greetings
lowell lee andrews.
where: wolcott, ks
when: 11/28/1958
wolcott was a midwestern town like any other. a suburb of kansas city, it's largely removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. it's a quiet little place where not much happens. however, in 1958, it would be the setting of a horrible and gruesome tragedy.
lowell lee andrews was, on the surface, an unremarkable guy. quiet, creative, and a lover of science, lowell wasn't the type to stand out or cause trouble much. he liked to read books, and while he was a bit antisocial, nobody seemed to mind as he didn't cause problems. in fact, one neighbor would call him "the nicest boy in wolcott". after highschool, he went on to study zoology at the university of kansas, continuing his interest in science. he was, by all means, a normal boy.
it was around the thanksgiving holiday in 1958. lowell and his sister, jennie marie, were both home from college to celebrate with their parents, william and opal. jennie, opal, and william were watching tv in the living room while lowell read the brothers karamazov alone in his bedroom. at some point when he finished reading, lowell got himself dressed, grabbed a rifle and revolver, and proceeded to murder his entire family. starting first with his sister, then his mother and father, lowell methodically set about the massacre within the family home. he then opened the windows and rummaged through some drawers to make the scene appear like a robbery before leaving the home.
lowell's movements afterwards are interesting. perhaps it's a shoddy attempt at creating an alibi, or maybe he just wanted to have an evening of fun. he first drove an hour away to lawrence, ks, where his college apartment was located. he told those he saw he was just stopping by to grab his typewriter for a school assignment. he later went to the granada theater to watch a movie before heading to a nearby river to dispose of the guns used in the murder. after his night out in lawrence, he returned to wolcott to feed the family dog and alert the police of the murder.
it didn't take long for police to arrest the nicest boy in town. lowell didn't seem particularly upset or disturbed by the bloody deaths of his family. when visited by a minister in prison, lowell, a longtime baptist, confessed to the crime. his motive wasn't exactly clear to authorities. it was initially believed that he wanted to inherit the family farm. however, it was said that he also had fantasies of becoming a hitman in chicago, and perhaps murdering his family was his first step to that goal.
regardless of whatever the motivation was, it was undeniable that lowell was not the all-american boy he appeared to be. several psychologists evaluated him after his arrest and concluded that he did, in fact, have schizophrenia, but that he was not delusional and was of sound mind during the crime. a/n: i feel it important to note: lowell was 18 at the time of the crime. schizophrenia is more prevalent in males and is typically diagnosed in late teens to early twenties. given the era and the lack of understanding surrounding mental health at that time, i feel like it's important to highlight that information in this case. while it certainly doesn't excuse familicide, i believe this case would have played out differently in modern day
lowell's legal team put up an insanity defense, but to no avail. he was convicted on the murder charges, and his lawyer's attempts for appeals fell on deaf ears. his lawyer continued to fight for clemency up until the day of lowell's execution, certain that the young man deserved a second chance at life. while his lawyer fought on his behalf, lowell, holed up at lansing correctional facility, became acquainted with richard hicock and perry smith, the men involved in the clutter family murder. hicock would describe lowell as an odd kid who didn't seem to care much for what became of him. truman capote would even interview lowell for his book in cold blood. in the end, lowell lee andrews was executed by the state of kansas on november 30, 1962 at the age of 22. while he didn't give any last words, he gave hicock a poem by thomas gray which included the line, "the paths of glory lead but to the grave".
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