Episode 196 The Durham Family Murders

In February 1972, Bryce, Virginia and Bobby Durham were found murdered in their Boone, North Carolina, home during a heavy snowstorm. Within months, four men were charged and two were eventually indicted for murder, but the case against them collapsed. Nearly fifty years later, a story remembered by the son of a Georgia criminal led investigators to four entirely different men and an unexpected explanation for what happened that night. Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @southernmysteriesEmail: [email protected] Episode Sources Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, “Sheriff Hagaman Announces That 50-Year-Old Triple Homicide ‘Durham Case’ Solved” Watauga Democrat, “Suspects Get Counsel for Current Term,” May 15, 1972 Watauga Democrat, “Investigation of Durham Family’s Slaying Continues” Watauga Democrat, contemporary coverage of the June 1972 preliminary hearing in the Durham murder case Watauga Democrat, contemporary coverage of the September 1972 grand jury indictments of Jerry Ray Cassada and Dean Chandler Watauga Democrat, contemporary coverage of Dean Chandler’s 1973 speedy-trial motion and scheduled trial Winston-Salem Journal, contemporary February 1972 coverage of the Durham family murders and early investigation The Charlotte Observer, “Family Was Found Dead in a Bathtub 50 Years Ago. Now NC Cops Say They Know the Killers” The News & Observer, retrospective coverage of the Durham family murders and crime scene Associated Press, contemporary coverage of the dismissal of the remaining murder charges against Jerry Ray Cassada Watauga County Sheriff’s Office / Watauga Online, “Sheriff Hagaman Announces That 50-Year-Old Triple Homicide ‘Durham Case’ Solved” High Country Press, “Watauga County Historical Society Speaker Series: ‘Convoluted: The 1972 Durham Family Triple Homicide,’ with Terry Harmon” Missing in the Carolinas, “Episode 130: The 1972 Murders of Bryce, Virginia, and Bobby Durham in Boone” WSOC-TV, 2022 coverage of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office announcement identifying the men investigators believe killed the Durham family WBTV, 2022 coverage of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office announcement that the Durham case had been solved Georgia Supreme Court, Birt v. State Georgia court records concerning the murders of Reid and Lois Fleming Federal court records concerning Bobby Gene Gaddis and crimes associated with Billy Sunday Birt The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reporting on Billy Sunday Birt, his family and his criminal history North Carolina Newspapers / DigitalNC, Watauga Democrat archive, 1972–1973 Terry Harmon, Convoluted: The 1972 Durham Family Triple Homicide Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.