2 pm, Sunday, June 23, West Wyandotte
On May 30, 1925, Florence Knoblock, a farmer's wife and the mother of a young boy, was found slaughtered on her kitchen floor. Several innocent men were taken into custody before the victim's husband, John, was accused of the crime. He would endure two sensational trials before being acquitted.
Eighty years later, local historian Diana Staresinic-Deane studied the investigation, which was doomed by destroyed evidence, inexperienced lawmen, disappearing witnesses, and a community more desperate for an arrest than justice. She would also discover a witness who may have seen the murderer that fateful morning.
Join local author Diana Staresinic-Deane for a discussion of her book Shadow on the Hill: The True Story of a 1925 Kansas Murder. Books will be for sale after the discussion. Cash or check only.