A chilly October night time time in 1979 grew to develop into a nightmare for the Douglass family when two armed strangers barged into their peaceful Oklahoma dwelling and induced a murderous rampage that perpetually scarred their lives. The harrowing incident shocked residents nationwide and left Richard and Marilyn Douglass’ two youthful kids bereft of their love and care perpetually. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Haunting’ chronicles the horrible particulars of this case along with how the cruel perpetrators have been dropped at justice. Now, in case you need to know additional, proper right here’s what we’re capable of inform you!

How Did Richard and Marilyn Douglass Die?

43-year-old Richard Douglass was a senior pastor on the Putnam City Baptist Church in Oklahoma City and lived with Marilyn, his 36-year-old partner, in Okarche, Oklahoma. The couple had two children, 16-year-old Brooks and 12-year-old Leslie, and have been a helpful family who was pretty commonplace within the neighborhood. Moreover, Marilyn was a proficient singer and a doting mother who often accompanied Leslie to her magnificence pageants.

Things have been moderately idyllic for the couple until the night time of October 15, 1979, when Richard and Marilyn have been dwelling, and the children had merely returned from someplace. Later throughout the night time time, Brooks and Leslie arrived at a neighborhood doctor’s clinic in a intently injured state; whereas the latter had two gunshot accidents in her once more, her brother had been shot as quickly as.

The Douglass siblings instructed the authorities that their mom and father had been shot ineffective by two intruders. Upon arriving at their residence, the police found Richard on the lounge flooring with two gunshot wounds, whereas Marilyn lay shut by with a single gunshot to the once more. Sadly, the couple had prolonged succumbed to their accidents, nonetheless their children recuperated throughout the hospital for the following two and a half weeks. The medical examination extra revealed that Richard had moreover been strangled.

Who Killed Richard and Marilyn Douglass?

Brooks shared with the police that spherical 7:45 PM on October 15, 1979, the family heard a knock on the door. He found an individual standing outdoor, who launched himself as 24-year-old Glen Ake and acknowledged he was looking out for any individual throughout the neighborhood. The stranger requested to utilize the phone and returned to his automotive to get the amount. However, Glen rapidly returned collectively together with his accomplice, 26-year-old Steven Hatch, and the two took the family of 4 hostages at gunpoint.

Earlier that day, the two had reportedly hand over their jobs on an oil rig and robbed one different family. After getting drunk and drugged, they decided to go on a rampage and randomly landed on the Douglass residence. Glen and Steven proceeded to hog-tie Marilyn, Richard, and Brooks within the lounge and compelled Leslie to trigger them to all of the property within the residence. Not merely that, they disconnected every phone within the residence and dragged her proper right into a mattress room, the place they every took turns raping her at gunpoint.

Afterward, Glen and Steven hog-tied Leslie and launched her to her family throughout the residing house. After consuming the family’s dinner, at spherical 10 PM, Steven went outdoor and stood guard. Glen shot the family one after the opposite collectively together with his .357 Magnum sooner than absconding with $43 and Richard and Marilyn’s wedding ceremony rings. Luckily, Brooks and Leslie survived the assault, and as rapidly because the boys left, the latter in some way untied her brother, they often drove to the closest doctor.

Following this tragic incident, the police launched an unlimited search to apprehend Steven and Glen, who had gone on the run since murdering Richard and Marilyn. Thirty-seven days later, every males have been arrested in Colorado, the place that that they had broken proper right into a cabin and fallen asleep. Besides, it was discovered that after robbing the Douglass family, that that they had equally attacked a house in Hardin County, Texas, leaving two males ineffective.

Are Glen Ake and Steven Hatch Dead or Alive?

In 1980, Glen Ake and Steven Hatch have been convicted for the murders of Richard and Marilyn Douglass and have been sentenced to lack of life in Oklahoma. They confronted additional prices for the two males Glen murdered in Texas, nonetheless points took a surprising flip when he was recognized with paranoid schizophrenia and was thought-about unfit to face for trial. He was ordered to endure remedy, and in 1985, the US Supreme Court overturned the sooner conviction as he had not had a psychiatrist to assist in his safety earlier.

Surprisingly, even Steven was given a retrial in early 1987, solely to be sentenced to lack of life as soon as extra. Post receiving treatment, Glen was deemed match to face in court docket docket, and in a second trial, he was awarded two consecutive 200-year jail sentences. Albeit, the charges in opposition to every males for the Texas killings have been dropped in 1994, as a result of the prosecutor supposedly believed they confronted execution in Oklahoma. Steven Hatch was incarcerated and executed by lethal injection on August 9, 1996. On the other hand, Glen Ake remained in jail till his lack of life on April 23, 2011, by pure causes.

ncG1vNJzZmismJrBorjKrKuonJGue6S7zGiuoZ2imnqivsRmnqWdnmKurLGMmqWdZaOpsrexzWafmqyTnXqvu9Zo