Down the Stairs, Into the Valley – What happened on the night of November 16th, 1974?

January 4, 2026

Ep 4: “Too great of stigma”

Episode 4:

“Too great of stigma”

Johnny Lamm said in 2018,

“His case is 95% solved. We think a young man from Golden Valley did the shooting. I think Dewey was the lucky one. He didn’t suffer. The other person is still in a wheelchair suffering everyday.

We miss Dewey a lot and wonder what could have been. He had lots of talent and was easy going.”

You can listen to episode 4 everywhere you get your podcasts or you can listen here:

Around Golden Valley since 1974, people have heard whispers of a boy killing his entire family. An event that wasn’t talked about much after it initially happened.

And some wonder if the boy responsible for the murders was the one responsible for the “Down in the Valley” attack.

It all began on the morning of December 10th, 1974 when friends earlier in the morning at the Glaeser home repeatedly knocked and called for John’s wife Mary Jane but got no response.

When Dr. John Glaeser didn’t show up to operate on one of his patients in the Twin Cities. This being extremely unlike him, co-workers feared something was wrong and notified security at the hospital he worked at and contacted law enforcement to do a welfare check.

As an officer approached the Glaeser residence, he could hear the family’s white poodle barking. The officer tries to open the front door but finds it locked.

The calls, knocking, and the doorbell ringing brought no response.

He walks around the house and tries looking through the window but finds the drapes are closed.

He goes to his car and notifies the dispatcher that he was unable to rouse the family.

More officers arrive on scene and they track someone close to the family named Jackie who had a key to the home who could let them in and Jackie came to help investigate what was going on.

She arrives at the home, unlocks the front door and lets the officers and herself into the home.

Jackie immediately goes up the front steps right into the master bedroom before screaming,

“Oh my God! Oh my god!”

Then turned around and bumped into an officer.

The officer peers into the bedroom and sees 50 year old Mary Jane dead in a pool of blood on the floor with the telephone receiver off the hook next to her.

They attempted to get the hysterical Jackie out of the home.

After she was put in a car with an officer, the other officers returned to the bedroom upstairs where they also found 53 year old John Glaeser on the other side of the bed.

In the bedroom next to theirs they found 17 year old daughter Ann Glaeser in her bed but completely covered with blankets.

All bodies had no movement and officers then requested assistance from the detective division and crime lab to come to the home.

They have a brief conversation with Jackie and she asks if they have found the body of Bobby Glaeser yet.

Stating that Bob Glaeser apparently had some type of psychological problems. She further went on to state that he had a basement bedroom.

Officers then proceeded to the basement portion of the home and after searching they discovered the body of 19 year old Bobby Glaeser laying on top of a .12 gauge shotgun with most of the top of his head missing.

The detectives arrive at the home and the investigation into the four deaths of a family begins.

No one in the neighborhood saw or heard anything out of the ordinary the evening and night of December 9th, 1974. They learn the couple usually retires early because they get up very early in the morning.

During investigation of the initial scene, the outside light for the house was on. The lights in the master bedroom of the house were off, the lights located within the bedroom where Ann Glaeser’s body was located were on.

To further note the lights in the bedroom where Robert Glaeser’s body was found was also on.

All other lights within the house were off.

The master bedroom is referred to as Bedroom 1 in the case file. This is where the bodies of John and Mary Jane were located. Both are found on the floor by the sides of their bed.

Both had two gunshot wounds including head wounds.

They both were dressed in nightclothes.

Bedroom 2, next to the master bedroom, was a room of a teenage girl with a multi-colored, flowered quilt on the bed.

Underneath the quilt and green sheet lies Ann Glaeser.

Detectives pulled the sheet back from her clutched fists and they found two gunshot wounds to her head.

Ann was clutching the blankets so tightly that physical force had to be used to dislodge the blanket from her hands.

There were bullet holes through the blankets indicating she was trying to hide underneath the blankets and was shot through the covering.

Her face was completely unidentifiable.

She was wearing a pink and white flower nightie.

All three were shot at close range with a 12 gauge shotgun.

Bedroom 3, the basement of the house, finds Bobby Glaeser with one gunshot wound to his head and a shotgun later identified as a Remington, Model 110, automatic 12 gauge, lying under his body.

No other markings were on his body other than a bruise on the underside of his left forearm which was probably a result of firing the fatal shot.

John Glaeser and his friend Richard had gone hunting on Sunday, December 9th. At that time John related to him that he didn’t know what to do with Bob. He was thinking of needing to commit his son.

Note: It may be speculative but John may have discussed this with Bob on Monday evening, possibly provoking Bob to attack.

One neighbor states that the vehicle in the driveway was the son’s and that she normally had seen movement at 6 or 6:30 in the morning but this morning there had not been any movement around the house at all.

Mary Jane brought some type of ornament to hang in a friend’s house and seemed to be in very good spirits stating her shopping was almost done, etc. the day of December 9th.

Mary Jane also said she hadn’t seen her son Bobby for over one month.

She had always shown concern for her son and knew that even though he was an adult, she wanted to help.

Bobby leaves the house for months at a time never telling his parents where he was and then returns and that is when the trouble began.

John Glaeser was advised by the psychiatrist that his son was very dangerous and to remove any guns from the home. He apparently did remove all the shotguns.

However, John had just been on a hunting trip that day and a rifle was left available in the home.

Robert got ahold of this shotgun and used it that night.

In the garage of the home detectives found numerous boxes and cases of shotgun shells.

Pointing out a workbench area with built-in cabinets and drawers. Inside the cabinet to the extreme left or against the West wall, many boxes of shotgun shells were found.

A box with 10 missing, Remington .12 gauge #4 shotgun shells were confiscated.

The Detectives when collecting evidence recovered 7 seven sent shotgun casings and took possession of 3 unfired shells removed from Bob Glaeser’s pockets.

The entire home was searched as well as Robert’s pockets for a suicide note but none was found.

Also taken into custody was a bluish, green snorkel type parka with orange fur lining found in Bob Glaeser’s bedroom closet.

A switchblade knife found under his body and a hunting knife in a sheath found in the garage were seized as evidence.

Who exactly was Bobby Glaeser and what was he up to the final months of his life?

Some described him as a very quiet soft-spoken person, indicating that he would probably be one of the kids that would be most unlikely to succeed.

Introverted and did pretty well in school.

Neighbors had a lot to say about most of the family but when it came to Robert, they didn’t know much.

He was living on the University of Minnesota campus but returned to his parents in September. He believed his roommates were plotting to give him a skin disease.

Robert was convinced he had sores and scabs all over his body and went to several dermatologists who reported nothing was wrong with his skin at all.

In February when Robert was told he should be committed, he ran out of the doctors office.

The psychiatrist in September specialized in involuntary treatment. John and Mary Jane Glaeser started proceedings but called them off at the last minute.

The people in charge of that unit later told authorities the Glaesers made the decision based off of,

“Would constitute too great a stigma on his future.”

They felt if he decided to go back to school that it would be something that could hold him back.

Newspapers from the time report that about a week before the family murders, the family was extremely close to involuntarily committing Robert.

He confronted his parents and demanded to know why they wouldn’t look him in his eyes and why they were spying on him.

He felt everyone around him was plotting against him.

An appointment was made for someone to come to their home and try to take Robert to get help.

Then Robert moved out and refused to tell his parents where he was and after a few days of not hearing from him – his parents canceled the committal process.

Supposedly, he returned home last Saturday before their deaths for a Christmas family reunion.

Robert had an apartment the final months of his life on East

Medicine Lake Road, Plymouth.

The landlady stated that Robert Glaeser had rented this apartment since July of 1974.

She stated that she did not have too much contact with Robert, stated that he was a quiet, reserved type of person, and didn’t talk to too many people in the area to her knowledge. She didn’t know if he had any friends who came to visit him or not.

She also stated that, about the first of the month, he had given notice that he would be moving out on the 15th of the month. She stated he moved out earlier than the 15th, apparently giving her no reason for doing so.

Robert was really suffering the final months of his life and today I feel families may feel they are in the same helpless situation.

“Since February of 1974 including delusions of a somatic nature involving the belief that his roommates had caused him to itch.

Accordingly, he sought relief from several dermatologists for the imaginary condition of scabies. There were other examples of paranoid thinking which culminated in a challenge by Robert to his parents for spying upon him and his demanding to know why they did not look him directly in the eyes.

This occurred within a few days prior to the slaying incident which formed the basis for your investigation. We were aware that two psychiatrists had seen Robert and had recommended to the family that he be hospitalized for care and treatment.

Your question specifically has been directed to whether such a condition could or would have caused Robert Glaeser to kill his parents, his sister and himself in the family home on or about the 10th day of December. I found occasion to discuss these symptoms with various psychiatrists including one of those who had examined Robert earlier and thus have the benefit of their firm collective opinion that Robert Glaeser suffered from an acute state of paranoid schizophrenia as recently as December 4th or 5th according to reported symptoms, and accordingly was very likely operating in a delusional plane of consciousness which could easily, if not predictably, accounted for his apparent homicidal conduct on or about the 10th.”

– Gary W. Flakne

Because of the circumstances of the case, the rule of confidentiality was lifted to receive information from mental health units.

George Elwell, head of the mental health unit at the time, said doctors on his board of examiners agree that Glaeser exhibited “a classic textbook case of the kind of mental illness that is categorized as paranoid schizophrenia.”

They wanted their son to be hospitalized – they just wanted him to do it voluntarily.

They refused to do it involuntarily.

The family were members of the Valley of Peace Lutheran Church in Golden Valley.

The Glaeser family had three other children, two sisters and a brother, who were all grown and out of the home.

It was an absolutely devastating and traumatizing event for them.

John and Mary Jane Glaeser were said to be great parents and deeply cared for all of their children.

Robert liked to tinker with his 1966 Chevrolet. Often his father John would help him.

John Glaeser was absolutely loved by his coworkers and considered a very good medical man. He had been at this job for 18 years and at one point was the chief of surgery.

Ann was a senior at Robbinsdale High School. She was said to be a very kind and smart young girl emerging into adulthood.

It’s an absolutely horrific tragedy that took place that still leaves anyone who remembers the four haunted.

Steve Hyland had been haunted by the thought of Robert. He had seen Robert Glaeser shopping at “Down in the Valley” a few times.

He believed Robert could’ve been responsible for the robbery and murder at the store.

Next episode we will look into the evidence possibly linking Glaeser family murder with the murder of Dewey Lamm and robbery at “Down in the Valley.”

Rest in Peace to the entire Glaeser family.

Until next time.

January 1, 2026

Ep 3: “I don’t remember much”

Episode 3:

“I don’t remember much”

We will look into Jennie’s side of the events along with the witnesses from the following days after the robbery and attack.

You can listen to episode 3 everywhere you get your podcasts or you can listen here:

As covered in episode 2 with Kevin’s side of events, investigators initially worked off of Kevin’s composite sketch of a blonde, curly haired teenager along with his version of events.

This was because Kevin was able to communicate what happened in more detail at the time. Jennie was in extreme recovery and healing and couldn’t put a lot of her energy towards the investigation.

She was busy trying to survive.

November 25th, 1974

Jennie is able to communicate.

Could only speak in a whisper and answer questions by shaking her head.

December 28th, 1974

Jennie is released from North Memorial.

March 31st, 1975

Jennie gives her first official statement to the police at the Golden Valley police department.

She doesn’t remember a lot about the first time the suspect came into the record shop and browsed the store. She was watching her TV set.

Jennie stated she didn’t take much notice of him seeing the suspect mainly from the corner of her eye.

“Somebody came in. He walked in once and he left and he came back and he had a gun, a rifle in his hand and he set it on the counter and he asked me to open the till. I opened it and started to give him the money and there were two customers in the store, they were giggling and he turned around and started to fire at them and I ran and turned on the burglar alarm and I picked the telephone and he tried to shoot me through the curtain but he missed.

Then he came back after he’d shot the other two and shot me three times – I don’t remember much.

Then he shot me and then he went and took some money – he came back and I think he went out to another room again once – then he back and he thought that I was dead – well he asked me,

“Aren’t you dead yet?”

Then he pulled out his knife and then he started.”

Jennie passes out at this moment and her next memory is someone stepping over her body trying to use the telephone to call the police.

Jennie remembers the suspect pulling the sharp instrument out of a side pouch he was wearing.

To her the instrument he had looked like a meat cleaver only smaller.

Kevin stated he suspected that the sharp instrument was rolled up in the white towel.

Jennie doesn’t remember a white towel at all during the attack or when the assailant walked in.

When investigators asked Jennie about the physical description of the killer she stated:

“He had long dark hair, kind of straggly, he had a parka with the hood up, he was skinny kind of, kind of I don’t know, I think he was tall, he had a little mustache, glasses, that’s about it.”

She estimated that he was about 5’9.

When Kevin saw Jennie’s composite he said,

“Now that I get to thinking about it, I think he did have glasses, I am almost sure of it. I am sure that Jenny had a lot better look then I did, but I am sure that he had glasses now”

One reason Jennie’s composite sketch may differ from Kevin’s – is that the suspect was wearing a blue parka with orange lining around the hood portion.

This was pulled over his face, covering his hair, so to Kevin that may explain why he thought the suspect had blonde, curly hair.

When investigators asked Jennie how far the assailant had his hood pulled up, she responded,

“I could just barely see his hair.”

She said you could see his brown hair poking through the hood near his shoulder area.

When Jennie was shown Kevin’s composite – she said it looked somewhat like the guy but the description she gave was a lot closer to what he actually looked like.

Jennie had worked at “Down in the Valley” for about one year before this tragic event took place.

Earlier that year, owner Steve Hyland’s house was destroyed in a fire which resulted in his dogs being killed.

Someone close to them received a call where the caller stated,

“Next time we’ll get the store.”

Jennie didn’t know much about these events other than what Steve told her.

She said Steve had been ripped off a lot of times.

They had known each other for about 10 years. Steve had dated her sister for about the duration of their time knowing each other.

Investigators were interested in learning more about Steve as a potential drug angle for the crime especially since he was in Mexico while this was happening.

Police question why he was in Mexico to begin with.

When they questioned Jennie about this, she said he was only vacationing there.

Steve Hyland always remained clear that he was not involved in any drugs or knowing of anything regarding drug selling at his store.

Jennie’s battle was difficult and took years. She required plastic surgery and progress was painfully slow. Steve organized a fund to help with medical bills.

Both Kevin and Jennie were healing, wanting justice and now afraid and looking behind their backs waiting to come face to face with their attacker again.

Jennie has tried desperately over the years to find the attacker. She makes up most of the case file when it comes to suspects and searching through mugshots with the police.

They both were shown pages and pages of different line ups of men and suspects and nothing stood out.

April 16th, 1975

Jennie and her sister were arriving from Miami to Mpls but had a layover in Milwaukee.

Jennie believes she saw the man who shot her.

She was absolutely positive that it was him.

She followed the man to observe how he walked and he had walked exactly like the assailant had during the attack.

Jennie was too excited to think of letting an airport policeman know.

It should be noted that at no time in the past has Jennie come to this office with any information as to parties she has seen looking like the person that assaulted her.

She would pick men out of a line up sometimes but only in terms of this kind of looks like the guy.

She was 100% positive that the man in the airport was the one responsible.

This was investigated thoroughly and that airport even looked into any workers who may look like her composite but nothing turned up.

Investigators seemed to spend a lot more time with Jennie when showing her line ups of suspects and I’m not sure exactly why that is.

If Kevin wasn’t able or eager to go through that intense investigation or if they believed she had a better image of the guy they were looking for.

Kevin never really felt 100% confident of any suspect he was shown over 40 years of investigating.

He died not ever feeling like the case was completely solved and that his attacker and friend’s killer had been walking free, just getting to live their life.

I believe there are a few reasons for the differences in how Jennie and Kevin gave information other than witness statements usually do differ from one another.

The suspect never spoke to Kevin at all during the attack and was shooting from feet away towards him for most of the attack and then Kevin was on his stomach pretending to be dead for the rest of it.

The suspect from the beginning was only engaging with Jennie. Standing face to face with her, speaking with her, walking with her.

It makes sense to me that Jennie would have a different picture of the suspect than Kevin as her experience was a bit different.

However, Jennie did fade in and out and didn’t remember a lot of the attack – especially after the suspect pulled out the machete.

Kevin stayed alert throughout the attack but never faced the attacker and went mostly by sound.

The suspect focused on Jennie.

Another reason I broke up Kevin and Jennie into two sections to explain the composite sketches was so I could now explain the witnesses in this case.

You will find many witnesses who undoubtedly could have seen the actual attacker – but they all differ.

Now, let’s get into the other witnesses within this case.

A worker at the McDonalds across the street from “Down in the Valley” record shop stated that she helped an individual at approx. 6:45pm that night of the attack who fit Kevin’s composite closely.

The party she described was approx. 5′ 10″ with light blond hair, combed neatly over the forehead, parted on the left side.

The subject had a reddish complexion, possibly due from the cold weather, acne on the lower face and around the mouth. The subject looked young, appeared to be in the 19 years old, and seemed to be happy. He was wearing a Navy blue shiny parka which she described as a hood hanging down the back, about finger tip length.

She stated that he had ordered a shake and a meal. It should be noted that a McDonald’s malt cup had been found by one Officer in the outer doorway at “Down in the Valley.”

With this information, even though the hair did not match up to it being curly, investigators made a composite sketch from her recollection.

November 17th, 1974

This sighting takes place in a bakery shop on Douglas Drive in Crystal only about five minutes from Golden Valley.

The bakery shop owner and a friend who had made a purchase were conversing when they observed a party pulling on all the doors of the shop located directly across the street from hers.

This party after trying all the doors, and finding them all locked, then crossed Douglas Drive and came into her store.

She described this party as follows:

Approx. 5 ‘9, slender to medium build, curly blond hair, little bit below the ears with blue eyes. She also stated that he had kind of a dimple in the center of his chin. He was dressed in a white T- shirt wearing no jacket and no cap. He was also wearing blue jeans and she did not note the type of shoes that he was wearing. He was wearing no gloves and was shivering and appeared to be very cold when he came into the store.

When he entered the store he ordered six rolls and spent a short amount of time selecting these rolls. After she put them in a bag and rang up the total, he stated flatly that he didn’t have any money.

She then asked him how he expected to pay for them. He then stated that he was waiting for a friend and that this friend was supposed to have some money. She said to him that he’d better just leave the rolls on the counter and wait for his friend. At this point the young man walked out of the store.

When he walked out the door she also noted that on the back of his white T- shirt was a cross. The cross was at an angle and was a blocked out rather thick type of drawing. To the immediate right of the cross was the phrase “Christ is Risen” or something to that effect printed on the back of the T- shirt.

Her friend was now leaving the store to bring her purchase home and told the owner that she felt she shouldn’t be there alone with that type of person around and that she would run home quickly and then come right back to the store to make sure that she would be all right.

She lives close by and it would only take about 10 minutes.

While her friend was gone, the owner observed this party to be approaching the door once again.

As he approached the store she noted that he was wrapping a white object thought to be a towel or T- shirt about his right arm, wrapping it from his fingertips about 2/3 of the way up the arm towards the elbow.

He finished wrapping his arm with this object as he approached the door, then opened the door with his left hand and walked into the store again. He still had no jacket, no cap, no gloves, clad only in a T-shirt and jeans.

As he entered the store this time he said in a loud voice,

“I want my rolls”

She asked him if he’d found his friend and he stated,

“No, I want my rolls now”

Rather than make an issue of it she told him to take the rolls.

This party then left the store.

Her friend arrived a few minutes later – she had not seen him the second time.

She didn’t call the police at that time.

She was worried about her name and store being in newspapers.

Upon being shown Kevin’s composite sketch, she said immediately it closely resembled the man she saw that night.

Then she stated that the hair was wrong – it should be a little bit flatter or brushed out – it had been blown around in the wind. She said it was curled but not that much.

The dimple was also correct but should be a little closer to the chin.

She then mentioned that the party she had seen had slight acne on either side of his nose.

All of this corresponds with Kevin’s composite – almost exactly.

Investigators failed to get a composite sketch from this woman because she wasn’t comfortable going further.

November 18th, 1974

Two days after the shooting, a man and his wife told detectives that they were in their car driving northbound on Douglas Drive when they observed a white male on the northeast corner of Douglas and Golden Valley Road.

They stated that the white male was approx. 17 yrs of age, and was wearing a blue parka with the hood portion pulled tightly around his face and carrying what appeared to be a white towel, rolled up and carried in the crook of his arm as one would a football.

They went on to state that this individual was headed in a westerly direction on Golden Valley Road, and appeared to be walking in a strange fashion as if the party was possibly physically handicapped.

That is to say he walked in a loose disjointed manner. They did not get a look at the party’s face or the party’s hair color or length.

They mentioned this was on Douglas Drive and this would also be the way you would get to the Bakery shop in Crystal. It is basically a straight shot to locations – one could easily walk it.

Going back to episode one, the man who found the three in “Down in the Valley” that night, stated that the man he saw staring from across the parking lot had darker colored, curly hair.

Dewey’s brother Johnny has since remembered something that Kevin had told him years after this incident. Kevin said he intentionally gave a wrong description of the suspect because he was afraid that the suspect would come back and kill him.

There are more witness sightings we will go through in future episodes. Right now we will take a pause with all of the information we’ve gathered and next episode look into the number one suspect of this case before returning to the evidence within this investigation.

Until next time.

January 1, 2026

Ep 2: “I didn’t feel any pain”

Episode two:

“I didn’t feel any pain”

Survivor of the robbery and friend of victim Kevin Finneman gives the initial statements for police to work off of.

We also learn a little bit about victim Dewey Lamm and aftermath of the crime in the initial first days.

You can listen to episode 2 everywhere you get your podcasts or you can listen here:

In the previous episode titled, “Aren’t you dead yet?” I go over the night of November 16th, 1974 in detail.

I took details from multiple statements from Kevin, Jennie, friends, police files and newspapers, to be able to tell the story with as much accuracy from beginning to end.

From everything that I’ve gathered so far, the robbery and murder occurred as told in episode one.

I did this for a few reasons.

To simply lay out all the details as what happened that night and with that knowledge piece together the statements from Kevin and Jennie. I want to share their stories in their own episodes without it being too confusing for the listener to understand the story in full.

One of the interesting parts of this case to me is how witness statements and sightings come into play when it comes to crime.

Both Kevin and Jennie were victims and survivors of this horrific crime but both will tell the story a bit differently, as we will come to listen to.

Though details may vary between them – this is the truth of both Kevin and Jennie – and they deserve to be heard in full and believed in what they say.

From night one, giving statements and information was all on Kevin.

Dewey was dead and Jennie was shot in the face and chest and she had to have her jaw wired shut and was unable to answer questions in depth for a while.

It was on Kevin himself to aid the officers in the investigation.

Kevin’s story had always remained consistent. He was very aware and vigilant during the attack.

Though he gave statements to police immediately upon their arrival to “Down in the Valley” and his story changed very little to his official statement to police.

His first official statement was on November 19th, 1974 at North Memorial Hospital.

Two days after the incident.

Kevin said he and his buddy Dewey were hanging out and driving around for the night and seeing different friends.

They were thinking about going to McDonalds but decided to go into the “Down in the Valley” record store.

He said while looking at the tapes that a guy came in wearing a blue parka that was covering his face. He left then returned.

Kevin stating,

“All at once he came walking downstairs again and he had a .22 rifle in his hand and he told the chick behind the counter, you know hold it up – you know – and get the money out and ah so anyhow I just sat there, it stunned me so bad I didn’ t know what to do and then all at once he looked over at us and I just shook my head and all at once he just started splattering shots at me and my buddy.”

Kevin was missing his billfold and thinks the suspect took it with him.

The suspect never spoke to Kevin but he heard him speak to Jennie during the attack.

While on the ground laying on his stomach, he couldn’t tell that he was being slashed by the instrument. He was paralyzed and to him it felt like being hit with the stock of the gun.

Kevin never saw any other weapon other than the rifle.

He suspects after learning about the sharp instrument used in the attack, that the killer had this instrument rolled up in the white towel.

He set the white towel onto the counter before demanding money from Jennie.

Kevin didn’t see it again and the towel has never been located by police.

Kevin gave another description of the killer which was used to make a composite sketch which was released everywhere publicly and to other departments.

He said the suspect was a white male 17/18 years old about 5’10 and 175 pounds. He was wearing a blue parka with the hood portion pulled over his face.

Curly, blonde hair just past the ears in length.

No glasses, facial hair or any other identifying factor but a little bit of facial acne.

No matter how many times Kevin told of what happened, no details ever changed but nothing new that could possibly help also never came up.

He tried to comb through his memories throughout the years for that one piece of information that could solve his friend’s killing but nothing ever came.

Dewey Lamm was a kind and free spirited young man. He loved theater, art and drawing. Had a vivid imagination and was universally loved by his peers, especially in theater productions.

He had just gotten out of a very difficult relationship with a girl by the name of Rhonda. He was really coming into his own at this time in his life and was hopeful for the future.

At the time of the incident Dewey worked at Tonka Toys.

On the night of November 16th, 1974, Dewey wanted to finish a model car. He had a sudden rush to finish this model. He felt he had to finish the model car before leaving for the night.

His family felt in hindsight that Dewey said goodbye to each of them in their own ways.

There was a Shawn Phillips concert that night that his sister Lovanne attended but she had asked Dewey to buy her Frank Zappa tickets while he was at “Down in the Valley” that night.

She wanted him to get tickets and they planned to go to the concert together.

A ticket for Frank Zappa was found in his wallet but it’s unsure when he actually purchased the ticket. He may have bought it beforehand and was planning on buying another for his sister.

Now, Kevin at the time of the incident was 6’5 and was a pretty intimidating man to bump into in a fight.

Dewey was 5’8 at the time of his murder and was a pretty easy going, kind and funny man. Not too intimidating.

Dewey’s autopsy revealed that he died of a single gunshot wound which penetrated his left cheek. The slug traveled upwards into the skull severing the spinal cord at the brain, causing instantaneous death.

This was the first shot that hit Dewey and he was gone immediately after the first shot.

What I’m interested by:

Kevin was hit in his chest and arm the first round of shots fired at him whereas Dewey was shot in his cheek the first round.

Jennie also sustained a gunshot wound to her cheek/jaw area as well.

If the suspect was holding the rifle at hip level like Kevin stated – could investigators get the height of the suspect through the shots fired at the three of them?

The suspect in my opinion had to be shorter than Kevin.

Murder weapon was confirmed to be a .22 automatic rifle.

The sharp instrument inflicting the laceration on all three of them left a very thin cut.

It is the detectives opinion and also that of the medical examiner of Dewey that the wounds were in all probability caused by a large knife or a machete – type instrument.

The possibility of a weapon being a hatchet should not be entirely ruled out, but because of the width of the cuts it would indicate that a lighter instrument such as a knife or machete was used.

At the Lamm house, all of Dewey’s siblings were dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy. Rumors were swirling around school and town about who did this crime and what they think happened.

Everything from Kevin and Dewey being involved in a drug deal gone wrong, to an angry customer from “Down in the Valley” record store, to a student at school wanting one of them dead.

Undercover cops went to Dewey’s funeral to keep an eye out for any unknown or seemingly strange individuals who could possibly be the person who committed the crime.

The entire family had to be vigilant and keep a guard up while also trying to grieve and process what had happened.

Kevin was a great friend and a very fun person to be around. But if he didn’t like you, that could maybe be a different story.

Though nothing stands out in terms of Kevin being violent or hurtful towards others, he would make up mean names about those he didn’t get along with.

One or two men really didn’t like Kevin from what I read in his case file but absolutely nothing points to them wanting to kill Kevin due to it.

The worst thing Kevin did to someone gathered through the official police investigation was that he had a mean spirited nickname for a fellow teenager in town.

Kevin was a brick maker at Zenith products in Osseo and lived with his parents in St. Michael.

His mother stated in an interview in 1975 with local newspapers that Kevin’s car was broken into the Friday before November 16th and about $300 worth of tapes and a $40 pair of headphones.

Then that Saturday, he and Dewey went to “Down in the Valley.”

This piece of information is interesting to me because the case files make no statement about his car being broken into and as a reason why they were at “Down in the Valley” that night.

This information was told by his mom only a few months after the attack.

Kevin told the newspaper about the attack,

“I was on my knees.” Kevin recalled later. “I said, please don’t shoot me. I saw a gun at my face and I dropped to my stomach covering my head with my arms. And he shot me right in the back.

It didn’t really hurt. I didn’t feel any pain.”

He received money from the state, $10,000 from Victims Reparations Board – the largest award at the time in 1975.

“I’d rather be walking than have the money, but it helps.”

Said he’d use the monthly $500 payments to pay his insanely high doctor and hospital bills and future visits.

11 weeks recovering in the hospital and several more at home before Kevin said his life returned to normal.

“I took it about as well as anybody could. I really didn’t break down or anything except the first couple of days in the hospital. If you sit there and pity yourself, it gets worse.”

Several weeks of recovery at North Memorial before moving into Kenny institute which he referred to as “the workhouse” because staff members push patients hard to make you independent.

They told us –

“You can do something, you do it yourself.

They’d throw your clothes on your bed and they’d lay there all day if you didn’t want to get dressed.”

Also at the Kenny Institute he learned he was in better condition than most there.

Kevin prides himself on being independent.

Saying,

“I can do everything myself, I can do everything that’s possible to do except get into buildings with steps.”

His mother said his independence is a matter of his pride.

“He tells me to get lost when I try to help him.”

Their family was happy to have him home but sometimes they got in each other’s way.

His parents installed a ramp in the front of their house and equipped the basement for his use. He spends his time watching television, listening to the stereo and trying to keep his 5 year old brother under control. The only downside being he couldn’t be left alone in case of a fire.

The 6 foot 5 Kevin would rather talk about his plans for a new driver’s license or how his lowered height has given him a better angle at the pool table. His biggest hassle in 1975 was waiting for the snow to melt so he could go outside.

“I’m just taking it as though I’m able bodied. Why think about being in a wheelchair.”

He’s not bitter or angry about his condition but feels hatred towards the robber.

“Why not?” Kevin said. “He got me laid up, got one of my buddies killed and that girl beat up.”

11/22/74

Jennie gives her composite sketch.

Arrangements were made with Jennie’s doctor, mother and sister and Detective Olsen to talk to Jennie. She was in the intensive care unit before being moved into a room on the 7th floor at North Memorial Hospital – next door to Kevin Finneman.

A police guard their two rooms from now on in case the suspect were to come back.

Jennie was given an hour to rest after her switch of rooms before officially giving her composite to the police.

Due to her being in a weakened state from the change of location and her mother and friends being worried about her condition, very few questions were asked of Jenny at this time.

She could only communicate by shaking her head yes or no to questions.

When detectives looked at Jennie’s composite, something occurred to them:

Jennie’s composite was a white male about 18 years old, about 5’9 and 140/150 pounds. Black about shoulder length hair and a light mustache wearing black framed glasses.

Almost completely different from the composite Kevin gave them of a blonde, curly haired man with no mustache or glasses three days earlier.

On the next episode of “Down the Stairs, Into the Valley,” I’ll be going into Jennie’s side of the case, the witnesses and difference in composite sketches.

Kevin in 2018 said,

“I miss Dewey every day. Life has been tough but I am a survivor and did good with what I had in life.”

Rest in Peace to Dewey and Kevin.

Until next time.

January 1, 2026

Ep 1: “Aren’t you dead yet?”

Episode one:

“Aren’t you dead yet?”

Original “Down in the Valley” record store location in Golden Valley.

Two teenage friends, Dewey and Kevin, travel to “Down in the Valley” record store to purchase some items.

A gunman robs the store and shoots everyone in it.

The disturbing night of events unfolds.

You can listen to episode 1 everywhere you get your podcasts or you can listen here:

“Down in the Valley” at this time had only been open for about 2 years and was owned by Steve Hyland.

Steve was 21 years old when he opened the store in a basement on 7821 Golden Valley Road in Golden Valley.

From the outside, it looked like an old shed. Once you enter the front door, you walk down the stairs into the basement to actually enter the store.

There was no other way in or out of the store.

You could buy anything from records, cassette tapes and concert tickets to waterbeds and smoking accessories.

At about 6:30pm on the night of November 16th, 1974, Jennie Randall, a 19 year old girl, was working her shift alone at “Down in the Valley.” Owner Steve Hyland was taking a vacation in Mexico.

Her friend Coral had been dropped off at the store and was waiting for her ride to get picked up from the store.

While waiting for her ride, Coral went over to the water bed section in the back of the store to lie down.

Coral felt like all of a sudden a feeling came over her that someone was watching her.

She looked up at the window on the east side of the shop which directly overlooks the water bed but she did not see anyone.

Coral felt uneasy, got up and browsed the store.

About this time, Jennie asked Coral to watch the store while she ran next door to get a Pepsi.

While Jennie was gone from the store, only one male customer came in and made a purchase.

At about 6:55pm, Coral’s ride arrives. Looking over the store dock over the backroom doorway, “Perry Mason” was just ending on the television set Jennie brought with her to work, she said goodbye to her friend.

Her ride was parked in front of M & I Auto Supply, backed out, exited the driveway closest to the record store and went west on Golden Valley Road.

As they were leaving, a ‘65 Impala pulled into the M & I Auto Supply lot with Dewey Lamm driving and his friend Kevin Finneman was riding along. They both are also 19 years old.

This night was like any other carefree night for the two buddies. They thought about maybe getting something to eat at McDonalds but decided to spend some time searching through “Down in the Valley” record store.

It’s now 7 pm and it’s only Dewey, Kevin and lone worker Jennie in the store.

While Jennie watched “All in the Family” on her TV set, Dewey and Kevin were taking their time looking through the records and cassette tapes.

A male individual about 17 years old wearing a blue parka jacket with the hood portion pulled around his face so that very little of his face was visible, entered the shop.

This individual browsed through the record selection near the door for approx. 5 minutes before leaving.

Dewey and Kevin are now looking at the waterbeds and Kevin says something about maybe buying one sometime.

The individual reentered the store about 2 to 3 minutes later carrying a rifle in one hand and a white towel in the other hand. Carrying this towel as if he’d been swimming.

Kevin noticed and thought it was strange.

The individual approached Jennie who was behind the glass showcase counter at the north end of the store and set his rifle and towel onto the counter and stated,

“Get the money.”

And demanded Jennie open the till to the register.

Stunned, she opened it and asked,

“What do you want?”

Dewey and Kevin looked at each other and started laughing – thinking he was pulling a prank on the store clerk.

The individual turned towards Dewey and Kevin, now holding the rifle at hip level, and began shooting.

Kevin sees his friend Dewey fall to the floor as he flies back about 10 feet onto the floor with wounds hitting his shoulder and arm.

Jennie ran to the backroom and tried to use the telephone when the shots first started and the individual shot through the back curtain missing her and started to run towards her.

She falls to the floor, pretending to be hit.

Kevin was dazed and got up on his feet and walked a few feet over to where Dewey was lying.

Kevin could no longer see the individual but could hear him ask the clerk,

“Is there any more?”

He heard the clerk say,

“Yes.”

At that point, he heard sounds of them walking in the back room of the store.

Kevin thinks about rushing him and tries to think of a plan.

The individual came back to Kevin when he realized he was now standing up and pointed the rifle at his head.

Kevin fell to his knees and begged the individual to not shoot him in his head.

He fell onto his stomach and was covering his head with his arms.

The individual moved closer and closer to Kevin and shot him in his spinal cord and stomach, paralyzing him, then went back to Dewey and he again was shot twice.

The individual was using a rifle which was loaded through the stock. The individual reloaded his weapon after shooting Dewey then reentered the back room and shot two more times at Jennie.

The individual asked Jennie,

“Aren’t you dead yet?”

Then the individual pulled out a machete type instrument.

Jennie passes out when she sees the machete.

The individual reentered the display room and grabbed Kevin by his hair, jostled him around some, grabbed his coat collar and moved him some more.

Kevin was then struck on the head two or three times with the unknown instrument.

He was trying to act unconscious during this ordeal but he could hear everything. He couldn’t move his body.

Kevin could hear him walk back towards his friend Dewey and heard sounds of him being struck by this unknown instrument.

The individual then went towards the back room and struck Jennie two or three times with that same instrument.

The individual came out of the backroom and exited the shop by walking up the stairs.

They heard no vehicle sounds after the suspect left the shop.

Kevin called out to Jennie immediately and told her to call an ambulance.

Jennie said that she had been shot and she didn’t know if she could even move.

Kevin started to crawl towards the door upon hearing nothing further from Jennie. He could only move very slowly.

He got about 15 feet away from the phone before he stopped crawling and waited for someone to enter the shop.

A man and woman walked down the stairs into “Down in the Valley” to purchase some incense but discovered the horrific scene.

They saw three people lying on the floor and blood all over the place.

Kevin called out for them to call the police and ambulance to get some help.

Jennie awakes to someone walking over her to try to use the telephone to call 911 but the phone wouldn’t work.

Immediately, both parties ran out of the store, one going to the Metro 300 Liquor and one going to Rosie’s Liquor, both making calls for help.

Panicked, they tell police that someone better hurry and get down to “Down in the Valley” record store.

Police arrived at a horrific scene.

Kevin identified himself and said he knew his friend was dead. That some maniac came into the store and started shooting.

He gave the first initial statements to the police.

Jennie was conscious and able to speak but was almost to the point of hysteria and kept saying that she was going to die.

An officer held her hand and tried to calm her. She was not asked any questions at this time.

When the ambulance arrived, this officer assisted ambulance attendants in carrying her to a stretcher.

Jennie left first due to the extensive injuries she sustained.

She had an entrance wound in the middle part of her upper chest and also a bullet wound entering her jaw on the left side and an exit wound on the right jaw.

Jennie was bleeding profusely from the mouth and wound areas as well as several cuts to her head.

She kept saying,

“I can’t talk, I know I’m going to die.”

The officer asked if she could please tell them what happened or who did this. It was at this time that she lapsed into unconsciousness.

No more conversation is held with Jennie.

Kevin continues to talk to police about what he witnessed until his ambulance arrives.

Once the two injured parties were removed by the ambulance crews, Officer Otto then did search the immediate area around the building and did search the area behind and south of the building to and including the Plaza Shopping Center area.

The items searched for were a white towel, some type of sharp instrument, possibly a hatchet, and a .22 automatic rifle used by the assailant at the scene of the crime.

Officer Otto was unable to find anything during the search. This included checking all of the rubbish containers throughout the immediate area of the “Down in the Valley” establishment.

Outside officers speak to the two who discovered the scene, John and Paula.

They both stated implicitly that they had not seen a thing that they had just gone downstairs to the store, walked in, saw three people lying on the floor and blood all over the place.

Kevin said,

“Some guy came in and plastered us, call an ambulance.”

Paula said that as curiosity seekers and bystanders began to gather, she noticed a person standing near the N.W. corner of Dahlberg’s building. Paula thought it very strange as many people had gathered out front of the building, but this person remained where he was, watching from that location. When asked if she could describe this person, Paula stated light was not good and she did not pay close attention to this person.

She did, however, look in his direction several times, noticing the person to still be in the same place, never moving closer to the scene.

John didn’t see any cars or persons in the area before entering the store.

He also observed the same person standing near the N.W corner of Dahlberg’s building. John could not ascertain clothing worn but feels the trousers and coat worn were of a dark color, possibly dark blue. He did get a better look at the person and is almost positive the person had dark colored hair.

John stated the hair was very bushy and when questioned as to what he meant, John stated curly or wavy. He also thought this was strange someone would look on from such a distance and not walk up to the scene as other bystanders were doing.

With everyone removed from inside “Down in the Valley” the official search for evidence inside begins.

Several people leaning on the counter also looked into the cash register and the fact that the phone was handled several times, both by the person that found the people and Officers at the scene, that to research these places and articles for fingerprints would be futile.

Nothing was left behind by the suspect.

The scene inside pretty much gave up no evidence to help in the investigation.

The assailant walked out of the store with $145.68.

Shortly before officers left the scene inside the store, Steve Hyland’ s father, Duane Hyland, came into the store. They explained to Mr. Hyland what had happened, the money was being seized for safekeeping, and the crime scene sealed for further evidence collection.

The alarm was set and the building was secured using a key found in the cash register. Signs provided by the crime lab were placed on both front doors. A police department padlock was placed on the door at the head of the stairs. A purse containing identification of Jennie’s and her waist length fur jacket were brought to our office for safekeeping.

A search party outside of the building composed of approximately 8 to 10 fire department personnel in the immediate area of “Down in the Valley” record shop.

The area of the search was as follows:

The search team worked in a southerly direction towards and up to Highway 55. Search time then pivoted and directed a search north from Hwy 55 to Country Club Drive.

The search uncovered only one item which appeared to be alien to the area. This item is described as a brown buckskin colored mitten with wool inserts.

This item was located from the southeast corner and along the east side of M & I Auto Body Parts. Subsequent search by Fire Department personnel with ladders on the roofs in the immediate area discerned no further evidence.

A search by Fire Department personnel was also conducted in a westerly direction behind the Golden Valley Shopping Center. Search of the shopping center roof – found no evidence.

They searched for a hatchet or machete type instrument. The north side of Golden Valley Road, the area surrounding the Civic Center, shops, post office, McDonald’s parking lot, all trash cans and any other places where the instrument could have been tossed or hidden.

The immediate area search was then stopped and discontinued.

No rifle or machete-like instrument was located.

The night of November 16th, 1974 is over.

Taken from the Washington Examiner:

“1974 was the year in which some of America’s most notorious and prolific murderers began their reign of bloody terror. Ted Bundy committed his first known murder in January 1974. Dennis Rader (The BTK killer) first murdered in January 1974. John Wayne Gacy killed the second of his 34 victims in January 1974.”

This rise in crime extended outwards towards teenage boys with a lot of shot gun offences throughout Minnesota specifically in 1974.

It’s been more than 50 years since this horrific event and the people close to the crime and victims still wonder who could have possibly committed this crime?

And why were they never caught?

Through police case files, family interviews and lost footage from throughout the years, I’ll be covering every detail of the investigation from over the past 50 years.

They landed on one specific suspect and in 2009 – they were about 95% sure that this man was the one responsible for the robbery and murder of Dewey.

But he had been dead himself since 1974.

Police technically “solved” this case and felt confident in closing the investigation from that point.

Was a teenaged family annihilator in Golden Valley responsible for the brutal robbery and murder at “Down in the Valley” record store?

We will be breaking down the case file of the suspect and try to find what the detectives found:

Some answers and closure.

Please join the Facebook group “Dewey Lamm’s Cold Case” to stay connected with those closest to the case and stay updated on future news and episodes.

Coming up:

Episode two of “Down the Stairs, Into the Valley” we will learn about the victim Dewey Lamm and the beginning of the investigation from his friend and survivor Kevin’s side.