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| Lee Morris, Helen Louise, Ryan |
Louisiana Perish
Twenty seven years ago on another New Years Day in a small northern Louisiana town, the bodies of a moderately wealthy couple in their late sixties were found shot to death, Lee and Helen Louise Morris. Their visiting 9-year-old grandson, Ryan, was missing.
Near the end of the month, a teen found Ryan’s pajama-clad body. All three Morrises had been shot in the head by the same .22 calibre pistol. Two months after the discovery, investigators arrested Mark Morris, son of Lee and Helen, father of Ryan, for first degree homicide.
The arrest surprised no one except the arrestee. He had been terribly careless in quotes and comments, raising suspicions since the beginning of the case. He was even picked up on a courthouse microphone admitting to his then-lawyer that he was guilty. The unusual aspect of this case was the motive– Louisiana’s Legislature had recently changed the law.
Fiction Becomes Factual
Several years ago, a Canadian publication serialized a locked-room mystery, one I’d written. Its title, ‘Untenable’, was a play on words. The motive in that homicide was a 2010 change in federal law.
It was a damned good locked room conundrum and I considered the motive unique. Then recently, I discovered a real murderer reacted to a change in state statutes.
For two centuries, a Louisiana doctrine called ‘forced heirship’ dictated that parents must divide their estate evenly amongst their progeny. No child could be disinherited without disinheriting all. The repeal abolished forced heirship and would take effect exactly midnight on New Year’ Day 1996.
Unhappy New Year
Helen Louise and Lee Morris visited their attorney and wrote a new will, leaving out their troublesome kid, Mark. They made the mistake of telling him.
Mark Morris allowed his parents to live into the waning hours of 1995 and then killed them for their nest egg. Grandson Ryan witnessed the killings and, in that parent’s depraved mind, he had to go.
With one exception, surprisingly little about the case appears on-line, mainly an AP news item and a find-a-grave squib. The one exception, however, is a well-written article explaining details. I recommend it.
As far as I can determine, Mark Morris resides in Angola Prison. He’ll die there whereupon his corpse will be interred in a grave with no marker revealing his name nor even his prisoner number, 00419088.
May you have a singularly wonderful — and safe — 2023.
A weird case! Good New Years wishes!
ReplyDeleteBesides the unusual motive, Janice, I sense a strangeness I can't quite grapple with in that Mark allowed his parents and son to live until the final few hours– final minutes, really– of 1995. He could have tried to become a better person; instead he killed those closest to him.
DeleteThe love of money is the root of all evil. And it's proved every sodding day. Meanwhile, Happy New Year's Day to all!
ReplyDeleteOh! Perfectly quoted, Eve. Yes, nothing stresses a deadbeat who makes a fine living sucking the resources of others. The lives of others become meaningless.
DeleteThe sound of celebratory AR rifle fire has been echoing across the lake. Must be year end holidays in Florida. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kristy Morris. I am the daughter of Mark, the granddaughter of Lee and Louise and the sister of Ryan. The author has so many false statements in this article. You should be ashamed! There are many facts not included and the will was never changed! I should sue you for the sheer amount of slander in this garbage article! May YOU keep my feet warm while you burn you insensitive, lazy, no-researching horrible person. I’ll be in touch with you very soon
ReplyDeleteHi Kristy. I regret I caused pain. As the article says, source information is scarce. Would you like to lay out facts as you know them? We strive to be accurate, and I'll gladly provide space for you to fill in corrections and details. Thank you for reaching out and I'll gladly join you in rectifying any errors.
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