4. A Crime of Passion?

Police and family members have long speculated that whoever killed Mary Petry and Bill Sproat may have known them. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, and the brutal nature of the killings indicates an emotional component. But Mary and Bill had no apparent enemies. An unexpected tip came in the mid-2000s, saying a religious figure in Mary's life wanted to punish her for considering pre-marital sex – a theory that Mary’s sister finds bizarre. Several retired police officers share their perspectives on the case, including submitting DNA evidence for matching in a state database.

Om Podcasten

In 1970, Mary Petry and Bill Sproat, two university students in love, were murdered in a Columbus, Ohio apartment. The crime was so brutal it drew comparisons to the Manson murders of the previous year. The case has never been solved. Host/Producer Justin Glanville and the sisters of the two victims track down friends, witnesses to the original investigation and the Columbus police to understand why the case remains unsolved, despite the existence of solid DNA evidence and the fact that police say they have a person of interest. Along the way, the three explore who really owns DNA collected at crime scenes – families or police? – and what it takes to bring new attention to a 53-year-old cold case in an era when police departments are struggling to attract new recruits.