Welcome to 'Box in the Basement', where we delve into the enigmatic and often overlooked cold cases of America. Today, we take you back to a serene evening in 2007 in an upscale neighborhood of the DFW metroplex, where a heinous act shattered the tranquility. Marianne Wilkinson, a devoted mother and grandmother enjoying a quiet night at home, was abruptly gunned down at her doorstep. This tragic event left the community and law enforcement perplexed. Was it a case of mistaken identity, a random act of violence, or a robbery gone awry? Join us, your hosts Leah and Arlene, as we unravel the mystery surrounding Marianne Wilkinson's untimely demise, exploring every lead and theory in a bid to find justice. We aim to shine a light on forgotten cases, dusting off evidence long relegated to the shadows. Our journey is not just for enlightenment but to actively engage you, our listeners, in the quest for truth. Perhaps among us lies the key to answering the lingering questions and bringing closure to those left behind.
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Welcome to 'Box in the Basement', where we delve into the enigmatic and often overlooked cold cases of America. Today, we take you back to a serene evening in 2007 in an upscale neighborhood of the DFW metroplex, where a heinous act shattered the tranquility. Marianne Wilkinson, a devoted mother and grandmother enjoying a quiet night at home, was abruptly gunned down at her doorstep. This tragic event left the community and law enforcement perplexed. Was it a case of mistaken identity, a random act of violence, or a robbery gone awry? Join us, your hosts Leah and Arlene, as we unravel the mystery surrounding Marianne Wilkinson's untimely demise, exploring every lead and theory in a bid to find justice. We aim to shine a light on forgotten cases, dusting off evidence long relegated to the shadows. Our journey is not just for enlightenment but to actively engage you, our listeners, in the quest for truth. Perhaps among us lies the key to answering the lingering questions and bringing closure to those left behind.
Justice for Marianne Facebook Page
Texas Ranger's Page
Support Box in the Basement Victims
Please be advised this episode contains detailed discussions of violence and may not be suitable for all listeners.
Arlene:Today's story is one that has baffled law enforcement and the public alike for over 15 years. It devoted mother and grandmother. Enjoying a quiet evening at home with her husband in an upscale neighborhood in the DFW metroplex. She was gunned down at her own front door. And to this day, very few answers have been found. Was it a case of mistaken identity? Was it a random shooting? Was it an attempted robbery gone wrong. Keep listening as we discuss the case of Marianne Wilkinson.
Leah:Hello and welcome to the box in the basement. A podcast covering the coldest cases in Texas and around the United States. I'm your host, Leah
Arlene:and Dom Arlene. Our goal here as always is to bring attention to unsolved murders, to dust off those boxes of evidence. And note sitting in the basement on a shelf or in some massive digital warehouse. This isn't just about entertainment or education. We strive to get the public involved. Maybe someone listening here has information that will help bring justice. And or answers to the friends and families left behind. Today's story
is that a Marianne Wilkinson? It's 68 year old retired mother and grandmother who was shot in her own home by an undignified gunman.
Leah:2007 seems like so long ago, but at the same time, it feels like yesterday. The very first iPhone was released in 2007. A mass shooter went on a rampage at Virginia tech killing 32 people. And the war in Iraq, raged on, I deployed to Baghdad in the summer of 2007. The week of December 9th, 2007, when our story takes place. The number one song on the billboard hot 100 was no one by Alicia keys.
The number one movie at the box office was the golden compass. And double-cross by James Patterson was at the top of the New York times bestseller list. The spurs won the NBA championship. The Colts won the super bowl. The red Sox won the world series and the ducks won the Stanley cup. Marianne Wilkinson and her husband of 46 years, Dawn. Lived in an upscale neighborhood in north Richland Hills, which is just to the Northeast of Fort worth, Texas. Today, north Richland Hills has a population of just over 70,000 people. And in 2007, the population was around 65,000. That population is mostly white. Fairly well-educated. And sits well above the national median household income. For perspective in 2007. A house in the same neighborhood as the Wilkinson's and nearly identical to that owned by the victim in this story. Was valued at$400,000. Which is just under$600,000 in 2020$3. And with today's real estate prices. Houses are probably going for much higher in that area. The median age is right around 40 and most adults are employed. The average commute time in the suburb is just shy of 30 minutes, which indicates most residents are working in Fort worth or in Dallas proper more than likely. Violent crime was slightly lower in north Richland Hills than the national average. With 3.2 murders per 100,000. Compared to 5.4 at the national level. The most common crimes in north Richland Hills at the time of this incident were property crimes, which makes sense, given the economic profile. That brings us to Spence drive in north Richland Hills where Marianne and her husband, Don resided at the time of her death. Marianne was born on November 12th, 1939 in Dallas, Texas, and was raised in Highland park. She went to Southern Methodist university and was a member of Zeta tau alpha sorority. She and her husband had two children. Uh, son, Michael and a daughter, Melanie, who both still live in the metroplex at the time of her death. She also had four young grandchildren who referred to Marianne as Mimi. She was active in her church, the first Baptist church of Keller. Where she helped run vacation Bible school and was on the social committee for her Sunday school class. Marianne was a certified master gardener. She enjoyed decorating her house. And she loved spending time with friends and family. She and her husband were fairly recently retired and they spent a good amount of time traveling. The evening of Sunday, December 9th. Was the quiet one in the wilkinson household. Marianne had no doubt gone to chart earlier that day. But Mariana has been Dawn planned on spending the evening together alone. They had dinner. And they watched the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit lions. When the game ended. Marianne slapped her husband's knee and said, how's that? Perfect ending to a perfect weekend. And that really breaks my heart. At around 8:00 PM, Marianne and her husband were still watching TV. When the doorbell rang. Marianne got up to answer the door. I'm pretty much, as soon as she opened it, a man in the doorway shot her at least three times. And then quickly fled. And neighbor heard the gunshots and called 9 1 1. Police responded quickly. And attempted to perform CPR, a Marianne who was still alive. But their efforts were in vain. Marianne died shortly thereafter. The martyr shocked, the quiet neighborhood and police were stumped from the start. Witnesses in the area related to the cops that they saw a man fleet. They woke us in house immediately after firing three or four shots in the doorway. He was described as wearing a hoodie. He jumped into a gold or tan colored sedan that was waiting nearby. Well, this case isn't as old as some others we've covered. And planned to cover. This was still a few years before residential security cameras became the norm. Most of the houses on our blog have a ring doorbell. We're an overhead camera. Or one of those little stick-up cameras in the front. But 2007 was still a little early for that. The Wilkinson house was tucked into a suburban neighborhood. Far from intersections and commercial areas. So there were no traffic cams or businesses with security cameras in the immediate vicinity. There were traffic cameras on the main roads nearby. And investigators searched for the gold sedan and its occupants, but to no avail. Police had to rely on the evidence at the scene. Of which there was very little. And accounts from neighbors and passers by. Which would be problematic because it was dark. I've seen photos of the neighborhood. Large houses, setback on big lawns. Not many street lights around. And the days before, easy home security cameras. It will be pretty easy to run away from someone's residence without the neighbors getting a good look. As we said before, there was very little physical evidence found at the scene because the incident happened so quickly and unexpectedly. There was no struggle, no argument, nothing. The killer didn't attempt to break in through a back window or climb over a fence. He simply rang the doorbell and shot the woman who answered the door. There was no time for a struggle or a fight. And Marianne's husband, Don didn't have any time to react before the killer fled the scene. He heard the shots ran to the foyer. And found Maryanne bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. There was a single spent shell casing found at the scene that had a fingerprint, but to my knowledge, nothing ever came of this. This was 2007, not 1977. So technology for analyzing evidence like fingerprints was pretty solid. However, the fingerprint was a partial and was probably of poor quality. Because the north Richland Hills police sent the shell casing all the way to England for advanced forensic analysis. And this analysis didn't occur until almost a year after the murder. The only articles I've read from the years between 2008 and now indicate that nothing of value has come from the fingerprint analysis. Analysts were able to recover the print successfully, but no match has been found. I found an article on science daily that explained the forensic science involved in this fingerprint analysis. And I thought it was really interesting to take a look at how this kind of thing was handled back in 2008. Dr. John Bond and honorary research fellow at the university of Leicester forensic research center developed a way to visualize fingerprints. Even if the print itself had been removed. Basically fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces and Dr. Bond's technique could recover those prints from a shell casing. I thought that was kind of cool. It's unfortunate. It didn't work in this case, but the evolution of forensic science is something that all of us true crime nerds find interesting on one level or another. What police hoped would be a break came in March of 2008. On Easter Sunday. Almost five months after the murder. When a child found a discarded large caliber handgun. Around eight miles from the murder scene. This gun was determined to be. The weapon that killed Marianne Wilkinson. And investigators jumped on the chance to recover some meaningful evidence. Unfortunately. Since months had passed and the gun had been exposed to the elements. And different environments. There wasn't much to go on. Records showed that the gun in question had changed hands numerous times between its initial purchase And the murder. And spanned at least two states So the likelihood of finding a legitimate registered owner. Or even an illegitimate owner is low. That being said. There is still value in attempting to trace ownership. Like the shell, Casey. The gun is just another puzzling clues sitting in that box in the basement, collecting dust. On Marianne's family waits. Marianne Wilkinson had no known enemies. By all accounts. She was a good human who loved her family and spend her free time at church traveling or in her garden. Her husband was the only other person inside the Wilkinson house when the murder happened. So why did she die? Who would just gun down a grandmother while she watched Sunday night football in her suburban home. Rumors started almost immediately after the murder, as they tend to do. But because there were so few pieces of physical evidence available. And I witnessed accounts were spare. Police had to lean into a variety of theories. One neighborhood rumor claimed that two drugged out weirdos were knocking on doors in the area, trying to sell fake mistletoe. Well, this kind of thing is certainly not out of the realm of possibilities. It seems rather strange that someone trying to make a quick buck would just pull out a gun and start shooting when a potential scam victim answered the door. Thus, the rumor was quickly dismissed. Could this have been some sort of gang initiation. A random shooting to provide the potential gang members. A random shooting to prove the potential gang members worth. It's possible, I suppose, but to me it's just as nonsensical as the fake mistletoe theory. Why go all the way out to an upscale subdivision in north Richland Hills. To me, it seems like too big of a risk. Do you remember the movie gone in 60 seconds where the crew steals a car out of a garage in a suburban housing development. That's what I think when I consider this scenario. The car thieves in the movie got lost in the neighborhood. And their whole plan went to hell. I can't remember the exact quote, but one of them says something like we're lost in suburban hill. Don't come for me. It's been like 10 years since I saw it last.. This neighborhood isn't exactly like the one in the movie, but it still seems like a bad idea. North Richland Hills is a good 25 minutes from Fort worth, proper and 40 minutes from the heart of Dallas. It is worth mentioning that this gang initiation theory kind of took off with the public. And this was partially because some of the media hype going on at the time. A little bit of fear-mongering clickbaiting whatever you want to call it. Combined with overzealous citizens, trying to quote unquote, warn their neighbors with half-baked conspiracy theories. And then there was an email forward making the rounds, claiming a local news station reported that a quote unquote, local gang was doing an initiation. Where they'd go knock on random doors and shoot whoever answered. 2007 was prime time for email forwards. Most of us don't even bother reading our emails nowadays. But before social media was as big of a deal as it is now. That's how things went viral. Email. This email went on to say that there were two other related shootings in the Fort worth area that were attributed attributed to gang initiations. But these claims turned out to be false. Neither of the other incidents were random attacks. One is believed to be an armed robbery. And the other was part of an ongoing dispute between two individuals. We were just as keen to believe any old nonsense that came through our inbox back in 2007, as we are any random YouTube videos or memes today. It doesn't help in unsolved cases at all. It just creates more clutter for investigators and families to Wade through. Again, a gang initiation is possible, I suppose. But seems very unlikely to meet for a lot of reasons. That leads us to the third possibility, which is the one police had favored since early on in the investigation. That Marianne Wilkinson was the unfortunate victim of mistaken identity. Investigators theorize that the shooter was looking for someone else. And either panicked and shot the first person who came to the door. Or he was a hired Hitman and didn't recognize he had the wrong target. In 2008, police identified two persons of interest, his activities and circumstances seem to fit the narrative. That this was a hit, gone wrong. Dennis Michael Taylor, age 45 at the time. And Vincent Lane, each 44. Taylor was caught up in a contentious divorce. At the time of the murder. He and his estranged wife lived on the next street over. Same house number. Different street, just one block away. Taylor's. Soon to be ex went to the police herself with this theory. She was afraid of her husband and felt like maybe she was the intended target. Her house and the Wilkinson house looks pretty similar. And they were practically neighbors. According to court records, restraining orders came down from both sides of the divorce. There were multiple accusations of violence between them. And ownership of the couples business. And a whole lot of money where at stake. So the idea of escalating to murder is not entirely unbelievable. It sounds like a perfect murder for hire situation. That maybe it's a little too perfect. Since nothing has kind of it. Lane, the other person of interest is just listed as an associate of Taylor's. In 2008 journalists noted that a man named Vincent Lane worked at Dennis Taylor's trucking company in Fort worth. But that is all the information available to us at that time. Neither Dennis Taylor. Or Vincent Lane have ever been arrested or charged with this crime? They both had clean records apart from the restraining orders related to Taylor's divorce. There's also the matter of the gun. Which was just discarded in the bushes. I could never be definitely linked to anyone in the area or anyone related to the murder. That to me, sounds like a murder for hire. But again, I'm speculating. So while this does seem like the most plausible explanation for the events of December 9th, 2007. There are obviously some big gaps in questions that can't be answered. And then one year turned into two. Then five. Then in August of 2013, a third individual, Willie Boley who at the time of the murder lived in Palestine, Texas. I was named a person of interest. No information was published at the time. Bully came under scrutiny. And there is no obvious connection. At least not one that we civilians can make between Bali and the other two persons of interest named back in 2008. Some sources claim that Boley may have been an employee of Taylor's, but there's no confirmation on that. At least not that I've found. Bully did have a criminal record, including a domestic violence related charge. But that's all the information we have on his life. In December of 2013, bully himself was shot dead in Oklahoma city during an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend. The girlfriend claimed bully was physically assaulting her. So she defended herself with a gun. And that was the end of that lead, at least for the time being. And unfortunately it eliminated a potential source of information and or evidence from the investigation. If Boley was actually involved. The 10th anniversary of Marianne Wilkinson's death came and went with no new answers. No new persons of interest, no suspects and no new evidence. The next development in the case came in 2019. When police announced they were able to develop a DNA profile from some of the evidence. This was the most significant movement in the entire history of the case. Or at least that's what investigators and the family hoped. But sadly, as of January 20, 24, Nothing has come of this DNA profile. At least not anything investigators have made public. It has now been 16 years since Nerian Wilkinsons murder. aNd there are frustratingly few answers. There is a Facebook page dedicated to her memory called justice for Marianne. The page is full of family pictures, memories. Photos of Marianne's collection of Christmas decorations and celebrations of her life. There's no anger. No betterness only love. Sadness and hope. Marianne's family. And we here at box in the basement. Believe this case is solvable. Like so many of the other cases vesting in dusty boxes. And the dark corners of servers. Someone knows what happened. We know that there were at least two people in the car that fled the Wilkinson street that night. So discussions were had. The killer talked. The person who planned this talked. Someone got drunk and said something at a party. Someone confessed to an acquaintance at work on a bad day. Selling brag to buddy or threatened a lover. It's unfortunate that one possible source of information is now dead. But there is still someone out there who has the ability to bring answers to the Wilkinson family and justice for Marianne. If you have any information regarding the 2007 shooting of Marianne Wilkinson. Please do the right thing and come forward. Contact the north Richland Hills police department at 8 1 7 2 8 1 1000. Or if you choose to remain anonymous, you can contact Crimestoppers at 8 1 7 4 6 9 8 4 7 7. And that information will be in the show notes.
Bree:bree Hi, I'm Bree producer here at box in the basement. Since 1976, there have been 17,366 tragic murders of women aged 65 and older. In the United States. Among these 4,000 remain unsolved echoing as for Lauren whispers in the basements of our justice system. These are women who looked forward to the golden sunset of their lives only to have their stories cut short and the most heartbreaking manner. When we delve into the details of these cases, we find a mosaic of methods and motives. For all murders in this category, there is a disheartening diversity in the choice of weapons, guns, knives, and physical beatings, each account for nearly a quarter of these crimes. And the Rome of the unsolved. Knives emerge as the weapon of choice in 25% of cases followed by beatings at 16%. And blunt objects at 15%. Which is really disgusting because these are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Firearm, surprisingly only account for 12%, which is what we saw in today's murder. This information while grim carries a silver lining. Close range, weapons and physical altercations increase the likelihood of the offender leaving behind DNA evidence. Whether it's a knife slipping and cutting the assailant or the victims, desperate struggle, leaving traces of the offender's DNA under their nails or on their skin. These are critical pieces of evidence that could lead to a breakthrough. Most of these unsolved cases involve burglaries or robberies with about 5% showing evidence of sexual assault. Each incidents. Represents a potential trope of DNA evidence. When we shift our focus to solve cases, we gain insights into the typical profiles of offenders. It's heartening to know that 75% of these heinous crimes do find closure and examining the relationship between the victim and perpetrator. We see a pattern emerge, strangers, spouses and children are the most common relationships found in these solved cases. Acquaintances other family members and neighbors also feature prominently. This data points a picture of the potential circle from which an offender may arise. Interestingly in cases where firearms were the chosen weapon. The relationship dynamic shifts, slightly spouses, particularly husbands. And sons are more commonly associated with these incidents. This nuance and the data helps us better understand what may be happening. But for Marianne Wilkinson's case, the mystery deepens with her husband present in the house and the fleeting glimpse of a car driving away. It suggests a stranger's involvement in her untimely demise. Stranger killings are notoriously challenging to solve often hinges on the look of DNA evidence or the conscience of an informant. And Marianne's case. And in so many likers, our hope clings to the advancing science of DNA and the persistence of investigators. It's a hope that one day, these unsolved mysteries will find their answers. And these boxes in the basement will finally be closed, bringing peace to the souls we've lost and solace to those they've left behind. This podcast has a bigger purpose than Just providing information and the entertainment. The homicide victims, families rights act is a bipartisan bill that was signed into law by Congress in 2021. And we want to see it put into action. This law establishes a systematic process for reviewing case files. Related to cold case murders. The focus is on providing a mechanism for the families and friends of murder victims. To request a formal review of such cases. We need an attorney or teams of attorneys and legal professionals To take on the bold and brave fight against the system around the country. In our case, we need someone to fight for Leon to help not only put fresh eyes on the case. But to get his body zoomed, to search for evidence that was not collected the first time around. We and other families and friends need assistance with getting foyer requests. If you want to hear more about victim focused. Unsolved cases. And get updates about what we know. Please subscribe, like and share our podcast. Also visit our website. Justice for leon.com to donate to our cause to hire an attorney. You can also join our email list to stay current on developments on Leon's case and other cases. We cover as they happen. Thank you for spending time with us. If you'd like to support us, you can like, and follow our podcasts wherever you listen. You can like follow and share the justice for Leon Lorella is GoFund me and Facebook page. As well as following our box in the basement, Facebook and Insta pages. We have some wonderful organizations. We'd like to suggest where you can volunteer or donate. Which are season of justice uncovered and The looking out foundation. aLl who help victims and families. Thank you. Please be kind. Bye.