Naman Shrestha
When Christine Markle and her daughters, Amy and Suzanne Markle, were discovered dead inside their house in late 1987, the news rattled the entire community of Little Rock, Arkansas, to the core. The dead family left many unanswered questions and a trail of evidence that led right to the perpetrator. The episode titled ‘We All Go a Little Mad’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Friday the 13th Murders’ chronicles the tragic murders of the Markle family in a detailed manner, with the help of exclusive interviews with the loved ones of the deceased and officials linked to the investigation.
Christine, Amy, and Suzanne Markle Were Found Dead in Their Little Rock Residence
On November 11, 1942, in Santa Monica, California, Josephine Eileen Williams Mull welcomed a little bundle of joy into the world in the form of Christine Marie “Chris” Mull. Around the age of 21, Christine tied the knot with her first husband, Rodney Dresner Elliott, in 1963. However, after the marriage deteriorated, they parted ways. In 1968, she remarried John Lawrence Markle, the son of Academy Award–winning actress Mercedes McCambridge, in July of that year. In the following decade of their holy matrimony, the couple gave birth to two daughters — Amy Michelle Markle in 1974 and Suzanne Marie Markle in 1978.
In 1979, Christina and John relocated to a house at 1820 Main Street in the historic Quapaw Quarter neighborhood in Little Rock, Arkansas, along with their daughters, when John landed a job as the Vice President at Stephens Inc., an investment banking firm. Christine was pretty active in several community activities, including volunteering with the Girl Scouts. After attending the Anthony School for a while, both her daughters transferred to separate schools — Amy at Mann Magnet School and Suzanne at Gibbs Magnet Elementary School. The former was not only bright academically but also a talented dancer who aspired to attend the School of the Arts in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, her younger sister shared her passion as she took ballet and dance classes.
Unfortunately, all their aspirations and dreams were shattered in the early hours of November 16, 1987. After 4 am that morning, an acquaintance of the family arrived at the Markle house with the authorities when he couldn’t reach out to them. Upon entering the residence, they discovered the remains of 45-year-old Christine on the top floor of the house, while the remains of her daughters, 13-year-old Amy and nine-year-old Suzanne, were found together on the bed in the second-floor bedroom. When they inspected the gruesome crime scene, the detectives recovered a .38-caliber Colt revolver, which was the potential murder weapon. They also recovered several other handguns in different parts of the house. The autopsy revealed that the cause of death of each victim was multiple gunshot wounds.
The Killer Took His Own Life After Killing Christine, Amy, and Suzanne Markle
Upon entering the Markle residence in Little Rock, Arkansas, the authorities also discovered the remains of John Markle on the ground floor. In fact, it was John who called his attorney, Richard Lawrence, around 4 am on November 16, 1987, asking him to come to his house urgently. After he hung up, Richard tried calling him back a couple of times, but John didn’t pick up. The attorney then contacted the police and requested that they conduct a welfare check on the family. Near his remains, they found a couple of guns — a Western-style .45-caliber Colt revolver and a .38-caliber Charter Arms revolver. They also found a bloody Halloween mask and a handwritten note on the table. Dated November 16, 1987, and timed 2:30 am, it was a suicide note written by John.
It read, “Let it hereby be stated as true that I, John L. Markle, murdered my wife, and two children, Amy and Suzanne, and then committed suicide myself. My wife had no knowledge or part in this. I think the evidence shall so prove.” The blood analysis report suggested that John was wearing the Halloween mask while shooting Amy, Suzanne, and Christine. The detectives theorized that a couple of hours after killing his family, he called Richard before taking his life by shooting himself on both sides of his head using the two guns found near his remains. Further laboratory tests revealed that all four deceased Markles had Elavil in their systems at the time of their deaths. Meanwhile, John and Christine also had valium and marijuana in their systems, with the former also having taken an appetite suppressant and a bit of alcohol.
The detectives also found a long letter written by John Markle addressed to his mother, Mercedes McCambridge, whom he claimed was an absent and uncaring parent. He stated in the letter that she was unaware of his business dealings. As the investigators sought a motive, they discovered that a month prior to the incident, he had taken medical leave. Not only that, just a few days before the murders, he was reportedly fired from his position due to discrepancies found in the financial accounts of the company and his mother. The authorities concluded that the fact that his embezzlement scheme had come to the surface and his serious financial trouble motivated him to kill his family in order to save them the embarrassment and humiliation.
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