Local Hero Executed a Man on Christmas Night: The Ernst Brothers Murder Case

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Larry Streeter with me today.
On Christmas night in 1997, brothers Ted and Jesse Ernst drove to the home of Dr. John Bradshaw near Bigfork, Montana, intending to burglarize it while Bradshaw was away. Ted Ernst, then about 20, was a well-known local wheelchair-racing athlete whose public image as an accomplished paraplegic competitor had made him something of a hometown hero.

Larry Streeter, a 51-year-old businessman and Bradshaw’s friend, was checking on the house while Bradshaw was out of town. After noticing the Ernsts’ car at the property, Streeter approached to investigate. According to later accounts and the brothers’ confessions, Ted Ernst shot Streeter six times at close range with a .22-caliber pistol. As Streeter lay wounded in the snow, Ted fired a final shot from a .357-caliber handgun, killing him.

The brothers attempted to remove evidence and conceal their involvement, but an investigation eventually led police to them. Both were arrested on May 18, 1998, and faced deliberate-homicide and burglary charges. Because they confessed and pleaded guilty, the case did not proceed to a conventional trial.

Ted Ernst received a 100-year prison sentence without parole. Jesse Ernst was initially sentenced to 100 years, but his conviction was later overturned; a 2001 proceeding found him not guilty after his defense argued that he had Klinefelter syndrome and had acted under coercion and fear of Ted. He was released after roughly two years in custody.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(235)

They Killed His Grandparents for $20,000... Then Tried to Burn the Evidence

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Shirley and Charles Severance with me today. In May 2014, Charles and Shirley Severance, both 70, were killed in their Sterling, Colorado, home by ...

25 Sep 1h

He Had His Whole Life Ahead of Him… Then His Best Friend Killed Him

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Aaron Davis with me today. In November 2022, 21-year-old Aaron William Davis, a recent Brigham Young University–Idaho graduate, stopped in Rome, Ge...

23 Sep 51min

Kenia Monge and the "Good Samaritan"

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kenia Monge with me today. In the early hours of April 1, 2011, 19-year-old Kenia Monge disappeared after leaving the 24K Lounge in downtown Denver...

21 Sep 54min

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight : The Sarah Ludemann and Rachel Wade case

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Sarah Ludemann with me today. In April 2009, 18-year-old Sarah Ludemann was fatally stabbed by 19-year-old Rachel Wade outside the Pinellas Park, F...

18 Sep 52min

Three Naval Academy Graduates, Two Murders, One Obsession

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kerryn O’Neill and Alton Grizzard with me today. In the early hours of December 1, 1993, Ensign George P. Smith, 24, shot and killed his former fia...

16 Sep 47min

Failed at 4-Years-Old: The Samiah Downing Horrifying Case

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Samiah Downing with me today. In December 2012, four-year-old Samiah Christine Cornell Downing died in Adelanto, California, after prolonged abuse ...

14 Sep 43min

True Story of a Family Annihilator : The Christian Longo Case

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Mary Jane, Zachary, Sadie, and Madison with me today. In December 2001, Christian Longo killed his wife, MaryJane Longo, 34, and their three childr...

11 Sep 24min

Alison Botha Survived the Impossible : Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger are Worms

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Alison Botha with me today. In the early hours of December 18, 1994, Alison Botha, a 27-year-old insurance broker, was abducted outside her home in...

9 Sep 47min