1763
The town was incorporated on June 7th, 1763, before American independence.
about 0:10:04Spoilers are covered until your reading preferences load.
FILE 83 / 29 August 2018 / 148 MIN / full
Essex, Vermont, in Chittendon County, which borders New York; northwestern Vermont, close to Canada, about 20 minutes outside Burlington about 0:08:21
The town was incorporated on June 7th, 1763, before American independence.
about 0:10:04It was named after the Earl of Essex.
about 0:10:16The Earl of Essex title was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England and has been recreated eight times.
about 0:11:04Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII, is possibly the best known of the earls of Essex.
about 0:11:24The town was incorporated on June 7th, 1763, before American independence.
about 0:10:04It was named after the Earl of Essex.
about 0:10:16The Earl of Essex title was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England and has been recreated eight times.
about 0:11:04Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII, is possibly the best known of the earls of Essex.
about 0:11:24The current Earl of Essex is Paul Capell, the 11th Earl, a retired school teacher from Lancashire.
about 0:11:38Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen, built a dam at a bend of the Winooski River between Essex Junction and Williston.
about 0:12:47A sawmill there sent logs down the Winooski to Lake Champlain at Hubbles Falls, where the town's industry began.
about 0:13:41Essex Junction was formed within the town of Essex in 1892 to provide services to the villagers.
about 0:13:53Electricity was brought to Essex Junction in 1893.
about 0:14:10A trolley service began in 1895, a police department followed in 1896 to guard it, and then a library.
about 0:15:31Public water was made available in 1900, seven years after electricity.
about 0:15:52A large brick school was built in 1912; it later became Essex High School and is now an elementary school.
about 0:16:56IBM arrived in 1957 and became a huge local employer.
about 0:17:06A merger between the town and the village was passed, then changed again in 2006 after years of dispute.
about 0:18:2539.6%
Biggest faith: Catholic, almost 26%
about 0:24:19White 92.5% · Black 2.16% · Asian 2.5% · Hispanic 1.66%
Ethnicity can overlap race.Property crime
▼ about 15% lower
Violent crime
▼ about a third less
Country Living safest towns ranking
one of their safest towns
Four-bedroom, two-bath house, 1,612 square feet
about 0:29:26Four-bedroom, two-bath house, 2,200 square feet
about 0:29:43Five-bedroom, four-bath house, 3,600 square feet
about 0:30:11"about 15% lower"
Comparison: "the average". Direction: below.
As told in 2018 about 0:32:23
"about a third less"
Comparison: "the average". Direction: below.
As told in 2018 about 0:32:23
"one of their safest towns"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:32:40
"20,946"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:19:35
"up 27%"
Direction: above.
As told in 2018 about 0:19:35
"about 40"
Comparison: "about three years higher than the average". Direction: above.
As told in 2018 about 0:22:20
"92.5%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:23:10
"2.16%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:23:20
"2.5%"
Comparison: "about half the normal population of Asians". Direction: below.
As told in 2018 about 0:23:46
"1.66%"
Comparison: "normally 17%". No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:23:56
"39.6%"
Comparison: "about 50-50 is the average". Direction: below.
As told in 2018 about 0:24:19
"almost 26%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:24:26
"0.6%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:25:24
"1%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:25:32
"0.2%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:26:07
"about 70%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:26:09
"28%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:26:09
"13"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:26:40
"about $4,000 more"
Comparison: "the average". No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:26:09
"2.8%"
Comparison: "about half the national average". Direction: below.
As told in 2018 about 0:27:07
"$73,000"
Comparison: "national median about $53,000, about $20,000 higher". Direction: above.
As told in 2018 about 0:27:19
"124"
Comparison: "100 is average". Direction: above.
As told in 2018 about 0:28:05
"$272,600"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:28:10
"about 41%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:28:18
"about $1,720 a month"
Comparison: "about $500 more than the national average". Direction: above.
As told in 2018 about 0:29:01
"$255,000"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:29:26
"$312,500"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:29:43
"$459,000"
No direction stated.
As told in 2018 about 0:30:11
No rated reviews
No reviews recorded.
They had two children, Jason, born in 1972, and Jennifer, born in 1975, and by all accounts lived an ordinary life. Michael worked for years for Harrison Concrete Construction and the family stayed in the same house for 18 years. He was a small man, five foot four and about 135 pounds.
The marriage staggered on through separations and reconciliations while the affair continued.
In spring 1985 she told her mother she was going through with the divorce.
On 9 July the Durenleaus planned a reconciliation celebration. They ordered one beer, stayed about 15 minutes, left three quarters of it and walked to the car. As Michael reached the passenger door he was struck on the back of the head with a blunt instrument and stabbed twice in the heart. He was taken for surgery but did not survive. She ran into the bar shouting that her husband had been hit but did not direct the patrons to the rear lot, so they searched the street first. The owner of Flanders Lumber, John Pa Powell, had seen a pickup driving suspiciously through his yard about half an hour earlier, with a man getting out briefly and back in.
The next day she took a polygraph and passed it, but police learned she had taken sedatives beforehand; she refused to take another. He consulted a lawyer and then took an unscheduled trip to Oregon. The state police found no fingerprints or physical evidence pointing to anyone, and the original case file was stolen from the Essex police station in 1987 and had to be reconstructed from copies.
The former chief medical examiner, Dr Elinor McQuillan, testified that two people appeared to have attacked Michael, that either knife wound could have been fatal, that both head blows would have knocked him out, and that at least one stab wound came before the head blows because he had defence wounds on his right palm and three fingers. Sorrell argued it was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder.
She complained of chest pains and was taken to hospital, and her bail was revoked. Ten officers were on hand and everyone entering court was searched. She was about 42.
A retrial hearing in January 1993 failed. The sledgehammer handle said to be a weapon had been lost or destroyed and the defence argued a railroad switch handle could have been used, but the judge ruled against her. In July 1994 she sought permission to attend her daughter's wedding at the American Legion in St Albans, which the state opposed. Double jeopardy barred any retrial.
Police were called to a domestic dispute in a parked car near the West Street extension.
July 12, 1985 / the rear parking lot of Veronica's Tavern, Essex, Vermont
As told in the episode, on 29 August 2018.
Accused
Accused
Public places are marked on the map.
business
about 0:56:01crime scene
about 0:59:44business
about 1:27:50home
about 0:35:15business
about 1:24:03other
about 1:54:43police
about 1:32:24home
about 1:33:24landmark
about 0:30:34business
about 0:17:06landmark
about 0:13:47landmark
about 0:12:47landmark
about 0:13:41school
about 0:16:56road
about 2:08:12road
about 2:09:43