# 253: Thad Phillips & Christian Steiner

An episode of [Morbidology](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1463979546), 22 Apr 2024, 50 min.

Audio: https://prefix.up.audio/s/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/s.gum.fm/s-610c47a4222ada0024acb2d8/pscrb.fm/rss/p/prfx.byspotify.com/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/2IMk17EdnEqyRhJTIpIU/claritaspod.com/measure/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/59305214/morbidology_253_thad_phillips.mp3

Thad Phillips was asleep on his couch in Baraboo, Wisconsin, on the night of July 29, 1995. In the haze of half-sleep, he suddenly became aware of somebody lifting him. He thought that it was his father taking him to bed, but when he emerged from his daze, he found himself standing outside, with an older teenage boy standing before him. SPONSORS - Winona: Winona is a network of OBGYN health professionals that provide physician-prescribed bioidentical HRT. Get 25% off your firsrt order with promo code "MORBIDOLOY" at: https://bywinona.com/morbidology Truvaga: Truvaga is a handheld device designed to stimulate the vagas nerve, which helps reduce stress, sharpen focus, and improve sleep. Get $15 off with promo code "MORBIDOLOGY" at: https://www.truvaga.com/ FÜM: Start the Good Habit at https://tryfum.com/morbidology to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. EZ Melts: EZ Melts are fast-melting, sugar free wonders that dissolve on your tongue, giving you all the essential nutrients in a package that tastes like a treat. Receive a free 3 month supply of Vitamin D3 with your first order at: https://try.ezmelts.com/morbidology SHOW NOTES - https://morbidology-the-podcast-251-billy-payne-and-billie-jean-hayworth PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/morbidology YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/morbidology Audio Credit: Epidemic Sound Evening of Chaos - Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Empty Reflections - ErikMMusic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgq4SPKHlyI A Mothers Sacrifice - OurMusicBox - https://ourmusicbox.com/ Dark Tranquility - Anno Domini Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6mBav72Ak Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/morbidology--3527306/support.

## Transcript

[0:03] Some people are surprised to learn that many older women tune into Morgan all the
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[0:44] is that they use plant beust hormone. The city of Wisconsin is nestled in
[0:48] the of your condos a rich history, getting back to its early settlement are
[0:54] European pioneers in the eighteen thirty Amazingly, a whopping eighty percent was originally inhabitabed
[0:59] by various Indigenous people days including the dot com to Start Your Free named Baraboo
[1:04] is believed to have originated the term any Tawerbeg means the yellow water lilies,
[1:11] referencing the nearby Baraboo River. Morbidology witnessings of settlers that were drawn by its
[1:18] fertile larms, und abundant natural resources E. Y W. And in the
[1:23] mid nineteenth century, Baraboo experienced significant growth but the arrival of German, Irish
[1:29] and Scandinavian immigrants who established farms, businesses, and industries. One of the
[1:34] most prominent figures of Baraboo was Al Ringling, the Ringling Brothers circus founder,
[1:40] along with his brothers, turned what was then a small town into a circus
[1:45] empire hub. Since then, Barboo has blossomed into the largest city in Sauk
[1:51] County, proudly claiming the title of county seat. On the muggy summer night
[1:57] of the twenty ninth of July nineteen ninety five, thirteen year old Thaddeus Phillips,
[2:01] affectionately known as Thad, had drifted off on the couch at his family's
[2:07] home on the County Highway in Barbou. In the haze of half sleep,
[2:12] he suddenly became aware of somebody lifting him and cradling him in their arms.
[2:17] Assuming that it was his father, he allowed himself to be carried anticippearing that
[2:23] he was going to be placed in his own bed. However, as that
[2:27] emerged from his days, he found himself standing outside, disoriented and perplexed.
[2:35] Beside him stood an unfamiliar older teenager, exuding an air of friendliness. The
[2:42] casual demeanor the teenage boy asked that if he could help him with his car.
[3:00] Thad Phillips was born to parents Donald and Connie Phillips in nineteen eighty two.
[3:07] From a young age that displayed a strong athleticism and a competitive edge,
[3:14] his passion for sports was evident early on, especially in baseball, where he
[3:19] thrived as a member of the Merrimack Flames Little League team. Despite a small
[3:24] stature, thad speed and resilience made him a formidable third baseman on the field.
[3:31] However, in nineteen ninety five, Thad reached the age limit for Little
[3:36] League participation, yet his dedication to the sport remained unwavering. He continued to
[3:42] frequent the baseball field, offering his assistance wherever possible. Then, in June
[3:49] of that year, the Phillips family relocated from Merrimack to Barriboo, yet Thad's
[3:53] enthusiasm for baseball persisted. Upon settling, he swiftly integrated into the local baseball
[4:02] scene, joining the Barraboo White team as a picture He's edled into his new
[4:09] town and made some friends with the children in the neighborhood. After the older
[4:21] teenage boy carried third out of his home and requested assistance with his car,
[4:27] thought a great. I just assumed that it was the family friend and he
[4:30] was having cour trouble, and you wanted needed some help or something, and
[4:34] my dad probably wouldn't get up to help holm, so I thought maybe I
[4:38] could. He was half asleep as the teenager asked that to run with him
[4:42] over to his home on County Highway U, just half a mile away,
[4:47] thought, and the older boy took off running, reaching a ramshackle home just
[4:51] on the road. It was Dirk. I didn't really know what was going
[4:56] on. I just moved there and only lived there two weeks. I wasn't
[5:00] scared. I didn't know I should be scared. Introducing himself as Joe,
[5:04] the teenager opened up the front door and welcomed that inside. As Thad's eyes
[5:12] scanned the interior of the home, he was taken aback by the state of
[5:15] it. There was trash all over the place and beer bottles lined up along
[5:21] the kitchen counters. Introducing himself as Joe, the teenager opened up the front
[5:28] door and welcomed that inside. As Thad's eye scanned the interior of the home.
[5:33] He was taken aback by the state of it. There was trash all
[5:38] over the place and beer bottles lined up along the kitchen counters. Parts of
[5:44] the floor were even missing and covered with boards. This place is real,
[5:49] don't There's trash everywhere. It's garbage, old food, old dishes. I
[5:56] realized it wasn't a front of the family. It looked more like in a
[5:59] band and home than a home that anybody would live in. But that was
[6:03] here now, and he was ready to help. Joe then told thatd that
[6:08] he had actually brought him over for a party, not to fix his car.
[6:13] He said that other local boys would be arriving soon, but in the
[6:16] meantime he could check out his model car collection upstairs while they waited. Trusting
[6:23] Joe's friendly demeanor, Thod followed him up the stairs and into a small and
[6:28] dirty bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, Joe shut the door behind them.
[6:33] He showed that his collection of baseball cards and model airplanes and cars, before
[6:40] his demeanor quickly underwent a stark transformation. The friendly facade vanished, and Joe
[6:46] looked angry. Without warning, Joe forcefully pushed Thad onto the stained bed and
[6:54] lunged on top of him, seizing his ankle in a tight grip. Joe
[7:00] then twisted Thad's foot around his own leg, causing the bone above his ankle
[7:04] to snap and splinter under the immense pressure. But the brutal assault didn't end
[7:11] there. Joe proceeded to rain down punches and bites upon Thod as he tried
[7:16] to defend himself against the much bigger teenager. In a moment of sheer terror,
[7:24] Thod believed his life was in jeopardy as Joe unleashed his relentless onslaught Suddenly,
[7:30] However, Joe abruptly stopped the attack and left the room, leaving Thod
[7:35] immobilized and inexcruciating pain. Despite his desperation to escape, God found himself unable
[7:45] to move his legs. Upon returning, Joe attempted to attend to Thod's injuries
[7:51] by applying bandages and braces, displaying a bizarre shift in behavior. He then
[7:59] asked that while he was hungry and brought him a sandwich and a glass of
[8:03] water, but Thod was much too terrified to eat or drink. Joe then
[8:09] turned on the television and watched an episode of tales from the crypt as Thought
[8:13] shook in both pain and fear. In a desperate bid for escape, Thought
[8:20] summoned his dwindling reserves of strength and managed to rise from the bed, pushing
[8:24] through the pain to navigate towards the bedroom door. I was so scared and
[8:28] confused at the time. I didn't feel much pain in my ankle, but
[8:31] I did fill the bone slipping past my footbone, and I was trying to
[8:35] run on a really strange feeling. I made it down his stairs, out
[8:41] of his bedroom, down the stairs, through the living room, halfway through
[8:43] the kitchen when he caught up to me. With each step the jagged edge
[8:46] of his fractured leg grated against his ankle. Despite his agonizing condition, Thod
[8:54] persevered, hobbling down the stairs towards the kitchen in a race against However,
[9:01] his falating hope was dashed as Joe swiftly closed in, seizing Thad by the
[9:07] neck and forcefully restraining him on the couch. As Thad pleaded for him to
[9:13] stop, Joe grabbed that's already injured leg with calculated brutality. The sickening sound
[9:20] of bone snapping echoed through the room as Thad screamed out in pain. Throughout
[9:26] the torment, Joe frequently switched from being friendly to unleashing more torture on that
[9:33] In a disturbing display of dominance, Joe then forced Thad to stand over a
[9:37] board marked with the number six six six and the word satan. At one
[9:43] point, Joe even masturbated while looking at Thad before once more jumping on his
[9:50] legs. Thad pleaded with Joe to stop, telling him that he wouldn't tell
[9:54] anybody what had happened. That he would say he tripped over a coffee table,
[10:01] but Joe told that that nobody would believe him, so he needed to
[10:03] stay with him. Joe then carried Thad back upstairs and placed him on the
[10:09] bed. He then grabbed his ankle and twisted it all the way around,
[10:16] shattering it with a sickening crack. Thad desperately begged Joe to stop and questioned
[10:22] why he was hurting him. Joe bluntly responded that he loved to hear the
[10:28] sounds of bones breaking. He then added that that wasn't his first victim.
[10:35] That he had done the same thing to another local boy named Christian Steiner.
[10:48] Christian Steiner was born to parents George and Kathy Steiner on the nineteenth of November
[10:52] nineteen seventy nine. Described as a typical teenage boy, Christian was known for
[10:58] his good nature, passion for baseball cards, and love for the great outdoors,
[11:05] especially fishing. However, tragedy struck on the fourth of July nineteen ninety
[11:11] four, when fourteen year old Christian was discovered missing from his home in Barraboo
[11:16] the previous night after returning from his job at McDonald's and Leake Dalton, Christian
[11:22] had fallen asleep in his bed, still clad in his work clothing. His
[11:28] parents promptly reported his disappearance and detectives arrived at the family home. Evidence pointed
[11:35] to a chilling possibility Christian had been abducted. His bedroom window screen had been
[11:41] slashed open, muddy footprints mare at the carpet, and the patio door was
[11:46] left unlocked. While detectives entertained the notion that Christian may have run away,
[11:52] his parents refuted this idea. In the wake of his disappearance, hope flickered
[11:58] with two reported sightings of Christians. Reports emerged from witnesses claiming sightings of a
[12:03] boy resembling Christian in various locations in Baraboo near the Quick Trip store and Kymart.
[12:11] Detectives pursued these leads, but were unable to definitively confirm whether the observed
[12:18] individuals were indeed Christian. Tragically, just six days later, Christian's lifeless body
[12:24] was discovered draped over a partially submerged tree on the fringes of the Wisconsin River
[12:31] in the Pine Island Wildlife Refuge near Portage. Pathologist doctor Robert Huntington conducted an
[12:37] examination and concluded that Christian had drowned and had been deceased for approximately two days.
[12:46] He said that the autopsy revealed no indications of physical trauma suggestive of assault.
[12:52] The official cause of death was recorded as accidental drowning, aligning with detectives
[12:58] initial theory the Christian had been potentially attended a gathering with friends on the night
[13:03] he disappeared. They suspected that his friends were too frightened to report what had
[13:09] happened. However, when Christian's body was found, he was missing his shoes.
[13:16] Detectives asked the public to keep an eye out for them, stating,
[13:20] I guess what we're looking for. As a campsite that might have a pair
[13:24] of black tennis shoes sitting there, or maybe an old, abandoned house or
[13:28] cabin where teenagers might have a party. Despite these efforts, christian shoes remained
[13:35] elusive, and detectives gradually shifted their focus away from the case afterbuting the tragedy
[13:41] to teenage recklessness. Yeah Christian's parents harbored doubts. Fueled by their instincts,
[13:50] they offered a reward for any information, with Kathy expressing her belief that somebody
[13:56] out there held the key to unraveling the mystery. She said, my gut
[14:01] feeling is that there is somebody out there who knows what happened. We need
[14:05] to know if it was an accident. Despite George and Cathy's concerns, the
[14:11] case was closed down and life in Barraboo returned to normal as the couple were
[14:16] forced to pick up their pieces of their lives and what remained of their family.
[14:31] Almost a year to the day after Christian's disappearance, another family in Baraboo
[14:37] woke up to discover their son missing. That's father, Donald awoke around four
[14:43] a m. The next morning to find that absent from the sofa where he
[14:48] had fallen asleep the night before, and he was nowhere to be found in
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[17:48] a dot com slash morbidology. This was the morning after that had followed Joe
[17:56] back to his home. That shoe remained inside the home, but there is
[18:02] no trace of Thad himself. Concerned, Donald and Connie embarked on a search
[18:07] for their son, having recently relocated that had yet to establish many connections in
[18:14] the area, making his disappearance even more alarming. He was out of character
[18:19] for Thad to leave the home without ever leaving a note behind. Donald and
[18:25] Connie come through familiar spots where Thad might have been hanging out, including the
[18:30] local swimming pool, a campsite near the Baraboo River, and the Columbia County
[18:34] Fairgrounds. Despite their efforts however, that was nowhere to be found. With
[18:41] growing unease, the couple decided to report Thad's disappearance to police. After enduring
[18:53] the agony of his broken legs, Joe can find Thad to a closet and
[18:57] secured it with a low leaving him in darkness and despair. In the solitude
[19:03] of the enclosed space, Thad grappled with the grim certainty of his impending death.
[19:11] He was becoming weaker and weaker with each second the past. He was
[19:15] surprised that he hadn't passed out yet. However, a glimmer of hope emerged
[19:21] when, at approximately eight thirty p m. That night, that heard the
[19:25] faint sound of the front door opening and closing. As silence enveloped the home.
[19:33] Thatd surmised that Joe had left, leaving him with a narrow window of
[19:37] opportunity for escape. Summoning every ounce of strength and resolve, Thad seized an
[19:44] electric guitar within reach and used it as a makeshift tool to break free from
[19:48] the confines of the closet. With sheer determination, he battered down the door
[19:55] and began the arduous task of dragging himself down the stairs towards the telephone.
[20:00] In a haze of pain and uncertainty, Thod struggled to pinpoint his exact location,
[20:07] knowing only that he had followed Joe to the home while in a half
[20:10] asleep state. Despite the fog and confusion, Thod managed to drag himself downstairs,
[20:17] where he spotted a phone on the wall. He pulled the cord of
[20:22] the phone and called nine one one. When the nine one one operator picked
[20:26] up, Thad frantically said that he was being held captive and tortured by a
[20:32] boy named Joe. He wasn't sure of his location, but the nine one
[20:37] one operator was able to trace the call and send officers over to Joe's home.
[20:44] Okay, the officers are there holding I'm hearing agree the game out the
[20:59] corner. The officers found that in the kitchen, with his left knee completely
[21:03] backwards and his feet facing sideways. Paramedics arrived at the scene shortly thereafter,
[21:11] and Thod was placed onto a stretcher. He was rushed to Saint Clair Hospital
[21:17] while detective set up a stakeout at Joe's home to await his return. Upon
[21:32] arrival at the hospital, medical professional swiftly assessed Thad's extensive injuries. He had
[21:37] sustained two broken femurs, a shattered knee, a fractured tibia, and a
[21:44] mangled ankle. Nearly one third of his blood had pulled into his legs,
[21:48] bringing him perilously close to the brink of death. The severity of his injuries
[21:55] were likened to those typically sustained in high impact car accidents. Recognizing the urgent
[22:02] need for intervention, doctor swiftly prepared for emergency surgery. With remarkable precision,
[22:10] They inserted pins into one leg and a rod into the other, working tirelessly
[22:15] to stabilize his shattered limbs and stemmed the life threatening loss of blood. Meanwhile,
[22:22] detectives wasted no time in arresting Joe at his home. They identified him
[22:29] as seventeen year old Joseph Clarke. The teenager's troubled background was brought to light
[22:34] as investigators stalved into his past. Born to a drug addicted mother, he
[22:41] faced an uncertain future until Ronald and Bertha Clark stepped in adopting him when he
[22:47] was just a baby. The family initially lived in Chicago before relocating to Barraboo,
[22:53] Wisconsin. However, the move did little to alleviate their struggles. Ronald
[23:00] and Bertha battled alcohol addiction, creating a tumultuous environment for their young son.
[23:07] While growing up, Clark frequently accompanied his parents to bars, exposing him to
[23:12] an unstable and unhealthy lifestyle from a young age. But despite the chaos surrounding
[23:18] him, Clark was loved by his adoptive parents and there were no reports of
[23:23] abuse within the household. However, the family lived in Squalor, adding another
[23:30] layer of instability to his upbringing. Joseph Clark's life took a darker turn in
[23:36] nineteen ninety three when he was involved in a traumatic motorcycle accident that resulted in
[23:41] brain damage. The accident left him with severe injuries, including being thrown several
[23:48] feet into the air and landing on his head. Following this incident, those
[23:53] close to Clark noticed a significant change in his behavior. His father, Ronald,
[24:00] observed a marked increase in his temper and noted that Clark began experiencing hallucinations,
[24:06] hearing voices, and displaying forgetfulness. Despite these alarming developments, Clark's parents
[24:12] didn't seek professional help for their son. Fellow students of Barboo Signior High School
[24:19] also noticed a shift in Clark's demeanor, describing him as having a split personality.
[24:26] While he could appear normal at times, he exhibited aggressive behavior and was
[24:30] prone to picking fights with other students. Clark's attendance at school became a regular,
[24:37] with long stretches of absence during his final year. Then, the disappearance
[24:44] of Christian Steiner raised suspicions among local teenagers, many of whom believed that Joseph
[24:49] Clark might have been involved. Christian and Clark had known one another, and,
[24:56] according to Christian's mother, Kathy, Clarke had interacted with Christian the night
[25:02] he went missing. Allegedly, Clarke had tried to persuade Christian to accompany him
[25:07] somewhere, but Christian had declined the invitation. Kathy had expressed concerns about Clark's
[25:14] influence on her son, describing him as domineering and warning Christian to stay away
[25:19] from him. She believed that Clark often associated with younger boys because he could
[25:26] assert control over them. These sentiments were echoed by one of Christian's friends,
[25:32] Martin Horkin, who recalled an instance where Clark had snuck into Christian's home one
[25:37] night on the twenty eighth of June nineteen ninety four, Christian and Martin were
[25:42] asleep in Christian's living room when they were awoken by Clark, who was standing
[25:48] before them. Clark said that he had snuck out of his own home and
[25:52] borrowed his father's car. The three boys went for a ride, but upon
[25:57] returning home, Christian and Martin noticed that Clark had placed a ladder against the
[26:03] side of the home. After Christian's tragic death, rumors began circulating that Clark
[26:10] might have been involved. This led to intense scrutiny and suspicion directed at him.
[26:18] The weight of these allegations became unbearable, and Clark eventually dropped out of
[26:22] school as the touns and accusations persisted. After Joseph Clark was arrested, he
[26:32] was brought to the police station to be interviewed. He admitted to detectives that
[26:37] he went to Thad's home that night, where he saw the lights were switched
[26:41] on. He said that he peered through the window and saw Thad sleeping on
[26:45] the couch. He described entering the home and then carrying Thad outside. However,
[26:53] according to Clark, he blacked out at this stage, he said that
[26:57] when he woke up, found that on the floor screaming about the pain in
[27:03] his legs. According to Clark, he locked that in the closet because he
[27:07] was concerned that his mother was going to be returning home soon and would find
[27:12] them. He told detectives that he knew that Thad's injuries were serious and knew
[27:18] that he was most likely going to die if he didn't get help. As
[27:23] he was being interviewed, detectives returned to his home with the search warrant.
[27:29] In his bedroom, they came across his journal. One page was titled get
[27:34] to Know, while another was titled can wait then. The third one was
[27:41] titled leg thing. Underneath there were several names, including Christians. Following the
[27:55] arrest of Joseph Clark, he was transported to juvenile detention. Prosecutors asked the
[28:03] judge to transfer the case to adult court. While the case was working its
[28:07] way through the system, questions lingered about Christian Steiner. Clark had told that
[28:15] that he was responsible for his death the year beforehand. Detectives decided that they
[28:19] would exsume Christian's body so that it could be x ray. His autopsy hadn't
[28:26] been a complete one. The pathologist had simply found evidence of drowning and ruled
[28:32] that as the cause of death. He hadn't done an in depth autopsy looking
[28:37] hard for evidence of any other injuries that Christian may have sustained. Kathy and
[28:44] George were pleased with the development, but they were also annoyed. They had
[28:48] said for the past year that their son didn't accidentally drawn. Kathy commented,
[28:55] I'm not sure that it's related, but it sure sounds like it from the
[29:00] description I read in the paper. The suspect lived just two miles down the
[29:03] road. The second autopsy of Christian revealed that he had sustained injuries that were
[29:10] very similar to Thad's injuries. He had two broken ankles and two broken knees.
[29:17] The case was reopened as a homicide investigation, with Joseph Clark as the
[29:22] lead suspect. While detectives continued in their investigation, Thad was allowed to return
[29:29] home from hospital after a ten day stay. He wasn't able to walk and
[29:34] was confined to a wheelchair, but he was glad to be back home.
[29:40] Joseph Clark was charged with attempted homicide, burglary, kidnapping, and torture,
[29:45] and in October he was waved into adelcourt. Despite the significant development, prosecutors
[29:52] hinted the charges might not materialize against Clark in the murder of Christian due to
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[32:43] Morbidology. In May of nineteen ninety six, Clark initially pleaded not guilty by
[32:52] reason of mental disease with this defense attorney, afterributing his client's actions to mental
[32:58] illness stemming from me head injury sustained in nineteen ninety three. However, in
[33:02] a surprising turn of events, Clark later changed his play to no contest while
[33:08] still maintaining his innocence judimental disease or defect. This legal maneuver implied that Clark
[33:15] wasn't admitting guilt, but acknowledging the weight of evidence against him. Judge James
[33:22] Evanson accepted the new contest play to all of the charges against him, which
[33:27] meant that the trial would proceed to the sanity phase, but at a later
[33:30] date. This meant that a jury would be deciding his fate, determining whether
[33:36] he be sent to prison for up to one hundred and ten years or to
[33:39] a psychiatric hospital. The sudden change in play caught Thad and his family off
[33:45] guard, with his father Donald speculating the clerk's legal council may have deemed his
[33:52] chances slim. Meanwhile, Thad himself made significant strides in his recovery, having
[33:58] undergone successful physical rehabilitation and returning to his passion for baseball during the preceding summer.
[34:06] Clark appeared in court on the eighteenth of September for the insanity phase of
[34:09] the trial, during which his defensed him sought to establish his insanity play.
[34:15] They argued that the motorcycle accident had caused an abnormal mental condition in Clark,
[34:22] resulting in memory loss regarding the incident involving Thod. Testimonies from individuals who knew
[34:29] Clark painted a picture of post brain operation hallucinations and altered behavior. However,
[34:37] the testimony of doctor park Dates, a renowned California psychiatrist known for his involvement
[34:43] in high profile cases such as Jeffrey Dahmer's trial, contradicted the defense's narrative.
[34:51] Doctor Dates asserted that Clark exhibited statistic tendencies and derived sexual pleasure from Thad's suffering,
[34:59] rather than be being genuinely insane, as District Attorney Pat Barrett said,
[35:05] I think it would be a disservice to the mentally ill to say they do
[35:08] things like Joseph Clark did. Further testimony from junior high school teacher Paul Kujack
[35:16] reinforced doctor Date's findings, refuting claims that Clark's brain injury had fundamentally altered his
[35:23] character. Cujack recounted a past incident in which Clark threatened him, suggesting a
[35:30] pattern of behavior predating the motor cycle accident. According to another psychologist, Dan
[35:38] Mordle, Clark was a habitual liar who faked all manner of mental illness symptoms
[35:45] that served as the key witness and provided disturbing details of the ordeal he endured
[35:52] at Clark's hands while he was held captive. Despite the defense's efforts, the
[35:59] jury ultimately they Smiths the insanity argument, finding Clark saying at the time of
[36:04] the crime and therefore accountable for his actions. In the wake of the verdict,
[36:15] Clark needed to be sentenced, but before then he was charged with the
[36:21] murder of Christian Steiner. It came as a welcome relief to Cathy, who
[36:27] commented, it's been hard to have to fight so hard to get where we
[36:30] are. Finally we have other people who believe what we've been saying all along.
[36:37] Before the charges were handed down, but John Doe hearing had been held.
[36:43] This is a legal proceeding where people testify to bring forth more information that
[36:46] will hopefully result in charges. According to testimonies from individuals who were incarcerated with
[36:53] Clark at the sok County Juvenile Center in August of nineteen ninety five, on
[37:00] settling, details emerged about his past behavior. Patricia Maybury, a teenage girl
[37:07] at the center, recointed how Clark confided in her about a disturbing incident near
[37:12] a river involving a friend. Clark allegedly became angry with this friend and said
[37:19] he attempted to drown him by pushing his face into the water and weighing him
[37:22] down with a brick or rock, leaving him for dead. Clarksetty returned to
[37:28] the same leader to retrieve the body from the water and staged the death as
[37:31] an accident. Another inmate, Tim Science, testified that Clark shared his disturbing
[37:38] fantasies about breaking bonds. Another teenager recalled over hearing Clark boasting to his involvement
[37:47] in the death of Christian when he was tased by people at school. Several
[37:53] other local teenagers said that when Clark was accused of killing Christian, he had
[37:58] responded, yeah, I broke their legs and if you don't shut up,
[38:02] I'll break yours too. However, Clark's parents, Ronald and Bertha, came
[38:07] to his defense. Ronald maintained that his son was at home the night Christian
[38:13] disappeared, while Bertha suggested Christian killed himself. During the hearing, Clark himself
[38:20] testified. He denied that he had killed Christian or that he had gone to
[38:24] his home that night like some people had suggested. He said that it was
[38:30] actually Christian who called him up that night and suggested they go out and do
[38:34] something. Clark maintained he told Christian that he was too tired to go out.
[38:40] Ultimately, Joseph Clark was ordered to stand trial for the first degree murder
[38:45] of Christian Steiner. But while the case was working its way through the justice
[38:51] system, thought Phillips found himself fighting for his life once more. On the
[39:01] ninth of October, fifteen year old Michael Hebsh returned home from school to find
[39:07] himself in a scary situation. As he sat in the living room of his
[39:13] trailer, he caught sight of two familiar faces outside his window. They were
[39:20] none other than his fourteen year old neighbour, Keith Short and Thad Phillips.
[39:25] Curiously, they seemed to be peering directly at his trailer from a window in
[39:30] Keith's trailer. Michael recognized both boys and harbored memories of past threats from them.
[39:40] Their troubled history stemmed from Michael reporting them to the state Department of Natural
[39:45] Resources for shooting and killing mourning doves in the nearby woods. With a sense
[39:52] of unease settling over him, Michael observed as Keith and Thod left Keith's trailer
[39:59] and began walking looking towards his. Moments later, they were knocking on his
[40:04] front door. Fearing the worst and anticipating a confrontation, Michael left out the
[40:10] rear door. However, upon hearing Keith in Thad approaching from the back,
[40:16] Michael made a swift decision to re enter the trailer and arm himself with the
[40:21] twenty two caliber rifle. After making sure that the rifle was loaded, Michael
[40:28] positioned himself, pointing it towards the door as a precaution. When the door
[40:32] was forcefully pushed open, Michael reacted instinctively and fired a single shot. The
[40:39] bullet struck that entering the back of his left shoulder, exiting through the front
[40:45] left shoulder, then entering the left jaw, and exiting through the upper lip.
[40:52] Following the incident, Thad and Keith ran back to Keith's trailer and called
[40:55] nine one one. In the aftermath, Michael found himself arrested and charged with
[41:01] attempted murder, while Thod was reported to be in stable condition. Michael's mother
[41:08] shed some light on the ongoing harassment her son had faced from both Thod and
[41:14] Keith, requanting their threats to shoot Michael and harm his animals. Michael's defense
[41:20] attorney echoed these sentiments and said that the incident was a clear case of self
[41:24] defense. She emphasized Michael's learning disability and enrollment in special education classes, and
[41:34] said that he had been terrified of Thod and Keith. Amidst Michael's claims of
[41:39] self defense, rumor surfaced suggesting a potential connection between the shooting incident and Joseph
[41:46] Clark, hinting at revenge orchestrated by Clark. However, detectives quickly dispelled these
[41:53] rumors, asserting that the cases were unrelated. That Michael was released on bail
[42:01] while that and Keith were served with their straining orders. On the fifth of
[42:13] November nineteen ninety six, Joseph Clark returned to court to learn his sentence for
[42:17] the attack on that The courtroom was filled with spectators, including Clark's family as
[42:23] well as Fats, but that himself was noticeably absent. Judge James Evanson described
[42:31] Clark's actions that day as calculated and vicious. What was then asked whether he
[42:37] wanted to make a statement, and he said, I have done a lot
[42:42] of bad things. I'm truly sorry for all I have done. He was
[42:46] then sentenced to one hundred years in prison, with the judge referring to the
[42:52] case as the most sadistic case he had ever seen. In the wake of
[42:55] the sentence, Thad's family filed a civil lawsuit against cl Clark. They were
[43:01] represented by attorney Thomas Jacobson, who had represented the families of eight victims of
[43:07] serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The lawsuit didn't specify a dollar amount for damages,
[43:14] but it also stipulated that Clark couldn't profit from selling book or movie rights to
[43:19] his story. Then, in June the next year, the teenager who shot
[43:23] Thad, Michael Hebbsch, was sentenced to two years probation after he pleaded no
[43:29] contests to second degree reckless injuries. He was also ordered to make unspecified restitution
[43:36] to Thought. A couple of months later, the lawsuit that Thad's family had
[43:40] filed was settled. Clarke was ordered to pay twenty one million dollars in damages,
[43:46] but the judge ruled that he could make money off the case from behind
[43:50] bars if he wanted to. Clark's murder trial began on the fifth of November
[43:55] nineteen ninety seven, with prosecutor Pat Barrett delivering the opening statements. She wasted
[44:02] no time drawing parallels between Thad's injuries and those sustained by Christian. She highlighted
[44:09] the nature of Christian's fractured legs, asserting that they resulted from four distinct attacks
[44:15] and bore striking similarities to Thad's injuries. In response, Clark's defense attorney Eric
[44:22] Schulenberg conceded Clark's earlier conviction for the assault on Thad. He said to the
[44:30] jury, there's no question he did it. However, he shifted the focus
[44:35] to the present murder charge and said that it rested solely on circumstantial evidence.
[44:43] Schulenberg criticized the prosecution's case, accusing it of being built upon rumors that surfaced
[44:49] only after Clark's arrest for Thad's abduction and torture. Defense attorney Schulenberg introduced rumours
[44:57] surrounding a party at the Old Wringling Place near the Wisconsin River during the time
[45:02] of Christian's disappearance. Allegedly, a teenager had informed detectives that Christian had been
[45:08] partying on a boat with others on the night he died. According to this
[45:14] account, Christian boasted about his swimming abilities. The tragedy struck when another teenager
[45:21] pushed him overboard. When Christian failed to resurface, there was panic among the
[45:27] group, who then fled the scene. As testimony unfolded. Thad once more
[45:32] took the stand as the star witness. He recointed Clark's chilling confessions during his
[45:38] captivity, where he admitted to enjoying the sound of bones breaking and claimed responsibility
[45:45] for Christian's death. Thod testified he told me he was fascinated by bones breaking.
[45:52] He just liked to hear the bones break. Christian's parents, George and
[45:58] Kathy all though supervided testimony regarding their son's disappearance. They detailed evidence suggesting an
[46:06] intruder had entered their home on the night that Christian vanished. They mentioned the
[46:12] muddy footprints, a slashed window screen, and an unlocked back door as indicators
[46:17] of file play. Doctor Alan Breed then testified about Christian's X rays and said
[46:23] that there were stark similarities between them injuries and thoughts. Several teenagers testified about
[46:30] Clark's confessions to them, including the teenagers with him at the juvenile detention center.
[46:37] The prosecution also presented Clark's journal, including the page that had Christian's name
[46:43] under the heading leg think. There were several other local teenagers named, and
[46:50] the prosecution suggested they were going to be Clark's next victims. The defense then
[46:57] called on Clark's parents, Ronald and Bertha, who maintained their son was at
[47:00] home the night the Christian disappeared. However, Prosecutor Barred then produced several witnesses
[47:08] and even Clark's journal to show that Bertha had regularly passed out from drinking.
[47:15] She suggested that Ronald and Bertha were blackout drunk and that their son could have
[47:20] easily snuck out of the home that night. Other witnesses testified that Clark often
[47:25] snuck out at night, usually through his bedroom window. During the closing arguments,
[47:31] Prosecutor Barred said to the jury, Christian was able to talk from the
[47:36] grave and tell you Joseph Clark caused his death. She then said that the
[47:42] injuries to his legs were Clark's signature. She stated he signed his name in
[47:49] every one of those breaks that happened in such a non naturally occurring fashion,
[47:54] he signed his crime. The jury deliberated for seven hours before five ending Joseph
[48:00] Clark guilty of the murderer of Christian Steiner. Then, in November, Joseph
[48:06] Clark was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after ninety five
[48:12] years. The night that Said Phillips was abducted by Joseph Clark was a nightmarish
[48:17] ordeal that left lasting scores both physical and psychological. However, amidst the agony
[48:25] and terror, that unwillingly played a pivotal role in bringing a murderer to justice.
[48:32] Had he not been abducted, the murder of Christian Steiner might have remained
[48:37] unsolved, allowing Joseph Clark to potentially escalate into a serial killer. Well,
[49:02] Bessie's that is it for this episode of Morbidology. As always, thank you
[49:07] so much for listening, and I'd like to say a massive thank you to
[49:10] my new supporters are bomb Patreon, Kathy, Rachel and Lisa. You can
[49:15] join us at bomb padrean for as little as one dollar a month and there
[49:20] are absolutely new obligations. You can cancel your subscription at any time. Petreon
[49:25] really helps independent shows continue, and as one woman show, I really do
[49:30] appreciate the support upon there. I'm also not sure if I've ever mentioned it,
[49:35] but Morbidology is up on YouTube. The episodes are presented in a documentary
[49:39] style, along with photographs and videos relevant to each case. To tune in,
[49:45] please search for more Bidology on YouTube, and please do hit that subscribe
[49:50] button, like and comment. Remember to check us out at morbidology dot com
[49:54] for more information about this episode and to read or true crime articles. Until
[50:00] next time, take care of yourselves, stay safe, and have an amazing week

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