The Cox Children

On a warm spring afternoon in rural Mattoon, Illinois, a crime unfolded that would leave an entire community shattered. In April 1968, five children from the Cox family were found brutally murdered near their farmhouse, victims of a shocking act of violence that defied comprehension. The accused was not a stranger lurking in the shadows, but 18-year-old Thomas Charles Fuller, a local high school student who had been welcomed into the family's home and was dating one of the Cox daughters. Join Patreon here to binge bonus content! Crime Curious is creating a kick-ass exclusive listener experience | Patreon Want to just donate to the show? You can do so here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crimecurious Music By: Michael Drzewiecki Cover Art By: Charnell A. Kleen: Five Little Birds: The 1968 Cox Murders: the family, the day, the manhunt, the plea and sentencing, with a full list of 1968 newspaper sources People v. Fuller, Illinois Appellate Court (1974): conviction date, victims' ages, sentence structure, hearing dates JG-TC: Murderer of 5 children seeks parole (2011) JG-TC: Family continues to fight parole JG-TC: Parole again denied, 51 years later (2019) 14 News: IL man denied parole in 1968 killings org: Petition to deny parole, Thomas Charles Fuller II (2026): parents' dates of death, insanity ruling, family's ongoing fight William Cox, "A Tragic Saturday That Shattered My Family," Awake!, October 22, 1986 Diane Sawyer, The Mattoon Murders (Southern Publishing Co., 1982)