Escape from Marion: The Garrett Trapnell Story

The Herrin Area Historical Society will host Escape from Marion: The Garrett Trapnell Story on Friday, October 19, 2018, at 2:00 pm at the Herrin City Library. Herrin broadcasters Joey Helleny and Mike Murphy were eye witnesses to the bizarre events of December 21, 1978, when Robin Oswald, the 17-year-old daughter of Trapnell’s girlfriend hijacked TWA flight 541 with the plane landing at Williamson County airport. Helleny and Murphy have vivid memories of when the nation’s attention was focused on Williamson County, and they will recount the surreal activities of that fateful day.

Trapnell was a conman, bank robber, and aircraft hijacker of the 60’s and 70’s. He masterminded a jewelry store heist in the Bahamas, he robbed a string of banks in Canada, and he frequently impersonated a CIA agent. While serving a life sentence for armed robbery, kidnapping, and hijacking, he died in a prison in Springfield, Missouri in 1993 at the age of 55.

Joey Helleny has been a reporter and news anchor for some of the area’s leading radio stations, and he is currently senior lecturer in broadcast journalism at SIUC. A Herrin native, he is vice president of Herrin FestaItaliana.

Mike Murphy is the gold standard for southern Illinois sports broadcasters, as he is in his 38th year of play-by-play for the Herrin Tigers. He is general manager of Custom Tours and Travel, ground transportation for the NBA, WNBA and the NHL. He is also sports director for River Radio.

This event is part of the Herrin Area Historical Society’s guest lecture series. It is free and open to the public. Details at 618-727-0432.