Overview of 507 - Adult Woman
This is episode 507 of My Favorite Murder — a solo episode (host Karen Kilgariff) recorded while the hosts were on tour. Karen covers a recommended memoir, network news and merch updates, and a long-form true‑crime story about James Weyburn Hall, a 1940s hitchhike killer from Arkansas who murdered multiple people (including his wife) and was executed in 1946.
Episode format & context
- Solo episode by Karen Kilgariff (Georgia is absent due to tour).
- Recorded during the tour run ending with a live show in Brooklyn; Karen reflects on touring, fan interactions, and behind‑the‑scenes appreciation for the production team.
- Includes book recommendation, Exactly Right Media updates, sponsor reads, and a single featured case suggested by a listener.
Book & media recommendations
- A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold — Karen highly recommends this memoir (Dylan Klebold’s mother). Key themes: grief, shame, mental illness, and how parents can learn to recognize hidden signs in teenagers.
- Exactly Right Media highlights:
- Hell in Heaven (limited series) — finale out.
- New holiday merch in the Exactly Right store (order deadlines mentioned).
- New legal podcast: Brief Recess — hosts Melissa and Michael featured on the episode.
- Encouragement to follow/subscribe on YouTube channels: My_Favorite_Murder and Exactly Right Media.
Main true‑crime story — James Weyburn Hall ("The Hitchhike Killer")
Summary: Karen tells the story of James Weyburn Hall (nicknamed “Red”), who murdered at least five known victims in Arkansas in 1944–1945 (including his wife) and confessed to other murders across several states. He was arrested after an informant linked him to stolen items, convicted, and executed at age 24.
Victims & timeline (key incidents)
- Jan 17, 1945 — C.F. Hamilton (barber, bootlegger) found shot with a .45. Scene looked like robbery; investigation limited.
- Feb 1, 1945 — E.C. Adams found shot with a .38 after footprints showed one set returning from the woods; Adams’ moving‑day possessions were missing.
- Feb 9, 1945 — Doyle Mulherin (meat truck driver) fails to make rounds; truck found, body discovered near highway; collections money missing.
- Early March 1945 — J.D. Newcomb Jr. (chief boiler inspector) goes missing; March 8 a badly burned body in a burned Oldsmobile is identified as Newcomb (wristwatch and blue overcoat missing).
Evidence & arrest
- Witnesses: drivers reported seeing a young man with wavy red hair; a bus driver saw a man in an ill‑fitting blue‑gray coat.
- Tip: A woman reported that her acquaintance had loaned someone a car that had a .45 and two rounds missing; the borrower was cab driver James Weyburn Hall.
- Forensic/physical evidence: parcel receipt in Hall’s wallet led to Corrine Franklin, who produced stolen items (razors, shaving mug, alarm clock) from Adams’ car; police found Newcomb’s watch, a matching blue‑gray coat, box of .38 bullets and a .38 pistol in Hall’s boarding house room.
- Upon confrontation Hall reportedly said, “I killed them all,” and then confessed.
Background on James Weyburn Hall
- Born 1921 in Happy Valley, Arkansas; fourth of 11 children; nicknamed “Red.”
- Childhood reportedly included physical abuse from his father and possible head trauma at age 14 (hit by a metal fence post or assaulted by his father) — accounts vary.
- Left school, rode the rails doing farm work, physically large (about 6'5") with a limp.
- Marriages:
- First wife Walsie (married 1938) — two children (one died), later divorced.
- Second wife Faireen (“Faye”) (married March 1944) — abusive relationship; Faye disappeared in September 1944.
- Military: drafted but given a dishonorable discharge after six weeks for “indifference.”
- Transient lifestyle and history of violence/arrests (assault charge; earlier questioning about his first wife’s disappearance).
Confessions, suspected additional crimes
- Hall confessed to killing his wife Faye and the four Arkansas men; he also admitted to multiple other killings — including:
- A woman in Salinas, Kansas (1938),
- A man in San Marcos, Texas (1944),
- Killing about 10 migrant workers in Arizona (1938–1944),
- A Bible salesman in Texas.
- Many alleged additional murders matched his itinerant pattern, but evidence was insufficient to charge him on most of them.
Trial & execution
- Arraigned spring 1945 (trial began same day Germany surrendered — so national attention muted).
- Tried first for the murder of his wife (strongest case). Trial lasted two days.
- Initially confessed, then pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Found guilty, sentenced to death.
- Executed in the electric chair on January 4, 1946 — a few days before his 25th birthday.
- Notable line after execution: Faye's father said, “May God have mercy on your soul.”
Themes, observations & takeaways
- The danger of hitchhiking and offering/accepting rides from strangers — attacker exploited kindness and transient culture.
- Small investigative actions and civilian tips made the arrest possible (parcel receipt, woman’s tip about the gun).
- Racial disparity in police response: initial victim C.F. Hamilton (Black) received less investigative attention, highlighting systemic biases of the era.
- The case underscores how quickly violent behavior can escalate and how young perpetrators can be.
- Karen emphasizes parental vigilance (echoed in her book recommendation) and reflects on the scale of true crime — “so many” killers exist.
Notable quotes from the episode
- Hall upon being confronted: “I killed them all.”
- Execution remark by Faye’s father: “May God have mercy on your soul.”
- Karen’s book endorsement: A Mother’s Reckoning is “the most powerful, intense, beautiful memoir” she’s ever listened to.
Production notes & sponsor mentions
- Production shout-outs to the MFM team (producer C. Molly Smith, supervising producer Jess Keck).
- Sponsors/promos read in episode (promo codes and calls to action referenced):
- Squarespace (squarespace.com/murder, code: murder) — website builder.
- Quince (quince.com/mfm) — apparel and shoes.
- Aura Frames (AuraFrames.com, promo code MFM) — digital photo frames.
- PayPal (pay in four promos; limited-time cash back offers).
- TJ Maxx and Guardian Bikes also mentioned in ad reads.
- Karen also plugs Exactly Right store and new podcast Brief Recess.
Where to go next
- Sources and further reading: Karen cites the main source for the case as The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer by Janie Nesbitt Jones (episode show notes include other sources).
- For deeper context: read A Mother's Reckoning for perspective on mental illness and family grief; check the show notes for primary sources on the Hall case and the Exactly Right network recommendations.