From 1993 to 2004, Marjorie Caldwell served 11 years of a 15-year prison sentence for arson. Sociopaths are shaped by their environment. Marjorie was caught red-handed setting fire to her neighbors house. Back in Minnesota for the funeral, police found evidence of foul play in their Duluth hotel room. Her adopted daughter Marjorie LeRoys mother along with her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were accused of murdering Congdon in an attempt to inherit her fortune. June 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the Glensheen Mansion murders. Avoid being drawn in. Suzanne Congdon LeRoy: Yes. I found out that her classmate at Vassar was the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. If Marjorie couldnt have it, nobody would. From an early age, Marjorie showed signs of devious behavior, and as a teenager she was diagnosed as a sociopath. My GM made all the difference for me. It became kind of obvious that the jurors were thinking, boy I don't think this lady would kill her mother.". I have had no contact with her for 40 years. While darkly comic elements pepper the musical, Poling emphasizes that he and Hatcher have been respectful of the victims. Norman Bates, as depicted in the film, was a psychotic. SCL: Very much so. They married two months later. But she could also make up fibs faster than anyone could keep track of. In 1960 Dick was still working as an insurance agent in an office above Miracle Mile in St. Louis Park. Now, the city might start buying garbage trucks, Let's talk about our racist and ugly state flag, Minnesota Democrats might spend big in bid to fix a struggling child care industry, The long, bitter fight over Minneapolis Roof Depot site, explained, Time to celebrate our Minnesota public schools, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license. Marjories trial for conspiracy was next, but with the help of one of Minnesotas top defense attorneys, Ron Meshbesher, Marjorie was found not guilty on July 21, 1979. Clarity means quality, and , We cant fight it any longer. Marjorie Congdon has been diagnosed a psychopath. When Marjorie was sixteen, Elisabeth sent her away to a boarding school in New England. A big contingent are coming in opening nighttheyve got their tickets already.. In 1975 Marjorie Congdon met Roger Caldwell at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Colorado. The literature has noted cases where children demonstrate psychopathic behaviors as early as age two, and in environments that are perfectly sound. MinnPost thanks these generous donors: INDIVIDUALS AND FOUNDATI0NS Blandin FoundationOtto Bremer FoundationBush FoundationSage & John CowlesDavid . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We are largest Know-How Listing website, total [total_posts] questions already asked and get answers instantly! When Goetzman asked whether Suzanne fears for her safety, Suzanne answered that shes taken all the necessary precautions. Even so, she says, You never turn your back., At @HistoryTheatre, Chan Polings Glensheen is moving and macabre. And new things are happening. 40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth, Glensheen, home museums rethink rules to lure visitors. The shores of Lake Superior near Glensheen Mansion. Marjorie said they had a suicide pact, but she couldn't go through with her end of it. Better you should stay away from them. He and his wife, Mary, live near Kettle River, Minnesota, enjoying time with their seven grandchildren. Later it came to light that her friend had thought the world of her. Marjories mother and the rest of the Congdon family put their foot down and refused to send her money to bail her out. The Congdons are notable for many things, and the docents dont want those accomplishments overshadowed by the taint of Marjorie Congdons behavior. She was accused of murdering her third husband, although those charges were dropped. On the morning of June 27th, 1977 the day nurse arrived at Glensheen to take over for the night staff. What they did is public record.. In March 1991 Marjorie was caught red-handed setting fire to her neighbors house with him inside of it. Zenith City Press That's in part because of what happened afterward when the story gets even crazier.. In 1883 at the age of thirty he started his own practice and traveled to Duluth on the shores of Lake Superior where he became interested in mining. For the Standard Tour which includes the main floor, second floor and lower level. Sign up for The Growler's mailing list to receive the latest news in food, drink, and culture, and special events you won't want to miss. SCL: She made a big difference for maternal and child health. They will use it against you if it suits them. Rogers trial resulted in two consecutive life sentences, handed down on July 10, 1978. One month before the murder Marjorie got a prescription for Antabuse. in Minneapolis in 1957, but took good care of the new, pregnant owner of the Huntington house, giving her all of her maternity clothes and sending up strawberries to the hospital. Elisabeth Congdons way of dealing with Marjorie was to appease her. [Its] a very rich Sondheim sound. Sure, there've been times over 40 years when I wished the whole thing. Congdon was the only surviving child of mining magnate Chester Congdon, who built the lavish mansion in 1909. In November 2008, Marjorie pled guilty to fraud after illegally taking funds from the bank account of Roger Sammis, who had been under her care before his death. That's because 40 years later, Hartman said, about 70 percent of visitors don't even know about the murders. As her personality emerged from behind a wall of introversion, it was aggressive and unpleasant, and she made people uncomfortable. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. I was only 9 years old when she had a stroke. On June 26, 1977, Roger Caldwell got on a plane to Minneapolis, drove up to Duluth in a rental car, smothered Elizabeth Congdon with a satin pillow, and bludgeoned her nurse, Velma Pietila, to death with a brass candlestick. I visit anonymously and join tours to see what they say, and see how people react. Caldwell's conviction was. There was a level of service and attention to detail we just cant fathom in todays world. At the age of twelve Marjorie began spending her mothers money with a vengeance, running up her charge accounts at local merchants. Candance Renalls is a retired Duluth News Tribune reporter and freelance writer. conniving.''. Marjorie is now 84 years old and shes still out there. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. He now operates a consulting service doing organizational and facility assessments. She wanted the money, and she was not content to wait for her inheritance. She saw Velmas legs hanging off the bench underneath the landings stained glass window. The case had all the ingredients of an old-fashioned whodunit wealth, greed, betrayal, even a mansion and a candlestick murder weapon. She made few friends. From 1952 to 1954, the LeRoys lived at 2744 Salem Ave., a bungalow built in 1941. She was charged with attempted arson and in a 1992 trial found guilty. Details could be released next week. Later in the tour, as you pass the landing where Elisabeths nurse Velma Pietila was brutally bludgeoned to death with an iron candlestick holder, where blood had soaked the rug and dripped off the banisters, you want to ask them to stop and acknowledge it. With her history of arson, she was immediately a suspect. The first time she invited me over I was met at the door by the Doberman pinscher peering out through the little window on the door. Poling was recruited by Hatcher, who had been asked by History Theatre to write a play based on the Glensheen case; Hatcher told Poling he only wanted to do the play if it could be a musical. Only the quick action of Dick LeRoy prevented the fire from spreading and burning the neighborhood down. The Caldwells were broke, living in Colorado, and had been asking Miss Congdon for money to buy a ranch. We hope Marjorie doesnt show up at the theater with a box of matches, Poling says. Clarence H. Johnston, Sr.; Charles W. Leavitt, Jr. On June 27, 1977, the aged heiress to a vast mining fortune is killed along with her night nurse at Glensheen, a posh mansion perched on the Lake Superior coast. Female psychopaths are rare, occurring at half the rate of men. What do ice crystals on a frozen food item indicate? They turned him down flat. For a woman whose motivation appeared to be greed, this might have come as a disappointment. Winter is coming, so . She went up to the prone figure. For example, she stripped all the kitchen cupboards and repainted and decorated with Pennsylvania Dutch designs. Those who know her find her friendly and engaging. Two days after Roger Caldwell was sentenced, Marjorie was arrested and charged with conspiracy. I started out with a Gothic feel, really influenced by Cabaret, Chicago, and Sweeney Todd, he says. Authorities said she began serving her sentence in 1993. I thought that was kind of brilliant., Although hes best known for his work with The Suburbs, Poling is no stranger to the stage. "She brought a birthday cake in for one of the lawyers one day. Amy Goetzman writes about books, authors, libraries and the Twin Cities literary scene. You are here: Home How What happened Marjorie Congdon? Developed by Prime Marketing Exposition, @2022 - 2022 - All Right Reserved. Now she was free to do whatever she wanted. When he drank, he turned violent. Marjorie could not have been pleased. As a result, no autopsy was possible. So is she no longer a threat? Thats different from a psychopath. MP: Your book includes two riveting and fairly disturbing courtroom dramas the murder trial [starring a sneering Ron Meshbesher] and the settlement of your grandmothers estate. Twenty months later she was released for good behavior. Then he graduated as class valedictorian from seminary school before taking a law degree at Syracuse University. When you tour Glensheen Mansion, the 39-room Congdon family home on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota, the docents try to avoid talking about the murders. The lawyers tell you that you and your siblings would be set for life. Yet you became a nurse a very demanding, difficult profession. Marjorie ended up with about $40,000 a year from a Congdon trust plus Wallace Hagen's pension, according to Feichtinger. 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