Today is Monday, March 30th, 2020.

On this day in 1961, Judge Joseph Peel, a corrupt municipal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, was found guilty

for participating as an accessory to murder.

His victims were the highly respected Judge Curtis Chillingworth and his wife, Marjorie. Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Today we're covering the conviction of Judge Joseph Peel and the murder of the Chillingworths.

Let's go back to the afternoon of March 30, 1961, to the Pact Fort Pierce Florida courthouse.

The sweltering 85 degrees,

mixed with the high humidity caused the faces of the roughly 100 men and women in

attendance to sweat profusely. No matter how furiously they all fanned themselves, their efforts were futile.

It was Florida after all.

Everyone waited with bated breath as to what would happen to the man sitting at the front.

36 year old Judge Joseph Peel had been charged with accessory to the murder of Judge Curtis and Marjorie Chillingworth.

Now it was up to a jury of 12 to decide if Peel was guilty.

Sequester down the hall, the jury poured over the evidence presented to them by the prosecution.

One thing was made abundantly clear.

Joseph Peel, a part-time municipal judge and lawyer was anything but honest.

The lynchpin to the prosecution's case against Peel was the testimony of two men.

Floyd Lucky Holza fell and Bum. of two

men, known Thalesup fell and Bobby Lincoln,

two known thugs working in West Palm Beach.

Both men had confessed to the murder of the Chillingworths and accused Peel of hiring them.

As the jury went over the gruesome testimony, the imagery of the night of the murders was burned into their minds.

...