In the quiet farming community of Aurora, Indiana, a horrific tragedy unfolded on May 16, 1941, forever scarring the town's history. Johnson Wheeler Agrue, a 59-year-old male, was brutally murdered on his own farm, the victim of a calculated and vengeful act. The crime was not a random act of violence but a meticulously planned massacre that also claimed the lives of his wife Nina, their two sons Leo and William, and their young granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Breeden.
The devastating loss of five family members in one fell swoop sent shockwaves through the close-knit community.
The architect of this carnage was a man intimately connected to the Agrue family, their son-in-law, Virginius 'Dink' Carter. Carter, who was married to Johnson Agrue's daughter, Mary, harbored a deep-seated resentment towards his wife's family. He particularly held a grudge against Leo and William Agrue, whom he accused of forcing him into the marriage. This festering animosity ultimately culminated in a murderous rampage. On that fateful day, Carter armed himself with a shotgun and proceeded to the Agrue farm, where he systematically shot and killed each family member present.
In the immediate aftermath of the killings, Carter attempted a brazen act of deception. He lingered at the crime scene the following day, mingling with the horrified onlookers who had gathered as news of the tragedy spread. However, his presence and peculiar behavior did not go unnoticed. Suspicion quickly fell upon him as neighbors reported seeing him near the farm around the time the murders were believed to have occurred. This led to his swift arrest by the local sheriff.
Under the pressure of intense interrogation, Virginius Carter's facade crumbled, and he confessed to the gruesome murders of the five members of the Agrue family. A grand jury indicted him on five counts of first-degree murder on May 29, 1941. His trial, a major event in Dearborn County, commenced in October of that year. Despite pleading innocent, the overwhelming evidence, including his own confession, sealed his fate. Carter was found guilty and sentenced to death. On February 9, 1942, he was executed in the electric chair at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. The bodies of Johnson Wheeler Agrue and his slain family members were laid to rest in River View Cemetery in Aurora, their graves a somber reminder of the day violence shattered their family and their community. In a final, chilling twist, Virginius Carter's body was also buried in the very same cemetery, within sight of his innocent victims.
