Morbid - Episode 519: Sharon Kinne- La Pistolera Pt.2

Episode Date: December 11, 2023

On March 19, 1960, Kansas City police were called to the home James and Sharon Kinne for what they believed was an accidental shooting. According to Sharon, she had found their two-year-old daughter lying on the couple’s bed, a gun near her hand and her father’s body next to her with a large hole in his head. Unable to find evidence to the contrary, the shooting was ruled an accident and Sharon collected on her husband’s life insurance policy. It wasn’t until a few months later, when the wife of Sharon’s new boyfriend went missing and eventually turned up dead, that investigators came to believe that James Kinne’s death was no accident.Sharon Kinne was eventually arrested and charged with the murders of her husband James and of Patricia Jones, the wife of Sharon’s boyfriend at the time of her arrest. During the course of their investigation, detectives began unraveling a lurid tale of infidelity and conspiracy that resulted in at least two murders. Ultimately, Sharon would be acquitted of her Patricia Jones’ murder, and would be tried three times for the murder of James Kinne. Before she could be tried for a fourth time, Sharon fled to Mexico with the help of yet another boyfriend, where she killed Francisco Parades Ordoñez in what she claimed was self-defense. The Mexican authorities rejected that claim and in 1964 Sharon was tried and convicted for murder, receiving a ten-year prison sentence. However, after serving just five years of her sentence, Sharon Kinne escaped the Mexican prison and has been on the run ever since. Today, more than fifty years later, she is still considered a fugitive with active warrants out for her arrest.Thank you to the wonderful David White, of the Bring Me the Axe pod, for research assistance ReferencesDoyle, Patricia Janson. 1962. "Sharon thinks of trial, jury and jail." Kansas City Times, January 13: 1.Hays, James C. 1997. I'm Just an Ordinary Girl: The Sharon Kinne Story. Leawood, KS: Leathers Book Publishing.Kansas City Star. 1961. "Anxious in his hunt for wife." Kansas City Star, June 16: 1.—. 1961. "'Changed her story on gun'." Kansas City Star, June 15: 1.—. 1960. "Fin a woman slain in woods." Kansas City Star, May 28: 1.—. 1962. "'Fixed a price for his death'." Kansas City Star, January 9: 1.—. 1960. "Officers study life of families in slaying probe." Kansas City Star, May 28: 1.—. 1960. "Puzzled over a fatal shot." Kansas City Star, March 20: 1.—. 1960. "Rap coroner in slaying probe." Kansas City Star, June 2: 1.—. 1960. "Weird ties in murder probe." Kansas City Star, May 29: 1.Kansas City Times. 1962. "Boldizs views offer as jest." Kansas City Times, January 10: 1.—. 1969. "Kinne Search Widens." Kansas City Times, December 9: 1.—. 1962. "Mrs. Kinne found guilty." Kansas City Times, January 12: 1.—. 1961. "Sharon Kinne goes free." Kansas City Times, June 23: 1.—. 1962. "Somber Sharon Kinne starts jail routine." Kansas City Times, January 12: 1.Kelleghan, Kevin. 1969. "Sharon Kinne hunt eases up." Kansas City Times, December 18: 31.Maryville Daily Forum. 1961. "Testimony on death gun to KC jurors." Marysville Daily Forum, June 19: 1.Olwine, Margaret. 1974. "Sharon Kinne: Is she free forever, part II." Kansas City Star Magazine, February 17: 14.—. 1974. "Sharon Kinne: Is she free forever?" Kansas City Star Magazine, February 17: 17-19.Weber, David. 1964. "Sharon Kinne in jail." Kansas City Star, September 20: 1.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You're listening to a Moabid Network podcast. Hey, weirdo's I'm Ash and I'm Alayman and this is morbid. It's morbid. I always have to repeat it. I don't know why. It's a weird routine that I do. It's entirely possible that I do that too, but I don't know. I think we both do it. Sometimes I'm a self-aware queen and other times I'm a deluluian queen. A diluvian, a grand diluvian. Yeah, I'm pretty self-aware of my annoying traits. I think I'm not going to change them, but I'm aware of them. That's the most capricorn shake you've ever said. I know I've been knowing, but fuck you.

Yeah, that's the straight up. I know I've been knowing, but deal with it. That's straight up how I feel. I'm a college addict. I love it. Yeah, I'm very self-aware, but like, it's I know I'm annoying, but deal with it. That's straight up how I feel. I'm a college addict. I love it. Yeah, I'm very self-aware, but like, it's no way I'm changing. Good for you.

You know what? I'll grow, but I won't change. She's good. But like, I'm just good. I'm just good. Growth there is change. Not in my growth, no. She's something, everybody.

She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly.

She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly.

She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. She's a girly. We grow, we do your own change. I honestly, I really feel as though you're, we were just talking about this.

I feel like you're becoming more and more of a Virgo with each passing day. I can, I definitely have Virgo. I mean, it's in my big three as well. Well, that's what I'm saying, because you're a Virgo rising. And I heard that like the older you get, like the more you go through life,

you kind of morph more into your rising sign, minus Sagittarius. I feel that, and I like Sagies. So like, I morph into a Sagie. Yeah, Sagies, I feel like maybe they don't give as much of a fuck about things as Gemini's to. I hope, I just hope I think of mine. It's just a hope, maybe they hope not to.

Maybe, I don't know. Well, that was astrology with that. You were just like, but you're becoming a Virgo. Yeah, you are, I just, I don't know. Well, that was astrology with Ash. You were just like, but you're becoming a Virgo. Yeah, you are. I just, I feel it, because Dave is a Virgo and I'm noticing a lot of attributes of Dave that you were. Yeah, Dave and I are very, have found each other realizing that we're very alike.

You are. Yeah. There's moments where we're just like, Ha! One druid! He's a copper corn and like, he definitely possesses like some copper corn qualities for sure.

He's a January copper corn. He's a January copper corn, which is different, but he's also a tourist rising. And I was saying to him, not lately, I feel like he comes off way more tourist. But they also say that you come off to other people, like, like your rising sign is what you present to other people.

I'm pretty sure. So I present a Virgo. Yeah, and that makes sense. I feel like Virgos are misunderstood, and sometimes I feel like you're misunderstood. Yeah. Yeah. Capricorns are too. Yeah, definitely.

We're both in this. Yeah, and then you got cancer in there, which just like fucks it all up. Which is really wild. Yeah, your big signs are chaotic. They're scary. Mine are super fucking chaotic too. Mine are just scary. Yeah, it's interesting that we both have water moons.

I just realized that. I'm a Pisces moon, which I don't like to claim out loud, but you know. Well, you know, I have actually never met him. I'm not gonna say that. Anyways, let's get into the story. Yeah, that we've all discussed our rising and big threes. Yeah, I hope you guys yelled yours out atrees. Yeah, I hope you guys yelled your

solid us. Yeah, I hope you did. I heard that. That's what I hope for us. Oh my God. I said, when we go through these little weird, like, uh, intros that we just start talking about,

Chip, they, you guys are just yelling stuff back. I hope so. I feel that way. Yeah. I feel like my friends are out there and they're in their cars and they're not too long.

So I feel like you can hang in and like yell back at us for a minute. And then we're like, I'm right. Yeah, that's just, get back on track. So yeah, let's get back on track. Let's get back on track. This is Sharon Kinney, aka Lapiste O'Leira. I can't say it in American accent.

I just have to say it in the Spanish accent. Yeah, it's really pretty. But that's the case that we're covering. We're in part two of that. And in part one, we covered, you know, Sharon's, I would call it failed marriage, her first husband. I would also call that a failed marriage. Yeah, his and timely and wildly, wildly suspicious death.

Yes. We covered her fair with a married man named Walter. And then we found out that Walter's wife, Patricia, had been murdered and Sharon had not only been the one to find her, but was also the last person to be seen with her the very day that she went missing. And then finally, at the end of part one, Sharon was arrested right after Patricia's funeral. So there's that.

I've said it like 42 times, but I am just going to say it one more time. Trial heavy in the beginning of this one, stick with me. I'm sticking, I'm here. I'm glad you are not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere. Required by contract to be here. Well, that means a lot to me that you're not going anywhere. Yeah.

It's also just the law. Yeah, I mean, but if you're not, contractually obligated to be here, I appreciate you and I love you. I love that. Yeah, we're all in this together. That's good. We're just not all under the same contract. But the next morning, June

1st, after, you know, she was arrested, Sharon appeared before Magistrate J.J. Brady in an independent court room where she was formally arraigned with the first degree murder of Patricia Jones and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 16th. In the meantime, she was held on $20,000 bond, which friends and relatives actually wasted no time pulling together, and she was released that very afternoon. What? I feel like even not speaks to the manipulation she was able to conjure. Yeah.

Like friends and relatives were like, yeah, I know that two people have been mysteriously shot or murdered around you lately in a span of two months, I know that two people have been mysteriously shot or murdered around you lately in a span of two months, but like, I don't think you have anything to do with it. Wow. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, she's a high level manipulator.

She's a widely we've been discovering. But then after the arrangement for Patricia's murder, the Sheriff's Department actually asked District Attorney William Collette to file charges against Sharon for the murder of her husband. There you go. I was waiting for that. He did that later that afternoon.

But the biggest issue for the prosecutor's office was the lack of forensic evidence connecting Sharon to both murders. There was not a lot of forensic evidence and remember it's the 60s, so they didn't have like a shit ton of that. Yeah, I could do like, there wasn't any DNA, there was DNA to test, but there weren't any

tests yet. True. Figure it out. Very true. So, they knew she was the last person to be seen with Patricia Jones, and she had been uncooperative from the start of the investigation. But with the fourth bullet, or the 20, or excuse me, without the fourth bullet or the 20 or excuse me without the fourth bullet or the 22 caliber pistol used in the shooting Prosecutors knew that getting a conviction would be an uphill battle. But they were ready to climb uphill

Investigators citizen volunteers and even a troop of boy scouts had scoured the crime scene with metal detectors Like I mentioned a burn on but still they hadn't found any evidence but then I mentioned the burn on, but still they hadn't found any evidence. But then finally on June 2nd, a sergeant with the Sheriff's Office located the fourth slug, lodged about six inches into the ground directly under where Patricia's body had been found. So it was lodged in there. It was lodged into the earth. So then you wanted, I mean, I don't know if I'm being like super.

No, you go for it. You theorized. Because we were saying how we, like they believed initially that she was brought there and probably dumped because of the lack of blood. And then they found that barn. So my thought process here is because that barn kind of like disappeared, you said? It does feel like it, like it kind of does disappear because they, they theorized that maybe she was shot there because there was some evidence that like some, something was shot there. Yeah maybe she was shot there because there was some evidence that like, something was shot there. Yeah, or somebody shot there.

But the cause of death was the shot to the head. Yes. So I'm wondering if all that happened somewhere else, she was dumped there and they did one more shot to the stomach to try to confuse the whole thing. Maybe. And that's why there's no blood because she had already died from the blood.

It's from the shot to the head. So it's not flowing. That's actually brilliant. That's not some investigator type shit. That's just me over here being an investigator. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. What are you writing like a novel about murder or something?

No. No, never. Yeah, I didn't even think of that. Could have been it. That definitely could have been it. It's pretty shady. Because they never really account for the lack of blood at the scene.

Yeah, so maybe that could be why. Yeah, it's just like an overkill kind of thing to confuse things or just like an angry overkill. Yeah, like one more, you know, one more. Mm-hmm, you're right. But anyway, finding that missing slug was huge. Yeah. A huge win, regardless.

But it was immediately followed by a pretty big blow. Once they realized that the coroner had sent Patricia's body to the mortuary with the two remaining slugs still in the body, which had then been buried. Come on, everybody. So yeah, he sent her body off to the mortuary and she had already been buried. Would those slugs still in her?

Great. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told reporters, we feel there was a negligence at the time of the autopsy. You feel that? They did feel that. I also feel that. I feel that from, you know, decades after. Me too. I still feel it in my bones. And according to the sheriff, investigators had made the explicit request for the coroner to hold the body for additional testing

and removal of the remaining clothes. But the coroner disregarded the request, sent Patricia's bodies in the mortuary where she was prepared for burial, destroying what could have been vital evidence in this case. Why the fuck, she's a murder victim. Why are you sending her off with evidence inside of her body?

It gets worse. The more investigators dug into Patricia's case, the worse things looked for the prosecution. Not only had legit evidence been buried with the body, but the embalming process actually occurred before the coroner performed the autopsy. Shut the fuck up. They involved the body first before he did the autopsy.

What? Collette told the press, it's just all botched up. How badly this series of mistakes will hurt us will have to be determined later. This is not the first case they messed up for us, and it probably won't be the last. Like, how do you even... How? And also, if this is not the first case they messed up for us and it probably won't be the last. Like how do you even, how? And also if this is not the first case

that they've messed up for you and you're pretty confident, it's not gonna be the last. Uh, we think it's time to hire a new corridor. Yeah, I'm gonna go on on a limb here and say that corner is not good at their job. Like what? Also, I wonder if this, where did this take place? Independence, Missouri. I wonder if this, where did this take place? Independence, Missouri.

I wonder if this is one of those cases against coroners, like against like a voted-in coroner's. Cause it's like, this could be a case where this guy had no fucking business doing any of the shit. It kind of sounds like, I'm gonna look the shit up, he's still for it cause it does sound like it. According to the prosecutor's office,

the coroner even tried to cover up his mistakes at multiple points in the investigation. He told detectives, this is wild. You're going to, I don't even know what you're gonna do, but you're gonna lose your mind at this. He told detectives finding the slugs in the body would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Literally shut the fuck up.

What? Like, you have literal entrance wounds. That's the thing. Like slugs don't appear in a body. There's a fucking exit wound that you can follow pretty quickly. Looking for a needle in a haystack. It's a portal. It's a portal. It's a portal. Are you kidding me? Like, what are you saying?

Is this guy all right? Who is this man? No, because I'm not done yet. This is what's really gonna send you. He also told them that he did not want to conduct tests on the stomach contents because it would be, and I quote, to messy. This guy had to have been voted it.

He's not a real fucking medical. There's no way. To messy. Like that's your whole entire job is messy and wiley and crazy and Smelly and what literally that's the field you went into brother you walk into that room and it's just your mess smells Everything of course. What are you doing? Have you ever, honey, corner, dear corner from 1950, whatever, or 1960, whatever? Have you performed an autopsy before

because I don't think you have. There's no way you have if you're like, that would be messy. Oh, don't keep happening. It's not messy. He had, because he had all of a sudden. He had fucked up cases for them in the past. I think you're right.

I think I forgot about that whole thing where like they were. I'm looking at it. I'm looking at it. I forgot about that whole thing where like they were who did it. I'm looking it up because this is not too messy. This is not no. Yeah. But fortunately, for the prosecution moving away from that for a second. Fortunately for the prosecution, Patricia's husband Walter Jones did actually allow them to consume Patricia's body so that a proper autopsy could be conducted. Well, thank goodness. And realistically, you can't even call it a proper autopsy at that point because she's already been fucking embalmed

but they could do way better than this guy did. Yeah. Now, in addition to retrieving the remaining bullets, the new pathologist, like a legit one, Dr. Charles Wheeler, he was able to determine that what Patricia ate before the murder. She had pickles and salami, which that's a girl dinner. That is.

That truly is. And I would eat that, and I'm all right now. But he also confirmed that she had not been sexually assaulted and he was able to confirm the sequence in which the bullets had entered the body. So this guy's legit. Yeah. Now, the new autopsy results were encouraging

to the prosecution because they not only retrieved those remaining slugs, but they also concluded that the murder was not motivated by sexual deviants or robbery, leaving the most likely explanation to be a personal grudge. While with this woman of the murder. Of course, yeah.

Now for Sharon, the investigation into both Patricia and James's deaths were immediately a big inconvenience. With the murder case reopened and James' death, the insurance company stopped any payments on her claims, which left her with little money for her expensive defense attorneys or her excessive spending and basic needs. So she was in a bad place. Now in response, she ended up putting her house on the market. She sold her car and she hoped that the money from those two things would keep her a float until her payments were zoomed because she believed they would. Yeah, of course. Now, as detectives and the prosecution kept building the case against her or the cases, the introduction of Sharon's defense

team slowed things down considerably because at every step of the way, they challenged almost everything the prosecution said or did, or tried to admit, or, of course, anything. And because of that, actually a full year passed before either case finally went to trial. And when they did finally go to trial, things did not look as good as the prosecution had hoped. Oh, yeah. ["Soul-Spangled Banner"]

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That's goodrx.com slash morbid. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ OUTRO MUSIC [♪ began June 12, 1961, with opening statements being given on the afternoon of June 14. In his statement for the prosecution, Jay Arnet Hill presented the state's case. They believed Sharon Kinney had been having an affair with Walter Jones, and after he refused to divorce his wife, she lured Patricia to this meeting place and shot her to death. Once she killed Patricia, Sharon dumped her body

in an area known to be frequented by young people and staged the scene to quote, give indications that a crime of sexual passion had occurred. Yeah, fully. Yeah. Like to me, I'm like, yeah. Yeah. But also we have the background knowledge of everything else that has gone on in her life. Absolutely. Unfortunately, the jury did not. Yeah. Did you get anywhere yet, by the way? I did. So I did see that you were, because this is called a corner at this point. Yep. They do now in Jackson County have, and they have a medical examiner. Oh, okay.

And she's a woman. She looks like badass. I don't know. She's the chief medical examiner. Let's go. But she's a medical examiner. She is a doctor. She is a forensic pathologist like she is there.

But it says in the state of Missouri, larger urban counties operate under medical examiner jurisdiction, while smaller counties by statute operate under coroner jurisdiction. And it says coroners from several rural Missouri counties contract with the Jackson County Medical Examiner's office for autopsy services when needed.

But I'm assuming back in 1960, they just had an elected corner because that's the difference between an Emmy and a corner. Right, as a corner is usually an elected lay person that has no fucking business. It's doing an eye-al-se. That's like still something that happens. Yeah, so I think that's probably what happened here

is that was an elected official who had no business doing this. I mean, if it's not the case, I'm appalled and if it is, I'm still appalled. I would be willing to bet a lot because this was an elected official that is not a medical doubt. I would think so because the fact that he said it was going to be too messy and also just like looking for needles in a haystack, it's like doing an autopsy after they had been embalmed.

Like, what the fuck are you doing, my guy? When he said it would be too messy, that immediately I was like, you're elected. That's like, you're elected. Like, that's, this is not like what? Wild. Absolutely wild.

Damn. But going back to the prosecution's case, their case was pretty straightforward. It relied on a string of witnesses who told the jury they saw Patricia with Sharon Kinney just before she disappeared. They also relied on expert testimony from investigators and Dr. Wheeler, the actual medical like coroner here. And he explained the results of the second autopsy. However, the prosecution still had several hurdles before them, particularly the initial botched autopsy

that was going to really play a big part in this case and fuck it all up, and the fact that they still had, again, almost no physical evidence tying Sharon to the smirter. Now the lack of forensic evidence became apparent on cross-examination when Lieutenant Harry Nezbit from the Sheriff's Department was asked about the guns collected during the search of the Kinney home. When defense attorney James Quinn asked which guns were collected, Nezbit explained that they had confiscated a 22 rifle, an automatic pistol that had belonged to Sharon's father, and a quote, Blank Pistol, excuse me, Blank Pistol which won't shoot. However, Nezbit testified none of the guns were a match for those used in the murder of Patricia Jones.

And remember, somebody that Sharon had worked with had come forward and said, like, she made me buy her this gun. And she said she left it with family in Washington, but it sounds like they were never able to locate that gun. So that's why none of these are. Yeah, that's because it's still hanging out there. And it's like, yeah. Exactly. So that's why none of these are much because it's still hanging out there. And it's like, yeah, exactly. Makes sense. Now, the conflicting autopsy reports, like I said, made things even worse for the prosecution. During his examination of the original coroner,

Dr. Hugh Owens, the prosecutor, could barely hide his contempt for this guy. He believed and actually publicly accused him of compromising their case. Yeah. During questioning, Owens was described as having, quote, smiled frostily, evidently recalling that the handling of the body at the time

resulted in a dispute between his office and law enforcement authorities who charged that an inadequate post-mortem examination had limited the collection of vital evidence. Which also, that answers our question. He's a doctor. So he is a legit, it's not like he is legit. Yeah, because what is his name is a doctor? He willens. What the fuck?

Yeah. Now, the results of the conflicting reports meant that the prosecution now couldn't be precise about a lot of the important details. The time of death, the presence of any chemicals or any drugs and protrusional system, and the presence of any hairs or fibers on the body during the autopsy. So, the fact that they had to perform a second autopsy, you would think originally like, oh wow, that's great. Think goodness they got to do that. But it actually fucked everything up because now those two reports were directly conflicting

with each other. And it makes it look like you don't have any idea what's going on here. It's true. So while the conflicting medical reports were undoubtedly the biggest hurdle for the prosecution to clear, their additional witnesses didn't do much to help. The day after Hill's frustrating examination of Dr. Owens, Walter Jones took the stand and told the jury about his relationship with Sharon Kinney, his attempt to end their relationship, and the enraged threats that he made to her when he found out that she'd been seen with Patricia right before she disappeared. The admissions didn't exactly endear him to the

jury, but what was more problematic was that he described Sharon as being very willing to allow him to search her and her belongings for weapons. And he told the jury that she offered to aid in the search for Patricia. Oh, damn. I mean, after he forcibly held a knife to her throat. I mean, yeah, there was that. There was the hold out of it.

There was that. But they were like, okay, well, she was like willing to help you. So like, what the fuck? Who does that when they've actually killed the person? Now, that same day, the defense offered the additional slugs into evidence, the ones that had been fired from the gun

that Sharon had her coworker by a few weeks before the murder. The gun had been purchased in a private sale, but the investigators had actually managed to track down the previous owner, who led them to a location that he used for target practice, and ballistics technicians were able to pull several slugs

from a tree. So while they couldn't locate that particular gun, they located the man who owned it and they got his slugs from that. Which, okay, that was pretty good, please. I was gonna say, that was good police work. But unfortunately, for the prosecution, the slug admitted into the evidence was a match

for the caliber of the gun, but could not be confirmed as the same model used in Patricia's death. Because they didn't have it right there. Now, given the amount of circumstantial evidence versus the lack of forensic evidence in the prosecution's case, the defense really didn't have to work that hard on Sharon's behalf. They said it was true that she'd been seen with Patricia just before her death. You know, she'd been thoroughly uncooperative in the investigation, and actually she'd been over her at one point by law enforcement officials boasting that quote, as long as we didn't

have the gun, we couldn't prove it was her. Wow. But they said none of that conclusively linked her to Patricia's murder. In fact, their case was even more simple than the States. They said, share it might be guilty of having an extra marital affair. That doesn't make her a killer. Shit, they went like pretty simplistic.

Yeah, they went really simplistic with it. So rather than even try to prove her innocent, all they did was undermine the flimsy evidence that had been put forth by the prosecution. Now among those called detestify by the defense was Donald Fitzpatrick, a man who claimed he was at the lover's lane area with his quote, married woman companion. He testified that they hadn't seen any body or evidence of a murder when they were at the scene

a short time before Patricia's body was discovered. And given that the prosecution claimed Patricia had been killed at that location, Fitzpatrick's testimony actually undermined the credibility of their case. Oh, damn. Because how did she get there? If she was killed there, he would have seen her there saying, oh, yeah, this is going a little wily. It is wily.

This is brought to you by the word wily. Wily. Yes. Very true. So the defense took less than two days to present their case. And on June 23rd, 1961, the jury went into deliberation. After just an hour and a half, they returned with a verdict of not guilty. What? And they cited the prosecution's heavy reliance on conjecture as the reason for the verdict. So basically, they're saying like,

as the reason for it. So basically they're saying like, you're just saying that because she had an affair with this woman's husband, that you're like jumping to conclusions here. And it's just reasonable doubt. Exactly. Like you're just putting reasonable doubt in there. Exactly.

Now when asked for a comment, Sharon simply smiled and told reporters, I feel as good as I can. Yeah, I bet you do. So her lead defense attorney, James Quinn, this is so stupid. On the other hand, he had more to say on the matter. He told the press, actually, there was a power outside

this courtroom affecting this verdict, the hand of providence, which is like a religious thing. Yeah. Yeah. He went on to address questions about the reason for the verdict saying, you cannot speculate, you cannot base your judgment on speculation, conjecture. It's like, okay, we get it.

You already did, though. Everybody did. I did. We're all speculating. I know she did it. Stay speculating on this one. So, Sharon, can you had managed to get away with one murder because she did murder Patricia Jones, as we all know?

Yeah. And don't worry, we'll find out for sure later about she very much did. And in the wake of the acquittal She entered into her next murder trial confident that a similar lack of evidence would lead to a similar verdict. Oh, no, I don't know So with the first trial behind them the prosecution and the defense started preparing for the second one scheduled to begin January 8th 1962 Coincidentally, it was actually to take place before the same judge, Judge Tom Stubbs, who presided over that first trial, which also makes you nervous because she just got

acquitted. Yeah, exactly. Now, defense attorney Quinn and the rest of Sharon's defense defense team felt pretty confident they could get their second acquittal. The case against Sharon in the death of James seemed even weaker than the prosecution's case against her in Patricia Jones' death. And on top of that, they were barred from admitting any new evidence. Jesus. And with the initial determination of accidental death, that would be pretty hard for the prosecution to get around.

So after one day of jury selection, opening statements began January 9th. And again, Jay Arnett Hill laid out the state's case. According to him, just weeks before her husband's death, both Sharon and James had confided to others that their marriage had essentially come to an end, and they had both expressed interest in getting a divorce. The problem, though, was that neither of them seemed willing to agree to the other's terms, which made that divorce seem unlikely. So when Sharon came to the realization

that she was not going to get out of her marriage as easily as she hoped, and she wasn't going to come out of it with as big a payout as she had hoped, she quote, call the man named Donald Boone, telling him she had something dirty for him to do. What? And offered him $1,000 to kill her husband.

Where the fuck did this come from? Left field, baby. What? So, Hill ends up calling John Bulldees to the stand intending to have him confirm a previous statement that he had given to investigators about Sharon having offered him $1,000 to shut the fuck up.

I knew it. I knew this little two-year-old did not kill a man. No, he didn't. Come on. She's even worse. She this little two-year-old did not kill a man. No, he didn't. Come on. He's even worse. She blamed her two-year-old daughter. Yes, she murdered her own father. She's so ex-

But in his deposition, John Bouldese there, given before the trial, he told the prosecutor about how Sharon had offered him the money to kill James and implied that they could be together with James out of the way. He said all of that in his deposition. But on the stand, Baldi's insistent Sharon wasn't serious,

and the offer was, quote unquote, in a joking fashion. No one jokes about hiring you as a hitman to kill their husband who they hate and have been trying to get away from for a long time. And if you want to joke about that! If you are around someone who is joking about hiring a hitman, get as far away from that human as

humanly possible because again They're not joking even if you think they are they're not they're serious Why does this happen all the time in these cases where someone's like? I don't know they were just joking about killing their dad and it's like never fucking joking about it Never in my life have I been like what if I gave you like this? Never joked about this specific amount in my life have I been like, what if I gave you like this? I've never joke about this. It's a specific amount of money to murder my loved one. Never had a fully fleshed out joke

about murdering anyone that I love. Anyway, it is just not real. All I can picture in my head is Theresa going, this man, funny, laugh, ha ha. Like this is just not real. Like this guy sitting on this stand saying like she was always joking. She was always so funny.

She was just kidding. She was always so silly. Ha ha, she doesn't share a ginkgo. She was always just making these crazy jokes. She's doing a tight 10. She was while in her husband. If I give, if I give, she gives me a thousand dollars. No, no.

Especially when someone's offering you a monetary reward for killing this person and then they're like just kidding When are you gonna learn? It gets worse. I'm so annoyed by this thing. This is brought to you by the word the word Wiley in the phrase it cuts worse He also insisted that there was a quote-unquote typo in his deposition testimony In this section where he quoted Sharon as saying, quote, I got my husband taken care of and I thought we could be together. He said, it should have read business, not husband.

I got my business taken care of. That's quite a fucking typo. That's a real typo. I love when people claim typos and it's like a whole last word. It's like, that's not a typo. It's like just type the word you meant to type. And a typo would be if they spelled husband wrong. If they were like, hub-send.

Exactly. That's a typo. Husband and business, not so much. What you meant was you said something that was pretty fucking damning. And you're like, oops, I didn't mean to say that damning thing. So I actually meant to say this not super damning thing, but still kind of damning.

So it's like, damn, motherfucker, you were really scared of her, huh? Because you're sitting there safe in your deposition in the hands of police being like, front of her. Oh my gosh, she said all of this. And I'm, ah, she's a pretty crazy woman. And she's like, she's like, she's sharing it. I would never.

She's the comedian of our generation. And I didn't say that at all. It would never be smirch your name like, about sure you have to believe me. He's like, no, she should have an ethnic special. Oh my god. She's so funny. She does it for the laws. Wow. So Sharon's defense attorney, James Quinn there. He seized on the inconsistencies. Thanks. And we'll know. Oh, yeah. I can't say you got that. Yeah. He seized on the inconsistency in Bouldese's story.

In his cross-examination, he asked, it was obviously a joke, wasn't it? It was just like if I'd said to you, John, I'd give you $100 to see you jump off of City Hall, wasn't it? He's like, well, just lulling and laughing and having good times with each other, John, right? We're all just comedians. Well, just so funny.

Our jokes are great. But despite what Paul D's had previously told the prosecutor, the implication of defense attorney Quinn's question was that any rational person would consider such a discussion to be a joke and Sharon obviously wasn't serious about hiring someone to murder her husband. I literally can't.

I can't win the collective defense. Like I literally can't. I can't win this because it's a defense. Like I literally can't win. It's like jokes, everybody jokes. It's like, no. Jokes are went, no, like jokes are jokes. Yep. I love a good joke. Oh, I love comedy.

I am for comedy. Same. But when you joke about killing your husband and offering someone money to do so and then your husband gets murdered, it's pretty weird. And then your husband gets murdered. It's pretty weird. That's a problem for you. And that's when jokes are not fun.

Like, that's a problem. Of course it is. That's why joking about Hitman is not a great idea. Not funny. So when they're closing arguments, both sides rested their cases. The prosecutor contended that Sharon had killed James in order to get rid of him and cash in on his various life

insurance policies. And the defense maintained the initial conclusion that it was an accidental shooting and Sharon was the funniest woman in all of history. And Quinn reminded the jury of the obvious lack of evidence in the case saying, and then with no more evidence than in the initial investigation, the charge just changed to murder. But the jury went into deliberation on the afternoon of January 11th, and they deliberated a little over an hour before court was adjourned for the day. Outside of the courthouse, the confident James Quinn told reporters, we feel Sharon will be acquitted in this case. We believe the state's evidence failed to hit the

mark. And he was right. The state really didn't have the strongest case in the world, which is why it came as a surprise to nearly everyone when the jury returned the next afternoon with a guilty verdict. Damn! I said, guilty. What the fuck is going on? Where am I?

So the press noted that the outcome of the case quote, hinged on the testimony of John Bull Dees. And the reporter said that his attempts to reframe his earlier testimony as nothing more than a joke actually ended up making Sharon look way more suspicious. Absolutely did. Now Sharon appeared to give no reaction or show any real emotion when the verdict was read. But the matron who booked her into the jailhouse that afternoon told the press she had little tears in her eyes and she said she didn't feel good. Now the next day Sharon

gave an interview to the press saying, I think the verdict was a mistake. Something went wrong. And when it came to why this bitch, when it came to why she believed she'd been convicted, she said, for a while I thought it was a good idea to have a woman on the jury. Now I don't think so. Oh, fuck off Sharon. Fuck right off.

Implying that the sole female juror had been jealous or judgmental and that led to the guilty verdict. I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm just like daughter and also kill the woman who is married to the man you're having in a fair with. Who you don't even love. Sharon is not a girl's girl. You are not a fucking girl's girl Sharon. She's not. And you're honestly not even a guy's girl. I don't know what you are but you're kind of a sinister guy. Yeah. You're In May of 1980, near Anaheim, California, Dorothy Jane Scott noticed her friend had an inflamed red wound on his arm and seemed unwell. She insisted on driving him to the local hospital to get treatment. While he waited for his prescription, Dorothy went to grab her car to pick him up at the exit, but would never be seen alive again. Leaving us to wonder, decades later, what really happened to Dorothy Jane's Scott? From Wondery, Generation Wise, a podcast that covers notable true crime cases like this one and many more. Every week hosts Aaron and Justin sit down to discuss a new case, covering every angle and theory,

walking through the forensic evidence and interviewing those close to the case to try to discover what happened. With over 450 episodes, there's a case for every true crime listener. Follow the Generation Y podcast on the Wonder App, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Generation Y ad- right now by joining Wondery Plus. What would you do if you thought you had met the love of your life? But as things began to slowly unravel, it went beyond your capacity to help, ending with this untimely death. What would you do? I'm Wittnessel Dine, the creator of this is actually happening. A podcast that brings you

extraordinary true stories of life-changing events, told by the people who lived them. And I'm excited to share that we have hit 300 episodes. In honor of this, we've decided to revisit the first ever episode of the show, entitled What If Your Boyfriend, Lid Himself On Fire. It's been about 12 years since I started the show with this interview, and both the story teller and the show have evolved so much in that time. Our 300th episode is a deeper dive into the story and everything that has happened since then.

To hear this story and so many more, follow this is actually happening on the Wondering app or wherever you get your podcasts, and you can listen to this is actually happening ad-free, unwondry plus. ["The End of the World"] So Sharon received a life sentence for the murder of her husband. Bye. And during her first year in jail, her lawyers and supporters petitioned the court to have her released on bail, citing her children as a reason for the request.

I'm like, y'all, she blamed one of them for this. I'm sorry, what? Like, she got what? She just got convicted of murder. And you're like, no, she has babies. She just got convicted of murder of which she blamed her two-year-old daughter for. I'm saying.

And you're like, you should take care of those kids. I'm saying. I don't think she should be anywhere fucking near those for. And you're like, but you should take care of those kids. I'm saying. I don't think she should be anywhere fucking near those children. Are you kidding me? No. What is happening over there? I don't know.

Missouri is not all right. Missouri, independence Missouri is out here wild. And are you going to? Are you going to? No, the answer is you're not. Is there anybody out there? You all right? I mean, hopefully now.

Like twice if you need help. Like this is, this is why I hope it's gotten better since then. One would. Damn. I don't think Sharon's learning marketing language. But the petitions were repeatedly denied, but the ongoing coverage of the now completed trial did help win Sharon's sympathy

from the support in the public. And while the support was not enough to overturn the verdict, who's the public at this independence? It did prompt a re-evaluation of the trial. Shut up. During the re-evaluation defense attorney Quinn there argued repeatedly that Sharon was deserving of a new trial because of several administrative errors.

Initially, the petitions were denied, like I said, but when the case finally reached the state Supreme Court in early 1963, the justices agreed with the defense and ordered Sharon to receive a new trial. I gotta go. So in July, she was freed on a $25,000 bond. She had literally been convicted, only to just smack her microphone and banged into the wall.

She is outy 5,000. She said, I gotta go. She said, I quit. I can't, this is so frustrating. She had been acquitted of one murder, sentenced to life in prison for another, and all of a sudden they're like, actually, I don't think so.

And then they just let her walk. They let her walk. No, no, absolutely not. Even though she'd been freed on a technicality, the growing wave of support for her freedom was a strong indicator of what was to come. Yeah. And of course, over the course, sorry, not, of course,

over the course, you would, oh, I didn't know where I was. This is a frustrating case. It is very frustrating. Oh, for the course of 1963 and 1964, the prosecutor's office would retry share in two more times, both resulting in a mistrial. The first, because of a jury member's undisclosed conflict of interest, come on.

I'm like you and Sharon Falker. I was just gonna say, I wasn't that the reason. Not a doubt in my mind. And the second, because of a deadlocked jury, which was actually leaning in favor of a quiddle. Oh my gosh. Now, despite the jury. Oh my gosh. Oh my god. And close in a scream. Oh my god. So despite the jury, leaning toward a quiddle in the third trial, the prosecutors intent to try Sharon for a fourth time for the murder of James Kinney was untenable.

After years in courtrooms and jail cells, the entire process had become exhausting for Sharon. For us too. And for us too. And as everybody in the audience, she was splitting her time between her trials, her children, and her part-time job. Now she was working at a motel.

So in a moment of impulsivity, she decided to quit her job, figuring that it would allow her to spend more time with her kids, evident or allegedly. So she went down to the employment office to apply for benefits. Now, this is insane. It was at the employment office in August of 1964 that Sharon first laid eyes on Frank Puglisi, who was ahead of her in line, struggling to understand the paperwork he was being asked to fill out. Oh no. Like many of Sharon's lovers, Paglisi was a blue collar guy who dropped out of high school

at 16 and had been drifting around the Midwest for years, taking random jobs where he could find them. He also had a criminal history of petty crimes and had spent short stints in jail. And actually, he had recently gotten out of jail. That's why he was looking for work at the employment office. Awesome. Somehow Sharon involved herself in his struggle

with the paperwork and the two of them headed off and started dating. This gal. What a neat cute. what a neat cute. She is quitting her job and applying for benefits, you know, awaiting her murder trial. And she meets a man who just got out of jail. Honestly, she's like damn, meant to be.

Damn, damn is right. This is wild. She's also I'm pretty sure, 28 or 29 at this point. Like, I'm like, your 20s were such a ride, Sharon. Your 20s, oh yeah, this is just outrageous. So after the stress of all of her legal woes, Sharon welcomed the male attention and affection and she and Frank dated through the rest of the summer

and into the fall. And just like her other relationship, Sharon and Frank fell for each other very fast. And by September, she convinced him to sign what she considered an informal marriage contract. Wow. Like they didn't legally get married, but she was like, sign this, it says we're married.

And people just have this way. I don't get it. It's amazing. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what Sharon possessed, but I'm just like, I don't know. She was, she was gonna something. But the problem, however, was that her new trial

was set to begin in early October. Oops. And despite her uncanny ability to dodge any and all responsibility, there was still a chance that she was going back to prison for the murder of her fucking husband. Yeah. Which I'm also like, Frank, you're really jumping

onto this ship? Apparently. But if we know Sharon, we know she's got a scheme of that. And we know Sharon. So about this is, you're going to shit. Oh no. About two weeks in December, she went to her lawyer's office

and explained that she and Frank were in love and they wanted to take a vacation to Mexico before her trial began. Shut the fuck up. Now, given that she was still out of jail on a $25,000 bond pending the outcome of the trial, there was some question as to whether she could travel or not. There was some question. There was lots of questions.

There was inquiries into whether she should leave for Mexico, like Mexico. I don't know why. I'm just losing my ability to speak. Her lawyer explained her lawyer explained it. That as long as she was back before the trial again, it was okay with him. Just come back. Just come back for your murder trial after going to Mexico. Have you ever watched our TV show? God damn it. Hurry back now Sharon. Hurry back now you hear for your murder trial. Jesus Christ I can't we're never seen Sharon again

We're never seen Sharon again. That's crazy. You know what's crazy? We are. We are gonna see Sharon again in this case. I can't predict shit in this case. It's a big, any sense. Like I said, brought to you by Wiley. So I'm crying.

On the afternoon of September 12th, 1964, Sharon made multiple trips to the local Safeway grocery store. That's one does. Each time writing bad checks to get cash for her trip. For his part, Frank fell back on his old ways and stole food cash and other supplies from his friends and associates. Frank and Sharon.

I know as soon as I was able to borrow a car from a friend, that he and Sharon would eventually take up to the border. My goodness. Or down to the border, down to the border. Later that afternoon, I I guess sure is later that afternoon with cash in hand and a carload of food and supplies, Sharon dropped her kids off with her, I guess ex mother-in-law,

and she and Frank took off for Mexico. So she just dropped her kids. It was like, she and she abandoned her children. So they drove almost nonstop for two days until they reached Laredo, Texas, the last stop before crossing into Mexico. But unfortunately, for them, without the proper paperwork or registration proving ownership of this vehicle, the border agents refused to let them go through Mexico or go through to Mexico in the car. And they're like, that's fine. They ditched it at the border and took the bus into Mexico City. This man borrowed a whole last vehicle from his friend and then said,

just let the border. That's the border. Sorry. Gotta go get it. Oh, fuck. Now, although they made it pretty easily to their destination, neither of them spoke Spanish. Why the fuck are you gonna plan a trip to Mexico if you don't speak Spanish? Like any Spanish whatsoever. I have, I don't know. You don't know. I don't know. The answers I don't know. So that made communication a pretty big problem.

Did it? Yeah. Now on September 14th, they checked into the hotel gin, which the couple chose simply for its quote unquote, quaint name. I'm like, you chose that hotel because you thought they had gin. Yeah, that checks. But when they arrived, they found that the hotel was anything but quaint.

There were roaches climbing up the walls of the bathroom and rats and mice running from one room to another before disappearing through the holes that were in the walls. No. It was also in any neighborhood that Sharon had deemed unsafe. So she kept a pistol and a hatchet by her bed at all times.

I have to say, Frank, baby, do you know, do you like, have you read the local paper when you were back in Independence? Oh, no. You're sleeping next to a woman who is supposed to head to trial soon for the murder of her husband. And you go to sleep next to a woman who is supposed to head to trial soon for the murder of her husband, and you go to sleep next to her at night when next to her is a hatchet in a pistol?

Oh, no. The wild thing? It's not Frank. It's not Frank. It's not Frank. Wow, I thought it was going to be Frank. No. So, after a few days enjoying the local nightlife, Frank and Sharon were running very low on

money, and they were both really sick from an excess on local food and alcohol, probably more alcohol. Yeah. So on Friday, September 18th, Sharon left the hotel gin to go and search of an English-speaking pharmacist who could give them something for their stomachs, and she brought her pistol with her for protection. Now, after struggling to find anyone who could accommodate her, a local man directed her

to the Del Prado Hotel, a hotel that catered to American tourists, where she could definitely find somebody who spoke English and Spanish. Now, the first person that she encountered at the hotel was Francisco, Pererides, or Donnis, a Mexican-born resident of California who was in Mexico to visit his family.

Oh. Now Sharon was already fed up with Frank and the frustrations of running low on money. of Mexican-born resident of California who was in Mexico to visit his family. Oh. Now Sharon was already fed up with Frank and the frustrations of running low on money. So she welcomed the opportunity for some male attention. Fucking Sharon. And with the pistol tucked in her pocket, she did not hesitate when Francisco suggested

that they go back to his room for a few drinks. He thought she was pretty. Now, what happened next is a matter of debate. And if you're putting any money on Sharon, I don't know what I can do for a few drinks. He thought she was pretty. Now, what happened next is a matter of debate. And if you're putting any money on Sharon, I don't know what I can do for you. Yeah. But according to Sharon, after two or three drinks with Francisco, she got tired and laid down on the bed

to go to sleep for a while, take a little nap. She claimed that she was woken around 3 a.m. when he tried to, quote quote sexually attack her sexually. And she said believing herself to be in danger, she drew the pistol from her pocket and fired twice into his chest, killing him instantly. Now, the noise drew the attention of the hotel's night manager, and Rige Rueda, who ran to the room to find out what the fuck was going on. Now, coming upon the scene of an unknown woman,

having shot one of the hotel guests, he attempted to detain Sharon while he contacted police. And that's when she raised the gun and shot him in the back, leaving him in critical condition. Yeah. But despite his gunshot wound and eventual critical condition, he managed to lock her in the bathroom while he contacted police. This man is a hero and the police arrived a short time later.

Now having left one of the men at the hotel alive, there was no question of Sharon's involvement in the shooting, but there was some question as to who the fuck she was. When they arrived in Mexico, Sharon and Frank checked into the hotel that they were at as Mr. and Mrs. Frank Paglisi, but her identification said otherwise. So a representative from the embassy told reporters, we were a little confused about this girl,

but Kenny was the name on her tourist card. And when they did confirm her identity, officials learned that she was doing court just a few weeks later to stand trial for the murder of her husband, a date that now she would not be making. My God. So even though she maintained

that she'd only shot Francisco in self-defense, Sharon also made several unexpected comments to the authorities at the embassy, including telling one man, I've shot men before and managed to get out of it. What the fuck? I don't think she gave a fuck at this point. She's just like, I just shoot men on a regular basis and I get through it.

So I'm not really worried about this. It's kind of my thing. Damn. So curly. You're in an unknown territory right now. So a few days later, once they were confident that Reueito would live, Mexican authorities announced plans to charge and try share in kidney for the murder of Francisco or Donas, who may believe she murdered in an attempted robbery.

Which, that makes sense. I believe, too. She was running low on cash. It's clear what she was doing. Yeah. Now, while officers from the Mexican Secret Service investigated the shooting, Sharon was taken to La Cumbria Prison in Mexico City, where she was to be held until the trial. Now, unlike the trials in the United States, she had no support in Mexico. And her only connection was with her embassy appointed lawyer, Hihino Lara.

Hihinia Lara. On September 26, 1964, both Sharon and Frank, Puglice were arraigned on murder charges. I don't know if it was because, like, some kind of like they thought maybe like conspiracy, exactly. Later, the charges against Frank were dropped and he was deported back to the US,

but Sharon continued to be held at that prison. And she was fucking furious that she was being denied bail for the shooting. Now, having learned of her arrest and imprisonment, the Mexican press dubbed her La Pistol Era. Ah, that's where it comes from. Which translates to the holster in English. Wow.

I thought it would translate to the pistol. But it's like the pistol holder. Exactly, a holster, yeah, exactly the holder. Now, having learned of the shooting and arrest, authorities and independents, Missouri, contacted Mexico Secret secret service to request that the pistol used in the shooting be sent to the US for tests. Mexican authorities declined the request, at the crime lab, quote, they announced the spent bullets were identical

to those found under the body of Patricia Jones. In and under the body of Patricia Jones. I knew it. But unfortunately, at that point, Sharon had already been acquitted of Jones's murder. Fuck, don't look at her. She's so damn pretty in shit. So the prosecutor had no choice,

but to publicly declare that the murder had been solved and the case was closed. Oh, the fucking double jeopardy of it all. So Sharon finally went on trial in a Mexican court in the fall of 1965, where she pleaded not guilty to a myriad of charges. Homicide, causing bodily injuries, illegal use of firearms and possession of false documents. In her defense, Hachini Elara, Elara told the three judge panel that Sharon had fallen asleep in the bed and was awoken when Francisco climbed on top of her in which she believed was an attempted sexual assault.

But the panel of judges felt like the evidence didn't support that claim and she was found guilty of simple homicide. And sentenced to 10 years. I was like, that's all you get for homicide. Yeah. And she was sentenced at the newly constructed women's prison, and I hope I say this right, is to Palapa,

which is just outside of Mexico City. Now, after she served the sentence, she would be deported back to the United States. So news of Sharon's imprisonment, of course, spread around the Midwest and the Southwest, which prompted tons of news agencies to send reporters to Mexico to interview her. And each time she maintained her innocence

and stuck to her story, assuming that she would soon be free on appeal and back in the US. It's unclear if she knew this or not, but her sentence carried the provision that she had to serve two thirds of it before she was even eligible for any kind of appeal. Oh damn. In her case, that would have meant

she had to serve six and a half years before being eligible. Whoa. No. In an interview with a reporter from Missouri, Sharon spent most of the time talking about how much she hated the food at the prison, how the quote, language barrier frightened her, and how the other inmates had stolen all

of her personal belongings within days of her arrival, which I think is funny. Socks. Socks to sock. There was a ton of interest in the case just after the conviction, but the press coverage slowly faded as the months passed. And by the winter of 1966, her name was hardly appearing in the US papers. The next time she would come up in the news was in an interview with the Kansas City star

in March of 1969. By that point, she'd settled into life at the prison and told the reporter, Kevin Kelligan, that she stopped planning for the future. He said, she reminded me of a waitress you'd find at a truck stop. She liked to talk, and she gave you the impression she'd been around. Damn, she was like of a waitress you'd find at a truck stop. She liked to talk and she gave you the impression she'd been around.

Damn, she was like, oof, Kevin. Oh, Kevin, Kevin. Such a Kevin thing to say. It truly is. Now, despite what she told Old Kevin there, it turned out that she hadn't exactly given up on her future entirely. Something told me that. On the evening of December 7, 1969,

after serving five of the 10-year sentence, 29-year-old Sharon Kinney attended a movie in the prison recreation hall. Later that evening, when guards made their rounds to do bed checks, they discovered Sharon was missing. Fuck you. No. They discovered that you were missing. Officials searched the prison

and its grounds all evening, but turned up no signs of Sharon Kinney and eventually were forced to make a public statement to alert the press and citizens that she had escaped. She had escaped prison in Mexico City. Shut up. In Mexico City police and prison officials had absolutely no fucking clue

how she managed to escape from high security modern prison, saying quote, or saying, only that. Because it was like newly constructed. Newly constructed and like a high security prison. Yeah. They said she quote, probably bribed several jail wardens to let her go.

Honestly, I believe it. Probably. An intensive multi agency search was mentioned for her, covering a wide radius around the prison, but after weeks of turning up legit zero evidence, authorities announced in mid-December that they would be easing up the hunt, like it was coughing too much money. A spokesperson for Mexico City Police told reporters, our department will continue to hold the case open until Mrs. Kinney is found, but we are not any closer to finding Mrs. Kinney

in Mexico City than the day she is fit. Oh my God! Today, more than 50 years after her escape from prison, Sharon remains a fugitive in Mexico and the United States, and the authorities are not any closer to finding her than once she did escape. What the fuck? Now with each passing year, it becomes more and more unlikely

that she's still alive. It's like 83. It should be right here. It should be right here. But if she were apprehended today, she would still face charges in Mexico for the escape and she would face charges in the United States for the murder of James Kinney.

But she has never been found. That woman just fucking barreled through life, causing. Fucking. Having. Having. And here they're in everywhere. And they just terror.

And then she just escapes. And she killed at least three people. I'm sorry, Sharon killed more than three people. I know she did. Oh yeah. But she killed at least three. That truck driver that she was like married to before she married James Kinney allegedly.

Yeah, like went off a cliff. Oh, that was the first one. What's up with that? Yeah, what's up with that? What's up with that? He went off a cliff. No, I don't know about that. If you went off a cliff, it was those some going on. Something up in there. But that

is the story of Sharon Kinney aka Lapistolera. I don't even know what to say about that story. There are not words for this woman's whileness. I did. Neither did I. I had no idea. Neither did I. I was just googling, like, I forget even what I typed in to find this case, but I started reading about it. And I was like, Dave, I got a case that we have to look into. Oh my God. Dave was like, who is this woman? Like, what?

Who is this woman? Who's that girl? I'm shocked and appalled. Shocked appalled. The fact that she's just roving around somewhere, like what? Like if she's alive, she's an 83 year old lady. She could be your grandma. She could be your grandma, guys.

I'm listening right there. She could be your grandma. I do hope that your kids- She could be your grandma's friend. She could be. She could be your grandma. That's crazy. She could be your straight up grandma. But I hope that she could be your grandma's friend. She could be, she could be just your grandma. That's crazy. She could be your straight up grandma.

But I hope that her kids are okay. That's what makes me so sad. I wanna know what I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, they're all right. I mean, she left them with James Kinney's parents. It sounds like James Kinney's parents just to care them. Yeah, I hope they're doing okay. Yeah, they had a lot of people in the early years.

Yeah. And I hope Dana knows that she didn't shoot her dad. Yeah, she didn't shoot her dad. She didn't shoot her. No fucking no Sharon did it. And it's gross that Sharon even slightly gross word. It's like there are not words for the fact that she implied that Oh gross. Oh, what a fucking wild tale. Wow, that's real. Yeah. So with that, we hope you're listening. And we hope you keep it weird. But that's a weird as any of this

because what the actual fuck Sharon. I'm just like Sharon. I can't put words together. Thank you. Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to Morvid, Early, and Add Free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen Add Free with Wondery Plus and Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey.

plus an Apple podcast. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey.