E302: MURDER - Lisa Ann French

Fresh Hell Podcast

freshhellpodcast

True Crime, History

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On Halloween night, 1973, nine-year-old Lisa Ann French left her home in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, dressed as a hobo and planning to trick-or-treat with a friend. She never made it back. What followed would not only shatter their community, but also forever change Halloween for American families, and spark one of the most shocking parole controversies in Wisconsin history. In this episode, Annie and Johanna tell the heartbreaking story of Lisa’s murder, the investigation that led to her neighbor, Gerald Turner, and the decades of legal battles that followed — from his 1975 conviction to the 1992 parole, and the eventual creation of Turner’s Law. Lisa French murder, Gerald Turner, Fond du Lac Wisconsin, 1973 Halloween murder, Turner’s Law, Wisconsin Chapter 980, sexually violent person law, Waupun Correctional Institution, Racine Correctional Institution, Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center, Mauston Wisconsin, Maryann French, Halloween safety, child murder case, Wisconsin true crime, Fresh Hell Podcast, American true crime, 1970s true crime, parole controversy, Halloween killer, Wisconsin legal history, child safety law, Wisconsin justice system, crime in Fond du Lac, Lisa Ann French case, Wisconsin Department of Justice, civil commitment law, preventive detention, Turner parole, missing child 1973. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	If I get my kid a phone, I'll be able to keep in touch with them all the time.
0:02.8	We'll be on it all the time.
0:04.1	He could walk to school by himself. She could see something, she shouldn't. He could chat with grandma. Friends, trolls. They can access anything on the internet. They can access anything on the internet. So, should I give my kid a phone? Growing up with phones isn't always easy. Introducing EEE safer Sims. Sims that help moderate usage and shield harmful content on any smartphone.
0:24.2	Choose EECF. Growing up with phones isn't always easy. Introducing EEE safer sims. Sims that help moderate usage and shield harmful content on any smartphone. Choose EEE safer sims. Only on the UK's best network. To verify best network see EE.e.com. Right, that's it. Come on. Lights out. You've got a test tomorrow. Just two minutes. I'm about to reach the next level. It's going off now. Yeah, whatever. Let's see. Where's the app?
0:39.5	Oh, here it is.
0:41.0	What? How?
0:42.4	Oh, no. You're out. Better look next time.
0:45.1	Mom!
0:46.2	It's game over for late nights on school nights.
0:49.0	EE Wi-Fi controls help you get them off the Wi-Fi and into bed.
0:53.0	More parents are choosing EEE Broadband,
0:55.4	the UK's fastest growing broadband provider. To verify, see EE.com.ukuk slash claims. You are listening to the Fresh Hell podcast.
1:14.8	Fresh Hell contains stories of a disturbing and often graphic nature and is intended for a mature audience.
1:20.7	Please don't let your kids listen to this, or they might turn out like us.
1:29.4	Hi, I'm Annie from Massachusetts.
1:32.2	And I'm Johanna from Austria and you're listening to your favorite international podcast.
1:38.3	If you're new here, welcome.
1:40.1	We're so glad you found us.
1:42.0	We are two online friends we've never met in real life,
1:45.6	but we get together every week to tell you stories of true crime, the paranormal, the strange
1:51.7	corners of history, and of course we like to bring plenty of research and just enough gallows humor
1:58.1	to keep it bearable. And if you've been with us for years, you already know, it's always something terrible
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from freshhellpodcast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of freshhellpodcast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.