Deadly Charm: The Story of a Deaf Serial Killer

20. September 1982: The Beginning of a Romance

20 September 1982: The Beginning of a Romance A moment of strength, of romance, of glamour— of youth! Joseph Conrad, Youth On a crisp autumn day, twenty-seven-year old Marian Escalante, a nurse at a Washington, D.C., hospital, decided to spend her free afternoon visiting nearby Annapolis. After shopping and browsing through the stores, she stopped for lunch at Chick and Ruth’s Deli, a popular eatery on Main Street. While there, she spotted an attractive young man signing to another person. Escalante had developed an interest in deafness and deaf people, having treated a number of them as patients. She had also learned a few of the basic signs of American Sign Language . Using these signs, she introduced herself to the young man, and as she later stated, “We became an item right away.” Patrick McCullough responded immediately to the young, attractive nurse’s overtures and was more than willing to pursue a relationship with her. Escalante, in turn, saw Patrick as 145 146 McCay Vernon and Marie Vernon “someone who had special qualities . . . he could really sparkle.” Initially, their communication was mainly through writing, interspersed with the few signs Marian knew and a lot of gesturing . Escalante described their interaction by saying, “I could sign and Patrick used some sign. He also did some pantomime which deaf people do. We were communicating very well.” She described Patrick’s spoken communication in this manner : “I would liken Patrick’s speech to that of a three-year-old running around saying weird words that nobody understands but a mom or a dad. That’s a little bit how Patrick sounds.” During those early days of dating, they filled legal pads with their messages of endearment to each other. Before long, Marian and Patrick were discussing the possibility of marriage and starting a family. Escalante felt that with her help and guidance Patrick could overcome his emotional difficulties and learn to lead a stable, productive life. She encouraged him to continue with his court-ordered alcohol and psychological counseling. She also attempted to straighten him out financially , including paying off his numerous traffic tickets. In order to keep him out of jail, Marian even went so far as to pay back the money Patrick had stolen from his roommates. Most nights Patrick stayed with her at her house in Crofton, some eight miles north of Annapolis. Marian Escalante became very protective of Patrick and very sympathetic to his troubled past. Her concern for him brought her some anxious moments. On one occasion Patrick was sent to jail for several days after he was caught speeding and later failed to show up in traffic court. While he was in jail, Patrick’s deafness prevented him from phoning, and Marian had no idea what had happened. She recalled: “I was frantic. Four days trying to figure out where he was. When I finally did, I bailed him out.” One day, as they were on their way to Patrick’s counseling session, they were pulled over by Officers Everd and Roy in a Deadly Charm 147 police patrol car, presumably for failure to signal a turn. Escalante felt that the officers were deliberately picking on Patrick, and she became rather confrontational with them. She told them, “If you are following him because of the traffic tickets and the theft and all, we paid for those, you know. I don’t think it’s right to hassle us.” At that, one of the officers asked her if she knew anything about Patrick’s past. She demanded to know what they were referring to, and they told her that if she wanted to find out anything she would have to come to the police station. That, coupled with other things she had observed, was enough to convince Marian to arrange a meeting with Patrick’s probation officer, whom she knew only as Melanie, and with Brent Toleman, whom Patrick called his foster father. “Have you read the paper?” Melanie asked her. Marian replied that she lived in Crofton and didn’t get the Annapolis paper. Melanie informed her that a body had been found and that Patrick was under suspicion for murder. Both Melanie and Toleman suggested that it would be wise for her to talk to the police about it. A day or so after that, Officers Everd and Roy came to the house and asked Marian to speak with them...