Paul Airport, were found in the Caldwells hotel rooms, authorities arrested Roger and charged him with the murders. It appears someone can be born a psychopath, and it also appears that psychopathology can run in families. In spite of the evidence, prosecutors did not pursue a case against her. After all, it should be part of a complete picture of the mansions history, which also includes the remarkable story of Chester Adgate Congdon, Elisabeths father and the builder of Glensheen. Stained glass window above the stairway landing at Glensheen mansion where Velma Pitiela was murdered. Read this article as it appears in themagazine. TUCSON, Ariz. -- Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen, the 74-year-old woman acquitted in connection with the June 1977 deaths of her mother and her mother's nurse at Duluth's Glensheen mansion, was. Roger returned to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and committed suicide by slashing his wrists on May 18, 1988. Her attempts for earlier release on parole met. She remains a free womanthough shes been twice convicted of arson or attempted arson, and served two sentences for those crimes. Details could be released next week. Whats more, investigators found a dark hair near Velma Pietilas body. Born in 1853, the son of a Methodist minister, Chester showed ambition and drive at an early age. I had 22 years with her and she impacted me so much in that time, and always after. Your email address will not be published. It was as if she was determined to spend every last penny of Chester Congdons fortune. Marjorie was a compulsive spender and liar, and eventually Dick LeRoy had enough and divorced her on April 29, 1971. She was a role model and a mentor and laid a foundation not only about conduct and responsibility but about how to approach life. However, that didnt mean she didnt want children. Will you still be able to buy Godiva chocolate? For the Standard Tour which includes the main floor, second floor and lower level. Marjories problem wasnt caused by others. Elisabeth Congdon, heiress to a taconite fortune in Duluth, never married and could not have children so she adopted Jacqueline and changed her name to Marjorie. But even today, guides don't discuss the murder during tours, although they will answer questions after, explained Glensheen Director Dan Hartman. "Then went upstairs and smothered the 83-year-old heiress in her bed with a satin pillow.". Adopted by one of the wealthiest families in Minnesota, she was brought up in lavish surroundings with all the comforts money could buy, Marjorie had an idyllic childhood. Would hydrogen chloride be a gas at room temperature? "She brought a birthday cake in for one of the lawyers one day. Alarmed, Elisabeth sent her away to a clinic in Topeka, Kansas for a psychological evaluation. Relations between Marjorie and her family members were highly strained, and the Congdon estate closely monitored all communication between Marjorie and her mother. Accordingly, when Marjorie was thirteen, Elisabeth bought Marjorie a horse she had been demanding. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. They are consummate actors, and the role they play is of being human when, in fact, they are something less than human, and dangerous because of it. She helped found a baby clinic in Duluth that eventually became a Planned Parenthood. In 1995 an Arizona judge decreed that Wally Hagens ashes must be divided between Hagens children and Marjorie. They are callous and opportunistic and care nothing about you. She was a contemporary of Margaret Sanger and in the years after birth control became legal, she helped bring access and information to northern Minnesota, which made a big difference for countless working families and women living in poverty. They purchased the house from Kenneth and Alice Wolfe; he was to become mayor of St. Louis Park and a State Senator. Box 18438 | Minneapolis, MN 55418 | 612.455.6950, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license., * Please read before republishing * In 1984, Marjorie was convicted of arson in the burning of the Mound, Minn., home she had just sold but remained an insurance beneficiary. And he said it's too grisly to discuss on tours with families. Cable Publishing, 2014, Mansion with blood red sky, by Toa Heftiba, Glensheen Mansion exterior, Public domain, Glensheen bedroom where murder took place, Damien Enwhistle, Chester Congdon by Daniel Haas, CC by-SA 4.0, Hallway in Glensheen mansion, Damien Enwhistle, Elisabeth Condon in her eighties, Popular Bio, Staircase landing at Glensheen, Damien Enwhistle, Roger Caldwell mugshot, John DeSanto, Zenith City Press, Marjorie Congdon Caldwell walking with attorney, Art Hagen, Minneapolis Start Tribume, Candleholders on nightstand in murder bedroom, Hansen Family blog, Marjorie Congdon mug shot, Pima County Sheriffs Office, Smiling Marjorie in her seventies, Arizona Department of Corrections, Lake Superior shoreline, by Taylor Friehl. She and Caldwell kept asking Elisabeth for money, reportedly so they could realize their dream of a horse ranch. She instilled that in me, and the power of possibility. Duluth police were called to the mansion on the morning of June 27, 1977, after staff discovered the two women dead. Marjorie Hagen, then known as Marjorie Caldwell, was accused of conspiring with her then-husband, Roger Caldwell, to kill Elisabeth Congdon, 83, and hernight nurse in the Congdon mansion in Duluth . The marriage lasted twenty years and cost Dick LeRoy an estimated $1 million in debt and liabilities. It is estimated that 1% of the population are psychopaths. In 1986, he was elected St. Louis County Sheriff; he retired in 1999. The research was a wonderful process, and I felt privileged to discover so many things about her I didnt know. Congdon was the only surviving child of mining magnate Chester Congdon, who built the lavish mansion in 1909. Marjorie's behavior in court also had an impact on the trial. She was charming and talkative. Marjorie had a penchant for arson. She warned Roger if he wouldnt do something about his drinking, she would. Glensheen, a new musical about the crime by acclaimed playwright Jeffrey Hatcher and music by The Suburbs Chan Poling, opens October 3 at St. Pauls History Theatre. There was a level of service and attention to detail we just cant fathom in todays world. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. A traumatic childhood can turn a person into a sociopath. "We always believed, and the whole theory of the case was, that she was the woman behind the man," DeSanto said. In late 1992, before sentencing for arson, she was allowed 24 hours to transport her ailing husband from Tucson, Ariz., to their home in Ajo. We hope Marjorie doesnt show up at the theater with a box of matches, Poling says. That has always bothered me. Everybody loves a murder mystery! Before the contract came due, she sold the house but didnt immediately vacate. She was accused of attempting to deposit his $11,181 inheritance into her account after he died. How many of the Andes Survivors are still Alive? As a result, no autopsy was possible. When I began my research, I discovered so many amazing things. To them, a psychopath is a person like Norman Bates in the classic 1960 Hitchcock thriller Psycho, a deranged maniac with little control over his mental state, a twisted monster made that way by abuse and trauma. They are not creepy. The staff rarely saw her. Soon, Marjorie turns into the stepmother from hell. Marjorie ended up with about $40,000 a year from a Congdon trust plus Wallace Hagen's pension, according to Feichtinger. What they inadvertently let loose on a summer day in 1932 destroyed many lives, and it all began with an act of generosity. MinnPost: Although Glensheen is well known, your grandmother is not. She was denied parole in 2001 after 10 people, including one of her daughters, sent strongly worded letters to the parole board urging her continued incarceration. I have had no contact with her for 40 years. Yet she destroyed the lives of all those around her. Marjorie's second marriage was to a man named Roger Sipe Caldwell. But when she fully enters their lives, they become entwined in a series of bizarre crimes. Marjorie ended up with about $40,000 a year from a Congdon trust plus Wallace Hagen's pension, according to Feichtinger. Before she was arrested, Marjorie arranged to have the body of her friend cremated. Marjorie is now 84 years old and shes still out there. Are any of Freddie and the Dreamers still alive? In 1975 Marjorie Congdon met Roger Caldwell at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Colorado. She was accused of murdering her third husband, although those charges were dropped. But in reality it was just the opposite. It is famous for. Partially paralyzed by a stroke for more than a decade, eighty-three-year-old Elisabeth Congdon required around the clock care. The shores of Lake Superior near Glensheen Mansion. Marjorie Caldwell served two prison terms for arson, and she's been linked to several mysterious deaths. EARLY LIFE Jennifer was bubbly and outgoing, a treasure to all those who knew her, except perhaps to Marjorie whose behavioral problems got worse after her arrival. In 2010, her attorney's court motion to remove her from intensive probation so she could get into an assisted living complex was denied. In spite of the fact that it came to light during the trial that Marjorie had attempted to poison her mother on a previous occasion, Marjorie was acquitted. [Elizabeth Congdon never fully recovered, and spent the last decade of her life unable to engage in many of her previous activities]. Product details Publisher : Zenith City Press; 4th edition (May 1, 2009) Glensheen Mansion is a five-story structure with several staircases. A garden hose was found running from the gas stove in the kitchen to their bedroom. This post is riddled with false statements about both the mansion and the family. At least three books have been written about Hagen, including, "Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings," by former News Tribune crime reporter Gail Feichtinger, retired Duluth police detective Gary Waller and DeSanto. Editors note:This article was produced as a part of a collaboration between The Growler Magazine and 89.3 The Current, Minnesotas non-commercial, member-supported radio station playing the best authentic, new music alongside the music that inspired it. That's because 40 years later, Hartman said, about 70 percent of visitors don't even know about the murders. Sociopaths are shaped by their environment. But it didnt stop there. "I think also a downside of the murder is that people always viewed it from that lens, even in the history community," he said, "that they kind of forget it's actually this incredibly important historic site for our state. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. Surprisingly, there are some rather significant connections between Marjorie and St. Louis Park. Now she was free to do whatever she wanted. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. She served 21 months. Caldwell served only five years in prison; in 1983, he was released after confessing to the murders. Elisabeth was the last surviving child of mining magnate Chester Congdon, who built Glensheen in the first decade of the 20th century and was reportedly the richest man in Minnesota when he died in 1916. Will Xbox Series X ever be in stock again? Caldwell served five. She appealed, was let free on bond and, after a year of setbacks and delays, she was finally remanded to Shakopee Womens Prison in Shakopee, Minnesota. He used to call her, My Angel., Psychotics are not the same thing as psychopaths, but for a whole generation of people theres only one way to be psycho. She made few friends. Female psychopaths are rare, occurring at half the rate of men. WALLY HAGEN On January 13, 1984, Marjorie was given 21 months in the Shakopee Women's Prison for burning down her and Wally's home in Mound, Minnesota. On the morning of June 27th, 1977 the day nurse arrived at Glensheen to take over for the night staff. The nurse picked up a corner and peeked underneath. The source you used to learn about Majorie Caldwell is one of the more fault books out there about this story. MP: You have a hard time calling Marjorie Caldwell your mother. When it opened two years after the murders, tour guides were instructed not to talk about them, because of the sensational nature of the crimes, and because it was still so raw and emotional for the families. From the outside, it may have looked like her spending was out of control. Psychopaths are driven by their need for control. She was released on October 19, 1986, and she and Wally moved to Ajo, Arizona. Authorities said she began serving her sentence in 1993. The evidence pointed toward Marjorie. All Rights Reserved. Im doing work now with Youth Link, and some of the proceeds from this book will go to help young people at risk of sexual trafficking. SCL: You never turn your back. Marjorie Caldwell, as Hagen was then known, was instantly considered a suspect in her mother's murder. They will use it against you if it suits them. She had been smothered to death. 40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth, Glensheen, home museums rethink rules to lure visitors. Caldwell was a bad alcoholic. A psychotic is someone who is out of touch with reality. She took her pulse. She won. The news, analysis and community conversation found here is funded by donations from individuals. They consider the legacy of Chester Congdon and his family too important to be tainted by the troubling story of her atrocious behavior. She loved nature and history, and taught her children and grandchildren to protect them. Marjorie pleaded guilty to the crime of forgery and was given probation. But if anyone thought Marjorie was the victim in this relationship, they had another thing coming. If they change to focus to be more about history and the house, Ill reconsider. She was charged with murder in his death, but the charges were dropped. Dumbest of all, a rare Byzantine coin that had been taken from Elisabeths Congdons room on the night of the murders turned up in Roger Caldwells home in Golden, Colorado. Whether or not he had taken the pills of his own volition was never determined. Rogers trial resulted in two consecutive life sentences, handed down on July 10, 1978. Marjorie remains estranged from all but one of her seven children from her first marriage and has had no contact with the Congdon family since the murder case, Feichtinger said. She and her new husband, Roger Caldwell, were living in Colorado and were flat broke.. In 2007, Marjorie was charged with fraud, theft, forgery and computer tampering after befriending a man in his 70s and becoming his power of attorney. From Kenneth and Alice Wolfe ; he retired in 1999 Colorado and flat. Of Chester Congdon, who built the lavish mansion in 1909 history and the Congdon estate closely monitored communication... Gas at room temperature one of the Andes Survivors are still Alive many of lawyers... Caldwell is one of the population are psychopaths attempted arson, and eventually Dick LeRoy an $! 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