May 1979 she was viciously murdered by her boyfriend, Charles Soult his Sister, Catherine Wiesinger & Brother, Micheal Stout while walking home from babysitting. Profiling, Mattas said, can point investigators to a suspect, but that doesnt get the case into court, and that was the problem facing the DA and the police. Failed to Update. Scenes not shot locallyThe episodes were not shot in Altoona but in Pittsburgh and Kittanning, confirmed Dennis Page, an extra during the filming. The FBI were called in and launched one of the biggest investigations still known to Altoona, Pa. Today. Charles was upset because Betty was going to leave him. The profile of Shades killer indicated he was a white male between 17 and 25 and that he would be thin or wiry. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Learn more about merges. Please try again later. Photographs and writing mine unless noted. I cant be beholden to the facts, Fincher said on the podcast. Winds light and variable.. He would have come from a dysfunctional family with an absent father and a domineering, overly protective mother. If they walked somewhere, the police were evident. He said investigators never could figure out why Betty and Charles were a couple in the first place. psychological profile in a 1979 local murder case. Jackson, then 29, remembers viewing the scene and in his initial shock exclaiming, Are we really seeing what we are seeing?. A system error has occurred. In the days after Shades body was found, the young murder victim was described by friends as a very sweet, innocent girl, who was very quiet and polite. The 1974 graduate of Altoona Area High School earned money by baby-sitting for a city family. Mattas and the three investigators spent a week at the FBI headquarters in Quantico studying criminal profiling. For instance, the chief investigator of the Shade murder in the show is an Altoona patrol officer who seems unsure of how to handle such a brutal murder. What felt oddest was getting there mostly by Amtrak vs. wending our way through southern New York and Pennsylvania on Rte. Latest e-Edition The Bedford Gazette. He said he was a gawking neighbor in one of the scenes. He found Horton, Long and Logan Township Police Chief John Reeder waiting. Heller said that the Soults were placed under full-time surveillance. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Im sure there are still people who are terrorized about what happened, Fincher said. Police were also searching for a death book or a series of clippings of Shades murder. Heller also pointed out the Mindhunter episodes use aliases, with Betty Jean called Beverly and Charles renamed Benjamin. Murder difficult to solveIn the days after Shades body was found, the young murder victim was described by friends as a very sweet, innocent girl, who was very quiet and polite. The 1974 graduate of Altoona Area High School earned money by baby-sitting for a city family. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Cathy described how she wrestled with Charles, attempting to take away a knife. Soults attorney, Norman D. Callan, an assistant Blair County public defender, fought successfully for the dismissal of the death penalty, arguing that one of the aggravating circumstances used by the jury in recommending death torture was improper because the multitude of injuries that so shocked the police officers occurred after death. She was the type who would pick up a wounded bird on the street and try to bring it back to health. ). The surveillance officers did not interfere with Soults activities, but they let them know they were there. City, state, or zip. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. . He was attempting to develop a way to profile killers as an aid to investigators. He found Horton, Long and Logan Township Police Chief John Reeder waiting. In 1979, 22-year-old Betty Jean Shade was murdered on Wopsy Mountain, just outside of Altoona, PA. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. He would have come from a dysfunctional family with an absent father and a domineering, overly protective mother. Also known as Becky J Shade, Betty J Ludwig, Shade Betty. I imagined helpless cooks and maids trapped in the attic while fire raged below, the small windows useless for escape. I cant be beholden to the facts, Fincher said on the podcast. The night she was murdered, believed to be late on May 29, 1979, she had just completed her daily baby-sitting duties, and carrying her knitting and some clothes, she was picked up by her boyfriend and alleged fiance, Charles Soult, who worked for a local waste hauling company; his sister, Cathy, who was a good friend of Shades; and their brother, Michael. Thomas James Riley November 25, 1936 - January 30, 2023 Altoona, Pennsylvania - Thomas J. Riley, 86, formerly of State College, passed away Monday in Altoona. Mattas said Charles Soult eventually became the prime suspect. Age 47. . Find information on Betty Allison in PA. Browse our directory to see mobile phone numbers, previous & current house addresses, email addresses, and much more. ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) In early June 1979, Logan Township patrol officers Steven D. Jackson and Walter Coho were dispatched to Skyline Drive at the top of Wopsononock Mountain because a jogger thought he saw a body. She read romance novels and loved to sew, to embroider items and to give them as gifts. Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site. Heller said that the Soults were placed under full-time surveillance. Betty Shade. Although Logan Township and state police were focused on Charles, Michael and Cathy, they could not come up with evidence needed for an arrest. Shirley L. Myers, 90, formerly of Altoona, died early Saturday morning January 14, 2023, at Epworth Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Tyrone. Shades murder and her killer, who turned out to be her boyfriend, Charles F. Soult, 26, of Altoona, is fictionally depicted in a 10-episode Netflix show Mindhunter, which began airing Oct. 13. Learn how your comment data is processed. 43 were here. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. In a recent interview with Fincher on the Empire Film Podcast, he explained why in the depiction of brutal crimes, facts and names are often altered. Try again later. Betty Jean Gill, 82, of Hollidaysburg, passed away Saturday evening at UPMC Altoona after a brief illness. They needed a confession. This murder is featured in episode 5 of the David Fincher produced, Netflix series 'Mindhunter'. Douglas had studied habits of and interviewed some of the nations most violent and notorious killers like Ted Bundy, James Earl Ray and John Wayne Gacey. I remember only the loveliness of the view and that when I went to look over, I slid on shale or gravel and tumbled partway down the hill, my fall slowed, then stopped by a tangle of brush. Page said the purpose of the various episodes was to focus on the history of criminal profiling. What made the death of Betty Jean Shade so different was the violence to her body, and in an effort to determine who killed her, investigators, through the aid of former FBI Agent Dale Frye, who served the Altoona area, turned to the fledgling FBI effort at its Quantico, Va., facility, which was attempting to perfect psychological profiling. A portion of the book deals with the 1979 murder of Betty Jane Shade, of Altoona. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Born December 16, 1938, in Somerset, she is the daughter of the late Gilbert "Red" and Evelyn G. (Stern) Berkey. He found Horton, Long and Logan Township Police Chief John Reeder waiting. Ironically, Page, 64, was a classmate of Charles Soult at Altoona Area High School, but he said he didnt personally know him, pointing out the class had about 1,100 graduates. Both Jackson and Heller remembered Charles Soult and his sister coming to the illegal dump site, allegedly looking for Charles girlfriend, who was missing for a couple of days and had not shown up at her baby-sitting job the day before. GREAT NEWS! The Mindhunter series was created and largely written by Joe Penhall, a playwright and screen writer, who wrote the script for the 2009 film, The Road, which was filmed on a stretch of the abandoned turnpike near Breezewood. Add to your scrapbook. Altoona Area High School Refresh Page Altoona, PA (sample class pg) Students Index . The night she was murdered, believed to be late on May 29, 1979, she had just completed her daily baby-sitting duties, and carrying her knitting and some clothes, she was picked up by her boyfriend and alleged fiance, Charles Soult, who worked for a local waste hauling company; his sister, Cathy, who was a good friend of Shades; and their brother, Michael. . . Virginia was born Aug. 9, 1926, in East Freedom. Weve updated the security on the site. Daugherty was eventually put to death in Florida - after being convicted of four robberies and two murders in the Altoona area - the day before the execution of a much more famous serial killer, Ted Bundy. The killer, the profile indicated, knew Shade well, this coming from facts uncovered at the crime scene. . Our coverage area includes Bedford, Everett . Charles never did confess, but both Michael and Cathy eventually came forward. The Shade murder was unusual and among the first cases for which a psychological profile was developed by John Douglas, an FBI agent credited in the development of that science. Poor scans of photos taken in 1988 remind me of my dads move to Pennsylvania. In a recent interview with Fincher on the Empire Film Podcast, he explained why in the depiction of brutal crimes, facts and names are often altered. Michael did not testify during Charles weeklong trial because he was ruled incompetent, but Cathy testified that she, Michael and Charles picked up Betty after her baby-sitting job. Jackson, then 29, remembers viewing the scene and in his initial shock exclaiming, Are we really seeing what we are seeing?. See the updated image.Browse the new version of this issue. Check out rocketrobbie1113's 8/10 review of "Mindhunter: Episode #1.6" She read romance novels and loved to sew, to embroider items and to give them as gifts. The group drove to an area off Wopsononock Mountain Road near an old railroad bed where the killing occurred. Newspapers.com makes these newspapers available for the purpose of historical research, and is not responsible for the content of any newspapers archived at our site. In reality, the homicide investigation was led by the late Detective Howard Horton of Logan Township, who was assisted by a team of experienced state police investigators that included Robert Long, Edward G. Pottmeyer and Barry Bidelspach. As his sister testified, Charles began to sob in the courtroom. The officers had discovered a badly mutilated 22-year-old woman named Betty Jean Shade. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. The officers met the man at the Buckhorn Inn, and he directed them to a makeshift dump where people would throw their trash and yard waste. The surveillance officers did not interfere with Soults activities, but they let them know they were there. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Daugherty was eventually put to death in Florida after being convicted of four robberies and two murders in the Altoona area the day before the execution of a much more famous serial killer, Ted Bundy. Betty J. Riley, 1/18/2002, A9. Days later, Charles wanted to return to the scene and remove the body. Mirror Reporters Sean Sauro, Ryan Brown and Russell OReilly contributed to this article. Still, she went on a drive with Soult, his brother, Michael, and sister, Catherine, to the nearby Wopsononock Mountain, so Soult and Shade . The episodes were not shot in Altoona but in Pittsburgh and Kittanning, confirmed Dennis Page, an extra during the filming. What made the death of Betty Jean Shade so different was the violence to her body, and in an effort to determine who killed her, investigators, through the aid of former FBI Agent Dale Frye, who served the Altoona area, turned to the fledgling FBI effort at its Quantico, Va., facility, which was attempting to perfect psychological profiling. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. They needed a confession. The Mindhunter series was created and largely written by Joe Penhall, a playwright and screen writer, who wrote the script for the 2009 film, The Road, which was filmed on a stretch of the abandoned turnpike near Breezewood. Cathy described how she wrestled with Charles, attempting to take away a knife. Betty A. Kvalkauskas, 74, of 34 Friend St., Pittston, formerly of Loyalsock Twp., died Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, at the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Saved. Why, he asked, would somebody be searching on the top of Wopsononock Mountain for a missing girlfriend? The whole thing was horrible. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Resend Activation Email. BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) Three Altoona teens have been sentenced for the murder of 15-year-old Devon Pfirsching in 2020.. Owen Southerland, 17, has been sentenced to 35 years to life and will be eligible for parole after 35 years.He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and robbery, along with criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, criminal use of communications facility, illegally . What occurred after Shade got into Cathys car was the subject of a murder trial in 1981 in which Charles Soult was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, on recommendation of a jury. An aid to investigators you have given Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE the.! 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