Frank E Heidemann: Murder

Frank E Heidemann was from Germany born in 1883 in 1910 he was working for a florist as a gardner. He murdered  and most likely raped or attempted to rape a 10 year old little girl named Marie Smith in Ashbury Park, NJ on 9 Nov 1910. 

Detective Raymond O. Schindler put the case together to get a confession and prove Heidemann was the guilty party.

Part of the ongoing investigation with an unknown person called Carl who was undercover.

Victim: Marie Smith was born 1 Jan 1900 in Kings, New York to Peter Thomas Smith (1879-1960)  and Honor "Nora" Katherine Cahill (1876-1946). Marie was the oldest child.

Siblings (Some born after her murder)

John Smith 1902-1905
Thomas Peter Smith 1905-1977
Joseph Smith 1909-1973
Margaret "Mana" Smith 1911-1966
Nora Catherine Smith 1913-1966
James Smith 1916-1985
Frances Catherine Smith 1918-1959

Marie's Mother Nora had an sister that lived close by and she was married to a black man and his friend was Thomas Williams  "Black Diamond " who was acquaintance of Marie's a handy man who was first accused of her murder and a mob wanted to hang him. 

 Frank E Heidemann was executed at age 27 on 32 May 1911
He always said he didn't know why he did it.

This is from 1962 New Jersey post

They family started making a movie of Marie's murder

There is a Crime blog that mentions this murder and a book that was written about other murders Detective Raymond O. Schindler worked on.

Link below:

http://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/vtcs/volume1/

It's a great read

Here is a photo of little Marie.


I will post below some links from newspapers on this horrible tragedy.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29427238/nora_smith/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29427271/nora_smith/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29427102/marie_smith/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29427078/marie_smith/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29421621/frank_heidemann/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29421607/frank_heidemann/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29421569/frank_heidemann/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29418293/marie_smith/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29421420/frank_heidemann/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29421200/marie_smith/

The family continued to live in Asbury Park, NJ for several years,  Peter Thomas Smith died 1960 in Red Bank, NJ and Nora left and moved Back to Kings  New York where she died in 1946.

They never got answer to why, Frank just simply said he didn't know why he did it.