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Trudy Darby

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Trudy darby

Trudy Darby

Real Name: Trudy Jean Blecher Darby
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Macks Creek, Missouri
Date: January 19, 1991

Case[]

Details: Forty-two-year-old Trudy Darby was a clerk at the K&D convenience store in Macks Creek, Missouri. At 10pm on the night of January 19, 1991, she called her son from work, telling him about two suspicious men outside. When he arrived ten minutes later, she was gone, however, her car, coat, and purse were left behind. The cash register was open with $200 missing. Police and her family feared that she had been kidnapped.
Two days later, blood and hair belonging to Trudy was found on a gravel road near the Little Niangua River. Shell casings were found nearby. Later that day, her body was discovered along the banks of the river; she had been raped and shot twice in the head.
Suspects: The two men lurking outside the store were the prime suspects in Trudy's murder. Authorities also believed that it might be connected to the disappearances of two other Missouri women, Angela Hammond and Cheryl Kenney.
Local sex offenders and convicted criminals were questioned by police. However, no suspects were identified. Due to the remoteness of the location of the dump site, it was believed that the killer(s) lived in the area.
Extra Notes:

  • This case first aired on the February 5, 1992 episode, which focused primarily on Angela's abduction.
  • It was also featured on Welcome to Murdertown after its resolution.

Results: Solved. In May 1995, half-brothers Jessie Rush, twenty, and Marvin Chaney, thirty-four, were arrested and charged with Trudy's murder. They had lived in Macks Creek at the time of it. They had actually been stopped for speeding near the store on the night of her abduction. Rush confessed to at least three different friends that he and Chaney were responsible for her murder.
In September 1993, one of the friends contacted police about the confession. She told police that Rush threatened to kill Trudy if she went to the police. Recording devices were placed in the friend's room. She was able to get Rush to confess on tape to committing Trudy's murder. After he was arrested, he confessed to detectives. While in jail, he also confessed to three inmates. Finally, he wrote several letters to another one, confessing to Trudy's murder.
According to Rush's multiple confessions, he and Chaney went to the store with the intention of robbing and abducting Trudy. After entering the store and taking the money from the cash register, they dragged her out and forced her into the trunk of their car. They drove her to a nearby barn, raped her, and shot her in the head. They then took her to the river and discovered that she was still alive. They shot her again and then dumped her body in the river.
Chaney denied being involved and claimed that he was home with his wife at the time of Trudy's abduction. Initially, she supported his alibi. However, she later changed her story, stating that she lied because she was afraid of him. In March 1996, Rush was convicted of kidnapping and first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In April 1997, Chaney pleaded guilty to kidnapping and first-degree murder. He was also sentenced to life in prison.
Police believe that Chaney was involved in other murders. One of the cases he has been suspected of is that of Diana Braungardt. However, he died in prison in 2017 and was never charged in any other cases. Police believe that he and Rush were responsible for Angela and Cheryl's disappearances. In his letters to another inmate, Rush mentioned dumping the bodies of two other women in remote locations. However, those have never been found.
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