FILE 296 / 30 June 2022 / 166 MIN / full

The Minister's Wife Is Filthy

Trinidad, ColoradoListen

The town

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

This is Trinidad, Colorado, in southern Colorado, only within 15 miles of the New Mexico border, in Las Animas County. about 0:05:07

History, in brief

1862

Trinidad was founded in 1862 because coal was discovered in the region.

about 0:06:37

Town note

By the late 1860s about 1,200 people lived there, many of them immigrants who came to mine coal.

about 0:07:17

Town note

Bat Masterson was the town marshal for a time.

about 0:07:17

1908

In the early 1900s Aina Eloise Young became the first woman sports editor of a newspaper and the only woman sports writer to cover the World Series in 1908.

about 0:07:36
All 9 history facts

1862

Trinidad was founded in 1862 because coal was discovered in the region.

about 0:06:37

Town note

By the late 1860s about 1,200 people lived there, many of them immigrants who came to mine coal.

about 0:07:17

Town note

Bat Masterson was the town marshal for a time.

about 0:07:17

1908

In the early 1900s Aina Eloise Young became the first woman sports editor of a newspaper and the only woman sports writer to cover the World Series in 1908.

about 0:07:36

Town note

Trinidad had a popular semi-professional baseball team, and major league teams used to barnstorm through town to play exhibitions.

about 0:08:01

1902

In 1902 the Bowen town coal mine, six miles north of town, suffered a gas explosion and fire that killed 13 miners, one of the worst mining disasters in the state up to then.

about 0:08:34

1904

In January 1904 a fire destroyed most of the town's business section, and in September a heavy rainstorm caused severe flooding that flooded the Santa Fe railroad station.

about 0:09:17

2018

High Times called Trinidad Weed Town USA in 2018, when 5.13% of the state's total marijuana sales came from a town of less than 10,000 people.

about 0:09:46

Town note

The town had 23 dispensaries, and the downtown section was called the weed mall area.

about 0:10:29

The figures, as told

Religious

88.2%

Biggest faith: Catholic residents, 78%

about 0:15:59

Who lives here

White 41.2% · Black 0.2% · Asian 1.2% · Hispanic 53.1%

Ethnicity can overlap race.

Crime / national average

Property crime
▲ almost double

about 0:22:51

Violent crime
right on

about 0:23:03

Money

Median home value$148,500
Two-bedroom rentabout $980 a month
Median household income$37,000
Cost of living82

For sale

$122,000

Three-bedroom, one-bath house listing

about 0:19:21

For sale

$799,000

Four-bedroom, five-bath property listing

about 0:19:56
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2022

Population

"8,127"

Comparison: "down 13% since 2020". Direction: below.

As told in 2022 about 0:14:54

Median age

"40"

Comparison: "a couple of years above the national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:17

White residents

"41.2%"

Comparison: "about 20% less than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:27

Black residents

"0.2%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:27

Asian residents

"1.2%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:39

Native American residents

"3%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:39

Hispanic residents

"53.1%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:39

Republican vote in the last election

"54%"

Comparison: "44% Democratic and a little over 2% independent". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:16:42

Religious residents

"88.2%"

Comparison: "more than the South, Alabama or rural Mississippi". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:59

Catholic residents

"78%"

Comparison: "a share the hosts say they have never seen before". No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:16:11

Jewish residents

"0.2%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:16:41

Unemployment rate

"about 9%"

Comparison: "way higher than the national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:16:54

Median household income

"$37,000"

Comparison: "about $20,000 less than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2022 about 0:17:16

Households making $40,000 or less

"54%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:17:24

Households making $20,000 or less

"21.6%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:17:29

Cost of living index

"82"

Comparison: "100 is the average". Direction: below.

As told in 2022 about 0:17:44

Median home cost

"$148,500"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:17:48

Average two-bedroom rent

"about $980 a month"

Comparison: "a little less than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2022 about 0:18:15

Two-bedroom, one-bath house listing

"$75,000"

Comparison: "744 square feet". No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:18:50

Three-bedroom, one-bath house listing

"$122,000"

Comparison: "1,161 square feet". No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:19:21

Four-bedroom, five-bath property listing

"$799,000"

Comparison: "3,242 square feet on 99 acres". No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:19:56

Property crime

"almost double"

Comparison: "the national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:22:51

Violent crime

"right on"

Comparison: "the national average". No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:23:03

The reviews

1.3 / 5 · average of 4

1 star

“After living there for eight months and spending time around the country, the reviewer calls it one of the worst towns they have ever been in anywhere.”
about 0:10:40

1 star

“After 18 months the reviewer says they were lied to and screwed everywhere, could not get a job at Walmart, now lives in Pueblo, and sums it up as Trinidad sucks.”
about 0:11:03

2 stars

“Beautiful mountains, fresh air and scenery, but no businesses, people moving out, horrible schools, and small old houses built close together to keep the wind from blowing between them, with no yards.”
about 0:12:21

1 star

“Nearly three years there were the most miserable and frustrating of the reviewer's life: jail on a protection order, a dog in a shelter, a lost job, no transport, and a police department called crooked and corrupt.”
about 0:13:35

In Colorado

Closest episodes

  1. The Killer Has Something In His PantsWalsenburg, Colorado · 14 September 202357 km / 35 miShow on map
  2. A Deadly MassacreChimayo, New Mexico · 14 June 2017184 km / 114 miShow on map
  3. A Progression Of Awful ThingsKiowa, Colorado · 25 October 2018241 km / 150 miShow on map
  4. Deep Beneath The Goat HeadsGunnison, Colorado · 9 July 2020263 km / 163 miShow on map
  5. Some People Just Don't MixByers, Colorado · 29 August 2019283 km / 176 miShow on map

The story

Trinidad sits in southern Colorado, within about fifteen miles of the New Mexico border, in Las Animas County. It was founded in 1862 after coal was discovered, and by the late 1860s about 1,200 people had come to work the mines. Bat Masterson served for a time as town marshal. In the early 1900s Aina Eloise Young became the first woman sports editor of a newspaper and the only woman sports writer to cover the 1908 World Series. In 1902 a gas explosion and fire at the Bowen town coal mine six miles north killed thirteen miners. In 1904 fire destroyed most of the business district, and later flooding hit the Santa Fe railroad station. By the time of this story the town had a population of 8,127, down 13 per cent since 2020, and twenty-three marijuana dispensaries.

She liked to be called Sher. She was married to Mike Fuller, a Seventh-day Adventist preacher, and they had two daughters, Rochelle, seven, and Denise, two. Rochelle, the elder girl, was not Mike's biological child.

In Colorado the promised house was not finished, so they stayed in a motel while both children fell ill. He was married to Julie, and their daughters Tammy, Kathy and Lorry were in their teens.

She started there in August. Perry admitted the affair on the telephone and said he had never loved anyone the way he loved her. In the divorce a judge declared her "a whore" and gave Mike custody of both girls, with no visitation until they turned thirty. Their son Danny was born in March 1979 and their daughter Misty in 1980. They built a six-sided house on a mountain and called it the Roundhouse, hauling water from a neighbour's well.

Perry's practice collapsed. By 1982 he owed about $300,000, including $120,000 on the Roundhouse, more than $100,000 to the IRS and $80,000 to the state, and he was drinking heavily. A friend found him in his Bronco with a loaded revolver and talked him out of suicide. Buzz threw her out, she had an abortion and moved to Rocky Ford, and Perry called off the divorce. They reconciled and returned to the Roundhouse.

They began an affair. The first attempts at the Trinidad Best Western failed, but by the spring of 1983 they succeeded at Trinidad Lake. She said she had thought of getting rid of him for years, but he had little insurance.

They made one attempt: they got Perry drunk and pushed him into a pool, leaving him floating, but he survived and thought he had fallen in. Perry picked him up one night and they drove towards Pueblo, stopping at a Burger King and a Pearle Vision. Perry fought back, and the current carried him away.

Sheriff's deputies, the fire department and an Air Force air-sea rescue searched Clear Creek and found nothing. She sold the house and the practice. The insurance company paid $200,000. He refused, saying it was too soon after Perry.

They married on 2 June 1988 after he made her his insurance beneficiary. She drew him a map of Thornton, told him where to park, gave him a key and demanded Glenn's wedding ring as proof. The fire took hold. She burned the map.

Firefighters found Glenn's body in the burned house. Investigators found two shell casings and signs of arson and a staged burglary. A removed window grate had intact spider webs behind it, so entry had been by key.

In 1991 Danny and Misty Nelson sued the insurance companies for $400,000. Born in 1945, she would have been seventy-seven at the time of the episode.

The case

Murder of Dr Perry Nelson

Victims

Dr Perry Nelson (43). Optometrist and Seventh-day Adventist church elder in Trinidad, married to Julie Nelson and then to Nelson; aged 43 when met him in 1975.

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 30 June 2022.

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Mike Fuller. first husband, a Seventh-day Adventist preacher
Julie Nelson. Perry's first wife, who worked in his office and as a bookkeeper
Barb. Perry's assistant, who watched the affair develop
Buzz Reynolds. Perry's best friend, a wealthy rancher, and lover
Craig. married congregation member with whom had an affair in Durham
Carl Wheeler. church elder and doctor who helped Mike Fuller seek custody
Blanche Wheeler. Carl's wife, who disliked on sight
Danny Nelson. son of and Perry
Misty Nelson. daughter of and Perry
Rochelle Fuller. elder daughter by Mike, who was not Mike's biological child
Denise Fuller. younger daughter by Mike
Judy. sister, with whom she stayed
Harry Russell. man with whom had a brief affair after Perry died
Bart Mason. son-in-law, who helped with chores at the house

The timeline

  1. 1975 , 30, lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband, Seventh-day Adventist preacher Mike Fuller, and daughters Rochelle and Denise. (Durham)about 0:25:16
  2. 1975 After affair with a married congregation member called Craig, the family leaves Durham for Rocky Ford, Colorado. (Durham)about 0:26:23
  3. 1975 They arrive to find their promised house unfinished and stay in a motel while both children fall ill. (Rocky Ford)about 0:41:42
  4. 1975 At a welcome dinner for the church elders at Dr Perry Nelson's house, meets Perry, a 43-year-old optometrist and church elder. (Perry Nelson house)about 0:43:53
  5. summer 1976 Perry tells his assistant Barb that he is bringing in for office training. (Perry Nelson optometry office)about 0:51:35
  6. August 1976 starts work part-time at Perry's optometry office. (Perry Nelson optometry office)about 0:55:54
  7. September 27th, 1976 Mike Fuller turns up at Julie Nelson's door and says has left with Perry; Perry admits the affair by telephone and says he has never loved anyone the way he loves her. (Perry Nelson house)about 0:55:51
  8. shortly after September 1976 goes to a Seventh-day Adventist counsellor in Texas and returns to Mike, then leaves again after Perry sends her a gift. (Texas)about 0:59:02
  9. late 1970s In the divorce a judge declares a whore and gives Mike custody of both daughters, with no visitation until they turn 30. (Colorado courtroom)about 1:01:39
  10. 1977 Perry and move in together, sell Perry's family house and car, and buy a smaller house.about 1:04:32
  11. July 1st, 1977 Perry and marry; she makes her own dress.about 1:05:02
  12. August 1978 becomes pregnant.about 1:07:29
  13. March 1979 gives birth to a son, Danny.about 1:07:33
  14. 1980 gives birth to a daughter, Misty.about 1:07:37
  15. early 1980s They build the Roundhouse, a six-sided house on a mountain, hauling water from a neighbour's well. (Roundhouse)about 1:08:04
  16. early 1980s begins an affair with Perry's best friend, the wealthy rancher Buzz Reynolds, and moves in with him. (Buzz Reynolds house)about 1:11:25
  17. 1982 Perry's practice collapses; he owes $120,000 on the Roundhouse, more than $100,000 to the IRS and $80,000 to Colorado, about $300,000 in total.about 1:16:08
  18. 1982 A friend finds Perry in his Bronco with a loaded revolver and talks him out of suicide. (Perry Nelson optometry office)about 1:17:44
  19. Christmas 1982 tells Perry she is pregnant by Buzz; Buzz throws her out, she has an abortion and moves to Rocky Ford, and Perry calls off the divorce. (Rocky Ford apartment)about 1:18:19
  20. 1982 , a neighbour, comes to the Roundhouse to borrow a wheelbarrow; is attracted to him. (Roundhouse)about 1:20:15
  21. Halloween 1982 At costume party she dances with , presses against his leather costume and invites him to the office on Thursday. (Roundhouse)about 1:22:08
  22. November 1982 comes to the office and they go to the Trinidad Best Western; he cannot perform, and several further attempts fail. (Trinidad Best Western)about 1:23:44
  23. spring 1983 and have sex successfully at Trinidad Lake. (Trinidad Lake)about 1:27:33
  24. 1983 tells that Perry beats her and the children and shows him a bruise; asks whether she has thought of Perry having an accident. (Roundhouse)about 1:32:00
  25. 1983 and get Perry drunk and push him into a pool, leaving him floating, but he survives and thinks he fell in.about 1:33:35
  26. June 1983 and a friend follow Perry from a rest stop, but the attempt to drug his beer fails and Perry goes on to an optical convention in Denver.about 1:34:09
  27. June 1983 Perry picks up to buy bargain guns; after stops at a Burger King and a Pearle Vision in Pueblo, hits Perry with a rock at Clear Creek and pushes him into the water. (Clear Creek)about 1:37:19
  28. June 1983 drives Perry's Volkswagen into the creek, jumps out and walks home, arriving about four in the morning.about 1:42:21
  29. June 1983 tells that Perry is not coming back. (Roundhouse)about 1:42:44
  30. June 1983 reports Perry missing; sheriff's deputies, the fire department and an Air Force air-sea rescue search Clear Creek and find nothing. (Clear Creek)about 1:44:49
  31. June 1983 puts the Roundhouse and Perry's practice up for sale. (Roundhouse)about 1:46:56
  32. August 14th, 1984 Police stop , and the children and tell that Perry's body has been found on a sandbar near Golden, 14 months after he disappeared. (Clear Creek)about 1:50:09

Murder of Glenn Harrelson

Victims

Glenn Harrelson. Denver fireman who met through a personal ad and married her in June 1988.

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 30 June 2022.

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Glenn's mother. coming from Des Moines for Thanksgiving, which prompted to want the killing done first
Buzz Reynolds. wealthy lover, whom she later wanted killed

The timeline

  1. early spring 1987 finds Glenn Harrelson's personal ad, calls him and begins seeing the Denver fireman.about 1:54:05
  2. 1987 and her children move into Glenn's house in Thornton. (Glenn Harrelson house)about 1:54:55
  3. before June 1988 Glenn takes to the insurance office and makes her his beneficiary.about 1:55:47
  4. June 2nd, 1988 and Glenn marry.about 1:55:38
  5. late 1988 refuses to move to Denver and continues seeing . (Roundhouse)about 1:56:01
  6. November 15th, 1988 tells that someone has been breaking into Glenn's house and asks him to kill Glenn before Thanksgiving. (Roundhouse)about 1:59:33
  7. November 15th, 1988 draws a map of Thornton, tells him where to park, gives him a key and demands Glenn's wedding ring as proof. (Roundhouse)about 1:59:50
  8. November 15th, 1988, 8:30 p.m. enters Glenn's house with the key and finds the wedding ring on the dresser at 8:45. (Glenn Harrelson house)about 2:01:44
  9. November 15th, 1988, before 9 p.m. Glenn comes home; attacks him with a lead pipe, Glenn fights back, and shoots him twice. (Glenn Harrelson house)about 2:02:24
  10. November 15th, 1988, that night stages a burglary with clothes and coins, removes a basement window grate and sets a gasoline fire with a cigarette in a book of matches. (Glenn Harrelson house)about 2:03:53
  11. November 16th, 1988, about 4 a.m. tells it is done and gives her Glenn's wedding ring; she burns the map. (Roundhouse)about 2:06:13
  12. November 16th, 1988 Firefighters find Glenn's body in the burned house and investigators treat the case as arson and homicide. (Glenn Harrelson house)about 2:07:18

Places and phrases

N ↑Public placePublic placePublic placePublic placeTown 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