One of my favorite TC cases: The "Murder" of Nancy Lyon.

[BlueIris]

Just to give those who want one a break from the Ramsey-fest, here's a post about one of my favorite TCs ever. (Well, come to think of it, maybe this case doesn't stray so far from the realm of the sad world that created Jon Benet Ramsey's death; childhood sexual trauma and its subsequent life-long effects were central to the death of Nancy Lyon, too.)

Some of you may have seen the City Confidential episode about this case, which was excellent (one of the best CC's ever!) and clearly revealed, in my eyes, anyway, who and what were actually responsible for Lyon's demise. I'm posting the Amazon link to a solidly well-researched book about the case by a not-so-great writer whose prose is seriously lacking but whom I think did convincingly communicate my own conclusions about the incident: the most believable explanation for how the victim died was put forth by her husband's defense attorney; Nancy Lyon killed herself.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525937102/102-7389609-1694509?v=glance&n=283155

[XanaDUer]

1. I think there was a movie about this

with Richard (John Boy) Thomas and Glynnis O'Connor as the victim.

Very interesting case.

[BlueIris]

2. Woah. Richard Thomas is still getting work?

HA HA HA HA HA!

But seriously, not only did Mr. Lyon not commit the crime he was convicted of, she so killed herself. Maybe you have to have personally known someone in a dysfunctional relationship with a person who developed the kind of warped, multiple personality disorder that often results if he or she is subjected to repetitive sexual trauma by family members to believe she committed suicide, but in my life, I have seen two relationships which were carbon copies of the Lyon marriage, one of which almost played out into an identical outcome, so, I buy it. (Thankfully, the woman and her "partner" I was acquainted with--both co-dependent abusers, as they usually are--were forced to separate for various reasons before she could make good on her imminent suicide attempt).

And man, not only is this a fascinating case, but DAMN did Lyon have a GREAT defense attorney. Whom I think got so. totally. screwed. in his attempts to make his perfectly respectable argument for his client's innocence stick not so much because a key element in his case involved discussing the familial sexual abuse within the aristocratically-ruled community in which said (prominent) family resided, but by the total lack of substantive social awareness of sexual abuse issues and related psychological phenomena in America at the time. I think if he'd been trying that case even three years later, after that early-'90s glut of celebrities coming out about their own childhood sex abuse traumas in the media--including Oprah Winfrey, Cybil Shephard, Rosanne Barr and her husband--Richard Lyon might not be in jail right now. Also? If I ever get in any serious legal trouble, especially if an outrageous governmental-sized conspiracy or anything else controversial is responsible--I will make an effort to look up that lawyer, not matter what it costs. Man, I hope he'll still be alive if I am ever at that point.

[frogmarch]

3. I remember

seeing the CC show about this case. After watching it, I was convinced the husband, Richard, did it. As I recall, the defense's claim that she wrote in her diary about incest with her brother (and father?) were shown to be based on forged diary entries by Richard.

Here's a brief Crime Library article on the case.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/richard_lyon/17.html

BlueIris, thanks for the Amazon book link, and for your comments on the case. I didn't know there was another the other side to the story.