A Murder Etched in Stone

Cape Fear Unearthed

Lizzie Turlington was a promising leader in North Carolina's deaf mute community in 1886 when she was murdered in the woods outside of Raleigh.

The Wilmington native was shot once in the head by the man who had taken her for a leisurely ride that Friday afternoon in December – her fiancé Walter Bingham.

Turlington's story became famous as the manhunt for Bingham unfolded into the new year, one in which they were supposed to get married. But it became infamous when his name was engraved on her gravestone at Wilmington's Oakdale Cemetery, under the words "Murdered By."

This week's return of A Cape Fear Unearthed Halloween revisits the murder that shocked North Carolina 134 years ago.

Who were Turlington and Bingham? What happened on that lonely road outside Raleigh on Dec. 17, 1886? Why did her family want to etch their fateful encounter into stone forever?

WARNING: This episode includes some graphic details that may not be suitable for young listeners.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

The show is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry, Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning, and Cape Fear Pharmacy.

Sources:

• Wilmington Morning Star editions from Dec. 1886-Mar. 1891
• "Is There Any Connection Between Deaf-Mutism and Insanity? The Case of Walter L. Bingham," by Dr. Eugene Grissom, American Journal of Insanity, Vol. 44, Issue 2, Oct. 1887
• Raleigh Weekly Chronicle, Jan. 1887