Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I can remember all the times I wore a costume and went out with my brothers for candy. As a grandfather, I now have the pleasure of passing out candy to youngsters in their costumes. 
For many of us, Halloween is a fun holiday. We get to spend time with our kids and see their excitement when they realize they just collected enough candy to keep the local dentist busy for the next several months.
Unfortunately, Halloween of 1982 would not be a memorable one for Marvin and Ethel Brandland. The elderly couple lived in Ft. Dodge, Iowa. They owned a business and had enjoyed over four decades of marriage. Marvin also served in the military during WWII.
On October 30, 1982, Teresa Trueblood, the couple’s granddaughter, had just left after visiting with her grandparents. When she left, they were giving out candy to trick-or-treaters. Soon after Teresa had left, an unusual man wearing a pillowcase with eyeholes knocked on the door. Ethel opened the door and assumed the man wanted candy.
He said, “Trick-or-Treat. Give me your money or I’ll shoot.”
Ethel thought this was a prank and tried to remove the man’s pillowcase. He clutched it and pulled it down. As Ethel went to get candy, the stranger followed her into the house and pulled a gun on her and Marvin. Somehow, he knew the family had a safe in the basement. This was something only family members knew. He ordered the couple into the basement. He wanted the safe’s contents.
Marvin had no intention of going into the basement. He had become tired of what he thought was a Halloween prank. After trying to grab the gun from the masked man, the robber pulled the trigger. A bullet struck Marvin in the throat. The shooter then ripped off the pillowcase, threw it down and slipped away.
Marvin was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, he died from his injuries on October 31, 1982, while on the operating table.
Ethel Brandland had lost the man she had loved for over four decades. Her granddaughter Teresa Trueblood said Ethel eventually died from a broken heart on July 20, 1983.
Trueblood has said she has regrets about what happened to her grandparents. After leaving her grandparents’ home on that fateful day, she thought about returning immediately. She wanted to tell them not to answer the door after 7:30 p.m. But she couldn’t have known the tragedy that would later unfold.
Fortunately, Ethel could describe the shooter. She said he stood about “five foot eight” with blonde hair and blue eyes. She estimated he was somewhere between 16-20.
The family has claimed they know the killer’s identity. He was a family acquaintance who has allegedly bragged about killing Marvin Brandland. Although the family has given the alleged shooter’s name to the Fort Dodge Police, they have arrested no one. Years later, a crime lab analyzed the pillowcase for DNA with no success.
Based on comments made by the Fort Dodge Police Department, they don’t want to take the suspect to court unless they can secure a conviction. Ethel Brandland was the only person who could identify the shooter, but she died over 35 years ago.
Halloween 2020 will soon be here. It will mark the 38th anniversary of the day Marvin Brandland died in his home. There is an old saying about a man’s home being his castle. Martin and Ethel Brandland should have felt safe. Instead, a weak little man with a gun terrorized them in their home.
The family still hopes to get justice for Marvin. You may as well also consider Ethel a victim. After Marvin died, so did her will to live.
If you have any information about Marvin Brandland’s unsolved murder, please contact the Fort Dodge Police Department at 515-573-1426.
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his Twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.