Town note
Founded in the 1770s by James Bonner; his land was known as Forks of the Tar.
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FILE 314 / 1 September 2022 / 172 MIN / full
We're going to Washington, North Carolina this week; this is in Beaufort County. about 0:05:24
Founded in the 1770s by James Bonner; his land was known as Forks of the Tar.
about 0:07:48Renamed Washington in 1776 because the people loved George Washington.
about 0:08:25Served as a supply port while other ports were under British siege.
about 0:08:35Fell to the North early in the Civil War and was occupied for most of the war.
about 0:08:45Founded in the 1770s by James Bonner; his land was known as Forks of the Tar.
about 0:07:48Renamed Washington in 1776 because the people loved George Washington.
about 0:08:25Served as a supply port while other ports were under British siege.
about 0:08:35Fell to the North early in the Civil War and was occupied for most of the war.
about 0:08:45Federal forces set fire to the naval stores and left the town in ruins.
about 0:09:17On September 3rd, 1900, a fire started by a faulty stove destroyed the entire business district.
about 0:09:24The town had a renovation project in the late 60s, adding parks, highways and roads.
about 0:10:11Nicknamed Little Washington, or original Washington, to distinguish it from Washington, DC.
about 0:07:04The town motto is pride in the past, faith in the future.
about 0:07:2255%
about 0:15:19White 44.9% · Black 41.7% · Hispanic twelve percent
Ethnicity can overlap race.Property crime
▲ more than double
Violent crime
▲ about 50% above
Three-bedroom, three-bath, 1,606 square foot house
about 0:17:55Three-bedroom, three-bath, 2,583 square foot house
about 0:18:28Three-bedroom, four-bath, 5,300 square foot house
about 0:18:58"more than double"
Comparison: "national average". Direction: above.
As told in 2022 about 0:23:16
"about 50% above"
Comparison: "national average". Direction: above.
As told in 2022 about 0:23:37
"9,487"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:14:06
"54%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:14:12
"41.6"
Comparison: "a couple of years older". Direction: above.
As told in 2022 about 0:14:21
"about 40%"
Comparison: "usually 50-50". No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:14:35
"34%"
Comparison: "usually 10%". No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:14:40
"44.9%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:15:00
"41.7%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:15:00
"twelve percent"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:15:08
"55%"
Comparison: "above average". Direction: above.
As told in 2022 about 0:15:19
"Baptist"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:15:25
"$31,574"
Comparison: "over $20,000 less than the national average". Direction: above.
As told in 2022 about 0:16:00
"84"
Comparison: "100 is the average". Direction: below.
As told in 2022 about 0:16:13
"$151,100"
Comparison: "low". Direction: below.
As told in 2022 about 0:16:15
"$704 a month"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:17:08
"$100,000"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:17:55
"$369,000"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:18:28
"$849,000"
No direction stated.
As told in 2022 about 0:18:58
3.5 / 5 · average of 4
“Lived here all my life; it is a good place to retire to and raise a family.”about 0:10:38
“An awesome, historic little town with great food downtown, a beautiful waterfront and weather that isn't too bad.”about 0:11:01
“The property here is pretty good; there are some empty spaces but they are available to be occupied.”about 0:11:44
“Drivers are hostile to cyclists and throw open soda cans at them.”about 0:12:26
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.
May 30, 1990 / the Farris family home, John Small Avenue, Washington, North Carolina
As told in the episode, on 1 September 2022.
Accused
Accused
Accused
Public places are marked on the map.
crime scene
about 0:39:23business
about 1:20:29home
about 1:14:44home
about 1:24:32business
about 1:25:38business
about 1:36:57road
about 1:44:02other
about 1:48:21business
about 1:43:45business
about 1:28:07police
about 1:28:59