In the fall of 1989, a grim series of events unfolded in the rural landscape of Laurel County, Kentucky, culminating in the death of 36-year-old Jerry McMillen. On October 8, McMillen, along with Kimberly Bowersock, 21, Lillian Contino, 28, and Calvin Reynolds, 23, were shot and killed in a cabin located in the Bald Rock community. The four victims were last seen alive at the cabin, which was owned by David Gross.
The tragic discovery of their remains would not happen for another two
years. In 1991, authorities unearthed the bodies of McMillen and the other three victims from a septic tank on a neighboring property. This gruesome finding unraveled a case of paranoia-fueled violence. The investigation led to Robert Carl Foley, a man with a prior criminal record, who believed one of the victims had informed his parole officer about his illegal activities.
Testimony from witnesses present at the cabin revealed that upon arriving, Foley immediately became aggressive. He grabbed Kimberly Bowersock by the hair, and when Calvin Reynolds intervened, Foley fatally shot him. He then proceeded to shoot Bowersock, Contino, and McMillen. After the murders, Foley, with the help of others, concealed the bodies in the septic tank, covering them with lime and cement.
Robert Foley was later arrested and, in 1994, stood trial for the quadruple homicide. He was convicted and received a death sentence for the murders of Jerry McMillen, Kimberly Bowersock, Lillian Contino, and Calvin Reynolds. This was not Foley's only capital case; he had also been convicted and sentenced to death for two other murders that occurred in 1991. Foley was identified as a white male. He maintained his innocence in the cabin killings, claiming he was framed.
