Tom Bird and Lorna Anderson Eldridge
Morbid22 Jan 2024

Tom Bird and Lorna Anderson Eldridge

When Sandy Bird was found dead in her wrecked car in the Cottonwood River in the summer of 1983, everyone assumed the thirty-three-year-old Kansas mother of three had misjudged the turn on the one-lane bridge and gone over the side, her death a tragic accident. Similarly, when Martin Anderson was gunned down on the side of a Kansas state road just a few months later, the residents of Emporia, KS believed he was the victim of robbery gone wrong—the kind of random violence that investigators often struggled to solve.

What no one knew at the time was that the ostensibly accidental death of Sandy Bird and the tragic murder of Martin Anderson were in fact linked by a conspiracy of Sandra’s husband, Tom Bird, and his mistress, Lorna Anderson, designed to rid themselves of their respective spouses. Unfortunately, their plot began unraveling just a few weeks after Martin’s murder and both Tom and Lorna were arrested for the murders, along with their co-conspirators, and eventually went to trial. While the murders shocked the communities in rural Kansas, the most unbelievable aspect of the case was that the killers were a Lutheran pastor and his devout secretary.

Thank you to the wonderful, David White of the Bring Me the Axe podcast, for research assistance!

References

Close, Dan. 1984. "Minister is accused of soliciting murder." Wichita Eagle-Beacon, March 22: 1.

—. 1984. "Minister ordered to stand trial." Wichita Eagle-Beacon, June 1: 1.

—. 1983. "Slaying victim's wife held." Wichita Eagle-Beacon, November 24: 1.

—. 1983. "Unanswered questions plague K-177 tragedy." Wichita Eagle-Beacon, November 8: 1.

Hayes, Jean. 1985. "Jury in bird trial begins deliberations." Wichita Eagle, July 23: 51.

Hays, Jean. 1985. "Bird's wife described as unhappy." Wichita Eagle, July 12: 15.

Kraft, Scott. 1986. "‘We Don’t Have These Type of People Out Here’ : Murderous Affair Shocks Kansas Town." Los Angeles Times, March 17.

—. 2004. "Who Killed Sandy?" Los Angeles Times Magazine, May 2.

State of Kansas v. Thomas Bird. 1986. 240 Kan. 288 (Supreme Court of Kansas, December 5).

State of Kansas v. Thomas P. Bird. 1985. 708 P.2d 946 (Supreme Court of Kansas, October 25).

United Press International. 1985. "At first no one paid uch attention ." United Press International: Domestic News, August 4.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(869)

George Hassell: The Family Axeman

George Hassell: The Family Axeman

On the evening of December 24, 1926, a farmer in Farwell, Texas, called the sheriff to report that his neighbor, George Hassell, had been acting very strangely in recent days and he had been telling c...

23 Juli 0s

Phantom Stalkers: The Halifax Slasher and The Hammersmith Ghost

Phantom Stalkers: The Halifax Slasher and The Hammersmith Ghost

In eighteenth and nineteenth century England, two phantom stalkers terrorized the public and captured the collective imagination to the point of violence. However, violent outcomes and legal consequen...

20 Juli 54min

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 4)

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 4)

In the summer of 1982, it became obvious that a serial killer was operating in the Tacoma area and dumping his victims in the waters of the Green River. In time, The Green River Killer, as the press s...

16 Juli 1h 41min

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 3)

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 3)

In the summer of 1982, it became obvious that a serial killer was operating in the Tacoma area and dumping his victims in the waters of the Green River. In time, The Green River Killer, as the press s...

13 Juli 1h 14min

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 2)

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 2)

In the summer of 1982, it became obvious that a serial killer was operating in the Tacoma area and dumping his victims in the waters of the Green River. In time, The Green River Killer, as the press s...

9 Juli 1h 10min

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 1)

The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 1)

In the summer of 1982, it became obvious that a serial killer was operating in the Tacoma area and dumping his victims in the waters of the Green River. In time, The Green River Killer, as the press s...

6 Juli 52min

Blanche Taylor Moore, The Oldest Woman on Death Row (Part 2)

Blanche Taylor Moore, The Oldest Woman on Death Row (Part 2)

When the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation and Blanche was charged with the attempted murder, the arrest came as a shock to those who knew her. How was it possible t...

2 Juli 1h 7min

Blanche Taylor Moore, The Oldest Woman on Death Row (Part 1)

Blanche Taylor Moore, The Oldest Woman on Death Row (Part 1)

When the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation and Blanche was charged with the attempted murder, the arrest came as a shock to those who knew her. How was it possible t...

29 Juni 1h

Populärt inom Komedi

mellan-himmel-och-jord-med-jlc
ursakta
alex-sigges-podcast
den-som-skrattar-forlorar-podcast-2
hogt-i-tak-2
jocke-jonna-sanningen-maste-fram
gynning-berg
filip-fredrik-svarar
alla-goda-ting-ar-tre
rss-vafalls
rss-vastgotapodden
killradet
wahlgren-wistam
alla-andra-kan-ga-hem
hor-har
mardromsgasten
flashback-forever
rss-alla-goda-ting-ar-tre
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
vad-blir-det-for-mord