For Love Of My Cousin

This episode of Small Town Murder is set in Beckley, West Virginia, the county seat of Raleigh County in the south of the state, but it tells two cases from West Virginia: a 1988 murder in Beckley and a 1969 fire in Parkersburg. Beckley is named for John James Beckley, the first Clerk of the House of Representatives and first Librarian of Congress. His son Alfred Beckley founded it in 1838, and for a long time it existed only on paper. It became the county seat in 1850. The town has a population of 15,805, a median household income of $33,616, and a median home cost of $74,600, with property and violent crime both reported at almost three times the national average.

details of the account remain covered until revealed He was known as the black sheep of his family, with a hair-trigger temper, a low IQ and a reputation for cruelty that left his wife, children and relatives afraid of him. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it By his own account to his friend Glenda Willis, he drove around with her in the car and meant to finish her off after a beer, but police stopped him. He served a couple of years, his first wife left the area, and he kept the children.

In 1970 he married Virginia Louise 'Penny' Bennett, from Pike County, Kentucky, who raised his children as her own. They also had a daughter, Darlene, who was 16 in 1988. Bennett worked as a steel worker in Cleveland, Ohio, and came home a couple of weekends a month. Penny worked in the dietary department of Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital and attended the Beckley Church of God. Court documents described her as a good and decent person. From 1986 to 1988 his violence grew worse.

On March 4, 1988, he came home and found Darlene filling out a tax return for her job at a fast food restaurant. Angry that he could no longer claim her as a dependent, he beat her with his belt from room to room and refused to let Penny help. He then said that if they were not out of the house when he returned from Ohio he would kill them. With help from his sister, his other daughter and other relatives, Penny and Darlene hid, and then moved into Sunrise Avenue, a house owned by his mother and stepfather. Penny obtained a restraining order, and his sister and brother-in-law gave her a .22 revolver and swapped cars with her. When Bennett came back he threatened to kill the relatives who had helped, then worked out where they were and kept turning up in violation of the order. He told Glenda and his family that he would kill his wife even if he went to the penitentiary. On March 17, 1988, Penny wrote a handwritten will saying that if she were killed her husband did it, and asking for a private burial.

On May 9, 1988, Bennett knocked on the door of the Sunrise Avenue house at about 10 a.m. Darlene let him in, as Brenda and her husband were leaving. this part of the story is covered for now Without raising his voice, Bennett took out a .25 calibre pistol and shot Penny in the face, neck and chest, killing her. He walked past Darlene and Chris, drove to his uncle's house on the next street and told his uncle to call the police. details of the account remain covered until revealed She was 42. Her funeral was private, as she had asked.

Bennett was refused bond. About five months later the defence psychiatrist, Dr. Ahmed Fahim, examined him and was told of crying spells, insomnia, suicidal thoughts and voices. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it Darlene enrolled at Marshall University while she waited. this part of the story is covered for now The state psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Snyder of Marshall University, said Bennett understood right from wrong. The judge had barred any mention of the first wife's shooting, but Glenda Willis described it on the stand when answering a question. details of the account remain covered until revealed Prosecutor Christin Keller attacked Fahim's testimony and the insanity defence. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed

The second case took place in Parkersburg on June 8, 1969. At about 1 a.m. customers at Jimbo's drive-in saw flames from a seven-room wood and tar paper house. It was home to Charles Bally, 41, his wife Ruby, 36, who were first cousins, and their children, Nancy 17, Patricia 11, Claudia 8, Mary 7, Tim 6, Debbie 5, Steve 3, Dale 2, Ted 1 and Ricky six months, along with Charles's father, Obi, 63. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it The house was fully alight when firefighters arrived and they could not reach those inside. Charles, Ruby and ten children died. this part of the story is covered for now Investigators smelled gasoline and found burn patterns showing that fuel had been splashed through the house, so the fire was ruled arson.

details of the account remain covered until revealed She was angry because her father had forbidden her to see her 19-year-old first cousin, John Baumgardner. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now They then went to their cousin. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed In 2009 the Parkersburg newspaper blamed quick decisions by Fire Marshal Roush for the collapse.

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it In Ohio she lived for seven months with a family, did not go to school, had young men visiting and ran away with her cousin. She spent three months in custody. In June 1971 she was taken to a mental institution in Athens and about six weeks later ran away. In October 1971 she wrote that she had married and was moving to the Northeast. No one has heard from her since, and her records were destroyed. In 1972 an Associated Press article asked whether she was alive. The Bally family is buried in a communal grave at Bethel Cemetery in Elizabeth.