FILE 506 / 29 June 2024 / 71 MIN / express

Twin Marrying Madness

Lemmon, South DakotaListen

The town

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James says they are going to Lemmon, South Dakota, 'l-e-m-m-o-n like the man', in the north-western part of the state, three blocks from North Dakota. about 0:03:28

History, in brief

Town note

The town's motto is 'the cowboy capital' of the 1,200 people of the surrounding area.

about 0:05:28

Town note

The US government leased George Ed 'Boss Cowman' Lemmon about 800,000 acres of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation because he was a cattle rancher.

about 0:05:38

Town note

He bought the land for the town site and wanted his town to be the county seat, but it never became the county seat.

about 0:06:13

Town note

Railroad officials named the town after him, figuring he was a pain in the ass.

about 0:06:20
All 6 history facts

Town note

The town's motto is 'the cowboy capital' of the 1,200 people of the surrounding area.

about 0:05:28

Town note

The US government leased George Ed 'Boss Cowman' Lemmon about 800,000 acres of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation because he was a cattle rancher.

about 0:05:38

Town note

He bought the land for the town site and wanted his town to be the county seat, but it never became the county seat.

about 0:06:13

Town note

Railroad officials named the town after him, figuring he was a pain in the ass.

about 0:06:20

Town note

Some sources say Lemmon was a sundown town in the 1920s, but James could not find it in the official listings and thinks it may have been misreported.

about 0:06:38

The figures, as told

Crime / national average

Crime overall
▼ very low

about 0:07:24

Money

Median home value$97,900
Median household income$41,875
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2024

Population

"1,252"

No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:04:56

Median household income

"$41,875"

No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:05:03

Median home price

"$97,900"

No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:05:20

Crime rate

"very low"

Direction: below.

As told in 2024 about 0:07:24

The reviews

3.6 / 5 · average of 5

4 stars

“Very warm and inviting; the only thing the reviewer would change is the availability of fun activities in town.”
about 0:07:05

“A small town of about 1,300 people, safe for families, with a very low crime rate and one public school, so sport matters a lot.”
about 0:07:18

4 stars

“The sports scene is amazing; with 1,200 people you can watch sophomores run around all day.”
about 0:07:54

4 stars

“Good for a small town though not comparable to a bigger town; there are several bars and they also serve food.”
about 0:08:02

3 stars

“Average but not excellent: the grocery store lacks a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, while the gas stations and pharmacy are well maintained.”
about 0:08:20

3 stars

“There are many jobs in Lemmon but most do not offer good hours or good pay, and there are no paramedics in town.”
about 0:09:46

In South Dakota

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The story

Walter Gibbs was born on 10 August 1904 in Wahoo, Nebraska, the only child of Fred and Laura Gibbs, ranchers who moved to Morristown, near Lemmon, South Dakota, in 1910 to homestead. He grew up on the ranch, attended a one-room country school and became a reliable ranch hand; friends remembered him fiddling for hours and said he was shy with women and never had a romance.

They remarried in 1977, when he was seventy-four, and divorced again that year.

They divorced in 1980, remarried in 1982 and divorced again in December 1983, by which time Walter had rented out the farm and moved into Lemmon proper. He married June Penny in 1984 and divorced her in 1986.

On 20 August 1989 a fire broke out in the living room while Walter slept; a neighbour saved him and put it out, and the house burned down the next day.

On 4 January 1990 the twins went to attorney Jeff Rottier without an appointment to have the will revised.

There were no injuries; the death was ruled natural, with no autopsy.

Baskin contacted Robert Overturf of the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.

Walter's body was exhumed on 6 May 1991. The autopsy found diphenhydramine pellets in his stomach, the active ingredient in sleeping pills, and the death was ruled a homicide.

The case

Murder of Walter Gibbs

Victims

Walter 'Wally' Gibbs (85). Retired rancher and cowboy, born 10 August 1904; the twins' elderly ex-husband

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 29 June 2024.

Accused

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Bernice Botner. Walter's first cousin and original beneficiary, who contested the will
Curtis Hanks. Walter's attorney, who had handled all his divorces
Jeff Rottier. Attorney who drew up the January 1990 will
Robert Overturf. Special agent, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation
Carol Picard. Director of the Career Learning Center in Rapid City; defence witness on abilities
Steven Manlove. Psychologist who evaluated
June Penny. Walter's wife from 1984 to 1986

The timeline

  1. August 10th, 1904 Walter Gibbs is born in Wahoo, Nebraska, the only child of Fred and Laura Gibbsabout 0:11:53
  2. 1910 The family moves to Morristown near Lemmon to homestead (Gibbs family farm)about 0:12:39
  3. the 1950s Walter's father dies, leaving him and his mother on the farm (Gibbs family farm)about 0:16:44
  4. 1963 With his mother very ill, Walter hires 18-year-old Wall to care for her (Gibbs family farm)about 0:17:06
  5. 1963 Walter, 59, and , 18, begin a relationship (Gibbs family farm)about 0:18:59
  6. before the 1964 marriage Walter's mother dies (Gibbs family farm)about 0:21:21
  7. 1964 Walter and marryabout 0:20:43
  8. 1973 They move to the Lemmon area and soon divorceabout 0:20:43
  9. the mid-1970s runs off with an Oklahoma ranch hand and gets into trouble with the law in Kansasabout 0:24:10
  10. about two years later Walter drives to Kansas, buys her a new car and brings her homeabout 0:25:24
  11. 1977 Walter, 74, and remarry, then divorce again later that yearabout 0:26:56
  12. around 1978 marries a man named and has a daughter, Robin; they later divorceabout 0:27:15
  13. 1979 Walter marries identical twin sister about 0:27:50
  14. 1980 Walter and divorceabout 0:28:43
  15. 1982 Walter remarries , rents out the family farm and moves into Lemmon proper (Gibbs family farm)about 0:28:51
  16. December 1983 Walter and divorce for the second timeabout 0:29:35
  17. 1984 Walter marries June Pennyabout 0:30:56
  18. 1986 Walter and June divorceabout 0:32:09
  19. 1988 and move in together after their release, and and Robin move in with themabout 0:35:47
  20. February 1989 contacts Walter at the nursing home in Headinger, offers to care for him and asks for $100 cash (Headinger nursing home)about 0:37:53
  21. February 1989 , Robin, and move into Walter's house and prepare it for his return (Gibbs house)about 0:38:07
  22. March 1989 At Walter's request an addendum leaves the Lemmon house to and the rest of the estate to his cousin Bernice Botner (Gibbs house)about 0:39:10
  23. April 15th, 1989 Walter moves back into the house (Gibbs house)about 0:38:36
  24. August 20th, 1989 A fire breaks out in the living room while Walter sleeps; a neighbour saves him, and the house burns to the ground the next day (Gibbs house)about 0:41:51
  25. January 4th, 1990 and visit attorney Jeff Rottier without an appointment to have the will revisedabout 0:43:19
  26. January 5th, 1990 Walter changes his will, leaving the estate, about $178,000, to (Gibbs house)about 0:43:05
  27. January 8th, 1990 Driving to brother's funeral, and first discuss killing Gibbs to 'activate the will'about 0:44:01
  28. late February 1990 The talk turns to mixing sleeping pills and nitroglycerin into his tea and pills into his milk of magnesia (Gibbs house)about 0:44:37
  29. late March 1990 suggests smothering him with a pillow; fetches a pillow and they test it on (Gibbs house)about 0:46:28
  30. March 31st, 1990 On a Saturday evening says she has put more medication than usual into his food and drink (Gibbs house)about 0:47:29
  31. April 1st, 1990 Robin is sent to walk the dogs; holds Walter's arms while smothers him with a pillow as sits at the kitchen table (Gibbs house)about 0:56:02
  32. April 1st, 1990 calls 911, EMTs try CPR and Walter is pronounced dead at the hospital; the death is ruled natural and there is no autopsyabout 0:47:54

Places and phrases

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