The day after Christmas in 1997, a man named Larry Streeter was found murdered in Bigfork. The killing was traced to brothers Ted and Jesse Ernst. Ted, 19 at the time, was a paraplegic and one of the top wheelchair racing athletes in the nation.
The bizarre story of the Ernsts’ Christmas-day crime spree, which ended in Streeter’s murder, was chronicled by Sports Illustrated. Click here to read the story. It’s fascinating and has quotes from folks we know well, such as Jim Dupont, a Flathead County commissioner who was sheriff at the time. “Dateline NBC” also aired a show on the Ernsts at one time.
While it’s been well over a decade since the crime, the Ernsts’ story is back in the public eye now that Investigation Discovery, a sister channel of the Discovery Channel, is featuring it on a program called “Unusual Suspects.” The episode, titled “Cold-Blooded,” premieres on Monday Sept. 6 at 10 p.m, according to a press release from Investigation Discovery.
I wasn’t around here in 1997. My only knowledge of the Ernsts’ story is from the Sports Illustrated article. But whether you were around in 1997 or not, I think the story is captivating and I’m intrigued to see what Investigation Discovery makes of it, although I don’t think I get the channel.
If you have access to the Investigation Discovery channel, I’d check it out. If not, give the Sports Illustrated story a read.