The Fall River Cult (cont.)
Whether it was due to the fantastical nature of her accusations or merely the apathy of the Fall River police department, her claims were easily dismissed as quickly as they had left Marsden’s mouth. It wouldn’t be until the portions of a skull were discovered on April 13, 1980, that the police would finally take the case seriously, unfortunately for Marsden, the skull belonged to her and sadly, the rest of her body was never recovered.
Carl Drew and Robin Murphy were quickly arrested, along with another man Andrew Maltais who was charged in connection to one of the murders, and charged with the murder of Karen Marsden. When they went on trial Murphy would take a plea deal in return for her testimony against the others and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, receiving a reduced sentence of just 15 years.
There is, however, a twist in this tale. Many have come to believe, especially because Drew has always maintained his innocence, that it was in fact Robin Murphy who was the real mastermind behind the ritualistic killings. Others believe that there was no rituals, no devil-worshipping and in fact no cult at all and that the whole affair was just sensationalized because of the burgeoning Satanic panic.
