Episode 174: Peter Reilly

True Crime New England

Join Katie and Liz on this week’s episode of True Crime New England, where they discuss the brutal murder of Barbara Gibbons, and the subsequent arrest and exoneration of her 18-year-old son, Peter Reilly. In September of 1973, Peter arrived home in the evening from a youth group meeting at a local church, only to discover his mother horribly slain in her bedroom. Due to his perceived lack of emotion, police immediately honed in on the teenager and subjected him to over 24 hours of intense interrogation, essentially confusing him enough to make a confession. However, after going through an entire trial in which he was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter, Peter had the community and even some celebrities rally around him and help fund an appeal, which eventually brought the charges against him to be dismissed. Barbara’s murder is still unsolved, and anyone with any information is asked to please call the Connecticut cold case line at 1-866-623-8058, or by sending a tip to [e-mail].