The heartstring-pulling tale of Martha McKay is one of unforeseen sorrow, forgiveness, and compassion. Years after her mother’s life was tragically cut short in a mishandled home invasion, Martha managed to forgive the person who had caused the trauma.
23 years after her mother was killed, the plot takes a turn that no one anticipated. Snowden House is the setting for both the tragic human drama and the historical drama. According to its website, this location is “stately” and “elegant,” its marble flooring and grand staircase make it seem like something out of a murder mystery book.
It’s so lovely that a movie adaption of one of John Grisham’s thrillers used it as the background. Beyond its romantic appeal in films, Snowden House has also served as the backdrop for catastrophes in real life.
In 1996, Sally Snowden McKay, 75, and her nephew, Joseph ‘Lee’ Baker, 52, were found shot to death inside this ancient mansion. This is how the story started. According to the story at the time, they happened across a break-in, to which the 16-year-old invader, Travis Lewis, was shocked and shot.
He even attempted to hide his presence by lighting the area on fire. Lewis, who lived nearby, was apprehended and charged with two counts of murder. On April 7, 1998, Lewis filed a guilty plea, although he made hints that someone else might have been involved.
He was given a sentence of 28 and a half years with the requirement that he serve at least 70 per cent of that amount because he was tried as an adult. Martha McKay, Sally’s daughter, had a slightly different perspective.
Her Buddhist views were the foundation for her vision of Lewis’s recovery. She began by forgiving him for his acts in letters she sent while he was incarcerated. Given Lewis’s youth at the time of the crime, Crittenden County Sheriff Mike Allen claims that Martha felt a mixture of sadness and empathy for him.
Lewis’s allegation of another accomplice was also considered by her. “I think it was her mission to find out what happened to her mother and to find out if someone else was involved,” Sheriff Allen said.
Martha visited Lewis in prison against her family’s objections because she was determined to comprehend and forgive him. Katie Hutton, her sister, remembered advising Martha to “just stay away from him.” It’s the kind of horrible juju situation.”
However, Martha—who is renowned for her warmth and kindness—decided to help and stand by Lewis. The family was notified each time Lewis was eligible for parole, and Martha was the only one who was in favour of his release. Lewis served 22 years in prison before his eventual release in 2018, and Martha accomplished something amazing.
She made him an offer to work at Snowden House, the house she had purchased and renovated into a bed and breakfast and wedding location, bringing the mansion’s troubled history to life. Lewis was reunited with Martha, now referred to as the Lady of the Lake, at the scene of his crime, thanks to this unmatched act of forgiveness. The narrative appeared to be approaching a redemptive resolution.
Lewis had drugs in his system, according to the autopsy, and Martha had recently kicked him out of Snowden House after noticing his dishonest behaviour. After a sizable quantity of money vanished, Martha’s diary notes, which were uncovered posthumously, revealed her mounting misgivings about Lewis and led to his termination.
Martha’s cousin and Lee Baker’s son Joe Baker told the journalists, “It’s kind of like a bad dream or deja vu, like really, back to this again.” The story of Martha McKay offers an insightful analysis of the limits of forgiveness and the unpredictability of human behaviour.
Many people are mourning the death of a woman whose compassion and giving went above and beyond, only to be betrayed tragically.
