Delia D'Ambra
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Like I said at the start of this episode, there are a number of books, podcasts, television movies, and publications out there about this case, but not many of them focus on the men in uniform who died at the hands of Claude Dallas Jr., and I don't think it should be that way.
According to coverage in an episode of the FBI files, Conley and Bill's widows spearheaded the construction of a fallen officer's memorial, which still stands today in Idaho.
And it's known as the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial.
A lingering question about this crime that few people have ever been able to answer is why.
Why did Conley and Bill have to die the way they did?
Some folks, I imagine, chalk the answer up to Claude being territorial and afraid of getting fined for illegal harvests.
But others expressed in interviews that they believed it was, in a strange way, an almost fitting end to commemorate Bill and Conley's devotion to their work.
For example, one of Bill's colleagues stated to the press that it was almost appropriate that his friend's final moments were in the wilds of Owyhee County, simply because of how much Bill loved the land.
Bill's son Steve also emphasized to reporter Ellen Marks that his dad was in love with nature, especially Idaho, and he'd found peace knowing that his dad was doing what he loved in the place he loved.
The associate director of Idaho's Fish and Game Department put it this way, quote, The Lord needed a couple of good conservation officers, and he picked two of the best.
I'm confident they'll do as good a job for him as they did for us, end quote.
You can view a list of all the source material for this episode on our website, parkpredators.com.
And you can also follow Park Predators on Instagram, at Park Predators.
And the stories I'm going to tell you today are two separate crimes set nearly 30 years apart, but both have similar victims and circumstances.
The first case happened in the summer of 1934, so quite a long time ago.
It took place in Shoshone County, Idaho, which, according to the website wallaceid.fun, is an area rich in minerals and history.