Marilyn Reese Sheppard

Marilyn Reese Sheppard was murdered on July 4, 1954 in her home in Bay Village, Ohio. Marilyn was pregnant at the time of her murder Marilyn’s husband, Sam Sheppard, claimed that his wife had been killed by a man with bushy hair who had also attacked him and rendered him unconscious twice. While this attack took place Marilyn and Sam’s son slept without awaking in his bedroom located just down the hallway. In the fall of 1954 Sam Sheppard was tried for the murder of his wife. The trial received much press publicity and was frequently compared to a carnival for the amount of attention and press coverage it received. The media was convinced that Sam had murdered his wife and so too was the jury. Sam was found guilty and went on to serve ten years in prison before he was granted a writ of habeas corpus on July 15, 1964. It was found that Sheppard had been denied due process in his trial and he was released from prison. A new trial for Sam was begun with his arraignment on September 8, 1966. Sam pleaded not guilty and on November 16th of the same year a not guilty verdict was reached.

Sam would be the inspiration for the film “The Fugitive” and would go on to a career as a professional wrestler. During this brief wrestling career, Sam Sheppard would go by the name “The Killer.” Many people believe that Sam really did kill his wife, but whether he did or not the case of the murder of Marilyn Reese Sheppard remains unsolved.