Jennifer Amell

Well, the central question here is, who killed Heidi Martin? It's often been said that when a case goes cold, any reinvestigation starts by reviewing the work and speaking to those investigators who came first. In my opinion, this is an inherently biased practice. Cases go cold for a reason.

Well, the central question here is, who killed Heidi Martin? It's often been said that when a case goes cold, any reinvestigation starts by reviewing the work and speaking to those investigators who came first. In my opinion, this is an inherently biased practice. Cases go cold for a reason.

And in this one, I argue that old assumptions have poisoned any chance of finding out who actually killed Heidi Martin. The first investigators on this case were Vermont State Police Detective Corporal Mike LeClaire and his brother, Ted LeClaire. Mike says his brother was lead on Heidi's case, though Ted has since passed away.

And in this one, I argue that old assumptions have poisoned any chance of finding out who actually killed Heidi Martin. The first investigators on this case were Vermont State Police Detective Corporal Mike LeClaire and his brother, Ted LeClaire. Mike says his brother was lead on Heidi's case, though Ted has since passed away.

When I spoke to Mike LeClaire about the Martin case, he unequivocally said that he still believes Delbert Tallman is guilty. Consequently, there are still generations of Vermont detectives who think that Tallman did it. Am I missing something? And whether I like to admit it or not, I am an inheritor of that apple pie, mid-century, inherent trust in law enforcement.

When I spoke to Mike LeClaire about the Martin case, he unequivocally said that he still believes Delbert Tallman is guilty. Consequently, there are still generations of Vermont detectives who think that Tallman did it. Am I missing something? And whether I like to admit it or not, I am an inheritor of that apple pie, mid-century, inherent trust in law enforcement.

I want to trust that when the police arrest someone, it's for good reason. So naturally, I want to know if there's actually a good reason for law enforcement to believe that Delbert Tallman is guilty, despite what came out at trial. And if there's no reasonable justification for this belief, then we have a bigger problem.

I want to trust that when the police arrest someone, it's for good reason. So naturally, I want to know if there's actually a good reason for law enforcement to believe that Delbert Tallman is guilty, despite what came out at trial. And if there's no reasonable justification for this belief, then we have a bigger problem.

And if they still think that Heidi's murder was this one-off committed by an intellectually challenged vagabond, they can't even entertain the possibility that Heidi's murder might be connected to the so-called Connecticut River Valley Killer. if the state has tied their own hands behind their back, then it's up to us to essentially reopen this case and strip it down to its facts.

And if they still think that Heidi's murder was this one-off committed by an intellectually challenged vagabond, they can't even entertain the possibility that Heidi's murder might be connected to the so-called Connecticut River Valley Killer. if the state has tied their own hands behind their back, then it's up to us to essentially reopen this case and strip it down to its facts.

Only then can we consider other suspects. The first question I need to answer is this. Is it possible that Delbert Tallman killed Heidi Martin? If not, then we move on to a reasonable short list of suspects. We can begin to entertain April's suspicion that her father, Barry, is the killer. At the end of our first conversation, Detective Michael Clare made a wager with me.

Only then can we consider other suspects. The first question I need to answer is this. Is it possible that Delbert Tallman killed Heidi Martin? If not, then we move on to a reasonable short list of suspects. We can begin to entertain April's suspicion that her father, Barry, is the killer. At the end of our first conversation, Detective Michael Clare made a wager with me.

If you can find some evidence, he said, that proves Delbert Tallman didn't do it, I'll take you out to dinner. I hope you're saving up that pension, Mike. I have expensive taste. As we learned last episode, Delbert Tallman was arrested on May 21st, 1984, the day after Heidi was murdered. Heidi's body had been found that morning.

If you can find some evidence, he said, that proves Delbert Tallman didn't do it, I'll take you out to dinner. I hope you're saving up that pension, Mike. I have expensive taste. As we learned last episode, Delbert Tallman was arrested on May 21st, 1984, the day after Heidi was murdered. Heidi's body had been found that morning.

That essentially left the police with 12 hours to conduct the entirety of their investigation. As you can imagine, a lot was missed. I started by requesting trial transcripts and court documents from Windsor County. That was a dead end. The county clerk told me that all the files, which were paper, had been destroyed, and any evidence returned to the family of the victim or the defense.

That essentially left the police with 12 hours to conduct the entirety of their investigation. As you can imagine, a lot was missed. I started by requesting trial transcripts and court documents from Windsor County. That was a dead end. The county clerk told me that all the files, which were paper, had been destroyed, and any evidence returned to the family of the victim or the defense.

So, big shout out to local news in the Upper Valley. Most of my reporting comes from the painstaking coverage done by the Valley News, Burlington Free Press, and the Rutland Daily Herald. Additional information is from my own interviews with major players. First, what gave the LeClaire brothers probable cause to arrest Delbert Tallman?

So, big shout out to local news in the Upper Valley. Most of my reporting comes from the painstaking coverage done by the Valley News, Burlington Free Press, and the Rutland Daily Herald. Additional information is from my own interviews with major players. First, what gave the LeClaire brothers probable cause to arrest Delbert Tallman?

It seems like it was the eyewitness statement of a guy called Robert Mattson, an off-duty special police officer with the town of Windsor. Tallman was from a poor family in Windsor, and Mattson knew him as a petty criminal and general ne'er-do-well. Mattson knew that Tallman would hitch rides around the Upper Valley, that he hung out with drug addicts and prostitutes.

It seems like it was the eyewitness statement of a guy called Robert Mattson, an off-duty special police officer with the town of Windsor. Tallman was from a poor family in Windsor, and Mattson knew him as a petty criminal and general ne'er-do-well. Mattson knew that Tallman would hitch rides around the Upper Valley, that he hung out with drug addicts and prostitutes.