If you've been bingeing content on Netflix I have been, you might have come across a miniseries title "Alias Grace." This miniseries is based on Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name. Atwood's novel, A Handmaid's Tale, has been a fairly recent hit on Hulu. Sadly, I have not been able to watch A Handmaid's Tale because let's be real... it's too real; also who pays for Hulu Plus? However, I did read the book a few years ago and loved it. It's a great science fiction novel and a fairly quick read.
Alias Grace on the other hand, is a bit of a different story. Like the murder case itself, Alias Grace is anything but straightforward. Don't get me wrong, it's a great read and I loved every minute of it. It's just taking me awhile to get through due to the "thinkyness" of the prose.
Anyway, you're not here for a review. You're here for the murder.
On July 28th, 1843, Grace Marks and her lover, James McDermott, murdered their employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his lover/housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. Or at least that's what everyone thinks happened.
The Facts:
-Nancy, Grace, and James were all employed by Thomas Kinnear
-Thomas died to multiple gunshot wounds
-Nancy was beaten with an axe, strangled, and finally dismembered in a bathtub
-James and Grace ran off to Toronto, where they were apprehended on their way to New York.
-The two were arrested and began to incriminate each other.
-Both were sentenced to death by hanging on November 3rd, 1843.
-James was put to death on November 21st, 1843, while Grace's sentence was commented.
-Grace was sent to an asylum, where she was deemed a "lunatic" by the state.
-Finally, Grace spent the rest of her days in prison.
I struggle with condemning Grace Marks and James McDermott. I do not see any direct evidence in either of them committing the murders. During the trial, they accused each other of having committed the murders, but I have no idea under what state their confessions were taken.
In my opinion, the killer clearly had hatred towards Nancy Montgomery. There was such overkill in her case that the killer must have had some sort of motive to want her dead. During the trial, it was stated that Grace was jealous of Nancy and her relationship with Thomas. I could see this as a motive, but there is no direct evidence showing that Grace wanted an intimate relationship with her employer. If Grace felt so snubbed by Thomas, why didn't she find a new position elsewhere?
I don't see James committing the murders either. He told police that Grace made him do it and it is not unheard of for a woman having one lover kill another. Still something about this case doesn't quite sit right with me. I suppose I will just have to keep an eye on this case.
...Stay Tuned...
Sources and Further Reading:
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood**** READ IT, SOOOO GOOD, (but will take you a month to get through)
https://archive.org/details/cihm_67883
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Marks
http://murderpedia.org/female.M/m/marks-grace.htm
http://www.thewhig.com/2012/07/03/murderess-or-pawn
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/12/books/did-she-or-didn-t-she-a-tale-of-two-murders.html
****I will not be writing a formal review for Alias Grace, but I do highly suggest reading it!
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