December of 1946 in Newark, Ohio was the same as always – snowy, cold, and quiet. No one suspected an elderly woman was capable of the carnage that transpired behind the doors of 78 King Avenue.
In January of 1947, postman Wilford D. Butcher had noticed something strange while out making his rounds. He knew Thomas and Laura Devlin were the neighbourhood eccentrics, even into their 70s. He knew that they were gossiped about. And he also knew that they were elderly, and that not seeing Thomas for a while was highly unusual.
On January 5th, 1947, he made a delivery to Mrs. Laura Devlin, and inquired after her husband, hoping that everything was alright. He was worried after their health, and well-being, he said, and was worried that he hadn’t seen Thomas in so long.
However, when Mrs. Devlin informed him that her husband had gone to visit family in Philadelphia, Mr. Butcher’s worry turned to surprise. This surprise soon turned to suspicion when he was shown a letter. The letter, supposedly, had come from a cousin of Mr. Devlin’s, stating that Mr. Devlin had no intention of returning to Ohio.
Mr. Butcher had a keen eye, as he enjoyed his employment as postman, and took the job very seriously. He noticed that the letter had no stamp, and that the postmark on the letter had been drawn by hand. Fearing for the safety of Mr. Devlin, Mr Butcher drove Mrs. Devlin to the Newark Police Station right away. If anyone could find out the truth, it would be the police.
Upon their arrival, the letter was immediately examined, and Mrs. Devlin was taken in for an interrogation.
The letter stated, clearly, that Mr. Devlin was dead, and that his family was returning to Ireland from Philadelphia. This was a drastic change from what Mrs. Devlin had told Mr. Butcher. Faced with this, Mrs. Devlin soon bore her soul.
She stated that Mr. Devlin had thrown a plate at her, and in retaliation, she had pummelled him with her hands and fists. She rendered him unconscious, and then ensured his death by dismembering his body. She used a sickle and a handsaw to do the job. How the 72-year-old, frail woman managed to accomplish the task was a true mystery to police.
Her gruesome task complete, she then threw some of the pieces in the kitchen wood stove, the living room coal stove, and the torso was placed in the backyard. When police arrived to search the property, they found all of the pieces, exactly where she said they would be.
Mrs. Devlin told police that she was simply defending herself. Mr. Devlin had threatened her life time and time again, she said. And this time, she truly feared he would follow through. So, she killed him before he could kill her.
After confessing to murdering her husband, and dismembering his body, she then asked police: “And now can I go home?” She truly seemed ot have no understanding of the consequences, or implications, of her actions.
Mrs. Devlin was temporarily held at the Licking County Jail. She didn’t quite understand what was happening, but was very adamant that she didn’t want to be fingerprinted. She was worried that the ink would dirty or stain her hands. She also refused to take off her stocking cap for her mugshot, as her hair was a mess. In the end, she relented, and allowed for fingerprinting and photos to happen.
As she was being informed that she was being incarcerated, Mrs. Devlin simply shook her head, as thought holding the police, and the justice system as a whole, in contempt. She told reporters that she greatly disliked jail, though she was a calm, quiet, model prisoner. She kept to herself, and didn’t make a fuss.
On January 11th, 1947, it was decided that Mrs. Devlin would be admitted to the Lima State Hospital. Her behaviour and confusion had worried police, and they wanted to see if she would be mentally fit to stand trial. She was institutionalized for a 30-day observation period.
While in the hospital, she was diagnosed with “Senile Psychosis: Confused Type”. These days, the diagnosis is better known as dementia. As such, she was deemed unfit to stand trial, and was placed in the care of the hospital indefinitely.
On March 29th, 1947, Mrs. Laura Belle Devlin died at the Lima State Hospital. She’d succumbed to a bout of pneumonia, which had resulted from an attack of influenza.
The winter of 1946 and 1947 in Newark, Ohio, was just like any other. It was calm, and snowy. With just a touch of homicide.
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Sources:
The case of notorious murderess Laura Devlin – Jerry Satterfield – Newark Advocate
The Handsaw Slayer – As Close to Crime blog
Laura Belle Devlin – The Post-Mortem Post blog
The Handsaw Slayer – A. R. Childs – Ghost Hunting in New England