The Reverend of Coosa County

Episode • Jun 30 • 38m

In 1977, Reverend Willie Maxwell was shot dead in front of six hundred mourners at a funeral in Alexander City, Alabama. The man who pulled the trigger—Robert Burns—did it in plain sight. He didn’t run. He didn’t deny it. And when asked why, he simply said, “I had to do it.”

But that moment was only the end of a far more disturbing story.

For years, Reverend Maxwell had been surrounded by tragedy. His wife. His brother. His nephew. Even a teenage girl under his care. One by one, they died under strange circumstances—each followed by a suspicious insurance claim. And each time, the preacher walked free.

Rumors spread that Maxwell was untouchable—not just legally, but spiritually. Some said he practiced voodoo, protected by rituals and dark forces that kept the law at bay. He was feared. Respected. And, in some corners, believed to be cursed.

The story drew national attention, even bringing Harper Lee out of seclusion. The author of To Kill a Mockingbird spent years researching the case for a true crime book she called The Reverend. But the manuscript was never finished.

In this episode, we explore the strange, winding story of Willie Maxwell—his rise, the trail of bodies, the whispers of black magic, and the explosive trial that followed his very public death. It’s a story with no easy answers. One that still haunts the South to this day.

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