Mike DeBardeleben (Part Three: Accomplices)

Unresolved

Unresolved Productions

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.5 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2024

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"I feel that I have been unjustly tormented, degraded and shit upon by society... In order to regain an adequate self-image, I feel compelled to somehow restore my self-respect..."

Shortly after his stint at Western State Hospital in Virginia, Mike DeBardeleben would begin a series of relationships with young women. All followed a series of repeated steps, centered around breaking down the women in question and making them dependent entirely upon Mike. This was usually accomplished through typical emotional abuser techniques, but also contained a significant element of physical and sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, Mike's criminal behavior began to take shape in other troubling ways. First came simple schemes meant to take money from elderly women. After that came complex bank robberies. Then more violent crime followed. The women ensnared in Mike's life would become not only his wives, but also his captives. And in another sense, his accomplices...

Research, writing, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan

Music composed and created by Micheal Whelan

Additional music includes "Unresolved Mysteries" by Ailsa Traves (podcast theme song, end credits)

Learn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.me

If you would like to support this podcast, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron or Producer

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unresolved--3266604/support.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode contains graphic content that may not be suitable for all ages.
0:08.0	Listen or discretion is advised.
0:10.0	If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
0:15.0	Call or text 988 or chat with someone at 988 Lifeline.org.
0:21.0	Those outside of the US, reach out to someone at your local crisis center or hotline.
0:26.0	Please do not suffer in silence. Edna Theral Booty was born on January 21st, 1919 in New York's fifth borough, Staten Island.
0:48.0	Throughout her life, she would usually go by a shortened version of her middle name, Terry, having grown up in Staten Island.
0:55.8	Edna, or Terry, rather, would end up marrying and taking on her husband's surname,
1:01.3	McDonald.
1:02.6	John, her husband, was a businessman who would later become a councilman in Rhode Island,
1:07.4	where they lived together, and their family would go on to include four children.
1:12.4	After spending years taking care of her family as a housewife and a caregiver,
1:16.3	Terry decided to branch out of her comfort zone as she approached middle age.
1:20.7	In the late 1960s, as she approached the age of 50, Terry told her friends that she needed something to do to occupy her time now that her children were all grown up.
1:30.0	She decided to take up real estate, becoming a realtor, showing and selling homes to prospective
1:36.3	clients. In April of 1971, 52-year-old Terry McDonald was contacted by a prospective client, a male who, per the Democrat
1:46.5	and Chronicle, wanted to see brand new homes with people not living in them.
1:52.0	This client, who went by the name Peter Morgan, contacted Terry via
1:56.3	telephone and seemed to orchestrate his viewing well ahead of time. Claimed to be a business executive from Union City, New Jersey, who was looking to move to the region with his family.
2:07.0	He wanted to view recently constructed homes that had not been lived in before, and was willing to pay upwards of $50,000, potentially as high as $60,000,
2:17.7	a price that back in 1971 could fetch you some pretty sweet digs.
2:29.5	Peter Morgan, this client, made an appointment with Terry to view Holmes that Thursday, April 29th. However, early on the day of, he phoned her office to let her know that he had some bad news.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

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

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