0:01

Due to the nature of this

0:03

episode, listener discretion is advised. This

0:05

episode includes discussions of violence and

0:07

murder. Consider this when deciding how

0:10

and when you'll listen. Okay,

0:17

the story you're about to here

0:19

is wilde. There's an attempted burglary,

0:21

a hidden treasure, as well as

0:24

an abduction, a disappearance, and at

0:26

least one murder. We know the

0:28

dates, the major players, and the

0:30

aftermath for when it comes down

0:33

to figuring out who exactly was

0:35

at fault, while back gets a

0:37

little hazy, they're just too many

0:40

theories, too many accounts, and honestly,

0:42

way too many lies. Perhaps that's

0:44

why the story of Barbara Graham.

0:46

Has captivated the public for generations.

0:49

We simply don't know what really

0:51

happened and yet everyone has their

0:53

own opinion on the matter. The

0:55

media in particular love to paint

0:57

her as a cold hearted murderer.

0:59

I can't tell you she was

1:02

guilty beyond a doubt because well,

1:04

I have my doubts and I'm

1:06

not the only one. I'm

1:15

Vanessa Richardson and this is Serial

1:18

Killers A spotify podcast. You can

1:20

find us here every Monday and

1:22

be sure to check us out

1:24

on Instagram at Serial Killers Podcast

1:26

this week will learn about the

1:28

ghastly murder of Mabel Monahan and

1:30

discover how Barbara Graham was blamed

1:33

for it all. Next. Week

1:35

we'll dive deeper into Barbers version

1:37

of events and learn about her

1:40

unfortunate childhood per string of disastrous

1:42

marriages and her laundry list of

1:44

crimes will also circle back to

1:47

the very end of her life

1:49

and discuss whether or not Barbara

1:52

deserve to go down in history

1:54

as Bloody Babs Graham stay with

1:56

us. This

2:03

episode is brought to you by

2:05

Sonic Serial Killers. Get a Lot of

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and your favorite drink to make it

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3:40

Okay, because Barber Grams story is

3:42

frankly nuts. We're going to do

3:44

things a little differently before we

3:46

even. Need our leading lady. We

3:48

need to go back to where

3:51

the whole mess started with. Oh

3:53

rumor. You. See in

3:55

the early nineteen fifties. There were

3:57

whispers of a fortune ripe for the T.

4:00

In a Las Vegas gambler named

4:02

lose their sharer or tudor as

4:04

people like to call him. Had

4:06

hidden a whopping one hundred thousand dollars

4:08

in a safe in Twenty Twenty One.

4:10

That would be just over. A

4:12

million dollars cold hard

4:15

cash. Rumor had at

4:17

that the safe was tucked away

4:19

in the sleepy suburbs of Burbank,

4:21

California, somewhere inside a white stucco.

4:23

House Tutor had once lived there

4:25

with his wife Iris, but when

4:27

they divorced, Iris kept the says.

4:30

She stayed in the spacious digs

4:32

for some time before. Letting her

4:34

widowed mother, Mabel. Monahan move

4:37

in. Sixty four year old

4:39

Mabel lived alone. She also

4:41

had difficulty. Walking after a terrible

4:43

car accident. And relied on a

4:45

cane. In short, she was an easy target

4:48

for people who believed the legend of. Tutors,

4:50

treasure. Before

4:54

we continue with the psychology for this episode,

4:56

please note that I'm not a license. Psychiatrist

4:58

or psychologist but we have done a

5:00

lot of research for the show. According

5:03

to criminologist John Pj do

5:05

said researchers have identified, the

5:07

elderly population has been more

5:10

vulnerable to crime than other.

5:12

Age groups because they're socially.

5:14

Isolated and follow predictable behavior

5:16

patterns, the physical and mental

5:18

witnesses caused by old age

5:20

also contribute to the visibility

5:22

of a potential victim. It

5:24

seems Mabel was very much

5:26

aware of her vulnerabilities and

5:28

took active measures to keep

5:30

any uninvited guess. Out sheet

5:33

installed. Double bolts on her doors

5:35

as well as safety latches on all

5:37

her windows. She even made her gardener

5:39

asked to be led into our back

5:41

yard. each week. Needless to

5:43

say, Mabel was a cautious

5:45

person. None

5:50

of that mattered to forty three year. Old

5:52

experts say Cracker Baxter Shorter.

5:55

while the existence of tutor

5:57

shares fortune was just hearsay.

6:00

The married former mobster had

6:02

one hundred thousand reasons to

6:04

believe the. Rumor was true Back

6:06

in the winter of Nineteen Sixty

6:08

one Baxter had case the property.

6:11

In hopes of getting his hands on

6:13

the money but ultimately decided to score

6:15

wasn't. Worth the risk Now in

6:17

the spring of Nineteen Fifty

6:19

three, it's Baxter. Was desperate

6:21

for cash so when to

6:23

John's from Northern California approached.

6:25

Him with another shot at robbing

6:27

Maples House. Baxter couldn't resist.

6:30

On March eighth, Baxter

6:32

met Forty. Eight year old

6:34

John Santo and thirty eight year old

6:36

John True at a restaurant and El

6:38

Monte As city just east of Los.

6:41

Angeles, Santo.

6:43

Was a hardened criminal with a

6:45

lengthy rap sheet. True was a

6:47

deep sea diver who scavenged for

6:49

valuables together and the to John's

6:51

had the know how to break

6:53

in the Maples home and find

6:55

tutors hidden treasure but they needed

6:57

of box man like Baxter to

6:59

crack open the safe to get

7:01

him on board. Santo and True

7:03

assured him that no one would

7:05

be home when they made their

7:07

move. It would be a simple

7:09

be and eat. Get in, get

7:11

out, get rich. That was

7:13

all Baxter needed to hear. He agreed

7:15

to join the team and the trio

7:18

set the date for the following night.

7:20

Just like that, they were ready to

7:22

make their play. On

7:26

the evening of March ninth, Baxter

7:28

met Santo and True at another

7:30

spot and El Monte only sought

7:33

to had brought along to new

7:35

faces of forty five year old

7:37

named Emmett Perkins and a woman

7:39

Baxter. Believed was named Mary. Let.

7:42

Me just stop here for a moment

7:44

and let you know that Mary's presence

7:46

wasn't a welcome surprise for the crew.

7:48

This was the nineteen fifties and most

7:50

crime and was done by men, but

7:52

according to Baxter Santa wanted to bring

7:54

a woman on the job just in.

7:56

Case Mabel was home.

7:58

So here. We were

8:00

the five main players: Baxter

8:03

Shorter, John Santo John, True,

8:05

Emmett Perkins and the woman

8:08

were calling Marry. For now.

8:13

Around seven pm, the crew piled

8:15

into a blue Oldsmobile and drove

8:17

over to Maples House in Burbank.

8:19

Now remember at the sixty four

8:21

year old widow always had her

8:23

guard up. In addition into installing

8:25

safety locks on her doors and

8:27

windows, she made sure to close

8:29

all the curtains in her living

8:31

room and turn on her outdoor

8:33

floodlights each night. Mabel likely thought

8:36

this would deter burglars from breaking

8:38

in. It didn't work.

8:40

When the crew part just outside

8:42

Maples House Baxter clock the closed

8:45

curtains and the bright floodlights and

8:47

figured she must have gone out

8:49

for the night. But just in

8:51

case, Santo ordered marry to take.

8:53

The lead she'd struck towards the

8:55

front. Door and play a damsel in

8:57

distress santos true and m it would

9:00

follow a few paces behind her while

9:02

Baxter state in the car to act

9:04

as look out. Someone. Would

9:06

come get him once they found the safe. And

9:09

so Baxter watched on as marry

9:11

and the three others disappeared from

9:14

view. Know

9:16

exactly what happened next isn't

9:18

totally clear. That Mabel probably

9:20

heard someone knocking. At her door. She

9:24

hobbled on over. With the help of her

9:26

came. In peer through the peephole.

9:29

Through. The tiny window. Mabel likely

9:31

only saw loan young woman and

9:33

not the trio of the men

9:35

standing close by. Mabel likely as

9:37

to marry what she wanted, and

9:39

Mary said that she had some

9:41

car trouble and needed use the

9:44

telephone. at least that's the script

9:46

Santo gave her. Whatever she said,

9:48

she must have been convincing because

9:50

Mabel. Cracked open the door.

9:55

Before. She could process what was going

9:57

on. Mary son told true and m

9:59

it. Their way inside Mabel

10:01

began screaming for help but

10:03

all that noise made some

10:06

one very angry. And that

10:08

person pistol whipped her on the head,

10:10

said. That,

10:12

while the initial strike was jarring,

10:15

Mabel was still very much alive

10:17

to keep her disoriented and under

10:19

control. One of the intruders. Found a

10:21

pillowcase and placed it over her

10:24

head. Then they grabbed a sheet

10:26

torrid into strips and wrapped one

10:28

around Maples neck. He also tied

10:30

Maples hands behind her back and

10:32

dragged her. Towards a closet. Then

10:36

the group. Went Ham looking for

10:38

the safe. They started ransacking, mouse,

10:41

rummaging through maples, belongings, opening drawers,

10:43

ripping up carpet, and mean, They

10:45

even hacked away at the base

10:47

boards and dismantled the heating vents

10:49

in the floor. These guys were

10:52

desperate to find that safe. And.

10:54

That desperation made some of them down

10:56

right devious. Based on how they left

10:58

the scene, it seems they dragged as

11:00

a sixty four year old from room

11:03

to room, demanding she tell them where.

11:05

Tude or Share had hidden his

11:07

fortune with Mabel Either didn't know

11:09

anything or wasn't sharing because they

11:11

began hitting her in the face

11:13

with a hard object over and

11:15

over again. According to one of

11:18

the crew, it was a pistol.

11:20

Another account said it was Maples

11:22

own team. Whatever it was. the

11:24

pillowcase. Covering her face was soaked

11:26

in her. Own laws, Meanwhile.

11:31

Baxter remember Baxter Shorter the safe

11:33

crackers. He was still in the

11:35

car waiting for someone to tell

11:37

him to come inside, but after

11:40

fifteen long minutes, he was getting

11:42

antsy. So he got out of

11:44

the car and entered the white

11:46

stucco house, which is where he

11:48

saw Mabel lying on the floor

11:50

writhing in pain. according to Baxter,

11:53

True was holding Maples head in

11:55

his hands as Emmett struck the

11:57

widow with a final blow. It

11:59

seems. That was taking his frustrations

12:01

out on Mabel because the rumored

12:04

one hundred thousand dollars was. Just

12:06

a rumor. Tutor. Sharer

12:08

had never hidden away any money,

12:11

at least not in his old

12:13

Burbank house. And so

12:15

the five Some left the white still

12:18

go house empty handed. They abandoned Mabel

12:20

on the floor and didn't even bother

12:22

to take any of her valuable jewelry

12:25

or the five hundred dollar. She had

12:27

in her purse. They

12:30

piled back into the Oldsmobile and

12:33

drove off into the night. But

12:35

while everyone was fuming over the

12:37

lack of money, Baxter was freaking

12:39

out. It was supposed to be

12:41

an easy job. Get in, get

12:43

out, get rich. Remember no one

12:46

was supposed to be home, let

12:48

alone get hurt. But now, as

12:50

they headed back towards El Monte,

12:52

Baxter sword or couldn't shake the

12:54

feeling that maybe Monahan. Would

12:57

soon be dance.

13:01

Up next Baxter's. Worst nightmare

13:04

comes true. This

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episode is brought to you by

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Cause. harm

16:00

They also didn't leave behind

16:02

any useful evidence. It was

16:04

a mystery that made headline

16:06

news. Based on these reports,

16:08

police knew about labels connection

16:10

that the infamous Las Vegas

16:12

gamblers tude or share with

16:14

seemed unaware about any rumored

16:16

safe. Then

16:18

I'll call came in. that changed

16:20

everything and anonymous tipster told investigators

16:23

that Baxter Sword Earth was likely

16:25

involved in the murder. With that

16:27

small crumb, Authorities tracked Baxter down

16:30

between March Twelfth and Fourteen and

16:32

brought him in for questioning. This

16:34

may have been a relief to

16:37

the safe cracker. Sure, he'd plotted

16:39

to steal Tutors fabled fortunes, but

16:41

he didn't want to go down

16:44

for a murder he didn't commit.

16:47

But. It wasn't so simple because some

16:49

of the other guys, namely Santo and

16:51

forty five year old am at Perkins

16:54

Well, they were hard core criminals, the

16:56

type who always made. Sure to

16:58

pay back anyone who crossed them.

17:01

Baxter probably knew that

17:03

snitches got well dead.

17:05

Simply put, he was

17:07

in a pickle. Is

17:12

popular concept in game theory called

17:14

the prisoner's dilemma. It. Pits two

17:17

suspects have a crime against each other

17:19

and they can either confess or keep

17:21

quiet. If they both own

17:23

up to their crimes, than both do

17:25

some time. If they both deny, maybe

17:28

they'll both walk away. However,

17:30

if one decides to snitch on

17:32

the other and that other guy

17:34

stays quiet, that's bad news for

17:36

the one who kept mom. So

17:38

then what do you choose? Many

17:40

have argued that the best way

17:42

to avoid punishment is to deny,

17:44

deny, deny the problem. There is

17:46

that neither party knows what the

17:48

other is seeing, The suspects are

17:50

kept in the dark and their

17:52

testimonies are used against each other.

17:54

This leads to a whole host.

17:56

Of possible fractures and betrayals

17:58

as a result. The most

18:00

rational decision is to confess now

18:03

at this point in time, Baxter

18:05

was the only one with any

18:07

actual rolled in the crime who

18:09

was in police custody, But considering

18:11

that someone had already out and

18:13

him to authorities, he knew it

18:15

was only a matter of time

18:17

before the rest of the crew

18:19

was also arrested. And knowing how

18:21

volatile some of his accomplices were,

18:23

Baxter chose the option that served

18:26

his best. Interest. In

18:28

exchange for immunity, Baxter began to

18:30

talk. He told investigators about the

18:32

rumored one hundred case, how a

18:35

crew of five broken the Maples

18:37

homes, and how they left her

18:39

for dead. He also told him

18:42

about his accomplices offering vague descriptions

18:44

and first names for Santos True

18:46

M It and the woman he

18:49

knew as Mary. Who.

18:51

Thanks to some quick sleuthing police

18:53

believed was twenty nine year old

18:56

Barbara Graham. Barbara

19:01

work for and that as a shill and his

19:03

gambling. Parlor every so. Often the

19:05

striking beauty would put on her

19:07

best pair of heels, flirt with

19:09

a man at a bar, then

19:11

bring em on over to M

19:14

It's Parlor in El Monte. Their

19:16

she'd play her mark with drinks

19:18

until he made sloppy beds and

19:20

lost out on a lot more

19:22

than a passionate night with a

19:25

woman. Barbara also had a laundry

19:27

list of priors. She'd been arrested

19:29

for prostitution, narcotics possessions, forgery, and

19:31

was even convicted of perjury. Authorities

19:33

was sure. She was this. Mary.

19:37

Of. Course, this was just a

19:39

theory. There was no way

19:41

to prove that Baxter's Mary

19:43

wasn't that barber Graham And

19:45

despite his damning testimony, investigators

19:47

couldn't prove that Santo true

19:49

am it or Barbara. Were

19:51

actually. There that night. remember

19:53

they didn't leave behind any

19:55

evidence would authorities needed was

19:57

the concession out of the.

20:00

Four remaining suspects. Investigators were

20:02

most interested. In thirty eight

20:04

year old John True. Unlike the

20:07

others, he. Had a clean record. He

20:09

was a deep sea diver from Northern

20:11

California and with no real ties to

20:13

the criminal underworld, he seemed the most

20:15

likely to. Crack under pressure.

20:20

So. On April twelfth, authorities arrested

20:22

True at his home and grass

20:25

Valley in Northern California and brought

20:27

him back to Burbank. They took

20:29

him the headquarters where they interrogated

20:31

him about Mabel murder. Who

20:34

swore the he was innocent of

20:36

everything. He'd never killed Mabel, He'd

20:38

never broken into her home. Heck

20:40

before that day he claimed he'd

20:42

never even been the Burbank the

20:44

only person he knew lot of

20:46

the list of suppose that accomplices

20:48

was Santo and that was only

20:50

because they were hunting buddies, not

20:52

criminal masterminds. All in all, it

20:55

seems true was pretty convincing. Again,

20:57

he had a clean record so

20:59

he didn't seem like a guy

21:01

who'd take. Part in such a grisly.

21:03

Murder, which by now had been

21:05

written about him. Pretty much every

21:08

California Paper Noodles death had sparked

21:10

outrage in Los Angeles, and a

21:12

lot of people were interested in

21:14

the investigation. Within twenty four hours

21:17

of his arrest, newspapers were already

21:19

reporting that True was likely involved.

21:21

Unfortunately for Baxter, Cruise arrest made

21:23

the rest of the crew suspicious.

21:26

They quickly figured that there was

21:28

only one person who could have

21:30

rather them all out, and they

21:33

had. To stop him talking. Quickly.

21:39

According to Baxter's wife Olivia, a

21:41

little after. Eight Pm on

21:43

April fourteenth. The couple was

21:46

watching television when Emmett Perkins arrived

21:48

at the door. He had a

21:50

gun in his hand and told

21:52

Baxter to come with him. Olivia,

21:54

new, her husband, was in trouble

21:56

as the two men made their

21:58

way down the apartment hallways. She

22:00

grub the loaded rifle and scrambled

22:02

after them. but it didn't help.

22:04

Em it turned back and said

22:07

get back in the apartment or

22:09

baxter's going to die. Right

22:11

Seer. Olivia

22:13

lowered her weapons and watched helplessly

22:15

as Emmett forced Baxter outside, shoved

22:17

him into the back of a

22:20

getaway. Car manned by another person

22:22

and drove off. Baxter

22:26

Shorter was never seen or heard

22:28

from again. While his disappearance was

22:30

never solved there still those who

22:32

believe that he was killed by

22:34

Am at Perkins and whoever was

22:37

driving the getaway car. Now.

22:42

You'd think that would be the end

22:44

of the road for investigators. They just

22:46

lost their star witness and there was

22:48

no evidence tying the others to Maples

22:50

murder. It didn't look good, but they.

22:53

Weren't giving up, they just needed

22:55

one of the three remaining suspects

22:57

to break. And thanks to

22:59

Olivia's testimony, investigators hope to

23:01

bring the men on the

23:03

suspicion of Baxter's murder. The

23:06

problem was, authorities had no

23:08

idea where any of them

23:10

were. Ever since Baxter's disappearance,

23:12

they'd all vanished. That is

23:14

every one except Barbara. Instead

23:19

of acting like a criminal who needed

23:21

to lay low, the twenty nine year

23:23

old beauty walk the streets of Los

23:25

Angeles like nothing was amiss. so it

23:28

was pretty easy for authorities to. Track.

23:30

Her down. On. The afternoon of

23:32

May fourth and undercover officer trailed

23:34

Barbara from a downtown shopping district

23:37

to an auto shop in Linwood,

23:39

just south of the city. As.

23:42

Barbara settled into or quarters, a

23:44

team of officers surrounded the building.

23:46

When they received a signal, armed

23:48

cops broke down the front and

23:50

back. Doors and stormed

23:52

inside. And

23:54

they hit the jackpot. It was

23:57

almost like they'd found tutors fabled

23:59

treasure for the sounds. Because they're

24:01

inside the auto shop, they didn't

24:04

just fine. Barbara Grams, Emmett Perkins,

24:06

and John Santo were there to

24:09

know all they needed to do

24:11

was convince. Someone to

24:13

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Now. Back to the. Story. On

25:28

May Fourth, Nineteen, Sixty three, Barbara

25:30

Graham, John Santo and Emmett Perkins

25:33

were booked on the suspicion of

25:35

murdering forty three year old Baxter's

25:37

Shorter. He was the safe cracker

25:40

who told authorities all about their

25:42

involvement in the murder of Sixty.

25:45

Four year old Mabel. monahan it

25:47

was almost as if the

25:49

story had been ripped from

25:51

the pages of a hollywood

25:53

screenplay a stabled fortune a

25:55

botched burglary and abductions and

25:57

quite possibly two murders me

28:00

The had no idea who they were

28:02

dealing. With because Barbara Graham

28:04

was no snitch. It

28:06

was something see prided. Herself on.

28:12

With no one talking, authorities turn

28:14

their sides and to thirty eight

28:16

year old John True. Despite what

28:19

he'd said in his initial interrogation,

28:21

word on the street was that

28:23

the deep sea diver was definitely

28:26

involved in the death of Mabel

28:28

Monaghan. The following month, police arrested

28:30

True once again and this time

28:33

he was ready to talk. He

28:35

told them all about tutors fabled

28:37

cash, the failed burglary attempt, and

28:40

what happened to Mabel and. Just

28:42

like Baxter, a Truce War See wasn't

28:44

the one who got violent according to

28:46

him. Barbara had been the one who

28:49

first hit Mabel and that place the

28:51

pillowcase over Maples head and tied her

28:53

up, and Santo was the one who

28:56

took another strip of cloth, wrapped it

28:58

around Maples neck. And pulled. According

29:00

to true, all three of

29:02

the suspects were guilty of

29:05

Maples murder and he was

29:07

willing to testify against them

29:09

in return for immunity. So.

29:14

True took the stand and a grand

29:16

jury hearing, but nope, this is where

29:18

everything really guess muddled. While True initially

29:21

told the authorities that m it was

29:23

the one the put the pillowcase over

29:25

Maples head, now it was Barbara who

29:27

did it and in this version, she

29:29

was also the one to strike Mabel

29:32

in the head repeatedly. In fact, according

29:34

to True, she was so violent that

29:36

he had to tell her to stop.

29:38

He also testified that he attempted to

29:41

do right by Mabel before he left

29:43

the ransacked home. He cut a hole

29:45

into the bloodied pillow. Case so that she

29:47

could breathe better. Of course, if

29:49

that was the case, That whole

29:51

didn't help Mabel one bit. And

29:54

while it would be nice to

29:56

believe that true was being truthful,

29:58

it's hard to take every. He

30:00

said at face value. he never

30:02

called for help after leaving the

30:04

properties and he didn't come forward

30:06

voluntarily. He was only talking now

30:08

because he'd been granted immunity. In

30:11

any case, the Grand Jury eight his

30:14

story up. The trio were booked for

30:16

the murder of Mabel Monahan and Barbara

30:18

for a bloody Babs as the media

30:20

now called her seem to be pinned

30:23

as the one. Who started it all?

30:25

When barber heard the news, she

30:28

collapsed in her jail cell, hit

30:30

her head and lost consciousness. It.

30:35

Was overwhelming to say the least.

30:37

Barbara had made some questionable decisions

30:39

in her life. She dabbled in

30:41

sex work. She may have taken

30:43

a hit or two of the

30:45

latest fashion drugs and yes, even

30:47

perjured herself for a friend. but

30:49

murder She didn't have a violent

30:51

bone in her body. Barbara swore

30:53

to her lawyer Jack Hardy that

30:55

she was innocent, but when he

30:57

asked her where she was on

30:59

the night of March Ninth, Barbara

31:01

said she couldn't remember. In response,

31:03

draft told his client. That she

31:06

needed to come up with

31:08

an alibi fast. Because in

31:10

the State of California in

31:12

Nineteen Fifty three, one punishment

31:14

for first degree murder was

31:16

death. In the weeks

31:18

leading up to her trial, Barbara started

31:20

to panic. She talked about our problems

31:22

to her fellow inmates. Until one of

31:24

them came to her with a

31:26

solution. Twenty year old Donna Prowl

31:28

was doing time for vehicular manslaughter

31:30

and she knew a guy who

31:32

could give Barbara an alibi his

31:34

name was Sam Sirianni and all

31:36

he wanted. Him return was five

31:39

hundred dollars. Barbara.

31:41

And Sam met several times that

31:43

August coming up with and the

31:45

nursing the perfect story. Sam agreed

31:47

to testify that on the night

31:49

of Maples murder, he and Barbara

31:52

had been together in a hotel

31:54

room having an affair, but during

31:56

these meetings San kept trying to

31:58

get barber to confess that. He'd

32:00

actually had a part in Maples

32:02

death. Barbara denied it a few

32:04

times, but eventually. Admitted that she

32:06

was with the other for culprits that

32:09

night. Barbara believe that

32:11

Sam just wanted a little reassurance.

32:13

Perjury was a felony and California,

32:15

which meant he was risking prison

32:17

time for her. If he needed

32:19

a little something to feel safer

32:22

than why not? Besides, admitting that

32:24

she was there with the others

32:26

was worth the price of an

32:28

alibi. Speak now, Barbara was. Gold

32:30

and. Later

32:34

that mom's when the trial against Barbara

32:36

Santo and am it began. Barbara put

32:39

on a figure hugging outfit, slipped on

32:41

a pair of heels, and strutted into

32:43

the packed courtroom like it was a.

32:46

Red Carpet. She shouldn't have

32:48

been so smug. Remember

32:54

this was Nineteen Fifty Three respectable

32:56

women were supposed to be sweet

32:58

and submissive any innocent woman, and

33:00

Barbara's shoes would have acted as

33:02

such, or the very least, been

33:04

on the verge of a mental

33:06

breakdown at least according to standards

33:08

of the day. But Barbara. well,

33:10

she seemed perfectly put together to

33:13

the extent the people described her

33:15

as a cold hearted ice queen.

33:17

When John True took the stand

33:19

on August twenty fifth and claimed

33:21

that Barbara had been the most

33:23

violent. Of all she'll me said

33:25

that narrative with her I see

33:28

glare. All in all her behavior

33:30

made her look pretty guilty. Of

33:32

course things only got worse from

33:34

there Days later, Sam Sirianni was

33:36

called to the Stan but he

33:39

wasn't there on Barbara's behalf. He

33:41

was there for the prosecution. It

33:43

turns out he was an undercover

33:45

cop. Donna Prowl you see had

33:48

made a deal with authorities if

33:50

she helped them trick. Barbara than

33:52

She could score and early release.

33:55

so she said barbara up

33:57

sam testified that bloody babs

34:00

confessed to taking part in Mabel's

34:02

murder. He'd even taped some of

34:04

their conversations. In one

34:06

very muffled recording, Barbara appeared to

34:08

have said, quote, I

34:11

was with them. After that

34:13

Barbara's entire defense was in

34:15

shambles and her lawyer knew

34:17

it. So Jack Hardy did

34:19

what many attorneys may not have done. He

34:22

blamed himself. He

34:24

explained that he had scared his client

34:26

to look for an alibi at any

34:28

cost that Barbara simply couldn't remember where

34:31

she was on the night of Monahan's

34:33

murder. If Barbara had just

34:35

stuck with this story, things might have

34:37

turned out differently because there was no

34:39

proof tying her to any of the

34:41

crimes. But after Sam's testimony,

34:44

she had to defend herself. She

34:46

had to take the stand. In

34:52

general, most criminal defense attorneys advise

34:54

their clients to plead the fifth.

34:56

It's the amendment that protects individuals

34:59

from being compelled in any criminal

35:01

case to be a witness against

35:03

himself. According to professor

35:05

of law, Jeffrey Bellen, that's

35:07

because declining to testify shields

35:09

defendants from questioning by the

35:11

prosecutor and normally precludes the

35:14

introduction of a defendant's prior

35:16

crimes. But silence comes

35:18

at a price. Jurors penalize

35:20

defendants who fail to testify

35:23

by inferring guilt from

35:25

silence. Unfortunately for

35:27

Barbara, they also penalize defendants

35:29

who constantly change their

35:31

story. On

35:35

September 1st, Barbara batted her

35:37

lashes at the jurors and claimed that it

35:39

was all coming back to her. On

35:42

the night of March 9th,

35:44

1953, she'd been at home with

35:46

her now estranged husband, Henry. They were

35:48

having the biggest fight of their relationship.

35:51

There was screaming, there was crying, and

35:53

there was even some hitting. Henry

35:56

left the apartment that same night and

35:58

the two never recognized him. reconciled. Barbara

36:01

was left caring for their one-year-old

36:03

son, but with no consistent income

36:05

of her own, Barbara turned to

36:07

the only other person who ever

36:09

was there for her,

36:11

her boss and friend,

36:13

45-year-old Emmett Perkins. According

36:16

to Barbara, she went over to

36:18

Emmett's the next day. He was

36:20

with 48-year-old John Santo at the

36:22

time, and together the trio hopped

36:24

around town until they eventually made

36:26

their way to the auto shop

36:29

in Linwood. Barbara felt

36:31

this was no place for her one-year-old, so

36:33

she dropped him off at her mother-in-laws and

36:35

came back to settle in at the shop,

36:37

and that's where she stayed until

36:39

May 4th when the authorities tracked

36:42

her down. In court,

36:44

Barbara said that she understood things didn't

36:46

look good, but she insisted

36:49

she was completely innocent. To

36:54

support these claims, Barbara's estranged husband

36:56

was called to the stand, and

36:58

while Henry agreed to speak for

37:01

the defense, the exes clearly didn't

37:03

get their stories straight. Because

37:05

at first, Henry testified that he'd left their home

37:07

on the 7th or 8th, and not the

37:10

night of the 9th. Henry

37:12

eventually got it together and corrected

37:15

himself, but it was too late.

37:17

The jurors didn't believe a word he

37:19

said. They also didn't believe either

37:21

of Santo and Emmett's alibis. The

37:24

cops had trapped them in a similar

37:26

sting to the one that ensnared Barbara.

37:29

Underhanded tricks aside, I want to

37:31

point out that when it came

37:33

to closing statements, the prosecutor told

37:35

jurors to take John True's testimony,

37:37

quote, with caution. As

37:40

he was an accomplice who'd been granted

37:42

full immunity, he had a lot of

37:44

incentive to point the finger at the

37:46

others. Despite this, it

37:48

only took jurors seven hours to

37:50

reach a verdict. All

37:52

three defendants were found guilty

37:55

of first-degree murder. Given

37:58

all that happened in this sensational trial, I'm not going to let you go. It's

38:00

hard to blame any of the jurors for

38:02

this decision. But the thing

38:04

is, while all three looked really

38:07

guilty, it's important to remember that

38:09

there was no conclusive evidence that

38:11

ever linked John Santo, Emmett Perkins,

38:14

or Barbara Graham to Mabel Monahan's

38:16

murder. In today's judicial

38:18

system, it's possible that the trio

38:20

would have either gotten off scot-free

38:22

or sentenced to some time behind

38:24

bars. But again, this was 1953,

38:26

so they were all sentenced to death. And

38:33

just like that, Bloody Babs Graham

38:36

had a date with the

38:38

gas chamber. Check

38:55

us out on Instagram at Serial

38:58

Killers Podcast. Next week

39:00

we'll go back in time and learn

39:02

about her difficult upbringing and detail the

39:04

controversial end to the saga. For

39:07

more information on Barbara Graham, amongst the

39:09

many sources we used, we found

39:11

Proof of Guilt by Kathleen A.

39:13

Carnes, extremely helpful to our research. Stay

39:16

safe out there. Serial

39:19

Killers is a Spotify podcast. This

39:21

episode was written by Jane O.

39:24

with writing assistance by Joel Callan,

39:26

fact-checked by Bennett Logan, researched by

39:29

Mickey Taylor and Chelsea Wood, and

39:31

sound-designed by Juan Borde, with production

39:33

assistance by Joshua Kern. Our

39:36

head of programming is Julian Borro. Our

39:38

head of production is Nick Johnson, and

39:40

Spencer Howard is our post-production supervisor.

39:42

I'm your host, Vanessa Richardson.