The Dark and Tragic Case of William and Lydia Boxell (Minnesota, 1897)

On the night of May 15, 1897, under a full moon over the farmland west of Minneapolis, an elderly Minnesota farmer named William Thomas Boxell and his nineteen-year-old wife, Lydia, were killed in their sleep with an axe taken from their own woodpile. The killer entered through an unlocked door. The family dog never barked. Nothing was stolen. Over the next two years, seven men would be arrested, including the dead man's own son. Only one stood trial. He was acquitted. The case has never been solved. This is the case that came to be known as the Great Boxell Murder Mystery. If you would like to see more cases like this one, subscribe and the next one will reach you when it goes live. SOURCES AND FURTHER READING: This documentary was researched from multiple primary and secondary sources. Wright County Historical Society, the Boxell Family Murders archive: https://www.wrighthistory.org/giftsho... Christine Marcotte, "Inspired by an Axe Murder: A Skeleton in the Closet Brought Out the Writer in Me," Lake Superior Writers: https://lakesuperiorwriters.org/2020/... Herald Journal Publishing, "Boxell family reunites, tours HL house where murders took place": https://www.delanoheraldjournal.com/a... Minnesota Historical Society Digital Newspaper Archive (for period coverage in the Howard Lake Herald and Wright County Eagle): https://newspapers.mnhs.org/ Geni genealogical records for William Thomas Boxell: https://www.geni.com/people/William-B... The case remains unsolved. The research of Christine Marcotte, a Boxell family descendant, and the Wright County Historical Society are the reason this story has been preserved. #historicaltruecrime #historicalcrimestories #victoriancrime #boxellfamily