In 1985 Katie Eastburn and two of her daughters were brutally murdered while her husband was away. It would take over 20 years and three trials before their killer would be brought to justice. For current Fan Club membership options and policies, please visit https://crimejunkieapp.com/library/. Sources for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/murdered-the-eastburn-family/
The hosts recommend checking the fan club page before submitting an episode suggestion and highlight the case suggestion form found under the resources tab. They also mention that fan club members receive bonus episodes.
In this transcript excerpt, details of the Eastburn Family murders are retold, revealing the actions taken by the first responder and possible theories behind the crime.
The physical evidence found in and around Mrs. Eastburn's house, the account of the man named Patrick, and the matching description of Tim Hennis' car led to suspicion of Tim Hennis in the murder case.
The Tim Hennis case, which took place before the widespread use of DNA technology, relied on hair, blood type, and fingerprint comparisons as evidence in the trial, leading to a guilty verdict and death sentence for Hennis.
The use of bloodstain forensics in criminal cases has come into question, as dry cleaners claim that their ordinary cleaning methods aren't enough to remove the evidence and some experts believe the evidence can be overblown to convince juries of guilt.
This podcast episode tells the story of Tim Hennis and the Eastburn family murders, and how Hennis was wrongly convicted and then ultimately proven innocent through DNA evidence. It also discusses the issues with the lab in North Carolina that withheld or distorted evidence to secure convictions.
The town where a woman and her two daughters were brutally murdered has a history of another similar case 15 years before. The idea of these brutal murderers not thinking like us is discussed.
We try to make connections and find patterns in true crime to make sense of it within the framework of our own lives, but sometimes, an unexpected twist can tarnish the entire case and muddy the waters of understanding. Mr. X's postcard in a case of family murder leaves people wondering if there is a pattern of similar crimes.