‘Police say there will be no further investigation into the death of thirty-seven-year-old Erica Spencer from Severndale, Cheshire. Mrs Spencer fell to her death at a Halloween party inside the exclusive gated community known as Severn Oaks, but an inquest has concluded that a mixture of drink and the wrong footwear were to blame for the mother of two’s death . . .’
I’m Andy Noon, and you’re listening to the first episode of The Truth About Erica. What you heard there was a news report following a short inquest into Erica Spencer’s death, a death that the police closed as accidental. Yet I’m going to tell you a tale of lies, revenge and deception that ended in a Halloween murder here inside the gated community of Severn Oaks, Cheshire.
On the 28th of October 2017, Erica Spencer, a resident of Severn Oaks for six years, woke up thinking that her day would be like any other. That she would do the food shop, buy the finishing touches for an outfit she was looking forward to wearing to the party that evening, spend time with her friends, then fall into bed with her husband, Jack. She had no idea that one of the smiling faces she greeted that morning would, by that evening, become her murderer.
For those of you who don’t know, Severn Oaks is the place everyone aspires to live, where neighbour loves neighbour, where everybody knows your name and where nobody can penetrate our peaceful existence. It is a safe space – the money and status that pulsate within these walls protect us from the dangers of the big, bad outside world. But what if the danger has been inside the walls all along? On the 28th of October, Erica Spencer would find out.
Let’s talk about Erica. She and Jack had been happily married for nearly seventeen years. In fact, it was their anniversary plans that consumed Erica’s thoughts on the day of her death. Would they go to a restaurant or take a holiday? Who would look after the children? The couple have two children together, Max and Emily – Max was nearly sixteen at the time of his mother’s death, and Emily just seven. Emily attends the local primary school, while Max is in the sixth form.
Although she had no paid employment, Erica was always busy. She dedicated her time and effort to giving back to the community, volunteering at the local library, running the PTA, volunteering as a parent governor at the school Emily attended, and organising events. Their sizeable home in Severn Oaks reigns from the top of the bank, looking down on the other houses that sit humbly at her feet, twelve other houses in total. A small, tight-knit community – or so they would have you believe.
So how did Erica Spencer end up lying sprawled on the grass beneath a large oak tree in Severn Oaks, her neck snapped in two places? Were the head injuries she sustained truly ‘consistent with a fall’ as the coroner concluded? Or were they inflicted before the fall? Did Erica need to be silenced? If so, by whom?
Who would want this philanthropic mother of two dead? What really happened that night? And how many of the Halloween party guests know the truth about Erica?
In this podcast I’ll be looking at the six people with the most to hide about the night Erica Spencer died and discussing how each and every one of them had a motive to murder the woman who, in 2015, was named a local hero for saving a young man from drowning. We will meet a fresh-faced businesswoman with a reputation and a secret to protect; the new alpha female who slid seamlessly in to fill the gap Erica left in our community; the local celebrity couple who are not all they seem; a best friend who is a little too good to be true; and her husband, who features heavily in Erica’s diary. A diary I just happen to have exclusive access to.
Six suspects, six podcasts and a murder. I’ll see you the same time next week when we discuss how Erica Spencer died and focus on the first of the Severn Oaks Six.