A long-ago murder solved only in secret
By Mike Kelly
Candy Clothier was quiet, kind, and smart. She wrote poetry. And everybody who knew her loved her, including me back when I was 17. She had been my girlfriend for three years when, at the age of 16, she was murdered.
But that was only the beginning of the tragedy of Candy’s death. Today, more than four decades later, justice is still being denied to her and those who loved her.
The story is well known to those who lived in the Philadelphia area back then. On the cool, blustery evening of March 9, 1968, Candy had left her home in the city’s Northeast to meet me at the gas station where I worked. She never arrived.
For days, the police questioned people (including me, repeatedly) and conducted massive searches. Rumors were rampant: Candy had run away to a hippie community; Candy had been spotted getting into a car; Candy had been seen here and seen there.
More than a month later, on April 14, three fishermen found her decomposed body in Neshaminy Creek. She had been stuffed into a laundry bag.
Now the cops had a murder to investigate. But the Philadelphia police ran from the case, dropping it in the lap of officials in Bucks County, where the body was found.
Naturally, as Candy’s boyfriend, I was a suspect for a time. But the fact is that the cops in Bucks were baffled. They questioned anyone even remotely associated with Candy – including, as it turns out, the actual killers – and came up totally empty-handed.
Six months later, Candy’s father, a Philadelphia fireman, died of a heart attack in his car outside the firehouse, still not knowing who killed his daughter. Elmer Clothier had saved lives, and he lost his to what we all believed was a broken heart.
A murder can make victims of the survivors, too. Candy’s sister could certainly tell you that the family’s lives would never be the same.
For my part, Candy has never completely left me. I visit her grave to this day.
But there’s a greater injustice here, and it begins with one startling fact: Candy’s murder has been solved. Her killers have been identified. The police know who they are. But the Bucks County district attorney is refusing to reveal their names.
In 2005, a woman came forward to tell authorities she had provided the laundry bag Candy was stuffed into. That pivotal clue helped the District Attorney’s Office and Northampton police crack the case.
The authorities now believe Candy was walking to catch a trackless trolley when she accepted a ride from two men who lived in the neighborhood, one of whom she knew. They are thought to have forcibly injected her with an unknown drug that caused her death.
Panicked, they drove to a friend’s house, authorities believe, where they got the bag that they stuffed Candy’s body into, tying it closed with the yellow sweater she was wearing that night. Then they drove to the creek and threw it off a bridge.
And then they lived their lives.
They had careers. Kids of their own. Probably went to Little League practices and dance recitals. Enjoyed Christmases and Thanksgivings and Fourth of July barbecues and graduations and grandchildren.
Candy never had any of that. Neither did the rest of her family. That’s the injustice.
The killers were from upstanding families, one of the investigating officers told me in confidence. “Pillars of the community” is how he put it.
As it turns out, the killers have all died, and, if the universe makes any kind of sense, are finally facing the justice they never faced here. But who were they? If the district attorney has his way, we’ll never know.
In announcing last year that authorities had finally identified Candy’s killers, David Heckler, the Bucks D.A., said it “would be wrong to disclose their names,” which could “blacken their family’s names or impact unfairly on their relatives.” They would “never have the opportunity to defend themselves.”
Funny, Candy never had a chance to defend herself either. Neither did her father – a man who was a pillar of the community himself.
Since Heckler’s announcement, I’ve sought legal recourse and media attention without success. Now I’m afraid nobody will ever face the consequences of Candy’s murder – nobody, that is, except for Candy and her family.
For 42 years, Candy’s killers got away with murder. Now they could get away with it forever.
The killers have been, in a sense, exonerated. The absence of a guilty verdict is a lot like a not-guilty verdict. In not releasing their identities, Heckler is releasing them from earthly justice – the very justice he is sworn to uphold.
“To protect and to serve” goes the motto. To protect and serve whom? Certainly not Candy. Certainly not the law-abiding citizens who loved her. So who is being protected, and why?
An innocent 16-year-old girl with her entire life ahead of her was killed. And the district attorney, an elected official and servant of the people, knows who killed her. But he refuses to tell the people who entrusted him to hold criminals responsible.
Our trust is being broken, and that’s the greatest injustice of all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Kelly, a Philadelphia native, lives in Sarasota, Fla. He can be reached at mdkelly2@verizon.net.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
i really do hate my ex bf
again, he's a stalker. so i know he'll see this. i just want to remind him that i think he is the biggest joke on the planet. i know he's in philly again. he has his ways of letting me know. i hope hes back in town because he's a huge failure and couldnt cut it in LALA land. my fav part about this joker is how cool he thinks he is. and how not cool he believes the rest of us to be. and the lengths he goes to to let us know. he's just another "Holden". hates the "in" crowd, but desparately wants to be in it. clown.
out of all the dudes i dated, even the JO i married,even the ex who kicked my ass, none of them make me as ill as this pig.
I heard while in LA he was living in his own filth again. like one of those disgusting hoarders we see on tv. my friend said he actually stunk and she was afraid to sit down. soooo gross. is that the sign of a sane man? hell no. how hard is it to take care of yourself? its just you!!! in a studio apartment! and you dont even work!!!
oh speaking of, he would always say how hard he works. so insulting to those of us who actually bust our asses to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. you dont even clean up after yourself!!! your mom feeds you from 3000 miles away. pays your bills. they prob made you move home because youre almost 40 and they support you.
all the put downs, insults, and threats thrown my way on the daily. bullied by a man that is so pathetic but smart enough to know he had me where he wanted. master of the mind fuck. im so embarrassed that i even hung out with you. let alone was your gf. i try to erase you from my memory. but i hate you so much all i can think about is your demise. and how happy that would make me.
this cat is so delusional. he beleives himself to be many things. all of which he's not. my favorite is how good looking he thinks he is. he is by far the ugliest dude i was ever with. i had to get drunk to be with him. and i know he's reading this. ask yourself... how many times was she with me sober? the answer would be, never.
one time, i thought i saw my ex husband while in a wawa in south philly. and he was with me. but he was always with me, because he didnt let me out of his sight for 5 seconds. he was glued to me. anyway, he says "well, at least you were with a handsome man". wtf??? have you seen my ex husband. the boy is so pretty his nickname in his frat was brother estrogen. he wears $10,000 suits. and his shoes cost more than i make in a month. you? balding, ugly, creepy. in your stupid shoes your mom prob bought and your bad fashion sense. i had a gf who said to me "you are way too hot to be with him". not that being "hot" means anything. but he is so unattractive that friends actually said something. and his personality sucks too. so theres that. he pretends to be a stand up guy. thats his hook. but its all a facade. hes creepy. was going thru my emails, phone, myspace and fb the whole time. me, being so trusting. never thinking someone would be that disgusting, never knew he was tracking my every move since day one. and it was literally day one. he was breaking into my shit from 3000 miles away and lying. saying people told him what i was doing. i was so stupid, i never put 2 and 2 together that he was breaking into my shit. isnt that illegal? isnt larry mente in big shit because of that? if i had his computer taken and investigated, how many times would they find him breaking into every acct i have? crazy, stalker, fuck.
Oh, and i'm putting this out there. again, cause youre a stalker and i know you'll read this. you know my ex bf? the one you hated so much? you said it was for one reason, but the real reason is he's super handsome, successful, charming, with an impressive , well let's just leave it at that. the second you dropped me off after we got back from LA? he picked me up. i spent the whole night with him. he drove me home in the morning. 15 minutes before your stalker ass was at my door at the crack of dawn. i was still wearing the same clothes. i smelled like him. and it was the sweetest victory. and i knew then, your days of controlling me were over. and i loved how you never let me out of your sight because you were afraid i would do something. and the second i could get away from you, i did something. all night. but i wouldnt do anything with you. you are a turn off. take that, bitch.
everytime i write about him i feel better. he has spread so many hateful things about me. mostly lies and gross exaggerations. but who listens to a clown? only other clowns. so who gives a fuck? keep flappin those stupid gums with the greenish/yellow lil teeth. the only ugly dude in LA, and i was with him.
when i met him, it was a really bad time in my life and i was the weakest i have ever been. i was vulnerable. beaten down. scared. he said all the right things like a preditor does. and then he had me where he wanted. dependent on him. and thats where the abuse started. but i was stuck, and had to take it. look at me now. a trained killer. strong. confident. happy. everyday is the best day ever. i even enjoy hating you. its fun. youre a clown and i like writing about it.
out of all the dudes i dated, even the JO i married,even the ex who kicked my ass, none of them make me as ill as this pig.
I heard while in LA he was living in his own filth again. like one of those disgusting hoarders we see on tv. my friend said he actually stunk and she was afraid to sit down. soooo gross. is that the sign of a sane man? hell no. how hard is it to take care of yourself? its just you!!! in a studio apartment! and you dont even work!!!
oh speaking of, he would always say how hard he works. so insulting to those of us who actually bust our asses to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. you dont even clean up after yourself!!! your mom feeds you from 3000 miles away. pays your bills. they prob made you move home because youre almost 40 and they support you.
all the put downs, insults, and threats thrown my way on the daily. bullied by a man that is so pathetic but smart enough to know he had me where he wanted. master of the mind fuck. im so embarrassed that i even hung out with you. let alone was your gf. i try to erase you from my memory. but i hate you so much all i can think about is your demise. and how happy that would make me.
this cat is so delusional. he beleives himself to be many things. all of which he's not. my favorite is how good looking he thinks he is. he is by far the ugliest dude i was ever with. i had to get drunk to be with him. and i know he's reading this. ask yourself... how many times was she with me sober? the answer would be, never.
one time, i thought i saw my ex husband while in a wawa in south philly. and he was with me. but he was always with me, because he didnt let me out of his sight for 5 seconds. he was glued to me. anyway, he says "well, at least you were with a handsome man". wtf??? have you seen my ex husband. the boy is so pretty his nickname in his frat was brother estrogen. he wears $10,000 suits. and his shoes cost more than i make in a month. you? balding, ugly, creepy. in your stupid shoes your mom prob bought and your bad fashion sense. i had a gf who said to me "you are way too hot to be with him". not that being "hot" means anything. but he is so unattractive that friends actually said something. and his personality sucks too. so theres that. he pretends to be a stand up guy. thats his hook. but its all a facade. hes creepy. was going thru my emails, phone, myspace and fb the whole time. me, being so trusting. never thinking someone would be that disgusting, never knew he was tracking my every move since day one. and it was literally day one. he was breaking into my shit from 3000 miles away and lying. saying people told him what i was doing. i was so stupid, i never put 2 and 2 together that he was breaking into my shit. isnt that illegal? isnt larry mente in big shit because of that? if i had his computer taken and investigated, how many times would they find him breaking into every acct i have? crazy, stalker, fuck.
Oh, and i'm putting this out there. again, cause youre a stalker and i know you'll read this. you know my ex bf? the one you hated so much? you said it was for one reason, but the real reason is he's super handsome, successful, charming, with an impressive , well let's just leave it at that. the second you dropped me off after we got back from LA? he picked me up. i spent the whole night with him. he drove me home in the morning. 15 minutes before your stalker ass was at my door at the crack of dawn. i was still wearing the same clothes. i smelled like him. and it was the sweetest victory. and i knew then, your days of controlling me were over. and i loved how you never let me out of your sight because you were afraid i would do something. and the second i could get away from you, i did something. all night. but i wouldnt do anything with you. you are a turn off. take that, bitch.
everytime i write about him i feel better. he has spread so many hateful things about me. mostly lies and gross exaggerations. but who listens to a clown? only other clowns. so who gives a fuck? keep flappin those stupid gums with the greenish/yellow lil teeth. the only ugly dude in LA, and i was with him.
when i met him, it was a really bad time in my life and i was the weakest i have ever been. i was vulnerable. beaten down. scared. he said all the right things like a preditor does. and then he had me where he wanted. dependent on him. and thats where the abuse started. but i was stuck, and had to take it. look at me now. a trained killer. strong. confident. happy. everyday is the best day ever. i even enjoy hating you. its fun. youre a clown and i like writing about it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
weird things
soooo many bizarre things are happening. 1st my father shows up to my mothers house, and apologizes!!! what? they havent spoken in over 25 years. he was recently published in the inquirrer for a story he wrote about a murder 43 years ago. he had no interest in reaching out to us. but oh well. i cant let what others do effect me.
next, the 1st boyfriend. the crazy. who stalked me and made my life hell until i got a restraining order 2 1/2 years after our break up, contacted me. He does not have a fb to stalk me out like a normal person. but instead he found my mothers phone number and called her and left a voice mail. i couldnt believe it. i called him back because curiosity killed the cat, and sometimes i have a death wish. a lil background. He was my "1st love" at 15 years old. and he was 21. i dont blame him for being with me with the age difference. he resisted me as long as he could. but i was persistant. i forced him into dating me. we went out for a year and a half. 7 months of it he was in the navy. and thats where the crazy started. he started telling me what i could and could not do. he told me i couldnt go to my prom, had to stay in on weekends, and basically wanted me to never leave the house. i was 16 at this point. and was not about to be home. so as a 16 yr old does, i did whatever i wanted. when i tried to break it off, things started to get out of hand. he would threaten boys who talked to me. his friends treated me like shit. told him everything i was doing, giving him ammo to freak out.he was a very big and scary man. a loose cannon. when he was on leave, he would camp outside my house, call 100 times a day, look for me everywhere. non stop with the letters. it was sweet relief when he went back. but every time he was home, it was the same thing. until i was pregnant and couldnt risk it anymore. the last time he physically saw me, i was 4 inches shorter. i dont even remember the girl he knew. ive lived a million lifetimes and during those lifetimes,i never gave him a thought. soooooooooooooo the sit down...
because he scares the shit out of me, but im stupid and still wanted to know what he wanted, we met at the mayfair diner. nothing bad can happen there. too public. driving there i wanted to throw up. funny how all these years later, i can still feel like that girl. i was shaking so bad, there was no hiding it. all i could think is, what could he possibly want? is he in a 12 step program or something and needs to make ammends? does he want to tell me how i ruined his life? the real reason he wanted to see me is so lame, and such a let down. he aked me out. yeah, that happened. really? what would make him think that is a good idea? he had no idea what i looked like. i could have been a toothless, 700 lb slob. was i that good of a catch at 16? the answer to that is NO! im still not a catch. but how great could a kid be? I WAS A KID!!!!!! let me say, he is still super handsome. looks just like he did, only with a lil grey. but i still see the crazy behind those green eyes. and i dont invite crazy into my house and ask it to sleep over. i told him i was seeing someone. and he still pushed. i was polite. told him i needed to be somewhere, and i received 10 text messages after, that i ignored all but one. and my response was basically "take care".
then the 3rd thing. i am seeing someone!!! and this is the weirdest of all. a friend of 25 years. i did not see this coming. he breaks some of my very firm rules. major one being his kids. theyre little. i cant get involved with them. if he stayed just my friend, it wouldnt be a prob. but now things changed. our lives are so intertwined, its complicated. no one knows about it yet, because its too weird. my family may or may not have a prob with it. (my mom has his number on her speed dial) friends with us all. he actually took me at 18 yrs old to get the restraining order on the psycho above. he made me a piece of art for my hs grad that has never left me and is still my most prized possession. was there when my son was born, we were at each others weddings, and secretly dated 15 years ago when i broke up with the boys dad, and he was on a break from his gf, now ex wife. no one knew then either. and it didnt change anything. his ex has an idea because she defriended me on fb. ive known her for 20 years, as my friends gf, wife, now ex wife. i have no loyalty to her. but awkward. also, another friend who shall remain nameless because of her current situation, has feelings for him. she cant act on them. but i think she'll be hurt to find this out. its early on in this fling, so we cant make decisions on wether or not we go public. but he's making me happy. and im making him happy. its been a long time since i had genuine feelings for anybody. its nice. comfortable. fun. there are no games. no bullshit because we would never hurt each other. i dont want him to stop seeing other people. he needs to get out there. experience single life. be a playa. i think you need to do that after divorce. so you dont feel like you missed out. i am not ready to commit. as much fun as im having, decisions should never be made out of emotion. and besides, i still have other people in my life im not quite ready to say good bye to.
life is weird, but good
next, the 1st boyfriend. the crazy. who stalked me and made my life hell until i got a restraining order 2 1/2 years after our break up, contacted me. He does not have a fb to stalk me out like a normal person. but instead he found my mothers phone number and called her and left a voice mail. i couldnt believe it. i called him back because curiosity killed the cat, and sometimes i have a death wish. a lil background. He was my "1st love" at 15 years old. and he was 21. i dont blame him for being with me with the age difference. he resisted me as long as he could. but i was persistant. i forced him into dating me. we went out for a year and a half. 7 months of it he was in the navy. and thats where the crazy started. he started telling me what i could and could not do. he told me i couldnt go to my prom, had to stay in on weekends, and basically wanted me to never leave the house. i was 16 at this point. and was not about to be home. so as a 16 yr old does, i did whatever i wanted. when i tried to break it off, things started to get out of hand. he would threaten boys who talked to me. his friends treated me like shit. told him everything i was doing, giving him ammo to freak out.he was a very big and scary man. a loose cannon. when he was on leave, he would camp outside my house, call 100 times a day, look for me everywhere. non stop with the letters. it was sweet relief when he went back. but every time he was home, it was the same thing. until i was pregnant and couldnt risk it anymore. the last time he physically saw me, i was 4 inches shorter. i dont even remember the girl he knew. ive lived a million lifetimes and during those lifetimes,i never gave him a thought. soooooooooooooo the sit down...
because he scares the shit out of me, but im stupid and still wanted to know what he wanted, we met at the mayfair diner. nothing bad can happen there. too public. driving there i wanted to throw up. funny how all these years later, i can still feel like that girl. i was shaking so bad, there was no hiding it. all i could think is, what could he possibly want? is he in a 12 step program or something and needs to make ammends? does he want to tell me how i ruined his life? the real reason he wanted to see me is so lame, and such a let down. he aked me out. yeah, that happened. really? what would make him think that is a good idea? he had no idea what i looked like. i could have been a toothless, 700 lb slob. was i that good of a catch at 16? the answer to that is NO! im still not a catch. but how great could a kid be? I WAS A KID!!!!!! let me say, he is still super handsome. looks just like he did, only with a lil grey. but i still see the crazy behind those green eyes. and i dont invite crazy into my house and ask it to sleep over. i told him i was seeing someone. and he still pushed. i was polite. told him i needed to be somewhere, and i received 10 text messages after, that i ignored all but one. and my response was basically "take care".
then the 3rd thing. i am seeing someone!!! and this is the weirdest of all. a friend of 25 years. i did not see this coming. he breaks some of my very firm rules. major one being his kids. theyre little. i cant get involved with them. if he stayed just my friend, it wouldnt be a prob. but now things changed. our lives are so intertwined, its complicated. no one knows about it yet, because its too weird. my family may or may not have a prob with it. (my mom has his number on her speed dial) friends with us all. he actually took me at 18 yrs old to get the restraining order on the psycho above. he made me a piece of art for my hs grad that has never left me and is still my most prized possession. was there when my son was born, we were at each others weddings, and secretly dated 15 years ago when i broke up with the boys dad, and he was on a break from his gf, now ex wife. no one knew then either. and it didnt change anything. his ex has an idea because she defriended me on fb. ive known her for 20 years, as my friends gf, wife, now ex wife. i have no loyalty to her. but awkward. also, another friend who shall remain nameless because of her current situation, has feelings for him. she cant act on them. but i think she'll be hurt to find this out. its early on in this fling, so we cant make decisions on wether or not we go public. but he's making me happy. and im making him happy. its been a long time since i had genuine feelings for anybody. its nice. comfortable. fun. there are no games. no bullshit because we would never hurt each other. i dont want him to stop seeing other people. he needs to get out there. experience single life. be a playa. i think you need to do that after divorce. so you dont feel like you missed out. i am not ready to commit. as much fun as im having, decisions should never be made out of emotion. and besides, i still have other people in my life im not quite ready to say good bye to.
life is weird, but good
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