The Greenbrier Ghost: America’s Only Murder Case Solved by a Ghost

In 1897 Elva Zona Heaster’s death was first recorded as natural causes. Her mother later claimed that Zona’s spirit described how she was murdered by her husband, Edward Shue. This testimony led to the exhumation of Zona’s body and Shue’s conviction. The episode analyzes court transcripts, coroner records, and how this case became the only instance in US legal history where ghost testimony influenced a guilty verdict.