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Crime Junkie (MURDERED: Donna Winger)

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message 1: by Kailee (new)

Kailee Tetrault | 28 comments Whats the significance of sharing this story 20 years after it occurred?


message 2: by Gabriella (new)

Gabriella Modica | 27 comments The significance of sharing this story so much later after the case ended was because of the process of making the arrest, and using it as a lesson. Mark had been the killer the whole time, but the original police reports proved Ralph as the killer. After having doubts about the case a certain lawyer had went back to the case and with the help of Donna's best friend, they had figured out who had actually killed Donna and Ralph. Due to an affair and a man who had very bad anger issues, the husband had killed both of them and it had been proven through the 911 call and other specific evidence Mark had accidentally planted incriminating himself. So the importance of sharing this story so much later was because of the way the cops figured out the true events so many years later. You need to never stop searching and trying to fix something if it feels wrong, especially in such a severe scenerio, which is exactly what the people involved in solving this case did.


message 3: by Vincent (new)

Vincent Ziccardi | 23 comments This story was released 20 years later because the evidence that the detectives were gathering to prove Ralph as the killer had taken many ears to gather. Due to the complexity of the situation and having to closely analyze certain data such as the 911 call to pin Ralph as the killer this took a lot of time. They still wanted to raise awareness for the situation as a whole, which is domestic violence and mental illness awareness. But in order to to this safely and with the correct information the story is being told 20 years later to be sure the information is correct.


message 4: by Kailee (new)

Kailee Tetrault | 28 comments This story is significant because detective Williamson was right all along; Ralph was not the murderer. Williamson had a gut feeling that "something didn't sit right with him" but he was overlooked as a new detective. If it weren't for him relentlessly researching the case of Donna Winger she would never have gotten the justice she deserved.


message 5: by Kailee (new)

Kailee Tetrault | 28 comments Gabriella wrote: "The significance of sharing this story so much later after the case ended was because of the process of making the arrest, and using it as a lesson. Mark had been the killer the whole time, but the..."

I agree the story of Donna Winger provides a very good lesson. Doug Williamson was underestimated but he never gave up, turning the whole case around. He proved the endless hours of work were worth while. He pieced together evidence that was overlooked eventually concluding Mark Winger (Donna's husband) as the murder. This is significant if it weren't for his determination the case would have been closed many years before. It also brings awareness that you can't truly trust anyone. Mark was "someone everyone in Springfield knew as a good guy" but in the end he was the cause of this unfortunate series of events.


message 6: by Gabriella (new)

Gabriella Modica | 27 comments Kailee wrote: "This story is significant because detective Williamson was right all along; Ralph was not the murderer. Williamson had a gut feeling that "something didn't sit right with him" but he was overlooked..."

To continue off of what Kailee has said, i think that this episode being released 20 years after the event is so important because it really shines light on the severity of having sufficient evidence. The murder was originally pinned on the wrong guy. If it wasn't for the heroic skills of the lead detective, they would have never gotten the right guy. No matter how long it took to get the right guy, what matters is that they got the evidence, and was able to arrest Mark as the killer instead of Ralph.


message 7: by Emily (new)

Emily Scheibly | 29 comments The significance of sharing Donna's story 20 years later is because there is so many important messages that you can learn from the story. For example, it brings in the idea that you can't trust everyone and need to look at very perspective. They believed Mark when he put up a mask and said he wasn't the murder. They didn't even think twice about it even though they did find some things off about the murder case. It helps you relieze that people aren't always who you think they are and that you always need to look into every aspect. Another lesson you learn is that always trust your instincts even if people don't agree with you. The detective Williamson knew that something was up with Mark and had a gut feeling that he did it but the other detectives felt he was wrong so he was persuaded by them and just dropped what he thought was right. It was important for them to keep looking at the evidence.


message 8: by Emily (new)

Emily Scheibly | 29 comments Vincent wrote: "This story was released 20 years later because the evidence that the detectives were gathering to prove Ralph as the killer had taken many ears to gather. Due to the complexity of the situation and..."

I agree that it is significant that they wanted to raise awareness later even though the case happened twenty years ago. It helps Donna get the justice that she deserves and it helps put a guilty man in jail. It promotes abuse via husband as well and might encourage women to speak up and get help if they are in a similar situation.


message 9: by Emily (new)

Emily Scheibly | 29 comments Gabriella wrote: "The significance of sharing this story so much later after the case ended was because of the process of making the arrest, and using it as a lesson. Mark had been the killer the whole time, but the..."

This also helps you relieze that you can't overlook anyone because have one has secrets they are hiding. The detectives believed Mark and didn't relieze that behind close doors he had anger issues and that Donna had a affair. This would have made Mark seem very guilty because finding out that your wife cheated on you isn't something you act subtle about especially if you have anger issues.


message 10: by Reid (new)

Reid Paoli | 24 comments The significance of telling this story 20 years after is to show how no case goes unsolved. Even though Ralph was made out as a murder it was really Marc. Marc was seen out to be a good guy but he was really the murderer. Also the reason they tell this is to show even though some peoples lives look like sunshine and rainbows, but there is always something happening in the background. Like the affair that Marc was having. This story also shows that police do indeed make mistakes.


message 11: by Reid (new)

Reid Paoli | 24 comments Kailee wrote: "This story is significant because detective Williamson was right all along; Ralph was not the murderer. Williamson had a gut feeling that "something didn't sit right with him" but he was overlooked..."
what you said is very true, if the detective didn't have that gut feeling this case would be done wrong. The family of Donna Wangler would be done wring and not get the right closure.


message 12: by Reid (new)

Reid Paoli | 24 comments Emily wrote: "The significance of sharing Donna's story 20 years later is because there is so many important messages that you can learn from the story. For example, it brings in the idea that you can't trust ev..."
I completely agree! Especially with the part where you don't really know a person and what actions they would take. Marc seemed like a very nice guy and he would never wrong his family in any ways but he did. he was seen as a pretty stand up guy nut he did a action that no one would think of him doing.


message 13: by Jake (new)

Jake Pace (jakepace) | 20 comments Mod
The significance of sharing donnas story 20 years later is that it can help teach and prevent similar things from happening now. It teaches you that you cannot trust everyone and how you always need to be alert for suspicious activity. It teaches that we need to help women who get caught in these situations and help prevent them. It also helps to teach to trust your instincts and that some people are not who you may think they are.


message 14: by Jake (new)

Jake Pace (jakepace) | 20 comments Mod
Reid wrote: "The significance of telling this story 20 years after is to show how no case goes unsolved. Even though Ralph was made out as a murder it was really Marc. Marc was seen out to be a good guy but he ..."

I agree. It also is used to help teach and raise awareness to the problems like this that happen currently as well. Hopefully it will help prevent and stop crimes like this from happening in the world today and in the future.


message 15: by Vincent (new)

Vincent Ziccardi | 23 comments Kailee wrote: "This story is significant because detective Williamson was right all along; Ralph was not the murderer. Williamson had a gut feeling that "something didn't sit right with him" but he was overlooked..."
I agree and I think it was significant that they shared it because they wanted people to learn from the story and not forget about it. It took 20 years to be successful but that doesn't make what happened any less important and people can still learn from it.


message 16: by Vincent (new)

Vincent Ziccardi | 23 comments Jake wrote: "The significance of sharing donnas story 20 years later is that it can help teach and prevent similar things from happening now. It teaches you that you cannot trust everyone and how you always nee..."
I agree and by not sharing the story, despite it being 20 years old, a chance to teach these lessons is missed. Domestic violence is still a a problem today and we can learn from this situation. This story also shows us good can win in the end and even if takes 20 years the true criminal can still get sent to prison.


message 17: by Jessica (new)

Jessica Burke | 24 comments The fact this story was shared 20 years later proves nothing major has changed. The crime explained in this episode are the same crimes that happen today- its timeless. It did not matter that they waited 20 years to release this information because it is still relevant even today. Not to mention they were able to confirm every aspect after 20 years of gathering evidence to defend it.


message 18: by Lili (new)

Lili Marcus | 38 comments The importance of sharing this story 20 years later is to spread awareness of domestic violence. A strange man attacked and killed Donna in her own home with a hammer. Her husband, Mark, who shot the guy twice, tells the story about this man named Roger who stalked his wife and killed her to the police. The weirdest thing about this case is that Roger's family continued to say that he was innocent. We later find out that Mark, her husband, was the killer.


message 19: by Lili (new)

Lili Marcus | 38 comments Kailee wrote: "Gabriella wrote: "The significance of sharing this story so much later after the case ended was because of the process of making the arrest, and using it as a lesson. Mark had been the killer the w..."

I agree, this podcast definitely teaches a lot of people that not everyone is what they seem. This "nice guy", killed his wife over an affair and covered it all up. This detective and many others proved that there was a deeper truth in this case.


message 20: by Lili (new)

Lili Marcus | 38 comments Emily wrote: "Vincent wrote: "This story was released 20 years later because the evidence that the detectives were gathering to prove Ralph as the killer had taken many ears to gather. Due to the complexity of t..."
I agree! Sharing and solving this case brings justice to Donna. This shows that "no good deed goes unpunished" no matter how long it takes to serve justice. This case teaches people that you will not get away with serious crimes and brings awareness about domestic homicide.


message 21: by Jessica (last edited May 23, 2021 09:06PM) (new)

Jessica Burke | 24 comments Gabriella wrote: "Kailee wrote: "This story is significant because detective Williamson was right all along; Ralph was not the murderer. Williamson had a gut feeling that "something didn't sit right with him" but he..."

Yes! The story's message that you will never truly know someone's intent is so scary and real. Like you said , one detective had a gut feeling about mark being guilty while the others felt he was not. It goes to show intuition is a big part of uncovering crimes more than you would think. His dedication paid off 20 years later when it the truth was finally released and uncovered but I suppose the takeaway is that you never really will know what goes on inside someone's head which makes these crime stories all the more real and frightening.


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