Transcription
He kills his parents at 16 so he can take his girlfriend to a drive-in movie. Nine years later, he escapes prison. Then disappears off the face of the earth. Or so everyone thinks. Until he pops up in Australia living a double life no one saw coming. This is the twisted story of Leslie Arnold, the teenage killer who vanished and got away with it.
Thanks for stopping by. I'm Chris. Let's recap.
[Music]
Leslie Arnold seems like your average 1950s all-American kid in Omaha, Nebraska. 16 years old, good student, plays sax in the school band, has a steady girlfriend. Then comes Saturday, September 27th, 1958. That afternoon, Leslie's on the phone with his girlfriend for hours. If you asked his mom, Opal, he's tying up the line and she's had enough. When he finally hangs up, the fight starts. She doesn't like the girl, doesn't want Leslie seeing her, and they go back and forth about it all day. Then around 2:30, Leslie comes downstairs. He asks if he can borrow the car, wants to take his girlfriend to a drive-in. The Undead is playing, but Opal says no, and that's it. That's the final straw. Leslie grabs the family rifle and shoots his mother six times straight through the heart.
His little brother, 13-year-old Jimmy, is at the rodeo working as an usher that day. Lucky for him, because Leslie's not done. Leslie's still standing over his mother's body when his dad, Bill, walks through the front door. He sees Opal lying on the dining room floor and lunges at his son. Leslie doesn't hesitate. He fires again, six shots to the chest. Then he drags both bodies down to the basement, mops up the blood, and gets ready for his date. And what about his little brother? Is Leslie worried he'll find the bodies? Not even a little. He drives over and picks Jimmy up from the rodeo, telling him the parents had to leave town suddenly, then drops him off at a neighbor's before heading out himself. Just like that, two murders and a night at the movies.
Now, here's where it gets even darker. Leslie doesn't panic. The very next morning, he goes to church, sits through the service with his girlfriend and her family like nothing happened. Later, he borrows a shovel from the neighbor, says he's doing a little gardening. No one asks questions. He heads to the backyard and starts digging a shallow trench 6ft long, 2ft wide, maybe 3 feet deep, right under a lilac bush near the fence. That night, once it's dark, he drags both bodies out of the basement, drops them into the hole, and covers it with a wooden board, like he's just taking out the trash. Then he keeps up the act. Monday morning, he opens his dad's office, tells the salesman, "Bill's away, so they're on their own for a while." He's late to school that day, but it's no big deal. He explains he had a doctor's appointment. For the next 14 days, Leslie goes about his routine like everything's normal, telling everyone his parents had to leave town for a family emergency. Meanwhile, his brother stays with the neighbors.
But eventually, the lie starts to crack. 10 days in, Leslie's luck starts to run out. His grandparents show up, come to check on things, and pick up little Jimmy from the neighbor's house. They're worried no one's heard a word from Bill or Opal. They talk about calling the police, but hold off. Maybe they're just overreacting. Maybe the parents will walk through the door any minute, but they don't. And finally, a great uncle picks up the phone, calls the police, tells them something's off, and says flat out, "Leslie might know more than he's saying." Detectives bring him in, and that's when he breaks, confesses to the whole thing. With his wrists cuffed to two officers, the 16-year-old points police straight to the lilac bush in the backyard. That's where he buried them. Neighbors line the street watching in stunned silence as detectives start digging. About a foot down, they hit Bill's wrist, still wearing his watch. Opal's body is on top, her legs tied together with a belt, still wearing her watch, too, and her jewelry. But her purse turns up under the floor mat of the family car.
Leslie doesn't fight it. He pleads guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and is sentenced to life in prison. At just 16, he becomes inmate number 16243 at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. And for a while, he keeps his head down. Works in the prison print shop, plays saxophone in the prison band, helps out at the governor's mansion on Christmas, even joins the JC's prison chapter. But don't let the good behavior fool you. He's already planning his next move.
By 1967, he's 24 years old, and on July 14th, just before midnight, he scales a 12-foot fence with another inmate and runs away. A massive manhunt kicks off, but Leslie, he's in the wind. The warden calls it the cleanest escape he's ever seen. And after that, the prison tightens up so much, nobody ever pulls it off again. The other guy gets caught within the year. But Leslie Arnold, he's a ghost. No sightings, no paper trail, no arrests, just one of the longest unsolved prison escapes in American history. Until out of nowhere, more than 50 years later, his trail pops up on the other side of the world. And no one around him has any idea who he really is.
Turns out Leslie didn't just change his name. He changed everything. He became John Damon, a quiet, respected businessman. Built a whole new life. He got a passport, traveled, married twice, had two kids, three stepkids. He lived in Chicago, California, Ohio, Florida, New Zealand, and eventually settled in Australia. But in the end, it wasn't a detective or a tipster or a prison snitch that brought him down. It was Ancestry.com. 12 years after his death from natural causes in 2010, his son uploaded a DNA sample just hoping to learn more about his family tree. Because growing up, he was told his dad, John Damon, was an orphan from Chicago. What he doesn't know is that the US Marshals are working the Leslie Arnold case and they've uploaded DNA from Leslie's little brother, Jimmy, hoping to get a hit. And they do. As soon as the son joins the database, the system lights up. It's the match they've been waiting for. After more than 50 years on the run, the case is finally closed.
To his family, he was John Damon, a devoted dad, a loving husband. So, how do you reconcile the man you thought you knew with the truth you never saw coming? We'd love to know if you've ever found yourself in a similar situation. As for Leslie Arnold's family, they're staying anonymous, but here's the statement his son gave CNN: "There's no warning label on a DNA test telling you that you might not like what you find, but I don't regret doing it. I'm glad I know the truth about my dad. Yes, his life started with something awful, but that's not how I remember him. I remember the dad who worked hard, who loved music, who taught me to always be my best. That's the legacy he left me."
So, what do you think? Did Leslie Arnold outrun his past, or was he just a really good liar? Let us know in the comments. And don't forget to like and subscribe for more Crime in Half the Time. I'm Chris. Amy and I are here three times a week with new recaps. Thanks for watching. See you next time.