Fox Nation follows Hulu in detailing Oklahoma Girl Scout murders
Lee Digital Content Center
Posted:
Updated:
In 1977, three girls — Lori Farmer, Denise Milner and Michele Guse — were killed while attending a Girl Scout camp near Locust Grove, Oklahoma.
Gene Leroy Hart, who was arrested after an intense manhunt and charged with the crimes, was ultimately acquitted after a sensational trial.
The case, which remains perhaps the state’s most infamous cold case, was the subject of a four-part Hulu series called “Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders” that was released earlier this year. Now, a four-part series from Fox Nation called “The Girl Scout Murders” looks back at the cold case.
Prior to these streaming programs, the Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles podcast covered the case as part of a 7-part series. You can listen to all of the episodes below, which are based on a 2017 series of reports from the Tulsa World. You can scroll below the audio players to find links to all six chapters in the series as well as additional information on the case.
The complete Girl Scout Murders series
This series from the Tulsa World examines the details of what happened and the lingering effects on those who survived:
Chapter 1: Tulsans react to the stunning news that three area girls have been murdered at a Girl Scout camp near Locust Grove.
Chapter 2: The largest manhunt in Oklahoma history kicks off in pursuit of two-time prison escapee Gene Leroy Hart, who, despite being charged with the murders, has a growing number of supporters.
Chapter 3: One of the state’s most-anticipated and sensational trials pits a seasoned, successful district attorney from Tulsa County against a scrappy, young Oklahoma City defense attorney in a battle over evidence and accusations that Hart is being framed.
Chapter 4: Officials stop pursuing the case despite a not-guilty verdict, and Hart dies unexpectedly while in prison for unrelated crimes.
Chapter 5: In the years following the murders, the survivors and others affected continue trying to make sense of it all, while maintaining hope that advancements in DNA testing may ultimately bring answers.
Chapter 6: After 40 years, the victims’ families show their resilience, undeterred by the mystery that still surrounds the case.
Rabbit Hare/Tulsa World
The photo shows an aerial view taken of the Great Hall on June 24, 1977 at Camp Scott, the camp where three girl scouts were murdered earlier in June 1977.
A car carries several Girl Scouts from Camp Scott, which was closed following the slaying of three campers. Published on June 14, 1977.
Lori Farmer, Denise Milner and Michele Guse
DAVID HECKEL / Tulsa World
To make sure none of the Girl Scout campers returning to Tulsa from Camp Scott were unaccounted for, each was checked off a list when her parents came by to pick her up on June 13, 1977.
TOM GILBERT
An aerial photo of the scene where Lori Lee Farmer, 8; Michele Guse, 9; and Doris Denise Milner, 10 were murdered when they camped out at Camp Scott during a Girl Scout outing 40 years ago.
Girl Scouts get off their bus in Tulsa after returning from Camp Scott, where three Scouts had been murdered on June 13, 1977.
Officers and area residents gather on June 23, 1977 at Sam’s Corner as the manhunt for Gene Leroy Hart begins unfolding. MEL ROOT/Tulsa World file
Officers and area residents gather on June 23, 1977 at Sam’s Corner as the manhunt for Gene Leroy Hart begins unfolding. MEL ROOT/Tulsa World file
Gene Leroy Hart identified as a suspect in the killing of three Girl Scouts.
Glen "Pete" Weaver, Mayes County Sheriff, during the search for Gene Leroy Hart in 1977. The Tulsa Tribune
Dogs and their handlers move through a pasture near the search perimeter as the search for Gene Leroy Hart continued on June 24, 1977. RICHARD PULLIAM/Tulsa World file
This April 7, 1978 edition of the Tulsa World chronicles the apprehension of Gene Leroy Hart, the primary suspect in the 1977 killings of three Girl Scouts.
The cabin in the Cookson Hills in southern Cherokee County where Gene Leroy Hart was captured.
Gene Leroy Hart was arrested by OSBI agents in this tiny house in a remote part of eastern Cherokee County near Locust Grove on April 6, 1978, after the state's largest and longest manhunt in history. Tulsa World File
The cabin that Gene Leroy Hart hid out in a courtesy photo from Ronald Shaffer.
Gene Leroy Hart (center) is led into the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on April 6, 1978, the night of his capture. On his left is Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Larry Bowles and on Hart’s right is OSBI agent Bud Ousley. Mayes County Sheriff Glen "Pete" Weaver (wearing white hat) is on the far left. Doug Hicks/Tulsa World file
Gene Leroy Hart (center) is led into the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on April 6, 1978, after his capture. OSBI Agent Larry Bowles is on the left with OSBI Agent Bud Ousley on the other side. Tulsa World File
Gene Leroy Hart (center) is led into the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on April 6, 1978, the night of his capture. On his left is Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Larry Bowles and on Hart’s right is OSBI agent Bud Ousley. Mayes County Sheriff Glen "Pete" Weaver (wearing white hat) is on the far right. Doug Hicks/Tulsa World
BEN NEWBY/The Tulsa Tribune
Gene Leroy Hart, accused of killing three Girl Scouts, struggles with heavy wrist and ankle shackles as he inches his way up the front steps of the state prison between Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents Larry Bowles, left, and Bud Ousley, followed by Mayes County Sheriff Pete Weaver (behind Ousley) and Deputy A.D. David. Agents caught Hart on April 6, 1978 in a shack near Stilwell and took him to prison for safekeeping.
The April 7, 1978, edition of The Tulsa Tribune chronicles the capture of Gene Leroy Hart, the primary suspect in the 1977 killings of three Girl Scouts.
Murder suspect Gene Leroy Hart is led from the Mayes County Courthouse back to jail following his arraignment on April 7, 1978. Tulsa World File
Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers escort Gene Leroy Hart to his preliminary hearing in the Mayes County Courthouse on June 7, 1978.
Gene Leroy Hart is flanked by attorneys Garvin Isaacs (left) and Gary Pitchlynn at a news conference held at the Mayes County Courthouse on March 20, 1979. Tulsa World File
Gene Leroy Hart. Tulsa World File
Garvin Isaacs chief defense attorney in the Gene Leroy Hart case. Tulsa Tribune
The Tulsa Tribune
S.M. “Buddy” Fallis, Tulsa County District Attorney and prosecutor in the Gene Leroy Hart case.
The Tulsa Tribune
Gene Leroy Hart is led into the Mayes County courthouse for his preliminary hearing on June 7, 1978.
JIM GIPSON/The Tulsa Tribune
Gene Leroy Hart is escorted to the Mayes County Jail on April 7, 1978 by state law officer Roger Chrisco.
The March 31, 1979, edition of the Tulsa World
Gene Leroy Hart covers his face after learning a jury had acquitted him of murder and is congratulated by attorney Gary Pitchlynn. Tulsa World File
Gene Leroy Hart’s mother, Ella Mae Buckskin, cries as she hugs Hart’s attorney Garvin Isaacs on March 30, 1979, after her son was acquitted of murdering three Girl Scouts.
Pallbearers walk slowly through a corridor of mourners on June 8, 1979, as a memorial service concludes for Gene Leroy Hart. Hart died on June 4, 1979, of a heart attack at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Tulsa World File
