Story 1

By September 1941, Theodore Edward Coneys had fallen on hard times, so he went to visit his old friend Philip Peters, whom he hadn’t seen in many years. When Coney got to the house in Denver, Colorado, he found it empty and unlocked. Peters was out to see his wife—who had broken a hip—in the hospital. So Coneys let himself into the house. Inside, he found a small door that led to a tiny attic room. Coneys, who was a rather small man, managed to get into the room and decided it was better than living on the streets for the winter. He lived there for a few weeks. Whenever Peters left the house, Coneys slipped out of his hiding spot, helped himself to some food, and used the bathroom. That lasted until October 17. On that day, Coneys slipped out of his attic room and started cooking, but Peters hadn’t gone out. He was actually napping and was startled by Coneys, whom he didn’t recognize. Coneys attacked Peters and pistol-whipped the 73-year-old man to death.

Instead of fleeing, Coneys went back into his hiding spot. Police were called after friends discovered the body, but the police wereincredibly puzzled by the crime scene. All the doors and windows were locked, so they were unsure how the killer got in and left the house. A short time later, Peters’s wife returned to the home and hired a series of housekeepers. However, they kept leaving, because they were sure the house was haunted, so the woman ended up moving in with her son. Coneys, on the other hand, stayed right where he was.

When people passed the house, they’d see lights or hear strange sounds. The police investigated but could never find anyone in the house, so people assumed the house was haunted. Eventually, the police started doing surveillance on the house. On July 30, 1942, 11 months after moving in, the police finally saw Coneys move a curtain, exposing his face. They raided the house and caught Coneys climbing into his attic room. They had always assumed the door was too small for anyone to fit through.

Coneys was arrested and convicted of murdering Peters. He died on May 16, 1967, in a prison hospital.