Episode 206: The Murder of Leslie Spellman

Another Sunday, another installment of True Crime New England's case profile mini-episode series! For this week's episode, Liz starts the show off by talking about the very troubling and concerning disappearance of Miguel Oliveras, who was last seen at a Portland, Maine nightclub in September of 2006. Then, Katie talks about the horrific murder of mother Annie Murchison, who was found crudely stabbed in her Springfield, Massachusetts apartment in 1977. Both cases remain unsolved to this day. Anyone with any information regarding Miguel Oliveras’ location should call the Portland Police Department at (207) 814-8584 or FBI Boston at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Anyone with any information on the murder of Annie Murchison is asked to please call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355.

Join Katie and Liz on another episode of True Crime New England as they discuss a decades-long unsolved murder. 27-year-old Leslie Spellman was hitchhiking with her younger sister in June of 1977, when they separated ways to try and end up at different locations. Unfortunately, Leslie was found the next morning in Northeast Harbor, Maine, bludgeoned to death. Due to the circumstances leading up to her death, like hitchhiking and being far from her home in Hingham, Massachusetts, the evidence of who did the crime was scarce. While she has potentially been connected to two serial killers, there has never been an official suspect named. Now, nearing 50 years later, her murder remains unsolved. Anyone with any information on the murder of Leslie Spellman is asked to please call Maine State Police at (207) 973-3750 or toll free at 800–432–7381.

On this week’s episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz take a deep dive into the nightmare that is the case against Edward Wright, a man who was wrongly accused of killing his friend, Penny Anderson, in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1984. Edward was seen with Penny the night before her murder, and factors such as withheld evidence, false testimony, and racial bias led to his conviction of first-degree murder, ending with a life sentence. After 40 years and six motions for a new trial, Edward was able to work with the New England Innocence Project to get his wrongful conviction overturned. 

Join Katie and Liz on another installment of their case profile mini-episode series! On today's show, Katie starts off by talking about the horrific murder of 17-year-old Wanda Cartagena, who was found with a plastic bag around her head in her Springfield, Massachusetts apartment in 1989. Then, Liz talks about the double murder of Kwaku Osei-Owusu and Frank Vanney, who were shot and killed in a car in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2003. Both cases remain unsolved. Anyone with any information on the murder of Wanda Cartagena is asked to please call the State Police Unresolved Cases Unit at 413-505-5941 or 1-855-MA-SOLVE. If you or anyone you know has any information regarding the murders of Kwaku Osei-Owusu and Frank Vanney, please call the Worcester Police Department at 508-799-8651 or send “TIPWPD” to 274637 anonymously.

Join Katie and Liz on another trip back in time as they embark on a journey to Connecticut in the early 1900's. The girls tell the story of Amy Archer-Gilligan, a woman who seemingly had a nurturing heart and a caring nature to her. Unfortunately, when her first husband died just after a life insurance policy was taken out, and her second husband died shortly after writing up a will that left everything to her, suspicions rose. When the elderly care home she owned and operated began to report an obscenely high number of deaths within just several years, the suspicion was too much to bear. Listen in to hear the details of this serial poisoner and female serial killer. 

On this week’s episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz discuss the murder of Joanna Kozak out of Fremont, New Hampshire in 1992. The girls talk about her murderer, Steven Roy, who had employed her and allowed her to live in his home. When Steven was indicted for his murder, his trial involved a statement from an accomplice that threw him for a loop, and he has spent the last 30 years appealing his conviction of first-degree murder. Tune in to hear the details of the legal proceedings that one man constantly faces in order to try to get himself out of prison.

On this week's installment of True Crime New England's mini-episode series, Katie and Liz share two heartbreaking stories of unnecessary murders that remain unsolved to this day. First, Liz goes over the details of extremely inspiring 17-year-old Ivol Brown, who used his own criminal history as motivation to better himself and his community. On Memorial Day of 2010, Ivol was stabbed to death. Then, Katie talks about 30-year-old Nakieka Taylor, who was a caring and giving woman that met a brutal fate in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 2017.If you or anyone you know has any information regarding the fatal stabbing of Ivol Brown, please contact the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to 27463.Anyone with any information on the murder of Nakieka Taylor is asked to please call homicide detectives at 617-343-4470. You can also call anonymously at CrimeStoppers at 1-800-494-TIPS.

Join Katie and Liz on another episode of True Crime New England as they navigate the life and death of housewife Doris Maxfield. Doris, born in the 1930s in Maine, found herself living in Massachusetts in her adolescence and into her young adult years, getting married twice and delivering four sons. It wasn’t until January of 1977 that the well-liked, local store owner was found dead in her kitchen in Post Mills, Vermont. Her initial autopsy stated her cause of death was natural causes, but was shortly re-examined to find that she had actually been strangled. Despite this fact, no one has ever been charged in her death.If you or anyone you know has any information on the suspicious death of Doris Maxfield, please call the Vermont State Police at 802-241-5000.Check out Sadie’s thorough and in-depth article about Doris Maxfield here: https://ghastlyxgorgeous.wordpress.com/2025/04/12/vermonters-keep-secrets-the-life-and-death-of-doris-e-maxfield/ 

This week on True Crime New England, Katie and Liz take a look at the complex case of Nathan Carman, a young man who was suspected of two separate murders of different family members. Nathan was very close to his grandfather, wealthy real estate mogul John Chakalos, and stood to inherit a very large sum of money from him. When John was found murdered in his Connecticut home in 2013, Nathan was a suspect, however he was never charged. Three years later in 2016, tragedy struck when Nathan and his mother, Linda, went on a fishing trip. After eight entire days, Nathan was the only one who returned, claiming the boat sank rapidly and Linda drowned. Due to his suspicious stories, a lengthy investigation from the Coast Guard and police ensued and he was eventually charged with Linda’s murder. Unfortunately, Nathan Carman died by suicide in 2023 while awaiting trial.

Join Katie and Liz on another installment of True Crime New England's mini-episode series! Today, Katie starts off with the very troubling story of the disappearance of 9-year-old Nelida De Jesus Del Valle, who was last seen walking to school in Boston, Massachusetts in 1976. Then, Liz talks about the tragic and unecessary murder of father Nicholas Brown, who was shot and killed in Hartford, Connecticut in 2016. Both cases remain unsolved.Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Nelida De Jesus Del Valle is asked to please call the Boston Police Department at (617) 343-4200. Investigators are asking anyone with information on the murder of Nicholas Brown to please contact the Hartford Police Department at 860-757-4000 or the tipline at 860-722-8477.