The Murder of Maggie Hume by Blaine L. Pardoe

Author:Blaine L. Pardoe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE WRECK ON M-66

Driving faster

Driving past the scenery

On pretty view and

I feel as though I’ve

Got to control my

Reckless need to speed and speed.

–“Speeding,” the Go-Go’s

Just a few months after Maggie’s death, Jay Carter was involved in a car accident (directly or indirectly) that resulted in a tragic death. As time passed, there seemed to be more links between this unfortunate accident and the death of Maggie Hume, although at the time those links were tenuous. Some of these connections would take decades for investigators to unravel.

On November 4, 1982, three months after Maggie’s murder, a fatal car accident occurred in Battle Creek. It was a cold and windy night, typical for Western Michigan in November. Jay Carter, Kevin Danielson, Bartholomew “Bart” Chester Thiessen, Perry Lussier and Judy Rothwell all went to Nottke’s Bowling Alley to celebrate their friend Terry “Tiny” Sheerer’s twenty-first birthday. Turning twenty-one is a milestone in one’s life—a time to celebrate and enjoy turning the legal drinking age. Ken Nottke’s Bowling Alley was a popular hot spot for teenagers in Battle Creek. Bowling wasn’t nearly as popular an attraction as the large arcade and pinball machine room that Nottke’s had. In the era before Xbox and PlayStation, video games were more social, and Nottke’s game center was a big draw for anyone over the age of sixteen. The video game room was dimly lit and reeked of spilled beer and a hint of cigarette smoke and sweat, but it was a hopping locale—something to do in a small town.

Jay, Terry and Kevin all worked at the Beer Company together. Terry worked with Jay processing the recycled bottles and cans, while Kevin ran the PC system and managed the routes for the company. Kevin was a 1980 graduate of Harper Creek High School and had been drawn into the small group through their jobs. Although they worked in separate buildings, Kevin had become friends with Terry because Terry had to call over and give Kevin the numbers from the recycling center. Terry and Kevin moved into an apartment and became roommates.

It was supposed to be a night of celebratory fun—good friends going out and drinking together. After a while, the group decided to drive to Rafters bar to continue the celebration. Rafters was a popular bar with music where the barely legal youth of Battle Creek gathered. It had a reputation for being dark and noisy, as well as a place where underage drinkers could mingle with those old enough to purchase them alcohol without much risk of being caught. Terry and Bart had been drinking heavily, mixing beer and whiskey throughout the night, while Jay had just a few drinks throughout the night. Terry and Bart were both described as “pretty loaded” when the group left Rafters at 2:00 a.m.

Kevin offered to take his roommate Terry home. Jay was adamant that Terry ride with him. Kevin argued back to Jay, saying that Terry was drunk, and he would rather just take him back to the apartment. Jay replied, “Nope, nope, nope.

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