A sensational murder trial that captivated the nation at the turn of the 20th century began when John Collins, a respected real estate businessman in Kansas, was found shot dead in his home. His wife, Grace, claimed a stranger had entered their home in the early hours of May 13, 1898, and committed the murder. The case took a strange twist when police discovered that a screen had been cut on the second floor, and a gun was found lying in the hall, pointing toward an open staircase. The Collins household was home to John, his wife Grace, and his adult son, also named John, who was studying for the ministry.
John had a strained relationship with his father, especially after the elder Collins married Grace, who was closer in age to her stepson. Mrs. Collins testified that her husband had no known enemies, and since nothing was stolen, robbery was quickly ruled out as a motive. Suspicion soon fell on the younger John Collins.
A witness named Louis T. Archer, a former prisoner, later claimed that the younger Collins had tried to hire men to kill his father. According to Archer, Collins offered two men money and a gold watch to carry out the murder, but they failed to do so. When confronted, they told him that if he wanted the job done, he would have to do it himself.
Despite these allegations, the trial was a media sensation, with reporters from across the country covering the proceedings daily. The prosecution built its case around the theory that John Collins had staged the scene to look like a burglary, but the defense countered with witnesses who raised doubts about the evidence. After deliberating, the jury found John Collins guilty of murder, but he was not sentenced to death. Instead, he was sentenced to life in prison, though he would serve only a fraction of that time.
In 1908, after just ten years behind bars, John Collins was released on a pardon from the governor. His release came around the same time that Louis T. Archer published a book about the case, in which he alleged that a deal had been offered to him to kill John’s father. Archer maintained that John Collins was innocent and that he would have testified at the trial had he not been in prison.
Following his release, John Collins moved to California, married, and had a son. He worked as a church practitioner in Santa Monica until his death on February 1, 1945, at the age of 67. He never admitted to the crime and maintained his innocence until the very end.