19. The Murder of Susan McFarland

The report confirmed that Susan’s cause of death was blunt force trauma. Because we know Susan was planning to file for divorce, it is believed Richard found out, became enraged, beat her to death, and then cleaned up as best he could.

He then left Susan somewhere in the house, went to steal the suburban the next day, switched out the license plates, and drove Susan’s body out to the abandoned farm to burn her body. He then parked the suburban in Harriet Wells garage, involving many potential suspects in his attempt to hide his crime. 

We’re unsure if he left the insurance card there on purpose or not but we do know Susan put up a fight as both her blood and Richard’s blood were found under luminal in the couples bedroom.

Case Sources:

The Podcast: Going West

chron.com 

expressnews.com 

virtualglobetrotting.com 

zillow.com 

timesnewspapers.com 

truepeoplesearch.com 

inmate.tdcj.texas.gov 

promisekeepers.org