Statements
Made to Ivestigators by Dr. Samuel Sheppard in Connection with the
Murder of His Wife, Marilyn
Dr.
Sam Sheppard stated that sometime in the middle of the night he was
awaken by
his wife Marilyn calling Sam, Sam. That he got up, thinking that it was
another
convulsion from which she had been suffering from since she had become
pregnant.
He went up stairs and at the head of the stairs he could see a form,
the upper
part of which was white, standing at the foot of the bed in the room in
which Marilyn
and he occupy. Marilyn was making little gurgling
noises. As he entered the room, he felt that he
must have been struck. The next thing he knew was that he was looking
at his
badge, which he carries in his wallet, that it was reflecting light
from some place.
He picked it up and stood up. He then looked at Marilyn and examined
her be taking her pulse at the throat. He was
stunned
and dazed but realized she was dead. He then went to Chip's room (Sam
Jr.) and
looked in at Chip. He didn't touch him but was aware that he was
alright. He heard a noise downstairs and
went down
entering into the living room. As he went towards the dining area he
saw a dark
form outlined by the door leading to the porch on the
Interview at Sheriff's Office on July 10, 1954
(11:40 A.M.)
Sheriff's Office
Dr.
Samuel H. Sheppard, you are now being questioned and
may be charged with the crime of Murder at a later date. The law gives
you the
right to make a statement if you so desire. Anything that you may say
here may
be used either for or against you at the time that you are brought to
trial in
court. Now that you understand these
facts, do you wish to make a statement telling us the truth about the
facts that
caused your questioning at this time?
A: Just about twelve
hours ago I did have a grain and a
half of seconal which is a short acting barbiturate and should have no
effect
on me at this time. Q: Is there any doubt in your mind but what you can sit
here and give us a true statement of what you know that occurred in
your house
on the night of July 3rd, 1954? At Q:
Proceed A: After having a difficult morning and early afternoon
at Day View Hospital where I am in charge of the accident room and
the head
of the Department of Neurosurgery, I made a couple of visits and then
proceeded
home. I arrived home at a time later than five o'clock, realizing this
because
I had hoped to work in the yard with my family and found that it was
too late
to do so. My wife informed me that we correction - that she had planned
to get
together with Mr. & Mrs.
Ahern that evening. We were to go to their home for a drink before
dinner and
then return to our home for dinner. We realized that there were a
couple of
business matters involving vouchers that we should record and we did
this
before leaving the house. We compared notes and my wife recorded the
material
on the Sheppard Clinic vouchers. We soon
thereafter went down to the Ahern's and drove our larger car as I
recall. The
Ahern's were both working in the yard with their children and we
instructed
them not to stop but to continue with their work as we chatted. My son
was
playing with youngsters in the yard. Mrs. Ahern insisted on going
inside
shortly thereafter and Mr. Ahern
instructed
his young son how to continue the lawn mowing with their power mower.
We
shortly went into their kitchen and some type of mixed drinks were
prepared. I am not absolutely clear
in regard to the
exact nature of this drink since we often have done this in the past
and I could
confuse one incident with another. Shortly thereafter, or after being
there for
a short time, I received a telephone call from the hospital in regard
to a youngster
that had broken his femur which is the thigh bone. I had received this
call as
a result of reporting their number to the hospital in regard to my
whereabouts.
The type of fracture was described to me and I decided that I had best
go to
the hospital and evaluate the situation. I asked Mrs. Ahern to find me
a clove so
that I could put this in my mouth and overcome any slight odor. I got into the car and proceeded to the
hospital where I examined the youngster and the X-rays that had been
taken.
This youngster, as I recall, was visiting here and lives in an area
near
Some time within the next few minutes, my wife moved to the
chair I next to me
because the cramped
position as a result of the two of us in the chair, she said strained
her back.
Mrs. Ahern also moved either before or after that. We chatted as the
program
progressed and I became tired, relatively drowsy. I moved to the couch
in the
living room, situated on the west wall of the staircase and the east
wall of the
L portion of the living room which protrudes to the road.
I lay down with my head toward the television
in a prone position, holding my head and watching television. The
television is
on the north side of the room. My head was nearer the television set
than my
feet. It was toward the television set. There may have been a pilled
helping to
hold my head. I evidently because very drowsy and fell asleep. I recall
wearing
summer cord trousers, a white T shirt moccasin type loafers with no
shoe
strings, I am not sure of' the socks. I don't know whether I had
removed my
brown corduroy coat that I had put on earlier, or whether I did at this
time or
not. The next thing that I recall very hazily, my wife partially awoke
me in
some manner and I think she notified me that she was going to bed. I eventually continued to sleep. The next thing I recall
was hearing her cry out or scream. At this time I was on the couch. I
think
that she cried or screamed my name once or twice, during which time I
ran
upstairs, thinking that she might be having a reaction similar to
convulsions
that she had had in the early days of her pregnancy. I
charged into our room and saw a form with a
light garment, I believe. The next thing I know I came to a very groggy
recollection or being at the water's edge on my face, being wallowed
back and
forth by the waves. My head was toward the bank, my legs and feet were toward the water. I staggered to
my feet and came slowly
to some sort of sense. I don't know how long it took but I staggered up
the
stairs toward the house and at some time came to the realization that
something
was wrong and that my wife had been injured. I went back upstairs and
looked at my wife and
felt her
and checked for
a pulse on her neck and determined or thought that she was gone. I
became or
thought that I was disoriented
and the victim of a bizarre dream and I believe I paced in and out of
the room
and possibly into one of the other rooms. I may have reexamined her,
finally
realizing that this was true. I went
downstairs; I believe I went through the kitchen into my study,
searching for a
name, a number or what to do. A number came to me and I called,
believing that this
number was Mr. Houk's. I don't remember
what
I said to Mr. Houk. He and his wife arrived there shortly thereafter. During this period
I paced back and forth somewhere in the house, relatively disoriented,
not knowing
what to do or where to turn. I think
that I was seated at the
kitchen table
with my head on the table when they arrived but I may have gone into
the den. I
went into the den as I
recall,
either before or shortly after they arrived. The injury to my neck is
the only
severe pain that I can recall. I should say the discomfort in my neck. I didn't touch the back door on
the road side to
my recollection. Shortly after the Houks arrived, one of them poured
half a
glass of whisky as they knew where we kept a small supply of liquor and
told me
to drink it. I refused, since I was so groggy anyway, I was trying to
recover
my senses. I soon lay down on the floor. Mr. Houk and Mrs. Houk went
upstairs,
I am not sure of their actions. Mr. Houk called the police and the
ambulance;
this is in my recollection, and also my
brother Richard. I am pretty sure that Mr. Houk called the police
station from my
study because he said "bring an ambulance"- correction - he referred
to the need of an ambulance and maybe two. He also called my brother
Richard. I
remember my brother, Dr. Richard, speaking with me for a moment and
looking at me.
I believe Officer Drohnken spoke to me and asked how I had been
injured. I
can't recall my reply for sure. Soon thereafter I was on the floor
trying to give
my neck and head some support, when Dr. Stephen Sheppard examined me
some time
thereafter. Dr. Stephen Sheppard assisted me to his car, which I think
was his
station wagon, which as I recall, was just behind the I related some of the incidents to mayor Houk and one or more
of the A: I was subjected to a period of questioning, all of
which I can’t recall at this time but was reminded of this morning and
then the
officers left. Q: How long had you known your wife Marilyn? A: Since we were in Junior High School, approximately
fifteen years, or slightly more, in 1937 or 1938. Q: From the time you met her until you were married, did
you see one another quite frequently? A: I would say yes, however, there was a period when she
entered high school that I remained in Junior High School, that we saw
each
other very seldom for being sweethearts. In other words, we were not
going
together but still giving each
other and liked each other… Q: When did you first begin to keep steady company with
her? A: When we were in Junior High School, when
she was
in the ninth grade and I was in the eighth grade. She was a year and a
half ahead
of me in school. We had a
so-called affair which, as I say, became inactive
when she went to high school, but was revived when I reached high
school and was
able to assert myself. This continued throughout high school. She as I
saw, was a mid-year
but; she took extra courses in order to stay in high school until June
of 1941.
Some time during my sophomore year, I had joined a fraternity and Hi-Y
and I offered
her my Hi-Y pill and eventually my fraternity pin, which at that time
signified
going steady. During the following spring and summer she displayed the
intent
to have dates with other fellows. She was staying
with her grandparents out at Mentor-on-the Q: When and where were you married? A: In 1945, I believe, February 21st, in A. In
a small apartment
on Q. How
long did
you live there? Q: During the time that you
lived in A:
During and following my wife's pregnancy up to
approximately two years following the birth of the youngster, my wife
became
quite jealous. This was consistent with the termination of my didactic
school
work and the initiation of my work as a physician, which included
contact with many women, both
patients and fellow workers.
This jealous reaction improved steadily
until she became seemingly much more tolerant than I would consider the
average
female to be. Q:
Did she ever consult an attorney in reference to your
domestic difficulties? Q:
Is it true that some members of your family communicated
with her, asking her to be tolerant and reconsider her action? A:
Not that I know of, but I think that some members of
her family, however, may have. Q:
Since your removal to the State of A:
Well, I considered it to be ideal in that she seemed
to make it her business to be agreeable, tolerant and I should say,
livable. Forever,
there were times when this little jealous streak would show up but I
would always
reassure her and she seemed to need no further support. A:
She indirectly may have in questioning me about my whereabouts
at various times and in the form of reassurance I often took her with
me, when
possible on visits to nearby cities or even the hospital. Q:
How would these inferences affect you? A: Well they affected me in the direction of reassuring
her what seemed to satisfy her and thereby produce a reversed action, whereby she would encourage me
to be friendly with other women at social gatherings whereas at other
times she
might have resented the same action which she had encouraged before. Q: Is it true, Doctor, that on
several occasions when you were discussing your marital troubles, that
you flew
into a rage? A:
Absolutely not, never. Q:
Did you ever have an affair with a Sue Hayes? A: I
wouldn't call it an affair but we have been good
friends for some time, which was known to my wife. Q:
Had she been employed at A: Yes.
I don't know the exact dates. She was employed there when I initiated
my work
at the hospital and she terminated her work there some time last winter
or
early spring in 1953. She
returned some
time later in that year and terminated her work again at the hospital
some time
early in 1954. She went
to Q: In
what capacity was she employed at the hospital? A:
Laboratory technician. Q:
While at work you had considerable contact with her
didn't you? Q: To
what extent? Q: Is
it true that you socialized a lot with her? A: In the hospital, yes. I wouldn't call it socialized. We
talked we became good friends. Q:
Nothing more than good friends? A:
No. A: She was in Q: Did your wife Marilyn know that you were contemplating
purchasing this wrist watch or did she know immediately thereafter?
Q: Where did you purchase it? A: I purchased it from M.G. Motors,
which
was at that time located on Q: Do you recall the salesman name that
negotiated the transaction? A.: The only real salesman is the boss and that is
Mr. Robert
Lossman. Q: Did you have occasion to meet
his wife, Julle Lossman? A:
I took care of her as a patient about a year and a half ago when they
were
involved in an accident. Q: Did you become very well
acquainted with her? A: As a doctor-patient
relationship, yes. Q: Now, is it true that a very close
friendship resulted from this meeting? A: I would say a close friendship with
both the husband and the wife. Q: Isn't it a fact that it developed
into a love affair? A.
No, not on my part certainly. Q: Of your own knowledge, do
you know whether or not there had been a discussion
between Mrs. Lossman and her
husband and you and your wife Marilyn that there had been such an
affair
existing between you and Mrs. Lossman? Q: How long ago was it that you
decided
not to see the Lossman's so frequently? A. That was last summer in 1953 after
the middle of the summer. Q: Isn't it a fact that you have
contacted Mrs. Lossman by telephone since then? A: I never contacted Mrs. Lossman by
telephone. She contacted me always in regard to some medical problem in
regard
to her little girl or herself. I saw Mr. Lossman frequently at the car
agency and
I saw them both infrequently at gatherings of the Sports Car Club,
which is it
club that I
am
not very active in but attend functions of occasionally here in the
city. Q: Isn't it a fact that you dated
Julle Lossman on several occasions? A: Absolutely not. I know there was
some
rumor to that effect but it is not true. Q: Did your wife Marilyn know of this
rumor? A: Yes. Q: How did it affect her? A: She made it known to me and I
reassured her and agreed that we should minimize our social contacts
with the Lossman's
and that was all there was to it. She had no particular objections as
long as
we kept it on a very infrequent basis. Q: Since this agreement with Marilyn
about the contacts with the Lossman's, did your wife Marilyn show any
coldness
toward you? A: No. A: No, because she respected my
decisions on all matters. Q: Directing your attention to the
night of July 3d, 1954, at which time your wife was murdered, are you
directly
or indirectly involved in this crime? A:
Absolutely not. Q:
Do you know
of any reason why someone else
would take her life? A:
Possibly. Q:
Will you state the possibility? A. Well, I don't know but I have
heard of individuals who are maniac enough that when they start
something, an
act like that, it becomes a compulsion, a means of satisfaction like
the ordinary
man has from an orgasm or something of that nature. She has spurned
lovers,
potential lovers. Q. How many of those potential lovers
did she have? A:
Three that I know of and I am
pretty sure, more. I am certain that there wore more. Q: Have
you told the police about these three and revealed their identity? A. Yes. Q: The night of July 3rd,
1954, when you reached the top of the stairs, after you heard Marilyn's
outcries, you say you saw someone standing beside the bed occupied by
your
wife, were they standing or stooping over the bed? A: I don't recall seeing anything from the head of the
stairs, it happened so rapidly, it must have been when I entered the
room and I
don't know whether they
were
standing or stopping. Q: Immediately
upon entering this room, did you have an opportunity to make some
examination
of your wife? A: No. Q: Why? A: Because as I told you, I
seemed to be immediately
engaged in grappling, with someone. Q: Do you know what portion
of the body of this person
you were grappling with that you had hold of? A: I
don't recall holding any portion of the body in the bedroom. Q: You stated that you were
assaulted from behind when
you entered the room or immediately thereafter? A: I felt
that I was engaged from a direction somewhere within 180 degrees in
front of me and you seemingly were struck from behind as I stated above. By
Detective Robert Schottke: Q: At the
time you were assaulted on the beach, what was the condition as to
light or darkness? A: As I related before to Mr. Rossbach, it was just lighter
than dark, it was not as dark as darkest night. There was a light
seemingly
starting, about the best way I can put it, as though daylight was just
barely
beginning. Q: At the time when you and this man were tussling or
fighting
on the beach, about how many feet of beach was there? A: I don't know. Q: At the
time when you were fighting with this man, could you feel any water in
which
you were fighting? A: I
can't say for sure but it seemed like the bench was firm, as though it
had been
washed over and packed somewhat. A: I don't know, I can't say,
but I think I can say that I was between the easterly and of that
retaining
wall and the steps, but I cannot say how far I was north-south wise. Q: At the time when you woke up on the beach, will you
tell us as to the condition of the wind and the waves? A: It seemed
that it was somewhat windy and
the waves were moderately high. I’ll say too high to
water ski and not too high to fish, not real high but moderately high. Q: Is there
anything else that you can tell us about this, Doctor? A: Not that I can think of now. I wanted to say that I have
come here of my own free
will to help you in every way that I can to solve this tragedy and I
hope that you
will give me the opportunity to give you any additional information
when and if
I shall be able to remember it or find it. Q: Have
you been treated fairly during the course of this questioning? A: Yes,
absolutely. Q: Have
you read the above statement and is it the truth? A: Yes it
is true. Robert
F. Sehottke, Det. This statement was taken by Gertrude
Bauer and concluded at 4:15 o'clock
P.M. Saturday, July 10th, 1954. |