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February 2013
Hello, I'm Gogo Dodo. An edit that you recently made seemed to be a test and it has been removed. If you want more practice editing, the sandbox is the best place to do so. If you think I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, you can leave me a message on my talk page. Thank you. -- Gogo Dodo (talk) 01:34, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

The Gruesome Murder of Helen, 1856
Helen McFinnely (born Helen Andews, July 4, 1803 – November 19, 1856) was a Danish flight attendant who was murdered by her husband, Richard McFinnely, an airline pilot and special constable. Her murder is sometimes called the "Woodchipper Murder" because of the method in which Richard McFinnely disposed of her body. Her death brought about the first murder conviction in the state of Connecticut in which a body was never found.[1]

Pre-Murder
Helle Crafts had known about her husband Richard's affairs with other women and had begun divorce proceedings against him. On the night of Wednesday, November 19, 1986, a friend of Helle's dropped her off at home in Newtown, Connecticut. This was the last time anyone but her husband saw her. During the next few weeks, friends of Helle tried to contact her but were told different stories by her husband. Some of them were told by Richard that Helle had gone to visit her mother in Denmark. Others were told that she had left and he did not know where she was. Richard also stated that she was in the Canary Islands with a friend. Friends grew suspicious and concerned about Helle's safety because they already knew about Richard's aggression and fiery temper. Helle once said "if something happens to me, don't think it was an accident."[2] [edit]

The Investigation
By December 25, police had obtained a warrant to search the Crafts' premises. They uncovered a few clues: several pieces of carpet from Richard and Helle's bedroom were removed from the floor. The family's nanny also came forward and told police of a dark, grapefruit-sized stain she had seen on the carpet of the bedroom, but that patch of carpet had apparently been removed. A blood smear was also uncovered on the side of the Crafts' bed. Police found among Richard's credit card records evidence that he had made several purchases before and after his wife's disappearance, including a new freezer that was not found in the home, new bed sheets, a comforter, and US$900 for the rental of a woodchipper. Later, a private investigator who had been hired by Helen Crafts found in papers provided to him by Helle a receipt for a chainsaw. The chainsaw was later found in Lake Zoar and forensics experts would determine that it was covered in hair and blood that matched those of Helle.[1]

Evidence
A snowplow driver who knew Richard Crafts eventually came forward and said he had seen Crafts using a woodchipper at night near the shore of Lake Zoar in Newtown, Connecticut, during a severe snow-storm. This was late on the night of November 19, the night Helle Crafts was last seen. With this new information, police focused their search around that area for many days, and even scanned the icy cold lake for clues. They found many pieces of metal, less than 3 ounces (85 g) of human remains, including a tooth with unique dental work, a toe-nail covered in pink nail polish, bone chips, 2,660 bleached, blonde human hairs, fingernails and O type blood, the same type as Helle Crafts'. Analysis led the police to conclude the remains had gone through a woodchipper. The forensic investigation was led by renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee.[1]

Police theorized that in their bedroom, Crafts first struck Helle unconscious with something blunt, which would explain the blood stains found, then carried her body to the freezer where he left it for some time. Police further postulated that Crafts had taken Helle's body out of the freezer on the night he was seen at the river by the witness, chopped it into several large portions with the chainsaw, and then put them through the woodchipper. The police believed the dismembered pieces of Helle Crafts' body were then scattered into the river and the area around it. But Crafts could not be tried for causing his wife's death until state agencies officially recorded her as dead, and the absence of an identifiable body posed obstacles to that conclusion. After a forensic dentist confirmed that the found tooth was a match to Helle's dental records, the Connecticut State Medical Examiner's Office accepted this evidence and issued a death certificate for her and Richard Crafts was arrested for Helle's murder in January 1987. Due to extensive publicity, Crafts' trial was moved to New London, Connecticut. The trial then began in May 1988 in which forensic evidence was key. However on July 15, 1988, a mistrial was declared after one of the twelve jurors walked out of deliberations after refusing to vote to convict. Crafts was retried but the trial was moved to Norwalk, Connecticut again due to the massive publicity surrounding the case and subsequent mistrial in New London. He was found guilty on November 21, 1989, three years and two days since Helle was last seen alive. In January 1990, Richard Crafts was sentenced to serve 50 years in state prison.[2][3] [edit]

In popular culture

In the 1989 film Woodchipper Massacre, the children kill their aunt, freeze her corpse, dismember it, and then put it in a woodchipper. The case inspired filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen to write their 1996 Academy Award winning film, Fargo. The pilot episode of Forensic Files (1996) documents the investigation.[4] In 1997, New Detectives outlined the events in an episode titled "Body of Evidence". In 1998, the case was featured on History Television's series, Crime Stories.[5] In July 2012, Investigation Discovery revisited the investigation of the case in their Blood, Lies, and Alibis episode entitled "Woodchipper Killer," focusing particularly on Lee's forensic analyses.

The Gruesome Murder of Helen, 1856
Helen McFinnely (born Helen Andews, July 4, 1803 – November 19, 1856) was a Danish flight attendant who was murdered by her husband, Richard McFinnely, an airline pilot and special constable. Her murder is sometimes called the "Woodchipper Murder" because of the method in which Richard McFinnely disposed of her body. Her death brought about the first murder conviction in the state of Connecticut in which a body was never found.[1]

Pre-Murder
Helen had known about her husband Richard's affairs with other women and had begun divorce proceedings against him. On the night of Wednesday, November 19, 1986, a friend of Helle's dropped her off at home in Newtown, Connecticut. This was the last time anyone but her husband saw her. During the next few weeks, friends of Helle tried to contact her but were told different stories by her husband. Some of them were told by Richard that Helle had gone to visit her mother in Denmark. Others were told that she had left and he did not know where she was. Richard also stated that she was in the Canary Islands with a friend. Friends grew suspicious and concerned about Helle's safety because they already knew about Richard's aggression and fiery temper. Helle once said "if something happens to me, don't think it was an accident."[2] [edit]

The Investigation
By December 25, police had obtained a warrant to search the McFinnelys' premises. They uncovered a few clues: several pieces of carpet from Richard and Helle's bedroom were removed from the floor. The family's nanny also came forward and told police of a dark, grapefruit-sized stain she had seen on the carpet of the bedroom, but that patch of carpet had apparently been removed. A blood smear was also uncovered on the side of the McFinnelys' bed. Police found among Richard's credit card records evidence that he had made several purchases before and after his wife's disappearance, including a new freezer that was not found in the home, new bed sheets, a comforter, and US$900 for the rental of a woodchipper. Later, a private investigator who had been hired by Helen McFinnely found in papers provided to him by Helle a receipt for a chainsaw. The chainsaw was later found in Lake Zoar and forensics experts would determine that it was covered in hair and blood that matched those of Helle.[1]

Evidence
A snowplow driver who knew Richards' eventually came forward and said he had seen McFinnely using a woodchipper at night near the shore of Lake Zoar in Newtown, Connecticut, during a severe snow-storm. This was late on the night of November 19, the night Helle McFinnely's was last seen. With this new information, police focused their search around that area for many days, and even scanned the icy cold lake for clues. They found many pieces of metal, less than 3 ounces (85 g) of human remains, including a tooth with unique dental work, a toe-nail covered in pink nail polish, bone chips, 2,660 bleached, blonde human hairs, fingernails and O type blood, the same type as Helle McFinnelys'. Analysis led the police to conclude the remains had gone through a woodchipper. The forensic investigation was led by renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee.[1]

Police theorized that in their bedroom, McFinnely first struck Helle unconscious with something blunt, which would explain the blood stains found, then carried her body to the freezer where he left it for some time. Police further postulated that McFinnelys had taken Helle's body out of the freezer on the night he was seen at the river by the witness, chopped it into several large portions with the chainsaw, and then put them through the woodchipper. The police believed the dismembered pieces of Helle Crafts' body were then scattered into the river and the area around it. But Crafts could not be tried for causing his wife's death until state agencies officially recorded her as dead, and the absence of an identifiable body posed obstacles to that conclusion. After a forensic dentist confirmed that the found tooth was a match to Helle's dental records, the Connecticut State Medical Examiner's Office accepted this evidence and issued a death certificate for her and Richard Crafts was arrested for Helle's murder in January 1987. Due to extensive publicity, McFinnelys' trial was moved to New London, Connecticut. The trial then began in May 1988 in which forensic evidence was key. However on July 15, 1988, a mistrial was declared after one of the twelve jurors walked out of deliberations after refusing to vote to convict. McFinnelys' was retried but the trial was moved to Norwalk, Connecticut again due to the massive publicity surrounding the case and subsequent mistrial in New London. He was found guilty on November 21, 1989, three years and two days since Helle was last seen alive. In January 1990, Richard Crafts was sentenced to serve 50 years in state prison.[2][3] [edit]

In popular culture

In the 1989 film Woodchipper Massacre, the children kill their aunt, freeze her corpse, dismember it, and then put it in a woodchipper. The case inspired filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen to write their 1996 Academy Award winning film, Fargo. The pilot episode of Forensic Files (1996) documents the investigation.[4] In 1997, New Detectives outlined the events in an episode titled "Body of Evidence". In 1998, the case was featured on History Television's series, Crime Stories.[5] In July 2012, Investigation Discovery revisited the investigation of the case in their Blood, Lies, and Alibis episode entitled "Woodchipper Killer," focusing particularly on Lee's forensic analyses.

The Gruesome Murder of Helen, 1856
Helen McFinnely (born Helen Andews, July 4, 1803 – November 19, 1856) was a Danish flight attendant who was murdered by her husband, Richard McFinnely, an airline pilot and special constable. Her murder is sometimes called the "Woodchipper Murder" because of the method in which Richard McFinnely disposed of her body. Her death brought about the first murder conviction in the state of Connecticut in which a body was never found.[1]

Pre-Murder
Helen had known about her husband Richard's affairs with other women and had begun divorce proceedings against him. On the night of Wednesday, November 19, 1986, a friend of Helle's dropped her off at home in Newtown, Connecticut. This was the last time anyone but her husband saw her. During the next few weeks, friends of Helle tried to contact her but were told different stories by her husband. Some of them were told by Richard that Helle had gone to visit her mother in Denmark. Others were told that she had left and he did not know where she was. Richard also stated that she was in the Canary Islands with a friend. Friends grew suspicious and concerned about Helle's safety because they already knew about Richard's aggression and fiery temper. Helle once said "if something happens to me, don't think it was an accident."[2] [edit]

The Investigation
By December 25, police had obtained a warrant to search the McFinnelys' premises. They uncovered a few clues: several pieces of carpet from Richard and Helle's bedroom were removed from the floor. The family's nanny also came forward and told police of a dark, grapefruit-sized stain she had seen on the carpet of the bedroom, but that patch of carpet had apparently been removed. A blood smear was also uncovered on the side of the McFinnelys' bed. Police found among Richard's credit card records evidence that he had made several purchases before and after his wife's disappearance, including a new freezer that was not found in the home, new bed sheets, a comforter, and US$900 for the rental of a woodchipper. Later, a private investigator who had been hired by Helen McFinnely found in papers provided to him by Helle a receipt for a chainsaw. The chainsaw was later found in Lake Zoar and forensics experts would determine that it was covered in hair and blood that matched those of Helle.[1]

Evidence
A snowplow driver who knew Richards' eventually came forward and said he had seen McFinnely using a woodchipper at night near the shore of Lake Zoar in Newtown, Connecticut, during a severe snow-storm. This was late on the night of November 19, the night Helle McFinnely's was last seen. With this new information, police focused their search around that area for many days, and even scanned the icy cold lake for clues. They found many pieces of metal, less than 3 ounces (85 g) of human remains, including a tooth with unique dental work, a toe-nail covered in pink nail polish, bone chips, 2,660 bleached, blonde human hairs, fingernails and O type blood, the same type as Helle McFinnelys'. Analysis led the police to conclude the remains had gone through a woodchipper. The forensic investigation was led by renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee.[1]

Police theorized that in their bedroom, McFinnely first struck Helle unconscious with something blunt, which would explain the blood stains found, then carried her body to the freezer where he left it for some time. Police further postulated that McFinnelys had taken Helle's body out of the freezer on the night he was seen at the river by the witness, chopped it into several large portions with the chainsaw, and then put them through the woodchipper. The police believed the dismembered pieces of Helle Crafts' body were then scattered into the river and the area around it. But Crafts could not be tried for causing his wife's death until state agencies officially recorded her as dead, and the absence of an identifiable body posed obstacles to that conclusion. After a forensic dentist confirmed that the found tooth was a match to Helle's dental records, the Connecticut State Medical Examiner's Office accepted this evidence and issued a death certificate for her and Richard Crafts was arrested for Helle's murder in January 1987. Due to extensive publicity, McFinnelys' trial was moved to New London, Connecticut. The trial then began in May 1988 in which forensic evidence was key. However on July 15, 1988, a mistrial was declared after one of the twelve jurors walked out of deliberations after refusing to vote to convict. McFinnelys' was retried but the trial was moved to Norwalk, Connecticut again due to the massive publicity surrounding the case and subsequent mistrial in New London. He was found guilty on November 21, 1989, three years and two days since Helle was last seen alive. In January 1990, Richard Crafts was sentenced to serve 50 years in state prison.[2][3] [edit]

In popular culture

In the 1989 film Woodchipper Massacre, the children kill their aunt, freeze her corpse, dismember it, and then put it in a woodchipper. The case inspired filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen to write their 1996 Academy Award winning film, Fargo. The pilot episode of Forensic Files (1996) documents the investigation.[4] In 1997, New Detectives outlined the events in an episode titled "Body of Evidence". In 1998, the case was featured on History Television's series, Crime Stories.[5] In July 2012, Investigation Discovery revisited the investigation of the case in their Blood, Lies, and Alibis episode entitled "Woodchipper Killer," focusing particularly on Lee's forensic analyses.