They just showed a segment on the new UM that I don't remember seeing before. I couldn't find any info about it here on the site. I didn't get to see the segment from the beginning and I'd sure like to be able to see it again. Do you guys remember this one?

Paul Farrell was convicted of killing 19 year old Cathy Ford, but her body has never been found. He maintains his innocence. There's a website with info here: http://www.victimsofthestate.org/WV/Ferrell.htm

At the time that Cathy Ford disappeared, Paul Farrell replaced the carpet in the master bedroom of his 8 year old trailer home. Blood "not inconsistent" with Cathy's parents was found in his house.

Paul found Cathy's burned out vehicle in his back yard (which I think was some acreage, he had to walk out a ways from the house to find the car). After finding the vehicle, he didn't tell anyone because he thought it would point to him being a murderer since her car was on his property.

When explaining why he didn't report finding the car, he actually said something like, "I thought, well she's dead and her car's in my yard and they'll think I did it." That's not an exact quote, but what he said sounded VERY incriminating, especially the part where he casually remarked that she was dead, even though she was only missing.

Three weeks after he found her car in his yard, searchers finally found the vehicle. There were no fingerprints or other evidence because of the fire and rust. Paul then pretended to be Cathy and wrote a letter to her parents. I think he claimed she was out of town for a while or some such nonsense. He included cash ($200?) to help her parents pay for expenses related to her car. I don't know if it was for the tow bill, or to pay to replace it or what.

When confronted, Paul said that he had never written that letter while pretending to be Cathy, but a handwriting expert examined it, said that he was indeed the author, and finally Paul admitted to writing it.

On top of his likely involvement in Cathy's disappearance, this creep made obscene phone calls to women at local businesses. He pretended to be a doctor and asked females who answered the phone at libraries and book stores to read him explicit passages from books about sex. In the UM interview, he explained that he thought of it as phone sex and that basically there was nothing wrong with it since he couldn't afford a credit card that was required to make calls to legitimate phone sex lines. So just because he's broke, there's nothing wrong with victimizing random women! What a nut.

Cathy went missing in 1988. According to the website linked, Paul was granted parole in 2004 because they never found Cathy's body, and there were no fingerprints, hairs, or fibers found connecting him to her disappearance.

This story was actually featured on the short lived Final Appeal television series. I posted a synopsis on it on the board in the past.

I think that Ferrell is the guiltiest person I have ever seen on UM and frankly, I don't see why they bothered to profile his story. I know there were some unusual circumstances what with her body not being recovered and what not, but it's such an overwhelming circumstantial case.

There was nothing in the FA presentation that convinced me he wasn't responsible for Ford's disappearance and death. However, a lot of people from that town seem to believe he is innocent for some reason. I can't say I follow the logic.

Here are a couple threads...

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=235901

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=216369

Also, here is a link to an appeal he filed that goes into much more detail about the various players and circumstances in the case. If you weren't convinced before of his guilt, you likely will be after you read this...

http://wv.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.%5Cwv%5CPLS%5C1990%5C19900724_9999.WV.htm/qx

Sorry guys, but the cops and the court system got this one right.

If he is somehow innocent, he did some really dumb things.

The only thing I was able to come up with that might lean towards me thinking he was innocent at all would be the manner in which Darvin, the other man that Kathy was seeing at the same time as she was seeing Paul, was the person that mentioned to Paul that smoke was seen on his property. Then after Paul found and ignored the burned truck, it was this Darvin character that found the truck on Paul's property.

Now given the fact that Darvin was in a relationship with Kathy, and Kathy was seeing Paul on the side, I would be willing to suppose it could be possible that Darvin killed Kathy and framed Paul for the murder.

The fact that the police believed that the truck may have been burned elsewhere and then towed to the place where it was found on Paul's property would also support this.

I am not saying that I believe that's what happened, but it makes at least some sense, IF Paul is actually innocent...

Thanks for that info, Justin.
Someone bumped one of the threads so I could read it.

I think the reason I couldn't find any info on the case
here is because I misspelled the guy's last name when
I did the search. Figures I'd make a rookie mistake, lol...

I read some of the info on the findcase site that Justin linked to.

Paul Ferrell had a prolonged and frequent habit of impersonating other people. He constantly called women and pretended to be a doctor, a magistrate, an undercover officer, etc.

Cathy worked as a waitress in her parents restaurant. On the day she went missing, she received a call from Ferrell, pretending to be a magistrate, about some checks relating to the business.

She made an appointment with the "magistrate" for that afternoon to discuss the checks. That same day, she received a phone call from a man claiming to be an undercover officer needing to talk to her about the restaurant's liquor license and a possible investigation.

She left for her business appointments and was never seen again.

I think Paul Ferrell killed her but the question is why? Also curious if he is the one who called her did he disguise his voice in an effort to lure her somewhere or did she know she was meeting Ferrell and didn't want anyone to know so made up a story about where she was going. If he did lure her somewhere and her murder was premeditated the only possible reason I can think of is that she had threatened to expose their relationship or she broke it off with him and Paul couldn't accept it. I think a more likely scenario though is that it was a meeting that they both planned and things got heated and he killed her and then panicked and hid her vehicle. His explanation for all the suspicious things that went on that pointed to him just didn't seem logical.

I also think Paul Ferelll killed her but based on viewing the segment it seems like the prosecutor at the very least "walked the line" on this case.

I think Paul Ferrell killed her but the question is why? Also curious if he is the one who called her did he disguise his voice in an effort to lure her somewhere or did she know she was meeting Ferrell and didn't want anyone to know so made up a story about where she was going. If he did lure her somewhere and her murder was premeditated the only possible reason I can think of is that she had threatened to expose their relationship or she broke it off with him and Paul couldn't accept it. I think a more likely scenario though is that it was a meeting that they both planned and things got heated and he killed her and then panicked and hid her vehicle. His explanation for all the suspicious things that went on that pointed to him just didn't seem logical.

There is something I've never quite understood about this case.

Do we know for a fact that Paul and Cathy were having an affair? Is there any evidence of this relationship aside from his claims they were involved?

The court documents make it seem as though Ferrell was calling various local women and trying to lure them to secluded locations.

Then there are comments from Cathy Ford's brother about how he and his sister were close and he never suspected anything was going on or that she would be involved in a relationship with Paul Ferrell.

I'm wondering if Ferrell was a sexual predator whose goal was to lure a woman, any woman, back to his trailer so he could carry out whatever sexual fantasy he was working through and that Cathy Ford was unfortunate enough to answer his call. Then he fabricated the relationship details after the fact so he could have some tie to Ford as his "secret lover" and divert attention away from the fact that she was a victim he just picked at random, as well giving him the option to downplay/deny the previous behavior patterns - the other phone calls trying to lure women away.

There is something I've never quite understood about this case.

Do we know for a fact that Paul and Cathy were having an affair? Is there any evidence of this relationship aside from his claims they were involved?

The court documents make it seem as though Ferrell was calling various local women and trying to lure them to secluded locations.

Then there are comments from Cathy Ford's brother about how he and his sister were close and he never suspected anything was going on or that she would be involved in a relationship with Paul Ferrell.

I'm wondering if Ferrell was a sexual predator whose goal was to lure a woman, any woman, back to his trailer so he could carry out whatever sexual fantasy he was working through and that Cathy Ford was unfortunate enough to answer his call. Then he fabricated the relationship details after the fact so he could have some tie to Ford as his "secret lover" and divert attention away from the fact that she was a victim he just picked at random, as well giving him the option to downplay/deny the previous behavior patterns - the other phone calls trying to lure women away.

1) I believe that there's was evidence presented at the trial of the affair between the two. And no one in the segment denied that an affair existed.

2) Ferrell was making HUNDREDS of obscene calls to various women trying to get them to read sexually suggestive passages from a book and pretending that he was doctor. In the program he actually used the excuse that he "couldn't get a credit card" and that's why he did it.

Even more chilling was when he changed a statement he was making from "it appears (wrong) " to "it was wrong to have done it" when he was discussing the calls that he had made.

3) Ferrell made a serious mistake (whether he did or did not kill her) when, rather than reporting Cathy's vehicle near his home, he decided to write a ridiculous letter pretending it was from Cathy Ford and then putting $200 in it before mailing it to the victim's family.He then lied about it to the investigators when questioned later.

Personally, I think that although it took them a little too long to make the connections, the police seem to have gotten this one right. I believe that he killed her,dumped the body in a heavily wooded area or buried it and the burned the truck in an attempt to hide evidence.

This man is a narcissist and was very troubled emotionally. He should never have been a police officer and, I think the fact that he was, interfered in the investigation.
The fact that he hasn't sued the state for falsely imprisoning him speaks volumes as does the fact that authorities consider the case closed.

if Paul Ferrell turns out to be innocent, I will eat my shoes.

All in all he is probably guilty. There are however many unanswered questions in this case. I am not completely convinced he is the killer. I would give him maybe 5 percent chance he could be innocent.

If he killed her, he obviously managed to dispose of the body. Now why be so stupid as to not only leave her truck on his own property, but also set it on fire to make smoke that would be seen for miles. If I am not mistaken, the only thing that initially got the police investigating him was the fact that smoke had been seen coming from his property. What was the point in even burning he car? I don't see this as a scenario that would have blood or other crime like evidence in the vehicle. If he did kill her it was likely in his trailer. Why even burn the car?
And I understand that we are talking about someone that is dumb enough to write letters impersonating the victim and not reporting her car being found if he is innocent, but I can actually see those things as stupid as they are being something one might do if they are just simply scared.

I don't know. Odds are he is completely guilty, but like I said there are at least a few things that give some doubt. I can't say for sure I would vote guilty beyond a reasonable doubt if I were on the jury for his case.

Guilty, guilty, guilty! What innocent person writes a fake letter to the parents of a missing person posing as that missing person, also giving them money? And who doesn't report ANY charred vehicle found on your property? While I do agree that it is a bit strange that Cathy's boyfriend (who should have been a person of interest, especially if he knew about the alleged affair between the two) found her vehicle on Farrell's property, Farrell's behavior is NOT how an innocent person would act. The whole phone sex scam shouldn't have been allowed in court as it really had nothing of value in the disappearance of Cathy Ford, but it shows what a sicko this guy really is. And how did Farrell explain the blood found on the floor, cieling, and walls in his trailor? He said someone may have pricked their finger...:rolleyes:

Farrell also got that phone call at the bowling alley from Cathy, and he said he didn't want to meet her at his trailer but he would at a local high school. If he was having an affair with this woman why wouldn't he meet her at his trailor? I think he made that up because he knew she met him at his trailer and that's where he killed her.

I'm wondering if Ferrell was a sexual predator whose goal was to lure a woman, any woman, back to his trailer so he could carry out whatever sexual fantasy he was working through and that Cathy Ford was unfortunate enough to answer his call. Then he fabricated the relationship details after the fact so he could have some tie to Ford as his "secret lover" and divert attention away from the fact that she was a victim he just picked at random, as well giving him the option to downplay/deny the previous behavior patterns - the other phone calls trying to lure women away.

That's the feeling I was getting about the situation.

Recently, lifetime has been airing the same episodes within a week or two of each other. Hopefully they'll repeat this one and I can watch the whole segment. (I missed a lot of the segment when it was on the other day....) Seeing it again will probably give me a better idea about what the heck is going on with that Paul character, especially since it usually takes several viewings for me to catch all the little details. :crazy:

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying I think he's innocent. I think in all likelihood, he is guilty.

The phone calls should never have been allowed in court though. All that did was stack the deck.

As far as how he acted after the disappearance, that is the most damning thing. But just suppose for a minute that he is innocent. He would know being a cop that he would likely be charged with a crime since he was seeing the girl and then her truck ends up on his property. While I will agree there is no way in hell that most people would act the way he did, if he was already hearing that people were suspecting him before the car was found, he might be scared enough to do something stupid like that. In other situations, why do innocent people sometimes run when convicted of a crime? You can never say what you will do when scared and under the gun.

I cannot say enough that I do think he is likely guilty. But before I can decide for certain, there are those lingering questions still there. I don't know why, but that Darvin character seems suspicious to me. I would have to have some questions answered about him before I could rule him out.

As I said before I can see a scenario where he, being the jealous lover, might have killed Kathy, and set up Paul for it. Paul might then have freaked out given the situation and played right into the frame up unwittingly.

Not necessarily what happened, but I wouldn't say impossible either. Just playing devil's advocate here is all.

I don't know if you guys are aware of this, but Darwin Moon really made a name for himself on World Series of Poker.

Here is an article about him.

http://www.casinosdiary.com/wsop/darwin-moon-from-logger-to-a-chip-leader/

Since I don't put much stock in anything that would come out of Ferrell's mouth, I agree that it's still up for grabs if he and Ford were actually involved. As Justins5256 comments, it's a possibility that Ferrell simply managed to manipulate Ford with something he could use as leverage against her (besides or in conjunction with her family's liquor license) and coerced her into going to his home.

If they were actually involved, the fact that Ford seemed to be contacting him at the bowling alley could mean it was much more personal -- threatening to expose their affair or even the possibility that she was pregnant. How this guy juggled having a girlfriend, a possible affair, and make hundreds of obscene phone calls is beyond me.

I didn't realize his name was Darwin, lol I have been calling him Darvin. Oops. I find it interesting that he is a championship poker player. He would have a good poker face then. Hmm...

But another good point was brought up there. It would be at least unusual for an offender to be capable of a stable relationship with a woman, much less 2 relationships. And while you can argue that if he is seeing 2 people the relationship isn't the best, it still appears to be somewhat normal. A sexual predator that makes obscene calls and attempts to lure women to a place where he can kill them is a much more organized offender. Someone that would plan these acts through. Now leaving the truck on his property and writing fake letters doesn't really coincide with that. Writing letters to the police bragging of the crime would. But I have never heard of anything like this before.

I realize that Paul is out of prison now, but it would be interesting if someone came in to investigate this case now as a cold case and see what would happen.

In another thread, someone brought up an interesting theory about how the more stupid, less believable segments on UM might have made it to air simply because someone who worked on the show had a personal connection to the people involved in the story.

I've kinda had that feeling with the Paul Farrell case. In most of their "Final Appeal" cases, there was usually at least some compelling evidence for the suspect's innocence and enough questions to raise reasonable doubt, but I just didn't see that here. It just seemed like a very weak choice for a "Final Appeal" segment and that's why I wonder if someone who worked on the show had a personal connection to Farrell.

In another thread, someone brought up an interesting theory about how the more stupid, less believable segments on UM might have made it to air simply because someone who worked on the show had a personal connection to the people involved in the story.

I've kinda had that feeling with the Paul Farrell case. In most of their "Final Appeal" cases, there was usually at least some compelling evidence for the suspect's innocence and enough questions to raise reasonable doubt, but I just didn't see that here. It just seemed like a very weak choice for a "Final Appeal" segment and that's why I wonder if someone who worked on the show had a personal connection to Farrell.

It may have been that.
Or it may have been the prurient interest that this case may arouse. A cop having a an affair w/ a teenage girl and making a staggering number of obscene phone calls. The girl turns up missing and there's a question of love triangle.

Throw in some bad music and a few extraneous characters and this would be a Lifetime Movie of the Week.

I just find it amazing that he was actually released from prison.

I just find it amazing that he was actually released from prison.

Well...I think it was a combination of:

* Not finding a body
* His family seriously lobbying the governor
* The many mistakes made in this case by the police and prosecutors and the fact that those mistakes were publicized.

IMHO, if this had been a poor guy from the inner city he almost certainly would still be in prison.

IMHO, if this had been a poor guy from the inner city he almost certainly would still be in prison.

Yep, I agree 100% with that. There have been other cases where there was no body but a conviction was still reached. He had blood in his trailer, I wish they would re-open this case and re-examine the blood in the trailer to see if it actually belonged to Cathy Ford or not. Then they should (even though they can't) send his ass back to prison.

I would completely concede if they were to prove through DNA testing that the blood was Kathy's. The only reason I can give the benefit of the doubt to this guy at all is because the blood was not linked directly to Kathy, and as I have posted before, there are a few unanswered issues that COULD point to him being innocent.

The evidence is very damning I admit, but not 100% to me. The verdict is in the blood samples. If they are not Kathy's, then the question would of course be, "who's is it?". If it has been there since before he lived in the trailer, I would say there is a good chance he is innocent.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the neighbor say that screaming, or something like that was very common to hear coming from the trailer even before Paul moved in? Was that ever looked into?

I watched this case again today and I have to admit, the more I hear this guy talk, the more guilty he seems. I think I am pretty well convinced he is guilty. That being said though, I don't like deciding something like that (even though my opinion doesnt matter to his case in the least) while there are still questions I have. I don't like the fact that it appears the police never looked into Darvin (or Darwin, as it is dificult to hear what his name is). I still think it is possible for him to be counted as a suspect given the circumstances.

He was dating Kathy as well and was also the driving force behind finding her truck where it was. That bothers me a lot. But Paul's actions after the fact just can't be easily explained away. 99.9% chance he is guilty. But as noted in the segment, it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court. That at least gives some weight to his argument.

I watched this case again today and I have to admit, the more I hear this guy talk, the more guilty he seems. I think I am pretty well convinced he is guilty. That being said though, I don't like deciding something like that (even though my opinion doesnt matter to his case in the least) while there are still questions I have. I don't like the fact that it appears the police never looked into Darvin (or Darwin, as it is dificult to hear what his name is). I still think it is possible for him to be counted as a suspect given the circumstances.

He was dating Kathy as well and was also the driving force behind finding her truck where it was. That bothers me a lot. But Paul's actions after the fact just can't be easily explained away. 99.9% chance he is guilty. But as noted in the segment, it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court. That at least gives some weight to his argument.

We don't know for sure if LE looked into Darvin, but it's safe to assume that they did considering he was Cathy's boyfriend at the time.

I would hope they did. He almost seemed to know that the truck was where it was found even before Paul (if Paul is telling the truth) but yeah. That bugs me. I would think they had to have at least questioned him.

I watched this case again today and I have to admit, the more I hear this guy talk, the more guilty he seems. I think I am pretty well convinced he is guilty. That being said though, I don't like deciding something like that (even though my opinion doesnt matter to his case in the least) while there are still questions I have. I don't like the fact that it appears the police never looked into Darvin (or Darwin, as it is dificult to hear what his name is). I still think it is possible for him to be counted as a suspect given the circumstances.

He was dating Kathy as well and was also the driving force behind finding her truck where it was. That bothers me a lot. But Paul's actions after the fact just can't be easily explained away. 99.9% chance he is guilty. But as noted in the segment, it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court. That at least gives some weight to his argument.

The things that tells me that Paul Ford is guilty of is the fact that not only did he take a commutation of the sentence, he has since dropped any claims of his own innocence. If you aren't guilty, then you spend the rest of your life looking for things that will clear your name.

I'm not 100% sure on this case. The circumstantial evidence screams that he's guilty. However, much like Tim McClure, there is a chance that this guy is too much of a simpleton to pull off a murder and never have the body found. I never thought he seemed brilliant or anything. A guy who makes obscene phone calls? Sure, but back in the days before the internet and the easy access to porn I think people are forgetting that even the most normal people would call 900 numbers to get turned on. This was sort of the same thing, but for free :rolleyes:

I don't think that makes him guilty. Sexually frustrated and a guy with a weird standard of fantasies, yes, but not a murderer.

Also, the truck was burned but there was evidence that it wasn't burned where it was found. There weren't any burned leaves or branches or anything. So why burn the vehicle and then put it a couple football lengths from your house? If you are the killer it makes no sense. Which is another reason why I always hesitate on jumping on a guy like Steve Page whose ex-wife Cathy was found close to his house.

There are sloppy murders and then just ones where you aren't even trying to get away with it. Why would you even do that to yourself? This is what could point to his innocence. There is a very real chance he was framed.

Lastly, the couple who saw Cathy at the diner. It leads to another theory. She wanted to get away from everything. Her family concedes she would contact them and I think a 19 year old probably would as well but there is the possibility that she was unhappy or trapped where she was. She wanted a new life. That couple that saw her could have been mistaken, but according to them the strange actions of her when she DID see them struck a chord. Who knows? But I personally have never shut that idea completely. Of course the question begs, why wouldn't she have contacted her family by now?

I'm not 100% sure on this case. The circumstantial evidence screams that he's guilty. However, much like Tim McClure, there is a chance that this guy is too much of a simpleton to pull off a murder and never have the body found. I never thought he seemed brilliant or anything. A guy who makes obscene phone calls? Sure, but back in the days before the internet and the easy access to porn I think people are forgetting that even the most normal people would call 900 numbers to get turned on. This was sort of the same thing, but for free :rolleyes:

I don't think that makes him guilty. Sexually frustrated and a guy with a weird standard of fantasies, yes, but not a murderer.

I never thought the phone calls made him guilty.

At best, I do see the phone calls as character evidence. Obviously, people call 900 numbers/look at porn, etc. and there isn't anything wrong with that. However, Ferrell crossed the line by involving unwilling participants in his fantasies. The fact that he made these calls with complete disregard for the feelings of the person unfortunate enough to answer the phone is disturbing.

Also, the truck was burned but there was evidence that it wasn't burned where it was found. There weren't any burned leaves or branches or anything. So why burn the vehicle and then put it a couple football lengths from your house? If you are the killer it makes no sense. Which is another reason why I always hesitate on jumping on a guy like Steve Page whose ex-wife Cathy was found close to his house.

There are sloppy murders and then just ones where you aren't even trying to get away with it. Why would you even do that to yourself? This is what could point to his innocence. There is a very real chance he was framed.

I wonder if Ferrell had access to the equipment required to tow a vehicle. Being that he was a police officer, I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility. I think he could have burned the truck elsewhere and relocated it closer to his property when he was concerned about the possibility of it being found. He at least has some control over who comes on to his property and perhaps he thought he could keep it hidden indefinitely. Without knowing if Ferrell had access to the equipment necessary to move the vehicle, the above is just speculation.

There are so many elements to this crime that just seem like slipshod "last minute" kind of decisions. I think Ferrell's decision to burn the truck and either relocating it to his property after the fact or burning it on his property is just indicative of this disorganization.

Lastly, the couple who saw Cathy at the diner. It leads to another theory. She wanted to get away from everything. Her family concedes she would contact them and I think a 19 year old probably would as well but there is the possibility that she was unhappy or trapped where she was. She wanted a new life. That couple that saw her could have been mistaken, but according to them the strange actions of her when she DID see them struck a chord. Who knows? But I personally have never shut that idea completely. Of course the question begs, why wouldn't she have contacted her family by now?

I think it was a case of mistaken identity. We don't know who this woman was. She could have been in hiding for some other reason and became concerned/worried when it became apparent that the couple "recognized" her. We don't know enough here. Also, if this women really was Cathy Ford, don't you think she would have been located by now? If she was an employee of this restaurant, surely there would be some record of it, or at least the fact that she used a fake name, one of the other employees would have remembered her, etc.?

Cathy Ford's family had her legally declared dead and they held a memorial service for her. As we have seen in other missing persons cases on UM, family members will often grasp at straws and employ extreme justifications and rationalizations to hold on to the belief, however slim, that their missing loved one is still alive. The fact that Ford's family has done the opposite and the lack of other credible sightings and evidence suggesting she survived indicates she probably is dead.

I'm not 100% sure on this case. The circumstantial evidence screams that he's guilty. However, much like Tim McClure, there is a chance that this guy is too much of a simpleton to pull off a murder and never have the body found. I never thought he seemed brilliant or anything. A guy who makes obscene phone calls? Sure, but back in the days before the internet and the easy access to porn I think people are forgetting that even the most normal people would call 900 numbers to get turned on. This was sort of the same thing, but for free :rolleyes:

I don't think that makes him guilty. Sexually frustrated and a guy with a weird standard of fantasies, yes, but not a murderer.

Also, the truck was burned but there was evidence that it wasn't burned where it was found. There weren't any burned leaves or branches or anything. So why burn the vehicle and then put it a couple football lengths from your house? If you are the killer it makes no sense. Which is another reason why I always hesitate on jumping on a guy like Steve Page whose ex-wife Cathy was found close to his house.

There are sloppy murders and then just ones where you aren't even trying to get away with it. Why would you even do that to yourself? This is what could point to his innocence. There is a very real chance he was framed.

Lastly, the couple who saw Cathy at the diner. It leads to another theory. She wanted to get away from everything. Her family concedes she would contact them and I think a 19 year old probably would as well but there is the possibility that she was unhappy or trapped where she was. She wanted a new life. That couple that saw her could have been mistaken, but according to them the strange actions of her when she DID see them struck a chord. Who knows? But I personally have never shut that idea completely. Of course the question begs, why wouldn't she have contacted her family by now?

You made some good points but I still think Paul Ferrell is guilty. So many things point to him and his actions around that time were very suspicious. It was one of those cases that just screamed "guilty" to me when I first watched it. I do think his and Cathy's relationship was a secret and I think Paul probably wanted it kept that way. He even downplayed it in the segment as them being just friends (I believe both of them at the time had significant others) but I don't buy it. Also Cathy left the restaurant during the shift excited because some mystery person had called and even dressed up before leaving. I think her secret lover (Paul) called her and she was excited to go meet him. If it were her boyfriend she was leaving to meet, she probably would have told her family. I think he probably wasn't intending to kill her, maybe he lost his temper and hit her hard enough to kill her. Maybe she wanted to tell people about their affair and break it off with her boyfriend and Paul wanted it kept secret. Just speculation but maybe she was even pregnant. The older couple who claimed to see her were well meaning but mistaken in my opinion. If you were working at a restaurant and a couple you didn't know were making a fuss and staring and whispering about you anyone would have been a little freaked out so I think the waitress acted like that because of that rather than being exposed as Cathy Ford on the run.

Didn't Ferrell claim to be at a bowling alley on the night of Cathy Ford's disappearance? Were there witnesses that could have corraborated this? Not that it matters much one way or the other, but it could provide some sort of a timeline to prove or disprove whether or not Ferrell had the time to kill Cathy, bury her body, burn her vehicle, etc. The fact that he found her burnt Ford Bronco and didn't report it to anyone is enough for me to know he's guilty. This was supposed to be his lover, yet when he finds the vehicle on her property, he simply ignores it because he doesn't want to be blamed for her murder? Yeah right...

You made some good points but I still think Paul Ferrell is guilty. So many things point to him and his actions around that time were very suspicious. It was one of those cases that just screamed "guilty" to me when I first watched it. I do think his and Cathy's relationship was a secret and I think Paul probably wanted it kept that way. He even downplayed it in the segment as them being just friends (I believe both of them at the time had significant others) but I don't buy it. Also Cathy left the restaurant during the shift excited because some mystery person had called and even dressed up before leaving. I think her secret lover (Paul) called her and she was excited to go meet him. If it were her boyfriend she was leaving to meet, she probably would have told her family. I think he probably wasn't intending to kill her, maybe he lost his temper and hit her hard enough to kill her. Maybe she wanted to tell people about their affair and break it off with her boyfriend and Paul wanted it kept secret. Just speculation but maybe she was even pregnant. The older couple who claimed to see her were well meaning but mistaken in my opinion. If you were working at a restaurant and a couple you didn't know were making a fuss and staring and whispering about you anyone would have been a little freaked out so I think the waitress acted like that because of that rather than being exposed as Cathy Ford on the run.

Fair points.

Was doing some Googling and I found this thread on WebSleuths.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132052

A poster named M23LO claimed to have a 40 page report written by Martin Yant indicating why Paul Ferrell did not murder Cathy Ford. The poster offered to scan and send the report if anyone was interested.

I don't have an account there, and I've read here and elsewhere how it's a pain in the butt to get an account with them. Does anyone here have an account and if so, wouldn't object to contacting this person to see about getting the report? I'm sure some posters here would enjoy reading it.

Also, with regard to Ferrell's possible innocence, here is one of his appeals. Notice how two of the justices dissented citing the phone call evidence as prejudicial and felt that Ferrell was due post conviction relief because of it.

I think it's issues like this that probably led to his early release - not to say that he's innocent of the crime, but that a lot of procedural mistakes were made by the prosecution and the trial court.

http://wv.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.%5Cwv%5CPLS%5C1990%5C19900724_9999.WV.htm/qx

It's interesting on the "findacase" website link, the case summary makes it seem like the courts did not even believe a relationship existed between Ferrell and Cathy Ford. They made it seem like Ferrell was trying to lure several different women that day away from their place of business (by making phone calls claiming to be a "Magistrate" and how he wanted to meet with them about some possible undercover work), but Cathy Ford was the only one that took the bait and went to meet up with him. I think Ferrell was a sicko, who used this phone scam (similar to the one he previously did) to fulfill his fantasies, which unfortunately included killing Cathy Ford.

It's interesting on the "findacase" website link, the case summary makes it seem like the courts did not even believe a relationship existed between Ferrell and Cathy Ford. They made it seem like Ferrell was trying to lure several different women that day away from their place of business (by making phone calls claiming to be a "Magistrate" and how he wanted to meet with them about some possible undercover work), but Cathy Ford was the only one that took the bait and went to meet up with him. I think Ferrell was a sicko, who used this phone scam (similar to the one he previously did) to fulfill his fantasies, which unfortunately included killing Cathy Ford.

Yeah, I picked up on that as well. I think I even speculated earlier in this same thread (or possibly another thread) and advanced the theory that Ferrell was a sexual predator whose intent was to entice/trick any woman into coming to his trailer and that Cathy Ford just happened to be the unlucky one who responded.

On the UM episode, it is stated that they were having an affair, but I wonder if this was based on what Ferrell said, or something more tangible. If the affair story is his word only, I have some serious reservations about it. He could have fabricated the story so he would have some link to Ford as her boyfriend rather than some nutjob who barely knew her and lured her to his secluded trailer with a dodgy phone call.

Was doing some Googling and I found this thread on WebSleuths.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132052

A poster named M23LO claimed to have a 40 page report written by Martin Yant indicating why Paul Ferrell did not murder Cathy Ford. The poster offered to scan and send the report if anyone was interested.

I don't have an account there, and I've read here and elsewhere how it's a pain in the butt to get an account with them. Does anyone here have an account and if so, wouldn't object to contacting this person to see about getting the report? I'm sure some posters here would enjoy reading it.



I am a member of Websleuths. I just sent him a pm asking if he would scan and send it to me or post it to the board. I'll be sure and share if he does.

Yeah, I picked up on that as well. I think I even speculated earlier in this same thread (or possibly another thread) and advanced the theory that Ferrell was a sexual predator whose intent was to entice/trick any woman into coming to his trailer and that Cathy Ford just happened to be the unlucky one who responded.

On the UM episode, it is stated that they were having an affair, but I wonder if this was based on what Ferrell said, or something more tangible. If the affair story is his word only, I have some serious reservations about it. He could have fabricated the story so he would have some link to Ford as her boyfriend rather than some nutjob who barely knew her and lured her to his secluded trailer with a dodgy phone call.

Well I believe I've read on another site (possibly a "Victims of the State" website which you might find if you google "Paul Ferrell") that said no one ever saw Paul Ferrell and Cathy Ford together. They were attempting to use this as evidence that Ferrell was innocent since he had no connection to Cathy Ford. Which is interesting, because if that's the case then is Ferrell lying about the affair? And if so, that truely does make him a sick sexual predator.

Well I believe I've read on another site (possibly a "Victims of the State" website which you might find if you google "Paul Ferrell") that said no one ever saw Paul Ferrell and Cathy Ford together. They were attempting to use this as evidence that Ferrell was innocent since he had no connection to Cathy Ford. Which is interesting, because if that's the case then is Ferrell lying about the affair? And if so, that truely does make him a sick sexual predator.

It's been awhile since I watched the episode but I'm tempted to watch it again to see what all is said about the affair. If my recollection is correct though, it's just stated/re-enacted that they were having an affair and it's not explained in any depth how we know this to be true.

I could see it going both ways....

- he's some kind of a sexual predator who had no prior relationship with Ford and killed her as some sort of fantasy. He then lied about the affair so he could say he had some connection to her as a "secret lover".

or

- they were actually having an affair and he killed her for some other reason, possibly as the result of a domestic dispute.

One thing that I don't get, if he is a sexual predator, is the apparent disorganization.

If he really planned on abducting and presumably sexually assaulting and possibly even murdering Cathy Ford, one would think he would have planned it out better so that the truck wouldn't be found on his property, he wouldn't have written the letter, he wouldn't have asked his girlfriend to call Cathy Ford's parents and say she's okay, etc.

I guess what I'm getting at is, on one hand, yeah, I could see Ferrell being a sexual predator. However, he had obviously given a lot of forethought to the crime. He made calls to numerous women, possibly his potential victims, and impersonated a myriad of people and presented elaborate scenarios designed to get the woman alone out by his trailer. This all must have required a great deal of thought and planning.

Yet so many things about his attempt to cover up the crime seem like hasty last minute type decisions made under the pressure of knowing he was about to be found out. That doesn't gel with the sexual predator MO in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I still think he's guilty as Hell. I'm just trying to figure out what the "angle" is here.

Maybe he used his training in law enforcement to help raise all the doubt he needed for people to still debate the case. I always thought his actions made him seem guilty, if he was indeed innocent. An innocent man would not have done as many of the strange things he did. The letter and money to Cathy's parents was the most suspicious thing. He said it was out of worry for the burned Bronco, but it could have been the guilty conscious of a man who harmed their daughter. Maybe he thought that if the body was hidden well enough, he would never be convicted. He was wrong, but he did enough to make it seem like Cathy might not even be dead. He then proceeded to claim innocence with some evidence on his side of the situation. It scary to think he is free now, especially when he was making the obscence phone calls way before Cathy disappeared.

Maybe he used his training in law enforcement to help raise all the doubt he needed for people to still debate the case. I always thought his actions made him seem guilty, if he was indeed innocent. An innocent man would not have done as many of the strange things he did. The letter and money to Cathy's parents was the most suspicious thing. He said it was out of worry for the burned Bronco, but it could have been the guilty conscious of a man who harmed their daughter. Maybe he thought that if the body was hidden well enough, he would never be convicted. He was wrong, but he did enough to make it seem like Cathy might not even be dead. He then proceeded to claim innocence with some evidence on his side of the situation. It scary to think he is free now, especially when he was making the obscence phone calls way before Cathy disappeared.

One thing I noticed while glancing through a transcript of the UM segment - the town Ferrell and Ford lived in had a population of only 200. That's insanely small.

I can only imagine that it's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, everyone knows everyone's kids and watches them grow up, etc.

I could see how a lot of people in that town probably knew Paul Ferrell and his family personally (his family owned a general store according to the FindACase appeal) before the murder case. Who wants to believe that someone they know, or are possibly friends with or even related to is a murderer? Denial is a powerful thing. Even those who may have suspected Ferrell was guilty probably still had to see or even interact with Ferrell's family and we know what their beliefs are.

he's some kind of a sexual predator who had no prior relationship with Ford and killed her as some sort of fantasy. He then lied about the affair so he could say he had some connection to her as a "secret lover".

This is exactly what I think happened. Ferrell was calling not only Cathy Ford, but at least two other women posing as a "State Magistrate" calling them to set up a meeting about undercover work on stopping the sales of alcohol to minors (at least this was the lie he told to Cathy Ford, he may have used other lies to lure the other two potential women). IMHO, Ferrell was going to use his lie, posing as a "Magistrate" as a way to manipulate these women into sexual favors for him. That's also why I think the crime was committed very sloppy. I think Ferrell had, in his mind, a decent plan to get these women to meet up with him, use his phony title as "Magistrate" as a way to bully them and/or convince them to have sex with him. I think Cathy Ford was duped into going but once she got there she rebuffed his advances (or called him out on his lies) which angered Ferrell and in a rage he killed her. Then the sloppiness began. I don't think Ferrell planned on killing her, but once she found him out he simply went mad. I then think he lied about the "affair" as a way to say that he and Ford would have had a legitimate reason to be with one another.

This is exactly what I think happened. Ferrell was calling not only Cathy Ford, but at least two other women posing as a "State Magistrate" calling them to set up a meeting about undercover work on stopping the sales of alcohol to minors (at least this was the lie he told to Cathy Ford, he may have used other lies to lure the other two potential women). IMHO, Ferrell was going to use his lie, posing as a "Magistrate" as a way to manipulate these women into sexual favors for him. That's also why I think the crime was committed very sloppy. I think Ferrell had, in his mind, a decent plan to get these women to meet up with him, use his phony title as "Magistrate" as a way to bully them and/or convince them to have sex with him. I think Cathy Ford was duped into going but once she got there she rebuffed his advances (or called him out on his lies) which angered Ferrell and in a rage he killed her. Then the sloppiness began. I don't think Ferrell planned on killing her, but once she found him out he simply went mad. I then think he lied about the "affair" as a way to say that he and Ford would have had a legitimate reason to be with one another.

Agree 100%. That is probably what went down. It explains almost everything.

One thing I wonder - did Ferrell get someone to call him at the bowling alley? I thought his "alibi" was that he was bowling and was paged to answer a phone call from a distraught woman. Ferrell claimed the woman was Cathy Ford and she asked if he could meet her in the parking lot of a local high school. Ferrell alleges he went to the high school, but Ford never showed.

I wonder who this caller actually was. It would be easy to say this whole story was another lie. However, on UM it showed that Ferrell was paged by someone at the bowling alley to come and answer the phone. It's the re-enactment, so for what it's worth...

Wow...

I guess we can add Paul Ferrell to the short list of the most dangerous criminals who should not have been granted a "final appeal" by UM. The only other contender I can think of offhand (who I believe to be guilty) is Stuart Heaton.

Wow...

I guess we can add Paul Ferrell to the short list of the most dangerous criminals who should not have been granted a "final appeal" by UM. The only other contender I can think of offhand (who I believe to be guilty) is Stuart Heaton.

I'm with you. There's just not much here that leads my totally amateur opinion to any other conclusion.

ps. Justin, your avatar is awesome.

One thing I wonder - did Ferrell get someone to call him at the bowling alley? I thought his "alibi" was that he was bowling and was paged to answer a phone call from a distraught woman. Ferrell claimed the woman was Cathy Ford and she asked if he could meet her in the parking lot of a local high school. Ferrell alleges he went to the high school, but Ford never showed.

I think this was just another Ferrell lie. Remember in the segment he alleges that he received the phone call at the bowling alley from a distraught Cathy Ford who wanted to meet him at his trailer, yet Ferrell declined and said he'd rather meet at a local high school. My question is, why would Ferrell care about having Ford meet him at his trailer? According to Ferrell, they were carrying out an affair together, so they must have been intimate at Ferrell's trailer at least once (the UM re-enactment shows them lounging around the trailer together, IIRC)...so what's the big deal? And why did he have her meet him at this local high school instead of the bowling alley? If he was worried about their "affair" being discovered, why not just go meet her out in the bowling alley parking lot? I think this was another lie made up by Ferrell to fit his narrative of a phony affair. I honestly think Ferrell lied about the "let's meet at the high school" line to make it seem like he never once willingly told Cathy Ford to come to his property. In other words he had to come up with an "innocent" explanation as to how and why Cathy's Bronco was found on his property.

ps. Justin, your avatar is awesome.

Thanks. I'm a big Tarantino/Pulp Fiction/Uma fan. :)

Ok im a newbie to his board and i vaguely remember seeing Paul Ferrell's story on the final appeal but is there any updates? I have tried to click on the links posted in the thread but none of them work???

Ok im a newbie to his board and i vaguely remember seeing Paul Ferrell's story on the final appeal but is there any updates? I have tried to click on the links posted in the thread but none of them work???

Paul Ferrell was released in 2003, I believe. From what I understand, he maintains his innocence. Cathy Ford was never found.

There's a larger thread on this case on the board here--I think it's titled 'The Final Appeal of Paul Ferrell'.

Hello everyone! I'm new here. This is my first post. Something I think people should consider.

Two questions.

1) Does anybody else find it suspicious that her boyfriend, Darvin Moon is the one that found the burned-out vehicle, not "searchers"?

2) Also, none of the vegetation around that burned-out vehicle was burned. Doesn't anybody find that suspicious?

Possible Solution
I propose that Darvin Moon killed her after finding out she was cheating on him with Paul. The vehicle was most likely burned at another location and left there by the perpetrator to frame Paul.

That being said, Paul's Behavior before the vehicle was found is very suspicious. But why would he move her burned-out vehicle to his property?

Hello everyone! I'm new here. This is my first post.

Welcome to the board. :wave:

You can find a lengthy discussion, as well as a ton of information not mentioned in the UM segment, here (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=235901). I believe the right person was convicted for the murder of Cathy Ford. There were multiple witnesses who placed Paul Ferrell at a fire hall on the day that Cathy Ford disappeared, as well as multiple women who received phone calls of a man purporting to be a "magistrate" trying to get them to meet him at that fire hall. The last confirmed sighting of Cathy Ford had her driving down the road which led to Paul Ferrell's trailer. There's never been any concrete evidence to suggest Darvin Moon had anything to do with her disappearance.

Hello everyone! I'm new here. This is my first post. Something I think people should consider.

Two questions.

1) Does anybody else find it suspicious that her boyfriend, Darvin Moon is the one that found the burned-out vehicle, not "searchers"?

2) Also, none of the vegetation around that burned-out vehicle was burned. Doesn't anybody find that suspicious?

Possible Solution
I propose that Darvin Moon killed her after finding out she was cheating on him with Paul. The vehicle was most likely burned at another location and left there by the perpetrator to frame Paul.

That being said, Paul's Behavior before the vehicle was found is very suspicious. But why would he move her burned-out vehicle to his property?

Welcome!

Several years ago I was very active on the thread Cars linked for you in his post. At the time, I had a lot of questions concerning Ferrell's indictment and imprisonment, and I made contact with the journalist interviewed on Final Appeal for this story. He graciously provided me a copy of an extensive article he wrote about the case sometime around 1990 or so. Much of that article I posted there. According to that same article, Paul Ferrell by his own admission spotted Cathy Ford's vehicle from the air while in a police helicopter a day or so after her disappearance, but claimed he decided to tell no one about it for fear of being implicated. Moon and Cathy Ford's brother, Richard, discovered the vehicle while searching the woods shortly thereafter. I thought this piece of information was very interesting in light of the article having a pro-innocence stance toward Ferrell. And it was this bit of information that initially led me to begin to consider that Ferrell was guilty. Today, I strongly suspect that he was the only person responsible for Cathy Ford's disappearance and death.