The Big Story

Blind Date with Murder

AFRTS Mystery Theater

English · True Crime, Radio

This episode of The Big Story recounts the case of Martin Sullivan, a 73-year-old Duquesne, Pennsylvania police officer charged with molesting a young girl. After the witnesses testified against him, Sullivan killed five people and shot the girl’s father and brother. The killings took place within 45 minutes.

Sullivan was convicted and executed in March 1938, at age 74, making him the oldest man executed in Pennsylvania. The account also follows Thomas Gallagher, Sullivan’s former constable and friend, who was convicted of negligence after allowing Sullivan to leave custody briefly. Gallagher received parole after 2,000 citizens petitioned the court.

The surviving recording comes from the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service’s Mystery Theater series. Its crime-reporting format brings a real case to radio, combining the details of the investigation and its aftermath into a dramatic account.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.