3 things to know about The Circleville Letters

The notorious Circleville letters caused shockwaves across Ohio in the late '70s. An anonymous writer sent poison pen letters to various residents in Circleville, threatening to expose unpleasant secrets about their personal lives.

CBS' upcoming 48 Hours episode, set to air on Saturday, August 6, 2022, at 10:00 PM ET, will take a deeper look at the case and the events that led to the arrest of a man named Paul Freshour. With that said, here are three things about the Circleville letters that you should check out ahead of Saturday's new episode.

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CBS 48 Hours: 3 things about the Circleville letters you need to know

1) Mary Gillespie - One of the main targets

One of the main targets among the residents was a school bus driver named Mary Gillespie. She received a letter wherein the writer accused her of having an affair with a school superintendent named Gordon Massie. The writer also sent a letter to her husband, Ronald, revealing her alleged affair. Ronald was later killed in a car accident after he left home after receiving an anonymous phone call.

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2) Mary discovers a sign and a gun

On February 7, 1983, on her way to pick up her kids, Mary found a vulgar sign about her teenage daughter on a fence. She inspected the sign and discovered it was attached to a box, which she took home only to find that it had a loaded gun inside. Subsequently, the police began looking into the case and came up with shocking revelations.

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3) Paul Freshour's arrest and conviction

Authorities traced the gun to Mary's brother-in-law Paul Freshour. Freshour denied any involvement and claimed his gun was stolen a few weeks ago. But in a shocking turn of events, his estranged wife told police that she suspected he was the man behind the notorious poison pen letters. He was subsequently arrested and tried for attempted murder.

During the ensuing trial that began in 1983, no solid evidence that connected Freshour to the murder was presented in court, per CBS News. Moreover, he had an alibi for the afternoon when the alleged culprit would have placed the sign on the fence. Throughout this period, investigators strongly believed he was the culprit behind the Circleville letters, but he was never charged with writing those letters. Despite this, according to CBS News, the judge considered several letters at the trial.

In a major development, handwriting experts found similarities between Freshour's handwriting and that of the letters', which eventually led to his conviction. He received a maximum sentence of 7-25 years for attempted murder.

The letters continued to arrive throughout Paul Freshour's time in prison and stopped only around the time he got out of jail in 1994, 10 years after his conviction. To this day, people continue to debate whether Freshour was the actual culprit. He maintained his innocence throughout his life. In June 2012, Paul Freshour died following a heart attack.

You can watch the upcoming episode on Circleville letters on CBS 48 Hours on Saturday, August 6, 2022.