Controversial Figures

Episode 10: Madalyn Murray O'Hair (The Most Hated Woman in America)

• Tammy Hawkins • Season 1

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How did activist atheist and Most Hated Woman in America Madalyn Murray O'Hair and her family end up dismembered, burned, and buried? Find out today on Controversial Figures.


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00:00

Madalyn Murray O'Hair had quite the reputation in America, and it was not a positive one for many. Madalyn, a proud Athiest, was best known for her many challenges taken to the courts, ultimately leading to school prayer be deemed unconstitutional and banned in 1963. This ruling lead to Madalyn becoming an instant media star due to her brusque delivery of divisive opinions and the ratings those drove.  

 

00:33

Madlyn Murray O'Hair would be called The Most Hated Woman in America by the media and more than a few Americans. She was featured in a Playboy article in 1965 in which she described religion as "a crutch" and an "irrational reliance on superstitions and supernatural nonsense". She did not generate a lot of fans.

 

00:58

Madalyn was featured on the Phil Donahue talk show regularly for her Athiest shock factor, and she was the "chief speechwriter" for Larry Flynt's 1984 presidential run. To say Madalyn lived an interesting life would be an understatement. But Madalyn's life would become even more shocking when she and her family would mysteriously disappear in the 1990s only to later be found…dismembered. So, what lead to the macabre demise for The Most Hated Woman in America and her family? Find out today on the Controversial Figures podcast.

 

02:08

Welcome to Controversial Figures; a podcast about intriguing figures in the media. My name is Tammy Hawkins. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a 5 star rating and comment on Apple Podcasts; that really helps others find the podcast. 

 

02:22

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02:44

Alright, let's get started with the interesting tale of The Most Hated Woman in America.

 

 

02:54

Madalyn Mays was born in  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 1919. And she was raised in a religious home from an early age. At the age of four, Madalyn was baptized into her father's Presbyterian church, and her mother was of Lutheran faith. 

 

03:13

By age 22, Madalyn Mays would marry steelworker John Henry Roths would in 1941. But the newly married couple separated when they both enlisted for World War II service; John Henry in the United States Marine Corps, and Madalyn in the Women's Army Corps. 

 

03:31

In April 1945, while posted to a cryptography position in Italy, Madalyn began a relationship with an officer by the name of William J. Murray, Jr. Now, I'd like to call attention to this relationship, as Mr. Murray Jr was a married Roman Catholic. Some believe it was this relationship that spurred Madalyn's Athiest believes and activism.

 

04:00

And due to his faith, William J. Murray, Jr. refused to divorce his wife. Madalyn Mays went ahead with her divorce from John Henry Roths while she adopted the name Madalyn Murray instead. She then in 1940s America, gave birth as a single, unwed mother to her illegitimate son with officer Murray after returning to Ohio. Despite her married lover leaving her, Madalyn named the boy William J. Murray III (nicknamed "Bill").

 

04:37

In 1949, Madalyn completed a bachelor's degree from Ashland University. She then earned a law degree from the South Texas College of Law, but did not pass the bar exam. She would find use later for that legal knowledge, however.

 

04:55

Madalyn moved with her son Bill to Maryland, and on November 16, 1954, she gave birth to her second son, Jon Garth Murray, fathered by her boyfriend Michael. Their relationship ended, and it is believed that the boy, known as Garth, never actually met his father. So again, Madalyn gave birth as a single, unwed mother to her second child.

 

05:22

It would be once Madalyn's boys started attending school that she would put her legal knowledge to use. In 1960, Madalyn Murray filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore City Public School System (in case Murray v. Curlett), naming her son William as the plaintiff. She challenged the city school system's practice of requiring students to participate in Bible readings at the city's public schools.

 

05:53

Madalyn said her son's refusal to participate had resulted in bullying by classmates and that administrators condoned this behavior. After consolidation with Abington School District v. Schempp, the lawsuit was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1963. The Court voted 8–1 in Schempp's favor, saying that mandatory public Bible readings by students were unconstitutional. Prayer in schools other than Bible-readings had been ruled as unconstitutional the year before by the Court in Engel v. Vitale (1962).

 

06:32

Because of hostility in Baltimore against her family related to this case, Murray left Maryland with her sons in 1963 and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. She had allegedly assaulted five Baltimore City Police Department officers who tried to retrieve her son Bill's girlfriend Susan from her house; she was a minor and had run away from home. Susan gave birth to Bill's daughter, whom she named Robin. Murray later adopted Robin.

 

07:10

After settling in Austin, Texas, O'Hair founded American Atheists in 1963. It identifies as "a nationwide movement which defends the civil rights of non-believers, works for the separation of church and state and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy". 

 

07:38

The American Athiest charter stated that "Atheism may be defined as the mental attitude which unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason and aims at establishing a lifestyle and ethical outlook verifiable by experience and the scientific method, independent of all arbitrary assumptions of authority and creeds."

 

08:03

Madalyn served as the American Atheist's first chief executive officer and president until 1986. She was the public voice and face of atheism in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Although her son Garth Murray succeeded her officially as president, she retained most of the power and decision making.

 

08:34

In 1965, Murray married U.S. Marine Richard O'Hair, and changed her surname. Richard O'Hair had belonged to a Communist group in Detroit during the 1940s. During investigations of the 1950s, he gave more than 100 names of other members to the FBI. Later he was investigated for falsely claiming to be an FBI agent. Although the couple separated, they were legally married until his death in 1978.

 

09:08

n a 1965 interview with Playboy Magazine, she described religion as "a crutch" and an "irrational reliance on superstitions and supernatural nonsense". In the same Playboy interview, O'Hair described numerous alleged incidents of harassment, intimidation, and death threats against her and her family. 

 

09:32

Madalyn said that she left Baltimore because of persecution from residents. She had received mail containing photos smeared with feces, her son Jon's pet kitten was killed, and her home was stoned. She said she thought such events were a catalyst for her father's fatal heart attack.

 

09:50

Madalyn also said the following quote in the 1965 Playboy article, "as a militant feminist, I believe in complete equality with men: intellectual, professional, economic, social and sexual; they're all equally essential, and they're all equally lacking in American society today."

 

10:18

O'Hair appeared on The Phil Donahue Show several times, including the first episode in 1967. She appeared on the show in March 1970 to debate Preacher Bob Harrington, "The Chaplain of Bourbon Street". She would also end up having a seat on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show couch.

 

10:42

O'Hair endorsed Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election because of Carter's opposition to mandatory school prayer, his support for sex education in public schools, and his stance on ecological matters.

 

10:57

Ultimately, O'Hair filed over 10 lawsuits in which she argued the separation of church and state had been breached. 

 

11:06

Bear with me as I rattle through some of these. 

 

  • Murray v. Curlett (1963) Challenged Bible reading and prayer recitation in Maryland public schools.
  • Murray v. United States (1964) To force the Federal Communications Commission (or FCC) to extend the Fairness Doctrine so that atheists could have equal time with religion on radio and television.
  • Murray v. Nixon (1970) Challenged weekly religious services in the White House.
  • O'Hair v. Paine (1971) Challenged open readings from the Bible by U.S. astronauts (who are Federal employees) during their spaceflights, spurred by a reading from the book of Genesis by the crew of Apollo 8.
  • O'Hair v. Cooke (1977) Challenged the opening prayer at city council meetings in Austin, Texas.
  • O'Hair v. Blumenthal (1978) Challenged the inclusion of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency.
  • O'Hair v. Hill (1978) To have removed from the Texas constitution a provision requiring a belief in God of persons holding offices of public trust.
  • O'Hair v. Andrus (1979) Challenged the use of National Park facilities for the Pope to hold a Roman Catholic mass on the Mall in Washington, D.C.
  • O'Hair v. Clements (1980) This case tried to remove the nativity scene displayed in the rotunda of the capitol building in Austin, Texas.
  • Carter, et al. v Broadlawns Medical Center, et al. (1984-1987). Challenged the full-time employment of an unordained chaplain at a tax-funded county hospital, Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

 

13:12

Madalyn founded an atheist radio program, American Atheist Forum, in which she criticized religion and theism. The show was carried on more than 140 cable television systems. Madalyn also found other ways to continue to stoke controversy, including when she served as "chief speechwriter" for Larry Flynt's 1984 presidential campaign. 

 

13:55

Probably much to Madalyn's disappointment, her son William J. Murray became a Christian in 1980 and later a Baptist minister. William J. Murray would publish a memoir in 1982 about his spiritual journey. Madalyn Murray O'Hair commented, "One could call this a postnatal abortion on the part of a mother, I guess; I repudiate him entirely and completely for now and all times ... he is beyond human forgiveness." Bold words from a bold woman.

 

14:37

By the 1990s, the American Atheists staff consisted of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, her son Jon Garth Murray, and Robin Murray O'Hair, her granddaughter and adopted daughter, and a handful of support personnel. The trio lived in O'Hair's large home, worked in the same office, and took shared vacations.

 

14:59

On August 27, 1995, Madalyn O'Hair, her son Jon Garth Murray, and her granddaughter Robin Murray O'Hair disappeared from their home and office. A mysterious typewritten note was attached to the locked office door, saying "The Murray O'Hair family has been called out of town on an emergency basis. We do not know how long we will be gone at the time of the writing of this memo." Probably not to your surprise, people found the note and situation suspicious.

 

15:35

When police entered O'Hair's home, it looked as if they had left suddenly. The trio said in phone calls that they were on "business" in San Antonio, Texas. Garth Murray ordered $600,000 worth of gold coins from a San Antonio jeweler, but took delivery of only $400,000 worth of coins.

 

15:56

Until September 27, American Atheists employees received several phone calls from Robin and Jon, but neither explained why they had left or when they would return; employees reported that their voices sounded strained and disturbed. 

 

16:14

After September 28, no further communication came from any of the three. American Atheists was facing serious financial problems because of the withdrawal of funds, and membership dwindled in the face of an apparent scandal. There was speculation that the trio may have disappeared to conceal assets or avoid creditors.

 

16:34

The investigation into the American Athiest disappearance focused on David Roland Waters, an ex-felon with a violent history, who had worked for the American Atheists. 

 

16:48

Waters had pled guilty earlier that year to stealing $54,000 from the organization. Shortly after his theft was discovered, Madalyn O'Hair had published an article in the American Atheists newsletter exposing the theft and previous crimes. O'Hair claimed that, at age 17, Waters had killed another teenager, and had bee sentenced to prison for eight years.

 

17:12

Federal agents for the FBI and the IRS, along with the police, concluded that David Roland Waters and his accomplices, Gary Paul Karr and Danny Fry, had kidnapped all three Murray/O'Hair family members. 

 

17:28

The captors took the O'Hair family to the Warren Inn on the Northwest side of San Antonio, Texas - where the group lived for a month in a 2 bedroom, one bathroom rental. While held in captivity, the O'Hairs played card games, board games, and had philosophical discussions.

 

17:51

In September of 1995, Jon Murray, Madalyn's son, had $600,000 wired to the US from New Zealand, which was then used to buy gold coins. On September 29, Jon picked up $400,000 worth of coins from a small jeweler. Then the family being held hostage was moved to La Quinta Inn. 

 

18:12

And in that room, the captors strangled each family member. After they were killed, the bodies were rolled up in a bedspread and the captors thoroughly cleaned the hotel room, finding notes Madalyn had hidden for someone to hopefully find. The bodies were then stuffed into a van and taken to Austin.

 

18:36

Once the families' bodies were moved to Austin, the captors dismembered the bodies and loaded them into 3 55-gallon metal drums. They then drove the barrels to Camp Wood in Real County, Northwest of San Antonio, where they were buried.

 

18:54

A few days after Madalyn O'Hair and her family were killed, Waters and Karr killed Fry. Fry's body was dumped into the Trinity River in Dallas and found on a riverbed with the head and hands missing days later. The body was not identified for three and a half years.

 

19:13

A search warrant was executed for the apartment of David Roland Waters and his girlfriend. The search revealed ammunition of various calibers. Waters, a convicted felon, was arrested, and the contents of his apartment were seized. 

 

19:27

At the same time, Gary Karr was contacted in Walled Lake, Michigan, and interviewed. Despite having served the last 30 years in prison for kidnapping a judge's daughter, Karr decided to talk and implicated Waters in the deaths of Murray and the O'Hairs. 

 

19:47

Gary Paul Karr signed an affidavit and drew a map so that the police could find the bodies. Karr was arrested for possession of two firearms and taken to jail. He was held in Detroit, awaiting trial. The weapon charge was dismissed, and Karr was transferred to the custody of the United States Marshals in Austin to stand trial for the deaths of the O'Hairs.

 

20:10

After a three-week trial,  Gary Paul Karr was found guilty of conspiracy to commit extortion, traveling interstate to commit violent acts, money laundering, and interstate transportation of stolen property in relation to the O'Hair case. He was acquitted of charges of conspiring to kidnap, as the authorities had not yet located the bodies of the O'Hairs. 

 

20:35

In August 2000, Karr was sentenced to two life sentences in prison by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks.

 

20:44

David Roland Waters was arrested and prosecuted; in a plea agreement to the charge of conspiracy, he agreed to lead authorities to the site where the dismembered bodies of the O'Hairs had been burned and buried. He was sentenced to serve 20 years in federal prison, which he had requested, rather than serve time in Texas state prison on his earlier theft conviction. He did not go to trial for the kidnapping and murders of the O'Hair family. 

 

21:14

He was also ordered to pay back a total of $543,665 to the American Atheists and to the estates of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Jon Garth Murray, and Robin Murray O'Hair. It is very unlikely that these debts were paid, because Waters had no ability to earn money while in prison. Waters died of lung cancer on January 27, 2003 at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina.

 

21:42

In January 2001, after his plea to conspiracy, Waters told the federal agents that the O'Hairs were buried on a Texas ranch, and subsequently led them to the bodies. When law enforcement excavated there, they discovered that the legs of the three people had been cut off with a saw. The remains had such extensive mutilation and decomposition that officials had to identify them through dental records, DNA testing and, in Madalyn O'Hair's case, records of a prosthetic hip from Brackenridge Hospital in Austin. The police used the serial number on the hip to identify her body. The head and hands of Danny Fry were also found at the site.

 

22:27

It was discovered David Roland Waters and his girlfriend had put the gold coins extorted from the O'Hairs into an unsecured storage locker rented by the girlfriend. It had only a cheap Master padlock. Waters had taken some coins and partied for a few days with Gary Karr and his former wife. When he returned to the locker, he was mortified to discover that the remaining gold coins, which included American eagles, Maple Leaf coins, and Krugerrands, had been stolen. 

 

23:01

A group of thieves from San Antonio operating in that area had gained keys to the type of lock used by the girlfriend. In the course of their activities, the thieves had come across the locker, used a key, and found a suitcase full of gold coins. Score!

 

23:16

The thieves returned to San Antonio, and with the help of friends, converted the gold coins to cash. The friends were taken to Las Vegas for a weekend. All but one coin, given as a pendant gift to an aunt, were spent by these thieves. That last coin was recovered by the FBI after a Memorial Day 1999 public appeal.

 

23:39

So what did we learn from the story about Madalyn? Part of me sincerely respects her. I'm a quite an independent woman. I'm known to buck tradition. I am also an atheist, and I honestly hope you won't judge me for that; I promise I do not judge anyone that is religious. I believe in the freedoms in our country. And I think religion can be a wonderful thing for those that choose it.

 

24:09

While I know and can appreciate that many clearly do not appreciate the values Madalyn pushed for, I personally do. I appreciate the progress Madalyn triggered through our courts in creating precedent for protection of freedom of speech and protections in regards to church and state. I personally feel people should be free to practice any religion in America, it's part of the reason this country was founded was for freedom of religion… and should also be free to not do so if they choose. I also appreciate that Madalyn was bold enough to unapologetically live her own life as an atheist, single, unwed mother. Loud and proud.

 

24:54

What I didn't always appreciate necessarily was the brash manner in which Madalyn attempted to prove her point. Part of me feels she likely did so to obtain attention and really disrupt the normal for change. And while I can understand the tactic, I think she often could have found better ways to obtain the progress she sought. Her brave and bold ways cleared the paths for many others to have freedom from or to have religion.

 

25:20

In a quote that matches the brashness of the character she portrayed in the movie "The Most Hated Woman in America", Academy Award winning actress Melissa Leo said, "Historically, women who have changed the world…women who have spoken loud and clear about their well-founded thoughts and ideas about things, they generally get called pariahs or bitches or troublemakers. Is that who she really is or is that something she was being to get a point across? If she sat there quietly and politely and spoke about the wrongs of civil rights abuse, who the fuck would listen?"

 

26:02

I appreciate that reflection. And I will add another reflection, from Madalyn's own son, William Murray Jr. In his book, My Life Without God, William Murray has portrayed Madalyn O'Hair as a demonic stage mother. He is quoted as saying, "My mother loves confrontation and she never hesitated to use me as an accomplice in her schemes. She wanted to push the school prayer issue as far as she could. She wanted me to keep a record of prayer and Bible readings in school… My mother made me a spy in the cause of atheism." This is one of many reasons their mother son relationship was strained.

 

26:50

While Madalyn Murray O'Hair may be gone, she is not forgotten. In 2013, the first atheist monument to be erected on American government property was unveiled at the Bradford County Courthouse in Florida, where other residents had installed a monument to religious ideals. It is a 1,500-pound granite bench and plinth inscribed with quotes by O'Hair, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. 

 

27:24

We do not always have to see eye to eye in this country. We should listen to one another, and offer respect and kindness. Our different perspectives create a harmonious balance when we reflect on them respectfully. Let's try to remember the value of differing perspectives and respectful banter as our society continues to grow together. Let's listen a little more to each other.

 

27:52

Thank you for listening to this episode of Controversial Figures. Just a reminder, please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and comment for Controversial Figures in your favorite podcast app. We have a Twitter page @FiguresPodcast - so please follow us, give us recommendations of Controversial Figures you'd like to hear.

 

28:11

This podcast is an independent podcast created by Tammy Hawkins. This is funded by those that donate, so please join Controversial Figures on Patreon and give what you can - once I hit 50 Patreon subscribers, I'll send out swag to all donators! And I'll give shout outs during the show to anyone that's donated. Research references are available in the show notes as are musical references. Thank you so much for listening, thank you so much for your support. I know the world is crazy out there. Don't let it get you down. Be well.