The Murder of Effie Ratley

Written By Kiley Baumgartner

For this case, I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 14 episode 6, titled ‘Home of the Brave.’

A woman is killed in her home just one month after being saved from a house fire.

Background

Effie Rachel Williams (Ratley) was born on October 20, 1977. Effie met her future husband, Michael Ratley, when he pulled over to help her when she had a flat tire. They got married just 18 months after meeting, but split up, re-married, and had a baby boy named Aiden.

Effie was described as very loving and kind.

Effie and Michael Ratley

Effie and Aiden

The House Fire

In December 2006, just a few weeks after they returned home from the hospital with their son, a fire broke out in the couple’s trailer.

Michael was able to get himself and Aiden out unharmed, but Effie was trapped inside. Michael used a satellite dish to break the window, so that Effie was able to climb out. Michael was called a hero by the local media.

The investigators ruled the house fire as accidental, due to faulty wires and a non-functioning smoke detector.

Michael, Effie and Aiden had lived next door to Michael’s parents, so they moved in with them after the fire.

The Murder

On January 27, 2007, just a month after the house fire, Michael had fallen asleep out in the living room with their son.

Michael claimed he woke up to a noise coming from inside the bedroom where Effie was asleep. When he walked in, the window was wide open, and Effie was bleeding on the bed.

Michael called 911, but handed the phone over to his dad. Michael’s dad told the dispatcher that it looked like Effie had fallen, and that she was unresponsive.

Effie was rushed to the hospital. The doctors had told Effie’s parents that her injuries were life ending. Effie had been struck in the head 7 times with a blunt object that left star shaped impressions. The impressions suggested that the object was round.

On January 31, Effie was taken off life support. She was only 29-years-old.

Intruder or Inside Job?

The police soon found inconsistencies in Michael’s story. The window screen had been cut, and was placed beneath the window. It had been really cold on the night of the murder. A layer of frost had covered the ground, but the police didn’t find any fresh footprints to suggest that an intruder had come in through the window.

Michael had reported an attack the night before Effie was attacked. Michael said he had been outside in the barn, and was struck in the head. Michael’s dad called 911. Nothing had been stolen from the barn, or from inside the Ratley’s home. Effie’s purse and wallet were in plain sight, but hadn’t been taken.

The police also found it odd that a layer of dust and a basket of clothes in front of the window hadn’t been disturbed. The carpet was white, but there was no footprints, blood, or any debris tracked in from outside.

Michael’s parents said that they had been watching TV, and hadn’t heard anything. Michael’s sister also lived down the street. She said she and her husband had 8 hunting dogs that would’ve barked if a intruder had been seen.

The Evidence

While the police were searching the home, they found a portable DVD player, lube, and porn in Michael’s possessions. Michael’s phone records also showed that he had been in frequent contact with a 35-year-old former high school teacher of his that was a male. A possible theory was that Michael was gay, and wanted Effie out of the way to start a new life.

Effie’s family told the police that they didn’t believe it was the first time that Michael had attempted to kill her. They told the police about a time when Michael had put mice in the console of Effie’s car, and called her to check if his medication was in the car. Effie opened the console, and nearly died as she swerved on the road.

The police started to believe that the house fire wasn't just an accident. They believed that Michael had saved Effie because his family and friends had shown up at the scene that night.

Effie also had a $150,000 life insurance policy, and Michael was the beneficiary.

The police continued to search the house for any evidence that Michael was the killer. Michael’s bathrobe was tested, but there was no traces of blood on it. The police were able to hit the jackpot when they searched Michael’s truck. Inside a hidden compartment underneath the backseat, they found a hammer, box cutter, a piece of burnt electrical wire, and several pairs of gloves.

The burnt electrical wire was compared to the wire found in the Ratley’s trailer. It was a match. Effie’s blood was also found on the hammer. The hammer was compared to Effie’s head wounds, which were consistent with it being used as the murder weapon. Effie’s blood was also found on some paper towels and gloves. Michael’s DNA was found inside the latex gloves that he had put on underneath a pair of work gloves.

The Conviction

The prosecution believed that Michael had been planning on killing Effie for quite awhile. He had made several attempts already, and finally went through with it on that January evening.

The prosecution said that Michael had made up the intruder story, to convince people in the small town of Bryceville, Florida, that an intruder was on the loose.

It’s believed that Michael killed Effie in the nude, cleaned up with the paper towels, put on his bathrobe, put the items in his secret compartment, and called 911.

Michael testified at trial. He said that he was surprised about the items found in his “always unlocked” truck, and that someone was trying to frame him.

In July 2009, Michael was convicted of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Michael’s mugshot

Kiley Baumgartner
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