Dead woman's parents buy husband's story of accidental drowning - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MetalHybrid · 07-16-2005, 01:11 AM

Does anyone recall any more details of this segemnt? When did it originally air? If I am wrong on any of this info, let me know. Anyone have this story on tape?

I recall the story took place in the spring or summer of 1982(I think it was the summer) on Lake Michigan. The guy's name was Larry. I don't remember his last name, nor the names of his wife and her parents. As I recall, Larry and his wife were out boating in the lake when their boat sprung a leak. With the life raft torn, Larry decided to swim ashore to grab another one(or some other equally useful supply) as his wife was paniking in the boat. He claims that the boat had capsized while he did this and that his wife, who I think the broadcast said was at the time pregnant, had drowned. Her body later washed ashore. He steadfast maintained his innocence and his dead wife's family cliams his innocence as well.

The prosecutors used the fact that Larry had had an affair as the basis of their theory that he killed his wife, than staged the incident to look like a drowning. They cliamed he himself had slashed the life raft but were never able to find the supposed knife that was used.

What are your thoughts on this sad case. This is certainly not the only UM story where someone has been accused of killing a person they loved. Patty Stallings and David Dowaliby were caught in similar situations.

mortytbusybody · 07-16-2005, 01:23 AM

Larry Race, thank God he was released!

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_arti...?storyid=79596

Now if only they would throw Jule Caylor into Larry's vacated cell!

nohwheregirl · 07-16-2005, 02:02 PM

Just a small correction: It was on Lake Superior and I don't think the wife was supposed to be pregnant at the time.

The state's scenario for how he allegedly killed her was pretty contrived. There's at least reasonable doubt there, and I'm not surprised he was released.

MetalHybrid · 07-16-2005, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nohwheregirl

Just a small correction: It was on Lake Superior and I don't think the wife was supposed to be pregnant at the time.

The state's scenario for how he allegedly killed her was pretty contrived. There's at least reasonable doubt there, and I'm not surprised he was released.

Yeah, and according to that link that was given here it was in May of 1982, not the summer of that year. I guess I thought Debbie had been pregnant at the time becuase she was unable to swim. Than again maybe her panic is what kept her from doing so.

I never thought that he was guilty.

dma · 07-26-2005, 10:47 PM

I was a law clerk in 1983 and sat through Larry Race's murder trial [known in Duluth as the "Death Raft Case"].
Debbie Race didn't drown---she died of hypothermia, rendering Lake Superior as the largest murder weapon in history. She was found wearing a life vest and floated to shore post mortem. Her death was therefore slow and frightening (Lake Superior has an average yearround temperature of around 35 degrees Fahrenheit.)
The prosecution theorized that Larry a) faked motor trouble b) tricked her into a life raft c) donned a wetsuit and swam under it to stab it full of holes (thus letting her enter the water and die of the cold).
He then supposedly put the holey liferaft back in the boat (found by the authorities) and took the boat back to shore.
{He claimed she was in another liferaft which was sound (but never located) and must have fallen overboard when she panicked.
There WAS evidence of affairs, and she had gotten seriously overweight, but no evidence that she was pregnant. ( Not a Lacy Peterson story.)\
He HAD recently upped her life insurance however.
Lesson to unhappy husbands: Forget the life insurance and don't have affairs if your wife is going to turn up dead.

07-16-2005, 01:11 AM	#1
MetalHybrid Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 10, 2005 Location: Campbell(near San Jose), CA Posts: 141	Dead woman's parents buy husband's story of accidental drowning Does anyone recall any more details of this segemnt? When did it originally air? If I am wrong on any of this info, let me know. Anyone have this story on tape? I recall the story took place in the spring or summer of 1982(I think it was the summer) on Lake Michigan. The guy's name was Larry. I don't remember his last name, nor the names of his wife and her parents. As I recall, Larry and his wife were out boating in the lake when their boat sprung a leak. With the life raft torn, Larry decided to swim ashore to grab another one(or some other equally useful supply) as his wife was paniking in the boat. He claims that the boat had capsized while he did this and that his wife, who I think the broadcast said was at the time pregnant, had drowned. Her body later washed ashore. He steadfast maintained his innocence and his dead wife's family cliams his innocence as well. The prosecutors used the fact that Larry had had an affair as the basis of their theory that he killed his wife, than staged the incident to look like a drowning. They cliamed he himself had slashed the life raft but were never able to find the supposed knife that was used. What are your thoughts on this sad case. This is certainly not the only UM story where someone has been accused of killing a person they loved. Patty Stallings and David Dowaliby were caught in similar situations.

07-26-2005, 10:47 PM	#5
dma Member First Time Poster Join Date: Jul 26, 2005 Posts: 1	Larry Race I was a law clerk in 1983 and sat through Larry Race's murder trial [known in Duluth as the "Death Raft Case"]. Debbie Race didn't drown---she died of hypothermia, rendering Lake Superior as the largest murder weapon in history. She was found wearing a life vest and floated to shore post mortem. Her death was therefore slow and frightening (Lake Superior has an average yearround temperature of around 35 degrees Fahrenheit.) The prosecution theorized that Larry a) faked motor trouble b) tricked her into a life raft c) donned a wetsuit and swam under it to stab it full of holes (thus letting her enter the water and die of the cold). He then supposedly put the holey liferaft back in the boat (found by the authorities) and took the boat back to shore. {He claimed she was in another liferaft which was sound (but never located) and must have fallen overboard when she panicked. There WAS evidence of affairs, and she had gotten seriously overweight, but no evidence that she was pregnant. ( Not a Lacy Peterson story.)\ He HAD recently upped her life insurance however. Lesson to unhappy husbands: Forget the life insurance and don't have affairs if your wife is going to turn up dead.

07-16-2005, 01:23 AM	#2
mortytbusybody Mystery Nut Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 26, 2004 Location: California Posts: 69	Larry Race, thank God he was released! http://www.kare11.com/news/news_arti...?storyid=79596 Now if only they would throw Jule Caylor into Larry's vacated cell!

07-16-2005, 02:02 PM	#3
nohwheregirl THE Mystery Machine Senior Member Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Posts: 1,057	Just a small correction: It was on Lake Superior and I don't think the wife was supposed to be pregnant at the time. The state's scenario for how he allegedly killed her was pretty contrived. There's at least reasonable doubt there, and I'm not surprised he was released.