Sam Sheppard

Art can help tell stories, which we've seen throughout this tour. Local artists throughout the decades have painted or sketched the same BAYarts buildings, showing how they have changed. 

Below are courtroom sketches from the 1954 trial of Sam Sheppard, which is intertwined with the history of the Fuller House. The Sheppards lived in the house, which can be seen in the second sketch. Sam Sheppard was convicted on the front porch for murdering his wife Marilyn Reese Sheppard, but was later acquitted in a 1966 retrial. To this day, there is still contention about whether Sheppard truly was guilty, or if he told the truth about fighting a mysterious intruder on the beach.

The images shown here are from Cleveland Memory, and were photographed by William Ashbolt from the Plain Dealer.

For more information about the case itself, check out these sources:

The Sam Sheppard Case: 1954-2000 Collection

Photos from the trial