Three homicides involving young women that took place in Fall River, Massachusetts, between October 1979 and February 1980 have been attributed to a Satanic cult that may not have actually existed. The events occurred during the period often referred to as the “Satanic Panic,” which involved widespread public concern about alleged clandestine groups engaged in ritualistic abuse and other crimes. Although broader claims of organized Satanic networks were later discredited, the Fall River cases centered on a localized group whose activities and statements led to allegations of cultlike behavior.
The first homicide occurred on October 13, 1979, when the body of 17-year-old Doreen Levesque, a runaway from New Bedford, was found beneath the bleachers at Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School. The medical examiner reported that she had sustained physical trauma, stab wounds to the head, and severe skull fractures. The findings suggested that more than one individual may have been involved, and aspects of the injuries were interpreted as consistent with a stoning. No one was ever convicted in connection with her death.
In November 1979, the investigation shifted when Andy Maltais reported his girlfriend, 22-year-old Barbara Raposa, missing. Maltais, who had a history of mental instability and sexual violence, told police that he had converted from Satanism to Christianity and claimed that he, Raposa, and Levesque had been involved in a local Satanic group. He alleged that this group was responsible for Levesque’s death and introduced investigators to two individuals from the Bedford Street community: Karen Marsden, age 20, and Robin Murphy, age 17.
During interviews, Marsden identified Carl Drew, a 26-year-old local pimp, as responsible for Levesque’s death. Drew had previously acted as Levesque’s pimp, establishing a connection to the victim. Marsden stated that Drew used references to Satan to intimidate and control women in his prostitution network and reported that he made threats involving both physical harm and spiritual consequences. She also directed investigators to the Freetown State Forest, where she said the group held nighttime gatherings and where she claimed Drew had threatened to dispose of her body.
On January 26, 1980, the body of Barbara Raposa was discovered frozen in a wooded area behind an abandoned printing facility. The medical examiner reported that her wrists were bound with fishing line, she had been sexually assaulted, and her skull had been crushed with a rock, in a manner similar to the Levesque case. Maltais initially denied involvement but later provided detailed descriptions of the crime scene and method of killing, stating that the information came to him in a dream. He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.
After Maltais’s arrest, Robin Murphy approached prosecutors and offered to testify against him in the Raposa case and against Carl Drew in the Levesque case in exchange for immunity. Murphy stated that Maltais killed Raposa during an argument and claimed that Drew had organized Levesque’s killing after she attempted to leave his prostitution network. Murphy’s account changed over time, incorporating additional details and references to ritual elements not included in her earlier statements. Karen Marsden later provided a conflicting account to associates, alleging that Murphy played a leading role in the group’s actions. Marsden disappeared on February 9, 1980.
In April 1980, parts of a human skull identified as belonging to Marsden were found near Devol Pond in Westport, Massachusetts. A search of the area uncovered hair, clothing, jewelry, and animal remains, though Marsden’s full body was not recovered. Following the discovery, an associate, Maureen “Sonny” Sparda, told police that Murphy had confessed to the killing during a phone call. Another associate, Carol Fletcher, stated that both Murphy and Drew were involved and that she had driven them to the location.
Murphy was arrested along with Carl Drew and another associate, Carl Davis. Murphy later entered a plea agreement, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in connection with Marsden’s death in exchange for her testimony against Drew and Davis. In her statement, Murphy described a killing initiated by Drew, stating that Marsden was removed from a vehicle, assaulted by multiple individuals, and killed when Drew broke her neck and Murphy cut her throat. She also alleged that Drew engaged in ritualistic actions during the killing.
During the investigation, law enforcement reported observing group activities that they described as ritualistic. Two detectives from the Fall River Major Crimes Division stated that they witnessed a ceremony in Sparda’s apartment involving Drew, Murphy, Sparda, and others. Participants also described gatherings in the Freetown State Forest centered around a flat rock referred to as an altar, where they reported animal sacrifices, chanting, and altered states of consciousness. Drew told police, “I worship Satan like you worship God.”
Legal proceedings began in January 1981. Andy Maltais was tried first, convicted of the first-degree murder of Barbara Raposa, and sentenced to life in prison without parole; he died in custody in 1998. Due to pretrial publicity, subsequent cases were moved to Worcester County. Robin Murphy received a life sentence with the possibility of parole under her plea agreement and was released in 2004 before being returned to prison in 2011 for a parole violation. Charges against Carl Davis in the Marsden case were dropped, though he later served a seven-year sentence for an unrelated assault on Sparda. Carl Drew was convicted of first-degree murder in Marsden’s death, largely based on Murphy’s testimony, and received a life sentence without parole. Prosecutors did not proceed with charges related to the Levesque case.
In 1984, Murphy recanted her testimony, stating that she had fabricated claims about ritual activity and falsely implicated both Drew and Maltais. Other witnesses also withdrew or revised their statements, alleging that their testimony had been influenced by police pressure, threats, or drug use. Carol Fletcher later stated that Murphy alone killed Marsden during an altercation in a residential setting rather than in the forest.
Subsequent interpretations of the case have varied. Some investigators, including Detective Paul Carey, proposed that Murphy acted as a central figure in the events, using references to Satanism to influence others. Other analysts have suggested that the concept of an organized cult was shaped in part by media coverage and the broader context of the Satanic Panic. Alternative theories have also linked the group to other unsolved cases in the region, including the 1978 death of Mary Lou Arruda in the Freetown State Forest.
Key Sources:
Cooney, A. (2022, March 9). Robin Murphy, convicted in Fall River “cult murder,” tells her story to the parole board. Fall River Herald News.
Laskey, M. (2024, August 29). Sex, Satanism and Sacrificial Slaughter: The Fall River Cult Murders, 1979-80. Cvlt Nation.
Medeiros, D. (2025, August 7). “Satanic cult” killer Carl Drew wins case to see secret docs. Could they prove innocence? Fall River Herald News.
Scammell, H. (1991). Mortal remains: A True Story of Ritual Murder. HarperPerennial.
WJAR-TV. (2017, March 29). Fall River woman convicted in satanic cult killing asks for parole.