Defense Exhibit #14
Detective Cases, December 1975
Pulp Magazines
The full magazine brought in as evidence in the 1976 trial of Eugene Paul Clawson remains elusive, however, the article thought to be the same that Clawson read in lockup is available here to read. From what we can tell, these articles are nearly identical, and most likely published under false names with different titles so the author could capitalize on submitting to multiple publishers.
If anyone has a copy of the December 1975 Detective Cases version by Spencer Trent, or even a version we don’t know about, please contact us!
Update!
We have received a scanned copy of the December 1975 Detective Cases version! Special thanks to Ed Utz for searching for, finding, and sending us a scanned copy of the “Case of the Headless Coeds” by Spencer Trent!
Detective Cases
December, 1975
Case of the Headless Coeds
Eugene Paul Clawson’s confession was drawn from the December 1975 article published in Detective Cases, according to his lawyer, Ed Friend. The defense argued that it was through this issue––five years after the murders––that Clawson first learned of Mared Malarik and Karen Ferrell.
They’re still looking for this madman . . .
“Case of the Headless Coeds” by Spencer Trent opening article paragraph and editor’s note. This Xeroxed copy (in evidence with other items of the trial) was photographed in Elkins by Geoff Fuller.
This article’s opening is very similar to the article from 1973, which you can read in its entirety in the next section.
True Police Cases
February, 1973
Two Headless Coeds in a Wilderness Grave
Published under the name Scott Paulson, this write up appeared three years after the murders. Even though it’s wrought with errors about the case––some speculation and inconsistent details of the area (including “Willey Avenue”)––this piece is thought to be the work of someone using a pseudonym who had access to more than just newspaper articles, possibly a reporter or someone affiliated with law enforcement.
As the Sunday night crowd poured from the theater in Morgantown, West Virginia that January night, it was greeted by snowflakes drifting lazily against the glow of street lights. The crowd represented a cross-section of Morgantown citizenry - moms and pops who enjoyed the movie, young lovers who had enjoyed one another, and a liberal number of students from West Virginia University who were having a last bit of relaxation before reporting back to classes the following morning. For two of those laughing students who lifted their faces to the falling flakes, it was to be the last movie they would see.
–– Identical opening paragraph in both the 1973 and 1975 articles.
Inside detective
October, 1976
Here’s how to find the Girls’ bodies
by Joseph L. Koenig
This piece, dated July 5, 1976, focuses on the Triangle Letters and Eugene Paul Clawson’s confession and history, leading to his arrest.
True Detective Magazine
April, 1977
West Virginia Homicide Puzzle/Riddle: Did he Lie about Raping & Beheading Two Coeds?
by George Powers
After Clawson’s conviction, yet another article on the coeds’ case was published. This time in True Detective Magazine, the author detailed Clawson’s version of how he killed the two freshmen and how certain WVSP troopers were dubious of this shaky confession.
Clawson's defense was that he picked up the details of the case from reading about it in the December, 1975 issue of TRUE DETECTIVE. But, this magazine never ran a story on the killings at any time. In addition, a former cellmate of Clawson's stated that the latter told him of the killing in the spring of 1975, months before another detective magazine did publish an account of the crime. It was obvious, in that case, that Clawson could not have read the story before his jail cell confession."
––Excerpt of page 56