The tragic Oklahoma Girl Scout killings have been solved over 45 years later. The prime suspect in the murders was Gene Leroy Hart, an escaped prisoner.
This year, we’ve already seen a number of notable efforts and one of the latest to demand attention is Keeper Of The Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders.
This Hulu Original documentary series investigates the murder of three young girls in 1977. They were attending a girl scout camp called Camp Scott in Oklahoma and were tragically killed on the first night.
Kristin Chenoweth is opening up about a childhood tragedy that still “haunts” her today
The actress and singer is looking for answers concerning the 1977 rape and murder of three Oklahoma girls on a camping trip she was supposed to attend.
Lori Farmer, 8, Michelle Guse, 9, and Doris Milner, 10, were raped and murdered over 45 years ago at summer camp in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.
The absence of evidence on the scene, and sadly, DNA evidence and testing were not accessible at the time. Things have changed since then, and owing to DNA testing; the killer has been identified as Gene Leroy Hart.
The horrific killings of Lori Lee Farmer, 8, Michele Heather Guse, 9, and Doris Denise Milner are the subjects of a new true-crime docuseries, “Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders.”
“This is a story I wish I never had to tell,” the 53-year-old is heard saying in a trailer for the true-crime documentary titled “Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders,” which premieres May 24 on Hulu.
Kristin Chenoweth is reflecting on the 1977 Girl Scout murders. (Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)
Who Is Gene Leroy Hart?
After the murder of the three girls – Lori Falmer, Michelle Guse, and Doris Milner – Crime Museum reports that Gene Leroy Hart was identified as a suspect.
Local jail escapee Gene Leroy Hart was arrested at the time. He was eventually acquitted of the murders and died in 1979 while in prison on unrelated charges. But over four decades later, new DNA testing “strongly suggests” Hart’s involvement while eliminating several other potential suspects.
“Unless something new comes up, something brought to light we are not aware of, I am convinced where I’m sitting of Hart’s guilt and involvement in this case,” said Mayes County Sheriff Mike Reed, adding that the results of the DNA tests have been known since 2019.
Grunge says that Hart was apprehended on April 6, 1978, and accused of the murders of three young girls. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Hart was cleared and found not guilty of the crimes because the hair on duct tape at the site was not his, his semen did not match, and so on.
Despite not being proven guilty of the infamous girl scout killings, he was sent back to prison to finish his sentence for past offenses.
On June 4, 1979, he died in prison while serving his sentence.
According to the New York Times, Hart died of a heart attack at the age of 35, which reported that he had the seizure while exercising, lifting weights, and jogging before fainting.
Even though Hart had been dead for decades, the local sheriff, Sheriff Reed, continued to argue and maintain that Hart was the guy responsible for the killings, according to Oxygen. He claims that advances in criminal science since then would have found him guilty if the technology and methods were accessible at the time, and he prays that they’ve done anything that offers the family a second of closure, acceptance, or whatever.
This is a story I wish I never had to tell, but it needs to be told.
“The Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders” streams May 24th – only on @Hulu. @ABC2020 pic.twitter.com/8yYwkwaZEE
— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) May 17, 2022
Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders Solved
When Gene, a local jail escapee with a history of violence, was apprehended, the case was closed. On the other hand, Hart was acquitted in March 1979 when a jury unanimously found him not guilty.
In 2022, it was revealed that DNA testing in the case indicated Hart’s involvement in the crime despite being officially inconclusive.
A counselor at Camp Scott realized her possessions had been raided and her doughnuts had been stolen during an on-site training session less than two months before the murders. “We’re on a mission to assassinate three young women, intent one,” a handwritten statement inside the empty doughnut box stated in capital letters. The memo was considered a joke by the director of that camp session, and it was tossed.
Someone Cry for the Children: The Girl Scout Murders is a 1993 documentary based on Michael and Dick Wilkerson’s book. Dale Robertson and Johnny Cash provide narration for the film. Michael Wilkerson directed the film.
The horrific killings of Lori Lee Farmer, 8, Michele Heather Guse, 9, and Doris Denise Milner are the subjects of a new true-crime docuseries, “Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders.”… https://t.co/DjU8Q7iugy
— SkyNet Platforms: #TheBrain (@SkyNetPlatform) May 17, 2022
Who Are Gene Leroy Hart Family?
Even after all these years, Gene Leroy Hart’s personal details, including his family members, have yet to be published in the public.
His family, on the other hand, must be ashamed of him because he committed a despicable act.
They would never approach the media to avoid answering questions. His family would remain a secret until his death.
KEEPER OF THE ASHES RELEASE DATE
The four-part documentary series is scheduled to premiere on Hulu on Tuesday, May 24th 2022.
As of yet, a Disney+ release or date – often Hulu exclusives premiere on the platform internationally – is yet to be confirmed.
