FILE 314 / 1 September 2022 / 172 MIN / full

Ladies Love A Vampire

Washington, North CarolinaListen

The town

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

We're going to Washington, North Carolina this week; this is in Beaufort County. about 0:05:24

History, in brief

Town note

Founded in the 1770s by James Bonner; his land was known as Forks of the Tar.

about 0:07:48

1776

Renamed Washington in 1776 because the people loved George Washington.

about 0:08:25

Town note

Served as a supply port while other ports were under British siege.

about 0:08:35

Town note

Fell to the North early in the Civil War and was occupied for most of the war.

about 0:08:45
All 9 history facts

Town note

Founded in the 1770s by James Bonner; his land was known as Forks of the Tar.

about 0:07:48

1776

Renamed Washington in 1776 because the people loved George Washington.

about 0:08:25

Town note

Served as a supply port while other ports were under British siege.

about 0:08:35

Town note

Fell to the North early in the Civil War and was occupied for most of the war.

about 0:08:45

Town note

Federal forces set fire to the naval stores and left the town in ruins.

about 0:09:17

1900

On September 3rd, 1900, a fire started by a faulty stove destroyed the entire business district.

about 0:09:24

Town note

The town had a renovation project in the late 60s, adding parks, highways and roads.

about 0:10:11

Town note

Nicknamed Little Washington, or original Washington, to distinguish it from Washington, DC.

about 0:07:04

Town note

The town motto is pride in the past, faith in the future.

about 0:07:22

The figures, as told

Religious

55%

about 0:15:19

Who lives here

White 44.9% · Black 41.7% · Hispanic twelve percent

Ethnicity can overlap race.

Crime / national average

Property crime
▲ more than double

about 0:23:16

Violent crime
▲ about 50% above

about 0:23:37

Money

Median home value$151,100
Two-bedroom rent$704 a month
Median household income$31,574
Cost of living84

For sale

$100,000

Three-bedroom, three-bath, 1,606 square foot house

about 0:17:55

For sale

$369,000

Three-bedroom, three-bath, 2,583 square foot house

about 0:18:28

For sale

$849,000

Three-bedroom, four-bath, 5,300 square foot house

about 0:18:58
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2022

Property crime

"more than double"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:23:16

Violent crime

"about 50% above"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:23:37

Population

"9,487"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:14:06

Female residents

"54%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:14:12

Median age

"41.6"

Comparison: "a couple of years older". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:14:21

Married residents

"about 40%"

Comparison: "usually 50-50". No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:14:35

Single with children

"34%"

Comparison: "usually 10%". No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:14:40

White residents

"44.9%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:00

Black residents

"41.7%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:00

Hispanic residents

"twelve percent"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:08

Religious residents

"55%"

Comparison: "above average". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:19

Largest religion

"Baptist"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:15:25

Median household income

"$31,574"

Comparison: "over $20,000 less than the national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2022 about 0:16:00

Cost of living

"84"

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

As told in 2022 about 0:16:13

Median home cost

"$151,100"

Comparison: "low". Direction: below.

As told in 2022 about 0:16:15

Average two-bedroom rental

"$704 a month"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:17:08

Three-bedroom, three-bath, 1,606 square foot house

"$100,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:17:55

Three-bedroom, three-bath, 2,583 square foot house

"$369,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:18:28

Three-bedroom, four-bath, 5,300 square foot house

"$849,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:18:58

The reviews

3.5 / 5 · average of 4

5 stars

“Lived here all my life; it is a good place to retire to and raise a family.”
about 0:10:38

4 stars

“An awesome, historic little town with great food downtown, a beautiful waterfront and weather that isn't too bad.”
about 0:11:01

3 stars

“The property here is pretty good; there are some empty spaces but they are available to be occupied.”
about 0:11:44

2 stars

“Drivers are hostile to cyclists and throw open soda cans at them.”
about 0:12:26

In North Carolina

Closest episodes

  1. Double Murder, Double ConfessionGatesville, North Carolina · 29 November 201798 km / 61 miShow on map
  2. Stormy, Deadly NightSelma, North Carolina · 2 October 2026112 km / 70 miShow on map
  3. What EXACTLY Happened Here?Clinton, North Carolina · 31 December 2020131 km / 81 miShow on map
  4. Google Map My MurderCary, North Carolina · 14 November 2024162 km / 101 miShow on map
  5. Two Bodies & One Big CoincidenceRaeford, North Carolina · 23 January 2020208 km / 129 miShow on map

The story

Washington, North Carolina sits in Beaufort County on the coastal plain, a town of 9,487 people that calls itself Little Washington. In 1990 it was the setting for three murders that grew out of a tangled set of relationships.

Ann came from a respected family. Her father, William Earl Farris Sr., worked in Greenville and provided well for his wife Louise, their sixteen-year-old daughter Shemika and their thirteen-year-old son William Jr. In August 1989 the family had lost everything when their house burned while they were on holiday in Virginia, and by 1990 they had moved into John Small Avenue in Washington.

Ann left him for good in 1990, went to a shelter and then moved with her children into her parents' house.

That night Ann's father drove her to the factory for the midnight shift. He paced and shouted that he would kill Ann and her family.

The three members of the Farris family were bound and gagged in a bedroom. Louise was shot in the chest, Shemika in the head at contact range and William Jr. in the back. The medical examiner said they were killed before breakfast. Three 30-30 cartridge cases and the note, reading 'I told you about slapping my mother', were found in the room, the telephone wires outside had been cut and drawers had been pulled out.

He sent Deborah to knock at the Farris door. The police found the three bodies and called in the State Bureau of Investigation.

He denied the note.

The case

Murder of the Farris family

Victims

Louise Farris (40). mother, worked assembling auto parts
Shemika Farris (16). high school sophomore
William Earl Farris Jr. (13). seventh grade student

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 1 September 2022.

Accused

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Ann Farris. wife, worked at National Spinning; left him and moved to her parents' house
William Earl Farris Sr.. Louise's husband and Ann's father, worked in Greenville
Deborah Blunt. sister, went with him to the house and found the bodies
Alice. sister, visited by him the morning after the murders
Ella. and mother, a cleaning lady who served three years for welfare fraud
Randy. and father, who refused to work
Tim Bachelor. State Bureau of Investigation agent who interviewed
Mary Ann Buck. Washington police detective
David Sparrow. Washington police officer first on the scene

The timeline

  1. February 1963 and her identical twin are bornabout 0:25:13
  2. the 1960s The twins grow up poor; their father refuses to work and their mother cleans housesabout 0:46:41
  3. December 2nd, 1985 marries Ann Farris while still seeing about 0:29:50
  4. the late 1980s takes a job at the yarn factory and meets there (National Spinning)about 1:03:49
  5. August 1989 The Farris family lose everything in a house fire while on holiday in Virginiaabout 0:39:56
  6. 1990 Ann leaves for good and moves with her children to her parents' house (Farris family home)about 0:37:48
  7. 1990 Ann tells to move out; he buys an old school bus and houses her, and the children in it (school bus)about 1:11:01
  8. two or three weeks before the murders makes the lettered note on a paper bag and has buy bullets at a discount store in Greenville (discount store)about 1:36:57
  9. May 29th, 1990 brings Ann's brother's dog to the bus, beats it and shoots at it as it runs off (school bus)about 1:18:38
  10. May 29th, 1990, 11:30 p.m. Ann drives to her parents' house and her father takes her to work at National Spinning (Farris family home)about 1:20:48
  11. May 29th, 1990, around midnight argues with Ann at the factory; she tells him to go back to his new wife and he leaves calmly (National Spinning)about 1:22:20
  12. May 30th, 1990, 12:30 a.m. returns to the bus, says Ann called his new wife, and threatens to kill Ann and her family (school bus)about 1:38:21
  13. May 30th, 1990, about 4 a.m. and put on masks, take rifles and the note, and drive to the Farris house (school bus)about 1:42:25
  14. May 30th, 1990, before breakfast Louise, Shemika and William Jr. are bound, gagged and shot dead (Farris family home)about 1:45:05

Places and phrases

N ↑Public 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