An Ordinary Couple’s Night
The date was Saturday, July 3, 1954. The evening was warm and pleasant at the Sheppard’s household, and sitting around the dinner table were Sam, Marilyn, their son Chip, and their neighbors from across the street, Don and Nancy Ahern, with their two children. Relaxing on the porch, the Sheppards and the Aherns enjoyed the food and marveled at the orange sky as the sun set over Lake Erie.
Sam Sheppard, Marilyn Sheppard. Source: Tumblr
By nightfall, Don Ahern walked his kids back home to tuck them in bed, then returned to the Sheppard’s home to finish the night with a black and white movie playing on one of the two channels available. Marilyn sat on her husband’s lap until Sam, having had a long day at work at the hospital, retreated to a different couch in the living room and fell asleep. When the clock struck 12, Marilyn walked the Aherns to the door.
A few hours later, Sam woke up to her screams.