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The Case of William Beeman
📻 Episode #496
🎙️ Hosted by Maggie Freleng
📅 Nov 25, 2024
About This Episode
On the morning of April 26, 1980, visitors at Wildcat Den State Park in Iowa found the body of 22-year-old Michiel Winkel. She had been stabbed 17 times. From the start, police zeroed in on William Beeman, a local DJ with a reputation for being a womanizer. Despite the fact that William did not know…
Case status as carried in this site's original 2026 profiles. Independent record verification is rolling out episode by episode — statuses are being re-checked against court and registry sources and date-stamped as verified.
The Case
On the morning of April 26, 1980, visitors at Wildcat Den State Park in Iowa found the body of 22-year-old Michiel Winkel. She had been stabbed 17 times. From the start, police zeroed in on William Beeman, a local DJ with a reputation for being a womanizer. Despite the fact that William did not know Michiel, there was no physical evidence for the crime, and he had an alibi for the days of her possible killing, William was convicted of murder and remains in prison today.
If you want to help William you can contact the Muscatine, Iowa County Attorney, Jim Berry: https://www.muscatinecountyiowa.gov/141/Attorneys-Office
or, The Drake Wrongful Convictions Clinic: https://www.drake.edu/law/clinics-centers/clinic/wrongfulconvictionsclinic/
We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Their Own Words — transcript excerpts
Short excerpts from the episode's official published transcript, with timestamps — listen from these moments, or read the full transcript via the podcast's own platforms.
00:04:53“Speaker 4: because that woman made her mad. Speaker 2: Donna now remembers those times fondly. Speaker 3: He was a happy, go lucky kid. Speaker 1: He had a no adney on a mini bike, and Speaker 1: he made ramp some things out here in the backyard Speaker 1: and jumped them and rode over him.”
00:18:14“Speaker 1: bond by putting my house up for you know, collateral. Speaker 3: And Dick wouldn't do it. Speaker 2: Bill's dad, He said no. Speaker 1: And I tried to sell my coin collection and different things, Speaker 1: but it wasn't enough money. Speaker 2: Wow, how much money did you get for the coins?”
00:31:17“Speaker 5: I don't remember it. And so it raises all of Speaker 5: these red flags about whether it's reliable, and what coercion Speaker 5: was happening in that room, and how vulnerable was he. Speaker 2: In terms of the evidence that brought Erica to Bill's Speaker 2: case in the first place.”
Listen to the Episode
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