In Bremerton, Washington there was once a pretty, white house, nestled beside the Pacific Ocean. This inviting beach side home looked every bit to be the ideal place to host a party. That, in fact, was the very plan of Frank and Anna Flieder, who were the current the homeowners in March of 1934, had in mind when they invited a group of good friends over to enjoy an evening. Before the sun would rise on March, 28th the party would turn into a complete massacre, leaving its hosts and their four guests would be bludgeoned to death.
Nearly two days would pass before the bodies were discovered. On March 31st, Tom Sanders, a curious neighbor, stopped by to see if the Flieders were home. Sanders had not seen the couple, who were usually very friendly people, in a few days, and became concerned by this. There were signs of life at the beach house. As he made his way around the property, the Fliederâs three French poodles began to bark. Before knocking on the door he peeked inside a window to see if anyone was up and about. The interior had been left in shambles, and Sanders quickly left to alert the authorities about the potential burglary.
Once inside the police found six bodies, all located throughout different rooms of the house. The list of victims included Frank (43) and Anna (50) Flieder, Bert (38) and Peggy (30) Chenevert, both vaudeville performers, who went under the stage name of Vincent, a retired Navy man named Magnus Jordon (62), Fred Balcom, a bartender, whose age was not recorded. All six were found with their hands bound behind their back by long shoelaces with tape wrapped around their mouths and eyes. Initially it was believed that Bert Chenevert was the first to be attacked. The 250 pound prize fighter was beaten with a hammer until he was rendered unconscious. He laid on the living room floor until he bled to death. Several rooms away his wife, Peggy, was shot once before her throat was cut. Frank Flieder was also beaten to death in the living room with eleven pronounced wounds cause by a blunt object. Anna Flieder was murdered in the master bedroom. Her partially dressed body was found lying on top of the bed. She, too, was beaten and had her throat gashed. Magnus Jordon, who was killed in the guest bedroom, was bludgeoned multiple times before getting shot by a pistol. Fred Balcomâs body was found shoved half way into a coat closet. His skull received five severe blows, and his throat was also cut.
The amount of gore found inside the once placid beachside home was unfathomable. What also left investigators and the people of Bremerton baffled was a possible motive for such a heinous crime. All six victims were considered to be well liked amongst the community. One theory was the party had been crashed by burglars, who had stripped the house and victims clean of their valuables. The Flieders were a wealthy couple, making them desirable victims. A few years prior Bert Chenevert had been involved in a man slaughter case after he killed a man after getting in a bar brawl. Investigators considered it highly probably that the family of the man who died in the fight had sought revenge against Chenevert and killed him, as well as everyone else in the house. Although it was not as strong as the others, another theory was that the killers could have been stage rivals to the Cheneverts/Vincents, who wanted to remove their competition for the spotlight. Investigators were sure that multiple people had carried out the invasion and murders. There were too many people in the house for just one person to subdue, even if they had arrived with a gun. They also believed that the intruders had not arrived heavily armed. They believed typical household items, such as a hammer and a kitchen knife, had been used to commit the crime.
A year would pass by before investigators were able to close the case. It all happened by chance. A thirty year old woman by the name of Peggy Paulos was talking to jailhouse authorities when she made a hysterical confession to the beach house massacre. At that time Paulos was spending time in prison for another murder. She admitted to accompanying Leo Hall to the Flieder house at the time of the murders. She had met the wealthy couple during her work as a barmaid, and told Hall that they would be the perfect people to steal from. According to Paulos, the two entered the Flieder residence that night with the intention of making some quick money. They wore gloves and masks to help hide their identities. When the couple broke in, the Flieders were in the middle of a game of pinochle. All six party-goers were killed to assure there were no living witnesses.
As she gave her confession, Paulos revealed the order of the victimsâ deaths. Hall stabbed Anna Flieder first after becoming irritated over her complaints of a headache. Next was Fred Balcom, who had walked in on the scene. At this time Paulos became fearful for her own safety, and ran away. She claimed that Hall shot at her while she tried to make her escape. The other four victims were killed after she fled the house. According to Paulos, Hall was the only one to commit murder.
Shortly after the confession, Hall was charged with first degree murder in the mass killing. This was the third murder case Hall was considered to be a prime suspect in at that time. Aside from Paulosâ testimony, the main piece of evidence against him was the material that was used to tie up the victims. The laces belonged to ice skates, and at that time Hall was employed at an ice skating rink.
Not everyone was convinced of Hallâs guilt. The crime scene was incredibly mishandled, leaving nearly every piece of evidence contaminated. Reporters had broken into the house to get crime scene photographs for their papers. Even more troubling, the younger brother of the townâs sheriff allowed a crowd of up to 150 people walk through the house to see all of gore. The bodies were still in the house at this time, and some spectators went as far of stealing articles of clothing off the victims for a souvenir. The sheriffâs brother charged each person a quarter for the tour.
Despite the complete contamination of the crime scene, the case still went to trial. Leo Hall was found guilty in the mass murder, and was hung for the crime.
