Accident or Premeditated? The Unsolved Murder Of Alberta Cousins

Accident or Premeditated?

The Unsolved Murder Of Alberta Cousins

THIS ARTICLE IS NOT FINISHED. PUBLISHED TEMPORARILY FOR THE FAMILY TO SEE....

I had this case on the back burner because of some health issues I had going on at the time. I still shared the poster above on various social media platforms and I was taken aback when Alberta's son Douglas reached out to me and asked for a link to my entry. Then Alberta's Great Niece also reached out to me asking about my entry. Needless to say that will motivate anyone. I wanna thank them for allowing me to tell her story. Also, I put as many articles in this entry as I could to be as complete as possible from a research perspective. Here we go....

The Pottsville Republican: August 25th 1956

Alberta G. Scheer-Cousins

Date Of Birth:

January 24th 1934

in Pittsburgh, PA

Parents:

Albert Fred Scheer

April 22nd 1905-November 19th 1945

Christine Elizabeth Haller-Scheer

March 9th 1902-February 5th 1988

Pittsburgh Press: 11/19/1945

Siblings:

Jane Christine Scheer

(Jane recently passed)

Jean Elizabeth Scheer-Southall

(Jane and Jean were twins)

Mercer High School: 1950

Robert G. Scheer

(Alberta was the oldest of the children)

Slippery Rock State Teachers College: 1958

Husband:

Lauren Roland Cousins (Deceased)

February 23rd 1929-January 23rd 2024

(Twin Valley Memorial Park and Mausoleum

Delmont, Pennsylvania)

Children:

Douglas John Cousins

Born: February 19th 1955

Wife: Joyce Louise Kohr-Cousins

(Married May 31st 1975)

Date Of Death:

Thursday, August 21st 1956

in Wilmington, DE

(Between 2 & 2:30 pm)

Cause Of Death:

.22 Caliber Bullet to Heart

Age At The Time Of Death:

22

Residence:

205-D Monroe Park

(Old Address-No Longer Exists)

Background:

Alberta Scheer was born on January 24th 1934 to Albert Fred Scheer and Christine Elizabeth Haller-Scheer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Albert and Christine would go on to have a set of twins names Jane and Jean as well as a boy named Robert after having Alberta. On November 19th of 1945 Tragedy struck the Scheer family. The family's patriarch, Albert Fred Scheer was killed in an automobile accident. He was only 40 years old. Alberta attended and graduated Mercer High School in Mercer, Pennsylvania in 1952. In 1953 Alberta dropped out of Eastern Nazarene College in order to marry her High School sweetheart Lauren Roland Cousins. The couple had their first child, Douglas John Cousins on February 19th 1955. In May of 1955 the couple moved to Wilmington Delaware to settle down and start a life together. They moved into the Monroe Park Apartments off Thomas Street and Lauren began a new job as a chemist for the Hercules Powder Company & Research Center in Wilmington. Lauren's prior job was with the Mellon Foundation. In December of 1955 the couple became pregnant with their second child. The couple were looking forward to raising their family and enjoying life together. However, As you'll soon read. Some things just aren't meant to be.

Delaware & Wilmington in 1956:

To give you an accurate representation of the setting, Here is a little information on what was going on in Delaware and in Wilmington in particular in 1956.....

• Wilmington was known as the "Chemical Capital of The World" due to it being a major Industrial and Banking center at the time. DuPont had its Global Headquarters located in Wilmington.
• In 1956 Wilmington was the largest city in Delaware. In 1950, The Federal Census showed 110,356 people living in Wilmington.
• In 1956 Delaware started desegregating its schools. The Elementary Schools were already desegregated. Delaware started desegregating the Junior High and High Schools as well.
• In 1956 Wilmington had a large Jazz culture, Jimmy Smith recorded a Live Album at Club "Baby Grand" in Wilmington.
• "Don't Be Cruel" by The King, Elvis Presley was #1 on the Billboard for August.
• The musical comedy High Society starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly & Frank Sinatra was #1 at the Box Office in August of 1956.

"Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley 

Hercules Powder Company: Alberta's Husband Lauren worked here in 1956

Hercules Powder Company Building located at 500 Hercules Rd

The Company's Assets were sold to CP Kelco in 2004 

and is no longer an active company.

Murder or Accident?

Thursday, August 21st 1956

Wilmington, DE

Lauren Cousins arrived home from his job at the Hercules Powder Company & Research Center in Wilmington at around 5:30 pm. The couple's child Douglas was being watched by Lauren's parents until Alberta came back. Earlier that day at around 1:43 pm, Alberta had left to go relax at Valley Garden Park. She had often visited the park to wind down and read as her due date got closer. Alberta was two days away from giving birth to the couple's second child. Alberta took the book Postmarked Moscow by Lydia Kirk with her to read while relaxing. According to reports, The couple adhered to a somewhat routine schedule. So Alberta not being home by the time Lauren had left work and arrived at their residence was unusual. Lauren called the local hospitals in the area assuming his wife may have gone into labor. When he discovered that wasn't the case, Lauren began to search the neighborhood and he requested that a neighbor go search the park in case Alberta was still there. At 6:07 pm Sgt. Joseph McVey was making his routine rounds at Valley Garden Park when he discovered the 22 year old expectant mother lying face down in the grass. McVey thought she might be asleep so he went over to wake her. Mrs. Cousins was cold to the touch and unresponsive. He radioed for assistance upon discovering Alberta was deceased. Alberta was laying on her left arm and the book she brought with her was laying at her side when she was found. Her shoes were laying around a foot away from her body....

The News Journal: August 25th 1956

The News Journal: August 25th 1956: X Marks The Spot

The News Journal: August 25th 1956

The Autopsy

An Autopsy was performed at Memorial Hospital by the acting State Medical Examiner, Doctor J.W. Abbiss. The type of weapon was determined to be a .22 caliber hunting rifle. Alberta had died from a single gunshot wound that penetrated her left armpit and the bullet penetrated through her liver, lung, and heart. There were no powder burns on the body. There were no signs of assault on her body and her clothes were not tampered with. With the way the body was positioned, And the fact there was no firearm found at the scene. Authorities ruled out suicide as a factor early on. Tests concluded the shot was fired from around 135 feet away from where Alberta's body was later found.

The Investigation

The Husband is looked at....

As a rule of thumb in murder investigations, The investigation starts from the inside and works it's way out. Meaning family members are always the first people investigators go to. With that being the case, Lauren was looked at. The investigation found the couple were extremely devoted to each other. They had no domestic issues and both were very religious and regular attendees of the First Church of The Nazarene. In addition to this, Neither couple were familiar with nor owned a gun. Since there was not a history of domestic issues and Lauren was at work at the time of the murder. He was quickly ruled out as a suspect....

Was it a Stalker, A Prank or a Stray Bullet?

Law Enforcement believed that one shot was fired in the direction of Mrs. Cousins. That bullet missed her and sailed over her head. She got up to run away carrying her shoes and a book she had brought with her to read when she was then hit with the fatal shot. Around 135 feet from where Mrs. Cousins was found, Law Enforcement found a .22 shell casing by a tree. They also found boot indentations where someone was likely sitting/standing near that same tree. In response, The Delaware State Police seized more than 250 Rifles that fired .22 caliber bullets. The Delaware State Police also picked up and questioned multiple suspects. All possible angles were looked at such as a possible Stalker, A Sniper, A Prankster who attempted to scare Mrs. Cousins and accidentally shot her, and a possible Stray Bullet. The investigation found that Mrs. Cousins left her home at around 1:45 pm and arrived at the park a few minutes after 2 pm. She parked her car and went to a section of the park to relax. Law Enforcement determined she was shot before 2:30 pm. According to the autopsy, Mrs. Cousins was dead for around 2 to 3 and a half hours before being found. Local Ponds and the Hoopes Reservoir were searched in the hopes of finding the murder weapon. All searches for the rifle turned up futile. An interesting detail/rumor that was reported early on was regarding another car was parked near Mrs. Cousins prior to the shooting. The car supposedly disappeared shortly after the shooting took place. This detail was not expanded upon in further reports detailing the shooting, Nor was a description of this supposed vehicle ever given.

A Timeline Of The Murder

August 21st 1956

1:43 pm: A neighbor reported seeing Alberta dressed in Dungaree Shorts and a Short Sleeved Blouse, leaving her residence at 205-D Thomas St. en route to Valley Garden Park.

2:00 pm: Alberta arrives at Valley Garden Park. (To my knowledge, No one actually saw Alberta pull up at 2 pm. This is conjecture based on the time it would take to drive to the park from her apartment.)

2:01-2:19: The shots were fired in this window. Law Enforcement believes Alberta was shot minutes after parking her car and laying down. Other park goers and people in the area stated they heard shots before 2:30 pm that day. And according to park goers, More than one was fired.

(Some reports state park goers heard shots around 2:30 pm. We can disregard this at Alberta was seen by the family laying face down by 2:20 pm. According to reports of the time, Alberta was likely shot within minutes of arriving at the park. Also, The shots were likely fired between the 2:01-2:05 time frame. Without knowing exactly however, I kept the shots within the 18 minute window.)

2:20 pm: A visitor to the park saw Alberta laying face down in the spot where she would eventually be found. Presuming she was asleep, he didn't disturb her and continued on with his day.

4:00 pm: Another park visitor who was with his wife and 3 children saw Alberta in the same position and also assumed she was sleeping or not in any danger. They continued playing ball together and with the rest of their day. According to the article they were at a distance to see her body, But likely too far away to determine anything happened.

5:30 pm: Lauren arrives home from work and is concerned that Alberta is not home. He began calling local hospitals thinking she may have gone into labor. Lauren also began searching the neighborhood and requested the assistance of a neighbor to go to the park to see if Alberta may still be there. He thought Alberta may have encountered some car trouble.

6:07 pm: Park Officer Sgt. Joseph McVey on routine patrols discovers Alberta's body. She is dead upon his arrival.

Around 6:10 pm: The neighbor and Lauren arrive at the scene.

News Articles:

These articles are chronologically listed. Starting with the earliest and working forward chronicling the investigation over the years. These articles are investigation specific. MOST of the articles in this section do not discuss any of the Persons Of Interests. I deal with that aspect of the case a little later in the entry. There are a few that do. The articles covering the Persons Of Interest are also listed chronologically. If you'd rather not read each and every article listed in this section, Which is understandable. Scroll past this and go to the next section where I breakdown only specific articles with important information.

The Morning News: August 24th 1956

The News Journal: August 24th 1956

Philadelphia Enquirer: 8/24/1956

This article mentions Alberta having a broken arm &

the time in which Lauren & the neighbor arrive at the scene.

The Morning News: August 25th 1956

Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph: August 25th 1956

The News Journal: August 25th 1956
(This article mentions the possibility of another car)

The Record American: August 25th 1956

The News Herald: August 25th 1956

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: August 25th 1956

New Castle News: August 25th 1956
I'm comfortable this is a mistake in reporting.

Pottsville Republican: August 25th 1956

The Pittsburgh Press: August 26th 1956

The Morning News: August 27th 1956

The News Journal: August 27th 1956

The Morning News: August 28th 1956

The News Journal: August 28th 1956

The Morning News: August 29th 1956

The News Journal: August 29th 1956

The News Journal: August 30th 1956

The Morning News: August 30th 1956
This article is interesting as well, This one discusses the 
possibility that Alberta was not the target of the bullet(s) that hit her.

The News Journal: September 9th 1956-
The .22 Caliber Bullet that killed Alberta was recovered.

The News Journal: September 12th 1956
Reward Offered!

The Morning News: September 13th 1956
This article is interesting, It mentions how LE believes Alberta 
was shot more than once....

The News Journal: September 19th 1956

The Morning News: September 20th 1956 -
2 Delaware men were held in Phoenix before LE determined they were not involved.

The News Journal: September 20th 1956
More on the Phoenix Persons Of Interests who were eventually cleared

The Morning News: December 6th 1956

6 Months After Alberta's Murder

After 6 Months, The investigation into the shooting death of Alberta Cousins seemed cold. No new leads. All investigators could do is review old leads and hope that a new avenue would present itself. All they could do is speculate at this point. Another article was published in the paper in the hopes of generating new leads....

The News Journal: February 14th 1957

This article is prior to the 6 month anniversary but it goes over crime data for Delaware over the period of time that covers Alberta's death.

The News Journal: February 23rd 1957

6 Months In

August 1957: Murder Is One Year Old

The Morning News: August 23rd 1957

The News Journal: August 23rd 1957

The Morning News: August 23rd 1960
4 Years Later

The Morning News: August 23rd 1961

The News Journal: February 20th 1963

The Morning News: August 23rd 1963

The News Journal: February 9th 1966

The News Journal: April 6th 1971
This paper has a very brief entry on Alberta's case.
(Paragraph)

The Morning News: November 26th 1973

1981: A New Lead?

The Morning News: January 26th 1981

The Morning News: December 2nd 1981

Persons Of Interest

According to The News Journal, (August 24th 1956) A Person of Interest was picked up by Wilmington PD early on in the investigation. The POI was not mentioned by name, But he did have a .22 rifle in his car. The rifle had been fired once. However, The rifle didn't have its firing mechanism when it was confiscated by the police. That part was in another vehicle at the time. Ballistics tests were run on the rifle and the results weren't made public, But the POI was released. 2 men in Phoenix were also held in connection with writing bad checks. They also had a .22 Rifle in their possession. But they also were released after Ballistics tests came back negative. The investigation continued....

They weren't the only people looked into. Law Enforcement seized over 250 weapons capable of firing a .22 caliber bullet. The FBI conducted ballistics tests in cooperation with the Delaware State Police. The investigation even went out of state in its search for Alberta's killer. Law Enforcement looked at similar crimes and persons with violent backgrounds. None of the leads they followed up on gave them any results. But let's dive into a few though...

Norman William Hager: A Maryland Link?

When examining this aspect of the case. We are going travel back a year before Alberta was murdered to June 15th 1955. This Person of Interest was involved in a case that was deemed similar enough to Alberta's to be looked at. If you'd rather skip this part ahead of time I will give you a spoiler and tell you he was eventually cleared of any involvement in Alberta's death as well as the deaths of 2 young girls. I added this part to be as complete as possible in chronicling the investigation. However, This entry is rather long, And I figured I'd safe the reader some time in advance.

The Evening Sun: June 17th 1955

June 15th 1955

University Gardens, MD

A little more than a year before Alberta was murdered, 2 young Maryland girls were also killed. Nancy Marie Shomette and Michael Ann Ryan were gunned down in cold blood on June 15th 1955 in University Gardens Maryland. The gun used to commit the murder was also a .22 Caliber Hunting Rifle. The same type of weapon as the one used to kill Alberta. 17 total shots were fired at the girls. 14 of which hit them. Nancy was struck by 11 bullets. Her wounds consisted of shots to the head, chest, abdomen, left forearm, right thigh, left jaw, left hip and spine. Michael Ann had been struck 3 times. Left Breast, Spine, and Ankle. Further reports indicated the rifle used to kill the girls was identified as a Marlin Micro Groove .22 Rifle. Which was at the time. A fairly scarce type of rifle. Norman William Hager was questioned extensively by law enforcement. He was given at least 2 polygraphs. He admitted he was somewhat of an "Amateur Criminologist". (Aren't we all) He also admitted to being familiar with Polygraphs as well as what could and would be able to be used against him in court. Despite extensive questioning, Law Enforcement admitted the evidence against Hager was "meager". All they really had were a few letters Hager had written to Ryan with what was described as "threatening overtones". Hager was eventually released but he was questioned regarding Alberta's murder a year later. He was ruled out. The Murders of Shomette and Ryan are still unsolved to this day. On a side note, It looks as though Hager passed away in 2020 at the age of 83.

The Evening Sun: June 15 1955-

Norman William Hager was an ex boyfriend of Michael Ann Ryan.

Evening Star: June 17th 1955

The Morning News: September 15th 1956

The Spokesman Review: June 18th 1955
Hager released: LE looks at new suspect

Richard E. Sollenberger:

Another Maryland Link?

Just as with Hager, Sollenberger was also cleared of any involvement in Alberta's death. Again, I added this part in my effort to be as thorough as possible. As this blog entry is rather long, Feel free to skip this part if you are not interested in reading about Sollenberger.

May 9th 1957: Delaware State Police questioned Richard E. Sollenberger in regards to Alberta's murder in Baltimore. He was also questioned in regards to the Shomette and Ryan murder the year earlier. The reason for his questioning? Sollenberger admitted to seriously wounding one boy and shooting at another earlier that week. The shooting took place in Gwynn Falls Park in Baltimore. The wounded young man needed emergency surgery to repair a ruptured spleen. The bizarre part is Sollenberger apparently walked up to a Patrol Officer after the shooting and turned himself in. And guess what kind of rifle he was using? If you guessed a .22 caliber rifle. You'd be right. However, He was soon cleared of the deaths of Shomette and Ryan. And he was eventually ruled out in Alberta's as well. In 1963 Sollenberger was found Not Guilty by Reason Of Insanity in the attempted murder of the young man. He was committed to Grove State Hospital.

Note: I don't have any information on him after that. He is likely deceased. But I can't say that confidently as I didn't spend a lot of time on searching since I don't find him a viable suspect in Alberta's death.

The News Journal: May 9th 1957

The Morning News: May 10th 1957

The Evening Sun: May 10th 1957

The Morning News: May 11th 1957

The News Journal: May 11th 1957

The Baltimore Sun: July 30th 1963

Gary Addison Taylor- The Royal Oak Sniper:

A Michigan Link?

I have tried really hard the last several entries to refrain from putting my two cents in like I used to. Any readers of my blog will know exactly what I am talking about. I came very close here to losing myself and reverting back to "Old Anthony" again. Gary Addison Taylor is a complete monster. And why this guy is even still alive closing in on 90, I'll never know. This guy should've been fried...Yes, FRIED a long time ago. There, that's as far as I'll go.

Also, Although never officially cleared by the newspapers as a suspect. I believe it is safe to say that Law Enforcement cleared Taylor and it wasn't reported in the papers. At least the ones available. (Cleared via Ballistics.) I wanna reiterate that I am not saying this to "spoil" anything. This entry is rather long and I figured some readers might wanna stay on track. Having said this, I did get curious as to Taylor's whereabouts in 1956. So I did look up any articles related to him that I could find for that year. You'll see the section I'm referring to below.

Gary Addison Taylor was looked at in 1957 based on his crimes against women. Starting on December 22nd 1956, Taylor terrorized the Detroit suburbs by shooting at random women with? You guessed it, A .22 Caliber Rifle. He was coined the "Royal Oak Sniper" and "Detroit Phantom Sniper" by the press. He denied being in Delaware at the time Alberta was shot. As far as I can ascertain, Taylor admitted most, If not all, of his other crimes toward women. His crimes definitely escalated after his youthful days of being a crazed sniper. He ended up Raping and Murdering numerous women. Most are too graphic to even go into detail here. My blood pressure seriously can't take it. As far as I can determine, Taylor is currently incarcerated at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla Washington. Law Enforcement was never able to place him in Delaware at the time Alberta was killed. And he likely wasn't there. Taylor also didn't escalate to killing women (That we know of) until the mid 1970s. Also, If you read one of the articles I posted in regards to Taylor a little farther down. You'll see that Delaware State Police requested some of the .22 Caliber Shells connected to Taylor's crime spree to be compared with the one that killed Alberta. Odds are the Ballistics didn't match. The Ann Arbor District Library has good articles up on their site if you are interested in reading up further on this animal.

Ann Arbor News: February 8th 1957

The Herald Press: February 8th 1957

In this article you can read where the Delaware State Police requested to compare

shell casings used in Taylor's crime spree to the one removed from Alberta's body.

The Morning News: February 9th 1957

The News Journal: February 9th 1957

The Tampa Tribune: February 9th 1957

Livingston County Daily Press & Argus
November 12th 2021
Somewhat more recent article that briefly goes over 
Taylor's early attacks on women.

What was Taylor doing in 1956?

It looks like he was in Florida at least in the early part of 1956. It's reported in other articles after his crime spree as the "Royal Oak Sniper" that he was working in Michigan during the summer and never left the state of Michigan....I wanted to dive down this rabbit hole just in case. I will also reiterate that Taylor did confess to murdering 4 women later in his life, And the the attempted shootings of the others when he was younger.

Tampa Bay Times: January 2nd 1956

Tampa Bay Times: January 9th 1956

The Delores French Shooting:
May 30th 1958

On Friday May 30th 1958 in Manor Park, 8 Year Old Delores French was playing on a swing when a .22 Caliber bullet penetrated her stomach and lodged into the back of her spine. She survived the ordeal. And a surgery soon thereafter removed the bullet. The bullet was compared with Rifles that were confiscated at the time. A match was then found. Apparently the shooting was the result of a stray bullet that was shot around a half a mile from where Delores was wounded by teens who were target shooting. It was ruled an accident. And no charges were filed.

The Morning News: May 31st 1958

The Morning News: June 5th 1958

The News Journal: June 4th 1958

The News Journal: June 14th 1958

The Aftermath & The Years Go By

Add news videos and newspaper articles here

Official Missing Poster

Additional Photos

Alberta Cousins High School Pictures and other Family Related information

Mercer High School: 1949

Mercer High School: 1950

Mercer High School: 1951