Noreen Boyle Part 1
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This is Jessica Knoll, host of the new series Back in Crime. If you're a follower of true crime, you're probably familiar with some of the most shocking stories from our history. Horrific tragedies like the Columbine Massacre. He turned the gun straight at us and shot. Oh my God, the window went out. And the kid standing there with me, I think he got hit. Okay. Oh God. And notorious criminals like cult leader Charles Manson.

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Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics, including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

Today, I'm discussing the murder of Noreen Boyle. Around 3.30 a.m. on December 31st, 1989, 11-year-old Collier Landry was woken up by the sound of his parents, Noreen and Jack, talking loudly in his mother's bedroom. He heard a high-pitched scream from his three-year-old sister. A few minutes later, he heard a thud. Soon after, a louder thud.

He got out of bed and looked in Noreen's room, but it was pitch black. He was scared, so he went back to his room. A few minutes later, he heard Jack's footsteps coming down the hallway. He closed his eyes and didn't wake up until around 8.30 a.m. The first thing he did was run to his mother's room, but she wasn't there. Collier went downstairs and saw his father talking to his grandmother.

He asked where his mother was, and Jack responded, well, mommy took a little vacation, Collier. Collier didn't believe his father. He knew his mother would never leave him or his sister, and he dug for answers. Ultimately, at the age of just 11, Collier would be a huge part of getting her justice. This is the case of Noreen Boyle.

In 1962, Noreen Marie Schmidt met John Francis Jack Boyle at a drive-in restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Noreen was a 17-year-old high school student. Jack was a 19-year-old Navy man and a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. By 1968, they were married.

After high school, Noreen joined Jack at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied to become a dental hygienist. Later, Noreen worked so she could support Jack while he finished med school. Once he was licensed, Jack worked in a Navy clinic in Virginia. Pretty soon, the couple had their first son, Collier. Collier later told Forensic Files Now, quote,

A lot of people spoke about how devoted Noreen was to being a mother. One friend told the news journal, "...she was the most devoted mother I ever saw. I never saw anyone who was more involved with their children."

Another said, quote,

While Noreen was described as a devoted parent, the same could not be said for Jack. Collier told Esquire, "...he was hardly there growing up. My relationship with my mother was the only real relationship I knew. I was always with her. She was my best friend in a lot of ways, and I think it was reciprocal." Collier later told the Mansfield News Journal, "...he was a very violent guy. My mother and I were fearful of him."

In 1983, Noreen, Jack, and Collier moved to Mansfield, Ohio. Jack opened a practice where he worked as an osteopathic doctor. According to forensic files, one in every 13 residents of Richland County was a patient at Jack's clinic.

In 1989, the Boyles adopted a baby girl from Taiwan. She moved into the Boyle house in July. In my research, I found that she hasn't really opted into any of the media coverage, so out of respect for her privacy, I'm not going to name her here. But around the same time the baby was brought home, Collier saw something he wasn't supposed to. He saw his dad kissing a woman who was not Noreen. And she was wearing a diamond ring that looked just like Noreen's wedding ring.

Collier would later learn that this woman's name was Sherry. When Jack realized what Collier saw, he told him not to tell Noreen, saying it would only make her feel bad. He said men have to keep those kinds of things between themselves. Collier told his mom what happened the next day. Understandably, Noreen became very upset and confronted Jack.

But according to her friends, she wasn't mad about the affair. They say Noreen knew Jack often had affairs, sometimes with numerous women. She'd always been willing to gloss it over under one condition. He kept it away from the kids.

This was the breaking point for Noreen. On November 17th, after more than 21 years of marriage, she files for divorce. But she didn't just list the infidelity. She accused Jack of extreme mental cruelty and gross neglect. She wanted property and alimony, and she wanted John's adoption of their daughter to be declared invalid. When she told her friend about filing for divorce, she said, quote, "...I just hope I come out of this alive."

Jack filed a countersuit, denying Noreen's allegations and claiming it was Noreen who was guilty of cruelty and neglect. During the divorce proceedings, Jack and Noreen stayed in their Mansfield house and slept in separate bedrooms. Collier later testified that Jack blamed the divorce on Noreen, calling her greedy.

Meanwhile, Jack and his girlfriend Sherry started shopping around for houses about three hours away in Erie, Pennsylvania. Jack sent a letter to his patients, saying he was closing his Mansfield practice on December 31, 1989, to, quote, "...concentrate all of his medical practice in the area of occupational medicine slash disability medicine. His new practice would be in Erie."

On December 30th, Jack picked up his mother Christine and brought her to the Mansfield house for the holidays. She stayed in the guest room downstairs. At around 3.30am on December 31st, Collier woke up to the sound of his parents talking loudly in Noreen's bedroom. It was followed by a high-pitched scream from his little sister, then a thud, and soon after, a louder thud.

Collier later testified, quote, The immediate thought I had was something was wrong with my mother. I looked in my mother's room. It was pitch black in there, except I could see the red glow of her digital clock. Collier said he was petrified, so he went back to his room. A few minutes later, Collier heard Jack's footsteps coming down the hallway. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep until around 8.30 a.m. As soon as he was awake, Collier ran to his mother's room.

He noticed the covers were pulled back, like a body had been taken out.

He testified, quote, "'It's not the normal way my mother would get out of bed.' He went downstairs and saw his father talking to his grandmother. He asked where his mother was, and Jack responded, quote, "'Well, Mommy took a little vacation, Collier.'" Collier later testified that Jack told him conflicting stories about where his mother had gone. Quote, "'He said that a car passed and came in the driveway, and before he could turn around and put his glasses on, it was gone, and my mother was, too.'"

He told me that my mother had mental problems, and she was an alcoholic, and that she needed serious psychiatric help. He told me all sorts of things like that. He just said that she had walked out, threw credit cards in his face, and just left. Jack sat Collier down and explained, quote, "'We're not going to call the police. We're not going to call the FBI. We're not going to call anybody, because Mommy'll be back. I promise that.'"

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On the morning of January 1st, Jack left the Mansfield house and was gone all day. The kids stayed home with their grandmother, Christine. Once his father was gone, Collier told Noreen's friends that she was missing. Although Jack never reported his wife missing, luckily one of her friends did. At around 10.30am that day, Lt. Dave Messmore responded to the report and went to the Boyle home to investigate. Jack's mother told Messmore that she heard loud talking in the middle of the night.

When she woke up, she went downstairs and found Jack sleeping fully clothed on the couch. He said he and Noreen had gotten into another argument. She threw her credit cards at him and left out the back door. Collier told Messmore about the thumps he heard, and the reasons his father gave for his mother's absence. Collier was adamant that his mother would never leave home for any period of time without telling him where she was going. Messmore attempted to meet with Jack for an interview, but he refused.

Now obviously, Messmore didn't like this, so he told his supervisors about the situation. But at this point, they didn't have much on Jack, and they didn't want to take the risk of embarrassing a prominent doctor for no reason if his wife really just left him. So Messmore continued working on the case, and began looking into Jack's past.

He learned that Jack had recently been investigated for some pretty serious crimes in two other states. According to the Mansfield News Journal, Jack was the subject of child molestation complaints made in 1986, but no charges were ultimately filed. And that's not where it ends. Jack was also investigated for burglary.

The news journal reported that in or around 1987, Jack asked a private investigator to help track down a former girlfriend who was living somewhere in Florida. The PI turned down the job because an employee of his knew the woman and knew she'd been trying to get away from Jack after dating him for two years.

They'd broken up after she found out Jack had been lying to her about everything. His age, his Navy career, and his marital status. Messmore later spoke with other people who knew Jack, and found that he often lied about his time in the Navy. He told people conflicting stories. He was a medic in the Vietnam War, a flight surgeon for the Blue Angels, an F-14 fighter pilot who had more flight time than any other pilot.

Jack even said he was shot in the neck by an Iranian sniper during a hostage crisis. The list goes on and on. But Jack was ultimately able to track down his ex's home address. Later, when the investigator asked Jack how he found her, he said some friends in the intelligence division in the Navy gave him the info. In 1988, the ex-girlfriend called the police after Jack allegedly went into her home, broke in, and vandalized her belongings. According to the journal, quote, the

The report alleged Jack destroyed some of the woman's belongings and put her most expensive clothes in a bathtub and urinated on them. Florida detectives recommended charging Jack with burglary, but the DA declined, saying there just wasn't enough evidence to prove he was the perpetrator. On January 4th, the media reported on Noreen's disappearance for the first time. At this point, Messmore still wasn't able to interview Jack.

He'd only spoken to Jack's attorney, who explained that the Boyles had a disagreement in the early hours of December 31st. Noreen walked out of the house and got into a car waiting in the driveway. This was now Jack's official story.

The Journal reached out to Jack's attorney for a comment on why Jack wasn't assisting with the investigation. The attorney explained that he specifically told Jack not to talk to the police. He said, quote, I really don't see any need for him to make a statement, but he is fully cooperating with the investigation by having me relay information to the police department, and he has offered to assist. Now that Noreen's disappearance was in the media, rumors started to spread that Jack had killed Noreen.

Steve Hudak, a reporter at the Mansfield News Journal, later told the Richland source, quote, I heard chatter in the neighborhood, saying no one had seen Noreen, and she wasn't the type of person to leave her kids alone. There was an intense amount of interest and attention in the neighborhood. Everyone thought Boyle did it, and no one was going to see Noreen alive again.

One of Noreen's friends also began taking notes of her conversations with Jack. The day after Noreen was last seen alive, Jack called this friend and said he didn't know where Noreen was. She left him in a mess. Jack explained that Noreen handled all his finances, saying she was a sweet girl and that he loved her, but that she had been very different for the past six months. He

He explained that Noreen got mad at him around 3 or 4 in the morning on December 31st, and walked out into a car in the driveway. He hadn't seen her since. Jack called the friend back later to say that one of Noreen's suitcases was missing. He said, quote,

Jack called this friend again on January 10th and said he had good news. He had spoken with Collier's doctor's office and found out that a few days prior to her going missing, Noreen called and canceled Collier's next appointment. Jack said, quote, that means Noreen knew she would be going away for a while.

At first, Noreen's friend believed Jack's story, but then she found something that would directly conflict with what Jack was telling her. She went to Noreen's house to look for something, and ended up finding Noreen's passport. This is when she knew Jack was lying to her.

Now, this friend did report this information to authorities, and the tips just kept coming in. One friend said they asked Jack where Noreen was on January 1st. He suggested she was away on a shopping trip in Toronto. Another tip came in that Jack had rented a jackhammer before Noreen went missing. Messmore looked into it and confirmed that on December 29th, Jack did pick up a jackhammer and three hammer bits, two of which were for breaking up concrete or asphalt.

One of the biggest tips came from Collier. One day while Collier was waiting for his father in the car while he ran inside a gas station, he opened the glove box and found two pictures. One was the exterior of a house he'd never seen before in the snow. The other was Jack and his girlfriend Sherry. They were sitting in front of a fireplace that was wrapped in plastic. He figured the fireplace was new.

And I can't emphasize how brave Collier was for this next step. When he got to school, he called Messmore from the principal's office and told him about the pictures. When Messmore looked into it, he found that Jack had recently purchased a new home in Erie. So he pulled the paperwork for the house. When he looked closely at where Noreen was supposed to sign, her signature wasn't there. Instead, it was signed N. Sherry Boyle.

Messmore got in contact with the realtor, who said she sold the home to Jack Boyle and his wife Sherry. Messmore explained that Sherry was not Jack's wife, and his real wife Noreen was missing. He asked the realtor if she could recall anything suspicious Jack did or said while they worked together.

The realtor said the whole situation had been a little weird since the beginning. She met Sherry and Jack for the first time on November 11th, 1989. Jack introduced himself as Jack Boyle and said, this is my wife Sherry. She noticed that Sherry was visibly pregnant.

Jack said they were looking for a property with a lot of acreage and four to five bedrooms. She showed them a few homes before they settled on a lakefront property in Erie, Pennsylvania. One thing she found very odd was that Jack didn't want to negotiate the price at all. He only wanted to negotiate the move-out date for the former owners. He wanted them out by the first of the year. The realtor thought this was weird, but she fought for her client.

She was able to negotiate the early move-in date, and on November 13th, Jack and Sherry entered into a contract to purchase the new home. On December 30th, the realtor met with Jack and gave him the keys to the Erie house. He showed up in blue jeans and work boots, which she says is not his normal attire. But Jack explained that he, quote, had some work to do at the house. Jack also had some questions about the basement.

specifically what was under the floor. He said he wanted to make a playroom for the children and was hoping to lower the floor to make more room vertically. The realtor was confused. The ceilings were already 10 feet tall, which seemed like plenty of room for a playroom.

This was pretty much it for Messmore. He was sure that Noreen was deceased, and her body was likely under the basement of Jack's new home. On January 19th, nearly three weeks after Noreen was last seen, Messmore spoke to the Boyle's three-year-old daughter. They wanted to see if she had been a witness to her mother's murder, and this is absolutely heartbreaking. She was asked to reenact what she saw, if anything, on a doll. She ended up making a strangling and shaking motion on the doll's neck.

and said that Noreen closed her eyes and went limp. Jack then carried Noreen's body out of the bedroom. She said, Daddy put Mommy on the floor and wrapped her up like a snowman. Messmore then obtained a search warrant for the Erie home.

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On January 25th, authorities executed the search warrant on the Erie home. When officers entered the house, it was basically empty. Pretty much the only things that were moved into the house were in the basement. There, officers found shelving units and indoor/outdoor carpeting. When they looked closer, they saw that the ground under the carpeting was completely different from the rest of the floor. When they lifted the carpet, they found a new patch of concrete in the shape of a grave.

They carefully broke through the concrete, and two feet down, they found Noreen. She was wrapped in a tarp, with a plastic bag covering her head. Her watch had stopped working on December 31st. An autopsy later concluded Noreen died from suffocation due to a plastic bag covering her head. Prior to her death, she'd suffered a blunt force injury to the back of her head. At approximately 11 p.m. on January 25th, Jack was arrested by Mansfield Police.

Collier and his sister were taken away by Children's Services and placed in the temporary care of a family friend. Jack was charged with felony abuse of a corpse and aggravated murder. The prosecution asked for a record bond of $5 million, stating, "...we don't know how much money he has, but we know he's wealthy, and we don't want him running away from this." The judge agreed to the bond.

Before trial, Jack's attorneys would try multiple times to get the judge to lower the bond. Friends and patients of Jack even called and wrote cards and letters to the judge, begging him to lower the bond.

Some said Jack could stay at their houses if he was released on bail. Not only was Jack well-liked by his friends, family, and community, but many of his patients also wanted him released so he could continue his practice. One told the journal, quote, "'I'm right now sitting here with no doctor. "'When I'm sick now, I have to go to the emergency room. "'He treated you good, the same if you were rich or poor. "'I need him, and other people need him. "'He's the only doctor that ever helped me.'"

One patient even established a defense fund for Jack. She told the news journal, quote, I'm doing this for him. Whether he did it or not, he was always right with me. I'd call that man at two in the morning and he would always help me. He's a fantastic person and a fantastic physician.

The patient said she would even go visit Jack in jail. She asked him once about the allegations, and he maintained his innocence. The woman later told the journal, "...knowing him, when he says that, how can I not believe him? It doesn't make sense to me that either an intelligent, caring man like him could... I just can't believe he would do it. I mean, bury his wife's body in the basement? How dumb can someone be?"

While Mansfield residents argued over Jack's guilt, Messmore was still investigating. As it turns out, there were more forged documents. Prior to closing on the house, Jack told the mortgage company that his wife couldn't attend closing because she was very pregnant. The bank employee told Jack that he would need a power of attorney waiver allowing him to sign the paperwork for Noreen. The document was signed by N. Sherry Boyle and was notarized by Sherry's Uncle Mark.

Messmore was also able to put together a timeline of Jack's movements following Noreen's disappearance. Here's what he found. On the mornings of January 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, Jack traveled to the new house in Erie. He would spend the day there before returning to his home in Mansfield in the evening. On January 2nd, it's believed Jack purchased a concrete trowel, which is basically used to smooth and level wet concrete. He also buys five bags of concrete mix and masonry paint.

On the second or third, Jack is seen acting suspiciously at the home of Sherry's uncle Mark. When investigators went to search Mark's property, they found chunks of the original concrete from the basement scattered on his lawn and his gravel driveway. Mark told officers he had no idea why it was there or how it got there.

On January 2nd, the Jack Hammer was returned by Sherry's brother. When Jack returned home on the evening of January 3rd, he asked Collier to rub Bengay on him. When Collier asked why, Jack said he was sore from using heavy machinery. On January 4th, Jack purchased green indoor-outdoor carpeting, similar to the carpet found covering the concrete floor over Noreen's grave.

On January 8th, Jack purchased more carpeting and arranged for shelving to be built over the site where Noreen was buried. He wanted the shelving to be installed by the weekend. He was in a hurry. The installers later testified that Jack specifically told them to build the shelves on top of the carpet. When the installers put the shelves in, they noticed that the basement windows were left open in spite of the freezing temperatures. On January 12th, Sherry gave birth to her and Jack's child.

On January 24th, Jack went to the bank and tried to withdraw $10,000 from Noreen's account. He explained to the employee that his wife was missing. The employee said she couldn't take the money out without Noreen's consent. Jack accepted the answer, then spoke about how Jack thought Noreen was in Columbus with friends, or in the Bahamas. Jack left a long trail of evidence, and by the time Messmore was done investigating, he and the prosecutors were positive he'd be convicted of Noreen's murder.

Jack's trial began on June 4th, 1990. It lasted the entire month. It was basically a media circus. The news journal had multiple reporters attend every day of the trial. They would call in halfway through the day and relay details to the paper so they could print late morning editions with up-to-date details. One reporter said it was possibly the first and only time the journal had provided that level of coverage for a trial.

Of course, other newspapers, TV, and radio outlets from all over were also there to report on the trial. It was a huge case at the time. The Richland source reported, "...the courtroom was packed every day during the trial. A live video feed was set up in the lobby outside the courtroom, where an overflow crowd sat and watched and listened. The local TV station, WMFD, replayed the testimony in its entirety every evening."

According to the Richland source, Mansfield, quote, basically shut down every evening because everyone was home watching the trial. The prosecution told the jury that Jack was a womanizer with a horrible temper. The prosecution said, quote, We have a defendant here who was a womanizer, and he would engage in one affair after another. He would complete an affair, and he'd be into another one. Or he might have even had two going on at one time.

We have the victim in this case, Noreen Boyle, putting up with this situation. She tried her best to look the other way. I think what she thought was she was a doctor's wife. She liked the status of being a doctor's wife. It provided a good home for her and her children. And if Jack had a bad side, it was in fact that he was a womanizer, and she thought she could live with it.

The prosecutor continued, quote, Well, this went on and on until approximately the summer of 1989, and then something happened. That's when the straw broke the camel's back. During the summer of 1989, Sherry started to become open with Jack and her relationship. Collier told his mom about witnessing Sherry and Jack kissing. Noreen was furious over this. She didn't want her children to know their father was having an affair, so she filed for divorce.

The prosecution told the jury, quote, I'll tell you the reason Noreen Boyle is deceased today. Because she had the guts to tell this man, no, I'm not going to dismiss this divorce case. I've had enough of this bullcrap. The only way I can ever live a good life is to get away from you. You're ruining my son's life. You're bringing these women around my son. I've had enough. I'm not going to dismiss the divorce case. You're through.

I'll betcha she was the first person to say no to this man in 10 or 20 years. And you know what happened to her. She paid for it with her life. The prosecution told the jury there were two other possible motives for Noreen's murder. Jack would have to give Noreen half his money and assets upon their divorce, and he had a pregnant girlfriend he wanted to move to Erie with.

They said Jack planned Noreen's death for a long time. He was a cold, calculating killer. He decided he needed a vacant house in order to bury Noreen's body, so he bought a new house using fraudulent paperwork with Noreen's forged signature. He rented a jackhammer in advance and brought his mother to the house to watch the children. The prosecution told the jury that Jack killed Noreen in the early morning hours of December 31st.

He hit her on the back of the head, then suffocated her with a plastic bag. At some point, Jack put Noreen's body in the back of his car and drove to Erie. There, he used a jackhammer to dig up concrete in the basement. He dug a grave in the ground, put Noreen's body inside, then poured new concrete over top. When the concrete hardened, he covered the area with indoor-outdoor carpeting and hired installers to put a shelving unit in.

In an incredibly brave move, Collier took the stand against his own father. He was only 12 years old at the time. According to the Mansfield News Journal, Collier, quote, looked straight into the eyes of the jurors and described his father as a cruel-spirited man who lied to his wife and bullied his family. Collier told many stories about what it was like growing up with his father, who was rarely around.

The 12-year-old son of accused murderer Mansfield Dr. John Boyle finally took the stand. Will you tell us who you are? I'm Collier Landry Boyle. And then just to make you a little familiar with the courtroom, we have the microphones there. You can just speak up and walk right at the microphone. So you told us who you are. Could you tell us how old you are now? I am 12 years old. I'll just lean in there.

So first of all, why don't we take your mother. Can you tell us what you did with your mom? - Usually we like to go shopping together and just go out. We watch a lot of movies and we go to the grocery store together and rent movies and stuff like that. But we just have a lot of fun. We go all kinds of different places.

Okay, now also drawing your attention here to your father, Dr. John Boyle. Did he spend time with you? Not very much at all. But compared to the time you spent with your mom, would you say you spent maybe how much percent with your dad and how much percent with your mother? 99% with my mother and 1% with my father. I was sitting in the computer and he was watching a movie.

And I didn't want his movie to be interrupted. The speaker plug was pulled out so it wouldn't be too loud. And he came in and he says, "Why aren't the speakers working?" And I said, "Well, I didn't even have any time to explain." He says, "Move out of the way." And he pushed me out of the computer chair and shoved me to the floor. And then he sat down in the chair and shoved the plug into my face and then shoved it in the back of the computer.

And then next he just started ripping off all the computer games and throwing them at my head and at my shoulders and at my back and everything. Throwing them at me and I dodged most of them and I hit the door and chipped off the paint. Then he started making me call myself a stupid little fat boy. Making me run around all over the house.

He would say, "What are you?" And I'd say, "A stupid little fat boy." He says, "What are you?" And I said, "A stupid little fat boy." And he'd say even louder, he says, "What are you?" And I said, "A stupid little fat boy."

Collier also told another story, this one about a time when Jack got very angry after Collier simply said Penn State, a college rival of Jack's alma mater. The next day, Collier was coming upstairs when he heard his father cursing at Noreen, calling her a bitch. Collier said Jack made Noreen bow and beg for forgiveness, just because Collier had said Penn State.

While on the stand, Collier testified about what he heard in the early morning hours of December 31st. You said you went to bed about 9 o'clock on December 30th. Did anything happen during the course of that night that woke you up? I awoke at around 3 to 3.15 a.m. How do you know it was that time? Because as I awoke, I looked at the clock and it said it was between 3 and 3.15 a.m. Okay, now...

You woke at that time. Is there any reason why you woke up rather than just stay there and sleep? Because I heard a scream coming from my sister. The immediate thought I had was something was wrong with my mother. And now a little while later, maybe about three minutes, maybe, I heard a thud. Okay, could you describe this sound for us? Okay. It was about this loud. Thud.

And then about a minute and a half later, I heard, or I mean half a minute later, I heard a said like this even louder. And at that time, I was petrified. I mean, I was just scared. All right. Now, did you get up at that time to investigate what had happened? No, I did not. And could you tell the jury why you didn't? Because I was extremely afraid of my father, and I always have.

Okay, now, did there come a time that you got up next morning and looked for your mother? Yes, it was around 8.30 in the morning, and I got up and I ran immediately to my mother's room, and I noticed the covers were pulled back like a body had been taken out. It's not the normal way my mother would get out of bed. And so I went downstairs, and I said, where's my mother? To my father, and he said, well, Mommy took a little vacation, Collier. And then I just...

I didn't know what to say. I just panicked. And so I said, and he said, she'll be back in a few days. And then she just left. When was the last time you spoke with your mother? It was around the night of December 30th. Right before you went to bed? Yes. And that was the last time you really saw your mother, is that correct? Yes.

Many people were impressed with Collier's testimony. Judge James Henson later said, quote, he stood up to examination very well, with a plum even. As well as any witness could be expected to hold up, he's a very intelligent young boy.

The prosecution said, quote, for a 12-year-old child, he was put in the most difficult position a child could find himself or herself in, testifying against his father in an aggravated murder case where the victim is his mother. That would be an extremely difficult position to put an adult in, let alone a child.

In 2020, in a small California mountain town, five women disappeared. I found out what happened to all of them, except one. A woman known as Dia, whose estate is worth millions of dollars. I'm Lucy Sheriff. Over the past four years, I've spoken with Dia's family and friends, and I've discovered that everyone has a different version of events.

Hear the story on Where's Dear? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Following Collier's testimony, Jack spoke with reporters for the first time since he'd been arrested. He said Collier's testimony hurt him. He told the journal, quote, "'He's my son. I love him. But it's particularly difficult to sit back and listen to things. And him say, we never did this, we never did that, when I know in fact we did.'"

I think he's being bombarded from a lot of sources, which would make him very tentative in some things. You know, his mommy's dead, his daddy's in jail. We have no immediate family in the area. It becomes difficult, I think, for a little guy like that to cope with it. I think he's just subjected to a lot of forces. Some good, I think. Some bad.

When it came time for the defense to present their case, they told the jury that Jack was innocent of all charges against him. The state did not have sufficient evidence to prove he was the killer. They focused on explaining away the prosecution's evidence. They said the most damning things investigators could say about Jack was that he never gave them a statement, and he never filed a missing persons report. The defense told the jury that Jack didn't have to talk to investigators.

And a report had already been filed by Noreen's friend, so why should he file one too? They argued that the forged power of attorney paperwork Jack used to buy the home in Erie didn't prove he was a murderer. They said it wasn't suspicious that Jack and Sherry looked for houses together. Plenty of people move in together prior to a divorce being finalized. Noreen knew about the house in Erie, so why would Jack need to kill her in order to live his new life?

They continued to explain that Jack wanted to obtain ownership of the house on January 1st because he was starting contractual obligations with a new hospital that day. Also, Sherry was due mid-January. They needed to get the house ready. As far as Collier's testimony goes, they simply told the jury to consider that Collier is, quote, a

a survivor of a devoted mother-son relationship, and that's been testified to many times in this case. Consider how his thoughts might be slanted just a little bit against a person he is convinced destroyed that mother-son relationship. Jack took the stand in his own defense, despite his attorneys telling him it wasn't a good idea. For the record, for the benefit of the jurors, would you state your full name, please? John Francis Boyle, Jr. Did you have occasion to see, talk to Noreen

early morning of December 31st of 1989? Yes, I was on the sofa in the family room, and Noreen came down and woke me up. She started hollering, Jack, Jack, Jack, and threw credit cards at me. Did she leave the house then? Yes, she did. So I walked down the driveway. I ran back to the...

table that sits there in the family room, put my glasses on and ran back again to see where she was going. What did you see? By the time I got there, I saw Noreen get into a car at the edge of the driveway. Left in that car? Left in that car. Did you honor about December 31st of 1989 caused the death of Noreen Boyle?

No, I did not. I did not kill Noreen. I never harmed her at all. I did not hire anyone or ask or counsel or incite or anything else like that to take the life of Noreen Boyle.

Jack spent a lot of time trying to explain away most of the state's evidence against him. For example, Jack said he rented the jackhammer for two reasons. Sherry's uncle Mark was going to use it to break up some frozen ground at an office property December 30th. The following day, Jack and Mark planned to use the jackhammer to break up some ice behind the Mansfield home. He was scared Noreen or the children would slip and fall.

Jack testified that he never ended up using the jackhammer. It sat on the floor of his garage because Mark was too sick to help him. He said he had no knowledge of the concrete mix or the tools the prosecution said he purchased. Jack also said this wasn't the first time Noreen had left. He called it Noreen's Disappearing Act.

Jack told the jury that he went to his Erie home on January 1st. It was the first time he'd set foot in the place since obtaining the keys. When he arrived, the service door was unlocked. He thought maybe the place had been robbed, so he walked around the house to see if anything was missing. Nothing was, so he figured the movers had left the door unlocked. He never filed a police report.

He said when he installed the carpet on January 8th, there was no depression in the floor. To Jack, that meant whoever killed Noreen hadn't buried her in the basement yet. He believed whoever did this buried her in the basement between January 16th and the 25th. He suggested he was being set up for the murder.

He said someone else murdered her in Mansfield, broke into the Erie home, tore out the basement carpeting and shelves, broke the basement floor using the jackhammer Dr. Boyle rented, dug the grave, buried Noreen, cemented over the hole, replaced the carpet and shelving, and removed the debris, placing it at the home of Sherry's uncle.

Jack's attorney asked Jack about Collier's testimony. Jack said Collier was mistaken about what thumps he heard. He said, quote, On cross-examination, prosecutors brought up statements Jack gave to reporters in regards to Collier's testimony. They asked, quote,

Have you seen anything in this case that a 12-year-old person would enjoy knowing his father is in jail right now, waiting for a decision, and his mother was brutally murdered? Jack responded, quote, I think it's common for young children to sometimes enjoy a spotlight with all the notoriety that's been brought. He's receiving a lot of attention.

The prosecutor also asked Jack why he didn't try to find his wife. He responded that he made three calls to try to locate her, but after he spoke with an attorney, he was advised to not get too involved. On June 29th, after deliberating for six hours, the jury came back with their verdict. We, the jury in this case, find the defendant, John F. Boyle Jr., guilty of the offense as charged in the indictment.

The judge said he would tolerate no outbursts in the courtroom, but they cheered in the hallway when Dr. John Boyle was found guilty of killing his wife, Noreen. Jack's attorneys told the news journal they weren't surprised by the verdict. The state had a wealth of circumstantial evidence. One of the attorneys later told the news journal that Jack was a difficult client. He said Jack, quote, was always right. There was only so much he would allow me to do. I had to pick things up as I went through the trial.

Jack told his attorneys he would not take a plea deal. He maintained his innocence, always saying Noreen got into a car at the end of the driveway. Jack was sentenced to one and a half years for abuse of a corpse, and life with a minimum of 20 years served for murder.

Many of Noreen's friends had mixed emotions about Jack's verdict. While they were glad Noreen had justice, they were overwhelmed with sadness for her children, who were now growing up without their parents. The news journal reported that, quote, the overwhelming consensus of those polled was that justice was served. However, some of Boyle's former patients said that they still believe the doctor is innocent.

The patient who started the defense fund for Jack said, quote, I think he's still innocent. I don't think he killed her. I can't accept any of this. I can't accept this trial in this town. She said he didn't receive a fair trial because of pre-trial publicity. Sherry also believed in Jack's innocence. She continued to visit him in jail twice a month, often bringing the baby.

She was never charged with any crimes in relation to Noreen's murder. Many people have questioned if she helped Jack at any point. She has always maintained her innocence. She told investigators that all she knew was that Jack called her around 10 a.m. on December 31st. She said Jack told her Noreen got into a small car and left. That's all they talked about.

Following the trial, Jack motioned for a new trial based on new evidence. Part of the evidence was a six-page letter Jack's brother Charles wrote to the judge. According to the news journal, the letter contained, quote, numerous new and startling allegations, none of which have been proven. The allegations included, quote,

Assertions that Noreen helped run a baby adoption scam with another woman involving the transportation of female children from Taiwan and a 24-karat gold jewelry scheme to illegally export assets from Taiwan for conversion to cash and deposits into U.S. banks. Charles claimed that Noreen called him on January 2nd. He said he told Jack's attorneys about the call, but they didn't have him testify. Jack's attorneys deny having this knowledge.

Months later, a hearing was held to determine if Jack's new evidence was enough to order a new trial. During the hearing, Charles testified that Noreen called him on the phone on January 2nd to basically say happy holidays. Charles testified that he told Noreen the family was worried. She then explained to him that she left in the early morning hours of December 31st because she was upset over Jack's plans to move to Erie.

He says Noreen told him that she was in Cleveland to take care of some business and that she would call him later in the day. That was the last time they spoke. Charles said he doesn't believe the body found in the basement was Noreen's and later told the news journal that he believes she's still alive. It was ruled that Jack would not receive a new trial. In addition, the court made a statement that they felt it was clear that it was Noreen's body who was found in the basement.

Now, this is the early 90s, so DNA testing is still pretty new. They use dental records to identify noreen.

According to court records, the coroner said the, quote, dental records of the 25 teeth he examined from the body matched those of Noreen Boyle perfectly, and these matches conclusively established the identity of the deceased. The location of the body in the Erie home, the lack of evidence of forced entry, and the identification of a Rolex watch recovered from the body as belonging to Noreen Boyle were additional identifying factors.

But Jack kept trying to prove that he was innocent. In 1984, an Akron newspaper published an article stating that the body found in the basement might not be Noreen's. They basically just repeated the claims that Charles made, and hinted that Noreen could have switched her dental records when she was working as a dental hygienist. Messmore told the news journal, "...he's a convicted murderer, and he's where he belongs. Now he's not doing anything but hurting the family and the children."

One of the prosecutors said, quote, "...everything Jack Boyle or his lawyer does has no factual basis or evidence. As long as Jack is alive and he has a lawyer who will listen to him, he will always introduce some theory or someone to blame this on other than himself." Ultimately, in 1995, Noreen's body was exhumed. Two separate sets of forensic specialists independently concluded that the body was Noreen's.

Over the years, Jack has continued trying to prove his innocence, but all of his appeals have been unsuccessful. Jack became eligible for parole in December 2010. He was denied. Jack's next parole hearing isn't until August 2025. He'll be 82.

Today, Collier goes by the name Collier Landry. He's been very open about his journey following his mother's murder. He told Forensic Files Now about what happened after the trial. "...my entire family abandoned me. My father's side didn't want anything to do with me, and my mother's side didn't either because I look like my father." Collier and his sister were separated. Collier ultimately entered the foster care system.

In less than a year, he was adopted by a local family, who ended up treating him really well. Collier told the Mansfield Journal that they provided him with a loving, stable home when he needed it, for that he will always be grateful. Noreen always encouraged Collier to express himself, especially through arts. So, when he became an adult, he moved to Los Angeles, where he currently works as a cinematographer and director.

In 2017, Collier released a documentary entitled A Murder in Mansfield, which I highly recommend watching. He's described the experience as being really cathartic. During the making of the documentary, Collier spoke with his father and asked why he did it. Jack says he killed Noreen by accident. He said he and Noreen were arguing and she attacked him with a knife. He pushed her and she fell, hitting her head on a wooden table. He tried to perform CPR, but it was too late.

So he, quote, put the plastic bag over her head because I was afraid to look at her. Scared to look at her. Collier doesn't believe his father's story, but he told me that he believes his father believes it, and he's satisfied with his answers about what happened to his mother.

In 2021, Collier started a podcast called Moving Past Murder. He told Forensic Files Now, quote,

That's why I wanted to tell you Noreen's story today. I met Collier earlier this year, and he's still sharing his mother's story, honoring her memory, and he discusses some really important issues like domestic violence and narcissistic abuse. He truly wants Noreen's legacy to live on, and that's something I can understand.

So of course, I invited him on the show to discuss the case. This is already a pretty long episode, so you can find that in part 2, available right now. We discuss what it was like for him to take back control of the narrative by creating his documentary, A Murder in Mansfield, his latest interview with the judge in his mother's case, letters he's gotten from his father in prison, and so much more. So please take a moment to listen to that episode as well.

But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time. Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. This episode contains writing and research assistance by Haley Gray. Of course, I have to give a special shout out to Collier Landry for providing me clips of the trial and just being extremely open. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show on your podcast player. It's an

It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice. And for even more content, check out my other podcast, Disappearances, only on Spotify.