A San Antonio mother of two was abducted from a Kmart parking lot in 1981 by a man who raped and killed dozens. Instead of becoming his next victim, she became his girlfriend.
Margaret Mayfield Palm was kidnapped at the age of 30 by “Chameleon” killer Stephen Morin after she was held at gunpoint during a random Christmas gift shopping spree.
Morin was convicted of killing three women and charged with two other killings, but was under investigation for more than 40 murders across the country, committed between 1969 and 1981.
The criminal, dubbed by some the “forgotten serial killer,” has come under the spotlight following a recent Vanity Fair article. In it, Palm tells how she became friends with the man who killed dozens.
They stayed close to him even as he was led into the execution chamber.
“He was happy,” Palm said of Morin’s final days on Earth. “He said, ‘I’m ready to die.’ I feel good. I will be with the Lord.’
He was given the lethal injection in March 1985 and, according to a digitized New York Times article from the time, said the words “Lord Jesus, I commit my soul to You” before dying “very calmly.”
A San Antonio mother of two who was kidnapped from a Kmart parking lot in 1981 told how a man who killed and raped dozens of women became an unlikely friend
In a personal statement for the national radio series Focus on the Family with psychologist Dr. James Dobson revealed the harrowing details of her kidnapping to Palm, now 72.
As she left home on December 11, 1981, Palm shared how God spoke to her and forced her to return to the house to get her book of scriptures.
“I packed it in my car along with about four evangelism magazines and about ten evangelism tapes that I had in my car,” she said.
Palm had been a volunteer and on the way home decided to stop by Kmart—where she’d only been twice in nine years.
“Actually, it wasn’t a stopover for me. It’s not even on the way to my house. “But I went to the Kmart, stayed there for about an hour and came out to my car,” she said.
“As I approached the car, I felt a gun in my back. I turned around and this man was looking at me and he was shaking and crying, he looked like a rabid dog.
“I don’t know how else to explain it, but he looked satanic and the first thing I thought was, ‘You’re going to die today.'”
Palm said she hadn’t seen the news and was unaware of the gruesome killings Morin left behind across the country.
Morin was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list and managed to evade the FBI for a decade by using false identities and living the life of a loafer.
“He had raped and brutally murdered women across the country and was known for his intense hatred of women, I knew nothing about it,” she said.
According to Palm, police had combed the neighborhoods that day and told the women to “go to their homes.”
Morin had previously kidnapped and killed a girl and bragged to Palm about how he evaded the police again.
Through tears, he explained to Palm that he “walked all over town, rode buses all over town, and even went to a church, but didn’t know what to do.”
Margaret Mayfield Palm was kidnapped at the age of 30 by “Chameleon” killer Stephen Morin after she was held at gunpoint during a random Christmas gift shopping spree
He told Palm that he had been sitting in Kmart for hours when he happened to bump into her.
Palm revealed that she felt the “Spirit of God” becoming “powerful” within her.
“I said, ‘What’s your name?’ And he said, “It’s Steven,” she explained.
Palm then laid her hands on Morin to pray for him, despite his rebuttals.
“I take authority over every demonic force in this man.” “You know that I serve the Lord Jesus Christ and I now declare that you have no dominion over this man,” she said, laying her hands on Morin.
“Sin shall not have dominion over him.” He has dominion over you, and I have dominion over you, and he will serve Jesus Christ before this day ends.’
Palm said Morin looked over at her in disbelief and said, “I can’t believe this, I’m in the car with a religious freak.”
At first, Morin thought Palm was trying to scam him, but she produced the book of scriptures she had brought from home.
Surprised, Morin said he feels a love for Palm divorced from his earlier desires for violence and brutal rape.
“As he raised his hands, he said, ‘Jesus, I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done.’ Please forgive me. I want to go to heaven.’ “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she said.
In a personal statement for the national radio series Focus on the Family with psychologist Dr. James Dobson revealed the harrowing details of her kidnapping to Palm, now 72
Palm revealed that Morin was beginning to accept God and said he felt purified.
As they drove on, Palm explained that Morin was desperate for an escape route to Fort Worth, Texas.
“If there isn’t a bus here that can take me to Fort Worth, you come with me.” I said there will be a bus Steven, I’m sure God has prepared a bus for you to get on ‘ she recalls.
When they reached the station, Palm said she asked an attendant if the buses were leaving soon.
She explained that one was leaving for Fort Worth in 45 minutes, so the two went to McDonald’s and had dinner together.
“Now we were friends and sat in the parking lot and ate our hamburgers,” she said.
“I told him you can’t use those weapons anymore, you can’t use your guns or knives anymore because you fought a spiritual demonic force.”
Morin released Palm to remain on the righteous path, and she waited until she got to her husband Bart’s house to reveal his whereabouts.
‘[My husband] She picked up the phone, called the FBI and said, “My wife knows where he is. He’s at the Austin bus station waiting for the bus to Fort Worth,” she said.
Palm claimed the FBI thought it “crazy” to think that a man who had eluded them for a decade would be sitting at the bus station reading their book of scriptures.
So she called the Austin Police Department. She claimed they surrounded the bus station where he was reading her book of handwritten writings before they were taken into custody.
In the revealing revelation with Vanity Fair, Palm detailed the years after his arrest that led to his execution.
Palm became the “lifeline” for Morin, who sent letters and Christmas cards from jail cells in Texas and Colorado — one that described her as “one of the greatest moms in the world.”
When Morin was transferred to the Texas prison, Palm told the outlet that the family’s phone would ring once or twice a week and a collect call would be made.
Over the years, with the help of her daughter Noelle (pictured right when she was young), who is now a licensed psychotherapist, Palm (left) has been able to digest the full impact of her experience with Morin
Morin released Palm to remain on the righteous path, and she waited until she got to her husband Bart’s house to reveal his whereabouts. He saw their kids with Noelle and Mills
The couple talked about Morin’s life, but their conversations were “largely spiritual.”
While Palm believed Morin could be mentally forgiven, she told Vanity Fair he deserved a life sentence.
“It’s like a wild animal,” she told the outlet.
“Try to tame a wild animal and it might be cute for a while.” Then they bite your head off.
“He’s lived in this dark place for so long. I imagine the thoughts he’s lived with for so many years would come back.’
The day before his execution, Palm visited Morin at the Ellis 1 Unit on Death Row near Huntsville, Texas.
“He was happy,” Palm told Vanity Fair. “He said, ‘I’m ready to die.’ I feel good. I will be with the Lord.’
Morin was born in Providence and spent his youth in Florida. He led a life of crime after spending time in juvenile detention for stealing a car when he was young.
The outlet reports that Morin was briefly placed at the Florida State School for Boys in Marianna.
The school had a notorious reputation for boys being beaten, abused and chained to walls, resulting in death in some cases, the report said.
Morin was later sent to Florida State Prison after stealing a vehicle from his father. In the same year he had stolen more than 20 cars.
Margaret Mayfield Palm was kidnapped at the age of 30 by “Chameleon” killer Stephen Morin after she was held at gunpoint during a random Christmas gift shopping spree. He was so called because he had several aliases, including “Rich Clarke”.
Morin was convicted of killing three women and charged with two other killings, but has been investigated for more than 40 murders nationwide
Vanity Fair claimed Morin blamed his criminal activities on his mother’s sending him to boys’ school. There he witnessed her allegedly molesting his brother and “allegedly engaged in sexual adventures with a friend of the same age,” and he was jailed as a teenager.
Drugs and violence quickly became pervasive in Morin’s life. Offenses included possession of drugs, hitting his girlfriend and killing his girlfriend’s cat.
On the day of his execution, The New York Times reported that Morin was only convicted of the brutal murders of three and charged with two others.
It took the technician 40 minutes to administer the fatal needle, with unsuccessful attempts in both arms and one leg.
As the lethal injection coursed through his veins, Morin took a deep breath and then uttered his last words: “Lord Jesus, I commit my soul to You.”
Attorney General Jim Mattox said at the time that Morin “died very calmly.”
Morin admitted to shooting dead 21-year-old Carrie Marie Scott outside a San Antonio restaurant on December 11, 1981, the same day he kidnapped Palm.
The conviction was upheld by the Texas Court of Appeals. Morin’s execution was never stayed and his case was never tried by a federal court.
Morin was also sentenced to death for killing Corpus Christi’s Janna Bruce, 21, and Sheila Whalen, 23, whose bodies were found near Denver.
These two murders and Scott’s occurred within five weeks of each other in 1981.
He was also accused of killing two women whose bodies were found in the Utah desert after they were kidnapped from Las Vegas.
Over the years, Palm has revealed that with the help of her daughter Noelle, who is a trained psychotherapist, she was able to digest the full implications of her experience with Morin.
The day before his execution, Palm visited Morin at the Ellis 1 Unit on Death Row near Huntsville, Texas
As the lethal injection coursed through his veins, Morin took a deep breath and then uttered his last words: “Lord Jesus, I commit my soul to You.”
“I’ve grown a lot over the past few years and learned about trauma and how to talk about those things,” Palm said.
She explained that she wished she had the vocabulary and understanding to hold Morin accountable for his crimes and to speak to the countless families of victims.
“I didn’t have that language at 30, but if he were alive I wish I could,” she said.
Palm said she led a fairly normal life after her kidnapping, but some scars remained visible, she told the outlet.
She now drives a flashy, fire-red car, only parks in lighted spots near entrances, and rarely goes into large stores unless she accompanies them.
When asked what Noelle thinks about her mother’s reconciliation with Morin, she replies, “Every survivor must find a story that gives them peace.”
“It’s going to be different for every survivor.” For some survivors, it’s like, ‘He’s going to rot in hell,’ and that gives them peace,” she explained.
“I think the story that helped mom survive is that he was a changed man.”
“The person’s separation from the problem was a survival tool for them.”
“It helped her that day and it helped her avoid nightmares.”