Intro
“Welcome to Murder By Nature, where we discuss True Crime, Mystery disappearances, and unsolved cases! I’m Jazmin Hernandez, your host!
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Halloween is a time of spooky nights and scary movies. The month that everyone wants to be scared and dress up as their favorite characters from movies, shows, or books. It's the time when the air is crisp and leaves start to change colors. Some might use this opportunity to blend in with the crowd of Halloween celebrators and seek out their victims for fun, while some take this as a chance to unleash terror on people who had the misfortune of crossing their path.
In 2001 Susan Griffin and William Liske decided it was time to tie the knot and combined their families as one. Susan had two children from her previous marriage and William had one son from a previous relationship. They knew with having older children that it might be harder to get the family to combined as one but it would be worth it in the end. Susan’s sons Devon and Derek warmed up to William easily. They would hang out, and really took a likling to him as step father but William’s son William JR BJ as they called him did not warm up to Susan in the same way. This caused a lot of conflict within the household. When merging two families its often hard as the children are older and stuck within their ways and this is what the Liske household found to be true. Most of the time the house with stuck in chaos with William Sr having to choose between his wife and his son with their disagreements. As most imaged BJ was not handling the transition well, he started to skip school and get into serious trouble. When the couple merged the family it was hard for BJ to understand the rules that Susan was attempting to set forward and he would push his boundaries with the rules. The family tried to bond over the combined interest in the outdoors. Susan was an office manager for Northwest Ohio Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee and William was a retired Air Force Veteran but the one thing that they all shared in common was the love for hunting. The fmaily would spend weekends out hunting and just being within in the outdoors, but sadly that was all about to change.
In 2002 issues with BJ were in full force. William Sr called the police on his son as an argument erupted at the home with BJ stating that he was going to kill himself. When police arrived BJ attacked the officers when they were trying to calm him down and he was arrested and charged with assaulting a peace officer. As time went on things started to calm down for a bit. Until Oct of 2004, BJ got into a physical altercation with Susan. He attacked her hitting her hard in the chest. With William Sr not really know what to do and how to handle this he was stuck once again. Then two months later the police were called out to the house for an altercation with Susan and BJ. Bj hit Susan with a coffee cup and stole her car keys. He was charged with assault and robbery this time and arrested. As the trial started the defense ruled that BJ was incompetent to stand trial for these charges and the case was dismissed. As the family tried to adjust back to a normal routine William finally reached a breaking point with BJ and kicked him out of the house after he attempted to assault Susan while she was in the shower.
In 2007 BJ was hospitalized for schizoaffective disorder, and Bipolar. William knew that the only way he was going to protect his now 18 year old son was to file for guardianship over him. William knew with this diagnostic that he would have to have his son somewhere safe and he petitioned the court to allow BJ to moved into a halfway house or group home. With his time at the group home, BJ continued to spiral out of control the cops had to be called on him three times within his stay there for physical alterations with the staff, residents and his father.
As things started to calm down William knew that he needed to repair the strained relationship that was starting for form with his son BJ and decided that he was going to take some time off work and go hunting just the two of them. William packed up his things and off the pair went to the families hunting cabin in Carroll county the week before Halloween. When the duo returned on the on the 30th the family went to the neighbors for a barbecue and hang out. The gathering went amazing everyone was having a great time and the family was really starting to get along. As the night was coming to a close Susan and William decided that it would be best if BJ just stayed the night instead of driving him back to the group home since they both had been drinking. BJ didnt usually stay the night with the family due to the volient attacks previously but they felt that this was the best for just one night. The party ended around 12 am and everyone went home. Most guest noticed that neither of Susan’s boys were at the gathering but did not find it odd as Bj and the boys did not get along very well due to the horrific attack BJ did to their mother throughout the years.
The next morning started out as any other, Devon stayed the night at his fathers house that weekend and woke up Halloween morning in a rush. He woke up and still needed to rush to his mothers house to get ready for church that morning. At around 9:30 am he quickly rushed to his mothers house to change. When he arrived to the house he felt like something was off, his step brother BJ was there and instead of his normal doom and gloom self he was excited, and talkative. Devon didnt have much time to think about this as he was already running late and quickly told BJ bye and rushed out the door. BJ was getting the families Ford f150 and went to the families hunting cabin in Carroll County.
That morning church service ran longer than expected and Devon had a performance with the churches choir. As the day turned into the afternoon Devon finally made his way back home to unwind. He went into his room and started playing video games before the nights festivities began. After a few hours Devon noticed that the house was erry silent. The kitchen was empty, the shower wasnt running, and no one was around.
As he made his way though the home he stumbled upon a gruesome scene. Devon started walking around the home and into his mother bedroom. He thought maybe they were still sleeping or didnt feel very well. As Devon walked into the room he noticed that they had a red quilt over their heads. Devon tried to wake them up by talking with them. But he got no response back he walked over to his mother’s side of the bed and began to shake her. No response. As he started to grow extremely nervous he started to pull down the blanket. Devon noticed that there was a ton of blood on the pillow his mothers head was on. Devon’s first thought was that they were playing a horrible prank on him. The night before his parents hosted a halloween party and maybe they were trying to be funny until the shock finally set in and he realised what he was looking at. His mother and step father were dead. Devon raced out of the house and called his aunt Lori Mose.
As Lori rushed over to the Liske residents she called 911 not knowing the scene she was going to be pulling up too. When the police arrived to the Liske’s rural home that sat on over 100 acres they started to search the home. The found Susan Liske and William Liske murdered in their room. As they contiuned to search the home they found Derek Griffin’s door was locked. Police kicked down the door to find Derek curled up in the bed facing the wall. He was dead. From the inital investihated they were able to determine that Derek was bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer. He most likley died within the first few mins of the first blow. William Liske was shot five times in the head and face at a range of one to two feet. He was lying in a natural sleeping position. Susan Liske was sprialed out more awkwardlyu as if she was moved within the timeframe. She was shot threee times at close range. After further investigation they found that Susan was sexually assulted before she was shot. Police were able to there was no signs of a struggle and the three must of been sleeping during the attacks. One thing police noted was that Derek didnt have any contact with since 3 pm the night before.
In a matter of hours Devon’s life was taken from him and his mother and brother were gone. As the police continued to search for clues throughout the house and outside and that is when they came upon muddy shoe prints that lead from the pond to the back deck. Police decided to check the pond to see if they were able to find the .22 that was used in the murders. The pond was drained and k9 dogs sniffed the pond area but there was no weapon found.
With Lori and Devon back at the house both were certain that BJ had something to do with the murders. Lori told officers that Bj had a lot of trouble with the law and that he threatened susan before and was all kinds of trouble. She told police that she tried to call the house around 7am and 9 am after Derek did not show up for work. She also let the police know that the F150 was missing from the house. Devon let police know when he came home that his step brother Bj was at the house acting super weird. He told police that BJ was not normally at the house and when he is hes always doom and gloom and this morning he was loading up the truck.
As police started to search for BJ they alerted the near by communities of the missing truck that is when Deputy Michael Balash spotted the white ford pick up truck matching the description of the vehicle. When the officer approached the residence BJ casually walked out of the brown single story cabin smoking a cigarette as he was leaning against the porch. The deputy immediately drawed his gun and told Bj to lay on the ground. The deputy had to hold him at gunpoint until back up arrived to assist with handcuffing BJ. Officers stated that during the arrest they were able to gather evidence that indicated that BJ was guilty of killing Susan and Derek. The police were able to locate criticial evidence in the family truck including blood and the .22 caliber rifle tht was used to kill the family. As BJ was being transported to the jail he was put on a suicide preventation watch and needed to be put into a smock and he refused. Officer LeMonte instructed BJ towards the smock and touched his shirt and this prompted BJ to punch and scratch the officer in the face. When backup arrived to assist officer LeMonte they advised BJ that if he did not corporate with them that they will tase him. BJ ended up putting on the smock. Even though this assault happened in custody charges were never filed against BJ.
During the investigation the police struggled to find a motive for the killings. Everything seemed to be going okay for the family. BJ and his father were getting along and spending quality time together. The night before the whole family had a wonderful gathering. The timing did not make sense to the community or people around the family. The killings from BJ would of made sense a few months back. In the course of the investigation the police quickly became aware that just a month before the murders Susan Liske filed a police report against BJ claiming that he sexually assaulted her. Police wondered if this was the final straw for William and the relationship that he was having with his son.
When investigators searched the house, they noted the made up sofa bed in the living room, the spot they had made for BJ the night before.
Michele Gradel, told investigators that she heard what sounded like gunshots at 6:30am on Sunday, October 31st, the morning of the murders. If this is correct, Devon would have been home, unaware that his family had been killed while getting ready for church, speaking with BJ after he had murdered his family. This would also indicate that BJ allowed Devon to leave the house & live, rather than murdering him as well. It’s also possible that the timeline could be off; BJ had asked Devon how long he would be gone, so it’s possible he murdered them after Devon left for church.
In November of 2010, BJ was charged with six counts of aggravated murder; two counts for each person killed. Three of the counts were murder with prior calculation & design & three were murder committed in the commision of aggravated robbery. BJ pleaded not guilty.
Two competency evaluations were done & BJ was deemed competent to stand trial. During a pre-trial hearing on August 12, 2011, BJ pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder in exchange for removal of a potential death penalty. Before his sentencing, Without shedding a tear, BJ told a courtroom filled with those who knew and loved William, Susan and Derek that he could not explain why he brutally murdered them on that fateful Halloween. "I loved my dad very much, and it makes me feel sick every time I think about what I did, "I can't really explain why this all had to happen, but I think most of all it had to do with my mental illness." BJ’s defense attorney said it was ridiculous that his client could be declared legally sane, especially when he had a history of poor mental health. He said it's unknown whether BJ was taking the medication that was prescribed for his schizoaffective disorder on the night of the murders, although he had been drinking alcohol. "Clearly, he should not have been provided alcohol, something that was a constant problem in his life -- the mixture of alcohol and his mental illness." BJ’s sister, Lisa Curll, told the court that her family's lives had been changed forever. "We just don't understand how something like this could happen. You see stuff like this on TV and think it will never happen to your family. You love someone so much and then they take something away from you. I just don't know how you could do it when he loved you so much." In September of 2011, BJ was sentenced to three sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole
On March 31 st of 2015, BJ. was found dead in his cell at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio, from a self-inflicted injury. He was 29 years old.
Derek L. Griffin was 23 years old at the time of his death. He was born on July 30th, 1987, son of Gary and Susan Morse Griffin. He graduated Oak Harbor High School in 2005, where he had been active in track. He was a second degree black belt, and a member of St. Jon Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oak Harbor. His favorite pastime was spending time on Lake Erie in his sailboat and his father’s inflatable dinghy. One friend by the name of Emily Christyson had this to say about him. “Derek was one of my best friends in the entire world and he will be deeply missed by myself, as well as everyone who met him-- even if it was a brief encounter. He never failed at making my day better in the smallest ways. Whenever I needed someone to talk to, he was always right there for me. I will never forget all of our dumb inside jokes, midnight runs to Wendy’s, and the fact that he never taught me how to longboard. He has been a huge part of my life, and will continue to be. I miss him terribly and wish more than ever I could see him one last time, but I know that wouldn’t be enough.”
Susan M. Liske was born on January 30, 1964 to Benny and Edna Morse. Susan was the office manager for Northwest Ohio Carpenter’s Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. She too was a member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church. She enjoyed hunting, camping, and gardening. She had a big heart and was a loving mother, aunt, and friend. A friend, Shelly Thoman said on her memorial page, “Susan, from the moment you walked into work with Devon I knew we would be friends and not coworkers. I said it then when we met, how our boys were the same age and they would be best friends. Little did I know that he would grow to one day call you mom, and I would think of you as a big sister and not just a coworker. Your joy, laughter, insight, kindness, and generous heart followed you everywhere you went. It’s hard to know that you won’t call about a weekend plan, or I won’t be getting an e-mail about just anything. Or just a call… You were a great wife to Bill, an awesome mom to not just your kids, but to all of them that called you “mom,” and a wonderful friend/sister to all who knew you.
William “Bill” E. Liske was born May 11, 1957 to William E. and Shirley Liske. William was a United States Air Force Ceteran, and worked for Waste Management. He, like Susan, enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and being in the outdoors. He was a loving husband and father. Friends Jake and Nicole Gradel said “Bill, you were an amazing friend to the family! Jake and I will miss your humor and the love you had for us.. We will miss that pumpkin patch that you made for Mason and Owen every year. Mason said a prayer for you and Suzie Sunday evening. He misses you guys.”
Outro
That brings us to the end of this episode! As always, thanks for listening to Murder By Nature. If you enjoy our show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any streaming platform you are currently on, and be sure to come back Saturday for our new episode. Until then, I am your host, Jazmin Hernandez, don’t forget to stay safe! Don’t get murdered or murder people, you lovely humans!
