Pat Jollota - The Murder of JoAnn Dewey in Vancouver, Washington

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2018 by Patricia Jollota

All rights reserved

First published 2018

E-Book edition 2018

ISBN 978.1.43966.566.4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018945799

Print edition ISBN 978.1.46713.885.7

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are so many people to acknowledge, and some may have forgotten that they helpedit has been such a long time brewing! While I was the curator in the Clark County Historical Museum, I would spend the slow times reading the bound editions of old newspapers. Thats where I first came upon this complicated and somewhat bizarre story. This story fascinated me because I couldnt figure out how they identified the killersand then how in the world they convicted them.

As I talked to people about it, I became aware of the division of opinion in the community. Those who adamantly believed in the Wilson brothers guilt were matched by those equally sure of their innocence. This was decades after the crime. Those conversations inspired people to pass on information about the murder and trial. For that sharing, I am grateful and indebted.

Thanks to Lieutenant Douglas Luse of the Vancouver Police Department, who generously shared his grandfathers investigators notebook. That made sense of the headlines and made them easier to understand. Doug also accompanied me to an interview and conversation with retired Lieutenant William Farrell that opened some new windows into the case. Vancouver detective Howard Anderson gave me a scrapbook that consisted of every newspaper article from all of the local papers about the crime, trial and aftermath.

Clark County assistant prosecutor Kim Farr, now retired, dug into his collection of vintage detective magazines and gave me an issue published in June 1950 that laid out the steps that led to the suspects arrest.

Superior Court judge John Wulle passed on a copy of the Supreme Court findings on the Wilson appeal.

Washington State Patrol chief John Batiste and his assistant, Bridget Hamilton, shared photographs and encouragement.

The late historian Richard Grafton collected photographs and compiled a book on the history of the Vancouver Police Department that was a great help in background information. His widow, Sandra Grafton, passed on his research.

Linda Lutes, the photo archivist with the Columbian newspaper, is a wizard at finding photos.

Lieutenant Kim Kapp is the keeper of Vancouver police history. Paula Person, volunteer with the Vancouver Police Historical Committee, always came through.

Clark County sheriff Chuck Atkins and Deputy Fred Nieman offered more data and photographs.

My friends at the Clark County Genealogical Society were there with even more data.

Emilou Jones Nelson graciously shared family stories and photographs that were greatly appreciated.

Arlo Peterson, thank you for your kind words and your helpful suggestions that made sense of a complicated story.

John Gentry, retired, from the Vancouver Fire Department, for adding wonderful insights and advice.

Superior Court judge Suzan Clark filled in those spots of legal procedures and terms that I was hazy on in a most delightful way.

I dont think I could have written any book without the over-the-top assistance from the staff at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library.

INTRODUCTION

The tragedy of JoAnn Dewey rocked the city of Vancouver and Clark County, Washington. The shockwaves rippled into Portland, Oregon.

Vancouver is a Washington city separated from Portland, Oregon, by the Columbia River. In 1950, there was only one bridge, the Interstate, which connected the two cities. On the north end of the bridge is downtown Vancouver, Washington. On the south side of the bridge then was an amusement park, Jantzen Beach. Nearby stood a racetrack, Portland Meadows. To the west of that structure were the ruins of the city of Vanport, destroyed by a flood two years prior in 1948.

There had always been crime, of course, and some murders, but those crimes were explainablethe motives clear. This murder was inexplicable: a young woman beaten and carried awaywith upstanding citizens watching! The populations of both cities were swept up into the story.

The search for the missing girl gripped the cities. Every clue, every report, every rumor was absorbed and passed on. When the battered and disfigured body was found, the news swept across the county. Hypotheses, gossip and rumors proliferated.

Into that atmosphere came the news of the arrest of two young brothers. They never stopped protesting their innocence. Every day, the newspapers covered the crime, the arrest and the subsequent trial on front pages. This was an unprecedented event after all. This was the kind of crime that only happened in big cities.

As the story evolved, it became ever more complicated. Side stories developed, and conjecture accompanied them. Scandals shocked the soul. Conspiracies were discussed. Gradually, the community began to split. Many people were convinced of the brothers guilt. Others were sure that they were innocent and being framed. The arguments continued for months in the barbershops, Grange Halls and church socials.

Part of the puzzle was the speed with which the men were identified, located and arrested. They were young. They were publicly charming and well groomed. They became local celebrities. Most of the confusion that ensued was caused by lack of experience and a surplus of bravado at top echelons. Politics entered into it; personalities complicated it. All of these conditions resulted in a community divided. The divide continues. That should never have happened.

The story became overwhelming. The front-page dominance of the daily drama continued for months across the region and beyond. As the years have passed, the story has changed. It became a cautionary tale, one that parents would tell their daughters: The streets are dangerous, even in a small townyou must be cautious and stay with the group. For others, it became the basis for tales of corruption and injusticealways a mystery. The story altered with the retelling as new elements were grafted onto it. New theories were put forward.

JoAnn Dewey should have grown up, gotten married, had children and baked cookies for grandchildren. Whatever the outcome of the unfinished story of JoAnns life, she was cheated out of itnever to turn twenty-one, never to vote, a lifetime of laughter and tears stolen from her. She was cheated. Her family was cheated. Murder has a way of rippling out far beyond the victim and the murderer. It echoes over generations.

Almost everyone drawn into this case saved memories of it. This book is drawn from those saved memories.

THE DEWEY FAMILY

JoAnn Louise Dewey was a pretty eighteen-year-old girl growing toward beauty. Round-cheeked, with a cap of dark-brown curls framing her face, she had the dewy complexion with which many women in the moist Northwest are blessed. Strong brows framed flashing dark eyes. She had a crescent-shaped scar near her mouth that looked like a dimple. She was not tall but was strongly built, with broad shoulders; her baby fat was melting away. She was going to be stunning.