The Big Story

Reporter Risks Life to Avenge Friend's Murder

English · True Crime, Dramatic Readings

This episode of The Big Story dramatizes the murder of George Kilmer, a young gas station attendant in Montana, and the investigation that brought his killers to justice. After Kilmer disappeared from the station where he worked, his body was found outside Helena. Clues and a confession eventually led police to Harold Goff and Clyde Downey, who received life sentences.

The program draws on newspaper reporting to turn real crime stories into radio drama. Here, reporter Allen Cowperthwaite’s work is central to the case: he helped identify Kilmer’s body and proposed investigating a series of recent robberies as a way to find the killers. The story also follows the tip that brought the crime to police, showing how information from people close to the events could shape an investigation.

The result is a serious, fact-based crime drama, focused on the human cost of violence as well as the pursuit of evidence. Kilmer’s death left a lasting loss for his family, while the reporting and police work reveal how a seemingly isolated murder was connected to a wider trail of crimes.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.