Jess Willard

The Murder of a Preacher Jess Willard

An anthology of true crime headlined by Benny Evangelist. More than eighty years after one of the most brutal homicides in the history of the city of Detroit, the crime continues to puzzle investigators. The night of July 3, 1929, Benny Evangelist and his wife, Santina, were slain in their home, located near the corner of St. Aubin and Mack. Their four children - 18 month old Mario, seven year old Angelina, five year old Margaret, and four year old Jeanne - had been killed, as well. It appeared that the murders had been committed by someone wielding an axe - in the master bedroom, Santina's head had been severed and Mario was found with his skull crushed. In the bedroom on the other side of the narrow hallway, the other children had been murdered in their own beds.