Wednesday Mar 19, 2025

The Murders at Snowden House

In September of 1996, tragedy shattered the peace at the historic Snowden House, a grand estate resting in the heart of the Arkansas Delta. It was there that 75-year-old Sally Snowden McKay and her nephew, 52-year-old Joseph Lee Baker, were brutally murdered—a brutal act of violence that stained a home that had stood for generations. The killer? A teenage burglar, Travis Lewis, who had crept onto the property that day with intentions that turned deadly. He was caught, convicted, and sentenced to life behind bars. Justice, it seemed, had prevailed. But some stories don’t end where we expect them to. And for the Snowden family, the darkness wasn’t finished with them yet.

Fast forward more than 20 years, and the unthinkable happened—the same house, the same family, the same killer but a new victim. This time, 63-year-old Martha McKay. How did a convicted murderer get a second chance to kill? Why did Martha McKay, who believed in forgiveness, allow him back into her life? And how did this twisted story finally end? We’re breaking down every eerie and unbelievable detail in this episode. Trust us, you won’t believe how it all unfolds.

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Art for the podcast was created by Kelly Steen. Editing/Production for the podcast by Bltzwolff (bltzwolff@gmail.com).

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References:

Baker, K. C. (2020, May 6). Inside the bizarre case of a killer striking twice 23 years apart, murdering a mother and daughter. PEOPLE. https://people.com/crime/inside-the-bizarre-case-of-a-killer-striking-twice-23-years-apart-murdering-a-mother-and-daughter/

Baker, K. C. (2021, May 17). 'People Magazine Investigates': Inside the mother-daughter murders at Horseshoe Lake – 24 years apart. PEOPLE. https://people.com/crime/people-magazine-investigates-mother-daughter-murders-horseshoe-lake/

Baker, J. (2020, March 25). Martha McKay murdered at Horseshoe Lake home. Memphis Flyer. https://www.memphisflyer.com/martha-mckay-murdered-at-horseshoe-lake-home

Criminal Matters. (n.d.). Woman killed by same man who killed mother 20 years earlier. Vocal Media. https://vocal.media/criminal/woman-killed-by-same-man-who-killed-mother-20-years-earlier

Finger, M. (2012, December 3). Lady of the lake: Martha McKay's love affair with Arkansas' iconic Horseshoe Plantation. Memphis Magazine. https://memphismagazine.com/habitats/lady-of-the-lake/

Jones, J. (2021, June 29). Murder mystery: Murder at Horseshoe Lake, conclusion. AY Magazine. https://aymag.com/murder-mystery-murder-at-horseshoe-lake-conclusion/

National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Murderers. (n.d.). Joseph Baker, Martha McKay, & Sally McKay. https://teenkillers.org/memorials/arkansas-victims/joseph-baker-martha-mckay-sally-mckay/

Puryear, M. (2020, September 30). Murder mystery: Murder at Horseshoe Lake, Part 1. AY Magazine. https://aymag.com/murder-mystery-murder-at-horseshoe-lake-part-1/

Weintraub, A. (2020, March 26). Arkansas woman killed by same man convicted of mother's murder 23 years earlier, sheriff says. ClickOrlando.

Comments (2)

7 months ago

Hi Chris, Thank you for taking the time to share this thoughtful response, and I’m so sorry for the pain your family has endured. We want to be clear that our intent with this episode was never to portray Martha—or your family—as naïve or gullible. Our goal was to tell a very difficult story through both psychological and sociological lenses, and in doing so we explored themes of trust, redemption, and human behavior. We deeply respect Martha’s faith and her powerful example of forgiveness. The framing of “people don’t change” was not directed at her character, but rather at the tragic reality of Travis’s actions, which we analyzed through the lens of criminology and psychology. We see—and value—the distinction you made between Martha’s Christian conviction and the outcome. Your words add an important perspective about her faith and legacy. We’re grateful you shared them, and we will carry that with us moving forward. With respect, Bailey and Chelsea

7 months ago

These are my cousins about whom you are speaking, and I think your conclusions about ”people can’t change” as if she were gullible and naive are simply misplaced. The Snowden family, since John Bayard Snowden moved to Memphis, has had a cultivated culture of Christian faith and astonishing philanthropic generosity. This cousin of mine knew that her responsibility as a Christian, as one who has been forgiven of so great a debt, is to love as she had been loved by a merciful Savior, to forgive as she had been forgiven by the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. She lived up to the two-fold responsibility of living up to the high calling of her Christian faith as well as to live up to the Snowden family namesake. The power of forgiveness doesn’t always take, but it is nevertheless our responsibility to forgive. Her example is one of astonishing power, not a ”lesson to be learned” about how people cannot change. Living out the Christian faith as profoundly as she did may cost you your temporal life, but treasures abound in heaven for those who are willing to steward their image bearing of our generous God with such amazing and powerful conviction, and THAT is the lesson to be learned here.