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Mary-Lou Arruda, a cheerleader from Raynham, Massachusetts, went missing on September 8, 1978, two days after her fifteenth birthday while cycling outside. Her bicycle was found that same day not far from her house. Arruda's disappearance triggered a massive search for the teen, whose decomposing body was discovered about nine weeks later in the Freetown State Forest. It was determined that she died of asphyxia.
Investigators got a crucial lead based on multiple witness statements and started looking into James Kater. He worked at a local donut store and had previously been convicted in an identical abduction and attempted murder case.
After circumstantial evidence was used to link Kater to the crime, he was arrested and produced in court and was convicted after multiple legal complications and retrials.
Killer Cheer on ID is slated to revisit Mary-Lou Arruda's decades-old murder in an episode titled Monster in Our Midst. The synopsis for the all-new episode says:
"The townspeople of Raynham, Mass., fear the worst when a local girl's bike turns up at the edge of a forest, but a manhunt exposes a truth that is every mother's worst nightmare."
The upcoming episode will air on the channel on Monday, April 17, at 10 pm ET.
Mary-Lou Arruda's decomposing body was found tied to a tree weeks after her disappearance in Raynham
Mary-Lou Arruda, who recently turned 15 was riding her bicycle in Raynham on September 8, 1978, at around 4 pm when she was abducted. While her bicycle was found the same day, at around 4:30 pm by the side of the road near her house, the teen was nowhere to be seen. Investigators also found a tire mark along with Benson & Hedges cigarette butts near where Mary-Lou’s bicycle was found.
After Arruda was reported missing, police and search parties began a massive search for the teenager, combing all nearby areas. The search continued for more than two months until on November 11, the missing 15-year-old's body was found in the Freetown State Forest. Her badly decomposed body was tied to a tree and an autopsy determined that she died of asphyxia.
Medical examiners determined that Arruda was still alive when she was tied to the tree, and only later suffocated and died. They concluded that she was murdered the same day she went missing.
The investigation into the killing took off in full force after multiple witnesses came forward reporting seeing a bright green car with a black racing stripe in the area. Police were also able to obtain a driver's description from the witnesses. Based on these statements, they began closing in on James Kater, who worked at a local donut store and owned an identical bright green 1976 Opel with a black stripe.
Suspicions surrounding Kater's involvement intensified due to his previous conviction in a similar case. He was involved in the abduction and attempted murder case of a 13-year-old girl riding her bicycle, who was later tied to a tree in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1968. Kater even served time in prison after pleading guilty to the crime.
How was James Kater linked to Mary-Lou Arruda's disappearance and murder?
James Kater was linked to Mary-Lou Arruda's murder by using circumstantial evidence. This included how he had had his car washed twice on the day she disappeared, and the discovery of Benson & Hedges cigarettes in his car. The cigarettes matched the butts found near the victim's abandoned bike on the day of the abduction.
Authorities also found a mark on Kater’s car, which they believed was caused by the man ramming into the teen’s bicycle. The most convincing piece of evidence was the unusual tire impression found near the abandoned cycle, which was an exact match to the ones made by his car’s tires. Kater was then arrested and charged with Arruda's murder.
Reports state that James Kater pleaded not guilty to the charges and at his trial, even acknowledged his involvement in the 1968 case, but maintained his innocence in Arruda's killing. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 1979 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court soon overturned this verdict.
The re-trials that followed resulted in two other convictions in 1978 and 1986, respectively. Both of these were once again reversed on appeal due to witness testimony given under hypnosis.
After a mistrial in 1992, Kater was eventually convicted in 1996 and handed a life sentence, finally bringing Mary-Lou Arruda's case to a close. He recently died while serving time in prison.
ID's Killer Cheer will further delve into the details of Mary-Lou Arruda's case this Monday, at 10 pm ET.
