FILE 108 / 28 February 2019 / 139 MIN / full

Love Triangle Plus Two

Logan, OhioListen

The town

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

James says 'We're going to Logan, Ohio here. It's in South Central Ohio... almost an hour outside of Columbus' and 'it's in Hocking County' about 0:04:38

History, in brief

Town note

Residents named the town in honour of Chief Logan, of the Mingo tribe, who was known as Logan the Orator.

about 0:07:55

Town note

Chief Logan was a Cayuga born into the Iroquois Confederacy; he moved to the Ohio area in the 1760s and became affiliated with the Mingo.

about 0:08:13

1774

Logan took revenge for family members killed by white settlers in Virginia in what became known as the Yellow Creek Massacre, and his actions helped spark the Dunmore War in 1774.

about 0:08:29

1869

In 1869 the US government removed the Indians in the area, three tribes, to Ottawa County, Oklahoma.

about 0:10:01
All 17 history facts

Town note

Residents named the town in honour of Chief Logan, of the Mingo tribe, who was known as Logan the Orator.

about 0:07:55

Town note

Chief Logan was a Cayuga born into the Iroquois Confederacy; he moved to the Ohio area in the 1760s and became affiliated with the Mingo.

about 0:08:13

1774

Logan took revenge for family members killed by white settlers in Virginia in what became known as the Yellow Creek Massacre, and his actions helped spark the Dunmore War in 1774.

about 0:08:29

1869

In 1869 the US government removed the Indians in the area, three tribes, to Ottawa County, Oklahoma.

about 0:10:01

1881

In 1881 a band of Cuyugas from Canada joined the Seneca tribe in Oklahoma.

about 0:10:25

Town note

Shortly before Oklahoma became a state, members of the tribes were given individual land allotments as the government tried to get rid of tribal-owned land and force personal land ownership on them.

about 0:10:34

Town note

After the war over his massacre, Chief Logan made a speech known as Logan's Lament, and people began calling him the Orator.

about 0:11:22

1880

In 1880 Logan had 2,600 residents, three newspaper offices, six churches, two banks, a railroad, manufacturing businesses, and an iron and steel company as big employers.

about 0:11:47

1882

In 1882, in a town of 2,500 people, 395 sheep were killed by dogs, with the dead sheep valued at $1,448.

about 0:12:30

Town note

In the same year 259 sheep were injured, with damage to them of $599, and the collection from the dog tax was $2,710.

about 0:13:13

Town note

The town's records listed births of 276 white males, 294 white females, 13 black males and six black females.

about 0:13:35

Town note

The pauperism records listed 47 males and 58 females in the infirmary, 35 males and 41 females admitted during the year, and 40 males and 54 females otherwise supported by the county.

about 0:13:55

Town note

The cost of keeping the infirmary to the county was $7,205; keeping other paupers cost $3,756.72; all paupers including medical care cost almost $11,000, or $0.17 per pauper per day.

about 0:14:24

Town note

The records listed 192 deaths, 285 white marriages and seven black marriages, and 350 mortgages recorded for $2.5 million.

about 0:15:17

Town note

The dog tax at $1 per capita raised $1,681, implying 1,681 dogs; there were also poor, bridge, road, township and sub-district taxes, and the poor tax raised $12,000.

about 0:15:43

Town note

Personal property in the town included 4,895 horses valued at $283,000, 12,242 cattle, 268 mules, 86,996 sheep, 6,752 hogs, 705 carriages, 658 watches and 415 pianos and organs.

about 0:17:00

Town note

Coal mining dominated the late 19th century and continued into the 20th, providing most of the jobs in the county.

about 0:18:30

The figures, as told

Religious

25%

Biggest faith: Jewish, 0.0%

about 0:24:09

Who lives here

White 95.2% · Black 0.81% · Asian 0.44% · Hispanic 1.61%

Ethnicity can overlap race.

Crime / national average

Property crime
▲ double the average

about 0:32:24

Violent crime
▼ about 10% under the average

about 0:32:40

Money

Median home value$121,700
Two-bedroom rent$830
Median household income$35,000
Cost of living$89,000

For sale

$36,000

Listing: three bedroom, two bath, 1,200 sq ft, a little rundown

about 0:27:42

For sale

$99,900

Listing: three bedroom, two bath, 1,893 sq ft, needs a paint job, separate garage and big front porch

about 0:28:04

For sale

$199,900

Listing: six bedroom, two bath, 2,518 sq ft, vinyl siding

about 0:28:27
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2019

Population

"7,030"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:22:41

Population change since 1990

"up 6%"

Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:22:44

Median age

"39.6"

Comparison: "about two years older than normal". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:22:52

Female population

"almost 54%"

Comparison: "way out of whack". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:23:02

Married population

"a little less than normal"

Comparison: "normal". Direction: below.

As told in 2019 about 0:23:12

Single with no children

"less than normal"

Comparison: "normal". Direction: below.

As told in 2019 about 0:23:18

Single with children

"a little bit higher"

Comparison: "normal". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:23:24

Divorce rate

"higher"

Comparison: "normal". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:23:26

Religious

"25%"

Comparison: "half the norm; usually 50%". Direction: below.

As told in 2019 about 0:24:09

Voted Democrat in the last election

"29%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:24:43

Voted Republican in the last election

"66%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:24:43

Unemployment rate

"about 5%"

Comparison: "a little high; about 4%, or 3.9%, in the country". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:25:14

Median household income

"$35,000"

Comparison: "normal in the country is about $54,000". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:25:46

Residents making under $15,000 a year

"22.5%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:25:50

Cost of living

"$89,000"

Comparison: "the normal average is $100,000". Direction: below.

As told in 2019 about 0:26:43

Housing

"65 out of 100"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:26:51

Median home cost

"$121,700"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:26:53

Houses between $60,000 and $150,000

"about half the houses"

Direction: below.

As told in 2019 about 0:27:01

Average two-bedroom rental

"$830"

Comparison: "seems high for the cost of living". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:27:28

Listing: three bedroom, two bath, 1,200 sq ft, a little rundown

"$36,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:27:42

Listing: three bedroom, two bath, 1,893 sq ft, needs a paint job, separate garage and big front porch

"$99,900"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:28:04

Listing: six bedroom, two bath, 2,518 sq ft, vinyl siding

"$199,900"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:28:27

Property crime

"double the average"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:32:24

Violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, assault)

"about 10% under the average"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2019 about 0:32:40

The reviews

2.0 / 5 · average of 1

2 stars

“Logan is a lot like a lot of other small towns, with a small-town family feel where everyone knows everyone, but there is a lot of drugs, it seems like every other person is involved in drugs or crime, everyone has at least one relative addicted to something, and it is narrow-minded, sheltered and lacking diversity.”
about 0:21:56

In Ohio

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The story

Bill and Sandy had been together since 1983. Bill was a would-be preacher who hung around the Faith Tabernacle Church in Logan, played the piano and guitar there, and in 2004 converted the garage of the family home into a church. Nobody came.

Bill got a minister's licence, which was later permanently revoked, and set up something he called Mercy Ranch, a home where he said he would minister to orphans, widows and the homeless. It did not work, and few people stayed.

Summer, 25 with three small children, felt controlled and wrote in her diary that she was losing her sense of self and felt like a slave. Summer and Adam became a couple.

In December 2010 Summer came to the Inman house with Adam and a deputy sheriff to collect her belongings, because the house was being foreclosed on. Bill asked that Adam wait at the end of the driveway; the deputy refused. Bill threatened to shoot Adam, then to beat him, and ended up wrestling the deputy. The Inmans were distraught at losing the grandchildren; friends said Bill and Sandy lost weight, looked haggard and took less care of themselves.

Summer moved in with her mother, Debbie Cook, and her stepfather. On 18 March 2011 Bill bought a white 2003 Ford Crown Victoria from Majestic Motors in Akron, a former Streetsboro police car with the rear passenger locks disabled and police fittings still in it. On the evening of 22 March 2011 Summer went to clean the Century National Bank in Logan. Shortly after 11 p.m. three masked people stun-gunned her in the bank car park and forced her into a white car. Summer's father Michael Cook and her mother called 911 and drove to the bank, finding her coat and iPod on the ground. Witnesses said a blonde woman was in the front seat and two men put Summer into the back. Police took nearly an hour to arrive. The next day 400 people held a vigil and sang Amazing Grace.

Colton Kilkenny saw a white police-style car at Faith Tabernacle Church on Route 33 in Nelsonville around 11.30 p.m.; Crystal Farris also saw it, with two men outside and a blonde or red-headed woman in the front. The car had no fingerprints inside. The GPS and phone records put the Inmans in Logan at 5.45 p.m. on 22 March; the GPS was in Logan until 8.07 p.m., was off until 11.46 p.m. in Nelsonville, then travelled north through McConnellsville, Zanesville, Interstate 70 and Interstate 77 to the Cleveland-Akron area, stopping at the Blue Sonic Car Wash in Seven Hills. The Inmans admitted travelling together that night with the GPS, but said they were never in Logan.

She said the abduction was her idea, so that she could beg Summer for weekend visits with the grandchildren. He then put a zip tie around her neck. Officers opened it and found two feet sticking out of the sludge. Summer was fully clothed, still wearing the black T-shirt that said 'I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem', her hair in a ponytail and her purse on her arm. The autopsy found ligature strangulation; the zip tie was so tight that the coroner had to wedge wire cutters under it. She had not inhaled sewage, so she was dead before she went in. She was killed between 11 and 11.45 p.m. on 22 March, within about 45 minutes of the abduction, and had bruises from fighting.

A letter from Summer's mother was read in court, describing six-year-old Alex asking how mummy died. He wanted to take the stand but did not. Bill's statement said he regretted his actions. Summer's family remembered her as full of life, like sunshine, flowers and butterflies.

The case

Murder of Summer Cook Inman

Victims

Summer Cook Inman (25). Mother of three young children and wife of Inman Jr.; cleaned banks at night; abducted from the bank car park after 11 p.m. and strangled with a zip tie

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 28 February 2019.

Accused

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Adam Peters. unemployed man who came to stay at Mercy Ranch; Summer's boyfriend
Debbie Cook. Summer's mother, with whom Summer and the children lived after the separation
Michael Cook. Summer's father, who called 911 when she did not come home
Kevin Landers. stranger walking in an alley near the bank who heard a scream; the man who intervened was pepper sprayed and later fired for missing work
Colton Kilkenny. witness who saw a white police-style car at Faith Tabernacle Church around 11.30 p.m.
Crystal Farris. witness who saw the white car at the church, with two men outside and a blonde or red-headed woman in front
Rich Lenz. on-duty man at Pearl Road Auto Wrecking and Salvage who dealt with wheel trade
Alex. Summer's six-year-old child
Two female joggers. witnesses who saw the abduction and ran to the police station

The timeline

  1. 1983 and have been together since 1983.about 0:37:41
  2. 2004 Inman Jr. meets Summer Cook, who is 19 or 20, and they marry young and start a family.about 0:36:20
  3. 2004 Bill converts the garage of the family's rural Hocking County home into a church. (Inman garage church)about 0:39:21
  4. 2005 The whole family moves to Florida, where Bill and do construction work.about 0:40:13
  5. 2007 The family loses its home in Arcadia, Florida to foreclosure. (Arcadia house)about 0:40:50
  6. mid-2008 The family returns to Ohio.about 0:41:22
  7. June 2010 Summer leaves , takes the three children and files for divorce.about 0:51:09
  8. June 2010 Summer files for a restraining order, saying threatened to kill her if she took the children and had taken her keys, wallet and phone to keep her in the house.about 0:59:15
  9. December 1st, 2010 Summer comes to the Inman home with Adam Peters and a deputy sheriff to collect her belongings; Bill threatens to shoot Adam and wrestles the deputy. (Inman home (Mercy Ranch))about 1:03:04
  10. end of December 2010 The Inmans are thrown out of Mercy Ranch after the foreclosure. (Inman home (Mercy Ranch))about 1:13:00
  11. March 17th, 2011 appears in court over child support; ordered to pay $150 a month on a $6,000 a year income, he asks the judge to reduce it to $50.about 1:14:14
  12. March 18th, 2011 Bill buys a white 2003 Ford Crown Victoria from Majestic Motors of Akron, a former Streetsboro police car. (Majestic Motors)about 1:29:42
  13. March 22nd, 2011, evening Summer goes to clean the Century National Bank in Logan; surveillance shows her with mops. (Century National Bank)about 1:14:24
  14. March 22nd, 2011, 5.45 p.m. GPS and phone records place the Inmans in Logan, where they did not live.about 1:38:34
  15. March 22nd, 2011, about 11 p.m. Three masked assailants stun-gun Summer in the bank car park and force her into a white car; Kevin Landers is pepper sprayed when he intervenes. (Century National Bank)about 1:16:39
  16. March 22nd, 2011, 11 p.m. to 11.45 p.m. Summer is strangled with a zip tie, killed within about 45 minutes of the abduction.about 1:52:34

Places and phrases

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode