The Circleville Letter Writer

Criminology

In 1976, residents of Circleville, Ohio began receiving obscene and threatening letters that contained details and rumors regarding some of the residents in town. For residents of Circleville, it wasn’t a serial killer that shattered their sense of safety and neighborly closeness. It was a serial writer - a writer who by the time he or she was done, had sent over 1000 letters targeting many of Circleville’s residents, but seemingly targeting one resident more than the rest.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious and fascinating case of the Circleville writer. One man, Paul Freshour, was convicted of attempted murder and sent off to prison. It was thought that he was the Circleville writer, and handwriting analysis of some of the letters seemed to back that up. But, people continued receiving letters after Paul went to prison, something that the warden insists was impossible. Who was the original writer of the letters and just how many writers were there. One man died under mysterious circumstances. And, a woman who seemingly was the focus of early letters was seen as a target. How much misdirection was there in this case and did one or more persons conspire to frame Paul Freshour.

You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology

An Emash Digital production

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices