Debbie Carter was a 21-year-old woman who was found dead in her own apartment in Ada, Oklahoma, on the morning of December 8, 1982. Her body was laying face-down on the floor with a wash-cloth stuffed in her mouth, and within the bloody scene were three eerie messages: on her back, written in ketchup, read the words Duke Gram. Also with ketchup, the misspelled words Don’t look fore us or ealse were smeared on the kitchen table. Inscribed on the wall in nail polish read Jim Smith next will die. The coroner would later find the word Die painted on her chest as well. She sustained many injuries, including bruises on her body, head trauma, collapsed lungs, a dilated heart, and she had also been sexually assaulted with a ketchup bottle. Five years later, 37-year-old Dennis Fritz and 34-year-old Ronald Williamson were both apprehended and charged with the murder and rape of Debbie Carter. Although both men maintained their innocence, claiming to have never met the young woman before, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation stated that their hair is consistent with those found in the victim’s home and on her body, so they proceeded with the charges. At the end of the trial, both men were found guilty. Dennis Fritz was given a life sentence while Ronald Williamson was handed a death sentence. In 1999, Ronald was only days away from his execution when DNA tests exonerated the pair from the horrid crimes they were accused of. They were released from prison and successfully sued the city of Ada in 2003, winning a settlement of $500 000.
In 2001, a man named Glen Gore was charged with the murder of Debbie Carter. He was a former classmate of hers and was witnessed by multiple people arguing with her on the night of her death. Furthermore, his DNA was present at the crime scene. He had also testified against the men who were wrongly convicted of her murder. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, which would be overturned in 2005. In a second trial, he was once again convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
