Case 242
The Investor Murders
*** Content Warning: child victims ***
On the afternoon of Tuesday, September 7 1982, residents of the tiny Alaskan fishing village of Craig noticed smoke across the harbour. A fishing vessel was on fire. It belonged to successful Washington fisherman Mark Coulthurst, who was travelling with his wife Irene, their two children, Kimberley and John, and four teenage deckhands: Dean Moon, Michael Stewart, Jerome Keown and Chris Heyman.
When the flames were extinguished, and the boat was boarded, first responders made a shocking discovery. Everyone onboard was dead, and it appeared the fire had been started to cover a gruesome crime. Authorities soon honed in on one suspect: a former employee of Mark’s named John Peel…
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Erin Munro
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
BOOKS
What Happened in Craig – Leland Hale
Fire Cops – Michael Sasser and Charles Sasser
BLOGS
Leland E. Hale – The Official Blog
ARTICLES
How a killer massacred an entire family on a fishing boat in Alaska – People.com
Exonerated suspect in unsolved Alaska fishing boat mass murder breaks his silence – People.com
NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES
Skiff actions stir mystery in boat fire – The Bellingham Herald
Search yields 7 on Investor – The Bellingham Herald
Attempt to identify remains is abandoned – The Bellingham Herald
Mystery, grief mark Investor tragedy – The Bellingham Herald
Alaska Troopers still pursue Investor case – The Bellingham Herald
Missing motive – The Bellingham Herald
Two years of frustration end with arrest – The Bellingham Herald
Friends don’t believe Peel did it – The Bellingham Herald
John Peel’s family rallies to denounce case – The Bellingham Herald
Governor signs extradition order for suspect in 8 Alaska murders – The News Tribune
Peel defense attorneys say their case should satisfy jurors – The Bellingham Herald
Scenario: Enraged Peel did it – The Bellingham Herald
Ex-girlfriend says she wasn’t with Peel on night of murders – The Bellingham Herald
Witness’ testimony contradicts Peel alibi – The Bellingham Herald
Peel’s fate in hands of jurors – The Bellingham Herald
Juror: Panel favoured Peel acquittal – The Bellingham Herald
ACADEMIC PAPERS
Memory on trial: the manhunt for Alaska’s most elusive mass murderer – Brittany A. Retherford