On the evening of October 30, 1982, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, 69-year-old White male Marvin Brandland and his wife, Ethel, were at home handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. As the night was winding down, another knock came at their door. When they opened it, they were met by an individual wearing a pillowcase over their head with eye holes cut out. The person said, "Trick-or-Treat. Give me your money or I'll shoot."
Initially, the couple believed it was a Halloween prank, possibly orchestrated by a relative. Ethel playfully tried to lift the pillowcase, but the person held it down and produced a gun.
The armed intruder then forced the couple towards their basement, where they kept a safe. The fact that the intruder knew about the safe, which was not common knowledge, led the family to believe the perpetrator was not a stranger. As they were being moved through the house, Marvin, likely still believing it might be a joke or in an act of bravery, attempted to grab the gun from the intruder. During the struggle, Marvin was shot in the throat. The shooter then fled the scene, leaving the pillowcase behind. Marvin Brandland was rushed to the hospital but ultimately died on the operating table.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Ethel Brandland was able to provide a description of the assailant to the police, stating he was a young man, possibly between 16 and 20 years old, with blondish hair and blue eyes. The family has long held that they know the identity of the killer, an acquaintance who they claim bragged about the murder after it happened. Law enforcement has acknowledged that they have a prime suspect, who matches the description provided by Ethel, but a lack of sufficient evidence has prevented any arrests from being made in the case. The pillowcase left at the scene was eventually tested for DNA in 2010, but the results were inconclusive as there was not enough genetic material to create a profile. The murder of Marvin Brandland remains an unsolved cold case, and no one has ever been charged in connection with his death. His wife, Ethel, passed away a few months after the murder, with family members saying she died of a broken heart.
