Ghost's testimony was used to convict a murderer in bizarre case
Harley Young
Featured Image Credit: The History Collection / Eric Anthony Johnson / Alamy Stock Photo
Would you ever think that a ghost's testimony could be used to convict a murderer?
Well, in 1897, a man called Erasmus 'Edward' Stribbling Trout Shue was sentenced for murdering his wife, Zona.
But how did a ghost convict him, you may ask? We'll tell you.
On 23 January, Erasmus' wife's body was found by an errand boy.
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Zona was slumped uncomfortably at the bottom of the stairs.
The boy called for help but, before the coroner Dr. George Knapp could arrive, Erasmus returned home and moved Zona onto their bed.
She was dressed in a high-neck gown and left to rest as her husband waited for the medical examiner to turn up.
The doctor attempted to inspect Zona's body but Erasmus began to freak out, causing the coroner to stop midway and put her death down to natural causes.
Nothing else came of the case and an open casket funeral was held for Zona's loved ones. However, when they came over to pay their respects, Erasmus pulled the same stunt.
This time, Zona's neck was covered with a scarf - all the while Erasmus was getting more and more hysterical.
Attendees believed that the unusual behaviour was due to an intense feeling of grief and there was no question to why he was acting out of sorts. Zona was buried at Soule Chapel Methodist Cemetery the next day.
The only person with suspicions towards Erasmus, however, was Zona's mother, Mary Jane Heaster.
Mary had always had a distrust for Erasmus, but wasn't sure why. Instead, she just prayed that the truth about what she believed had happened would come to light.
And luckily, it did.
According to Mary, her daughter's ghost appeared in front of her and explained the abuse she'd suffered from at the hands of her husband.
She said that her daughter's ghost even explained the cause of death; an argument over dinner which resulted in Zona being strangled and having her neck snapped 'at the first joint'.
The ghost was also said to be able to twist her head backward to prove this.
Mary requested for the case to be re-opened, which prosecutor John Preston obliged.
The investigation involved exhuming Zona's body and inspecting the presumedly injured area. Surprisingly, they found that her neck was marked and broken leading the office cause of her death to be changed to anoxia from manual strangulation on February 22 1897.
Spookily, not only was Zona's neck broken, but it was snapped at the first joint (known as the C1 Atlas and C2 Axis) just like the ghost had told Mary.
Upon digging into Erasmus' background, investigators found that the man had a history of violence and had a previous wife who'd also died under mysterious circumstances.
Coincidence? We think not.
Erasmus stood trial and Mary testified against him, recounting the ghostly interaction that had lead to the trial.
The West Virginia State Archives document what Mary said.
They read: "She told me that her neck was squeezed off at the first joint and it was just as she told me."
When asked whether she thought she'd actually seen Zona - that it hadn't been a dream - Mary said: "Yes, sir, I do.
"I told them the very dress that she was killed in, and when she went to leave me she turned her head completely around and looked at me like she wanted me to know all about it.
"And the very next time she came back to me she told me all about it."
Erasmus was then sentenced to life behind bars and sent to a state prison.
This is the first and only time in history that the account of a ghost has secured a conviction.