April 1, 2024

Terrifying & True | The Mary Morris Murders: A Chilling Tale of Coincidence and Mystery

Terrifying & True | The Mary Morris Murders: A Chilling Tale of Coincidence and Mystery
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Spreaker podcast player badge
Audible podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconSpreaker podcast player iconAudible podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon

Explore the haunting Mary Morris murders, a bewildering tale of coincidences and unsolved mystery that continues to captivate and terrify people even today.

We are telling that story tonight, on Terrifying & True

Support us on Patreon http://patreon.com/IncrediblyHandsome

Contact Us/Submit a Story
twitter.com/WeeklySpooky
facebook.com/WeeklySpooky
WeeklySpooky@gmail.com

Original Theme by Ray Mattis

Music by AudioBlocks

Produced by Daniel Wilder

Executive Producers Rob Fields & Mark Shields

Find everything at:
WeeklySpooky.com

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:09.800
On one unsuspecting day in Houston,
Texas, two women, both named Mary,

2
00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:17.760
are killed in very similar ways.
Could it be a bizarre coincidence or

3
00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:28.399
is something darker afoot Theories abound,
so let's dive deep into this mystery.

4
00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:37.000
What you were about to beat is
spur to you. Based on witness accounts,

5
00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:54.840
testimonies, and public record, this
is terrifying and true, a haunting

6
00:00:55.039 --> 00:01:00.719
story that would confound authorities and captivate
true crime fans for years, unfolded against

7
00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:07.120
the spooky background of Houston, Texas
in the middle of October two thousand.

8
00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:11.120
This is the story of the Mary
Morris Murders, a series of events so

9
00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:15.560
peculiar and frightful that it's hard to
believe they're not the product of a dark,

10
00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:22.560
twisted novel. But alas, every
detail is true, and it remains

11
00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:29.079
one of the most fascinating and mysterious
double homicides in American history. This story

12
00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:34.480
is not an April Fool's joke,
even if we're publishing it on April Fool's

13
00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:38.200
Day. So get comfortable and make
sure you're subscribed as we dive into the

14
00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:57.560
Mary Morris murders. Right after these
quick words, a day like any other

15
00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:01.959
transformed into a chilling mystery in the
heart of Houston, Texas. Mary Lou

16
00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:07.640
Morris forty eight, a beloved loan
officer at Chase Bank, was the epitome

17
00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:12.639
of kindness and warmth. Her life
intertwined deeply with her husband, Jay's,

18
00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:17.439
and was a beacon of happiness in
the rushing stream of everyday existence. Their

19
00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:23.439
routine morning good bye exchanged on October
twelfth, two thousand, was filled with

20
00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:29.840
the usual affection, Yet fate had
a grim twist in store. As hours

21
00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:35.080
ticked by, the silence from Mary
Lou's end grew profoundly unsettling. Known for

22
00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:38.840
her prompt replies and warm conversations,
her absence from the other end of the

23
00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:45.520
line became a growing concern for Jay. His attempts to reach out to her

24
00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:52.439
were met only with the void,
a silent echo chamber with dusk painting Houston

25
00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:57.919
in shades of worries and whispers.
Jay's uneasy gut feeling turned into alarm.

26
00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:02.560
His call to her bon loss brought
a revelation that turned his fear into a

27
00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:08.000
stark reality. Mary Lou hadn't made
it to work that day, and no

28
00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:15.319
one knew her whereabouts. Faced with
the unnerving truth and a heart heavy with

29
00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:23.400
apprehension, Jay reported Mary Lou missing. Little could anyone have imagined that this

30
00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:29.680
was just the beginning of an enigma
destined to haunt Houston's memory, turning an

31
00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:38.680
ordinary day into a perplexing mystery that
would echo through time. Just as Jay's

32
00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:44.520
conversation with the police was unfolding,
a chilling event was taking place uncomfortably close

33
00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:49.719
to their home. A bystander,
nondescript and merely engrossed in his usual highway

34
00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:54.680
drive, stumbled upon a disconcerting sight. There, quietly tucked by the side

35
00:03:54.719 --> 00:04:00.680
of the road was a car ominously
emitting smoke, a mere stone's throw away

36
00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:05.560
from the cozy abode that Mary Lou
and Jay had shared, less than three

37
00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:12.159
miles away, to be exact.
In an uncanny coincidence, that very same

38
00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:15.959
morning, another observant individual had reported
a puff of smoke in the exact same

39
00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:21.560
area. The fire department, thinking
it was simply some controlled burn a heap

40
00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:27.879
of leaves or scrap being incinerated by
a homeowner, perhaps chose not to investigate.

41
00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:33.120
The scene that greeted the policeman was
a grim tableau of horror. There

42
00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:38.759
in the charred remains of the car. In the driver's seat was what used

43
00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:45.360
to be a human form, so
severely burned and drenched in gasolene that it

44
00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:49.720
was impossible to identify the person.
Amidst the shocking scene, a lone tooth

45
00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:58.120
was discovered. Upon examination, it
confirmed the form to be that of Mary

46
00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:03.240
Lou. Sadly, the extent of
damage by the fire obliterated any trace of

47
00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:10.439
what might have caused her untimely demise. Despite the hellish scene, there were

48
00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:15.839
items of value that remained untouched within
the car. Oddly enough, only two

49
00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:23.319
objects appeared to be missing. Mary
lose everyday companion, her purse, and

50
00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:30.040
something of sentimental value, her wedding
ring. Mary Lou's tragic end sent shockwaves

51
00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.279
through the hearts of everyone who had
the privilege of her acquaintance. She was,

52
00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:39.800
in their hearts, the most kind
person they knew, someone who showered

53
00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:46.680
generosity like every day was a celebration. Unable to comprehend this horrifying twist of

54
00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:51.759
fate, they were left questioning why
would anyone intend to harm such a kind

55
00:05:51.800 --> 00:06:00.439
hearted soul? The thought was inconceivably
puzzling. Just when the city of Houston

56
00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:03.759
thought it was reeling from a mystery
it couldn't unravel. A single phone call

57
00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:10.120
to the Houston Chronicle added an eerie
twist to the tale of Mary Lou's tragic

58
00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:14.560
ending. The voice on the other
end of the line dropped a chilling comment

59
00:06:15.240 --> 00:06:20.879
claiming the papers had mixed up the
story of Mary Morris. This cryptic message

60
00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:27.920
left more questions than answers swirling in
a cloud of confusion until another name surfaced,

61
00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:32.720
deepening the mystery that much more.
Three days after that unsettling call,

62
00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:38.839
the focus shifted to Mary McGinnis Morris, a thirty nine year old who shared

63
00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:44.279
more than just a city in a
last name with Mary Lou. Mary McGinnis

64
00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:47.360
was carving out her path in life, thriving in her career as a nurse

65
00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:54.439
practitioner and holding a significant position in
a major industrial corporation's health clinics. With

66
00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:58.000
her husband, Mike by her side
and a daughter who completed their family,

67
00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:03.560
her life in Houston seemed to paint
the picture of success and fulfillment. Mary

68
00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:09.000
McGinnis was known for her warm,
approachable demeanor. She had a knack for

69
00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:15.439
making connections with her colleagues, effortlessly
weaving friendships at her workplace. Despite the

70
00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:20.480
harmony, there was a note of
discord one individual with whom she did not

71
00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:30.040
see I to I. The juxtaposition
of these two Marys, their sudden tragic

72
00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:35.199
ends, and the cryptic phone call
wrap up into a haunting tale of coincidence

73
00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:43.000
and confusion, marking a chapter in
Houston's history that both captivates and confounds to

74
00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:47.759
this very day. In the days
leading up to the unimaginable tragedy, Mary

75
00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:54.279
McGinnis Morris, a dedicated nurse practitioner, found herself engulfed in an unsettling situation

76
00:07:54.839 --> 00:08:00.439
at her workplace. Among her new
team members, Dwayne Young stood out not

77
00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:05.439
for his skills or dedication, but
for the unease he sparked in Mary.

78
00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:13.000
Her instincts screamed caution. Something about
Dwayne didn't sit right with her, a

79
00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:18.600
feeling so intense that she confided in
her close friend Lorie Gemmel about her fears.

80
00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:22.839
Mary was convinced that Dwayne wasn't just
a source of discomfort, but a

81
00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:30.759
potential threat to her safety. The
tension escalated when Mary discovered her workplace violated,

82
00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:35.159
her personal belongings, disarrayed, her
pictures turned away as if to erase

83
00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:45.240
her presence and a chilling note that
read death. To her, it was

84
00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:50.240
more than an unsettling prank, it
was a declaration of malice, and Mary

85
00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:56.279
was certain Dwayne was behind it.
This incident pushed her to a decision.

86
00:08:56.360 --> 00:09:00.720
Driven by fear for her life,
She asked her husband, Mike, to

87
00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:05.279
teach her how to use a gun, a weapon she intended to keep in

88
00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:11.879
her car for personal protection. Complying
with her request, Mike placed a gun

89
00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:16.399
legally purchased in his name under the
driver's seat of her car, hoping it

90
00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:22.360
would never need to be used.
On the ill fated day of October sixteen,

91
00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:26.320
two thousand, Laurie visited Mary at
her clinic for a routine flu shot.

92
00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:31.399
Unaware it would be the last time
she'd see her friend. In a

93
00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:35.639
setting of normalcy, Mary shared her
plans for the day with Lourie, finishing

94
00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:41.240
work, running errands, and then
heading home to prepare dinner, a simple

95
00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:46.799
narrative for an ordinary day. However, later, at a drug store and

96
00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:52.679
unnerved, Mary phoned Laurie, her
voice tinged with panic. She mentioned feeling

97
00:09:52.480 --> 00:10:00.759
watched and harassed by the presence of
someone lurking nearby. Deciding againinst lingering.

98
00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:05.200
She aimed to quickly return to her
office, shut down her computer, and

99
00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:09.600
rush to the safety of her home, but Mary never made it home.

100
00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:16.759
Just twelve minutes after their conversation,
a horrifying emergency call was placed to the

101
00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:22.159
police, a call so profoundly disturbing
that its contents were sealed away from the

102
00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:28.080
public, capturing the desperate final moments
of Mary McGinnis as she was viciously attacked.

103
00:10:30.440 --> 00:10:35.080
Mary's life came to a tragic end
in her own car, a scene

104
00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:41.519
gruesomely staged to mimic a suicide.
Found beaten and with a fatal gunshot wound

105
00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:46.799
to her head, the grim reality
suggested a different tale. The weapon,

106
00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:52.679
previously hidden for protection under the driver's
seat, was now conspicuously placed on the

107
00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:58.720
passenger seat next to her, implicating
its use in the final act. It

108
00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:03.600
was confirmed as the gun Mike had
given her for safety turned into an instrument

109
00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:09.279
of her demise. The rumor mill
points to an error made by a hitman

110
00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:16.080
who was supposedly hired to kill one
but ended up killing them both. Mary

111
00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:20.120
lou, a woman with no known
conflicts, fell victim first, then Mary

112
00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:26.840
McGinnis, going through a troubled marriage
with her husband Mike was murdered. Mike

113
00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:30.360
was at a movie with their daughter
when his wife was killed. However,

114
00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:33.480
his refusal to take a polygraph test
and the fact that he stood to gain

115
00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:39.639
seven hundred thousand dollars from her life
insurance did raise eyebrows. It is important

116
00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:46.799
to mention that polygraph tests are often
inconsistent, inaccurate, and most importantly,

117
00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:52.720
inadmissible in court. Suspicion grew when
Mike made a four minute call to his

118
00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:58.559
wife post her panic call to the
police. He claimed the call went unanswered.

119
00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:03.000
Also, Mary mcg guinness's missing wedding
ring, found on Mike's daughter's finger,

120
00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:09.759
further supported the hit man theory.
Dwayne Young, Mary McGinnis's former coworker,

121
00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:13.440
who left his job in the midst
of these happenings, is also a

122
00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:18.720
person of interest in the case.
Though he denies any involvement, Whispers of

123
00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:24.960
his possible role in the tragic end
of the two Marys continued. Half a

124
00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:28.159
year had gone by since the dark
cloud of the murders had settled over Houston,

125
00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:35.120
when an unexpected twist stumbled into the
life of Jay Mary Low's grieving husband.

126
00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:41.919
Amid the morning and chaos, a
phone bill arrived an astonishing charge of

127
00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:46.759
two thousand dollars linked to Mary Lou's
phone card. This clue set the wheels

128
00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:52.000
of the investigation in motion, leading
the police to a sixteen year old girl

129
00:12:52.600 --> 00:12:58.759
in Galveston, Texas. This teenager
shared a curious story the phone card was

130
00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:05.799
a gift from her neighbor. The
authorities, pressing this neighbor for answers uncovered

131
00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:11.279
another layer of the mystery. She
claimed to have stumbled upon a purse in

132
00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:16.480
a store's parking lot weeks earlier.
Inside various items and the contentious phone card

133
00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:22.320
lay tucked amidst the belongings. Yet, when this purse was shown to Marry

134
00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:28.039
Lou's family, they met it with
puzzled stairs, unable to recognize it as

135
00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:33.919
hers. But the peculiar events didn't
halt at the doorstep of the mysterious phone

136
00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:39.759
card. Jay's phone rang three times, each call rapping him tighter in the

137
00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:46.159
enigma. On the line was a
voice inquiring about Mary Lou. With a

138
00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:50.399
heavy heart and steadied voice, Jay
directed the caller toward the Harris County Sheriff's

139
00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:56.840
Department. The caller's brief response,
oh, yeah right, preceded the abrupt

140
00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:03.960
end of the call. Despite efforts, the police's attempts to trace the mysterious

141
00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:09.080
caller hit a dead end, leaving
more questions than answers in their wake.

142
00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:15.000
The police believe the two sad incidents
where both women named Mary Morris died are

143
00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:18.799
not linked. But if that's true, then the mystery of who harmed Mary

144
00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:26.200
lou is a question still waiting for
an answer. If these stories are indeed

145
00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:31.919
twisted together in fate, then all
eyes rest on two men, Mike Morris

146
00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:35.679
and Dwayne Young. Mike, who
was married to one of the women,

147
00:14:35.879 --> 00:14:39.759
and Dwayne, who worked with her, are like two key pieces of a

148
00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:43.879
puzzle and a much bigger picture,
muddied by doubt and half clues. Their

149
00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:50.039
connections to Mary McGinnis's life have put
them in the spotlight, the kind that

150
00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:56.240
casts long dark shadows. These shadows
stretch far, covering the truth in darkness.

151
00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:01.799
Even though the police haven't crossed out
Mike or Dwayne's names from their list

152
00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:05.799
of people they're looking at, they
haven't found enough evidence to bring everything to

153
00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:13.440
light. The memory of what happened
stays tucked away with no solid answers to

154
00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:18.759
tell us how or why Mary lou
and Mary McGinnis's lives ended so tragically.

155
00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:24.639
The simple truth that lies at the
heart of it all, the unanswered questions

156
00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:31.679
about the fates of these two women
named Mary hangs heavy and unfortunately there's no

157
00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:41.919
end to the mystery. In Sight, terrifying and true. As narrated by

158
00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:46.440
Enrique Kuto. It's executive produced by
Rob Fields and Mark Shields, produced by

159
00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:50.480
Daniel Wilder, with the original theme
music by Ray Maddis. If you have

160
00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:54.720
a story you'd like us to cover
on the program, send us an email

161
00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.639
at Weekly Spooky at gmail dot com. And if you want to support us

162
00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:02.919
in a very direct way, go
to Weeklyspooky dot com and click on Patreon.

163
00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:04.960
For as little as one dollar a
month, you can support us and

164
00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:10.639
allow us to keep the Spooky rolling
and rolling and rolling. And I want

165
00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:12.840
to say a big thank you to
our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who pay

166
00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:15.320
us a little bit more to hear
their names at the end of the show.

167
00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:21.279
And they are Johnny Nicks, John
Kaelin bobotopia dot com, Jenny Green,

168
00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:25.120
Brent McCullough, Karen Wee, met
Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen,

169
00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:27.600
Thank you all so much, and
we'll see you next time right here on

170
00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:33.000
Weekly Spooky and Terrifying and True