The man that the gallows could not kill

The man whom the gallows could not kill: The murder of Emma Keyse in 1884Three times they placed the rope around John Lee's neck. Three times they triggered the trap. Three times the ground beneath his feet refused to open. When they removed the condemned man, the mechanism worked perfectly. It only failed when he was on it. Divine intervention or deliberate sabotage by someone who knew the truth?In this episode, we explore the impossible contradictions of the case: the bloody axe and knife found next to John’s pantry, the blood trails connecting his room to Emma's body, and the strange disappearance of defense attorney Reginald Templar during the trial. Six years later, from his deathbed, Templar would confess to being the true murderer. How did an intimate lawyer of the victim sabotage the defense of the innocent?Victim: Emma Keyse Date: November 15-16, 1884 Location: Glenn House, Devon, England Status: John Lee commuted to 22 years; Templar's confession never prosecuted- The gallows trap worked perfectly when the executioner tested it without John Lee on it, but it failed three consecutive times when he was under the rope.- Reginald Templar, Emma's close friend and her voluntary defense attorney, disappeared during the trial, then returned erratic and deliberately withdrew.- Elizabeth, the pregnant cook whose father was unknown, worked in the same mansion where Templar would have had access that night.- Templar confessed on his deathbed, delirious, to having murdered a woman in a seaside mansion, but this confession was never legally processed.Emma Keyse, John Lee, 1884, mansion murder, homicide, forensic, investigation, unresolved mystery, condemned innocence, true murderer, true crime SpanishIf you want to listen to this podcast ad-free and gain access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected] Listening:If you are a fan of deep-dive investigative podcasts and suspenseful storytelling like Crime Junkie, True Crime with Kendall Rae, Dateline NBC, 48 Hours, Morbid, 20/20, Betrayal Season 5, MrBallen Podcast: Strange Dark & Mysterious Stories, My Favorite Murder, Criminal, Murder at the U, Snapped: Women Who Murder, Serialously with Annie Elise, Casefile True Crime, or The Epstein Files, this will be your new favorite podcast.Topics Covered:True crime podcast, unsolved mysteries, cold cases, serial killers, missing persons, real crime stories, investigative journalism, homicide investigations, forensic science, interrogations, 911 calls, true crime daily, true crime 24 hours podcast, unexplained deaths, true crime stories English.This episode includes AI-generated content.