The Valentine's Day Massacre: Indiana's Forgotten Tragedy Trailer

Murder came quietly to rural Indiana on a cold February night in 1977. While the rest of the country was preparing for Valentine's Day celebrations, a family in Park County faced unimaginable horror when armed intruders entered their double-wide mobile home and changed their lives forever.

The case known locally as the "Valentine's Day Massacre" bears no relation to its famous Chicago namesake, but carries just as much weight for those who remember this shocking crime. Four brothers—Reeve, Ralph, Raymond, and Gregory—were systematically executed in their own home, while their mother Betty Spencer was shot but miraculously survived. The brutal, execution-style killings stunned the tight-knit communities of western Indiana, shattering the sense of security that small-town residents had long taken for granted.

What makes this case particularly chilling is its seemingly random nature. As we explore through original newspaper reports and local accounts, this wasn't a robbery gone wrong or a crime of passion—it was methodical, calculated violence that came "absolutely out of nowhere." The perpetrators forced their way into the home from multiple entrances, ordered the family to lie face down, and coldly fired shotgun blasts into each victim one by one.

The Valentine's Day Massacre of 1977 raises profound questions about safety in rural America and how communities cope when violence invades spaces previously thought immune to such tragedy. Was this a targeted attack? What happened to the investigation? And how did this brutal crime transform the outlook of an entire region? Join us as we uncover this forgotten piece of true crime history that continues to haunt western Indiana nearly five decades later.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Introduction and Disclaimers

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome everyone to Podcast 69 South, where we discuss and discuss true crime, cold cases, current events and hot topics, along with our state of society today. This is your trigger warning. Our podcast content is produced for adult listeners, 18 years of age and older. We discuss situations that may be offensive and triggering to some listeners. Sit back, relax and enjoy. Hey everybody, Welcome back to the 69 South Podcast. I'm your host, Chop, and, as always, I'm joined by my incredibly beautiful co-host, Julie.

Speaker 2: 0:42

You're too sweet.

Speaker 1: 0:44

I'm the luckiest dude in the world, I swear.

Speaker 2: 0:46

Hey everybody, it's great to be back with you all. You can find us on all podcast platforms Apple, spotify, you name it and we're on socials too. Follow us on our 69 South Facebook page, join our private 69 South Facebook group and check us out on Instagram, tiktok X and YouTube.

Speaker 1: 1:08

We also want to give a huge shout out to our listeners for supporting us and diving into these dark stories with us. If you love what we do, head over to wwwpatreoncom forward slash 69 South. For just $5 a month you get access to legal documents from cases. We cover one bonus episode a week, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes clips. We've got big plans as we grow, so join us on this journey, folks.

Speaker 2: 1:36

Absolutely Chop.

Speaker 1: 1:37

And don't forget to visit our website 69SouthPodcastcom to sign up for our newsletter on all things 69 south we're also thrilled to share that you can grab our 69 south cussing and discussing t-shirts at centerton gas station on rob hill road and state road 67 or online at shop scented jewelscom. We're working on getting all of our merch in one place for easier access, so stay tuned and thank you for following our journey.

Speaker 2: 2:06

Now let's dive into today's crazy case. This was suggested by one of our amazing listeners. It's called the Valentine's Day Massacre, but no, we're not talking about the 1929 mob hit in Lincoln Park, chicago.

Speaker 1: 2:24

No, we're talking about a tragedy right here in the old Hoosier State, park County, indiana, 1977. This one hits hard because it was just so shocking for the small tight-knit communities around where this crime went down.

Speaker 2: 2:39

I'll be honest Researching this case gave me chills. This could have happened to anyone in a small town. It just came out of absolutely nowhere.

Speaker 1: 2:50

Let's set the scene. It's February 13, 1977, in Rural Park County, inside a double-wide mobile home. Betty Spencer is at home with her family. Her husband, Keith, had just left for work, shortly before 1230 am. Everyone else was likely tucked in bed or getting ready to turn in. To tell this story as accurate as possible, we're going to read from the first newspaper article published in the Brazil Times on February 14, 1977. The shocking headline in the Brazil Times said Four Murdered in Rural Park County.

Speaker 2: 3:29

And then it goes into detail. Hollinsburg, indiana. And then it goes into detail. Hollinsburg, indiana. Three or four gunmen forced their way into a mobile home along a remote country road earlier today and blasted four young brothers to death with shotguns in what resembled a modern St Valentine's Day massacre. The victim's mother, betty Spencer, 43, also was shot, but she survived and was hospitalized first at Terre Haute, about 25 miles south of this western Indiana town, then transferred to Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis, about 50 miles to the east.

Speaker 2: 4:11

Two suspects were questioned at the Park County Jail in Rockville but were not charged immediately. Police said they were not sure the two had anything to do with the killings. Police said they were still looking for three to four suspects. The victims were identified as Reeve B Spencer, 16, ralph Spencer, 14, raymond Spencer, 17, and Gregory Brooks, 22. Ms Spencer was the mother of Brooks and the stepmother of the other three children. Her husband, keith, was at work in Indianapolis when the shootings occurred. Ms Spencer was able to tell police that two men forced their way into the front of the home and probably two others came in the rear. She was not positive. The gunmen forced all five of them to lie on the floor face down then blasted them one by one with one or more shotguns. Thank you for joining us for this sneak peek, for exclusive access to bonus episodes, early releases of our weekly episodes and our legal documents. Head over to patreoncom forward slash 69 south. Support the show and become part of our community. We can't wait to see you there.