S05.E06: Black Sheep

[formerlyfreedom]

Four members of the Mark family are found murdered in their Cedar Falls, Iowa, home, prompting police to suspect someone close to the family; the bizarre outcome shakes the townspeople and devastates the surviving members of the Mark family.

[Annber03]

The info in the synopsis for this one's off-think that's the summary for next week's episode.

Anywho....ugh. This story. How horrifying. I could actually feel my stomach sinking during the reenactment of the murders themselves, and listening to the repetitive gunshots. That's just beyond cold. To kill children like that, I can't even... My mom pointed out that it's interesting that Jerry didn't try and kill his dad, too, since he felt his dad had betrayed him by not letting him be the heir. Perhaps he really must've figured he'd never get caught, and he could "bond" with his dad over the tragedy and go from there? I dunno. 

Major kudos to the investigators working this case. To actually take the time to interview people at every place Jerry claimed he'd stopped at between Berkley and Cedar Falls, that's some serious dedication and top notch effort. 

The narrator and I also were of similar minds with the initial Clutter comparison, too. Yeah. Truly heartbreaking story. 

[friendperidot]

This is the first time I've seen the show. Just got a new streaming service today. Do they always tell the story with a family friend? There was a woman narrating as a friend of the mother, I think. I thought it was kind of an odd choice, but if that's how this show is done. I think the talk at the dinner table about who dad was leaving the farm to was a little past due, if it mentioned to Jerry at an earlier point maybe he might not have had expectations. One comment made by the father to Jerry about him not having a clear path in life, I think might have been a little unfair. It strikes me that if Jerry hadn't left the family fold, gone to law school, Peace Corps, had stayed and worked the farm, things may have been hunky dory with dear old dad, but going off and doing uppity jobs like law school and peace corp he wasn't meeting his family obligation and then the younger son was . Guess that was a problem for dad, all that scattered school and work, strayed away from the farm, I think dad felt like Jerry wasn't interested in being in the family business. 

The comment at the end about parents having favorites and what that does to the rest of the siblings, in my family, there is ill will between the 3 of us. I knew my mom favored my bother. and my dad preferred my sister, I did everything but stand on my head to get attention. Finally moved 1000 miles away, I preferred it that way. Moved back home to help take care of family, wasn't my greatest decision.

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, friendperidot said:

This is the first time I've seen the show. Just got a new streaming service today. Do they always tell the story with a family friend? There was a woman narrating as a friend of the mother, I think. I thought it was kind of an odd choice, but if that's how this show is done.

Not always, no. Sometimes the narrator might be somebody who just lived in the area at the time and was witness to the events, without any personal connection to the people involved. And then there was one episode a few weeks back that had one of the actual killers as the narrator as well.

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I think the talk at the dinner table about who dad was leaving the farm to was a little past due, if it mentioned to Jerry at an earlier point maybe he might not have had expectations. One comment made by the father to Jerry about him not having a clear path in life, I think might have been a little unfair. It strikes me that if Jerry hadn't left the family fold, gone to law school, Peace Corps, had stayed and worked the farm, things may have been hunky dory with dear old dad, but going off and doing uppity jobs like law school and peace corp he wasn't meeting his family obligation and then the younger son was . Guess that was a problem for dad, all that scattered school and work, strayed away from the farm, I think dad felt like Jerry wasn't interested in being in the family business. 

I think that's definitely a part of it. But that's part of what I didn't get about Jerry's anger-even if the dad felt Jerry was a responsible person and all that...he was living in California. They had another son living up in Canada, and another who wasn't really stable enough to tend to anything. So in some ways it was really just process of elimination-Les just happened to be the lone son who was still both living in Iowa and capable of taking care of things. Totally fine for Jerry to pursue some other interests, especially such important, admirable ones like working with the Peace Corps*-I'd say somebody who takes the time to pursue law and work with notable organizations definitely has a strong work ethic. But at the same time, if he was that interested in taking over the farm, then sticking closer to home would've certainly helped a bit, I'm sure. 

(Considering how much they said that farm was worth, though, I kinda wonder if it wasn't the farm itself he cared about so much as it was the monetary aspect.) 

*Gotta love the sheer irony, too, of somebody who worked in the Peace Corps becoming a cold-blooded murderer. 

[Sammich]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Not always, no. Sometimes the narrator might be somebody who just lived in the area at the time and was witness to the events, without any personal connection to the people involved. And then there was one episode a few weeks back that had one of the actual killers as the narrator as well.

I think that's definitely a part of it. But that's part of what I didn't get about Jerry's anger-even if the dad felt Jerry was a responsible person and all that...he was living in California. They had another son living up in Canada, and another who wasn't really stable enough to tend to anything. So in some ways it was really just process of elimination-Les just happened to be the lone son who was still both living in Iowa and capable of taking care of things. Totally fine for Jerry to pursue some other interests, especially such important, admirable ones like working with the Peace Corps*-I'd say somebody who takes the time to pursue law and work with notable organizations definitely has a strong work ethic. But at the same time, if he was that interested in taking over the farm, then sticking closer to home would've certainly helped a bit, I'm sure. 

(Considering how much they said that farm was worth, though, I kinda wonder if it wasn't the farm itself he cared about so much as it was the monetary aspect.) 

*Gotta love the sheer irony, too, of somebody who worked in the Peace Corps becoming a cold-blooded murderer. 

I think the monetary aspect played a huge part in why Jerry wanted to take over the family farm.  Even though he had practiced law and was in the Peace Corps, I thought the narrator stated that at that time Jerry was no longer practicing law.   He worked hard to get his law degree, but maybe Jerry wasn't one to stick to one thing, and this bothered the dad.  Jerry seemed like a free spirit since he lived in California and then would stay with his girlfriend in Cedar Falls.  Strange. 

This was such a sad story.  I still can't believe an uncle would kill his niece and nephew!  So tragic!!  

[Mabinogia]

What, exactly, is the point of locking your front door if you are going to hang the key right next to the door? Was that a real thing that was done or just some kind of movie magic to show just how "awe shucks" stupid Midwesterners are supposed to be? Because that's basically asking to be robbed

I don't think Jerry gave a rats about the farm, he wanted the million dollars the farm was worth. I do think that it was also about not being the favorite. That does things to people. The funny thing is, when the brothers were introduced, walking through the door, I saw the priest collar and knew it wasn't him. I can't see a priest murdering an baby no matter how much he might hate his family. When his only motive was debt I was sure it wasn't him. When Jerry walked in I thought "yep, that's the one" but then they went on about him being in Cali and I doubted it. Then the last son came in and they seemed to be pushing him as the one but I still felt it was Jerry for some reason. 

The scariest part of all of this is how calculated it all was. Did Jerry start plotting it out right there at family dinner? When he said goodbye to his brother that night, after the announcement, did he know he was going to kill him? And in that entire, long road trip, did he ever have second thoughts? Did he once think about turning back and not killing his brother? That is a level of hate I, thankfully, can't comprehend. It wasn't a sudden rage. This took days and a lot of effort to accomplish. Yikes!

It was slightly distracting that the narrator had such a young woman voice (I think it's the same female narrator every time the narrator is female because she sounds the same) when she was meant to be the grandmothers contemporary. It took me a bit to figure out what was going on because of that, because I was expecting the woman opening the door at the beginning to be a teenage daughter or something then they said grandmother and I was all sorts of confused. Maybe try mixing up your voiceover actors a bit show. 

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

What, exactly, is the point of locking your front door if you are going to hang the key right next to the door? Was that a real thing that was done or just some kind of movie magic to show just how "awe shucks" stupid Midwesterners are supposed to be? Because that's basically asking to be robbed

The way the people being interviewed were retelling the story of the night the crime happened, it sounded like that was a real thing the family did. That wouldn't surprise me. I know people here who'll lock their doors, but then open up their windows late at night to let a breeze in. People really can be very lax about home security in the more rural areas around here. 

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The scariest part of all of this is how calculated it all was. Did Jerry start plotting it out right there at family dinner? When he said goodbye to his brother that night, after the announcement, did he know he was going to kill him? And in that entire, long road trip, did he ever have second thoughts? Did he once think about turning back and not killing his brother? That is a level of hate I, thankfully, can't comprehend. It wasn't a sudden rage. This took days and a lot of effort to accomplish. Yikes!

So true. Very good point. 

I also remember them mentioning that he took some speed to help keep himself awake on that long trip. I don't doubt that played a part in adding to his violent rage as well. 

[Mabinogia]

7 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

The way the people being interviewed were retelling the story of the night the crime happened, it sounded like that was a real thing the family did. That wouldn't surprise me. I know people here who'll lock their doors, but then open up their windows late at night to let a breeze in. People really can be very lax about home security in the more rural areas around here. 

I grew up in a city. This kind of thing just sounds insane to me. Don't get me wrong, I wish the world were a place where this made sense, but where I come from it is asking for trouble. I would love to sleep with my windows open but I don't dare. I'm on the first floor. 

 

I'm sure the speed didn't help at all. It's just so sad that someone can harbor that level of hatred. So much so that seeing your tiny little niece doesn't snap you out of it. It makes me wonder just how bad the favoritism was in that family. 

I just read a few articles about the case. Interesting stuff. Mostly about trying to overturn the guilty verdict. Apparently there was a condom in Les' bedroom which hasn't been DNA tested. I still think Jerry did it, that road trip, buying the very rare type of bullet just before going on said roadtrip days before the murder is far too coincidental for me to get over. He tried to claim that he lied about his road trip because he picked up and screwed a hitchhiker and didn't want his girlfriend to know. Seriously, I'd rather get dumped than end up in jail so I really don't buy that story.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I grew up in a city. This kind of thing just sounds insane to me. Don't get me wrong, I wish the world were a place where this made sense, but where I come from it is asking for trouble. I would love to sleep with my windows open but I don't dare. I'm on the first floor. 

Yeah, I'm completely with you. The town I live in has a population of close to 30,000-obviously that's not on the level of an L.A. or New York, let alone a Minneapolis or Chicago, but it qualifies as a small city-and there's the occasional crime here (mostly drug busts), so my family's very careful about keeping doors and windows locked as a result. But I have a friend who lives in a first floor apartment in an apartment complex here in town. too, and she'll sleep with her windows open all the time. I can't help but worry when she does that. It's especially strange in her case, considering her mom worked for our local police department and she studied criminology in college. 

Course, keep in mind that Iowans are the same people who, when bad storms are coming, are all, "Oooh, I wanna go see it!" instead of freaking out, so... Apparently we like to live on the edge a bit here :p. Plus, that one investigator who was interviewed in the episode was right-we Iowans do tend to be a trusting bunch in general. 

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I'm sure the speed didn't help at all. It's just so sad that someone can harbor that level of hatred. So much so that seeing your tiny little niece doesn't snap you out of it. It makes me wonder just how bad the favoritism was in that family. 

Agreed. That kind of serious premeditation, there was likely a whole lot of deeper issues lurking within that family for a while. The fact the dad himself said that "you can't choose your family" further indicates some deep bitterness and resentment as well. 

It doesn't surprise me that farming can tear families apart here, though. My grandpa's family were farmers, and according to my mom, apparently they were very upset when my grandpa decided not to follow in the family's footsteps and stay to work on the farm when he married my grandma. They resented my grandma for essentially taking him away from the family business. But given Iowa's an agricultural state, and farming's obviously a big deal here, it makes sense families would take any issues related to it very seriously as a result. Generally not to the point of murder, no, but still. 

Edited March 25, 2018 by Annber03

[Mabinogia]

36 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

But given Iowa's an agricultural state, and farming's obviously a big deal here, it makes sense families would take any issues related to it very seriously as a result.

I could see how ingrained farming must be in some families. It's not just a way to make a living, it is a way of life more than most other jobs. I work in an office, when 4:30 comes, I don't think about work again until 8am the next day.

I can see how the father, a man born and raised on the farm, who raised his kids on the farm would think a son who ran off to California to be a lawyer would be lazy. Farming is a lot more physically demanding. But Jerry can't have been truly lazy or he wouldn't have accomplished anything in life. I mean, Peace Corp isn't exactly taking the easy way out, nor is going to law school. But for his father those things probably felt like a betrayal.

This is such a tragedy because I don't think Jerry is a psychopath and I don't think he would kill again, but I think years of not being good enough were capped off by watching his little brother get the last approval from their dying father, the biggest sign of favoritism, the very heart of the family, the family farm. Not saying Jerry is some poor victim in all this, but I can't help but wonder, if he hadn't taken that speed to keep him awake, would he have changed his mind before arriving at the farm, maybe decided this was wrong. 

Interestingly enough, his mother thinks he's innocent. I have a feeling, if his father were still alive, he wouldn't share that sentiment. 

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

I grew up in a city. This kind of thing just sounds insane to me. Don't get me wrong, I wish the world were a place where this made sense, but where I come from it is asking for trouble. I would love to sleep with my windows open but I don't dare. I'm on the first floor. 

We have lived in the same small town for many years.  While our house key is not right next to the front door, it is within 10 feet of it, with the car keys.  Our doors are always locked, and while I also would love to sleep with windows open, there is such a small window of weather where that would work.

[Sile]

I've seen at least one other show on this case (I think that family one where they're always cutting to flowers with bugs and snakes on them) and read about it, but they didn't really move me whereas this one broke my heart.  This show is so damned good at making you care, I think it's because they treat the victims with such respect rather than sensationalism.

Jerry thought he was too clever for his own good.  Had he not broken the lock on the shed, it's doubtful his girlfriend would have ever had reason to even look around in there.  And giving exact places and times where he called her not only makes it easy to disprove, but not being able to remember because it wasn't important would make more sense.  Like people that give an entire time schedule of their day, every single item they bought at Wal-mart, the color of nail lacquer they got at the salon, the daily special at the luncheonette, how many outfits they tried on at Nordstrom's, etc.  Too much detail does nothing but show you have something to hide.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Sile
Added some random commas for spice

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, Sile said:

And giving exact places and times where he called her not only makes it easy to disprove but not being able to remember because it wasn't important would make more sense.  Like people that give an entire time schedule of their day, every single item they bought at Wal-mart, the color of nail lacquer they got at the salon, the daily special at the luncheonette, how many outfits they tried on at Nordstrom's, etc.  Too much detail does nothing but show you have something to hide.

Yes. I see that whole "excessive details" thing in a lot of crime stories. It's something that always trips a killer up. Rarely is anyone's memory THAT good and THAT precise. 

[ratgirlagogo]

11 hours ago, Annber03 said:

It doesn't surprise me that farming can tear families apart here, though. My grandpa's family were farmers, and according to my mom, apparently they were very upset when my grandpa decided not to follow in the family's footsteps and stay to work on the farm when he married my grandma. They resented my grandma for essentially taking him away from the family business. But given Iowa's an agricultural state, and farming's obviously a big deal here, it makes sense families would take any issues related to it very seriously as a result. Generally not to the point of murder, no, but still. 

There was (and still is) a lot of fighting about inheritance on my dad's side (the farming side) of the family so this didn't seem surprising to me at all.  And it did remind me in a comic way of some of our discussion of last week's episode.  This week, you'd kill to get a farm, whereas last week:

 

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tobeannounced:  Especially when they said, "He literally went to live on a farm for the rest of his life," or something like that. Just seems a very odd thing to say as proof that someone's life was ruined. 

Edited March 26, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[Mabinogia]

8 hours ago, Sile said:

This show is so damned good at making you care, I think it's because they treat the victims with such respect rather than sensationalism.

It's interesting you said that because this is probably the one show where I do always feel for the victim. Maybe it's partly because there aren't family members on crying about how the deceased was the single greatest human being ever to walk the planet and they would have saved us all had they lived. That always makes me start looking for the victims flaws. I can't help it. But on this one, it's usually a neighbor or friend talking about that person like they are just a normal person, just like you or me or the narrator, who was just going about their lives when tragedy struck. They do really flesh out the family. I loved the "home movies" in this one, which really reiterated that this was a seemingly normal, happy family.

This show does do a good job of just telling the story of what happened without over sensationalizing it. I'm also fascinated by the police work back before CSI was all the rage. Having to wait for the phone results so they focus on another guy. Having to actually go out to all these places along the highway to find anyone who recognized the photo they had. They did real "leg work" back then.

[sugarbaker design]

Wow, this has to be the best show of the season, thus far.  It has all my favorite ingredients:  unknown to me, a gruesome crime, centered on a family, old-fashioned police work ending with an arrest and a conviction.

7 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

They did real "leg work" back then.

This is my favorite part.  Hard work, persistence, a search for the truth and justice.  Love it.  And the murderer is still serving his sentence.

[atlantaloves]

Oh yeah, this was a great episode, and honey if I haven't seen it, then its a new case to the world. Ha. Never would have guessed the California son did it, that's for sure. 

[geekgirl921]

This one really got me! So cold! I wonder why he felt the need to kill the kids too. I suppose that he knew the niece would identify him but still so cold. And I hate to break it to you, buddy, I don't think dad was going to give you the farm even if Les was dead.

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, geekgirl921 said:

This one really got me! So cold! I wonder why he felt the need to kill the kids too. I suppose that he knew the niece would identify him but still so cold. And I hate to break it to you, buddy, I don't think dad was going to give you the farm even if Les was dead.

That's the thing that always gets me about these kinds of murders. "Oh, if I get them out of the way, I'll get the farm" (or the kids, or the money, or whatever else somebody who kills a family member/significant other is fighting for ownership of). And then they get caught and wind up in jail and don't get what they killed for in the end anyway. Great planning there, genius.