The Murder of Russell Bean
Episode 164
Russell Bean
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In the Fall of 1978, twenty-five year old Russell Bean mysteriously vanished from a small New Hampshire town. He left behind a wife, children, siblings and a mother. For a long, dark decade, Russell's fate remained a mystery until a dramatic confession changed everything.
In early March of 1988, a woman went to the police and relayed a story told by her father less than a week before his death. Her story suggested the location of a body and when police arrived they were shocked to discover Russell Bean had never left New Hampshire, but had been buried right beneath their noses.
The land belonged to Robert Chambers, a long-time resident, part-time police chief, Russell's former best friend and the man his wife next married. Soon the investigation was swallowed into a sensational chaos of rumors telling of a bizarre love triangle, anger, jealousy and betrayal. It was up to investigators to determine fact from fiction, myth from reality, in hopes of uncovering just who killed Russell Bean and who exactly knew where to find him for all those years?
Sources:
Russell Bean | Cold Case Unit | NH Department of Justice
NH Supreme Court on Livestream
New Hampshire Judicial Branch - Supreme Court Oral Arguments 2018
24 May 1954, Page 9 - The Portsmouth Herald at Newspapers.com
24 Jul 1973, Page 20 - The Portsmouth Herald at Newspapers.com
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Nashua Telegraph, Mar 15, 1988, p. 1 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 16, 1988, p. 1 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 18, 1988, p. 12 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 20, 1988, p. 8 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 21, 1988, p. 5 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 22, 1988, p. 6 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 25, 1988, p. 1 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 25, 1988, p. 12 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 28, 1988, p. 3 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Mar 30, 1988, p. 3 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Apr 2, 1988, p. 5 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Apr 14, 1988, p. 10 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Apr 15, 1988, p. 12 | NewspaperArchive
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Nashua Telegraph, Apr 29, 1988, p. 11 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, May 2, 1988, p. 6 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, May 6, 1988, p. 4 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, May 7, 1988, p. 5 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, May 9, 1988, p. 10 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, May 9, 1988, p. 1 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, May 13, 1988, p. 2 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Jun 10, 1988, p. 8 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Jun 12, 1988, p. 21 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Oct 6, 1988, p. 16 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Oct 6, 1988, p. 1 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Oct 7, 1988, p. 9 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Oct 21, 1988, p. 3 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Dec 30, 1988, p. 19 | NewspaperArchive
Nashua Telegraph, Dec 31, 1988, p. 6 | NewspaperArchive
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Nashua Telegraph, Mar 21, 1989, p. 33 | NewspaperArchive
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06 Oct 1988, 12 - The Brattleboro Reformer at Newspapers.com
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21 Oct 1988, 3 - The Brattleboro Reformer at Newspapers.com
04 Nov 1988, 10 - The Brattleboro Reformer at Newspapers.com
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11 Mar 1989, 12 - The Brattleboro Reformer at Newspapers.com
14 Mar 1989, 3 - The Brattleboro Reformer at Newspapers.com
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28 Jul 2016, B2 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com
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Arrest, Swanzey | News and Events | Division of State Police | New Hampshire Department of Safety
WIFE-SWAPPING ENDED IN DEATH, AFFIDAVITS SAY - The Washington Post
Russell John Bean (1952-1978) - Find A Grave Memorial
04 May 1994, Page 25 - Arizona Republic at Newspapers.com
New Hampshire unsolved case file: Killing of Russell Bean
36 years after man disappears, family wants answers
9's Unsolved: Killing of Russell Bean
Chambers sentenced to minimum of 25 years in prison | Local News | sentinelsource.com
Ex-Wife: Chambers Killed Bean During Fight
Former New Hampshire police chief faces sex assault charges | WPEC
Former area police chief sentenced to 25 years for sexual assault | Local News | sentinelsource.com
Russell Bean (1950s-1970s) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
No closure yet in case of body found buried in police chief's yard in 1988
Police Chief's Yard Yields a Body and a Puzzle - The New York Times
Photos: New Hampshire's unsolved homicides
Muriel Morrissette Obituary - Boscawen, New Hampshire - Cremation Society of New Hampshire
Russell Bean in high school | Local News | sentinelsource.com
Former NH police chief faces sex assault charges - Portland Press Herald