Maryland & Indiana: Forbidden Desires, 1878-1889

This episode of Foul Play explores two interconnected true crime cases from 1878 Maryland and 1889 Indiana, both centered on forbidden desires that society could not name. In Pocomoke City, Lily Dewar shot her childhood friend Ella Hearn, who, with a bullet in her head, pleaded, 'I'll marry you'—a moment that exposed a relationship defined by obsessive attachment and coercive control, yet the court sentenced Dewar to a $500 fine and no jail time, reflecting the era’s prioritization of social standing over justice. In Indiana, Reverend William Pettit poisoned his wife Hattie Pettit to marry her wealthy parishioner, Elma Whitehead, who evaded prosecution by invoking the Fifth Amendment and fleeing. Despite overwhelming evidence, including exhumed organs showing strychnine, Pettit died on the day his retrial was granted, and Whitehead was never tried. Both cases reveal how systems of power—class, gender, and secret fraternal networks—protected perpetrators while silencing victims. The episode underscores a recurring theme: when desire defies societal norms, the justice system often fails the victim and shields the abuser. The narrative is framed as part of a larger season-long project—50 states, 50 crimes, 250 years of American history—highlighting how historical injustices were shaped by unspoken taboos. The host, Shane Waters, emphasizes that both women were already 'sentenced' by the world around them: Ella by her lover’s violence, Hattie by her husband’s betrayal. Their final words—'I'll marry you' and 'I want you in the house'—are not declarations of love, but desperate pleas for control in moments of total powerlessness. The episode closes with a haunting reflection on the enduring failure of justice when it comes to women whose desires fall outside acceptable boundaries.