This collection features newspaper articles about the murder of Marilyn Sheppard and the subsequent trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard. The articles appearing here are taken from scrapbooks kept by Coroner Samuel Gerber.
The media coverage of Sam Sheppard’s trial was questioned for bias and whether or not the media impacted Sam’s right to receive a fair trial. Ultimately, Sam was awarded a retrial via the Sheppard v. Maxwell decision in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that Sam had not received a fair trial in 1954 for a number of reasons including the State of Ohio’s failure of “duty to protect Sheppard from the inherently prejudicial publicity which saturated the community.”
The newspaper articles in this collection come from the Cleveland Press, the Cleveland News, and The Plain Dealer. The Cleveland Press went out of business in 1982 but was a major player in local news around the time Marilyn was murdered. The Cleveland News was purchased by the Cleveland Press in 1960. Cleveland State University has a copyright agreement with The Plain Dealer to post articles related to the Sheppard case.
(Cleveland State University was donated the archives of the Cleveland Press in 1984. Details about the donation and how to access articles and photos from the Cleveland Press can be found here.)
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54/07/05 Doctor's Wife Murdered in Bay Village
Cleveland Press
On July 5th, 1954, the Cleveland Press reports on the preliminary investigation of the murder of Marilyn Sheppard and Sam Sheppard's recollections of the event: Sam, asleep downstairs in the early morning of July 5th, heard Marilyn scream. Upon running upstairs to her bedroom, he was knocked unconscious by one or more intruders. After regaining consciousness, he chased an intruder down to the beach, but was again knocked out in the struggle. At 6am, Sam called his friend and neighbor, Mayor J. Spencer Houk, and said "My God, come over Spen; I think they've killed Marilyn." Cuyahoga County Coroner Samuel R. Gerber reported "the death was caused by repeated blows on the head and face -- as many as 25." See Police Investigation photos and drawings here.
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54/07/05 Scenes and figures in the investigation of the slaying of Mrs. Marilyn R. Sheppard
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Photos from the crime scene and Bay View Hospital.
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54/07/06 Doctor Describes Wife's Killer
Cleveland Plain Dealer
In this article, Deputy Sheriff Carl A. Rossbach reports that Sam describes Marilyn's killer as "middle-aged, six feet three inches tall, had dark bushy hair and wore a white shirt." After Sam offered this description to police, all visitors were barred from his room. Updates on the police investigation are included.
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54/07/06 Family Tells Why Lawyer is Called
Cleveland Press
This story reports the Sheppard family's explanation of why they retained attorneys "the family recognized that a crime had been committed, and felt it would possibly affect Bay View Hospital, as well as the family. We felt we needed professional advice, and contacted Arthur A. Petersilge as a personal friend, as ' well as our attorney.'"
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54/07/06 Move to Quiz Bay Doctor
Cleveland Press
Authorities express frustration with Dr. Stephen A. Sheppard's report that his brother Sam, hospitalized at Bay View Hospital, is "unable, emotionally and physically, to stand further police questioning for several days." Coroner Gerber also reports on the hunt for Sam's missing t-shirt and the murder weapon.
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54/07/06 Sheppards Face Tragedy Bravely
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dr. Richard A. Sheppard, Sam's father, describes himself as "just" holding up. He reports that many people have been calling the hospital to check on Sam and that "everyone was being very kind." The reporter also observed members Sam's family return from visiting him and described the family as appearing weary.
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54/07/06 Tells Father-in-Law He Hopes to Identify Killer
Cleveland Press
Marilyn's father, Thomas S. Reese, talked to Sam in the hospital shortly after Marilyn's murder and that Sam said he thinks he can identify Marilyn's killer if he sees him again.
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54/07/07 Doctors Sheppard -- United in Work, United in Tragedy
Cleveland News
This article describes Sam as having "the same driving ambition, the same will to learn and to advance the science of saving lives" as his father Dr. Richard A. Sheppard. He has been "the one doctor always ready to answer emergency calls at any and all hours of the day and night." His friends, according to the article, report that Sam also has a fun-loving quality not seen in the rest of his family.
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54/07/07 FBI Enters Bay Slaying; Hunts Cranks
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Reports that the FBI moved into the investigation of the Marilyn Sheppard murder as the result of "crank" telephone calls to the victim's father, Thomas S. Reese.
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54/07/07 Lips Form Word "Marilyn" as Doctor Views Wife's Body
Cleveland Press
Describes Sam's behavior and appearance at Marilyn's funeral.
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54/07/07 State Prepares Charge Against Bay Murderer
Cleveland Press
Two days after the murder, Sam will leave Bay View Hospital to attend Marilyn's funeral. Coroner Gerber wants Sam to return to the Sheppard home to re-enact his recollections of the crime. Police are using magnetic devices to try to find the murder weapon in Lake Erie.
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54/07/07 Trousers Stain Seen as Blood
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Article describes how Coroner Gerber met in Bay Village City Hall with Sam's father and brother but did not receive permission to talk to Sam. Updates on police investigation are given: Sam's t-shirt is still missing, blood smears are found on Sam's watch, Demerol (synthetic morphine) is missing from Sam's doctor bag.
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54/07/08 Doctor Quizzed on Murder, "I Have Told All," Doctor Declares
Cleveland Press
Includes the text from Sam's statement in which he issued a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of his wife's killer. He states that he was severely injured on the night of Marilyn's murder and is suffering from "shock and pain." He also refutes the idea that he is unwilling to talk to police.
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54/07/08 Husband Posts Reward: $10,000 Set for Killer's Conviction
Cleveland Press
According to this article, just before submitting to the police questioning, Sam dramatically issued a formal statement declaring "I have lived an honorable life. " He also offered a $10,000 reward for "the arrest and conviction of the murderer of my wife." Covering some of the same territory as "Start Quiz of Doctor in Murder of Bay Wife, this article from the Final Edition of the Cleveland Press says that Dr. Sheppard's interrogators - Deputy Sheriffs Carl Rossbach and Dave Yettre and Bay Village Patrolman Fred Drenkhan - won admittance to the sick room only after "a series of violent verbal clashes" between Coroner Gerber and Sam's attorney William Corrigan.
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54/07/08 Start Quiz of Doctor in Murder of Bay Wife
Cleveland Press
This article reports that, four days after the murder, law enforcement officials started questioning Sam. This questioning came after a "tense bedside debate" at Bay View Hospital between William Corrigan, the Cleveland criminal defense attorney retained by Dr. Sheppard's family, and Coroner Samuel R. Gerber. Updates on the police investigation are also given including: divers searching for Sam's missing t-shirt and the murder weapon and Cleveland Homicide Bureau Detectives being assigned to the case.
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54/07/09 Doctor Balks at Lie Test; Retells Story
Cleveland Press
In Sheppard v. Maxwell, the Court noted that newspaper headlines repeatedly stressed Sam's supposed lack of cooperation with police and other officials and his refusal to take a lie detector test. This story reports that when County Detective Carl Rossbach asked Sam if he would submit to a lie detector test, Sam replied "I understand that instrument and in my emotional state and as I sick as I am, it would show some disturbance ...might later on." The article also reports that Rossbach was "not satisfied" with the answers Sam gave to many of his questions.
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54/07/09 Doctor Re-Enacts Tragedy
Cleveland Press
This article reports that a wheel-chair bound Sam returned today to his house where Coroner Samuel R. Gerber asked him to re-enact all the events of July 4th. The following conversation between Attorney Corrigan and Sam is reported: "You're being accused of murdering your wife,'' Corrigan told Sam bluntly. ''These men are oat here to get a confession." Dr. Sheppard burst into tears. "I didn't do anything to Marilyn," he blurted.
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54/07/09 Doctor to Help Hunt Weapon
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Article describes the police investigation as it stands five days after the murder of Marilyn Sheppard. Sam Sheppard is released from the hospital and plans to return home to re-enact the events of the murder. Article discuss Sam's missing t-shirt as well as the mystery of why Ko-Ko, the family dog, didn't bark at an intruder the night of the murder.
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54/07/09 Letters to Slain Wife Studied for Death Clew
Cleveland Press
This article reports that Marilyn's personal letters were read by the authorities in a hunt for leads that might help solve the murder. Letters to Marilyn from a female relative seem to hint at Sam's infidelities. (NOTE: the spelling of clue as "clew" is now archaic but appears often in Cleveland 1950s newspapers.)
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54/07/10 Doctor Undergoes New Quiz
Cleveland Press
This article reports on Sam's trip to the Sheriff's office to make a voluntary statement about Marilyn's murder. Deputy Sheriff Carl Rossbach reportedly renewed his demand that Sam submit to a lie defector test: "He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to," Rossbach said, "but I intend to keep on asking until he agrees." Updates on the police investigation included: divers still unable to locate Sam's missing t-shirt or a murder weapon; authorities searched a boat Sam and Major Houk jointly own, Assistant Prosecutor Mahon asked Dr. Lester T. Hoversten, an osteopathic college classmate of Sam's who was a house guest at the Sheppard home for a week prior to the slaying, not to leave the vicinity.
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54/07/10 Green Years Were Good for Marilyn, Sam
Cleveland Press
This article describes Marilyn and Sam as popular and athletic high school students and includes pictures from the Cleveland Heights High School yearbook.
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54/07/10 Guest Again Questioned in Probe in Bay
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Lester Hoversten, Sam's college friend, was questioned about the Sheppard's marriage by authorities. Hoversten stayed at the Sheppard's home the week before Marilyn was murdered but was with friends in Kent, Ohio on the night she was killed.
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54/07/12 Dr. Sheppard Returns to Bay View Hospital to Treat Patients
Cleveland Press
Sam returned to work at Bay View Hospital but admitted he was "still a little fuzzy about things." He wore dark glasses during his rounds because the light hurt his eyes. During the interview, Sam talked often about Marilyn and said she was very supportive of his career and interested in hearing stories about his patients.
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54/07/12 Hunt 'Maniac' in Sheppard Killing
Cleveland News
This article reports that Coroner Gerber and County Detective Carl Rossbach have "virtually ruled out a casual burglar or prowler as the murderer because of the unusual violence of the crime."
The findings of an expert witness from the 2000 civil trial back up Gerber and Rossbach's statement that a "casual burglar" was not responsible. In the 2000 Civil Trial in which the Sheppard Estate sued the State of Ohio for wrongful imprisonment, the State contracted with retired FBI Special Agent Gregg McCrary to conduct a criminal investigative analysis of the murder. McCrary concluded that the crime was best classified as a "staged domestic homicide" and gave one of the reasons as "Excessive trauma beyond that necessary to cause death (Overkill). 35 injuries were noted on the autopsy report . . . the number and severity of these injuries can reasonably considered to be overkill." You can read McCrary's complete analysis here.
