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Ord community reacts to Oldson's guilty verdict
John Oldson was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 31 year old Catherine Beard.
News 5's Katie Gauthier went to Ord to hear how the community is reacting. This small town was shaken up in 1989 when Catherine Beard was last seen at a tavern in Ord. Her remains were found years later in a field. "I remember when it happened and I remember periodically down through the years that there were clues that they thought might be beneficial and then it seemed like maybe it was going to go unsolved," said Ord native Jim Hackel. "It's always been in the back of people's minds," said Kiley White. "You know it's a small town, murders don't happen here. And when it did happen, it was a shock." Things like that just don't happen here in small town Nebraska. But after a guilty verdict for one of the main suspects in the cold case, some say it gives them closure. John Oldson was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Cathy. And once the verdict was read, the news spread rapidly in Cathy's hometown. "Within minutes after it we had people at the check-out stands getting texts and phone calls and they were telling us and we were kind of spreading the word around that he was found guilty," White said. Kiley White owns the Grocery Kart in Ord and says it's the talk of the town. "The reaction right away is that people were just glad that it was over," White said. The town may never know what happened that night, but for some it's a piece of the puzzle for the mystery murder. "Well it's good to see justice served after so many years," said Ord native Rebecca Dawson. "This is probably one of the biggest things that ever hit in this area and I'm glad that the family finally has closure. And hope he gets the maximum penalty." "Glad to see that they were finally able to see some justice come to this," said Mary Drudik. "It's very alarming that something could happen like this and be covered up for so long." "You know we just don't think things like that happen in the middle of Nebraska in a small town and it just proves it can happen anywhere," Dawson said. John Oldson will be sentenced on April 1st in Howard County. Second-degree murder can carry a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. |
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