Naman Shrestha
‘Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death The Bad Boys’ covers the intricate details of the brutal and unexpected death of Harold Drury in 1992. When her daughter received the news of her father’s murder, she couldn’t help but consider the possibility of a cult being involved in the tragedy. With the help of interviews with the 52-year-old’s family and friends, the episode also uncovers other important details that were significant to the entire case, including the identity of the perpetrator.
How Did Harold Drury Die?
Harold Leroy Drury was born in 1939 in Pontiac in Livingston County, Illinois, as a bundle of joy in the lives of Alfred Russell Drury and Marjorie M. Drury (née Hoerner). While growing up in Illinois, reportedly as a single child, he was surrounded by the love, care, and support of his parents. A true patriot, Harold jumped at the opportunity of serving his nation by joining the United States Air Force as a young man. He held the position of a Technical Sergeant, a second-level non-commissioned officer rank in the force, and even served in the Vietnam War. Per reports, in matters of love, he fell for a woman in his neighborhood, and the two eventually got married. However, things didn’t work out between them, and they officially went their separate ways.
While it seemed like Harold would spend his life without a partner, he got lucky in the aspect in his 40s, when he met Edna Mae Schieler Freed. She was earlier married to Howard W. Freed. Edna and Harold’s union seemed like one that was written in the stars, and they made it official by tying the knot in 1983. He was a family man and reportedly a father of two children, one of whom was a daughter, Jenn. In the early 90s, he had been residing in Arizona and worked as a clerk at an AM-PM convenience store at 20838 North 19th Avenue in Phoenix in Maricopa County. He was a respected member of the community and celebrated his birthday on August 29 every year, seemingly in the presence of his family.
Unfortunately, Harold didn’t get to celebrate his 53rd birthday as he was murdered in 1992, losing a long trail of loved ones who miss him to this day. On April 27, 1992, he was executing his duty as a clerk at the store, per usual. Suddenly, just over an hour past midnight, around 1 am, a few customers found Harold lying on the floor behind the counter with several fatal gunshot wounds on his body. The local police were quickly informed. Upon their arrival, they declared him dead and looked around to discover that the cash drawer in the register was nowhere to be found. They also found that the last cash receipt at the register mentioned cigarettes. An investigation of Harold Drury’s murder was launched.
Who Killed Harold Drury?
Upon interrogating the witnesses present on the scene and Harold Drury’s loved ones, the police learned certain details about his life, vital for the case. Reportedly, on April 27, 1992, Chad Alan Lee entered the AM-PM store, where Harold used to work as a store clerk, to buy some cigarettes, around 1 am. As soon as Harold opened the cash drawer, Chad pulled out his revolver and fired a bullet at his shoulder, which pushed him back. The shooter didn’t stop there as he shot Harold several more times, causing him to fall to the floor.
After that, Chad moved around the counter and fired two more rounds into Harold’s head, one of them going through his head and breaking the display case right next to his lifeless body. He then collected the cigarettes and the cash drawer along with him and left the scene in his car, in which Scott Hunt was waiting for him. Scott drove him across the street, where he threw away the revolver into a dumpster. Having driven for miles after that, Chad also threw away the cash drawer into a creek bed, but it got smashed into an abutment. Then, he got out of the car, picked up the drawer, and disposed of it.
Chad confessed to his crimes, including the AM-PM store robbery and murder of Harold, and confirmed the above-mentioned incidents on three different occasions. He even showed the authorities the location of his murder weapon. The investigators found the remaining pieces of the cash drawer in the weeds under the bridge. After collecting all these pieces of evidence, they charged him with the murder of Harold Drury.
Chad Alan Lee is Behind Bars Today
On August 23, 1994, Chad Alan Lee stood trial for the murder of Harold Drury and decided not to testify. However, after a few days, on August 29, 1994, the incriminating evidence against him led the jury to convict him of armed robbery and first-degree murder. At the time, the defendant had already received the death penalty after getting convicted of two previous murders. Back in April 1992, he had robbed, raped, and murdered a 31-year-old pizza deliverywoman named Linda Reynolds.
In the same month, Chad had also robbed and murdered David Lacey, a 42-year-old cab driver. On October 5, 1994, he was sentenced to death for killing Harold and 21 years in prison for the armed robbery conviction. Following his sentencing, he appealed against about 12 trial issues and challenged certain aspects of the charges. However, the court denied all of them. Chad Alan Lee is currently held up being bars in Arizona State Prison Complex – Eyman in Florence.
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