The Killings at Glensheen

On June 27, 1977, an intruder entered Glensheen,
the stately manor built along the Lake Superior shore by Chester Congdon, patriarch of one of the most generous and respected families in Duluth, Minnesota. Before leaving with a basketful of stolen jewelry, the intruder used a satin pillow to smother Chester’s last surviving daughter,
Elisabeth Congdon, after killing the heiress’s valiant nurse with a candlestick—crimes set in motion by a hand-written will penned just days before the murders.

Inside, the story of the crimes and trials surrounding Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen, Elisabeth Congdon’s notorious adopted daughter, is brought to light by former Duluth Police Detective Gary Waller and St. Louis County Prosecutor John DeSanto, the men who investigated and prosecuted Marjorie and her husband, Roger Caldwell

Together with former Duluth News-Tribune crime reporter Gail Feichtinger, Waller and DeSanto bring readers behind the scenes of the Minnesota’s most infamous double murder. They frankly discuss their successes and failures in order to explain just how a man who claimed innocence was convicted of two counts of murder and later confessed to the crimes—only to be set free. Feichtinger then reaches beyond the Glensheen killings to follow Marjorie through her convictions for arson and presents evidence (including new DNA evidence) that suggests she may have gotten away with murder—five times.

Praise for Will to Murder

“The most informed account yet of the chilling details, bizarre twists,
and lingering mysteries surrounding the murders Minnesota can’t forget.”
— Larry Oakes, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Fascinating, well-written, and gripping, Will to Murder gets you hooked like a good crime novel, takes you for a ride and leaves you wanting more. Finally, the definitive book, the story behind the story of the Congdon-Pietila murders.”
— Candace Renalls, Duluth News-Tribune

“[Will to Murder] contains a wealth of known and new information, but keeps one
turning the pages in much the same way as a well-plotted mystery.”
— Hugh Bishop, Lake Superior Magazine

“The definitive work on the [Congdon-Pietila murders]...the authors provide an inside story that has
never been heard before... riveting... compelling... Will to Murder covers all the bases.”
— Kyle Eller, Duluth Budgeteer“

[Will to Murder is the] ideal read for those non-native Minnesotans who may not know what went on, or for those who simply cannot get enough of the family Congdon and the travails that ultimately left two people dead.… The book sizzles.”
— Minnesota Law & Politics

“More detail and depth than any previous account.”
— Minnesota Monthly

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