Posted in Arkansas March 07, 2018 by

This Arkansas Murder House Will Utterly Disturb You

It’s hard to discard humanity’s morbid curiosity. We’re always seeking details to try to solve catastrophes we come across no matter if it’s a wreck we pass on the highway or staying tuned to see if the culprit on the evening news was brought to justice. Sometimes that craving gets the best of us and we’re stuck with wanting to know the whole story. With somberly earnest, let’s tiptoe through the house in Crossett where tragedy struck in 1964.

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This house once belonged to the Degges family.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
Unfortunately, it's also part of the crime scene to the murder of Mrs. Maudine Degges.
A young mother of three, Mrs. Degges dropped off her two older children at school one September morning.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
Later that morning a neighbor spotted the youngest child, a four year old boy, wandering the streets. The neighbor bought the child to his grandparents and together they went to the Degges house.
Mrs. Degges was nowhere to be found.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
The only things left were a plugged in iron and one of her shoes.
Her body was found the next day about three miles southeast of the house.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
Blunt force head trauma was the cause of death. A wrench, the assumed murder weapon, was recovered at the scene.
Investigators were able to piece together what had happened.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
A neighbor had seen a black and white 1956 Buick pulling out of the Dregges' driveway. The driver had suspiciously sped off without stopping. Two men working on a nearby telephone line also witnessed the odd Buick.
Police followed the trail and found the owner of the Buick.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
The owner, James Williams, worked near the Dregges' neighborhood. Police noticed a large burn on Williams' chest during questioning. He brushed it off saying it was caused by the muffler of the chainsaw he was operating in the woods.
Williams' claimed to have been working at the time of the attack.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
About two weeks after the policemen's first contact with Williams they were able to obtain a warrant and disprove his alibi. Also at this time Williams' burn had healed to the point where a match could be made between its shape and the shape of the iron Mrs. Degges had been using.
Williams' had broken in through a window and attacked Mrs. Degges.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
Mrs. Degges fought back but was overpowered when Williams used his wrench.
Williams was arrested for first degree murder. He was sentenced to death by electrocution.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
He appealed but the Supreme Court of Arkansas denied his hearing.
Justice came quicker than expected.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck
Williams died in prison before his sentence could be carried out.
Mrs. Degges was given a proper burial and flowers are still left on her grave to this day.
www.AbandonedAR.com/Ginger Beck

For more pictures and details surrounding this house and other abandoned places, visit our friends at AbandonedAR.com.

We’re only glad that Williams received the justice he deserved. Share your reaction with us in the comments below.

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