In the spring of 1989, New York City headlines screamed of a brutal attack in Central Park, one that would result in the wrongful conviction of five teens.
In Philadelphia, the city’s organized crime and drug market was in chaos after the imprisonment of top La Cosa Nostra leaders.
About halfway between the two cities, in the idyllic borough of Princeton, New Jersey, the crimes and discord of the outside world had always seemed so distant from the Ivy League town. That is, until the murder of Cissy Stuart.
It wasn’t just the first murder in town in nearly a dozen years. Emily “Cissy” Stuart was the matriarch of an old Princeton family that ran the local newspaper, well-respected, spirited, and tough enough to shovel her own walk and chop her own wood, even at 74.
But while Cissy was gardening on April 2, 1989, someone went into the basement room where she kept her tools and stabbed her five times in the back. The killer padlocked the door and slipped away.
The cold case killing is the topic of the new podcast “In the Shadow of Princeton” by NJ.com and The Star-Ledger. The first two episodes are out now, followed by weekly releases on Wondery+.
The series was reported by long-time Mercer County reporter Kevin Shea, who’s followed the case for over two decades, and Rebecca Everett, who co-reported and co-hosted the news organization’s first hit, “Father Wants Us Dead,” which garnered several awards and millions of downloads.
Episode one starts 35 years ago in pleasant Princeton. A place where foul play seemed so absurd no one searched the locked basement for the missing woman for nearly two days.
When her body was discovered and police descended on her stately home a block from the prestigious university, clues were scarce. There was no obvious motive, no murder weapon and no reason anyone could think of that someone would want to kill Princeton’s grande dame.
The resulting investigation into Cissy’s death has been a “Zodiac”-like maze of leads and dead-ends for 35 years. Police chased down different theories from a serial stabber, to Cissy’s family, to a conspiracy — championed by an impassioned investigator who believed a group of Princeton University alums were deliberately covering up a crime from their college years.
“In the Shadow of Princeton” also follows the reporters on their own investigation, as they speak with dozens of sources, from long-silent witnesses, to investigators and those who knew Cissy. Even Shea, who followed the case for two decades, is shocked by what they reveal and how it challenges the leading theories.
The first two episodes drop June 5, with episode one available for free wherever you get your podcasts. Then, you can listen to all other episodes of “In the Shadow of Princeton” exclusively and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
NJ.com readers can get a free Wondery+ trial at www.wondery.com/shows/in-the-shadow-of-princeton.
For trailers, photos and other information about the podcast, visit www.theprincetonmurder.com.
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Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com .
