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The LaSalle Street Murders

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WELCOME ABOUT CAROL SISSOM THE LASALLE STREET MURDERS: THE BOOK THE REVIEWS CAROL'S CALENDAR HOT LINKS NEW FLASHES FAREWELL

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November 29, 1971 It was a Monday night, in a house on LaSalle Street on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana, and three men sit down to watch Monday Night Football.  The men were Bob Gierse, Bob Hinson, and Jim Barker.  Gierse, Hinson, and Barker had a special interest in the game as all three were former residents of Chicago, and had known each other for seven years.

...just thirty hours later...

December 1, 1971 Three bodies are found in the blood-spattered house on LaSalle Street.  James Barker, Robert Gierse, and Robert Hinson are found beaten and bound with their throats slashed from ear to ear.

...Indianapolis resident Carol Schultz (Sissom) is  a little girl...

News media jump on the sensational crime and compare it to the Charles Manson case; the gruesome slayings become international news.

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Police find many leads, including the fact that the victims had recently left a microfilming business (where they worked with sensitive government documents), to start their own company.  They were also linked to gambling and organized crime...

"Theme from Halloween" (midi file)

...time passes and the case remains unsolved...

December 1991 Carol Sissom is a freelance journalist and a single mother when she writes a 20-year anniversary article about the greatest unsolved murder mystery in the history of Indianapolis, Indiana - The LaSalle Street Murders.

Carol quickly becomes addicted to the case – and after writing her article begins to uncover leads and witnesses that the police had overlooked in 1971.  She eventually identifies a suspect she hoped would be profiled on the television show, Unsolved Mysteries.

Murder House

July 1992 Because of the abundance of material her research has uncovered, she decides to write a book about the murders.  In the midst of her research, she meets an elderly man who claims to have ESP; an ex-husband of one of the lovers of the victims.  They share a common interest about the murders and this grandfatherly figure insists on helping Carol write her book.  He tells her that she has identified the correct killer – confirming it with his alleged psychic abilities - and offers other information.  Carol admires his knowledge - he seems to know more details about the murders than anyone she had encountered while working on the case. Together, they pen several chapters and he assists Carol in her attempts to solve the case.

Over a period of several months they became good friends – until one day, to Carol's horror – she realizes her original suspect is not the LaSalle Street murderer – the real killer is her "friend" and the co-writer of her book.

After she regains her composure, Carol begins her own undercover assignment - determined to put the real killer behind bars.

The Killer's House

September 1992 A Florida prison inmate implicates the real killer in the slayings.  Carol notifies the Marion County prosecutors, who are reluctant to pursue the case.  She realizes that the police have no intention of, and possibly have a secret agenda against, arresting the suspect.

With a handful of police officers who believe in her, she fights a lonely battle against an indifferent and sometimes hostile legal and political system for four years until she finally achieves success.

July 1995 Because of Carol's tireless efforts, a grand jury is finally convened in Marion County to review all the evidence and interview witnesses.

March 22, 1996 The grand jury indicts the real killer, who is arrested and formally charged with The LaSalle Street Murders.

"Writer breaks LaSalle Street murders" Daily Journal March 28, 1996

January 3, 1999 Carol Sissom receives a phone call informing her that the LaSalle Street murderer is dead.  She can't believe her ears...

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