Episode 199: Baby Lawrence Noxon (With Jim Overmyer)

Lawrence Swift Noxon was born in March 1943. At five months old, he was diagnosed with what we now call Down syndrome. Three weeks later, on September 22, 1943, baby Lawrence died from electrocution under highly suspicious circumstances. His father, John Franklin Noxon Jr., was soon charged with murdering his infant son in what many considered a “mercy killing.” For this episode, I spoke with author Jim Overmyer, who wrote The Electrocution of Baby Lawrence, the definitive story of Lawrence’s murder and the long, complicated legal proceedings that followed. This is the story of a baby boy who deserved to live a lot longer than he did, and a father who some at the time said wasn’t punished harshly enough for his son’s murder, while others believed that what John did was for the best. This is the tragic story of baby Lawrence Noxon. The Electrocution of Baby Lawrence: A Murder that Shook a New England Town by Jim Overmyer on Amazon: Jim’s author website: Jim’s Facebook author page: Jim’s Amazon author page: Photos related to today's episode can be viewed on Facebook: You can also follow the podcast on: Instagram: TikTok: My Linktree is available here: Visit the podcast's web page at By supporting me on Patreon, you'll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive rewards. Visit You can also support the podcast on **New! Become a member of my YouTube channel for perks, ranging from a shout-out, members-only chat emoji, and loyalty badges to other rewards. Click here: Join my Spreaker Supporters' Club: This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine. Music for this episode is licensed from

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Episode 199: Baby Lawrence Noxon (With Jim Overmyer) is an episode from Suffer the Little Children by Suffer the Little Children Pod.

This episode is 49:56 long.

This episode was published on Jul 11, 2025.

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