Greenbrier Ghost — Murder Solved by Spirit Testimony Accepted in Court

In 1897, the ghost of a recently murdered woman in Greenbrier County, West Virginia reportedly appeared to her mother repeatedly over several weeks, eventually identifying her killer and detailing the circumstances of her death — evidence that was used in a murder trial in what became the only American court case in which a ghost's testimony was admitted as evidence. Zona Heaster Shue died suddenly in January 1897, officially attributed to natural causes. Her husband Edward, a blacksmith, buried her quickly and refused to allow a thorough examination of the body. Her mother, Mary Jane Heaster, prayed for four weeks for her daughter to reveal what had happened. Zona allegedly appeared to her mother in a series of vivid nocturnal visits. She described how her husband had been violent toward her and had snapped her neck in a fit of rage. She told her mother where to find evidence and what to look for. Mary Jane Heaster convinced prosecutors to exhume the body. The autopsy revealed that Zona's neck had indeed been broken. Edward Shue was arrested and tried for murder. At trial, the defense attempted to discredit Mary Jane's account, but her consistent and detailed testimony proved compelling. Shue was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died in prison in 1900.