Beyond the Shadows of Corpsewood Manor: Unraveling the Dark, True Crime Legacy of Dr. Charles Scudder and Joseph Odom

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[00:01:44] The case featured in this episode has been researched using police records, court documents, witness statements, and the news.

[00:01:52] Listener discretion is advised.

[00:01:55] All parties mentioned are innocent until proven guilty, and all opinions are my own.

[00:02:19] Hey everyone, my name is Nikki Young, and this is Serial Napper, the true crime podcast for naps.

[00:02:26] I'm back with another true crime story to lull you to sleep, or perhaps to give you nightmares.

[00:02:32] This is episode 2 of another season of Serial Nightmare, a Halloween series that I do every year for the month of October.

[00:02:40] So everything that I release this month will either be Halloween-related or more on the spooky side, but of course, always true crime.

[00:02:49] Hidden deep within the desolate Chattahoochee National Forest sits the haunting remains of Corpsewood Manor, a hand-built brick mansion with a dark history.

[00:03:00] Its name, given by its former owner and builder, Dr. Charles Scudder, is ominous.

[00:03:08] Corpsewood Manor was supposed to be a sanctuary for Dr. Scudder and his partner, far removed from the chaos of their busy city lives.

[00:03:17] However, in December of 1982, their dreams of living a quiet life nestled away in the isolated woods would turn into a nightmare.

[00:03:27] The couple, and their two beloved dogs, would be brutally murdered during a botched robbery attempt.

[00:03:33] The grisly details of the crime shocked the local community and drew widespread media attention.

[00:03:40] However, the public narrative, it quickly spiraled into something much darker as whispers about Dr. Scudder's interest in Satanism and sex parties came to light.

[00:03:53] Even today, as it sits in ruins, Corpsewood Manor has been a source of speculation and rumors about paranormal disturbances and dark entities that refuse to leave.

[00:04:05] It's said to be cursed, and in turn, anyone who dares to take even a brick from the crumbling mansion risks being damned.

[00:04:15] So, dim the lights, put your phone down, and listen to the story of Corpsewood Manor,

[00:04:21] the brutal night of terror experienced by its occupants and the dark reputation that this location still holds to this day.

[00:04:28] So, let's jump right in.

[00:04:31] Corpsewood Manor could only be dreamed up by a man just as unique as it is.

[00:04:37] Dr. Charles Scudder fits the bill.

[00:04:40] Born on October 6th, 1926 in Wisconsin, Charles studied an array of subjects at Oberlin College, including zoology and languages.

[00:04:50] However, he ultimately decided to focus on pharmacology and earned a PhD in the field.

[00:04:56] While in college, he met his first wife, a woman named Helen Kilbourne Hazlett.

[00:05:02] However, it was a very brief marriage, lasting only a few years before they divorced.

[00:05:08] In the 50s, he would marry his second wife, Bortai Bunting, and together they would have four sons.

[00:05:14] In the 60s, he worked at Loyola University as an associate professor for pharmacology.

[00:05:20] For those like myself who have no clue what a pharmacologist does, it's a really neat job.

[00:05:26] They're scientists who research the ways that drugs and chemicals interact with living beings.

[00:05:32] It's a really important job, because they're the ones who research, develop, and test new drugs that can be used to treat diseases.

[00:05:40] At the university, he not only taught students, but it's rumored that much of Charles' work included experiments using drugs like LSD

[00:05:48] and how these mind-altering substances affect human behavior.

[00:05:53] He's been described by some as eccentric, even owning a pet monkey.

[00:05:59] He walked around with purple hair, not something that you'd typically see a scientist in the 60s rocking,

[00:06:06] but he was also described as brilliant, polished, and soft-spoken.

[00:06:11] In his spare time, he loved to play the harp, but it was more than just a hobby.

[00:06:16] He was incredibly talented, and he was even invited to play with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

[00:06:23] Charles lived in a mansion with his wife and children in Chicago.

[00:06:27] They had a housekeeper named Joseph Odom, and while Joseph was about 12 years younger than Charles,

[00:06:33] the two became particularly close.

[00:06:35] It was while Joseph was working for the family that Charles began to explore his sexuality more,

[00:06:43] realizing that he was actually interested in men.

[00:06:47] Still, he stayed in his marriage until his children were grown and moved out of the home before divorcing his wife.

[00:06:54] Now, it was just Charles and Joseph living in this mansion in Chicago.

[00:06:59] They were an unlikely pair.

[00:07:01] Joseph had achieved a grade 5 education, yet he was more worldly than Charles was.

[00:07:08] He had experienced much more of life, and Charles found this to be captivating.

[00:07:13] As time went on, Charles became despondent with how his life and his career was going.

[00:07:20] He was tired of the mundane routine of living just to work and pay the bills.

[00:07:25] He was sick of the city, and he didn't want to just waste away, especially because that is exactly what he had seen happen with his neighbor,

[00:07:34] who basically disintegrated into, quote, an urban ghetto.

[00:07:38] In 1976, his mother died, and he received an inheritance, which would allow Charles to build the life that he had always wanted,

[00:07:47] far away from the stresses of the city.

[00:07:50] On his 50th birthday, he quit his job at the university, and he began looking for a new place to live,

[00:07:57] somewhere in the country, where he and Joseph could call home.

[00:08:02] They wanted somewhere really private, secluded, surrounded by trees, and they settled on 40 acres of land,

[00:08:11] located in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia.

[00:08:14] While they built their dream mansion brick by brick, they enjoyed living in a camper on the property with their two dogs,

[00:08:21] Beezlebub and Arsenaf.

[00:08:23] Charles documented the rebuilding of his life by penning an article in the April and May edition of Mother Earth News,

[00:08:30] where he wrote, quote,

[00:08:31] After some soul-searching conversations with Joe, I decided that we really needed to find some place in hilly country,

[00:08:39] with the glamour of four seasons, but without super cold winters,

[00:08:45] with a good supply of pure water and wood for heating and cooking,

[00:08:49] and most important, with a measure of isolation.

[00:08:52] After years of enduring the sensory overload of city life,

[00:08:57] I desperately wanted to be situated where I could neither see nor hear my neighbors.

[00:09:02] And honestly, yeah, same.

[00:09:05] The road leading to their new home would be called Dead Horse Road,

[00:09:09] and Charles would say it was because he had found a dead horse blocking the entrance when they first arrived at the property.

[00:09:16] I personally would have probably seen this as a bad omen and packed up and left.

[00:09:22] However, they did not.

[00:09:25] Actually, they kind of leaned into how eerie the property was.

[00:09:29] It was completely surrounded by trees,

[00:09:32] trees that completely silenced any outside sound.

[00:09:36] But in the autumn, those same trees looked hauntingly bare.

[00:09:40] Charles felt like it was the perfect location to build his dream home,

[00:09:45] suitably named Corpsewood Manor.

[00:09:48] There was no running water or electricity at the property.

[00:09:51] They were basically living off the grid before it was cool.

[00:09:55] But this didn't stop the couple from hand-building their odd-looking house,

[00:09:59] which looked like a mini castle.

[00:10:02] Charles and Joseph constructed Corpsewood Manor by hand,

[00:10:05] laying 45,000 bricks,

[00:10:08] digging trenches,

[00:10:09] installing a drainage system,

[00:10:11] and an outhouse.

[00:10:12] During the first year, they built the first floor of the home,

[00:10:16] which allowed them to move out of their camper.

[00:10:18] This included a kitchen, a dining room,

[00:10:21] and a living room,

[00:10:21] so it wasn't anything crazy.

[00:10:24] During the second year,

[00:10:25] they built the second floor,

[00:10:27] which included two bedrooms,

[00:10:28] which was reachable by a circular stairwell.

[00:10:32] They installed stained glass,

[00:10:34] some featuring human skulls,

[00:10:36] and one which featured an image of a recognizable figure in the Church of Satan,

[00:10:41] a prophet called Baphomet.

[00:10:44] You've likely seen depictions of Baphomet before.

[00:10:46] He has the head of a goat,

[00:10:48] and he has a torch between his horns.

[00:10:50] He also has a pentagram on his forehead.

[00:10:53] He's got wings,

[00:10:54] and he's giving a two-finger salute.

[00:10:56] Two fingers on the right hand point up,

[00:10:58] and two on the left hand point down,

[00:11:00] meaning,

[00:11:01] as above,

[00:11:02] so below.

[00:11:03] Charles was an official member of the Church of Satan.

[00:11:07] It's important to note here that

[00:11:09] those who are a part of the Church of Satan,

[00:11:11] they don't worship Satan.

[00:11:12] They're not Satanists.

[00:11:13] They don't worship Satan or any other kind of god.

[00:11:16] They're focused more on their own desires.

[00:11:19] And Charles really related to those beliefs,

[00:11:22] which is why he built Corpsewood Manor in the first place.

[00:11:25] The front of the home was adorned by a pink gargoyle,

[00:11:29] one of the only things that he brought with him from his old mansion in Chicago.

[00:11:34] It also had bright red doors over the gazebo.

[00:11:38] He loved Gothic design,

[00:11:40] so the whole manor was filled with occult items.

[00:11:44] There were four chimneys that stuck out of the manor,

[00:11:47] with each decorated with a pentacle.

[00:11:49] He also had several paintings that,

[00:11:52] I guess you could say are kind of dark,

[00:11:54] including a portrait of himself,

[00:11:56] where he was bound and bloody

[00:11:58] with what appeared to be bullet holes in his head.

[00:12:02] And this will become important in a little bit.

[00:12:05] It's rumored that when he left Loyola University,

[00:12:09] he took with him two human skulls,

[00:12:11] which he also used as decoration at Corpsewood Manor.

[00:12:15] And that's not all he took.

[00:12:18] It's alleged that he stole around 1,200 doses of LSD,

[00:12:22] which he would use during drug-fueled sex parties at the manor,

[00:12:26] but were not quite there yet.

[00:12:28] I found that it was very different from anything I'd ever seen.

[00:12:35] It had the medieval look of a fortress,

[00:12:42] some of the objects in the rooms,

[00:12:44] such as the human skull on the desk,

[00:12:48] miniature skulls across the professor's bed,

[00:12:52] this atomic thin tangle,

[00:12:55] the skull window,

[00:12:58] and one of the walls,

[00:13:00] the gargoyle-shaped mirror

[00:13:03] in the professor's bedroom,

[00:13:06] and the big gargoyle out front

[00:13:09] over the gazebo,

[00:13:11] the gargoyle faces,

[00:13:14] and the pen tangled on the chimneys

[00:13:16] and on the outbuildings

[00:13:18] made me know when some of the books

[00:13:20] that was in the bookcase

[00:13:21] all pointed to satanic worship

[00:13:25] and to homosexual acts,

[00:13:27] which was all over the house

[00:13:29] and the house

[00:13:30] and in the chicken house or playroom.

[00:13:34] Beside the brick home,

[00:13:36] Charles built a chemical outhouse,

[00:13:38] a well,

[00:13:39] a lake,

[00:13:40] and several outbuildings,

[00:13:42] including a three-story chicken coop.

[00:13:44] Now this was not your ordinary chicken coop.

[00:13:48] The first floor had what you might imagine,

[00:13:51] chickens and some food storage.

[00:13:53] The second floor was for canned goods,

[00:13:56] but it's also alleged

[00:13:57] this is where Charles kept

[00:13:59] some of his porn.

[00:14:01] The third floor,

[00:14:02] only accessible by a ladder,

[00:14:05] was called the pink room,

[00:14:06] and a whole lot of things

[00:14:08] went down in the pink room.

[00:14:10] This room was also known

[00:14:11] as their pleasure chamber,

[00:14:13] and this is where they would,

[00:14:14] I guess you could say,

[00:14:15] entertain guests.

[00:14:17] The pink room had pink curtains

[00:14:19] and linen,

[00:14:20] there were mattresses,

[00:14:22] sex toys,

[00:14:23] candles,

[00:14:24] and a guest book of names

[00:14:26] who had visited the pink room

[00:14:27] and what kind of things

[00:14:28] they enjoyed.

[00:14:29] As you can imagine,

[00:14:31] these two men moving

[00:14:32] into this small southern town

[00:14:34] and then building

[00:14:35] this strange brick building,

[00:14:37] it caught a lot of attention.

[00:14:39] People were very curious

[00:14:41] about what was happening

[00:14:42] deep in the forest

[00:14:43] at this property,

[00:14:45] so they had strangers

[00:14:46] pulling up,

[00:14:48] trying to catch a glimpse

[00:14:48] all the time.

[00:14:50] It really wasn't safe,

[00:14:52] especially for two gay men

[00:14:54] living together

[00:14:55] in the 70s in the south.

[00:14:57] At the entrance

[00:14:58] of their property,

[00:14:59] they put up a wooden sign

[00:15:01] that read,

[00:15:02] Beware of the Thing.

[00:15:04] Some town folk believed

[00:15:06] that this meant

[00:15:06] they had summoned a demon

[00:15:08] to patrol their property,

[00:15:09] but the Thing was more likely

[00:15:12] one of their large guard dogs,

[00:15:14] Beezlebub and Arsennath.

[00:15:17] It's time for a quick break

[00:15:19] and a word from tonight's sponsors.

[00:15:21] Hang on,

[00:15:22] I'll be back before you know it.

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[00:17:25] Now back to our story.

[00:17:29] Charles and Joseph

[00:17:30] tried to make friends

[00:17:31] with the townspeople

[00:17:32] and generally,

[00:17:33] they were very much liked.

[00:17:35] They would go into town

[00:17:36] a couple of times a month

[00:17:37] and here,

[00:17:38] they would often invite guests

[00:17:40] over to Corpsewood Manor

[00:17:41] for dinner and drinks.

[00:17:43] Joseph enjoyed cooking

[00:17:45] while Charles enjoyed

[00:17:46] pouring glasses

[00:17:47] of their homemade wine.

[00:17:49] Sometimes after dinner,

[00:17:51] the party would continue

[00:17:53] over in the pink room

[00:17:54] where there was

[00:17:55] more wine,

[00:17:57] drugs,

[00:17:58] and a judgment-free zone

[00:17:59] for people to

[00:18:00] live out their

[00:18:01] sexual fantasies.

[00:18:02] What happened in the pink room

[00:18:04] stayed in the pink room.

[00:18:06] It's pretty easy to see

[00:18:08] how rumors began to swirl

[00:18:09] about the two gay Satanists

[00:18:11] who hosted sex parties

[00:18:12] at their castle

[00:18:13] in the forest.

[00:18:14] How much of the rumors

[00:18:15] were true

[00:18:16] is difficult to say.

[00:18:19] Besides the town folk

[00:18:20] who would come by

[00:18:21] out of pure curiosity,

[00:18:23] some would stop by

[00:18:24] to ask for permission

[00:18:25] to hunt on the property

[00:18:26] that surrounded

[00:18:27] Corpsewood Manor.

[00:18:29] One of these hunters

[00:18:30] was a 17-year-old boy

[00:18:32] named Avery Brock.

[00:18:34] Avery had a pretty

[00:18:35] difficult upbringing.

[00:18:37] He had been kicked

[00:18:38] out of his parents' home

[00:18:39] at a pretty early age,

[00:18:41] and he was now living

[00:18:42] in a trailer

[00:18:42] with a much older roommate,

[00:18:45] 30-year-old Tony West,

[00:18:47] who was a felon

[00:18:48] and a bad influence.

[00:18:50] I've read different stories

[00:18:52] about Avery's relationship

[00:18:53] with Charles and Joseph.

[00:18:56] Some sources say

[00:18:57] that they were only acquaintances

[00:18:58] because Avery was given

[00:19:00] permission to hunt

[00:19:01] on the land,

[00:19:02] while other sources say

[00:19:03] that the young boy

[00:19:04] would join them

[00:19:05] in the pink room.

[00:19:06] Either way,

[00:19:07] the lifestyle

[00:19:08] that the two men led

[00:19:09] had Avery believing

[00:19:11] that they were much more

[00:19:12] wealthy than they were.

[00:19:14] They had this huge brick castle

[00:19:16] that was just filled

[00:19:18] with a ton of furniture

[00:19:19] and cool statues and art.

[00:19:24] Truthfully,

[00:19:25] all of Charles' money

[00:19:26] was tied up in the property.

[00:19:28] Beyond that,

[00:19:29] he didn't have much.

[00:19:30] But to this young boy

[00:19:32] looking around

[00:19:33] at the castle-like building,

[00:19:35] well,

[00:19:35] he thought that they

[00:19:36] had to be really rich,

[00:19:38] so Avery told his roommate,

[00:19:40] Tony,

[00:19:41] all about the two men

[00:19:42] and their lavish lifestyle,

[00:19:44] and the two came up

[00:19:45] with a plan to rob them.

[00:19:47] Corpsewood Manor

[00:19:48] was located

[00:19:49] in an isolated location,

[00:19:50] meaning

[00:19:50] no one would hear

[00:19:52] the men calling out

[00:19:53] for help.

[00:19:54] However,

[00:19:55] they did also own

[00:19:56] two very large mastiffs,

[00:19:58] so if they wanted

[00:19:59] to rob these guys,

[00:20:00] they would likely

[00:20:01] need weapons.

[00:20:02] On December 12, 1982,

[00:20:05] Avery and Tony

[00:20:05] picked up a set of rifles

[00:20:07] from Avery's mother's house,

[00:20:09] telling her that

[00:20:09] they were going to be

[00:20:10] going rabbit hunting.

[00:20:12] Then they went

[00:20:13] and picked up

[00:20:13] two other teenagers,

[00:20:15] Joey Wells

[00:20:16] and Teresa Hudgens,

[00:20:17] who were both

[00:20:18] unaware of the plan

[00:20:19] that was about

[00:20:20] to play out.

[00:20:21] They all made

[00:20:22] their way over

[00:20:23] to Corpsewood Manor,

[00:20:24] saying that they

[00:20:24] were going to be

[00:20:25] going to this

[00:20:26] devil-worshipping house.

[00:20:27] And they huffed

[00:20:28] something that they

[00:20:29] called toodaloo,

[00:20:31] which is a

[00:20:31] homemade combination

[00:20:32] of alcohol,

[00:20:33] paint thinner,

[00:20:34] and glue.

[00:20:35] It was something

[00:20:35] popular for the

[00:20:36] kids at the time

[00:20:37] to sniff and

[00:20:38] get high for cheap.

[00:20:39] When they arrived

[00:20:40] at the property,

[00:20:41] the group of teens

[00:20:42] shared a cigarette

[00:20:43] with Charles,

[00:20:44] and then they

[00:20:45] were invited

[00:20:45] up to the pink room

[00:20:46] for a drink.

[00:20:48] They all sat around

[00:20:49] chatting for a bit

[00:20:50] and drinking

[00:20:51] some homemade wine

[00:20:52] when Avery said

[00:20:53] that he needed

[00:20:54] to go grab

[00:20:55] more toodaloo

[00:20:55] from the car.

[00:20:57] Instead,

[00:20:58] he grabbed his

[00:20:59] rifle from the trunk.

[00:21:00] When Avery returned

[00:21:01] to the pink room,

[00:21:02] gun in hand,

[00:21:04] he pointed it

[00:21:05] straight at Charles

[00:21:06] and Charles,

[00:21:07] well,

[00:21:07] he thought it was

[00:21:08] a joke and said,

[00:21:09] bang, bang,

[00:21:11] but it wasn't

[00:21:12] a joke.

[00:21:13] Avery and Tony

[00:21:14] tied him up.

[00:21:15] They put a gag

[00:21:16] in his mouth

[00:21:16] and they held him

[00:21:18] at knife point.

[00:21:19] They demanded

[00:21:20] that he hand over

[00:21:21] his money,

[00:21:22] but little did Avery

[00:21:23] know,

[00:21:24] there was no money.

[00:21:26] Charles and Joseph

[00:21:27] lived off of around

[00:21:28] $200 a month.

[00:21:30] Everything else

[00:21:31] had been put

[00:21:32] directly into

[00:21:33] building the house.

[00:21:34] They asked Charles

[00:21:36] who was at home

[00:21:37] in the main building

[00:21:37] and he told them

[00:21:39] that Joseph

[00:21:39] and their two dogs

[00:21:40] were over there.

[00:21:41] While Charles

[00:21:42] begged to be let go

[00:21:44] because he didn't

[00:21:45] have any cash

[00:21:46] to give them,

[00:21:47] Avery decided

[00:21:48] to step things

[00:21:48] up a notch.

[00:21:49] He climbed

[00:21:50] down the ladder

[00:21:51] from the pink room

[00:21:52] and he walked

[00:21:53] into Corpsewood Manor

[00:21:54] where he encountered

[00:21:56] Joseph

[00:21:56] and the two dogs.

[00:21:58] He began firing

[00:22:00] his gun

[00:22:00] at all three of them,

[00:22:02] killing them.

[00:22:03] Gunshots rang out

[00:22:04] in the normally

[00:22:05] dead silent forest.

[00:22:07] Avery returned

[00:22:08] to the pink room

[00:22:09] and everyone

[00:22:10] in that room

[00:22:11] knew what

[00:22:11] had just happened.

[00:22:13] Tony then forced

[00:22:14] Charles down the ladder

[00:22:16] and over to the main house

[00:22:17] where he was faced

[00:22:19] with the sight

[00:22:19] of his dead partner

[00:22:20] and his two beloved dogs.

[00:22:23] He once again

[00:22:24] demanded money

[00:22:25] from Charles.

[00:22:26] Knowing that

[00:22:27] he couldn't provide it,

[00:22:28] Charles said

[00:22:29] his last words,

[00:22:30] quote,

[00:22:31] I asked for this

[00:22:32] and then he tried

[00:22:33] to pull away.

[00:22:34] He was shot

[00:22:35] five times in the head

[00:22:37] and he fell

[00:22:38] dead to the floor.

[00:22:39] Corpsewood Manor

[00:22:40] had eerily lived

[00:22:42] up to its name

[00:22:42] that night.

[00:22:44] Avery and Tony

[00:22:45] quickly took

[00:22:45] anything that

[00:22:46] looked valuable

[00:22:47] that they were

[00:22:47] able to carry.

[00:22:48] It really wasn't much,

[00:22:50] maybe a few coins,

[00:22:51] some jewelry,

[00:22:52] and some gold

[00:22:53] lardy.

[00:22:54] They tried to steal

[00:22:55] Charles' beloved

[00:22:56] golden harp

[00:22:57] but it wouldn't

[00:22:58] fit in his jeep

[00:22:59] which they were

[00:23:00] now going to be

[00:23:01] using as a getaway car

[00:23:02] because the car

[00:23:03] that they brought there,

[00:23:04] it wasn't starting.

[00:23:05] The jeep

[00:23:06] was not inconspicuous.

[00:23:08] It was

[00:23:08] quite unique,

[00:23:10] especially because

[00:23:11] it had white pentacles

[00:23:12] painted on its doors.

[00:23:14] While they used it

[00:23:15] to drive off the property

[00:23:16] to get away

[00:23:17] from the crime scene,

[00:23:18] the two men knew

[00:23:19] that they would have

[00:23:19] to find another vehicle

[00:23:20] soon.

[00:23:22] Avery and Tony

[00:23:23] threatened the

[00:23:23] other two teens

[00:23:24] that they would

[00:23:25] kill them

[00:23:26] if they had told anyone.

[00:23:27] Then they dropped

[00:23:28] them off at the trailer

[00:23:29] and the two men

[00:23:31] tried to flee to Mexico.

[00:23:32] Well, at least

[00:23:32] that was the plan.

[00:23:33] They went back and forth

[00:23:34] between Mexico

[00:23:35] and Europe.

[00:23:36] Either way,

[00:23:37] they didn't get very far.

[00:23:38] The two men

[00:23:39] pulled the jeep over

[00:23:40] at a rest stop

[00:23:41] just outside

[00:23:42] Vicksburg, Mississippi.

[00:23:44] They had seen a man

[00:23:45] sitting in the front seat

[00:23:46] of a Toyota

[00:23:47] which they had planned

[00:23:49] to steal.

[00:23:50] The man was a

[00:23:51] 26-year-old

[00:23:52] Navy lieutenant

[00:23:53] named Kirby Key Phelps.

[00:23:55] The plan was going to be

[00:23:57] to tie him to a tree

[00:23:58] while they made off

[00:23:59] with his vehicle.

[00:24:00] So they forced him

[00:24:02] out of the car

[00:24:02] at gunpoint

[00:24:03] and walked him

[00:24:04] over to a tree.

[00:24:06] Then Avery began

[00:24:07] to unload the jeep

[00:24:08] into the Toyota

[00:24:09] when suddenly

[00:24:10] he heard gunshots

[00:24:12] ring out.

[00:24:13] Tony had shot

[00:24:14] the young man

[00:24:15] and had killed him.

[00:24:17] They both then

[00:24:18] took off in the Toyota

[00:24:19] hoping that no one

[00:24:20] had seen or heard anything.

[00:24:22] Meanwhile,

[00:24:23] days after

[00:24:24] Charles and Joseph's

[00:24:25] brutal slaying

[00:24:26] at Corpsewood Manor,

[00:24:27] a friend who had

[00:24:28] stopped by

[00:24:29] would discover

[00:24:29] their bodies.

[00:24:30] What's truly shocking

[00:24:32] is the way that

[00:24:33] Charles' body

[00:24:34] was found.

[00:24:34] It looked just

[00:24:36] like the portrait

[00:24:37] of himself

[00:24:37] that he had

[00:24:38] hanging up

[00:24:38] in his house.

[00:24:39] He had a painting

[00:24:41] done not too long

[00:24:42] before he was

[00:24:43] murdered.

[00:24:43] It showed him

[00:24:44] with a gag

[00:24:45] in his mouth

[00:24:46] bleeding from

[00:24:47] bullet holes

[00:24:47] to his head.

[00:24:49] So,

[00:24:49] had he predicted

[00:24:50] his own murder?

[00:24:51] When the police

[00:24:52] arrived on scene,

[00:24:53] they found the walls

[00:24:54] stained with blood.

[00:24:56] All of the

[00:24:57] beautiful furniture

[00:24:57] had been overturned

[00:24:59] and thrown about.

[00:25:00] There were bullet

[00:25:01] casings left

[00:25:02] all over the floor.

[00:25:03] The police

[00:25:04] weren't really sure

[00:25:05] what to make

[00:25:06] a Corpsewood Manor.

[00:25:07] It was nothing

[00:25:08] like they had

[00:25:09] ever seen before.

[00:25:10] The unusual

[00:25:11] design of this

[00:25:12] large brick

[00:25:13] castle-like building,

[00:25:15] the satanic

[00:25:16] statues

[00:25:17] and stained glass,

[00:25:18] the human skulls,

[00:25:20] and then

[00:25:21] the pink room

[00:25:22] above the chicken coop.

[00:25:23] When details

[00:25:24] of this

[00:25:25] double homicide

[00:25:25] got out,

[00:25:26] it caused

[00:25:27] a media frenzy.

[00:25:29] Charles and Joseph

[00:25:30] were labeled

[00:25:31] the slain

[00:25:32] homosexual

[00:25:33] devil worshippers.

[00:25:34] And during a time

[00:25:35] of satanic panic

[00:25:37] in a deeply

[00:25:37] religious southern

[00:25:38] state,

[00:25:39] it was difficult

[00:25:40] to discern

[00:25:41] what was true

[00:25:41] and what was

[00:25:42] just made up

[00:25:43] out of fear.

[00:25:44] The victims

[00:25:45] were basically

[00:25:45] re-victimized

[00:25:46] all over again

[00:25:48] on every newspaper.

[00:25:49] By this time,

[00:25:51] Avery and Tony

[00:25:52] had a falling out

[00:25:53] and they were

[00:25:54] now traveling alone.

[00:25:55] They didn't make it

[00:25:55] anywhere near Mexico

[00:25:57] or Europe.

[00:25:58] Avery,

[00:25:59] who was hitchhiking

[00:26:00] his way across

[00:26:01] the country,

[00:26:02] he called his mother

[00:26:03] and that's when

[00:26:04] he learned that

[00:26:04] a warrant had been

[00:26:05] put out for his

[00:26:06] arrest for the murders.

[00:26:08] Avery said he went

[00:26:09] down to the house,

[00:26:11] went down first

[00:26:11] to the car,

[00:26:13] you know,

[00:26:13] and he said

[00:26:14] to check and see

[00:26:16] if the rifle was there.

[00:26:17] And then they got

[00:26:17] the rifle,

[00:26:18] he got the rifle

[00:26:19] out of the car

[00:26:20] and went down

[00:26:21] to the house

[00:26:21] where Odom

[00:26:22] was supposed to have

[00:26:24] been the housekeeper

[00:26:26] and the two dogs.

[00:26:27] He said he took

[00:26:28] the gun because

[00:26:29] he was afraid

[00:26:30] of the dogs,

[00:26:31] you know,

[00:26:31] afraid they were loose

[00:26:32] and he didn't want

[00:26:33] them to get a hold

[00:26:33] of him.

[00:26:34] And he said

[00:26:35] at the time

[00:26:36] that he was going

[00:26:36] down there,

[00:26:37] you know,

[00:26:37] that he could feel,

[00:26:40] he could see

[00:26:41] different flashes

[00:26:42] in his eyes

[00:26:43] and he said

[00:26:43] when he got there

[00:26:44] that it looked like

[00:26:45] that Odom

[00:26:45] had a gun,

[00:26:47] was getting a gun

[00:26:48] and he thought

[00:26:48] that Odom

[00:26:49] was going to shoot him.

[00:26:50] And he told me,

[00:26:51] the way he told me

[00:26:52] that he shot the dogs

[00:26:53] and he didn't know

[00:26:54] where he had Odom

[00:26:55] or not.

[00:26:56] And then later on,

[00:26:57] you know,

[00:26:58] he said he just

[00:26:59] didn't know

[00:26:59] where he did

[00:27:00] or where he did.

[00:27:02] But the law,

[00:27:03] you know,

[00:27:04] down there said

[00:27:04] he did.

[00:27:05] So I don't really know.

[00:27:07] I don't believe he did.

[00:27:08] He knew the gig was up.

[00:27:10] It was only a matter

[00:27:11] of time now

[00:27:11] until he was caught.

[00:27:13] So he walked

[00:27:13] into a gas station

[00:27:14] and he told

[00:27:15] the attendant

[00:27:16] who he was

[00:27:17] and what he had done.

[00:27:18] The attendant

[00:27:19] called the police,

[00:27:20] the police swarmed

[00:27:21] the gas station

[00:27:22] and Avery

[00:27:23] was arrested.

[00:27:24] As for Tony,

[00:27:25] he was running

[00:27:26] out of money

[00:27:26] and stamina.

[00:27:28] When he had heard

[00:27:29] that Avery was arrested,

[00:27:30] he too decided

[00:27:32] that it was

[00:27:32] just a matter of time.

[00:27:34] He walked

[00:27:34] into a police station

[00:27:35] and he turned himself

[00:27:37] in the day

[00:27:37] before Christmas.

[00:27:38] When the double homicide

[00:27:40] of Dr. Charles Scudder

[00:27:41] and Joseph Odom

[00:27:42] went to court,

[00:27:43] there were a lot

[00:27:44] of allegations

[00:27:45] made by both defendants.

[00:27:47] Avery Brock,

[00:27:48] he admitted

[00:27:49] to killing

[00:27:49] Joseph Odom

[00:27:50] and he was sentenced

[00:27:51] to three consecutive

[00:27:52] life terms.

[00:27:53] At least he was honest

[00:27:55] about what he had done.

[00:27:56] However,

[00:27:57] Tony West,

[00:27:58] he pleaded

[00:27:59] innocent to the charges

[00:28:00] of murdering

[00:28:01] Charles Scudder.

[00:28:02] At first,

[00:28:03] he argued that

[00:28:04] they weren't at

[00:28:05] Corp's Manor

[00:28:05] to steal anything at all.

[00:28:07] It was actually

[00:28:08] a revenge plot

[00:28:09] because Charles

[00:28:10] had previously

[00:28:11] forced Avery

[00:28:12] to perform

[00:28:13] oral sex

[00:28:13] on him

[00:28:14] in the pink room.

[00:28:15] Then he argued

[00:28:16] that the two men,

[00:28:17] they were hallucinating

[00:28:18] at the time

[00:28:19] of the killings

[00:28:19] because Charles

[00:28:21] had allegedly

[00:28:22] spiked their wine

[00:28:23] with LSD.

[00:28:24] Now,

[00:28:24] it should be noted

[00:28:25] that while Charles

[00:28:26] did enjoy spiking

[00:28:27] his own drinks

[00:28:28] with LSD sometimes,

[00:28:30] there were no traces

[00:28:31] of LSD found

[00:28:32] in the wine

[00:28:33] at the crime scene.

[00:28:34] Finally,

[00:28:35] Tony's attorney

[00:28:36] tried to argue

[00:28:37] that the couple

[00:28:38] had actually

[00:28:39] bewitched his client.

[00:28:40] Tony would testify,

[00:28:42] quote,

[00:28:47] While it was certainly

[00:28:49] a sensationalized statement,

[00:28:51] the jury

[00:28:51] wasn't buying

[00:28:52] any of it

[00:28:53] and they found him guilty.

[00:28:55] Tony was sentenced

[00:28:56] to death.

[00:28:57] However,

[00:28:57] he won an appeal

[00:28:58] and he was given

[00:28:59] life in prison

[00:29:00] in exchange

[00:29:01] for a guilty plea.

[00:29:02] Both men

[00:29:03] still sit behind bars

[00:29:05] today

[00:29:05] and it's likely

[00:29:06] that they will

[00:29:07] both die in prison.

[00:29:08] With a name

[00:29:09] like Corpsewood,

[00:29:10] it's easy to see

[00:29:11] why

[00:29:12] even after

[00:29:13] its occupants

[00:29:13] had been murdered

[00:29:14] and were dead,

[00:29:15] people continued

[00:29:16] to visit the eerie

[00:29:17] structure on the property.

[00:29:19] Just months

[00:29:20] after the murders,

[00:29:21] the house

[00:29:22] also became a victim

[00:29:23] to arson.

[00:29:25] The ruins

[00:29:26] of this unique

[00:29:27] brick castle-like

[00:29:28] manor

[00:29:28] are now privately owned

[00:29:30] and overgrown

[00:29:31] by weeds,

[00:29:32] but much of it

[00:29:33] does still stand.

[00:29:35] Many of the locals

[00:29:36] refer to the area

[00:29:37] as Devil Worshippers Mountain

[00:29:39] and they believe

[00:29:40] that Charles

[00:29:41] had plans

[00:29:41] to turn the property

[00:29:42] into a satanic church.

[00:29:44] Rumors

[00:29:44] still swirl

[00:29:45] about animal sacrifices

[00:29:47] and blood drinking

[00:29:48] that happened

[00:29:49] at Corpsewood Manor.

[00:29:51] Some say

[00:29:52] that the place

[00:29:52] is still

[00:29:53] incredibly haunted

[00:29:54] and that

[00:29:55] if you listen

[00:29:56] closely,

[00:29:57] you might hear

[00:29:58] the sound

[00:29:58] of the dogs

[00:29:59] barking

[00:29:59] or the ring

[00:30:00] of a gunshot.

[00:30:02] Others believe

[00:30:03] that the property

[00:30:04] is cursed

[00:30:05] and if you take

[00:30:06] anything,

[00:30:06] something even

[00:30:07] as small

[00:30:07] as a brick,

[00:30:09] you too

[00:30:09] will be cursed.

[00:30:11] Despite the

[00:30:12] couple's

[00:30:12] well-regarded

[00:30:13] status

[00:30:14] among those

[00:30:15] who knew

[00:30:15] them,

[00:30:16] the shadows

[00:30:16] of that

[00:30:17] brutal night

[00:30:18] still loom

[00:30:19] over the forest,

[00:30:20] casting a dark

[00:30:21] and eerie

[00:30:22] reputation

[00:30:23] on Corpsewood Manor,

[00:30:24] Dr. Charles Scudder's

[00:30:25] dream home

[00:30:26] and final resting place.

[00:30:28] That's it for me

[00:30:29] tonight.

[00:30:30] If you want to reach out,

[00:30:31] you can find me

[00:30:32] on Facebook

[00:30:32] at Serial Napper.

[00:30:34] You can find

[00:30:35] my audio

[00:30:35] on Apple

[00:30:36] or Spotify

[00:30:37] or wherever

[00:30:38] you listen

[00:30:38] to podcasts.

[00:30:39] I post

[00:30:40] all of my

[00:30:41] episodes

[00:30:41] in video

[00:30:41] format

[00:30:42] over on

[00:30:42] YouTube,

[00:30:43] so go check

[00:30:44] it out.

[00:30:44] And if you're

[00:30:45] watching on

[00:30:45] YouTube,

[00:30:46] I'd love

[00:30:46] if you can

[00:30:46] give me

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[00:30:47] up and

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[00:30:49] I'm over

[00:30:50] on X,

[00:30:50] formerly

[00:30:51] known as

[00:30:51] Twitter,

[00:30:52] at Serial

[00:30:52] underscore

[00:30:53] Napper,

[00:30:53] and I post

[00:30:54] things on

[00:30:54] TikTok.

[00:30:55] Serial

[00:30:56] Napper

[00:30:56] Nick,

[00:30:56] and that's

[00:30:56] all one

[00:30:57] word.

[00:30:58] Until

[00:30:59] next time,

[00:30:59] sweet dreams,

[00:31:01] stay kind,

[00:31:02] especially in

[00:31:03] the comments.

[00:31:05] Bye.