Richard Speck/ The Darkness of Chicago's Darkest Night

Peel back the curtain on Chicago's darkest night with your hosts Danica and Sam, as we recount the twisted tale of Richard Speck, the man whose heinous actions sent shivers down the spine of a city and etched his name in true crime infamy. Sip on your Mimosa while we navigate through the stormy seas of Speck's life; from the death of his father to his own brush with mortality that led to his infamous capture. Discover the chilling impact of his crimes on his victims, the sole survivor's harrowing testimony, and how a simple tattoo unraveled the case, all while pondering the shadows that loom over a man pushed to the brink of human decency.

This episode isn't just an exploration of the macabre—it's a dialogue with you, our fellow true crime aficionados. As we clink our glasses to the bravery of survivors and the resilience of those left behind, we encourage you to bring your own insights into the fray. Engage with us across social media platforms, from the photo-filled corridors of Instagram to the quick quips of Twitter, and dive deeper into the conversation on our Murder Mamosas Podcast Facebook page. We're ready to hear your thoughts and case suggestions, because this bubbly journey isn't just about the stories we tell, it's about the community we build together. Cheers to uncovering the truth, one sip at a time.

Sources:

The Crime of the Century: Richard Speck and the Murders That Shocked a Nation

Book by Dennis L. Breo and William J. Martin

From the WGN archives: Richard Speck murders (youtube.com) (sound clip)

Rare photos, interviews honor 8 nurses slain by Richard Speck in 1966 (chicagotribune.com)

The Richard Speck case - Chicago Tribune

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Darkcast Network. Welcome to the dark side of podcasting.

Speaker 2: 0:05

Welcome to Murder and Mimosas, a true crime podcast brought to you by a mother and daughter duo.

Speaker 3: 0:13

Bringing you murder stories with Mimosas in hand.

Speaker 2: 0:18

Just a quick disclaimer before we get started. Our show is Murder and Mimosas. It's true crime podcast. This means that we do discuss crimes including, but not limited to, disappearances, murder and sexual assault. All our episodes are told with the respect of the victims and the victims' families in mind. We strive to ensure that we provide factual information, with some information that is more verifiable than others. With that, grab your Mimosas and let's dive in. Welcome back, murderitas.

Speaker 2: 1:00

Today we're diving into another chilling tale that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. I'm Danica, I'm Sam. Grab your detective hat and join us as we unravel the twisted web of lies, deceit and mystery and this spine-tingling true crime story. Are you ready to uncover the truth? You sip we share.

Speaker 2: 1:23

On July 13, 1966, at about 11 pm, spec broke into the townhouse located at 2319 East 100th Street in the Jeffrey Manor neighborhood of Chicago. This townhouse served as a dormitory for nursing students. He brandished a knife and committed some horrifying acts. I understand that you may be wondering what horrifying things he did when he came in brandishing this knife. Before we do that, let's quickly review Richard's past. Richard Benjamin Speck was born in Kirkwood, illinois, in 1941, and was the seventh of eight children of Benjamin Franklin, speck and Mary Margaret Carbaugh. The family moved to Monmouth, illinois, shortly after Speck was born. He and his sister Caroline were much younger than their four older sisters and two older brothers. His mother was religious and a teetotaler. His father worked as a packer at Western Stoneware in Monmouth, having previously worked as a farmer and a logger.

Speaker 3: 2:38

I was wondering what a teetotaler was.

Speaker 2: 2:41

A teetotaler is someone who refrains from alcohol. So Speck's father, who was 53 years old, passed away from a heart attack in 1947, when he was about six years old. So Bremer has it that Speck was pretty close to his father. They had a close relationship. And just three years after his father passed away, on May 10th of 1950 in Palo Pinto, texas, his mother got married to a guy named Carl August Rudolph Lindberg.

Speaker 3: 3:12

Wow, that's a mouthful.

Speaker 2: 3:14

Yes, I mentioned having a letter to write that in school. Yeah, lindberg and his mother had first connected on a train trip to Chicago, texas. Native Lindberg worked as a traveling insurance salesman.

Speaker 3: 3:28

What were these two men in his loft even like.

Speaker 2: 3:31

Well, Lindberg, his stepfather, had a 25 year criminal history, including multiple DUIs and forgeries. In contrast, Speck's father, Lindberg, who was heavy drinker, seems like a weird combination with a teetotaler Right. You know Lindberg had DUIs, so that doesn't sound like he was much better.

Speaker 3: 3:54

She really picked on both. It doesn't like to drink.

Speaker 2: 3:57

Yeah. Before moving in with their mother and Lindberg in rural Santo Texas, about 40 miles west of Fort Worth, Texas Speck and his sister Caroline spent a few months living with their married sister, Sarah Thornton, in Monmouth, where Speck ended up completing the second grade.

Speaker 1: 4:17

The Mythical True Crime podcast is now proudly joining the Darkcast Network of Indie Podcast creators. Join us as we delve into the mysterious and macabre, exploring captivating tales of true crime legends and unsolved mysteries from the realms of mythology and reality. Uncover the dark, true tales of modern legends with our spoken narratives and the blend of history, crime and the supernatural.

Speaker 2: 4:44

But at the age of 23,. Robert Speck's elder brother lost his life in a car accident in 1952.

Speaker 3: 4:53

Wow. His father and his brother died before he turned 30. That's a lot of loss for somebody so young.

Speaker 2: 5:00

Yes, and Speck struggled in school and he also refused to put on reading glasses that he need, which obviously made it even harder for him in school. He had to repeat the eighth grade at JL Long Jr High, partly because he was afraid of being stared at and he kind of just stayed quiet. As a result, in the fall of 1957, he enrolled in the ninth grade at Crozier Technical High School and he failed every single subject. He left school in January of 1958, the year that he turned 16, and did not return for his second semester. Much like his father, I suppose, he started drinking when he was 12. And by the time he was 15, he was pretty much always drunk.

Speaker 3: 5:49

I know during this time therapy was not a big thing, but I wonder if that would have helped him in all. He obviously took after his father with the drinking, though.

Speaker 2: 5:58

Right, and I guess probably learned that from his stepfather too.

Speaker 3: 6:01

Yeah you do what you see.

Speaker 2: 6:05

After his first arrest for trespassing in 1955 when he was 13, he was repeatedly arrested for misdemeanors over the next eight years. So Richard Benjamin Speck, rather than Richard Benjamin Lindbergh, was the name he went back to after he got married. Robbie Lind Speck was born on July 5th of 1962, while Speck was serving a 22-day jail sentence for disturbing the peace after getting into a fight in McKinney, Texas, while under the influence of alcohol. So wow, missed his childhood.

Speaker 3: 6:41

Father of the year there.

Speaker 2: 6:43

Yeah, in July of 1963, speck, who was just 21, was convicted of forgery and burglary and was sentenced to three years in prison. In addition to forging and cashing a co-worker's $44 paycheck, speck had robbed a grocery store for cigarettes, beer and $3 in cash oh my God. But like that sounds so little. And so you look at the paycheck and you're like I guess that was a lot, because $44 was somebody's whole paycheck.

Speaker 3: 7:14

Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 2: 7:16

In 1965, he was granted parole following a 16-month of incarceration at the Texas State in a tentry located in Huntsville, texas. After his release, a whole week went by and then Speck was arrested again on January 9th of 1965. In the parking lot of her apartment building, speck attacked a woman with a 17-inch carving knife. Speck fled when the woman began to scream. It didn't take long for the police to show up and arrest Speck. A few blocks away, speck returned to his home, away from home, the Huntsville prison, for a 16-month sentence that would run concurrently with his parole violation sentence, after being found guilty of aggravated assault. However, he was released after just six months after his parole violation sentence ended on July 2nd 1965, due to an error.

Speaker 3: 8:14

Lucky for him, but that is a major error.

Speaker 2: 8:19

Yes, speck drove for the Patterson Meat Company for three months after getting released from prison. His absence from work resulted in his termination, despite the fact that he was involved in six accidents while driving the company. Six, yeah, but it was like oh, you didn't show up for work today though, so I'm going to fire you now Wow.

Speaker 2: 8:43

So, on his mother's advice, speck moved in with a 29-year-old divorced woman in December of 1965 who was a former professional wrestler and was working as a bartender at Jenny's Lounge, which was his favorite bar. That way he could watch her three kids.

Speaker 3: 9:03

This was his mother's advice. Well, I'm a bit confused as to why his mother gave him this advice, but okay.

Speaker 2: 9:12

I left it the part where I was. They're married, oh, okay, so after they get married she's like I don't know, maybe you should move on with your. Okay, that makes more sense. Wife slash wrestler, slash bartender. But after Speck and Malone split up, malone filed for divorce in January of 1966. In a knife fight at Jenny's Lounge where his now ex-wife works the same month that she filed for divorce, divorce Speck gave a man a stab wound, so you know she's probably the direct thing.

Speaker 2: 9:48

After his mother hired a defense lawyer, the charge of aggravated assault against them was dropped due disturbance of the police, and Speck was sentenced to three days in jail and a $10 fine for not paying a previous fine. This marks Speck's final encounter with the Dallas Police custody.

Speaker 3: 10:09

I'm sure they were singing their praises I mean praises he was gone.

Speaker 2: 10:14

Speck purchased a 12 year old car on March 5th 1966. The next evening he robbed a grocery store, taking 70 cartons of cigarettes which he later sold from his car's trunk in the parking lot.

Speaker 2: 10:31

Okay, I was thinking he's really addicted to these cigarettes, no, no, he's just trying to make some money. On March 8th, after tracking this car that Speck had left behind, the police ended up issuing a warrant for his arrest for burglary. If that warrant had been used to get him, that would have been his 42nd arrest in Dallas and he would have undoubtedly been sentenced to more time behind bars. Barring no more errors. Speck was driven by his sister, caroline, to the Dallas Bus Depot on March 9th 1966, from where he boarded a bus to go to Chicago Illinois.

Speaker 3: 11:13

I understand that he is their family, but between his mom and Caroline it seems a bit like they are enabling him, not even a bit.

Speaker 2: 11:22

They are enabling him Well after spending a few days in Chicago with his other sister, martha Thornton, and her family, speck went back to Monmouth, illinois, which is the place of his childhood, where he first lodged with some like longtime family friends. Speck's other sibling, howard, who was a carpenter in Monmouth, secured a position for him to sandblast or sand plasterboard for. Like one of his carpenter friends in the same town, on March 16th 1966, speck was enraged to find that his ex-wife had gotten married again just two days after receiving a divorce. So how dare she move on? On March 25th he decided to relocate to the Christie Hotel, he's like in the heart of Monmouth where he primarily frequented the taverns. Shocker and Speck and a few friends went bar hopping in Gulfport, illinois, at the end of March and wouldn't you believe it, he was arrested by the police and held overnight. This was because it was reported that Speck had threatened a man with a knife in a tavern restroom, which, you know, we know he has a history of knives, and taverns.

Speaker 2: 12:46

When 65-year-old Monmouth resident Ms Virgil Harris arrived home at one in the morning on April 3rd she came home at one in the morning, anyway she discovered a thief there with a knife, standing six feet tall. He was a white man, described as quote, very polite and speaking quote very softly, with a southern drawl. She was blindfolded, bound, sexually assaulted. Her home was looted and the $2.50 she had made that night watching babies was taken by the man. Oh, now we know. Yeah, I forgot about that.

Speaker 2: 13:22

I was like I can't remember why she was that so late. She's 65. What are you doing, Virgil? She was out, but can you imagine someone doing that to you and then describing them as very polite?

Speaker 3: 13:32

No.

Speaker 2: 13:33

Okay, no, I was like. You described them as what? What part of them was polite, no. So after working as a bartender at her brother-in-law's pub, frank's Place in downtown Monmouth for a week, mary Catherine Pierce of 32 was last seen leaving the tavern at about 12.20 am on April 9th. On April 13th, after her body was reported missing, it was discovered that day in a abandoned hog house behind the tavern. Her liver had been ruptured by an abdominal blow that caused her death. When Speck arrived at Frank's Place on April 15th to pick up his last carpentry paycheck, he was asked to stay in town so that he could be questioned further. Speck had been to Frank's Place often and the abandoned hog house was one of the several that he had assisted in building in the previous month. That seems weird that it's in abandoned, if it's just built up but what do I know?

Speaker 2: 14:34

So on April 19th, when a police arrived at the Christie Hotel to question Speck further, they found that he had left the hotel just a few hours earlier, claiming to be heading to the laundry mat and carrying his suitcases. Instead, though, he had gotten out of town when his room was cert. Things that had been reported missing from two previous local burglaries in the previous months were discovered, along with a radio and a costume no costume jewelry that Virgil Harris had reported missing from her home.

Speaker 3: 15:08

It seems like these things are starting to close in around him, but he seems to slip away each time things happen.

Speaker 2: 15:15

Well, let's go back to that terrible thing that Richard did with a knife. On July 13th 1966, at 11 pm, speck broke into that townhouse I talked about on 100th Street, so he only went in with a knife and he entered and ended up murdering Mary Ann Jordan, patrick Patricia Matusak, gloria Davy, suzanne Ferris, hamela Wilking, merletta Gargulo and Valentina Pacion. Where is?

Speaker 3: 15:50

this. These are some crazy names. It sounds like a different church, right they?

Speaker 2: 15:56

are. So this is in Chicago, but all of these women were nursing students and a lot of them were from other countries. Okay, that makes sense. So it's possible that Speck's initial plan was to carry out a routine burglary. However, he did later claim to be high on drugs and drug, which is a shocker yeah. For hours, Speck detained the women into one of the bedrooms, taking them out one at a time, killing them all by either stabbing them or strangling them, and then raping and strangling Gloria Davy, who was 22 at the time, and that was his final victim. There were about 20 to 30 minute intervals between each murder, in which he was just kind of hanging out in the room with them, talk to them like literally on the floor, like how well circles style.

Speaker 3: 16:46

Oh my gosh. So, I'm not trying to talk to you.

Speaker 2: 16:50

Parazon Amaru, when I was a woman, managed to avoid death. She was also in the apartment. She hid beneath a bed while Speck was out of the room one of the times and it's possible that Speck misplaced his town because that's a lot of women to keep track of where he knew that the townhouse was occupied by eight women, was not aware that a ninth woman was staying overnight that night. Either way, Amaru hid until six in the morning the next day, and that's when police were notified. The first on the scene were just shocked by the scene in front of them.

Speaker 4: 17:30

It was a terrible scene, everyone, so that for me it was an angry, free, liberal, emotionally and sensibly, sensibly shocked. I wanted to just make it. When you heard the news that you'd die, well, I was just happy that he said to a man that suffered more he took the easier way out. But I think it's going to be a lot better for me, maybe after the family, so you don't have to suffer every year. We'll have to separate the amount of the murder.

Speaker 2: 18:11

So Speck's fingerprints were matched to those recovered from the scene. Claude Lunsford, a wanderer, recognized Speck two days after the killing. On July 15th in the evening, speck Lunsford and an additional man had consumed alcohol on the fire escape of the Star Hotel located at 617 West Madison. On July 16th, after finding Speck in his room at the Star Hotel, lunsford recognized a sketch of the murderer in the evening paper and called the police at about 9.30 pm. Despite the fact that their records indicated the call had been placed, the police did not answer and did not come. At midnight Speck made an attempt on his own life and the desk clerk at the Star Hotel called for help.

Speaker 3: 19:02

Had nobody at the hotel recognized him though.

Speaker 2: 19:05

Well, this was like a pretty seedy flop house, so everyone kind of minded their own business. On July 17th, speck was transported to Cook County Hospital. At 12.30 am, dr Leroy Smith, who is a 25-year-old surgical resident physician, recognized Speck at the hospital after learning about the Born to Raise Hell tattoo from a newspaper article. After calling the police, speck was eventually taken into custody. After Speck was arrested, three weeks passed before he was even questioned due to the concern over the recent Miranda decision, which had overturned the conviction of several criminals.

Speaker 3: 19:49

Are you talking about his Miranda rights?

Speaker 2: 19:52

Right. While this is like a duh thing for us, now we see it on every show. Even though some of us haven't been arrested, you could probably still recite the Miranda rights it was just coming into effect. The police did not want anyone to say that, due to Speck's hospitalization and the medications and things that he was on, the Speck could not understand his rights.

Speaker 2: 20:15

Although Speck subsequently stated he didn't remember the killing, he had admitted the crime to Dr Lee Roy Smith at the Cook County Hospital. Since the confession was made while Speck was under sedation, smith was not called to testify. However, knowing about the hospital confession, illinois Supreme Court Justice John J Stamos, the state attorney for Cook County during Speck's trial, said quote we didn't need it because they had a direct observer, the survivor. In 1978, speck made his first public admission of guilt regarding the killings during an interview with the Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Green. He detailed the brutal murders in great detail in a film that was made in 1988 by Inmate at the Stateville Correctional Center. Once more, he admitted to being high that evening, but he rejected the notion that drugs had any less of an impact, saying he could have had quote done it sober End, quote. I'm not sure you should admit that.

Speaker 2: 21:25

I'll add yeah, with a press gag order in place, speck's jury trial got underway in Faroa, illinois, just three hours southwest of Chicago. On April 3rd of 1967, in Arizona, amaru, the lone surviving student nurse, positively identified Speck in court. Upon being questioned about her ability to identify the assassin of her fellow students, amaru got up from her witness box, moved straight in front of Speck, pointed her finger at him, almost touching him, before declaring, quote this is the man.

Speaker 3: 22:03

Oh girl.

Speaker 2: 22:04

Wow, yeah, I didn't know you were allowed to do that. I didn't either. Lieutenant Emile Gies further stated in his testimony that Richard Speck's fingerprints had been matched to those that they had found at the scene. The jury deliberated for 49 whole minutes, probably just long enough to fill up some paperwork. Yeah, on April 15th the floor finding Speck guilty and recommending the death penalty. Judge Herbert J Peschen commended I'm sorry, not commended, that would be awful he condemned Speck to death by electric chair. On June 5th he commended the jury on their beautiful idea of recommending the death penalty, but he immediately issued a state of execution pending an automatic appeal. So November 12th 1968, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and death sentence.

Speaker 2: 23:05

So, due to his possession of two sparrows that had flown into his cell at the Stateville Correctional Center at Restill, illinois, speck earned the nickname Birdman while incarcerated, which was a reference to the movie Birdman Aquatras. He was characterized as being very reclusive. He collected stamps, loved to listen to music. In his time there he requested new shirts, a radio and a few other insignificant things from the warden when he interacted with him. He was referred to by the warden as a quote, big, nothing doing time. Speck was not a model prisoner. He was frequently found in possession of drugs or moonshine. He never let punishment for his transgressions deter him saying quote how can I end up in trouble? I have spent 12,000 years here, end quote.

Speaker 3: 24:07

This honestly does not surprise me. He's gone against the rules from a young age.

Speaker 2: 24:13

Yes, and I don't know if he's saying he's spent 12,000 years in prison or in trouble, but yes, same.

Speaker 3: 24:21

And what are you going to do to me now?

Speaker 2: 24:22

Yeah, I mean, he just spent a lot of time in jail. That is true. The spec was taken from the Stateville Correctional Center to Silver Cross Hospital in Julia, illinois, just prior to December 5th of 1991, after expressing discomfort in his chest One day short of turning 50 on December 5th, spec passed away in the wee hours of that day from what was thought to be a heart attack. According to the coroner, spec had quote clogged arteries, emphysema and an enlarged heart end. Quote All of these, or even one of these, probably played a role in his deadly heart attack, which we heard in that sound clip. The investigator thought that was the easy way out and he should have showed, suffered more, which then, yeah, spec was cremated and his ashes were dispersed in an undisclosed area of Juliet because his sister was afraid his grave would be vandalized and honestly it probably would have. Yeah, thank you for joining us on this chilling journey through the dark corners of True Crime. You enjoyed unraveling this twisted tale with us and don't forget to like, share and subscribe for more fine, tingling stories.

Speaker 3: 25:54

We always recommend more bubbly and less OJ Cheers.

Speaker 2: 26:00

If you'd like to see pictures from today's episode, you can find us at murdermamosas on Instagram. You can also find us at murdermamosas on TikTok, twitter, and if you have a case you would like us to do, you can send that to murdermamosas at ginocom. And, lastly, we are on Facebook at Murder Mamosas podcast, where you can interact with us there. We love any type of feedback you can give us, so please write and review us on Spotify, itunes or wherever you listen to your podcast.