On a November night in 1938, 16-year-old Mary Myatovich was with her companion, 20-year-old Vincenzo 'Jim' Tonzillo, parked in a secluded area known as Duck Island, a local lovers' lane. Their evening was shattered by the appearance of a man armed with a 12-gauge shotgun who demanded money. When Tonzillo refused, he was fatally shot.
After witnessing the brutal murder of her companion, Myatovich attempted to flee from the vehicle.
She was shot in the lower body as she ran, and then chased down and assaulted. Her screams were heard, and police were summoned to the scene. Myatovich was found alive and taken to a nearby hospital. She was able to provide a description of her attacker before she succumbed to her injuries the following day.
The investigation into the murders on Duck Island continued, and a series of similar attacks on couples in the area followed over the next few years. The perpetrator was eventually identified as Clarence Hill. After a lengthy investigation, the serial number on the shotgun used in the crimes was traced back to him. Hill was arrested in December 1943 at an Army camp in South Carolina and charged with six counts of murder, including that of Mary Myatovich. He maintained his innocence, claiming his confession was coerced, but he was ultimately convicted and sentenced. After serving 19 years in prison and suffering from throat cancer, Hill was released on medical parole in 1964.
