In February 1972, Bryce, Virginia and Bobby Durham were found murdered in their Boone, North Carolina, home during a heavy snowstorm. Within months, four men were charged and two were eventually indicted for murder, but the case against them collapsed. Nearly fifty years later, a story remembered by the son of a Georgia criminal led investigators to four entirely different men and an unexpected explanation for what happened that night.
đ Join the Community on Patreon
Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
Episode Sources
- Watauga County Sheriffâs Office, âSheriff Hagaman Announces That 50-Year-Old Triple Homicide âDurham Caseâ Solvedâ
- Watauga Democrat, âSuspects Get Counsel for Current Term,â May 15, 1972
- Watauga Democrat, âInvestigation of Durham Familyâs Slaying Continuesâ
- Watauga Democrat, contemporary coverage of the June 1972 preliminary hearing in the Durham murder case
- Watauga Democrat, contemporary coverage of the September 1972 grand jury indictments of Jerry Ray Cassada and Dean Chandler
- Watauga Democrat, contemporary coverage of Dean Chandlerâs 1973 speedy-trial motion and scheduled trial
- Winston-Salem Journal, contemporary February 1972 coverage of the Durham family murders and early investigation
- The Charlotte Observer, âFamily Was Found Dead in a Bathtub 50 Years Ago. Now NC Cops Say They Know the Killersâ
- The News & Observer, retrospective coverage of the Durham family murders and crime scene
- Associated Press, contemporary coverage of the dismissal of the remaining murder charges against Jerry Ray Cassada
- Watauga County Sheriffâs Office / Watauga Online, âSheriff Hagaman Announces That 50-Year-Old Triple Homicide âDurham Caseâ Solvedâ
- High Country Press, âWatauga County Historical Society Speaker Series: âConvoluted: The 1972 Durham Family Triple Homicide,â with Terry Harmonâ
- Missing in the Carolinas, âEpisode 130: The 1972 Murders of Bryce, Virginia, and Bobby Durham in Booneâ
- WSOC-TV, 2022 coverage of the Watauga County Sheriffâs Office announcement identifying the men investigators believe killed the Durham family
- WBTV, 2022 coverage of the Watauga County Sheriffâs Office announcement that the Durham case had been solved
- Georgia Supreme Court, Birt v. State
- Georgia court records concerning the murders of Reid and Lois Fleming
- Federal court records concerning Bobby Gene Gaddis and crimes associated with Billy Sunday Birt
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reporting on Billy Sunday Birt, his family and his criminal history
- North Carolina Newspapers / DigitalNC, Watauga Democrat archive, 1972â1973
- Terry Harmon, Convoluted: The 1972 Durham Family Triple Homicide
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.