The Bill and Carolyn Exom Case

Introduction

Location: Multnomah County, Oregon, Spring 1999
Incident: Man makes a single-ring phone call to an apartment; woman opens her door to a surprise.
Background: Surveillance leading up to this, significant event occurred 6 weeks earlier.

Location: Gresham, Oregon, suburb of Portland
Composition: Husband Bill, Wife Carolyn, and four children (three sons, one daughter)
Community Involvement: Highly respected, deeply involved in local church and community activities
Love Story: Met in high school; Bill was a senior, Carolyn a freshman
Early Life: Bill, a star athlete in high school; Carolyn, a cheerleader
Marriage & Career: Married 1983, Bill worked at Consolidated Freightways
Children: Actively involved in their lives, registered them for various sports; very devout and helpful

Incident Date: March 21, 1999
911 Call: Late night call from neighbor seeing Carolyn covered in blood and reporting an attack
Crime Scene: Bill found dead in the garage, suffered a brutal assault
Carolyn's Account: Heard banging, found Bill attacked, then she was hit; attacked from behind
Children: All safe, asleep in their rooms
Bill's Injuries: Vicious head trauma, autopsy revealed 11 blows to the head
Crime Scene Observations: Blood spatter patterns, clear signs of a violent struggle

Canvasing the Neighborhood: Police inferred a possible connection to local homeless people residing in adjacent woods but found nothing
Potential Lead: Talked to other people close to the family; friends and community members shocked by event; no apparent enemies
Carolyn's Presence: Unaware of the attackers, could not provide a description
Family's Involvement: No evident forced entry, implying familiarity

Pickup Truck: Red and silver Dodge truck seen in the neighborhood often, especially on the murder day
Anonymous Flowers: A local florist reported flowers sent by an Alan Browning, message hinted at a personal connection
Connection to Allen Browning: Grew up near Carolyn’s parents, attended high school together
Carolyn and Alan's Relationship: Rekindled friendship; Bill even mentored Allen at church
Allen Under Surveillance: Seen with Carolyn frequently; regaining information led to further claims
Yearbook Theory: Alan had a high school crush on Carolyn, potential obsession

Affair With Alan Browning: Confirmed through surveillance; numerous observations show close association while kids attended karate
Wiretaps & Listening Devices: Proved their ongoing romantic involvement
Allan's Confession: Coaxed into a murder scheme by Carolyn
- Initial Plan: Knock out Bill, stage a fire to look like an accident
- Actual Incident: Major struggle ensued, Carolyn’s active involvement
- Murder Weapon: ‘Fish whacker’ a square metal pipe found near Allan’s parent’s house

Arrests: Carolyn and Allan arrested after caught communicating
Carolyn's Interviews: Denial, changes in story but eventually exposed through tapes
Legal Outcome: Allan accepted a plea deal, life sentence; Carolyn sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years
Further Speculations: Possible intent to kill all children with fire

Significance: Highlighted the brutal betrayal and manipulation subsequently leading to a dreadful crime.

Apologies for the somber topic, but an essential case highlighting tragic human actions.