Lost to the Back Page

Murder in the Rain
1 day ago
5 min read

If you’ve been listening to our recent episodes, you’ve heard ads for newspapers.com. Usually, when we have an ad, it’s because a company has sent in a request, we decide if we want to promote the item, then we write the ad. In this case, we actually reached out to Newspapers.com to see if they would want to partner with us. As you’ve heard in those spots, we’re huge fans of the site. It’s not only our number one resource when it comes to research, but we’ve used it for personal exploration or as a fun way to pass time- like Zillow, but instead of houses, we’re reading about the movie listings for a random Friday in the 1990s.

Because I genuinely do enjoy finding cases and reading bizarre stories in old newspapers, I wanted to share a couple of stories I’ve found while doing research for another case. It can be so hard to stay focused! I seriously have multiple documents of stories I’ve found while researching other cases.

Since now is a good time to support journalism and we have a great promotion going on with Newspapers.com, we wanted to throw in a contest for you guys, too! So here’s how it works. From now until January 30th, when you go to newspapers.com and sign up for your initial trial using code MurderInTheRain to get 20% off, send us a screenshot on IG or email murderintherain@gmail.com. Everyone who sends in a screenshot will be entered into our random drawing and could win a swag bag of MITR gear including stickers, a shirt, a one of a kind mug from friend of the show Steve Smith among other goodies along with a shirt and a ONE YEAR subscription from newspapers.com! So go sign up, send us the screenshot, and we’ll announce a winner in early February!

For this episode, I had originally planned on telling multiple, shorter stories. Then I read one article:GI’s plead not guilty in murder hearings

Two Ft. Lewis soldiers pleaded innocent in Superior Court today to unrelated first-degree murder charges stemming from the deaths last week of another soldier and a 28 year old Graham housewife. Steven Paul Criss, 19, offered his plea in the slaying last Thursday of Jacob Kim Brown, 22, an Army infantryman, whose bullet-riddled body was found in a ditch near Roy later in the day. Brown was reported to have left his Olympia home to meet a man for discussion of a debt.

Trial of Criss was scheduled for November 29 by Judge James V. Ramsdell, who refused to set bail. Also pleading innocent was Sgt. 1C Richard Michael Wallingford, 33, of E. Madison St. who was accused of the gunshot slaying last Wednesday of Cindy Ann Barajas of 119th Ave E. Graham. Mrs. Barajas had been shot in the back of the head. Wallingford, whose arraignment was continued last Friday when he appeared in court in an apparently dissociative state, was scheduled for trial November 22. Bail was denied. Attorneys told the court Friday that the defendant had refused to give authorities anything more than his name, rank and service serial number.

Putting those key names into Newspapers.com search engine, I was able to find out the stories surrounding both unusual cases and decided I would tell those stories. Finding these cases, featuring stories of victims I’ve never heard of or read about is one of my favortite aspects of using newspapers. Today I’ll be telling you the stories of Jacob Brown, Peter Zito, Donald Barton and Cindy Barajas- the forgotten victims, lost to the back page.

To get started on your own newspapers.com journey, Go to Newspapers.com/Crime. When you sign up, use discount code MurderInTheRain to get 20% off!

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