The Murder of MaryAnn Clibbery
For this case I watched an episode of Murder in the Heartland. It’s season 2 episode 5, titled ‘Bad For Business.’
The co-owner of a remodeling business is found dead, just three days before Christmas.
Background
MaryAnn Clibbery
MaryAnn with her business partner George
MaryAnn Clibbery was 69 years old at the time she died. She was a mother and had worked at Al Zullo Remodeling for over three decades. She started in 1960 as a secretary, did some print ads and TV commercials, and worked her way up to co-owner, alongside her partner George Hansen.
MaryAnn was described as a great person, mother and friend. She was good with people, kind hearted and would go out of her way to help people. MaryAnn worked for everything she had, and once she had everything, she gave back to people who needed it.
The Murder
On December 22, 2004, an employee of Al Zullo named Randy arrived at the store around 7am. He found George Hansen sitting in the parking lot, and also saw MaryAnn’s car. George and Randy walked around the back, and found the door open and unlocked. They then saw MaryAnn lying face down in a hallway, covered in blood.
Randy called 911. He said MaryAnn had been hit in the head and wasn’t breathing. He can be heard saying “she’s gone George.” The Loves Park police department arrived on the scene.
MaryAnn had been hit several times in the head. Her skull was bashed in, and there was blood and blood spatter all over. The police determined that the killer had hit MaryAnn, and attacked her again when they realized she wasn’t dead. They also determined she was killed around 4-5pm the night before.
Al Zullo Remodeling in Loves Park, IL.
Potential Motives
The first thought that everyone had was that it was a random attack. Loves Park was near Rockford, IL, and Rockford was known to have gang activity, drugs and prostitution. The police said that they had dealt with people from Rockford in the past. The police went to two local motels, and got every name of everyone staying there at the time.
Another possible motive was robbery. There were drawers and cabinets pulled out in the store, and MaryAnn’s purse was missing. However, it was soon determined that it was a staged crime scene. Computers, laptops and blank checks were all still found in MaryAnn’s office. She still had her expensive jewelry on, as well.
Randy and George were both looked into. George had an alibi for that night, he had been out with his wife. Randy didn’t have an alibi, but he said he was at home, and was sick. Neither one could be ruled out.
A week before the murder, MaryAnn had fired an employee named Kevin. Kevin had messed up on a job, and had cost the company quite a bit of money. MaryAnn didn’t have an issue with firing someone, she expected the employees to do their jobs and be punctual. Kevin was apparently very angry, and had confronted MaryAnn and George before he left.
Previous Attempts
On December 22, one of MaryAnn’s friends named Linda Cleveland came forward with some information. She said MaryAnn planned to retire, but began her own investigation when she noticed some money was missing from the business. She had received information from clients and subcontractors that they hadn’t received their payment.
MaryAnn had visited her son during Thanksgiving, and told him and his wife that her brakes had been tampered with. She believed someone had wanted her death to look like an accident, and hoped her breaks would go out on the highway.
She also told her friend Linda that someone had been drugging her coffee at work. She found pink residue in her cup one day, and had to be taken home from work. That day, a fire was started in her own, but she put it out and never reported it.
MaryAnn’s autopsy proved that she had been right, someone was drugging her. She had a sleeping aid in her system, and had died due to blunt force trauma to the head.
The Garbage Bag
By December 23, 26 hours into the investigation, the police had no evidence or suspects.
This was until a witness called the police. A man lived along the Rock River, and called police when he discovered a black garbage bag on the ice. He told the dispatcher that he wanted them to come check it out. Inside the bag were gloves, MaryAnn’s purse and a hammer.
Another witness named Jim Webster, a highway supervisor, also called the police. He had no idea his piece of information was about to reveal the killer. Around 6:30am, two hours before the garbage bag was discovered, Jim saw a man on the side of the road looking down at the river. Jim said he stopped, and asked the man if he needed help. Jim described the man as being in his 50’s-60’s with white hair. He also said the man never answered him, but gave him a blank look.
Jim went to the police station after telling another officer what he saw that day. The man that Jim had seen was George Hansen, the co-owner of Al Zullo. George was also the one who had been embezzling money from the company. He was also trying to kill MaryAnn, and finally did it after all his other attempts failed.
Arrest and Conviction
After they learned of this information, the police surveilled George. He had gone to a bar, and sat down to play video poker at a bar. He was arrested, and when the police searched him, a pink sleeping aid pill was found in his pocket.
On September 27, 2005, George went on trial. George told the police that he had arrived at Al Zullo, and panicked when he saw MaryAnn dead. He thought he would be blamed for it, and discarded the evidence. It was also revealed that George and MaryAnn had $150,000 life insurance policies on each other.
On September 30, George was found guilty of first degree murder. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison, without the possibility of parole. The police said it took longer to find a foreman than it did to convict George.
George is serving his sentence at the Pontiac Correctional Center, maximum security prison.
Al Zullo Remodeling has also been closed, it was left in shambles after the murder. Several people called because they hadn’t been paid, and homes were left undone.
George Hansen
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think it’s safe to say George is greedy af, he was embezzling money and putting it into his own account. It’s also safe to say that he never cared about MaryAnn. He tried SO many times to kill her, and did it in such a brutal way to make sure she couldn’t investigate him anymore. He will definitely rot, and probably die in prison.
Sources
https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/2021/03/15/maryann-clibbery-and-george-hansen-unsalvageable/
https://www.rrstar.com/article/20080103/news/301039868
https://thecinemaholic.com/maryann-clibberys-murder-where-is-george-hansen-now/
https://www.fraud-magazine.com/article.aspx?id=448
