The Purrington Massacre

Morbid

The story of the Purrington murders is so horrific it sounds like something out of a movie. James Purrington seemed to have plans of killing himself after suffering from what was likely undiagnosed mental illness. When one of his children brought this to the attention of their mother and his wife, he said he had no intention of killing himself at all, just typical worries about his family after a long grueling summer and a bad drought. His wife seemed to be settled for the time being, but soon almost the entire family would be found axed to death in their home, and James Purrington would be discovered lying dead on the kitchen floor.
Sources to check out:
A Midwife's Tale by Laura Thatcher Ulrich
Return to Smuttynose Island and other Maine Axe Murders by Emeric Spooner

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Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois

Research by Dave White, Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElroy

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