Episode 25: The Murder of Jerri Ann Richard
The events that took place on November 11th, 1984, are still cloudy and uncertain to this day. Donna and Ralph Richard put their 4-month-old baby girl, Jerri Ann, down for the evening in her crib in their second floor apartment. The timeline is unclear- at some point in the middle of the night, Donna heard the cat meow, and she shushed him and pulled him back into bed to cuddle. She later recalls this happening and wonders if the cat was trying to tell her something, because when she awoke in the morning, Jerri Ann was not in her crib.
After making a televised plea for the return of their infant, the spotlight fell on Donna and Ralph. How could their baby have just disappeared into thin air? They lived on the second floor of an apartment building, and there was no sign of forced entry anywhere. Ralph had a prior history of drug trafficking- could this be a revenge abduction from an angry customer? It was also later discovered that he was perhaps having an extramarital affair…was the other woman pissed when she found out he had a family?
Unfortunately, just four days later on November 15th, Jerri Ann’s beaten body was discovered just a block away in an alley. Her body was placed on a pile of swept garbage, and she had at least 3 blows to the head. It was also apparent that she had been sexually assaulted, as semen was found on her lifeless body.
Subsequently, in May of 1985, both Ralph and Donna were charged with Jerri Ann’s murder. Their trials were held separately, as Ralph was charged with sexually assaulting his infant daughter, while Donna was charged with the actual murder. After up to 59 witnesses testified, the charges against Ralph surprisingly did not stick. There was just no evidence implicating him. As a result, the charges against Donna also were dropped. Three days later, Donna gave birth to a baby boy, and the couple moved to Bloomington, Indiana. After having one more baby, the couple later divorced, and Jerri Ann’s murder is yet to be solved.
Image sources:
turnto10.com - “Trials of the Century: The Murder of Jerri Ann Richard”