PDF Summary:We Thought We Knew You, by M. William Phelps

In a tight-knit family shaken by tragedy, deeply rooted suspicions and secrets emerge. We Thought We Knew You by M. William Phelps unravels the chilling details surrounding the sudden death of Mary Yoder—beloved wife, mother, and pillar of her community. As the investigation into her poisoning unfolds, startling connections reveal a twisted web of betrayal and deceit closer to home than anyone could have imagined.

The Yoder family's unwavering bond is put to the ultimate test as a whirlwind of accusations and conflicting motives threatens to tear their world apart. Phelps guides readers through a maze of digital evidence, family turmoil, and legal battles, keeping them guessing until the very end.

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• Start a wellness journal to track your holistic health practices, inspired by the focus on holistic wellness in Mary's chiropractic practice. Documenting daily routines, such as dietary habits, exercise, sleep patterns, and emotional well-being, can help you identify what contributes to your overall health. You might notice, for instance, that on days you meditate, your stress levels are lower.
• Educate yourself on the potential risks and proper usage of natural supplements and medications, as a proactive measure to prevent accidental poisoning like colchicine. This could involve consulting with healthcare professionals, reading up-to-date research, and maintaining a list of substances you take with their dosages and purposes. If you're taking a new supplement, you could set reminders to review its interactions with other medications you're using.

The investigation and subsequent legal proceedings regarding Mary's poisoning revolved around Katie Conley.

Initially, the investigators regarded Mary's spouse, Bill, along with her offspring, Adam, as possible suspects.

Bill and Adam presented a collective demeanor of sorrow and cooperation, with no signs pointing to their complicity.

Detective Mark VanNamee from the Oneida County Sheriff's Office commenced the investigation, focusing initially on the immediate family members, including her husband Bill and her son Adam. The individuals cooperated with the investigation by voluntarily providing their phone records, electronic devices, and all other pertinent items to demonstrate their lack of guilt. Liana's statement to law enforcement confirmed Adam's presence on Long Island when their mother was gravely ill, thus eliminating the possibility that he personally delivered the poison to her. Adam, who was far away on Long Island, would have had to devise a complicated plan to make sure Mary received colchicine while he was away, an idea VanNamee considered to be without logic.

An accusation of murder against Adam emerged from a letter whose author's identity was not disclosed, but this allegation was eventually set aside following a comprehensive inquiry.

During the initial stages of the inquiry, the medical examiner and the local police received unsigned letters accusing Adam of administering a toxic substance to Mary. Yet, despite the convincing details about where investigators could find the murder weapon, along with Adam's motivations and an admission the writer had allegedly witnessed, the OCSO uncovered major inconsistencies. Adam's presence on Long Island, where he was visiting his sister at the time Mary fell ill and passed away, was confirmed. The letter's writer included inaccurate details regarding key dates to strengthen his case. Adam's confession to the author of the letter would seem contradictory if he were actually responsible for the offenses.

The inquiry subsequently shifted focus to Katie Conley, who worked for Mary.

Adam, Mary's son, experienced an unstable romantic involvement with Katie, causing tension among family members.

Upon inspection of the correspondence, a trace of female DNA was discovered under a postage stamp. The investigation took a dramatic turn when a solitary clue implicated Katie Conley, who was in charge of the office operations and had once been in a romantic relationship with Adam. The relationship between Katie and Adam was marked by intense emotional distress and manipulative behavior. Initially, Mary and Bill were hesitant to employ Katie, concerned about the potential complications that could arise from mixing business with personal relationships. Throughout her time with Adam, Katie always ensured she attended every family event. Katie continued her efforts to contact Adam, emphasizing the $15,000 she had loaned him, despite his complete withdrawal from any form of personal interaction or communication with her.

A detailed examination of the digital forensic evidence uncovered Katie's involvement in procuring the colchicine that led to Mary's poisoning, and she additionally tried to frame Adam.

Forensic specialists at the OCSO determined that the colchicine was obtained through an internet transaction associated with a Gmail account established under Adam's name, a fact he later professed ignorance of. The purchase was made with a credit card that had been preloaded with funds. Katie set up a PayPal account in Adam's name and subsequently attempted to buy colchicine with it. After her initial plan was impeded because the company required full payment before dispatching the products, Katie visited a nearby Hannaford supermarket to purchase preloaded payment cards. Investigators established a connection between Katie's electronic devices and the procurement of the toxin through a thorough analysis of the data from her iPhone. Katie's attempt to acquire colchicine was not her first attempt to poison Adam, as revealed during the investigation.

Katie's deceptive behavior and dishonest actions led to her becoming more entangled in the criminal activities.

Katie consistently denied any knowledge of the Gmail account, the procurement of colchicine, or the presence of prepaid credit cards during her questioning. Katie maintained her conversation with the detective, sharing further information that seemed to hold minimal significance. Upon discovering the inconsistencies, her distress was evident as she shed tears and then withdrew her previous assertions, admitting to having given the authorities inaccurate information regarding certain details. Katie's most conspicuous encounter with the authorities occurred on December 21, 2015, when she was interrogated about discrepancies in her statements concerning her familiarity with an email account she professed ignorance of, and she remarked on the rarity of poison use among men. Women frequently opt for a distinct kind of weapon. The accumulation of proof indicating Katie's involvement in buying the colchicine, setting up Adam, and authoring the letters culminated in her being taken into custody.

Practical Tips

• You can enhance your observational skills by practicing detailed note-taking when watching crime documentaries or reading mystery novels. As you engage with these stories, jot down potential suspects, their alibis, and any evidence presented, then compare your notes with the actual outcome to see if you identified the correct culprit and why.
• Improve your critical thinking by creating a "mystery game night" with friends where each person presents a short, fictional crime scenario and the others ask questions to determine the truth. This will help you practice dissecting information, identifying inconsistencies, and understanding motives in a social and fun setting.
• Develop a better understanding of forensic science by conducting simple experiments at home, such as using basic kitchen ingredients to understand how substances react with each other. For example, you could learn about DNA extraction by using salt, dish soap, and rubbing alcohol to extract DNA strands from fruits like strawberries, mirroring the process of identifying DNA evidence in a crime scene.

Debates and legal challenges persisted over the potential culpability associated with Katie.

Katie Conley stood accused in a pair of legal proceedings for the purported killing of Mary Yoder.

The initial trial concluded with the jury deadlocked, with a faction believing firmly in Katie's innocence.

In 2017, during the spring season, Katie Conley faced trial for charges related to homicide. Katie Conley's culpability for the fatal colchicine poisoning of Mary Yoder was convincingly demonstrated by the prosecution through digital forensic evidence, which also showed her subsequent attempts to frame Adam. Despite some jurors finding it difficult to agree due to the predominantly circumstantial nature of the evidence, it was evident that Katie's conduct throughout the trial, including breaks, was atypical and suggested culpability. The jury, after days of consideration, could not achieve a consensus, leading to the declaration of a mistrial by the judge.

The case for the prosecution was strengthened during the second trial by a substantial amount of digital evidence that confirmed the defendant's responsibility.

The second trial began in the fall of 2017. As the investigation advanced, authorities had amassed a significant collection of digital and forensic evidence, one piece of which was a duplicate of an iPhone's data discovered on Adam's computer. Bill Yoder was conclusively cleared of being the assailant, and the assertions that Katie had been framed proved to be without merit. Anthony Martino, the head of the Northeast Cyber Forensics Center at Utica College, detailed the investigative steps that led to irrefutable evidence pinpointing Katie as the only person who could have given Mary the poison. Martino depicted the approach as one that entailed meticulous research and the compilation of details about rare and seldom-used toxins. She even discovered a catalog labeled as "The Globe's Deadliest Toxins." The gathering of clues, including an illustration titled "The Breakup" depicting a mermaid beside her lifeless partner, along with iPhone backup data and additional discoveries, significantly strengthened the case for the prosecution by clearly disclosing the reason behind the criminal act.

In early 2018, Katie was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and was consequently sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Despite Frank Policelli's strenuous efforts to discredit them, the prosecution's argument against Adam and Bill Yoder stood firm and unchallenged. Katie was acquitted of the charge of second-degree murder but was convicted on the lesser count of first-degree manslaughter. During the sentencing, Katie staunchly asserted her lack of guilt before the court officials. She expressed her gratitude towards relatives, acquaintances, and unknown individuals prior to progressing. Some individuals were so overwhelmed with emotion that tears started to flow. During the trial, he expressed deep sorrow due to his mother's passing. Katie was sentenced to 23 years of incarceration.

There are those who firmly believe that Katie's conviction was unjust and assert her innocence.

Some supporters of Katie have made unsupported claims implicating Bill Yoder and Adam.

Despite the irrefutable evidence and verdict confirming her role in the toxicological demise of Mary Yoder, Katie continues to receive backing from a considerable number of people in Utica and Oneida County. Mary Yoder's siblings continue to stand by Katie, suspecting that Bill Yoder might have pressured her into admitting guilt. They were firmly convinced that the authorities had erroneously accused Katie, working alongside the mourning Yoder family. Unfounded assertions have been circulated without any evidence to support them.

Katie persistently challenged her conviction, blaming inadequate legal representation, yet her efforts were unsuccessful.

Every appeal made by Katie has been turned down. Her latest appeal, which maintains that her conviction should be reversed on the grounds of "ineffective counsel," is based on the contention that her family, inexperienced with criminal defense lawyers and overwhelmed by the intricacies of the legal process, entrusted their daughter's future to the supposed proficiency of their legal representatives. Katie Conley's persistent denial of accountability for her actions is highlighted once more, emphasizing her ongoing rejection of personal responsibility.

The community remains divided, with Katie's advocates firmly dismissing the verdict of the jury despite it being substantiated by the evidence.

Katie's supporters continue to smear and attack Bill and Adam Yoder, pointing to the fact that Bill had an affair with Mary's oldest sister after Mary died as evidence of his guilt. Katie Conley's conviction still stands despite various efforts to challenge the verdict via the appeals system. A faction remains unwavering in their belief in her innocence. They firmly assert that the foundation of the case was compromised due to a defective investigation, marred by the unsuitable actions of the police. Their position, unfortunately, is influenced by an insufficient understanding, prejudiced viewpoints, and a denial of irrefutable proof, as underscored in the investigative works of M. William Phelps.

Other Perspectives

• The digital forensic evidence, while substantial, may not account for all possibilities, and there could be alternative explanations for the data that were not fully explored during the trial.
• The fact that the jury was deadlocked in the initial trial suggests that there was some reasonable doubt regarding Katie's guilt that was compelling to some jurors.
• The attempt to frame Adam could be interpreted differently, potentially as an act of desperation if Katie felt wrongly accused or as a result of manipulation by others.
• The unsupported claims implicating Bill Yoder and Adam, while not substantiated, could point to a need for further investigation or flaws in the investigative process that were not addressed in court.
• The assertion of inadequate legal representation by Katie could be a valid criticism of the defense provided to her, which may have impacted the fairness of the trial.
• The dismissal of the jury's verdict by Katie's advocates could be based on their close knowledge of her character and personal circumstances that were not fully conveyed during the trial.
• The division within the community and the firm belief in Katie's innocence by some could suggest that the case was not as clear-cut as presented and that there may be additional context or evidence not considered in court.