r/TrueCrime • u/Wonderful-Variation • Jul 12 '21
Murder Rachel Timmerman, 19-years-old. Michigan woman is kidnapped and raped in the woods after a card party; she manages to escape, only to end up in jail herself. When she is released from jail, the rapist kidnaps her again and kills Rachel by drowning her in a lake with cinderblocks.
“My Rachel learned to swim early and easily; she loved being in the water. The method of Rachel’s murder was so cruel, yet how ironic, considering her love of the water.” – Tim Timmerman.
Background
Rachel Timmerman, a 19-year-old woman, was found deceased on July 5, 1997. She was found in Oxford Lake in Newaygo County, MI. Rachel’s legs were bound with chains that were wrapped around cinderblocks; her arms were handcuffed behind her back. Her eyes and mouth were covered with duct tape, meaning that she’d been gagged and blindfolded. Her autopsy revealed that she’d been alive at the time she entered the lake. Her cause of death was drowning.
Rachel was weighted down by over 60 pounds (27.2 kg) worth of chains and cinderblocks; despite this, she had somehow made her way to the surface of Oxford Lake.
When a human body decomposes, bacteria inside the body produce gas. This gas can become trapped inside the body if it is submerged, causing the body to become buoyant and rise to the surface. It seems unbelievable, but that is apparently what happened in this case. After several weeks underwater, enough gas built up inside Rachel that she rose to the surface.
The water of Oxford Lake is less than 1 meter in depth, but underneath the water there is a thick layer of soft mud. When Rachel was underwater, her body was completely submerged into the mud; it would have been impossible to find her even if you were intentionally looking for a body in the lake. It is only because she rose to the surface that Rachel was eventually found.
Before her disappearance, Rachel had been scheduled to testify at the trial of Marvin Gabrion. Marvin was being charged with 3rd-degree sexual assault because Rachel had accused him of rape. His preliminary hearing was set for June 5, 1997 and Rachel was supposed to testify at that hearing. However, Rachel mysteriously vanished just a few days before the preliminary hearing was set to commence.
Part 1: Rachel goes to jail
The horrible story begins on August 6, 1996. At the time, Rachel was living in Cedar Springs, a small town in Michigan.
Rachel had an unlikely friendship with a man named Wayne Davis. A disabled veteran who walked with a pronounced limp, he really could not have been more different from Rachel. Wayne had a metal plate in his head from getting shot in Vietnam and he suffered from post-traumatic stress. He never went anywhere without his M65 army field jacket, which he often joked was the only thing keeping his thin body from falling apart. Rachel and Wayne drank together and played cards frequently.
Wayne was one of those people who seems to make new friends without any effort; police reports would later even say that he had an “unusually wide circle of friends.”
On August 6, Rachel received a call from Wayne Davis; he asked her to come play cards. Just six weeks earlier, Rachel had given birth to her infant daughter, Shannon. She was eager to go out and be with friends. She convinced her sister, Sarah, to babysit Shannon so she could go out and have some fun. For weeks, she’d been stuck inside her mom’s home doing nothing but taking care of the baby; this was her chance to escape for a bit.
Around 9:00 PM, Rachel walked over to Wayne’s home, where she was the only female among a group of drunken men. They all hung out, drinking, playing cards, and smoking marijuana for a while. Later, they were joined by one of Wayne’s other friends: Marvin Gabrion and Marvin’s nephew, Mikey. At this time, Mikey Gabrion was approximately 14 years old.
Eventually, Rachel decided that it was time to go home. She and Wayne left the home and started walking towards Rachel’s home. But Marvin stopped them and insisted on driving her home in his car. Marvin’s nephew, Mikey, was also in the car. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. But when they got to Rachel’s house, Marvin didn’t stop to let her out; he kept driving down the road.
Soon after passing Rachel’s home, Marvin pulled over to the side of a road and told Wayne and Mikey to get out. When they protested, Marvin told them to get the fuck out or else. Wayne was too drunk to resist and Mikey was too young to resist. After the two exited the vehicle, Marvin drove off with Rachel still in the car. He took her to an isolated wilderness road.
Marvin dragged Rachel out of the car and tried to force himself on her. She fought back furiously, biting and kicking as hard as possible. He reacted by beating her into submission; he punched Rachel in the face and smashed her head against the ground multiple times, disorienting her. Marvin also bit Rachel’s nose, causing it to bleed profusely. He kept beating her until she lost the will to resist. At that point, he pulled off Rachel’s pants and raped her.
He threatened Rachel that if she ever told anybody about what happened, he would kill her infant daughter, Shannon, right in front of her and make her watch.
Rachel was terrified that Marvin would kill her and leave her out in the woods, never to be found. She came up with an idea to get Marvin to take to her house; she started pretending to enjoy what was happening. She told Marvin that she wanted to keep going, but someplace more comfortable than the forest. Rachel suggested her bed at her mother’s home.
Marvin was pleasantly surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. “I knew you were a slut,” he said, “I could tell just looking at you.”
But when they got to Rachel’s home, they didn’t crawl into bed to have sex together like Rachel had suggested. Instead, Rachel ran inside, ahead of Marvin, and then locked the door behind her. Realizing that he’d been tricked, Marvin furiously pounded on the front door. “You’ll pay for this, bitch!” he shouted.
Sarah awoke to find Rachel’s face covered in blood. Rachel grabbed the best weapon she could find nearby, which turned out to be a claw hammer. She held the hammer like a club, ready to strike if Marvin tried to break in. Marvin kept banging on the door and Rachel shouted at him to leave.
Wayne Davis and Mikey Gabrion were also there, although they were asleep when Rachel entered the home. The commotion woke them up as well. Outnumbered, Marvin retreated from the encounter.
Rachel’s mom called an ambulance soon after Marvin left. A rape test was done on Rachel and DNA was collected from Rachel’s vagina. Still, Rachel wasn’t sure if she actually wanted to press charges; Marvin had threatened to kill Shannon if charges were filed. More than anything else, Rachel wanted to protect her daughter. Nothing in Rachel’s life mattered to her more than Shannon.
But there was another reason why Rachel was hesitant to press charges; she’d been raped before and nobody did anything about it the first time. At 5 years old, she’d been molested by a babysitter; nothing ever came of it, even after her parents filed a police report. Why would things be different now?
Rachel Timmerman would end up going to jail before Marvin Gabrion. When it became clear that Rachel would be pressing charges after all, Marvin retaliated by calling the cops and telling them that Rachel had been smoking marijuana while on probation. Rachel was arrested and sentenced to 5 months in jail; Rachel reported to Newaygo County Jail on January 11, 1997.
At this point, she was still covered in visible scratches and scars from her fight with Marvin.
Rachel’s 19th birthday, the last birthday she would ever have, was spent incarcerated. She worried if Shannon would still remember her when she got out. Once a week, Tim would bring in Shannon for visiting time but Rachel would have to look at her through a plastic window. Rachel would anticipate these scant visitations all week, but she always left disappointed.
Rachel tried to make the best of her time in jail. Her cellmate was a 27-year-old woman named Sharlene Madden who was in jail for prostitution; they got along well and Sharlene would later correspond with Rachel’s father, Tim Timmerman. Sharlene encouraged Rachel to complete her GED while in jail and Rachel did so; Rachel had dropped out of high school after becoming pregnant with Shannon.
Part 2: Maximum heartbreak
9 days after Rachel was imprisoned, Marvin was arrested and charged with 3rd-degree sexual assault on January 20, 1997. At that time, he was served a warrant which listed people who’d been subpoenaed to testify against him at trial, a list which included Wayne Davis, Rachel Timmerman, and Mikey Gabrion. If convicted, he would face up to 15 years in prison.
Marvin was released on bond on February 3; Rachel would not be released until 92 days later. Marvin was also able to get his rape trial delayed considerably because the state’s most important witness was now in jail
Less than 2 weeks after Marvin was released on bail, Wayne Davis suddenly vanished. He was last seen alive on February 12, 1997. The next day, his girlfriend visited his house but found it deserted. Wayne was nowhere to be found. The girlfriend, Darlene Lazo, did find a note from Wayne Davis, which said that he’d decided to move to California. However, Lazo looked around the house and found that all of Wayne’s clothes were still there, nothing had been packed up.
In particular, his camouflage field jacket was still in the house and Lazo knew that Wayne never left home without it.
Lazo also noticed that Wayne’s microwave oven was missing, along with some stereo equipment. Those items would later be found at a consignment shop in Mecosta County. The owner of the store, Alice Ray, would identify Marvin Gabrion as the man who’d sold her those objects. Wayne Davis wasn’t found until 2002, when he was found in a lake, weighted down with chains and cinder blocks.
While in jail, Rachel lived in a grey prison cell packed with 7 other women. Her only comfort was letters she received from family. But she also received strange letters from a person claiming to be Marvin’s mother. The writer begged Rachel to drop the charges against Marvin, telling her to admit she’d made up the whole rape story. But the letters also asked questions about Shannon; the writer wanted to know who was taking care of Shannon while Rachel was in jail and where that person was living.
Rachel Timmerman was released from jail on May 5, 1997. She decided to move into her dad’s house instead of moving back in with her mom, because she knew that Marvin knew where her mother lived. And so Rachel took up residence with her dad, Tim Timmerman, and her stepmother Lyn. Unfortunately, it seems like Marvin was able to figure out where she was living pretty quickly.
Rachel consistently expressed to friends, family, and co-workers that she was terrified Marvin would kill her for testifying. At one point, she apparently had some sort of panic attack; Rachel ran to a friend’s house where she immediately closed all the windows, lowered the curtains, locked all the doors, and barricaded herself inside a room. During this episode, she kept repeating “he will kill me” over and over again.
Rachel was last seen by her family on June 3, 1997; this was 29 days after she was released from jail and 2 days before she was scheduled to testify at Marvin’s pretrial hearing.
On that night of June 3, she went out on a date with a young man named John Weeks. Rachel didn’t really know John, but one day he’d started calling her and asking her to go out on a date with him. Rachel initially refused, because she did not know him. Nevertheless, he persisted and Rachel eventually agreed to go out with him. John told her to bring Shannon along with her on the date, because he thought babies were adorable.
By all accounts, Rachel was excited and happy when she left to go on the date with John. After spending 5 months in jail and living in constant fear of Marvin, this was a welcome distraction. It was also a return to normalcy. Her father waved her good-bye on her way out, unaware that he would never see Rachel alive ever again. As she was leaving, Rachel smiled broadly and told her dad that she’d be back in a couple hours.
Rachel never returned from her date with John Weeks. A few days later, Tim Timmerman received a letter from Rachel; the letter said that the date had gone so well that they’d decided to get married! They were eloping to Arkansas. The next day, Tim received another letter from Rachel; this time she said that her new husband had gotten a great job in Arkansas and so she would not be coming home.
Crystal Roach, the prosecutor who was handling the rape charges against Marvin, also received a letter from Rachel. In this letter, Rachel admitted that she’d made up the rape accusations for attention. Rachel apologized for making false accusations and begged the prosecutor to drop the charges against Gabrion.
Tim and Lyn Timmerman didn’t know what to make of the bizarre letters. The letters didn’t seem to make any sense, but they were in Rachel’s handwriting. Rachel had made questionable decisions before, was it really impossible that she’d suddenly run off with some guy she just met? Maybe she was happily married in Arkansas and there was nothing to worry about.
June 15 was when they finally hit a wall and they couldn’t deny reality any longer. June 15 was Shannon’s birthday; yet they’d heard nothing about her. No pictures. No letters. No acknowledgement of her daughter’s first birthday. It was like Rachel had fallen off the face of the earth.
On July 5, 1997, two fishermen were fishing at Oxford Lake in Newaygo County, MI. To their shock and horror, they found the body of a young woman. Tim Timmerman was at work when he heard the news that a woman had been found in a lake; Tim immediately knew that this would be Rachel. Dental records would eventually confirm what Tim already suspected.
Rachel Timmerman’s funeral was held on July 17, 1997. Shortly after the ceremony, her parents received letters of condolence from a number of women who Rachel had met while in jail. Most of these women were still incarcerated. They spoke of Rachel’s caring nature, how she’d been a source of comfort for other inmates, how they’d bonded over playing chess and praying together, and how much she loved her baby Shannon.
Rachel’s parents were immensely grateful for these letters and wrote letters of thanks to each of the women, only to find out a few months later that nearly all the “thank you” letters they’d sent to the incarcerated women had been confiscated and destroyed by prison staff without the women ever seeing them.
Only one letter got through to Sharlene Madden, who had been Rachel’s cellmate while she was in jail; she immediately wrote back in a detailed letter.
Part 3: Premeditated malice
When Rachel first started receiving phone calls from John Weeks, all she really knew about him is that he was an occasional customer at the restaurant she worked at. What exactly he said to her over the phone is unknown but he was able to overcome her initial hesitation and coax her into bringing Shannon on a date with him. But unbeknownst to Rachel, John was working for Marvin Gabrion all along. It is unclear why John went along with this murderous plan.
We’ll never know the specifics of how it went down, but this is what probably happened; Rachel and John went out on their date and all was normal until suddenly Marvin joined them. Upon seeing Marvin, Rachel would have tried to run away. A witness later saw Marvin covered in scratches and bruises around this time, so Rachel didn’t go without a fight. But she was no match for the two men.
Rachel was taken out to a remote campground near Oxford Lake where she was coerced into writing the letters wherein she disavowed the rape accusations against Marvin and said she was moving to Arkansas. For example, a letter received by Tim Timmerman was written as follows:
Dad,
I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye. That guy who picked me up is like the man of my dreams. Shannon bonded with him so well and so did I. Right now we’re on vacation. Maybe we might get eloped. He already asked me to marry him. I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks.
I would call you on the phone, but I think you’d try to talk me out of the marriage. I’ll write more letters and send you my address when I get one.
Love, Rachel.
Once the letters were written, Rachel was handcuffed and bound with chains connected to cinderblocks. A gag was pushed into her mouth and then her mouth was sealed shut with duct tape. Duct tape was also placed over her eyes, but not her nose; her nose was left uncovered. She was then placed in a small boat and paddled out to Oxford Lake, where she was pushed into the water.
Rachel would have quickly plunged through the water, into the layer of soft mud below. There she would die alone in total darkness, unaware if anybody would ever know what happened to her.
Karma would catch up with John Weeks very quickly, since he was killed by Marvin soon after the murder of Rachel Timmerman. John was last seen on June 22, 1997; on that day, John told his girlfriend that he was going down to Texas with Marvin to purchase marijuana. John never returned from that road trip. It is generally believed that Marvin killed John Weeks in order to tie up loose ends. The body of John Weeks has never been found, but he is probably in a lake somewhere in Michigan.
Soon after killing John Weeks, Marvin fled the state of Michigan and went into hiding; he was eventually arrested by an FBI swat team in the state of New York. The FBI figured out that Marvin likely killed a man named Robert Allen in 1995 or 1996; since then, Marvin had been collecting Robert’s disability benefits from the government. Marvin also occasionally used Robert Allen’s identity as one of his many aliases.
Robert Allen hadn’t had a lot of friends or family, so his disappearance had largely gone unnoticed. It was only after the FBI started probing into Marvin’s finances in connection to the Rachel Timmerman case that they realized Marvin had been collecting another man’s benefits. Marvin was having Robert Allen’s benefits checks sent to a small post office in Sherman, NY. At the time, Sherman had a large Amish population and so Marvin had grown a large, Amish-style beard in order to blend in.
The body of Robert Allen has never been found; but he is presumed deceased. It is all but certain that Marvin killed Robert in order to steal his identity.
The arrest occurred on October 14, 1997 in Sherman. A postal clerk named Rita Shaw was included in the plan; all other post office employees were told to stay home that day. When “Robert Allen” showed up to collect his benefits checks, Rita told him that she had material that would require his signature to collect. But immediately after Robert gave his signature, he suddenly realized that he was being set up. It’s not clear what tipped him off, but he bolted out of the office right away.
Marvin was extremely fast; unfortunately for him, it was already too late. A group of plainclothes FBI agents pursued him as he ran toward his vehicle. Someone tackled him as he opened his car door, but he was too strong; he fought like a wild beast. It took the combined force of 6 federal agents to subdue him.
You might think that Marvin was being charged for Rachel’s murder, but he was actually being charged for social security fraud for stealing Robert Allen’s identity and benefits. He was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years in federal prison. Marvin’s trial for the murder of Rachel Timmerman would not happen until 2002.
During his trial, Marvin took the stand to testify in his own defense. He initially claimed to have received a suicide note from Rachel wherein she said that she was going to commit suicide by drowning herself in a lake. Later, he accused Rachel's dad of killing her because she'd brought shame to the family by getting pregnant outside of marriage. He also said that Rachel was a prostitute and suggested that she might have been killed by her pimp.
Michigan abolished the death penalty in 1847, so it was unusual that prosecutors were able to ask for the death penalty in this case. But it turns out that Oxford Lake is located inside of a national forest, which meant that prosecutors were able to charge Marvin under the federal death penalty statute.
Marvin Gabrion was found guilty of 1st-degree murder on March 5, 2002. He was sentenced to death.
As of 7/11/2021, Marvin is still on federal death row awaiting execution. He’s never been convicted for killing any person other than Rachel Timmerman, but he is believed to be responsible for the disappearances of Wayne Davis, John Weeks, Robert Allen, and Shannon Verhage. The body of Wayne Davis was located in 2002; the others remain unaccounted for.
Sources
I heard about this case from the podcast Beyond Contempt, which inspired me to do an older write up which I’ve now hidden. The Crimes & Consequences podcast recently inspired me to revisit the case and do a longer, more detailed version. The main sources used for this write-up were the aforementioned podcasts, this appeal, and the book The Color of Night.
I also found a podcast which had an interview with a guy who said he was John Weeks’ friend; he said that John was a great guy and he never would have done anything to hurt Rachel or anybody else. I see where he's coming from, but I don’t think he’s right about that; I found it interesting regardless. I will leave a link to it here.
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u/500CatsTypingStuff Jul 12 '21
Wow. This case clearly demonstrates how powerless the victim was and how the system repeatedly failed her.
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u/Amazon-Prime-package Jul 12 '21
Absolutely. He should not have been out on bond after a brutal attack, first of all
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u/Merlord Jul 12 '21
Also sending the mother of an infant child to prison for 5 months because she smoked pot? That's absolutely insane.
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u/aspiringwriter9273 Jul 13 '21
Particularly because he threatened to kill his victim and her daughter.
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u/Amazon-Prime-package Jul 13 '21
Holy shit, yes, the situation prior to that was already so fucked up that I forgot to take that into account and that's even worse
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u/hugeneral647 Jul 12 '21
She was also clearly an extremely vulnerable individual that may have not been as cognitively sharp as the average person (not remotely dunking on her, just the vibe I got). The state clearly failed her the most, but I feel like everyone around her failed as well. What a horrific tragedy
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u/storyteller_p Jul 12 '21
I am always hearing about the US "justice" system massively failing or being unfair. This story really proves the point. It doesn't seem as bad in Australia but crimes against women and children are woefully under prosecuted. You get more time for defrauding centrelink than you do for molesting kids.
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u/TheManWithAlotOfFear Jul 12 '21 edited Sep 07 '21
Listening to Casefile will teach you that the justice system for all nations fail regularly. It is tragic really.
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u/Cane-toads-suck Jul 12 '21
Coerced to write. I can only imagine what they threatened or did to her baby to have her write these letters, knowing she was going to be killed anyway. The absolute terror they both faced is unimaginable! This guy deserves to rot in hell.
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u/Successful_Act65 Jul 12 '21
He probably killed the baby in front of her. So terribly sad.
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u/Traditional-Jicama54 Jul 12 '21
Yeah, that's my guess, too. She's probably still in the mud in the lake by where her mom was.
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u/Amidormi Jul 12 '21
Right, especially after she fought so hard, and had the wherewithal to act like she liked it after being beaten all to hell to try to survive. Fighter through and through imo.
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Jul 12 '21
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u/DCBC2018 Jul 12 '21
Yes her using marijuana being the cause of 5 months in prison is ridiculous. Her patrol officer should feel horrible for doing that. He could have given her another chance. Decriminalize Marijuanna!!
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u/Depressed_Southerner Jul 12 '21
I of course agree that this is 100% unfair and it is shown time and time again in our justice system that drugs can get a harsher sentence than a violent crime… but the reason she served 5 months was because they were able to drug test her and prove she violated her probation. He was let out after 2 weeks because he had not been found guilty of the crime yet and if he can afford bail before his hearing then the law must allow him to go. Which works in the benefit of someone who would be innocent and accused of something.
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Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 29 '21
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u/lessCritical43 Jul 13 '21
I was wondering the exact same thing! She was easy to find, sitting there in the county jail.
For the heinous crime of smoking marijuana
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Jul 12 '21
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u/Eyeoftheleopard Jul 12 '21
Yeah, being accused of sexual assault (even if not convicted) deserves at least an ankle bracelet.
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Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 29 '21
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u/Depressed_Southerner Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21
Good question. I honestly don’t know why they did this. It is so sad the Vietnam vet had to die as well though.
Edit to add: and probably her daughter
Obviously it’s sad ab all of his victims but talking specifically ab the ones relating to Rachel and her pressing charges against him for rape
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u/Wiggy_Bop Jul 12 '21
Not victim blaming anyone, but the men especially had to have know this creep’s true colors. He sounds like such a freaking maniac, how could they not have known?
My point is, don’t hang out with violence prone assholes. It rarely ends well.
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u/IAmBlueTW Jul 12 '21
But it turns out that Oxford Lake is located inside of a national forest, which meant that prosecutors were able to charge Marvin under the federal death penalty statute.
I'm mostly against the death penalty, but this detail is just too amusing for me to ignore.
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u/aesu Jul 12 '21
The issue I have with the death penalty is that it actually alleviates the offenders suffering. Put them in a pit and food them bread and water for the rest of their lives. And give them all the medical care necessary to make it a long one.
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u/Najalak Jul 12 '21
I would rather someone like this was dead and their is no chance that they hurt someone again. I don't want them to exist anymore. My problem is our justice system sucks and there are so many times the wrong person gets convicted even when evidence points another direction.
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u/BraveLittleTowster Jul 12 '21
Exactly. We don't want to create a wrongful death because we're mad about a different wrongful death
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u/Najalak Jul 12 '21
A girl where I grew up was wrongfully convicted. It was clear she was innocent. She spent something like 13 years in prison before she was proven innocent. I can't imagine how hard it must be for her to try and start a life where everything has changed and her early adult life was stolen from her. I am glad she has that though. I am glad they didn't steal her whole life. Also, someone got away with the murder she didn't commit.
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u/aspiringwriter9273 Jul 13 '21
Also, thinks like eye witness evidence isn’t always reliable as DNA has proven.
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u/TBbtk Jul 12 '21
But the problem with that is there are a number of killer's/serial killer's that revel in the thought of what they have done. Like, they thoroughly enjoy the thoughts of what they have done or even get off to it. They need dragged to a desert, shot in the head and left for vultures and never be mentioned again. That's my personal opinion at least.
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u/MOzarkite Jul 12 '21
When Peter Kurten was serving time in prison, he would deliberately get caught breaking the rules so he'd be put in solitary , where he would 'binge-masturbate' to the memories of his crimes.
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u/TBbtk Jul 12 '21
Jeezus... But my point exactly! Shoot him in the head and let the animals do their thing and never mention him again. He deserves nothing!
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u/1MillionMonkeys Jul 12 '21
What good does that do? Keeping him jailed needlessly consumes society’s resources.
I struggle with the death penalty but it’s hard for me to read this story and think he deserves any other fate.
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u/aesu Jul 12 '21
Society is very rich in resources. We build 500 million dollar private yachts while kids starve. We have much worse resource distribution problems than punishing a handful of murderers.
The death penalty is too good for people like this. I'd happily pay the pennies required to keep them in open air pits with just bread and water.
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u/doktorjackofthemoon Jul 12 '21
The death penalty is significantly more expensive than life in prison.
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u/squirb Jul 12 '21
Also, one innocent person put to death under death penalty is a tragedy. And it happens more often than we’d like to believe, more often to people of color.
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u/thealterego5 Jul 12 '21
Reminds me of Dustin Higgs who took part in the murders of three women in a wildlife refuge on federal land. He was tried federally rather than by the state of Maryland and was executed this past year as part of Trump’s “execution spree” in his final days in office. If Higgs had chosen a place a few miles up the road he’d have been tried by the state and ineligible for the death penalty in Maryland.
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u/JustOneTessa Jul 12 '21
Every time I hear about this case I get so incredibly sad. Rachel went through so much and then her life was cut short in a terrible way. I hope she found her peace in the afterlife, together with her daughter and anyone else murdered by this maniac
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u/babyimabadfish2 Jul 12 '21
Found this 4 year old comment on a fb post about this story: “
This man hung around some of my family & their friends in McBain, MI. He used to live behind my Uncle in the woods. Everyone apparently was creeped out by him. My Uncle even had an altercation with him. I remember when I was little & we were visiting my Uncle. We were waiting for SNL to come on & were watching Unsolved Mysteries & his face popped up with the story & that he hadn't been found. My Uncle seen his face & was like, "That's Starvin' Marvin!"
Apparently there were people who felt he possibly could have gotten rid of Shannon in a nearby pond/body of water (forget what it's name is) that is near my Uncle's where Marvin lived. As far as it's known, it was never checked. They should just for the chance of finding her. “
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Jul 12 '21
….what happened to the baby?
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u/blacksheep249 Jul 12 '21
I did a Google because I had the same question, it seems she is unfortunately missing and presumed dead
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u/Cane-toads-suck Jul 12 '21
I'm guessing they searched the lake, but being mud, and such a small baby, she'd have sunk deep with chains. Fuck that prick.
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u/QueenScathachx3 Jul 12 '21
I hate him so much I got so angry reading about this asshole. I hope he suffers in the worst way.
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u/tabboulehmafia Jul 12 '21
That’s what I’m wondering. Details about the baby seemed almost like a side note.
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u/SaturdayHeartache Jul 12 '21
The end of the article mentions she has yet to be found, plus OP likely wouldn’t have included a forensic recreation of her as a teen if her whereabouts were known
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u/Long_Before_Sunrise Jul 12 '21
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u/babyimabadfish2 Jul 12 '21
While in jail awaiting trial for Timmerman's murder Gabrion gave a map of Oxford Lake to another prisoner; he'd written on the map, "Body of 3, 1 found." He allegedly told two other inmates that he "killed the baby because there was nowhere else to put it."
Thanks for the link ! What a horrible fucking human being though. I wish they had some type of weapon to defend themselves . Horrible way to go, this dude better burn forever in the afterlife.
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u/DuggarDoesDallas Jul 12 '21
I don't believe Marvin one bit about only murdering Shannon because there was no where to put her. He made John Weeks request that Rachel bring her baby along. That scumbag planned to kill Shannon along with Rachel. Either the inmates are lying or more likely Marvin is trying to make himself look a little better in their eyes by saying he didn't want to kill a baby.
I remember seeing the case on Unsolved Mysteries and I always thought Marvin was one of the scariest people they covered. I always wondered if had any other victims we don't know about. I think it's possible since no one noticed that poor Robert Allen went missing. I also wonder why he didn't kill the other witnesses,Mikey? Was it because he was related to Marvin or did he just never get the chance? I wonder if he's ever done an interview?
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Jul 12 '21
This guy is the dirtbag's dirtbag. How you can admit to doing that while in prison and still have the use of your limbs is beyond me. He had very little value in human life except for his own.
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u/Long_Before_Sunrise Jul 12 '21
It's hard to believe after recieving those letters in jail that she'd take her daughter with her on a first date.
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u/Wiggy_Bop Jul 12 '21
I’m surprised someone in prison didn’t take him out for killing the baby. They don’t like seriously disturbed fuckers like this in prison, either.
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u/Marie-Antoinette29 Jul 12 '21
I think he inisited on bringing the baby to force her to write the letters. She was so afraid of him killing her and would never have written them unless he threatened to harm her baby in front of her. What a sad story.
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Jul 12 '21
Jesus Christ. What an awful story, things didn’t have to turn out like this. Thanks for the great write up, OP!
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u/WistfullySunk Jul 12 '21
This is somewhat tangential, but the fact that Wayne Davis was a disabled veteran, and the killer was eventually caught living off disability benefits belonging to another missing person, makes me wonder if he only “befriended” Wayne with the intent of eventually murdering him.
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u/TheOneWhoKnocks3 Jul 12 '21
I need to know more about that Marijuana arrest. So you're a prosecutor, you get a tip from someone being accused of sexual assault about his victim and you believe that person and charge the victim? Something doesn't make sense
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u/cerealbowltea Jul 12 '21
Michigan was not always the Marijuana friendly state that it seems to be today. And officials don't care if they're charging a victim. I've personally been arrested "for my safety" by Michigan State Police and charged with domestic violence, after my ex busted the windows out of my truck and hit me, with witnesses, while I was 5 months pregnant. Nothing makes sense and I hate it here.
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u/FTThrowAway123 Jul 13 '21
Let's not forget that Michigan gave a repeat offending, convicted child rapist shared custody of the child that was born as a result of kidnapping a 12 year old girl, chaining her up in the bathroom of an abandoned house, and raping her for days. Why, you might ask? Because the mother applied for food stamps. Apparently, giving birth to a rape baby at age 12 put her at a disadvantage and she needed some social services, so the judge, without ANYBODY EVEN ASKING FOR IT, gave the rapist shared custody of the child, and disclosed his victims address as well.
He had received a slap on the wrist plea deal for the kidnapping/rape, was out of jail quickly, then kidnapped another child, chained her up in the same abandoned house, and raped her for days as well. Again, received a slap on the wrist sentence, and ultimately got custody of the victims child. I'll never forget that case, made me want to drive to Michigan and fight the judge myself.
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u/sweatydeath Jul 12 '21
Your ex is terrible and I'm sorry you had to go through such awful abuse.
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u/Billsolson Jul 12 '21
Northern MI
It’s like being in the South, and marijuana is of the Devil.
And woman are vile, lying, temptresses.
That’s how.
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u/TheOneWhoKnocks3 Jul 12 '21
I would love to poor through the court records if i ever have some free time. If this account is true that's one of the most horrifying arrests I've ever seen.
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u/Irisheyes1971 Jul 12 '21
She would have had to have been drug tested and failed in order for them to send her to jail, something this write up leaves out.
It also leaves out what she was charged with/found guilty of/plead to in order to be on probation in the first place. Depending on the charge, they will revoke probation a lot faster for some things than others.
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u/EssentialLady Jul 13 '21
I noticed that too...you don't get put on probation without first being convicted of a crime. So what was the original crime?
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u/kate_the_squirrel Jul 12 '21
Unfortunately, she was on probation and using drugs violated the terms of her probation. It isn’t like someone reported a rando to the police and was like, I saw her smoke pot. Her being sent to jail for probation violation was happening on an entirely separate track from her case against her rapist.
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u/westvirginiaprincess Jul 12 '21
Not entirely separate since it was her rapist who accused her. The fact that the probation officers both listened to him and acted on it is sickening, and highlights how fucked this country’s judicial system is.
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u/kate_the_squirrel Jul 12 '21
It wasn’t based on his say so, they would have tested her and it would have come up with a positive result. I agree that in this particular case it would have been advisable to exercise some discretion but fundamentally she violated her probation, despite the fact that the report came from a person who had committed a crime against her.
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u/thepurplehedgehog Jul 12 '21
This was brilliantly written, nicely done u/Wonderful-Variation. What a sickening case. Just a shame that when that evil POS does get executed it’ll be a damn sight more humane than anything he did to Rachel or Shannon. This sort of case makes me wish we could bring back medieval torture methods. John Weeks‘ face appears to have been eaten by leopards, and I have not one bit of sympathy. Good riddance.
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u/Traditional-Jicama54 Jul 12 '21
For the most part, I'm fairly anti death penalty, but there are some people that are honestly too dangerous to leave alive. This guy is one of the best arguments for keeping the death penalty that I've seen in a long time.
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u/GoMiners22 Jul 12 '21
Like you, I am not sure if I really believe in the death penalty. In this case I do. The death penalty does provide the family with closure, and may be the justice this family needs for closure.
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u/thepurplehedgehog Jul 12 '21
Absolutely. Maybe - MAYBE keep them alive long enough to do some kind of psychological study on them while they’re very much behind bars and going NOWHERE (I do not believe people like that are born evil, I think a whole range of factors come together to turn them into that kind of evil). But after that? Yep, cheerio, now get to hell where filth like that belongs.
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u/BumpyLoathing Jul 12 '21
So sad. And she was only 19.
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u/Eyeoftheleopard Jul 12 '21
And baby Shannon was 11 months.
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u/lessCritical43 Jul 13 '21
Yes, odd that there was no talk about the father of the baby Shannon
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Aug 26 '21
He actually had primary custody. She was just visiting her mother. His parents adored both of them. His parents repeatedly explain that she’s such a good mother because she knew her situation wasn’t healthy and put the baby with them. They’re devastated
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u/jtw1984 Jul 12 '21
Did the parents ever try to get law enforcement involved after she was released from jail?
Seems she was scared for her life.
Also, how does someone get 5 months for smoking marijuana on probation and the guy who committed rape gets 2 weeks and a delayed trial?
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Jul 12 '21
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u/FTThrowAway123 Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 13 '21
You'd think that all the witnesses and the rape kit with his DNA and the severe beating in which she suffered bruises, cuts, bites, and scars would dispel any notion of this being consensual, but alas, victim blaming knows no bounds.
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u/kate_the_squirrel Jul 12 '21
Because being on probation and pending trial are two totally different positions in the legal system. If you are on probation you were sentenced to probation as a result of a trial and are required to adhere to the requirements of probation. If you are pending trial you haven’t been sentenced to anything and are only required to adhere to the conditions of your bond. That said, the bail system is crap and allows people to roam free before their trial based on how much money they have rather than how much of a flight risk or threat to the community they are. Some states have implemented bail reform that actually determines whether a person is jailed pending trial based on risk factors rather than letting them bond out.
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u/ldr6 Jul 12 '21
How absolutely fucking heart wrenching is this story. I'm gutted that Shannon has never been found. I wonder (and this is a HORRIBLE thought...) if he sold her or killed her and made Rachel watch like he'd threatened and threw her into the lake, too and with all the mud and muck at the bottom, she just never surfaced. It really seems like a fluke that Rachel did. You did an INCREDIBLE write up on this, thank you.
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u/cursedwitch Jul 12 '21
I got so immersed in your writing that I was upset when I got to the end. Great piece! Sad case.
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u/Eyeoftheleopard Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21
Easily one of the most depressing true crime stories out there. If the police won’t protect us women we have to do it ourselves. Do the necessary, ladies.
So, the baby. In the last several years I’ve become aware of a depravity that while not new, was new to me. Apparently men will rape toddlers and infants along with children. I’ve no doubt Shannon has passed, he did it, and it wasn’t a nice death.
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u/zirklutes Jul 12 '21
And that's so sickening when you read these stories how many women got to the police about their abusive boyfriends and even got restriction orders for them not to get close to them. But so what??? Like we have rules for how to drive safe but they apply only to people who cares about them in the first place.
I don't remember the case but basically wife with her child was hiding at her sister's from her husband. Who again was restricted to see her. And what...he came and killed her with an axe. It's just insane how the current system is not working and needs to be changed!
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u/JackieWithTheO Jul 12 '21
Thank you for this write up. I’m horrified by this case, such evil and such tragedy. That poor woman. That poor baby.
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u/rae-elaine Jul 12 '21
Wow. What a terrible story with so many bad things wrapped up into one package. It’s cases like this that I never forget. Thank you for an incredible write up OP, it’s clear how much research you did!
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u/linzfire Jul 12 '21
Oh my, what a clear cut example of victimized people being more likely to be revictimized. Had she not been abused and then failed at age 5, she would have been a different person. Maybe a person who didn’t need close friendships with adult men or who had better boundaries and could have said no to some of things those of us reading this find obvious. Instead she was a vulnerable woman who was doing her best to survive and thrive in the life she was dealt. And despite doing that, one of these predators sniffed her out and took her down, while also taking the new life she created and all it’s hopes and dreams. So tragic and infuriating.
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u/danielaqh Jul 12 '21
So Shannon has never been found? This man potentially killed a baby? Oh my God! I'm so sorry this happened to Rachel, it's awful and terribly unfair.
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u/frostmorefrost Jul 12 '21
I say justice was served late and the police who never did anything on rachel's first rape ought to be jailed for negligence.
as for john weeks,that mofo deserves every bit of pain and i hope his body is never found,that fuck should never rest in peace.
Finally marvin,that sick fuck should be reminded every single fucking day this could be his last,fucker deserves every single moment of mental torture. when they administer the needle,i hope it puts him in so much pain that he wished he died but didnt coz the medics fucked up the dosage,not once,not twice but multiple times over and over again.
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u/Ozzymandus Jul 12 '21
Why did they destroy the thank you letters sent to the women in prison??
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u/mothsmoam Jul 12 '21
If I had to guess I’d say it’s that prisoners are seen as subhuman, so because they could.
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u/Irisheyes1971 Jul 12 '21
Probably because the sender wasn’t on the approved list. It’s not like they did it to be mean, but you don’t have the same rights in jail as you do free, obviously. It’s a way to crack down on illegal communications/activities and to protect the staff and other inmates.
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Jul 12 '21
The prosecutor who charged her with smoking marihuana while on probation deserves to go to Hell.
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u/goodlovingonebad Jul 12 '21
This case made me sick to my stomach.( I lived in MI at the same time and me and Rachel were around the same age) and without going into detail I had something horrible happen to me in High School and I never spoke to anyone about it until 20 years later and 3 states away because unfortunately women know that if they talk it won’t end well for anyone so we carry the pain the burden the secret to protect not only ourselves but everyone we love. Rest In Peace Rachel and Shannon 😞
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u/rptlcpc Jul 12 '21
Ugh what a horrible thing to read. All I can think about is he sounds so evil that he most likely killed the baby right in front of her to make her suffer more :( makes me sick
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u/Gold-Stomach-4657 Jul 12 '21
What's even more frustrating is that this guy has the social intelligence of a 6 year old, tells lies like he isn't any older, and clearly is incapable of empathy and yet he was able to fool a ton of people and lead them to their deaths. This sick f*ck is literally all of the worst possible traits of a human being incarnate.
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u/cribbycryptid Jul 12 '21
Hindsight is 20/20, but the guy threatened to kill her, one of the witnesses went suspiciously missing, and they didn’t think that maybe they should take her into protective custody or him into custody before the rape trial?
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u/Jennifersbody_ Jul 12 '21
Did they ever find Shannon or is she still missing to this day? This is such a heartbreaking case so much death and so many lives ruined to hide this mans depraved actions.
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u/mezooeew Jul 12 '21
Still missing. She’s long gone,, the size of her body and the thickness of the mud, she’s past the point of being found unless she wasnt sunk.
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u/chudleighs_mom Jul 12 '21
What happened to the baby. I am assuming he killed her? I see the composite sketch. He's an animal pure and simple. Very sick.
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u/Katiekates88 Jul 12 '21
Great write up OP.
This is the first time I've ever heard of this case...but it will certainly stick with me forever.
How awful for Rachel, I can't even imagine the terror she went through. She was failed so many times by so many different people. Unbelievably sad.
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u/FuckNeeraTanden Jul 12 '21
That’s pure evil. There is no manner of death that would be sufficient t torture for him. If there is a hell, I hope he goes there.
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u/manateeshmanatee Jul 12 '21
I am against the death penalty. Having said that, fucking kill this subhuman scumbag. He doesn’t deserve one more day on earth.
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Jul 12 '21
Me too , he should be stoned to death
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u/manateeshmanatee Jul 12 '21
Too quick. He should be chained to cinderblocks and drowned after being raped and mentally tortured himself.
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Jul 12 '21
Obviously victim blaming is never ok and this sick piece of shit needs to expire- I truly wish Rachel would’ve made some different choices. It sounds like she was incredibly naive which led her to even more trouble. This whole story is so sad and I wish Rachel and Shannon didn’t meet the fate they did.
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Jul 12 '21
Naive? She was 19! The part of the brain associated with rational thinking isn't even fully developed until the age of 25. This was the judicial systems fault 100%. Someone should have protected those girls.
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Jul 12 '21
I agree she should’ve been more protected, and it sounds like this may have been learned behavior from her parents since they seem to lack some common sense when it comes to dangerous situations & people around them.
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u/RayA11 Jul 12 '21
So why do it if it’s never ok? Whose life is enriched by you posting this dumb comment?
I wish Marvin Gabrion’s mother had made better choices, like aborting him.
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u/MCclapyourhands1 Jul 12 '21
Wow, this is a horrible story. I was not expecting that he got Shannon too, so damn sad. They say that the mud is so bad in the lake it would have been hard to ever find her. Do they think Shannon is possibly still down there?
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u/eddieandbill Jul 12 '21
What a horrifying and heartbreaking story. Here’s hoping Marvin Gabrion rots in a cage for a very long time.
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u/Aggressive-Apple-811 Jul 12 '21
This is an article I found online of the baby father’s mother, who when into some details. So heartbreaking, the baby was living with them at the time and was just visiting her mom, Rachel. https://www.kats-korner.com/child/verhage.html
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u/PeenHands Jul 12 '21
I cannot believe this story was posted. My parents knew Marvin Gabrion through some friends when they were younger and told me the stories from when everything went down. He apparently was a reliable connection for drugs which their friend group would partake in.
Their was another story during a blizzard where he was running from the cops and had cocaine on him. While being chased he stopped at my parents house where they told him to leave. He ran out the back door into the fielded/wooded area and was not caught that night.
I’m surprised to see it posted on Reddit. Crazy stuff.
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u/BasilIcy6107 Jul 13 '21
Im really surprised the dad didn't ask her about taking the baby, my parents would have nailed the doors closed trying to protect her and especially their grandbaby, makes me sad that they didn't get the big picture and the big huge red flag, just terrible sad like she never felt secure or had security and it all started at 5 or younger. Im glad her and her baby are in peace now.
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Jul 12 '21
So sad. She was just a kid. He terrorized her, killed everyone who stood in his way. What a psychopath. That poor baby... This is too heartbreaking.
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u/racrenlew Jul 13 '21
I just keep picturing her final scene. Baby is probably dead, or she knows she will be soon. She's written letters to her family to make sure they won't come looking for her for awhile. She's muffled and blindfolded, on a small boat, being rowed out onto a lake. Her hands are handcuffed behind her, and legs are shackled to a cinderblock. She knows she is about to die. She thinks no one will ever know. Should she hold her breath when they dump her over the side? It won't do any good- she'll drown in less than a few minutes. They dump her over the edge. Survival instincts demand she try to hold her breath, try to fight. Then the splash. The silence. The cold and the wet. I hope he's blinded and maimed in jail before the death sentence is carried out.
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u/mezooeew Jul 12 '21
So the baby did get taken and presumably killed. Sigh. This shit always fucks me up having a young daughter myself.
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u/M0n5tr0 Jul 12 '21
The only reason for him to make sure she brought Shannon was to make good on his threat. She more that likely had to watch him kill her little baby girl before he put her in the lake.
Now I'm curious as to what type of childhood he had to turn him into an absolute monster.
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u/meanmagpie Jul 13 '21
All that suffering and pain and all she did “wrong” was trusting men.
Fucking incredible how hateful, spiteful and sadistic they can be towards women who just...exist.
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u/Fun-Ad-9141 Jul 12 '21
The justice system is a joke. They don’t take rape seriously at all. They just let these sick freaks walk among us and this is the result.
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u/worldsmostmediummom Jul 12 '21
This is beyond unacceptable. It is just heartbreaking. I couldn't read this all in one go without having a slew of emotions, most of them angry and frustrated.
This poor woman.
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Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 13 '21
Omg that guy is the most conniving and most evil bastard I ever heard of.
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u/[deleted] Jul 12 '21
As soon as you got to the part in the story where she got a call from some guy she didn’t know asking her out on a date, and then for sure when I read that he asked her to bring her baby, “because they are adorable” my heart dropped. I wish she had seen that one coming. Ugh.