E275: Generational Murder

Okay, we're back.

Remind us who our subject is today, Beth.

Well, in 1996, teenager Travis Sante Lewis was arrested for the murders of Sally Snowden McKay and her nephew, blues musician Lee Baker, at the historic Snowden estate on Horseshoe Lake.

Despite the unimaginable loss, Sally's daughter Martha chose forgiveness, and when Lewis was released from prison 23 years later, Martha gave him a second chance, but that decision would lead to another devastating tragedy.

Mm.

All right.

Now it's time for the love and light portion of our show where we say rest in power to the victims whose lives were cut short and love and light to their loved ones and communities left in the wake of this crime.

The victims are Sally Snowden McKay, 75, Joseph Lee Baker, 53, and Martha McKay, 63.

So now let's get into the setting and early life of Travis.

Take us there, Beth.

Well, the setting is the Snowden family estate, historically known as Snowden House.

It's in the Arkansas Delta, a region in eastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River.

The home was on the banks of Horseshoe Lake, which is located near the borders of both Mississippi and Tennessee, just a little over 30 miles southwest of Memphis.

Before and during the era of European colonization, this region was home to the Quapaw, Tunica, and Osage nations.

The word Arkansas actually has its origins in the Quapaw language.

French settlers referred to them as Akansa.

The area served as an excellent source of fish, game, and waterfowl.

200 years ago, Horseshoe Lake was not a lake.

Oh?

It was just a bend in the Mississippi River.

So if you can imagine a river snaking along, there's a bend going one way and then the other way.

Mm.

So it was just a bend.

Mm-hmm.

And then the New Madrid earthquakes, which I double-checked, and it is pronounced Madrid.

Okay, we're back.

Remind us who our subject is today, Beth.

Well, in 1996, teenager Travis Sante Lewis was arrested for the murders of Sally Snowden McKay and her nephew, blues musician Lee Baker, at the historic Snowden estate on Horseshoe Lake.

Despite the unimaginable loss, Sally's daughter Martha chose forgiveness, and when Lewis was released from prison 23 years later, Martha gave him a second chance, but that decision would lead to another devastating tragedy.

Mm.

All right.

Now it's time for the love and light portion of our show where we say rest in power to the victims whose lives were cut short and love and light to their loved ones and communities left in the wake of this crime.

The victims are Sally Snowden McKay, 75, Joseph Lee Baker, 53, and Martha McKay, 63.

So now let's get into the setting and early life of Travis.

Take us there, Beth.

Well, the setting is the Snowden family estate, historically known as Snowden House.

It's in the Arkansas Delta, a region in eastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River.

The home was on the banks of Horseshoe Lake, which is located near the borders of both Mississippi and Tennessee, just a little over 30 miles southwest of Memphis.

Before and during the era of European colonization, this region was home to the Quapaw, Tunica, and Osage nations.

The word Arkansas actually has its origins in the Quapaw language.

French settlers referred to them as Akansa.

The area served as an excellent source of fish, game, and waterfowl.

200 years ago, Horseshoe Lake was not a lake.

Oh?

It was just a bend in the Mississippi River.

So if you can imagine a river snaking along, there's a bend going one way and then the other way.

Mm.

So it was just a bend.

Mm-hmm.

And then the New Madrid earthquakes, which I double-checked, and it is pronounced Madrid.