MAINE, 1973: In April of 1973, the vibrant college town of Orono, Maine was shattered by a shocking murder that sent tremors through the University of Maine community. The victim was Frederic Alan Spencer, a promising UMaine graduate student with a bright future ahead. When Frederic's roommate came forward and confessed to the killing, it seemed like an open and shut case.
However, as the trial of Richard Westall Rogers Jr. unfolded, it was clear the case was far from simple. Despite his admission of guilt, the proceedings took a surprising turn. Nobody in that courtroom could have known at the time, but the unexpected decisions made in the case of Frederic Spencer would set in motion a chilling and deadly ripple effect that only grew with intensity and consequence over the next few decades.
View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/fredericspencer
Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.
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The Dark History and Demise of Élan School (Maine)
The Murders of Cyrus Everett and Donna Mauch (Maine)
The Murder of Julie Campbell (Massachusetts)
The Murder of Emma J. Turnbull (Maine)
The Murder of Zenovia Clegg (New York)
The Suspicious Death of Patricia Wing (Maine)
The Survival Story of Kayleigh Ballantyne (Massachusetts)
The Disappearances of William Sanborn and Alphonse Cote Jr. (Maine)
The Murder of Mary Catherine Olenchuk (Maine)
The Murders of Stella Bolton & James ‘JJ’ Moore (New Hampshire)
The Murders of Dr. and Mrs. Littlefield (Maine)
The Murder of Sarah Cherry (Maine)
The Murder of Leslie Spellman (Maine)
The Murder of Kathy Frost (Maine)
The Murders of Janet Brochu & Geraldine Finn (Maine)
The Disappearance of Daniel K. Wood Jr. (Maine)
The Murder of Lizzi Marriott (New Hampshire)
The Murder of Sonny Grotton (Maine)
The Disappearance of Pauline Rourke (Maine)
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