A disturbing murder that rocked an entire community made national television.

When you're watching television, the last thing you expect to see is a Hudson Valley reference. I'm not sure why it surprises us. The Hudson Valley is a big place and it's been mentioned more than a few times. Usually, when Poughkeepsie or another place in the region makes it to the big or small screen it is a good thing. However, this is one reference that is a major blemish and it's extremely tragic.

Like most people, my wife binge-watches true crime shows and she always has the ID Discovery channel on in the background. On this particular day, she was watching a show called Deadly Women and it was focusing on murderous teenagers. When I heard them mention Saugerties, New York, and the Hudson Valley, I had to walk over and see what the episode was about.

Nick Kessler
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According to ID Discovery, in 1993 Betty Gardner adopted and raised her 2 grandchildren, Wendy and Kathy. The following year Wendy met neighborhood teenager and troublemaker, James Evans.

They began to date and Evans became a bad influence on her as Wendy started to rebel. Betty could no longer raise Wendy, so Betty filed to have her granddaughter filed for the state to supervise her. This would mean that she would not be able to be with her boyfriend. Wendy was able to persuade James into strangling her grandmother to death.

The teen couple held Kathy, the youngest sister captive. Kathy was later able to escape and call the police. In 1997, James Evans was convicted of 2nd-degree murder. Wendy Gardner was sentenced to 7 years in prison and was paroled in 2004.

You can watch the full episode here.

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