours of deliberation and talking about all of the points, the demonstration of being pushed really seemed to be their deciding factor.  She had to have been pushed.

122.                       The jury came back with their decision.  Guilty of first degree murder of his wife.

123.                       He was sentenced to life without parol.

124.                       Tom talked to one of our favorites, Josh Mankewicz on the Dateline show and he sounds like a damn crybaby and still claims his innocence today.

125.                       Let us remember, nobody has every fallen off or died  at Pictured Rocks previous to this incident.  

126.                       In fact, just a few months ago a young lady posted pictures of herself and her man at the edge of the rocks…I wanted to scream, “Don’t let him push you off.”  Except, you know…not everyone reads about true crime numerous times a day.

127.                       No really, accidents at Pictured Rocks:   I think in an earlier episode we mention some.  But nobody has DIED there…no since the olden days.  Like, I’m sure a logger may or may not have taken the plunge.  I don’t know.  We didn’t have people writing about it then but I can guarantee you if it did happen, there would be gawkers, that is an age old situation.