The Killer Prodigy - Groton, Massachusetts

Hello and welcome back to Small Town Murder Express! Yay and choo choo! Oh yay indeed, Jimmy! Yay indeed! My name is James Petrogall, I'm here with my co-host. I'm Jimmy Wissman. Thank you folks so much for joining us today, all aboard the Murder Train. Pulling away from the station, we have some wild, wild, absolute insanity for you this week. Oh my goodness, 20 pounds of murder in a 2 pound bag. It's a lot. Before we get to that, very quickly, head over to shutupandgivememurder.com. Not only is there merchandise available for all three shows that we do, but also tickets for live shows. The 2026 calendar has been populated. We have a full slate of live shows all for sale right this minute. Head shut up and give me murder.com. I will go down the list very quickly. February 21st in Nashville, those tickets sell fast in Nashville, get those. March 6th in Durham, North Carolina. March 7th in Atlanta. March 20th in Phoenix. March 21st also in Phoenix. 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Let's go on a trip, shall we? We are going to Massachusetts this week. It's Groton, Massachusetts. So I, or Groton, however you wanna say. It's Groton. I know it's Groton, but I don't know if people wanna just, I'm just giving alternate pronunciations kind of as a joke because no matter what the word is, it's never right. So it's one of those things. It's the I don't care anymore deal. You want it to be Groton, you there it is. It's yours. Enjoy. It's Groton, Massachusetts. It's an Eastern Massachusetts. It's about 55 minutes to Boston. So Boston suburbs out here. 45 minutes to Worcester, if you wanna go the other way. And about 45 minutes to Wakefield, Massachusetts, which was our last Massachusetts episode, episode 607, The Creepy Killer Motives. That was that Lakehouse murder. Remember where the guy said she like, just, it was crazy. The woman like fell and then was in the water. And she would have had to have like bounce 10 feet into the water. On the sidewalk. People native rubber kind of thing. This is in, that was a crazy case. This is in Middlesex County. Area codes here, 351 and 978. Population of this town and less than an hour outside of Boston, but 11,254. This is a quiet, sleepy little town over here. Median household income. These people are doing well. Median household income, 169,497. That's median. That's crazy. The median home cost here also little elevated. $645,800. Wow. That is crazy. Yeah, it's 169 and 645. Oh, Lee. Everything is raised here. They have two mottoes here. One is all are welcome. Which I mean, I don't know if that's really a motto. Well, wouldn't it be? How can you keep people out? All are welcome. Except the Irish. Like you can't put that on a sign. Not in fucking Massachusetts. Not in Massachusetts. Yeah, everyone would leave. You'd be like, oh, there's like three Italian guys left. That's it. And they also have faith, labor. That's another one they have. Work hard and pray, I guess. I don't know. History of this town, 1655 is when this town was officially settled and incorporated. Wow. 1655, the town was named for Groten in Suffolk, England. Which is the hometown of one of the select men named Dean Winthrop. It was the hometown of his father. And also the hometown of the Massachusetts governor also, somebody in his family named John Winthrop also. So demonic possession. In October of 1671, the Willard family's 16 year old servant, Elizabeth Knapp, fell into what was judged to be a demonic possession. This is during the witch trials and shit. And this is Massachusetts. Reportedly the accused witch accosted Reverend Willard having demonstrated, quote, physical violent or violent physical actions, mental moods, sudden shrieks, changing of continents, exclamations, fits, barking, bleeding. Oh yeah. Up to this point, I'm like, yeah, maybe a pistol off. You know what I mean? That just sounds like a, you know, if you get married, that's what happens. But. Barking and bleeding. Stop barking and bleeding. Now we're in another area. That's different. Speaking in different voices and ventriloquism. Oh, and, oh. Throwing her voice. I don't know what to go with that. Wow. And hurling accusations of torment toward the Reverend. At one point she accused the neighbor of bewitching her, but Willard knew the neighbor to be a pious person and did not pursue that accusation. So no, it's your fault. All right, let's get to reviews of this town here. Here we go. Here's five stars. I've been in grote my whole life, grew up here. The schools are great, neighbors are friendly, and there's a lot of trails to walk and explore. It's beautiful in the fall with all the leaves changing colors. That's true, gorgeous time of year. There are lots of cute little cafes and some fancy restaurants that are farmed to table. I love living here. It's a very family oriented, safe place. You can tell exactly what this place is. Very leafy, the big houses, going out to fancy dinners, median income, 170 grand a year. You get it. Three stars, Groton is a pleasant and cute town with great historical stuff, but I personally have never felt quite at home here. Are you not wealthy? Maybe that's why. That's how I'd feel. I've had lots of great opportunities here and I'm very thankful for them, but I don't think I could move back once I've graduated high school. This is a young person. Yeah, I'm not gonna be able to afford this place. Yeah, that's what's going on here. And three stars, the community is pretty rural and offers many opportunities for involvement in outdoor activities, hiking, canoeing, et cetera. In general, people in this area are friendly. And then one star, there are very few local businesses and none of them are hiring. So luckily Boston is right there. So knock yourself out. Things to do in this town, grotenfest. Yeah, be rich. I love, there's nothing more about small town when we do the small town like things to do than a festival that's just the name of the town with Fest afterwards. That's my, if they have that, we're talking about it. Grotenfest, it's a family of festivals, four unique festivals held throughout the year in the heart of Grotenmass. So they have one for each season. They have seasonal festivals. In 1979, Grotenfest, since 1979, Grotenfest has brought our community together to uplift local businesses, highlight the work of talented artists and artisans and connect residents with the nonprofits that support Groten and its neighboring towns. Okay, produced by the Groten Business Association, they sound like they know how to throw a party, huh? Wealthy folk is what it is. Yeah, it is. Each festival shines a spotlight on the rich character creativity. Rich. Spirit of our rich, should be rich characters. Rich comma. Rich comma, character. Making Grotenfest a joyful tribute to everything that makes our town feel like home. Our spring, fall, and winter festivals have become beloved traditions. Well, here is Groten Winterfest. It's a celebration of holiday cheer, Jimmy. So we got that. Of course, yeah. We got Meet Santa, duh. Meet Santa. Meet Santa, meet him. Oh, hi Santa. Nice to meet you. Thank God. I'm James. What is that? Santa made of meat. Yeah. Steak Santa. It is a big giant pork chop Santa that's getting put to Hamhawk Santa. There he is, everybody. Meet Santa. So you can share your holiday wishes with the jolly man himself. Yeah. Hay rides, a carolers and live music. All right. So they're gonna, I think people are gonna be singing Christmas songs. Hardy warm food and hot chocolates, Christmas decor, garlands and wreaths to buy. Sure. Winter clothing and accessories. This is all shit to buy. Handmade Christmas gifts and jewelry. Crap that people will be disappointed with, in other words. Baked goods and sweet treats, local trucks. Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. Photo booths. Here we go. It says that there'll be bands playing at all of these different festivals. Great. And it says music fest for each season of the year, including Celtic bands. Oh boy. Solis, Altan and Lunassa. Jazz bands, new black eagle jazz band. Bluegrass slash roots, the Nefesh mountain and the Jacob Jollif band and high horse. And of course. I think it comes from music, I think of Massachusetts. I think of, yeah, I do. Although Massachusetts, rural Massachusetts is pretty hicky. Oh, there are some, yeah. It's hicky out there, boy. It is. It's a scary character. That's where my brother lives. That's all it is. The one that I just met, that's the one that you just discovered. He's a little on the, definitely my dad's side of the family. God. And there'll be world music such as Sonny Jane, J-A-I-N. So there you go. That said, let's talk about some murder. Okay. Here we go. Let us start with, let's start with a lady, okay? We're gonna go back to the year 2017 for this, which is not that far removed. Everything is the same. Your phone is the same phone with a different operating, it's different software on it. That's it. You got iOS, whatever the fuck it was then. So here is Elizabeth Cleveland is what she's born as. She goes by ESU. ESU is her nickname. Is it ESU? I don't know. Who knows, maybe a younger relative or one of those things where I had an aunt that was called Dee Dee for decades because my cousin couldn't say Lorraine when he was two. So she was Dee Dee for the rest of her fucking life, literally till she died, everyone called her Dee Dee. That was that. That's what happens. So this woman here, and she's 85 years old in 2017. Wow. Okay, she's born in Pelham Manor, New York. Very accomplished this woman. This is a not only wealthy but accomplished person. She graduated from the master's school in Dobs Ferry, New York. Then Le Coe, Brilliant Mont in Lusanne, Sweden, or Switzerland, I'm sorry. So she went to college abroad. And also to Connecticut College. She later earned a master's degree in Divinity from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. So she's a real kind of religious woman and really energetic and really a go-go type of. Accomplished things type of woman. She got married in 1956 to a man of substance, this guy. Frank Danby Lackey the third. The third. The third, and he goes by Dan. Oh, Dan Lackey, Dan the third. He's born April 23rd, 1928, making him 89 years old in 2017. He's born in New York City, grew up in Pelham as well. I think that's how they met. And also lived in Delaware for a while. He attended the Phillips Academy in Andover, which is one of the most elite prep schools in the entire United States. Is that right? Then he went to Yale and graduated class of 1951. Fantastic. These are people I just look from the street at their lawns and houses and go, I don't know how these people do anything. I couldn't relate to nothing. I didn't know how to apply to a college even. I didn't even know how to go get the form to do it. Never mind going to Yale and elite prep schools. I didn't know how to take the test to qualify. Oh no, that was, I didn't even know where to get the form. Never mind how to fill it out. I didn't even know where to get it. Who has that? The guides, staff, flue, teacher, I don't know. It costs money to apply to schools. It costs money to take tests. To take the SATs. All this shit costs money? I found, yep. I guess that's why they didn't tell me. That's right. You don't even, nobody, nobody, nobody, yeah, nobody thought they were getting any test money out of me. I'll tell you that much. He's failed tests for free. Yeah, he does that all day. All day long. He didn't even show up for half of them. So, certainly. So then he went to the Columbia Business School, which is the elite two. After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy, which most people then. What? Most people that go to Yale, then get an MBA at Columbia, go right to the Navy. What's he trying to be president of the United States? Back then, yeah, but back then, that's what people did though. In the 40s, after World War II, you would go in the Navy. It was to show you're well-rounded. You're a serviceman. That way, when you go to jobs and shit like that in these high-powered firms, when all those guys that are probably hiring you were in World War II, you can say, I just got out of the service. This guy worked at Borsoff, and all the colleges, the best ones, and then went into the Navy as a public servant. So he's got frat guys, probably secret society, people from Yale, and he's got the Navy. And that was a thing too, you didn't wanna go in there and be like, I wasn't in the service when literally every guy hiring you was a man who was in World War II, probably. So by 1957, they have a daughter also named Elizabeth. Okay. They named her Elizabeth also. So this is Elizabeth Lackey. She goes by Buffy her whole life though. Literally a rich country club girl that goes by Buffy. Like this is where that joke came from. Yeah, she's probably the originator of it too, because she's that generation. She's born in 1957, big into the outdoors. She likes to fish for bass at Race Point Beach, super into it. One of her friends, and this is kind of the sentiment of everyone that knows her, calls her a good-hearted person always. And she should be, she grew up with no worries whatsoever. You know what I mean? Like grew up in a stable family with successful people with a future in front of her college paid for. I couldn't imagine what that felt like. Probably great parents too. Probably very supportive and kind to her. And into the, it's what I mean. I can't imagine what that was like for a kid to have that kind of stability is crazy. I hope two podcast dicks talk about my kids with this one day. Yes. Toe or either, they won't. Are you like her? His father, a barely literate comedian. And his partner. Barely, that was so nice. Well, I'm not gonna sell you short. You're literate. I got the words part fine. Yeah, you can't read them. Yeah, you're fine. And his partner, the non-high school graduate, complete loud mouth, dummy fucking, other comedian. The same thing that can do the reading. Yeah. Same thing. Somehow learned reading skills. Oh, Christ. So while this is going on, Dan here, he's building a career in finance. That's where the money is. He knows it. He starts at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, then spends years advising clients and managing investments for pension funds and nonprofit endowments at firms like Thorndike, Doran Payne and Lewis and Wellington management group in Boston. Those sound like they make money. That sounds like you're making a lot of money. And it's all shit again. I don't know how to do any of that. So he eventually became president of the Spinnaker Capital in Boston of the company Spinnaker Capital, which is an investment group. But the lackeys also, you think they're just stackin' cash, they're also insanely charitable. They have taken tons of money away. Absolutely. Dan served as a trustee at the Chowanky Foundation in Maine from 76 to 2003. It's an environmental education organization that runs summer camps teaching children about nature and sustainability. Dan created their first investment committee. He and Esu were members of the Chowanky's Osprey Society, which is their Osprey Society, which is their major donor group. I guess they're flying above, looking down, seeing what needs money. Lucy Hall, a former Chowanky director of development, remembered Dan as, quote, so generous, and I don't just mean financially. He was incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly giving of that knowledge. He was a caring, sweet person, and Esu was a dynamo and a rock of their community. So I mean, these two are hardcore, upstanding citizens. The lackeys also run the Nedus Foundation, which is a family charity founded in 1997. According to tax filings, they gave to organizations like the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Friends of the Hale School, the Chowanky Foundation, Massachusetts Art Foundation, and the Masters School, which was Esu's alma mater. They have tons of charity shit they're doing away. One person said about them, despite decades of generous support, Dan and Esu didn't want any recognition at all. They represented the Chowanky ethos at its best, always directing attention to others. They're the type that donates large sums anonymously. Yeah, and then let somebody else take the credit. This building donated by anonymous. They're those people. Like, that's insane. They should say people, I did it. Dude, if I'm giving money away, I am telling people. You think I'm letting that shit slide? No, shit no. I don't even write Santa on my kid's gifts. Shit no. Fuck that. I did this, god damn it. That's right, god damn it. I slipped my fat ass down the chimney. Santa visits your mom's house. Yeah. This is for me. I don't have a chimney. I locked that motherfucker out. Dan also has time somehow to write two volumes of quote, lighthearted verse. I don't know if they got some sort of poetry or something he's writing. He's super into sports. He likes baseball and tennis. One of his family members said, his optimism and cheerful advice, his generosity, his fondness for tomatoes and strawberries, and other red foods. Beets and rhubarb. Just, whatever he gets, Santa's. He's a big fan. He eats pomegranates. He doesn't even take the skin off. He just bites into it like an apple. 1992, they purchased their home in Boston, which is here on Common Street, which is about 40 miles northwest of Boston here. And it's not a crazy house either. It's a modest house. 1992, so they're retiring and they're downsizing. They don't have the kids anymore, obviously, and everything like that. Now, Buffy, the daughter, Buffy went on to get married to a guy named Alexander Krause. He goes by Lexi. Lexi. How's that going? Yeah. Lexi, that sounds like a guy's name, right? Yeah. No, but that's fine. Whatever, man. That's fine. Hey, call yourself whatever you want. Call your names, Lexi. Lexi, yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh boy. Yeah, that's a porn name there. For sure. Even a stripper's like, I don't think so. That's a little too porny. You know, I'm just taking my top off. That's nothing. So Alexander here, they get married. Now Alexander is a respected tuna fisherman. I don't think he's out there with a pole. I think he owns the business. Yeah, that's like, he owns the boat. Who had moored his boats on Monaghan Island and later Rockport Harbor. So he owns the goddamn boats. Yeah, several of them. They're out there pulling tuna from the sea. He's getting tuna money. Now they're gonna have some kids here. They're gonna have twin boys, by the way. Okay. Twin boys, Orion and Cooper Kraus. Yeah. Cooper Kraus, that's tough. Orion, like the constellation of Cooper. They're born in 1995. Buffy was like 38 when she had them. She was pushing it. Yeah. According to her friend, quote, she was so excited and nervous. Her husband is a kind soul. It was there finally, their opportunity to have children. Now a little bit about Orion here and about Cooper also, I guess, here. They're gonna grow up in idyllic places here. Now they spend their early, early years on the, I guess it's Monaghan Island, I'm not sure, which is 10 miles off the coast of Maine, accessible only by boat. A boat. With a population of 70. Fuck yeah. Fuck, yes, take me there. Those 70 people are killing it and they don't want us talking about it. Take me home. Country boat. Yeah. To the place of the long. They don't want us saying this at all. I promise. Less opportunity for assholes. Yeah. There's a lot of fucking boats out there that can make it. Oh man. So you two boys shut the fuck up. You can throw shit at people as they pull up. This is my island, go away. So that's where they are. Then the family eventually moves to the mainland because that's a rough place with the kids. We're gonna, oh, we have to go to Target, we'll get the boat, fire up the boat. That's tough, you know. It's a lot of well checks. We gotta take the boat. Oh, that's a lot, man. So anyway, they eventually settle into Rockport, which is an affluent coastal place and sitting there eating lobster rolls and it's exactly where we wanna live, basically. It's seacoast with fucking. Rocky. No dick bags and thongs and short shorts. Hoodie beaches. Yeah. Hoodie beaches all around. So I love it. So they move there and everything's, they have a normal upbringing of the kids. They're raised in an affluent environment and a wonderful place here and that ding, ding, ding. Sound from the ocean going on. I mean, yeah, be it. Lots of chiming. Smelling saltwater, eating shellfish. This is a great, what a great deal here. Now Orion somehow out of all this, they figure out that he's like an insanely gifted jazz drummer. What? He's a really good drummer and especially with jazz music. That's his specialty. Fast boy. Really strange. Friends described him practicing sometimes obsessively, they said. He was just, which is how you have to do to be great. So usually they said inside a barn on his family's property. He's got a practice barn. Wow. What a great life, man. So other kids are doing other shit and hanging out and all he does is practice drums and just do, and he's interested in jazz. He's just super into jazz. He went to Camden Hills Regional High School, Orion did, get straight A's. Was named an all state jazz drummer as a senior, which I didn't know they had. All state? All state, like the football team. I didn't know they had that for specifically jazz drumming, but apparently they do. Is that fucking movie with Nick Cannon? Is that considered jazz drumming? I don't think so. Drum line? I don't think that's, I mean. I think it's drum major, right? Is that who that is? I think it's drum line, but no. Yeah, but isn't that, the drum major, is that guy? The guy that fucking, or, oh my God. Yeah, but that's like marching band drumming. That's a different type of drum. Yeah, that's not jazz, right? This is a band band, yeah. This is a different kind of thing. But if you're a jazz drummer, don't you have like a guy there with a guitar and a dude with a stand up bass? I'm sure you do. Those guys don't get judged, just the drummer. Just the drummer. Well, maybe they do, but he wasn't in an all state any of those and we don't know who those people are. They're not involved in our story. Those people are strangers, Jimmy. So. Hey everybody, just gonna take a quick break from the show to tell you how to get the best holiday gift. It's an aura frame. AuraFrames.com. Oh, you know it. I'm telling you, you wanna be the holiday cheer spreader? This is the way to do it. In these frames, they do spread cheer. It's wild. I've given them to everybody. They always have them right in the kitchen. Right in the kitchen where everybody's hanging out and everybody's, oh, there's grandpa. Remember when we did, it's so cool. 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And aura's gonna tell you how, for a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get $35 off aura's best-selling Carver Mat frames. Name number one by Wirecutter by using the promo code smalltownmurder at checkout. That's A-U-R-A frames.com promo code smalltownmurder. This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast. So order yours now to get it in time for the holidays. Support the show by mentioning us to check out terms and conditions apply. Now back to the show. Anyway, yeah, he's the band's director. Remembered Orion as, quote, a wonderful student who had a twinkle in his eye and was always eager to learn. All right, now 2014, Orion's pushing 19 at this point, 18. He joins a band. Like a band band. It's a local band called Mostly Brothers and Company. So there's probably a couple of brothers in there, I assume. There's others in the drummer. And there's five people, four of the other kids are all from his school, so guys he knows. They play in small venues throughout Central Maine and around the coastal areas. And they're always looking for, during the summer, those places are heaving with tourists and shit. They're always looking for a band in the background. His friend Wolfgang Begel. What? His name is Wolfgang Begel, man. P-O-E-G-L is Begel. That's how you do Begel. That's Wolfgang Begel. All right. Wolfgang Begel played basketball with Orion. Oh, it's just Wolfgang and Orion playing basketball. Anyone give their kid a normal name. Wolfgang and Orion. This is 2017. Yeah, it's just Orion and Wolfgang Begel playing some pickup ball. Don't worry about it. Playing some horse out on the playground there. So anyway, they were playing basketball all the time and he described Orion as a great student and a phenomenal musician who was well-liked by everybody. So the twins, it's time for them to go to college, Cooper and Orion, and they don't go to the same place. They go their separate ways. Yeah, Cooper goes to Ithaca College, which is in New York at Ithaca. I think it's a SUNY school as a matter of fact, which is like a, not an expensive school. No? Yeah, no. And later on transferred to the University of Southern Maine, which not a powerhouse there. That's good either, yeah. Now Orion goes to Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Oh. And it's apparently one of the most prestigious places you can go for this in the country. Yeah, he studied under a guy named Jamie Haddad, who was a renowned percussionist and one of the top drum instructors in America, I guess, I guess, assumingly. That's what they say. Now in studies in the Oberlin's Jazz Division, this is right from their website, Oberlin's, prepare students for careers as professional jazz musicians and for the advanced study of jazz in both performance and composition. And composing, wow. Yeah, this is a serious school for seriously talented musicians. So, Orion though, he's got a couple of problems. Seems like Orion's quiver isn't quite full of arrows, if you know what I mean. No? There's a couple arrows short of a quiver over here. Belt's missing a buckle? Yeah, he's, July 16th, 2016, this is the first 911 call his mother has to make about him. Oh, Orion. Buffy calls 911 from her home in Rockport and wow, she says, my husband is downstairs with him. I am upstairs calling you. The dispatcher asks if this is a suicide attempt you're calling about and she said she didn't think so. So, Elizabeth says, Buffy says, please don't send a policeman, I just assume not have a policeman. I don't know who else they expect to send over here. Send a fireman? Can you just send somebody over here to talk to us? We got two guys we send. Yeah, 911, is something on fire? Is there something illegal happening? Right. Those are the two things you call for. Somebody hurt. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you, we really don't have that. Can you send a therapist over, is not a thing you can request from the city. Yeah, hi. I need a therapist and probably should get me an MD too, in case I need a script, just bring them all over. You got a dentist on stand right? Yeah, you know what, I'm like one fucking molar back here, it's just I feel like I chipped it the other day. So, that's what she says, the dispatcher said she'll send one anyway as a precaution. Like I'm sending a cop. So, she says, Buffy says, tell them all, my son needs some gentleness. He doesn't need any force. This has got to be a loving experience. What the fuck are you talking about? Okay, you can tell that Buffy has not grown up in. Yeah, yeah. She hasn't had a social media though. Oh, that's a fact, but she hasn't had many hard times though, is what I'm saying, where I would never call 911 and think that a loving experience was gonna happen on the other end of that phone ever. I would think, you call 911, they're either coming with hoses or force or those paddles or guns or something. There's handcuffs either way. Yeah, there's gonna be sirens, shit's happening. Hi 911, what's your emergency? I need a loving, this is a loving, that's hard. I need a loving experience please. Yeah, I'd like a loving experience. I think you've called the wrong number, man. So, I transfer you to, I don't know, the fucking bunny ranch, you know? What are we talking about here? You're gonna have to go to Nevada for this. I don't think we have that here, that's not available. You know, I get, Buffy's a nice lady and she, she cares about her son. Help, but she doesn't want the cops coming over and stun gunning her kid in the living room either, so I get what she's going for here. According to what ends up happening here, they, Orion's parents, Lexie and Buffy, say that he had came home from school, not, or came home, not acting like himself, and he was quote, screaming religious rants, which is, oh, what the hell? That's never a good sign, really. No, that's weird. Elizabeth here, Buffy, told the first responders that he had joined some sort of cult, and she wasn't sure about drug usage or what he had done the previous night, but he's screaming about religious shit and then we think he joined a cult. So, whatever happened that day, calms down. It was a loving experience and everybody held hands. So, they did a nice round of kumbaya and everybody went back to one here. So, it passed, Orion returned to school to Oberlin to finish his degree, and in 2017, he graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in the spring. He put on a senior recital in April, playing his own compositions on jazz drums. He's 22, he's ready for the world. So, his Facebook page had a picture of him playing drums and his page on another social media site called Fandalism, which is a musician site, discussed his time playing in a Beatles tribute band. Okay. So, he's getting some stuff done. Now, Dan and Esu, grandparents of Orion and Cooper here, what are they up to in 2016, 17? Well, they're pretty goddamn old. Like we said, they're in their late 80s, so old that they're doing well, but they also need a live-in caretaker. Okay. They need a woman that works for them pretty much all the time, basically. So, they have a woman named Bertha Mae Parker, who's 68 years old. She takes care of them. Yeah, she, I guess, originally was from Louisiana, and she's living in the area now, working for them. They're 89 and 85 years old. They've been married 61 years, Dan and Esu. So, September 7th, 2017, Orion leaves his family home in Rockport without explanation. He's just gone. Just walks away, huh? Taking his mother's car without telling her. So, he even leaves his cell phone behind, which when someone takes off unexpectedly and leaves their cell phone behind, either they're going to jump off a bridge or someone has kidnapped them, I usually think. You know what I mean? And taking someone else's car. And yeah, exactly. He's wearing a dirty T-shirt and gray cauderoy pants. That's what he's choosing to wear here. Elizabeth, Buffy. Buffy comes home from work at about 3.20 p.m. and sees her car is gone, and also her son is gone, puts to, and sees the keys are gone, puts it together and says, okay, he took the car. So, she panics, which is interesting, because she had the same thought I had. He left his cell phone, he took my car, yes. So, she searches everywhere. She searches like suicide places first. She goes to a breakwater nearby, which is, like it's basically if you were gonna jump off something and kill yourself, this is where you'd go. Somewhere in Maine, when I was choosing to see it. She goes there. She, a hospital parking lot, checking to see if he'd admitted himself to basically for treatment. She, it's the park unit, PARC, which is, it's at a treatment center in Rockport that focuses primarily on substance abuse services. Oh, so maybe she's doing drugs. She thinks he's got a drug problem, obviously. If she thinks checking to see if he checked in there, she checks a Walmart parking lot. Just, maybe he went to Walmart, maybe he's just shopping. Yeah. Yeah, maybe he's just picking out some like fishing lures for the upcoming fall season, who knows. Maybe he's going to do some new underwear, and just, that's all, what's a 12-pack of cheap underwear, who cares, that's for him. So, by 9.40 p.m. she still hasn't found him. It's been six hours, she's been informed. Oh, shit. In a small town. So, if you didn't find him, he's just not around. So, she calls a crisis hotline at that point, Buffy does, for a loving experience. Then, when the crisis hotline says, what the hell do you want us to do, if your kid's in this, and call the goddamn cops, this is, I don't know, yeah, we don't have like, can you send like, you know, bloodhounds over here, is that what we do? So, then she calls the Rockport police, and she says, quote, he's just a very tender heart who's troubled, and I'm reaching out to help him. Now, she tells the dispatcher that Orion doesn't do drugs or alcohol, but she checked to see if he was at a drug treatment program. But, she said he doesn't own any weapons. He's only been gone six hours, but she's super worried. She said that, you know, she described him wearing the dirty T-shirt, the gray caudal-right pants, and said he doesn't even have a cell phone, and she said, we told him that the world wants him alive, and he did promise that he wouldn't do it, so I'm trying to have faith. I'm just concerned, and I'm scared. So, they're worried about him having suicidal ideations here. So, that's what she keeps talking about. She said earlier in the day, she went all over the place looking, she went to the parking lot, she did all that shit. She said, I've been trying to tell myself that my kid is just going to come home, that he's been with a girl, and he, you know, he's not thinking about what I'm thinking or feeling. He's going to come home, and so I've just kept the lights on. That's what she tells them. She tells them also, he suddenly had the urge to go to Chicago, but they couldn't go with him, I guess. She said, neither of us could drop anything and go with him, me or my husband. She said he might be heading to Chicago or to visit friends in Ohio where he went to school. So, she asks, can the police check license plates that go through the tolls for my car in Massachusetts? Great question. Which is a good detective work on her part, and they're like, we're not doing that, Jesus Christ. What are you talking about? That's not, that's all we do. Listen, lady, that's a lot to do. We're not doing that, all right? That ain't happening. No, not happening. When we have some sort of indication that he's dead, maybe we'll do that. Or that he's committed a crime, maybe. Well, we'll call him the streams at that point. What do you want from me? So then, Buffy says, do you know how much of a relief I would have with that information? I'm just praying more than anything that he's headed out of state to his friends, but since he didn't take a damn thing with him, except probably a wallet, I'm not so sure what he's done, and I don't know, that's why I'm calling. So, the police advise to check toll boots, and they call around to do that. They're looking for it. She's just hoping. She says, I'm going to be like, okay, I can deal with this. Give him some space and he'll be okay. I know it's only been six hours, and I've been sitting here saying to myself, you know, I trust him, I love him. Have faith, he'll be okay. I'm trying to have faith in him. So then, September 8th, the next morning, here, she gets a phone call from Orion. He's alive. That's great. He's fine. He's in good shape. He says he's totally fine. He's in the Boston area, and he needs a ride home. Yeah. Now, my question would be, don't you have my car? Where's my fucking car? She doesn't ask shit. She just says, where are you? I'm coming to get you. She's just relieved. Good for her. And that's that. So, she goes to her son, drives down to Massachusetts, picks him up. We don't know where her car is in this mix. We don't know where he left it. If it's, who knows? If it got towed by the cops or a pound or so, who the hell knows? But the plan's to drive back to Maine, but along the way, they decide to take a detour because outside of Boston is groten. It's about 50 miles outside of Boston, and that's where the grandparents live. That's where Esu and Dan live. So, they decide to go see them, make a stop and go see the grandparents on the way home. Why not? We're already down here. It's three hours away. What the hell? So, it's pretty much on the way. It's like, you know, probably a little off the mark. And who, what grandparents wouldn't like to see their daughter and grandson come and visit them? Beautiful. Come on. They love that shit. They love it. So, they visit here, they go to the house. It's a quiet little town in Groten, obviously. This is a very peaceful, quiet neighborhood they live in, leafy, very safe. So, they arrive that afternoon. Bertha May Parker is there, the caretaker. Currently lives in Tuxbury at that time. She provides nearly 24-hour care. They're basically confined to reclining chairs in the kitchen most of the day. They're so old. That's pretty much what they do. So, at some point, the four sit down for a meal. Not Bertha May, but Esu, Dan, Orion, Buffy. They sit down for a meal. Dan and Esu and the recliners. Elizabeth on a kitchen stool. Bertha May Parker's upstairs, perhaps doing something else. We don't know what she's doing. She's not hanging out with them. She probably says, I'll leave you alone with your family. You know, I'm not a part of your family. So, at approximately 4.40 p.m., everything seems to be going fine. Yeah. Orion picks up the phone and he gives a little call to Jamie Haddad. Remember him? He's his instructor, drum instructor. Right. Former professor. According to Haddad's wife, Mary Gray, because I assume she answered the phone, he doesn't sound like himself. Orion says into the phone, quote, I've done something bad. I stole some money in my mom's car. And then there's a pause and he says, I think I have to kill my mom. Oh my God, no you don't. Yeah, so they said, Haddad said, can you repeat that? Did I hear that? And he said, again, I think I have to kill my mom. Duh, that's what I said. So he also tells him that he intends to kill his mom with golf clubs from his grandparents' garage. Good Lord, man. And then he's like, all right, well have a good one and hangs up. They're like, holy shit, what do we do here? He's about to do something crazy. So, Mary, the drumming instructor's wife, calls the Rockport police in Maine at 5 p.m. because she knows they live in Rockport. That's all she knows. So she tries to reach Buffy directly and can't get a hold of her. So the Rockport police sergeant, James Moore, takes the call there. He says that Buffy had called the department or about her son the day before. He contacts Orion's twin brother, Cooper, who tells him that his family's in Massachusetts visiting the grandparents. So the cop tries Buffy's phone, her cell phone, no answer. He tries the grandmother's number, the grandparents' number, no answer. So he Googles the grandparents' phone number and discovers they live in Groton, Massachusetts. So he calls the Groton police department. Okay. And he says, this is Sergeant James Moore, said I was immediately asked if this was about Orion Krauss. He's like, uh-oh. He said, I was advised that this was the fifth call in relation to Orion and that, quote, officers were at the scene. Oh, God. The fifth call. So, apparently, he's late, basically. He hangs up the phone and wire the cops on the scene. Well, at 5.52 PM, they had received a 911 call from a neighbor named Wagner Alkoser, Alcocker. Alkoser, okay. He's a 52-year-old guy who's a neighbor on Common Street there. They said, what's your emergency? And his answer to what's your emergency at 911 is, quote, he's a little bit crazy and he keeps saying that he murdered four people. We don't know who he is. Oh, boy. So, this is later on, this neighbor said, I opened the door and he said, I need help. I closed the door on him because he was naked, covered in mud, and I didn't know what he had in his hands. Then I opened it again. What would make you open the door? How curious, aren't you, motherfucker? Scary, naked, mud-covered man, like Schwarzenegger at the end of Predator at your door with an unknown item in his hand. You're gonna open the door for that. I'm curious, George, you are incredibly naive. I would call the police. This is what doors are for. Yeah, and arm myself. I don't give a fuck what I've got. I'm going to the kitchen. This is how nice of a neighborhood this is, though. These people don't even think that. They don't even think about it. He probably shut the door and then was like, I didn't see that. And then opened the door again. Maybe it is. Oh, he didn't see that. And then he says, quote, O'Ryan said to him, help me please, help me please, I murdered four people. Those are incongruous statements. Help me, I murdered four people. Motherfucker, you don't need help. No. Get off my, here's some help. Get the fuck out of here. Yeah, so this Wagner guy thinks he's like some either a drug addict, some guy I literally tripped out on, took like five tabs of acid, lost his mind, or a severely mentally ill person that doesn't know what they're talking about. So he says, he didn't understand it. He's looking at him and he looked like a tall, skinny kid. And he said he was looking at him thinking, this guy couldn't hurt a fly. Who's a skinny kid? Yeah, it's just some skinny kid at the door. That's why he opened it. He didn't seem threatened by him. So the police arrive, they enter Dan and Esu's house. And what they see immediately, will say, they said that responding EMT had to step outside so they didn't throw up. That's how bad it is. God damn. 25, big 25 foot kitchen that looks like it's painted red completely, like Florida ceiling blood. Wow. They find beneath a tree, a baseball bat covered in hair, tissue and blood. They find that underneath the tree. Okay, now what the fuck happened? Let's find out. Apparently Orion went into the garage looking for the golf clubs and instead he found the baseball bat. Couldn't find the golf clubs. All right. So he said that he then walked outside and practiced swinging by hitting apples. He went outside to get a couple of cuts in the cage. Just to, you know, before you step up to the plate in the on deck circle, you want to just swing. Sometimes you gotta slide them off, yeah. Try to time the pitcher. He went out and hit some apples around. Wow. Then he goes inside. Okay. And this is from the district attorney said, he then went inside and immediately started hitting his mother in the head and face severely and repeatedly with this baseball bat. Just decided to attack his fucking mother. This nice lady who wanted nothing but good for him. Nothing. Why did he do this? Okay. Then his grandparents yelled at him to stop. Yeah, as you would imagine they would, but they were in their chairs and couldn't do anything to make him stop or to even get away from them. All they could do is watch. So he went over and beat them both to death in their recliners with baseball bats. Oh my word. His 89 year old grandfather and his 85 year old grandmother. For what? I had old grandparents. I had my grandmother's both lived to be 93. And they were so frail. Yeah. Like you, I don't even, when you hug them, it was like, oh God, gentle, gentle. Yeah. Don't break them. Can't imagine. This is horrifying to do anything violent or even anything just like, What the fuck? Quick motions you don't want to do around them. So gets worse. During the attack at some point, Bertha May Parker came downstairs. Probably heard the commotion, I would imagine. And she sees what's going on and makes a run for it. She said, oh shit, I'm getting the fuck out of here. Apparently, this is from the district attorney again. Parker was trying to get away when Krause caught up with her in the home's driveway and struck her in the back of the head with the bat. She died face down in a flower bed in the driveway at 68 years old. This poor woman. They said, the ADA here, assistant district attorney, said the wounds to everybody were horrific to put it mildly. Blood cover in the house, baseball bat beneath the tree. Apparently what happened is, by the way, Orion had did all this, then stripped naked, wandered into the woods, covered himself in mud and walked to the neighbor's house. Why did he do this? Naked naked, dick covered in mud. What the fuck? Hey everybody, just gonna take a quick break from the show to tell you how to get your kids some financial literacy here with Acorns Early. Acorns Early.com. Absolutely, it's hard to teach your kids about money. Oh my. It's not a fun subject, they don't wanna know about it. So you gotta make it interesting for them. And Acorns Early is the way you can do this. 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He said it looks like some other kids fucked with him or something or he had a mental problem. He wasn't bleeding profusely or anything. And then he said I murdered four people but this guy doesn't believe him. He thinks he's just talking crazy. And then Orion apparently said I need my sleeping pills. That's what he said. So this neighbor Wagner here was polite and Orion was polite to him. They had a little back and forth. He even asked Wagner's wife to open the door for him since his hands were dirty. He didn't wanna get it muddy. Right. So they called 911. That's the, he keeps saying he murdered four people. We don't know who he is. The cops when they walk in, officer that responded said I walked up the step to the back patio and I could see a white male in his early 20s sitting in a patio chair. The male was naked and an appeared he had rubbed mud all over his body. The male was also covered in thin cuts. He said are you okay what's going on? That's what the officer said. Hey are you okay what's going on? His response is quote I murdered four people. Guy says who? Which is first response. At that point should have been, you have the right to remain silent. But instead he said who? And Orion said my grandparents, my mother and my grandparents aid. Oh everybody. The cops, everyone, whatever they had pretty much. They said where and he points to the woods near the house and says somewhere over there. He just yonder basically is what he said. So they said how? And he said quote I killed my family with a baseball bat. Yeah. They said what's the last name of your parents? Or what's the name of your grandparents? He says lackey, L-A-C-K-E-Y. So they cuff him obviously. The officers head in there. They find a bed sheet. They wrap it around him by the way and sit him back down in a chair. Wagner goes inside gets a bed sheet. And then they said Orion began to quietly sing to himself. What do you say? And then he says to everybody quote I freed them. I freed them he keeps saying it. I freed them. Holy shit. The guys looking going to the murder scene said one guy said I looked through a bay window and can see a light on. He said as I looked in the window I observed two elderly looking people seated separately in chairs facing my direction. Both persons appeared to have severe trauma to the face and forehead. The door was locked so this guy kicks it in Sergeant. And he finds horror, I mean a horror movie. Couldn't be more horrific. You couldn't recreate it in a movie. Blood on the floor, blood on the ceiling, blood everywhere. He said the old people are in recliners facing forward. He said as I walked a little closer I then saw a third victim that I was not able to see prior. That victim was seated in a chair slouched down with the back of their head against the corner of the kitchen island. And obviously that's Buffy. So apparently the Elizabeth Esso had suffered massive head wounds in the attack. And everybody did pretty much. They checked the rest of the house, then they go outside. They came in through the back remember. Then they go out front and said we found a fourth victim outside face down in the flower bed parallel to the driveway. That's Bertha Mae Parker. She's the only victim who was attacked from behind. And she's also the only one who ran. Everybody else was seated. They found an eight foot trail of blood next to her body which goes back to where she was there. Probably dripping off the back I would think. So the EMT responding like we said had to step outside to not throw up. They found discarded clothes in the woods nearby. A bat beneath the tree covered in blood and hair and tissue. Right. They radio back to the, because the other cop is, they radio to the cop who's with Orion on the patio. Yeah. Having a chit chat. And this cop said I could tell in the tone of Sergeant Goodwin's voice that he may have found victims. So they read him as Miranda writes. He says he understands them and he doesn't want to talk anymore. He takes, he goes to the hospital for evaluation. During that evaluation he tells a nurse that he's a heroin user. Oh, oh, mom was right. That's what he said. She would know. They said friends were completely unaware of any drug use. So he's, if he was doing it, he was hiding it from everybody. His mother told police he didn't do drugs or alcohol but he told the nurse he did heroin. I don't know why you would tell the nurse you do heroin if you don't do heroin. This is crazy. This is the chief of police, Donald Palmer. He had a 42 year law enforcement veteran. He said it's something I could have done without for the remainder of my career, but it did happen. He said it was the worst he's ever seen. He'd had to bring in his entire department to respond. He said literally no, there was not another cop in town for anything. He said if you called our dispatch, they would send somebody from another jurisdiction. They would ask for help because we didn't have any cops left. He said it's a horrific situation and we're not used to dealing with it. I want to assure the town that we are safe, your department is safe, and we're gonna continue on. Everybody's fine. So they have a vigil for everybody. The reverend said four people are dead, two of them are elderly, killed by a young man who was known and loved by them. We do not understand this. I'd like to join the congregation on this one as in the, I don't understand this congregation. Certainly, yeah. I'm in the pew, amen brother. I don't know what else to say. I can't believe it either. Yeah, the Oberlin conservatory puts out a statement and said the nature of this crime is horrific and the grief of the family and friends is immeasurable and yet Orion is one of our own. So they're not trying to hide from it anyway. That he went there. The reactions are crazy. Wolfgang Begel, he said this is the most devastating news I've ever heard in my life. He said everything's seen and horrible. I thought my name was gonna be the most tragic thing ever and now this. Christ's sake, Wolfgang Begel and now my friends a murderer. He said he played basketball two weeks before the murders with Orion and everything was perfectly fine. High school band director that he played under said I just can't make any sense of it. The Orion Kraus I knew here at Camden Hills would never have done something like that. He's being accused of. She said he was a wonderful student. So she said his father would chaperone jazz band trips. His parents were supportive of his musical endeavors. So who knows? The town does not wanna be defined by this though. That is for sure. They wanna be like, listen, this isn't us. He didn't even live here. They don't wanna be the murder town at all. That's from elsewhere. Yeah, I would say they said this was one of the town town manager. He said, when you have an event like this, it makes you reflect on the community. Groten is such a tight knit community. It's such a wonderful place. It's a great place to raise a family. And I don't think one incident like this is gonna change that. I'm confident that the town will rebound well. And then the select man, Joshua Deegan said, there hasn't been a murder in this community in over 20 years. 20 years. Again, the other one this week that we did, the Kentucky one, 20 years. 20 damn years. Every 20 years somebody's gotta die. That'll happen. Terribly, but their grandpa's gotta die. And at this something- That is fucking unreal. They can't believe that. I wanna know what's the catalyst, man. Especially those are like cool old people you'd wanna talk to. Yeah. Cause they've like done shit and have cool experiences. Talk to those old people. They're fun. Don't be on the death. And you be kind to them and they'll take care of you whenever they... Dignifiedly pass on. Of their own volition. Yeah. So he said, haven't had a murder in over 20 years and it's not something we're used to dealing with. One murder is bad enough, four murders is horrific and this community is very much in shock. So he goes to get a reigned. He said he's just real, his picture too. He's just a real placid, relaxed son of a bitch, man. God, I wanna see this kid. Come morning on the lake. Yeah. So he said that the attorney, the DA said this is a tragic incident of family violence. The judge ordered Orion to undergo a mental health evaluation, which seems very warranted at the Bridgewater State Hospital. A not guilty plea is entered on his behalf. They also, the judge issues an impoundment order. Of what? Which seals all court and police records or reports related to the case. The order states because the investigation is ongoing and involves gruesome details, the information should be withheld. It also references allegations of abuse, though it provides no other details. The media outlets, including the Boston Globe and Lowell Sun, immediately challenged this order on constitutional grounds. If you can't just hide willy nilly, you know, suppress police records. So this goes all the way through. They go to, they argue in court. They said future jurors in this case will be discussing these things long before my client has the ability to challenge their admissibility. So the judge is saying it's to not poison the jury pool. That's why they're sealing it. Once everything's out, then it'll be open. Kind of like the Koberger thing was a long way back. Cause it was a very, you know, well-known thing here. So the Orion's father, Lexi, files an affidavit pleading for the records to remain impounded. He says, as the court can well imagine, my family and I have been devastated by both the recent deaths of our loved ones and my son's arrest for their murders. Speaking for the defendant's twin brother and myself, we're both in deep shock over what has occurred. In just the past two weeks, I've had to bury my wife, my in-laws and see my son confined to an institution for the criminally insane. Must I now also read the grisly details of the crime scene in the newspaper? Must I hear the public discuss the precise condition of my wife's body when it was found? What good will it serve to force that information on my family and me? No doubt, many are morbidly curious about such things, but I cannot bear them. That's life, man. That's America. If you were, that's just how, it sucks for you. I mean, I'm not saying tough shit. I'm just saying that's, you know, we live in an information society. You boy did that, don't take it out on us. Yeah, this is an information society. You know what I mean? Your son did it, like you said. One family friend, a psychiatrist, also filed an affidavit arguing that, Orion may be struggling to regain self-control in the face of an emerging mental illness and releasing the detailed documents could set him back. So, September 22nd, 2017, the judge rescins the impoundment order. And yeah, so that's that. Now, competency, 40-day court-ordered assessment at the Bridgewater State Hospital, they deem him competent to stand trial. Is that right? Yeah, I guess if you medicate him. He, court records show that he'd been administered anti-psychotic medications since his arrest, and now he's feeling much better. His lawyer says he should be in a psychiatric setting and, you know, he shouldn't be in jail. This is what he is. I mean, he should certainly be in jail jail, but you know what I mean? Something. Lock this kid up forever. Yeah, the lawyer's saying, you know, he obviously should be in some sort of psychological issue. Yeah, he needs help. They end up diagnosing him as a schizophrenic. Schizophrenia. Okay. So he remains at Bridgewater to stabilize, and his attorney said he's smart but volatile. He's hard to deal with. So April 18th, 2018 is his superior court arraignment. When asked how he pleads in the charge of killing his grandparents in birth of Maine and birth of May, he says flatly not guilty. When asked about his mother, he starts kind of holding back cheers and choking, and his voice is breaking. He says not guilty. So his father and his brother are both there supporting him. Okay. His lawyer said at the end of the day, I think mental illness will be the explanation for this event, an insanity defense, not guilty by reason of mental defect. So he said, he also said, oh, the DA told everybody that this, I would describe the scene as mildly as horrific. That's the most mild I can put it. So the trial set for May, 2019, and then it gets postponed for early 20, 2020. And then COVID happens. Yeah. So he's transferred from the Bridgewater State Hospital to the Middlesex County Jail. He's attended other hearings. Alexander Krause said he declined to speak, and he just said, I would say it's a mental illness that caused this to happen, and only mental illness. That's all he would say. September, 2021, prosecutors offer a deal, plead guilty to four counts of second degree murder instead of first degree murder, and in exchange, life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Pretty decent deal. That's a good deal. It takes into consideration his lack of criminal record, his age at the time of the crime, and his clearly fucked up mental state. Clearly there's something wrong here. So the district attorney presented the prosecution's case, him pulling out a baseball bat, from a long paper bag to show, and court- Took it out back to swing practice. And it's covered in blood. I mean, it's stained red, it's nasty. Goes through the timeline, the practice swings on the apples, and talks about the cops calling to try to, people call in to try to stop him, and they said the calls came too late, your honor. They have family impact statements here, talking about this. The sister said the utter brutality, the human indecency, the cruelty of this act is beyond comprehension. There are acts that with the veracity, the ferocity, the complete cruelty that our loved ones met that day is a darkness beyond any theology or any philosophy, and maybe any psychology of understanding. He said, they said anything to say for yourself? He apologizes and said, quote, I was in a psychotic state at the time. And he said, I pray we will be able to process it in the future, hopefully together, as he turns to his father and his brother and says that. The sentence, you jazzy lunatic, may fuck off, agreed upon sentence, eligible for parole in 25 years, he'd only be 51 when that happens. Whoa. Yeah. Man, that's a lot. So, all right. I'm so scared. That's 51 is terrifying. He can still be drumming at 51. I mean, so they said before he was charged with this, they're talking about all this, and his friend said it's a hard thing to think through mentally. He was my friend, I feel really sad this happened to him, and he could be paroled then. That's that. So, there you go, everybody. There is Groton, Massachusetts. Holy shit. Head shaker. Are those well off, just the privilege? How can you say it happened to him? He did this. He did it, I don't know. I don't have mental problems. I have something going on here. He's not a victim. No, no, I mean, he's obviously. Something's wrong, and he was called maybe? Well, I can do, but I don't know. That's what I mean. Who knows? Something's wrong. If you have an idea, or if you just like the show, get on whatever app you're on and give us five stars. It helps a ton. Please do that. Head to shut up and give me murder.com. 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