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E126: The Eight Day Bride
2.1k Plays4 years ago
Sometimes following our hearts can lead us down unexpected and scary paths. Hasty decisions and haphazard choices can also lead to those closest to us giving us sideways glances and whispering concern under their breath. And, sadly, sometimes, those decisions can lead to death.
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Transcript
Reflecting on Marriage and Challenges
00:00:00
Speaker
Recently, Anthony and I shared our six-year wedding anniversary. For me, saying I do to Anthony was the easiest decision I've ever made. In our six years, I have never had a single moment where I question marrying him. And we've had trials that many marriages couldn't survive. Deaths of close loved ones, financial burdens like student loan payments, and struggling with infertility.
00:00:22
Speaker
But through all the ups and downs of marriage, we've only grown closer to each other. I know that ours isn't the same as many married couples. We're more the exception it seems in the rule. In fact, there's a widespread rumor that nearly 50% of marriages in the US end in divorce. While that actually isn't true, according to insider, the divorce rate in the United States is actually going down.
00:00:43
Speaker
It hit a peak of about 41 percent for people who married 35 years ago, and it's falling ever since. In 2019, there were 16.3 new marriages for every 1,000 women age 15 and over in the United States, down from 17.6 in 2009. At the same time, the US divorce rate fell from 9.7 new divorces per 1,000 women age 15 and over in 2009 to 7.6 in 2019.
Growing Up in the Bible Belt
00:01:11
Speaker
Growing up in the Bible Belt has its advantages. There's no short supply of vacation Bible schools to attend when summer gets boring. There's a fill of community that comes from growing up in the Bible Belt. In fact, it is out of the norm to leave, quote unquote, home once you're an adult. While there are quirks about this lifestyle, the Southern Christian household of the Bible Belt is known for hospitality and traditional ways of life. And traveling outside of the area and exploring new ideas
00:01:39
Speaker
can be rewarding, but you'll always feel better when you come back to where you feel like you belong. But growing up in the Bible Belt has its hardships too. For many of us, at one point or another, we deal with the judgment felt at the hands of our neighbors for choices we had to make for the betterment of our own lives.
00:01:56
Speaker
Few people know this about me, but I was engaged before I started dating Anthony. And when I finally realized that I needed out, it was a hard decision for me to make. Not because I wasn't sure about my feelings, but because I knew the looks I'd get from the people in the grocery store, the people at the post office, and just about everyone in my tiny community.
Ending a Long-term Relationship
00:02:13
Speaker
I've been dating and or engaged to this man for about seven years, and people were expecting us to get married. They weren't expecting us to break up.
00:02:21
Speaker
Thankfully, I followed my heart and ended up in a much healthier and much happier relationship. But sometimes, following our hearts can lead us down unexpected and scary paths. Hasty decisions and haphazard choices can also lead to those closest to us giving us sideways glances and whispering concern under their breath. And sometimes those decisions can lead to death.
Introducing 'The Eight Day Bride' Mystery
00:02:43
Speaker
This is the story of the eight day bride.
00:03:20
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:03:29
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families with each case. We encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, coffee and cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee and listen to what's brewing this week.
Listener Support and Feedback
00:03:57
Speaker
Okay. So,
00:03:59
Speaker
Before we jump into today's story, I just wanted to take a second to thank all of you who cheered Allison and I up on a particularly dreary and rainy Kentucky day a few weeks ago. We appreciate it. Yes, I did that. More than you know.
00:04:22
Speaker
Yeah. And we appreciate those of you who have been a long time listeners. We appreciate those of you who are new to this crazy crew of ours. See and see fam. Yes. See partners in crime. Love it. And we really couldn't do it without you. It's hard pouring so much of our time and self into these episodes each week and seeing negative reviews because we take, okay,
00:04:49
Speaker
We don't like the negative reviews anyways, because we just have tender hearts and they're heartbreaking and they're very hard for us to move past.
00:04:58
Speaker
When it's a negative review because we take time at the beginning of each episode to thank listeners, that made us really sad. Yes, that was the only complaint is that we took too long to get into the episode, but all we were doing was thanking you guys. And I will not stop doing that. No, because the simple solution for those that don't want to hear would be to press the fast forward button. Exactly.
00:05:25
Speaker
I mean, I listened to a case podcast over this case and fast forwarded through the stuff that I didn't want to listen to. So we're going to continue with Patreon shout outs. You don't want to listen. You can fast forward through any advertisement. My feelings will not be heard about that. I won't know. Right.
00:05:46
Speaker
And it isn't hard but for those of you that make our day brighter by just being you we really do thank you. So if you don't want to listen to 30 seconds of praise for our listeners now is your time to skip ahead a little bit.
00:05:59
Speaker
That's right. Yes, because I want to say special thank yous to everyone who brightened our day, especially Jessica Strickland, who posted a picture with her best friend Anna, and there are coffee and cases candles. We appreciate that love that you showed for us and the support because that's what helps gain more listeners to potentially solve some of our cases.
00:06:27
Speaker
Yes. And on Saturday, we also had such a sweet review from one listener. They said, quote, most people look forward to Friday morning because it's the last day of the work week. Amen.
00:06:38
Speaker
But I look forward to Thursday morning just as much because of this podcast.
The Mysterious Case of Christina Kettlewell
00:06:42
Speaker
I work in health care and some days it's really hard to be excited to go to work. But every Thursday I have coffee and cases to listen to on my drive in and that's enough to get me excited to hop in the car and head to the hospital. Two of the best storytellers in the true crime world. Seriously, look at that. Listen to that. That's what made my day.
00:07:04
Speaker
And I'm going to add one more here because I love the awesomeness of these reviews. We love hearing from you. And this is a cheer up session that Maggie and I need. We got another one from Monday of this week.
00:07:22
Speaker
That said, I have not stopped listening since I found the Coffee and Cases podcast. In my car, while I'm working, while I'm cleaning, I love listening to these ladies tell a story. Each story is a little-known case instead of a well-known one. I have skipped listening to other podcasts that have come out with new episodes because I get wrapped up in how these stories have been told. Thank you.
00:07:47
Speaker
I just love all of you guys So if you want to hear your review read on the show if you want to hear your name read aloud on the show Write us a review Join our patreon. We got some bonus episodes over there there fill out the shout-out form You're in Yeah, just like that Okay, so we're gonna get into today's episode and um, it's
00:08:14
Speaker
a little bit strange in a few ways. Well, the title's intriguing. I know. I actually had intentions on doing another case, but I really felt like I needed a bit more research for that case. So I actually kind of paused it and started researching the case I'm doing today. It is one of the strangest in a sense that I have done.
00:08:43
Speaker
It's not strange like the watcher or like the the letter one. What was that the circleville letters? Oh, yeah, it's not that strange But there is really little to go on yet at the same time I feel like so much left unexplained. So I'm anxious for you all to hear the story. Well, we're anxious to hear it and
00:09:09
Speaker
At first glance, it seemed that all was it should be for Christina Kettlewell, spring of 1947. So long time ago was holding all the promises any 22 year old girl could ask for. Christina was in love with this guy named John Ray Kettlewell or Jack as he was known. And on May 12th, the two eloped after
00:09:35
Speaker
I don't know if they were together for three years or if they just knew each other for three years, but they've known each other for three years and they elope. I read it was actually after a mysterious two weeks disappearance from her house. Literally only in one article did I read that and that is how briefly it mentioned it.
00:09:59
Speaker
So that seems like it should be significant. I think so too. And especially when we get into some of the things that happen, I feel like it could have been pretty significant in this case, but it really wasn't talked about a lot in the research that I read.
00:10:15
Speaker
And Allison, you know, three years is a pretty good amount of time for a couple to be together and or know each other before getting married. Though 22 is still young. I know many people get married that young and make it for forever.
00:10:32
Speaker
But I don't feel like 22 was young by marital standards in 1947. No, no, probably not. She was probably like pushing the old maid status at 22. She's like, clock's ticking. Yeah, she was carrying down on her knee. But they felt they knew each other well. So there really shouldn't be any surprises. Right. Does not the fact
00:10:58
Speaker
that Christina and Jack had known each other for those three years. Her family actually was very opposed to their marriage, which probably played into the reason that they eloped. I didn't read exactly what they didn't like about the idea of them being married, but I did read
00:11:19
Speaker
a couple factors that could have played into that. One was likely because Christina's father was a Polish immigrant and he was initially opposed to the marriage because Jack was not a Roman Catholic. Okay. But Jack would convert and the couple's elopement
00:11:43
Speaker
was still unsettling for Christina's family who couldn't understand another factor. So the first factor is, despite the fact he converts, he's really not a devout Roman Catholic. The second is this looming presence of the best friend of Jack, whose name is Ronald Berry. Is he just like third wheel? Oh.
00:12:10
Speaker
Maybe. We'll talk about him. Ronald came to Canada from northern Italy and tried to establish himself in a couple different businesses with little to no success. I think I listened to something that said he was actually like a ballroom dancer. Oh, so fancy. But Christina's family believed that there might be
00:12:39
Speaker
more going on they thought perhaps Ronald Berry was another man in the picture oh so like love triangle not third wheel yes and Jack's friend Ronald was known to lavish attention on Christina and some said that attention was reciprocated
00:13:04
Speaker
In an article I read, but I think we can explain that though, because in an article I read called What Happened to Toronto's Eight-Day Bride, it said, this is a quote from Christina sister Helen, quote, when Jack and Christina got married, we thought it was very strange that Barry Ronald went along on the honeymoon. We'll get there. We'll get there. That's what made us wonder if Ronnie was in love with Chris, end quote.
00:13:33
Speaker
I will say that sounds kind of kind of odd. Did you go bring somebody else on the honeymoon? Yeah, but okay, I will say I listened to BuzzFeed and solved.
00:13:50
Speaker
I don't know what's going on in this world that these people have their TV, a TV show and we do not. But I do want to add that the hosts of that show had another interesting theory about Ronald. They joked and hinted that Ronald and Jack were actually the ones with the shared affection, not Ronald and Christina. And that comes up a little bit later. So if Ronald and Jack
00:14:19
Speaker
were the other part of this left triangle, then I think it would make sense that Ronald would lavish Christina with attention. I think it, you know what I mean? I don't think it was romantic attention, but more like best friend attention. But regardless of the objection.
00:14:39
Speaker
Ronald's getting all the love. Yeah, he is. He's like a unicorn or something. Regardless of objections, the two lovers followed through with their lopeman and left for their honeymoon. So after the marriage, the couple spent the next few days in an apartment in Toronto, because we're in Canada again. Before departing for a call,
00:15:06
Speaker
Cottage, not a college. They did not go to college. They went to a cottage that Ronald owned in Severn Falls. Strangely, Ronald did join the couple for the entirety of their honeymoon. Okay. And now it makes it even more weird that I know what's in a cottage. Okay. He owns it. I get it. Probably could have multiple bedrooms, but at least if they went together, you know, to say,
00:15:36
Speaker
Florida they could have different hotel rooms or even if you like it Yeah different rooms or if he was like I'll drive you up there because it's my cabin here it is Here's how you turn on the water. Here's the fire for making it like, you know now I'm leaving by that would be a little bit different but he stays the whole time and according to Toronto Star Christina and Jack
00:15:59
Speaker
Seemed fine with it and they just kind of rolled with it But that is true each their own Yeah, like while I love you and I love Rodney I don't think that I would love you guys enough to invite you along on my honeymoon and I don't think you would love me enough to let me play third wheel on your Like it's just a little strange
00:16:23
Speaker
But it was totally normal in this circumstance and for a while on their honeymoon things do appear to be this quote unquote Normal or this weird version of normal now. Let me ask you this to this cabin how Remote is this cabin is it like a
00:16:45
Speaker
way back up in the woods where there's not really running water. Is there a town nearby? This is like... This isn't really my idea of a honeymoon either. But that's just me and I realize that's my personal preference.
00:17:01
Speaker
No. We were talking today in class, we read, we're on non-fiction, so we read a story about grizzly bears that attacked these people in Glacier National Park. And these 14-year-olds were camping in Glacier National Park alone. And I was like, how many of you would go camping in an area like this without an adult? And about 50% of each class raised their hand. I was like, y'all are crazy.
00:17:23
Speaker
No, but this is like very on golden pond if you've seen that movie you have to Access the cabins with a boat like you leave town on a boat to get to this cabin To get to to Ronnie's cabin for the yeah. Yeah Wow Okay. Yeah, so it's not like Allen virtual gives me Yeah
00:17:48
Speaker
So, you know, things are normal-ish, but according to several sources, including BuzzFeed, Medium, and The Grudge, Christina started to act out of character. At times, she would seem to be overly emotional. At other times, she would appear to be disoriented. And there were even reports that Christina had confided in Ronald that she felt uncertain in her marriage to Jack, almost like she felt Jack actually didn't love her.
00:18:17
Speaker
So there's some doubt creeping in early in the marriage. And I will say, no matter how we want to view the love triangle, you could understand those feelings either way. Yeah. Because if she feels like this is my honeymoon and I just said that really weird. I said honeymoon instead of honeymoon. Honeymoon. If this is my honeymoon and my husband is now paying more attention to
00:18:44
Speaker
his best friend than he is to me, I'm going to be upset because I'm going to say this is a celebration of our vows, of our wedding. And if she's the one who's interested in a man who's not her new husband, then you also understand why she might be uncertain. Right. Yeah.
00:19:04
Speaker
That may have played a part in what happens next because on May 20th, 1947, Christina disappeared from the cottage in Severn Falls. And curiously, that very same day, Ronald's cottage mysteriously catches fire and burns to the ground. A total Brooklyn farthing.
00:19:25
Speaker
vibes. I know. Can this really be a coincidence? A missing person and a burnt cabin. And she disappears from a cabin where you're gonna have to take like a canoe to get to it or a boat. Yeah. No.
00:19:41
Speaker
No. Supposedly, Ronald was not at home at the time, but came back in time to see the cabin in flames. So he runs in because he's looking for his friends. He finds Jack sitting in the cabin with an apparent head injury. Like completely disoriented. OK. Let me express my confusion. Number one. Christina is gone, which I don't believe would happen.
00:20:11
Speaker
Well, I don't think they know that yet. Okay. Number two, do we find out how he got the head injury? Or is he just jazed and confused? Okay. And number three, how could Ronald have been that far away, whether he's collecting firewood or whatever, that he doesn't like smell the smoke or whatever and doesn't come back until the whole cabin is in a fiery blaze?
00:20:40
Speaker
You know, I don't think I read anywhere that stated where Ronald was at the time. Someone knows. Well, Ronald would know. Yes.
00:20:54
Speaker
He is brave though and pulls this dazed and confused Jack from the fiery blaze. I did read that Ronald went back in search for Christina but was unsuccessful in the search for her. He said that he searched over the area but couldn't find her anywhere near the cottage.
Uncovering Bizarre Details and Theories
00:21:14
Speaker
I didn't want to say college. Cottage.
00:21:18
Speaker
and he stands behind watches as the cabin burns to the ground in only about an hour. Okay so I mean I guess you don't have access to anything to put it out right so there's nothing right that you can do and I mean now I'm I'm feeling guilty for my accusations against Ronald because obviously he went in and saved his friend and it says he went in looking for Christina so I will hold my judgment
00:21:48
Speaker
That's not all he went back in for, but we'll wait. We'll wait. Oh, no. OK. So the cottage does burn down. I read in an article on Penn State's website called Case Number 4, The Mysterious Death of the Eight Day Bride. Ronald then takes Jack to a boat to go into Severn Falls to reach a car so that they can go into town. All without knowing where Christina is.
00:22:15
Speaker
Yes, because the plan is I need to get Jack to a hospital because this is something I can control right now. I can control getting him to the hospital. I have no idea where Christina is, but while I'm in town, I can tell the police that she's missing. Okay. So, you know, an okay plan. Okay. Yeah.
00:22:40
Speaker
Ronald then discovered that the situation was even more horrible than he originally thought because Christina's body would later be found by a man named Neville Sweet. What a freaking cool name. First off, you have a Harry Potter character named after you. Secondly, your last name is Sweet. It's like having
00:23:05
Speaker
the last name Youngblood and we worked with a lady whose maiden name was that. I would never have changed my last name. Anthony would have been Anthony Youngblood because that's the coolest last name. But he also owned a boathouse in the area and she was found by him in around nine inches of water and only 150 feet away from the burnt down cabin. That's not that far away. And when did she go there?
00:23:35
Speaker
Well, they're not sure when she got there, but she has no burn marks on her body. There were no signs of violence on her body. Nothing to indicate any of that. And the official autopsy report found traces of codeine in her stomach, but ruled her ultimate cause of death as drowning. In nine inches of water.
00:24:01
Speaker
which almost makes it sound purposeful. So I'm wondering if you're gonna discuss like suicide as one of the potential theories. We'll talk about it. Okay.
00:24:14
Speaker
because it's strange. Major Lawrence Scaredyfield who tried to help put out the fire at the cottage said he saw no signs of Christina's body in the area when he went to fetch water from the river to help put the flames out. And that was just a few hours early. So they do, and that was a, while we're talking about that,
00:24:37
Speaker
Like lapse I guess and timeline some people said it was hours before her body Was found some article said up to a few days hours to me makes no sense And I mean, okay, it's fair for this Individual to say well, I didn't see her body there when we were putting the flames out, but this is the woods so maybe he Missed it
00:25:05
Speaker
And who's to say he was on the path where her body was found? Maybe there's multiple ways to get down to the river. And I feel if your focus is on trying to save this cottage, even if there was a body 20 feet away from me, I'm running up and down and I may not see it. But Jack, Ronald, and 20 other people were interrogated. Where did they come from? No idea. Couldn't find anything else about these 20 other people.
00:25:34
Speaker
weren't interrogated. Yes. By the police and connection to this case. So that tells me that it either means the investigators had so much to go on that they knew the type of person they should be interviewing or they had absolutely nothing to go on and were interviewing anybody and everybody. And I'm just like probably the latter. Probably. Because that's a lot of people. That's a lot.
00:26:04
Speaker
And you're in a cabin that's in the middle of the woods. Right. Where'd these 20 people come from? Yeah. And how'd they get there? They all took boats. Right. I mean, I mean, it makes sense that Jack was interrogated and he was for only about three hours after he was released from the hospital. And while he was in the hospital, he was treated for burns, obviously. Shock makes sense. A head injury and a parent drugging.
00:26:35
Speaker
Yes. Obviously that had to happen somehow. Yes. And he claimed he didn't remember a single thing that happened that day after 11 a.m. So the day Christina disappears and is found dead. He doesn't remember anything after 11 o'clock in the morning. Hmm. Ronald, on the other hand, was questioned for a grueling 13 hours. Oh, that's way longer than Jack.
00:27:04
Speaker
Yeah. And if you're going to be doing something like that to me for 13 hours, you better build in a nap time for me. Give me some snacks and give me a lot of water because I'm going to get upset. That's a long time. And in that routine hours, he would go on to provide a 3000 word statement that the police would describe as quote fantastic.
00:27:33
Speaker
um what does that mean i feel like i hope i feel like teachers are the only people that use that when they're reading something i'm reading a paper by kid i'm like fantastic fantastic yeah i don't and like it's a sticker that says fantastic i don't see a police officer being like this was fantastic
00:27:55
Speaker
Also, a side note, 3,000 words. Do you know the average number of words on a single spaced page? Tell me, because I feel like you know. 500. So that's like six single spaced, 12 double spaced pages. Wow. That's wild. So he had a lot to say. He did. He had a lot to say and apparently it was fantastic.
00:28:28
Speaker
On June 19th, 1947, almost a month later, an inquest, which I think must be like a Canadian term, into Christina's death began. And during this whole process, we are, we witness a spectacle.
00:28:47
Speaker
Okay. The public packed not only the courtroom itself, but the ground surrounding the courthouse with some even approaching Jack and Ronald, the main two witnesses for autographs. For autographs? Yeah. That's weird. I mean, at this point, it does sound weird.
00:29:06
Speaker
but the two weren't on trial for murder. So it's not like people were going up to murderers asking for autographs. They were just, I believe, caught up in the sensationalism of this entire thing and wanted autographs of the two men that were involved. I still find it bizarre. I do too. And it had me wondering, like, is that a thing? Do people contact these
00:29:33
Speaker
I don't want to say famous, but I guess they are infamous. Yeah. Infamous. Like does someone, did someone contact Charles Manson asking for his autograph? I went and I Googled it and they do. Oh.
00:29:51
Speaker
in an article published in 2009 called Charles Manson's secret prison business. It says Charles Manson secretly runs an autograph of business out of his cell peddling his signature to sicko collectors of crime memorabilia and a new book claims in this book called five to die. That was published in August of 2009.
00:30:15
Speaker
A veteran journalist said that this homicidal cult leader has become one of the richest inmates in California correction system because he sells signed photographs and other mementos that he quietly smuggles out of prison. That's more disturbing than anything we've ever talked about, I think.
00:30:41
Speaker
And like things in this article that said he would smuggle out would be like pieces of his clothes.
Family Perspectives and Public Reaction
00:30:48
Speaker
And he fashioned these like little cloth scorpions out of his socks to sell. Yeah. Gross. And while some of them were confiscated by guards, a lot of them actually made it out.
00:31:01
Speaker
So, while that has nothing to do with this case, apparently asking convicted felons, or in this case, sketchy people for their autograph is completely a normal thing. It's totally fine. No, it's not normal, nor is it fine. Yeah, not totally fine. As I mentioned earlier, Ronald and Jack were not on trial for anything. This was simply a case to determine whether or not foul play had been involved in Christina's death, CP Hope,
00:31:27
Speaker
Well, let me just say, again, I kind of said that earlier. I get she had the codeine in her system, but she didn't have signs of any burns or violence. And she was found drowned, which is something that she could have done for herself. You know what I mean? Or to herself. So I get why they're questioning that.
00:31:53
Speaker
And there are two people with coding in their stomachs. Oh, that's right. Because both she and Jack have coding in their stomach. So the question is, who put it there? Well, there's only one person who doesn't have it in the stomach.
00:32:10
Speaker
C.P. Hope, the specialist crown counsel, which sounds so fancy at this inquest, zeroed in on Ronald's shady present from the outset of this inquest. Hope called him, quote, a liar of the most blatant kind whose sinister figure permeates the whole of this tragedy, but whose purpose and design are shrouded in mystery. End quote. Touche C.P. Hope. Yes.
00:32:40
Speaker
also beautifully worded. Yes. Fantastic. Yeah. You get a sticker that says fantastic. The jury, however, ultimately could not agree on whether foul play was the cause of her death despite the investigation that under covered
00:32:58
Speaker
many interesting bits of information. They stated, quote, due to the fact that the post-mortem examination disclosed coding in the stomach of the deceased and due to the suspicious fact that she was found drowned, this jury is unable to decide on the evidence given whether or not foul play means were employed in her death, end quote. I get it. A family, I mean, I'm sure the family would struggle with that, but I get why they made that decision.
00:33:26
Speaker
And I do feel like, like you said, from a personal standpoint, that hearing that would be devastating. I think from a logical standpoint, a justice system standpoint, I see why they had to come to that ruling because I feel this case really could go either way. I don't think you could say definitively.
00:33:51
Speaker
that it was homicide. So that means the case can't be pursued any further. It cleared Jack and Ronald as there was no evidence implicating either of them in Christina's death.
00:34:05
Speaker
But as I stated, many strange details of the lives of these three who had been staying at the cabin were revealed during all of these proceeds. One of the revelations that occurred included the fact that some believed Christina had been upset by this potentially
00:34:22
Speaker
air quotes, unnatural relationship between the two men. And we talked about this earlier. Right. Yeah. And while we won't make a big deal out of it, some publications that I watched and listened to did, this was a different time. So we can assume that this unnatural air quote relationship was 40 speech for the two men being in love. Right. That's how I took it. Yes.
00:34:49
Speaker
And according to an article called The Mysterious Death of the Eighth-Day Bride, quote, at one point, John even admitted to having an intimate relationship with his friend Ronald, but later claimed he was coerced to say this, end quote. Hmm. I'm curious who would have coerced him to say it and for what purpose? And I don't think you had to take a lot of push
00:35:15
Speaker
because he was only interviewed for three hours. Right. Versus 13. Yeah, it's not like a 13 hour interrogation where you're gonna eventually admit to anything just so you can leave. You were only there for three hours. Or you write a fantastic 3,000 word. Strangely, Alison, was that just before Jack and Christina's wedding, Ronald arranged for two life insurance policies
00:35:46
Speaker
granting 500 Canadian dollars if either Jack or Christina died. Okay okay I think that should have come up at trial. I think it did but I think they're saying it's still just not enough and apparently there was this clause that in that said um the beneficiary who obviously was Ronald was to receive twice the sum in case of accidental death of either person.
00:36:13
Speaker
Yes. And, you know, obviously Ron, let's name the beneficiary on two separate life insurance policies for Jack and Christine that were taken out, adjusted for today's inflation. I read that it would work out to be about $260,000. Hmm. Why, why would he take out life insurance policies? Did he have one on himself?
00:36:39
Speaker
or just his friends? Just his friends. And he also, he also got a, I guess, a homeowner's insurance policy on his cottage. That would be about $65,000 today. So just so happens that it's the two people, one of whom who is now dead, one of whom was almost as confused and a cottage that burned down.
00:37:09
Speaker
And those are the three things slash people he has insurance policies for.
00:37:15
Speaker
Yes. Yep. Another thing that perplexed the people involved in this investigation was the fact that Ronald was a quote-unquote leading figure in facilitating this elopement between Jack and Christina. Jack ended up, odd again, turning over his wartime gratuities to his friend because he was a veteran.
00:37:40
Speaker
He also, there was also a ring he borrowed from a married friend to propose to Christina with, but was never recovered after her death. And it would be worth about $13,000 in today's money. Yeah, she had a bougie ring. And that ring is gone. Yep. This case has so many twists and turns, lovers, life insurance policies, lost rings, and now we come to suicide notes.
00:38:10
Speaker
the cottage burnt down well we'll get there don't tell me that's what he went back inside for
00:38:18
Speaker
Yes. How would he know I was there if he wasn't there? That's what I said. And like what person? I mean, I don't know, but I feel like most people that write suicide notes are not going to be like, here Ronald, I'm hiding these under my mattress. Here is where I'm putting it. Yeah. Here's where I'm putting my suicide notes. Like I don't think you make that.
00:38:41
Speaker
No, I mean I don't know if he didn't get back until this cottage was in a fiery blaze and he went in Looking for
Media Coverage and Societal Impact
00:38:50
Speaker
his friend. He's not going to pull his friend Jack out go in looking for Christina and then be like, oh, you know what? I'm gonna risk my own again Yeah to see what that piece of paper was that I thought I saw through the smoke Right. Nope
00:39:09
Speaker
So let's talk about these letters. When on April 6th was Easter Sunday of that year, a suicide letter revealed that Christina had allegedly tried to kill herself by poisoning.
00:39:23
Speaker
Jack said his fiance was all that day, but what he did not know is that she had written a suicide letter addressed to Ronald detailing her uncertainty of receiving a proposal. According to this testimony, you want to know why I don't believe this before you even read it. If it's addressed to Ronald, but it's left in a place that's out in the open where the man she's writing it about could see it.
00:39:54
Speaker
That makes no sense. Like if she's writing this letter to Ronald about why she shouldn't have married Jack, why would she have left the letter? Well, I wonder if maybe she's just like one of those people that journal a lot. And so maybe she has these journals of these notes and Jack maybe just didn't think anything about checking to see what she was writing, maybe. But Ronald did when he went back in in the middle of a fiery blaze. Okay. Yep.
00:40:24
Speaker
But in this April 6th one, she says, quote, this will be the best way out as I cannot bear to see another girl have him. End quote. Now you mentioned it odd that Christina would write these and leave them. So maybe she didn't, maybe she didn't write them could be a guess that we would make. But a handwriting expert testified that the suicide notes were quote unquote, undoubtedly written by Christina. Could she have been
00:40:53
Speaker
coerced into writing them. You know that's a possibility I hadn't thought of. There's multiple ones though. According to the store at the end of April she made an attempt on both her life and Jack's as per the suicide notes quote, when you love someone you really love him and I know there's no one
Concluding Thoughts on the Case
00:41:15
Speaker
for me but Jack
00:41:16
Speaker
And if I cannot have him, I do not intend anyone else to. I waited, as you might say, in the hope that Jack would ask me to marry him, but now I realize I'm just a passing fantasy," end quote, that she wrote in another letter addressed to Ronald. What? But he does want her, because they're married. But does he though? Because I'm wondering if maybe their marriage was a cover up for his, quote unquote, alternative lifestyle.
00:41:47
Speaker
But then why would she be writing this to the other person? Does Jack agree that she made an attempt on his life? You know, again, so many unanswered questions in all this was one of those cases that there were lots of articles, but all of the articles seem to have come from one article and they were just reciting the information over and over again.
00:42:14
Speaker
And I'm wondering if maybe that article from the store meant that the murder, suicide was the cabin incident. I wonder if that's what they meant. Oh, they were talking about this event that we're talking about. Yeah, maybe not a separate event.
00:42:39
Speaker
The final letter was written the day before her death and strangely addressed to a Mrs. Thompson, who was the woman who owned a house where Christina and Jack briefly stayed. Okay. Bizarre. Yes. And Christina asks Ronald to mail the letter for her and in the letter she said, quote,
00:43:04
Speaker
Ronnie is in the boat outside somewhere. The note says, by the time he gets back, everything will be over with. He must have been afraid something would happen because he's staying an extra day to make sure we go back to Toronto with him. End quote. So she's writing this letter on her honeymoon. Why would she be telling some random person all of this?
00:43:33
Speaker
know her relationship with this Miss Thompson for Thomas or how long she they lived there so maybe a motherly figure I don't know why you would send your suicide letter to a random person but yeah so she says Ronnie's in the boat outside so maybe that's where he was when the cabin was set ablaze was mailing this letter it's almost as though this is written though like letting Ronnie off the hook like this is a you know
00:44:03
Speaker
Yeah. Ronnie was in the boat outside, so he can't possibly know what's going on in here. Right. I don't...
00:44:12
Speaker
Now, don't get me wrong. These notes, I think, add an entirely different twist to the story because like you said, are they true accounts of how she was feeling? Was she pressured into writing them? Like, I don't know. But we're obviously not alone in thinking that the fact that Ronald saves these suicide notes from a fire and
00:44:35
Speaker
Didn't let Jack know about Christina's disturbing behavior until it came up in this Inquest is weird. Yeah weird It's just strange because like you said the cottage is on fire. You save your best friend. I don't think you think to yourself Yep, I have to go back in I better save those suicide notes, right? I don't think you would be thinking about that. I don't think so either not at all. I
00:45:01
Speaker
I wonder if perhaps, like you said, Ronald knew these could either way he's pushing Christina to write them or she's written them on her own. I'm wondering if Ronald knew these letters could potentially save his neck when it came to this investigation. So that's why he's like the letters. Right. Okay, Alison, this is your favorite part. So I will delay no longer.
00:45:29
Speaker
But we're going to talk about three different theories with this case. I'm ready. So theory one is suicide and attempted murder. This theory is one I think we've all been thinking, especially since the suicide note bomb went off.
00:45:48
Speaker
right and here's what medium had to say quote the first theory suggests that christina had an undiagnosable mental illness and killed herself christina's numerous alleged suicide notes backed this end quote so we know that many letters were discovered during this inquiry following her death that pointed towards some type of undiagnosed illness even when they
00:46:14
Speaker
first got married and they're like she's really happy one minute she's confused one minute she's crying hysterically the next all hinted to me mental illness that's what i thought of when i first read that we know one of the letters was written to ronald just five weeks before her wedding and right before her engagement to jack and in those she talked about thoughts of poisoning herself and that quote this will be the best way out as i cannot bear the thoughts of another girl having him end quote
00:46:46
Speaker
Jack, of course, claimed to be entirely oblivious to such suicidal thoughts of his bride, but honestly, why would anyone say otherwise? We know another such note was written soon after the first that we talked about, but this one almost included a brief confession median would say, as to not just wanting to kill herself, but to kill Jack as well when she said to Ronald, quote, when you love someone, you really love him.
00:47:16
Speaker
And I know there's no one for me, but Jack, if I cannot have him, I don't intend anyone else to. As you might say, I've waited in the hope that Jack would ask me to marry him, but now I realize I was just a passing fancy." So they're almost saying she's confessing in these notes to him about this murder or suicide. Hmm.
00:47:42
Speaker
I don't know. I don't know if I'll go that far. And the last note, people argue to Christina's former, I guess, landlady, you could call her had been written just one day before she dies. And this one to me, I think holds the most incriminating thoughts because remember, this is the one that says, quote, Ronnie's in the boat outside somewhere by the time he gets back, everything will be over with. He may just be afraid something would happen because he's staying an extra day to make sure we go back to Toronto with him.
00:48:14
Speaker
And again, according to Medium, newspaper reports suggested that Christina might have been inside the cabin during the fire when Ronald got there. This stemmed from Ronald's earlier statement to police about returning to the cottage to find a disoriented Jack with blood on his face. And in this statement, he mentioned Christina being completely terrified with tears in her eyes.
00:48:40
Speaker
According to him, he carried Jack outside and 15 minutes later, smoke began coming out of the kitchen windows and he went back inside and couldn't find Christina or any weapons that could have caused Jack's injury. And this is completely drastically different.
00:48:56
Speaker
from any other account of the incident, including ones recorded by Ronald himself, who says he goes to get Jack, he's disoriented, he takes him outside, he goes back in to get the letters, comes back outside, the cabin burns down in an hour. Nowhere else did he say, I went inside. Oh, Christina was in there at first, and now she's not.
00:49:17
Speaker
Yeah, like I went inside Jack had blood all over his face Christina is in tears and I carry Jack outside because he's cannot move and Smoke starts coming out of my kitchen window. So I run back inside to get Christina I couldn't find her or any weapon that might have caused Jack's injury and lies and
00:49:39
Speaker
my perspective, you're not going to go in and start looking again in a fire for what could have caused what weapon could have caused my friend to feel disoriented. And I think it's strange that you would use the word weapon because
00:49:57
Speaker
There could have been a multitude of things that could have caused his injury. He could have fallen and hit his head. Yeah. A beam could have fell out of the ceiling and smacked him in the head. He could have fell going down the steps. I mean, I'm sure it's smoky in there. He could have ran into a door facing. I guess it's just weird that you would use the word weapon. Agreed. And it's weird you would tell two different stories, but
00:50:23
Speaker
Theory two would be foul play by either Jack and Ronald or just one or the other. Okay. So maybe they weren't so innocent. According to an article called the mysterious death of the eighth day bride, which I've talked about a lot because it seemed to have the most
00:50:43
Speaker
incredible information to me. The first bit of evidence that suggested the duo may have planned this is those series of insurance policies that were taken out before she dies. So we know that there were two separate life insurance policies, one taken out on Jack, one taken out on Christina. The sum now would be well over $260,000 US dollars. A lot of money. We know that Ronald strangely
00:51:13
Speaker
was the beneficiary on both of those policies. Which doesn't make sense. You list your spouse. Right. Not a random friend. Nope. Your mom, maybe, as the secondary person, but not your friend that you've only known for a few years. No. Ronald, we know, also took out that insurance policy on a cottage that would burn to the ground. And on that policy, Jack was the beneficiary.
00:51:42
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Hmm. It should be noted that Ronald had, you know, failed careers and multiple things, construction, insurance, to name a few. Well, obviously, he knows how to work the insurance system. Right, because he worked there and then took those up. Just luckily, if that's the right word, took those insurance policies out before his best friend's wife died and his best friend almost died.
00:52:10
Speaker
Additionally, the inquest revealed that Jack had given the war gratuity to Ronald. And from what I read, I almost feel like that was like VA pay here. It was like a payment to Canadian servicemen who were discharged. So I feel like similar to what the VA does. And that Jack had removed all of his family from his will for unknown reasons. There had to be a reason.
00:52:40
Speaker
Then we have Christina's ring. Oh right that's missing. Reports differ as to whether Ronald purchased the ring for Christina which I think is weird or if Jack borrowed it as I stated earlier from a friend but the price of the ring now would be around thirteen thousand dollars and has never been located.
00:53:05
Speaker
Jack's statement to the police after the fire was another fascinating exhibit entered into this inquiry on Christina's death in this statement. Jack stated that he and Ronald had been in an intimate relationship for some time but then in court claimed that he was coerced into making that statement as the police just wanted to build a story in their report is what he said.
00:53:28
Speaker
And the police commissioner did touch on this relationship in the report on Christina's case. And in it, he writes that the relationship between Jack and Ronald was quote, to put it mildly, to be unnatural, end quote. But there was no evidence to prove this relationship. Right. But many people suspected it. Hmm.
00:53:53
Speaker
In that same inquest, Crown Counsel C.P. Hope didn't believe that Jack was coerced into saying that and suggested that the two actually were lovers. And Jack finally agreed to this after Hope hammered him with questions, which I feel like is kind of coercion.
00:54:12
Speaker
The Toronto Star describes the questioning in an article that was posted on June 20th. Quote, when Kettlewell, meaning Jack, after vigorous questioning, agreed to Mr. Hope's repeated suggestion that he and Ronald were male lovers. The fantastic triangle of twisted and thwarted emotions took shape. End quote. Hmm. OK. I feel like that one points to it was Jack and Ronald together.
00:54:42
Speaker
The third one.
00:54:45
Speaker
I don't really, the third one I guess is a loose theory. I read this in an article that interviewed some of Jack's family and they believe, and so this is my theory theory, that Jack was manipulated. So Jackson, Richard, and his wife Sharon don't believe either one of those two popular theories. The couple says Jack was an easygoing person who actively avoided any situation where he had to assert himself.
00:55:12
Speaker
So this man always going with the flow, avoiding confrontation, never returning items. He bought from the store, even if they were defective, like never sending food back at the restaurant, if it wasn't cooked correct. Um, and leaving things like unevenly spaced towels, just as they were, despite his second wife's protests to fix them. So like just very, I feel like straight and narrow. Mm-hmm.
00:55:41
Speaker
like they're saying yeah and they're saying with this quiet and reserved personality they think that jack who passed away in nate 98 could have been strung along on some type of grand scheme so richard the sun
00:55:56
Speaker
through Jack's second marriage and his wife were not actually even told about the mysterious death in their family's past. They only found out about it because Sharon stumbled upon her father-in-law's secret while searching through newspaper articles. Richard said through their research this is what they believe, quote, I think this Barry, meaning Ronald, guy sort of manipulated my dad, just dominated him, end quote. So
00:56:24
Speaker
I guess they're saying Jack just kind of went along with things because of this easy-going personality and that he was taken advantage of. So could this have been like a scheme of Ronald's all along, a scheme that would only partially be successful? Maybe he had intended on killing both Jack and Christina. Okay.
00:56:52
Speaker
I'm going to give you an off the wall theory. OK, give me your thoughts. What if Ronald is playing them both? OK, what if he is telling Jack. And he's saying, listen, I'm going to take out a life insurance policy. Right on Christina, maybe he's taken out on you, too, so it doesn't look weird.
00:57:23
Speaker
and you go ahead and send me your like military benefits too. And he was like, then I'm gonna go with you on your honeymoon. We're gonna drug her, whatever, right? We'll stage it and then we'll be able to get that money and maybe even be together if there is a relationship going on.
00:57:48
Speaker
Or even it's not that I wonder if maybe he didn't even include Jack. Like I wonder if he says, you know, I've been in the insurance business and now that you're married, you guys really need to get life insurance policies on each other.
00:58:00
Speaker
I can hook you up with that. Let me fill it out for you. Yeah. Let me fill it out for you. I've got you. And then you know maybe it is. Hey this is my cabin. Let me take you there. I'll show you where you know how everything works and then he gets there and he's like you know what maybe I'll just
00:58:19
Speaker
There's multiple bedrooms. Maybe I'll just stay here a couple days while you guys are up here. You wouldn't mind if your best friend did that, would you? And what are they going to say? Like Jack's so easy going. I'm sure he was like, yeah, sure. I'm not going to say no. Right. That is, I do like where your mind is going there. That would explain a lot of things. The only thing it doesn't explain to me are those notes.
00:58:42
Speaker
Mm-hmm, and that's why I was thinking maybe he played them both but maybe you're right Maybe he just played Jack in a way like he's being his friend and he's trying to give him advice because he worked in Insurance or whatever and then maybe with Christina maybe he with her he felt like hey Go ahead and start writing these notes about You know how unhappy you are in the relationship because here's what we're gonna do we're going to
00:59:10
Speaker
drug him or do whatever. And then you're going to say that I'm not even there. We're going to act like you're just missing. Right. And then because initially that seems like it's what happened. He goes and he says she's missing. And then all of a sudden she turns up, but she's dead.
00:59:33
Speaker
So maybe they drug her, maybe they dragged her enough to make it look like somebody was trying to hurt her, but they miss the, like they gave her too much. And it really, I'm thinking more like Ronald acted to her like he wanted to be with her. And like, they were just going to make it look like she was missing, right?
01:00:00
Speaker
but that she was responsible and he was probably like, I'll run away with you and I'll take care. I have no idea. I just don't know how those letters get written. I mean, I even feel like he could have been the same with her as he was Jack if we're going down this road and just been like, you know, a really healthy way to deal with your emotions and this feeling that Jack really doesn't want to be with you would be to write all of this down. Maybe you need to start keeping a journal of how you feel.
01:00:26
Speaker
And so maybe that's where all of this comes from and that's why he knows she has it. So maybe she's it's like an innocent thing on her behalf and then he just kind of stages the whole thing. Like either way, drugs, drugs, drugs. Either way, it seems to me that Ronald is the puppet master.
01:00:53
Speaker
So my sleuthhounds, maybe marriage isn't as it seems. At 22, Christina felt that she was on the brink of her life. She felt so much promise in the things to come. She was a newlywed and all seemed right in the world, but something was amiss. There's so much about this case that puzzles me. Was she truly happy in her marriage? Were there more elaborate plans in the works? While the official death is considered a drowning, I have questions about that too. Was it an accidental drowning? A homicidal drowning?
01:01:23
Speaker
How could a jury not believe this woman was murdered? But how could they believe she was murdered? As the years pass, it's likely we will never know what happened to the eight-day bride.
01:01:36
Speaker
So few people who were truly involved in what happened that day are here. Sadly, time is taking away the only witnesses we have. Of course, we can keep asking questions and we can keep digging into this case. But I think the most important thing we can do is to keep talking about Christina Kettlewell. So she is never forgotten.
01:01:57
Speaker
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01:02:27
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.