Sandy and Tom Bird/Lorna and Marty Anderson - Part 2
The tragic July death of Sandy Bird beneath the Rocky Ford Bridge had been officially swept aside as a tragic driving accident
As investigators across multiple counties began sharing notes, the hidden world of Faith Lutheran Church collapsed under a flood of salacious rumors and delayed confessions
The Evidence Locker: Timeline of Events
| Date | Event Description |
| September 7, 1983 | The Hairdresser Plot: Lorna Anderson meets her lover and hairdresser, Danny Carter, handing him $5,000 in cash, photos of Marty’s car, and his schedule to pass to a hitman |
| November 4, 1983 | The Highway Execution: Marty Anderson is murdered in a Geary County cornfield |
| November 18, 1983 | Danny Carter is brought in by detectives and breaks within five minutes, exposing Lorna's attempt to hire a hitman through an organized crime contact |
| Late November 1983 | Darryl Carter comes forward to save his brother Danny, exposing a shocking May 1983 meeting at the church where Tom Bird explicitly stated he would kill Marty Anderson |
| Late November 1983 | Police execute a search warrant at the Anderson home, discovering love notes hidden inside Lorna’s lingerie drawer signed by Tom |
| December 1983 | Lorna Anderson is arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder |
| December 12, 1983 | The Sting Operation: Darryl Carter meets Tom Bird in a wired pickup truck |
| March 1984 | Reverend Tom Bird is officially charged with criminal solicitation to commit murder in the death of Martin Anderson |
| July 1984 | The First Trial: Tom Bird goes on trial for criminal solicitation |
| Fall 1984 | Sandy Bird’s body is exhumed |
| February 1985 | A grand jury officially charges Tom Bird with first-degree murder for the death of his wife, Sandy |
| Spring 1985 | Turning against her former lover, Lorna details a confession Tom allegedly made to her at a turnpike rest stop, describing how he beat Sandy on the bridge and threw her over the rail |
| July 1985 | The Second Trial: Following a six-hour deliberation, a jury unanimously convicts Tom Bird of first-degree murder |
| August 26, 1985 | Lorna Anderson pleads guilty to two counts of criminal solicitation, receiving a sentence of 5½ to 18 years |
| November 1988 | Lorna pleads guilty to second-degree murder for her direct role in Marty’s death, adding a sentence of 15 years to life |
| March 1990 | The Third Trial: Tom Bird is tried for pulling the trigger in Marty Anderson's execution |
| June 2004 | After serving nearly 20 years, Tom Bird is released from prison on parole |
| February 2007 | Lorna Anderson is released from prison on parole after serving 21½ years |
Tina and Rich’s Takeaways
Rich: "What absolutely floors me about this second part is the sheer number of overlapping murder plots Lorna was running
. Investigators ended up tracking down a list of 125 men she was tied to ! She was asking her hairdresser, construction workers, and random acquaintances to help her find a hitman . And then we find out that the original plot to drug Marty and push his car down a steep embankment 'south of town'—a plan Tom and Lorna tried to recruit Darryl Carter for—ended up becoming the exact blueprint used to murder Sandy instead . It is incredibly dark ."
Tina: "The fact that both of them only served around 20 years after orchestrating the brutal, cold-blooded execution of two innocent people makes me sick to my stomach
. Sandy and Marty were completely disposable to them . What really bothers me is Tom's absolute refusal to ever take accountability, even playing word games with the parole board by suggesting there was just as much evidence for suicide as murder . Seeing Lorna out on Facebook today, posting happy pictures with grandkids as if she didn't leave seven children essentially orphaned in the 1980s, is just entirely unforgivable ."
Sources
- Supreme Court of Kansas. State v. Bird. 240 Kan. 288, 729 P.2d 1136. 5 Dec. 1986.
- Kraft, Scott. "Who Killed Sandy Bird?" Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2004.
- Norton, Bill. "The Preacher & The Spider Lady." The Kansas City Star, 1 Dec. 1985, p. 14. Newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/679701233/.
- Breneman, Allie. "Bird Bridge: What lies beneath." The ESU Bulletin, 30 Oct. 2025. https://esubulletin.com/19335/news/bird-bridge-what-lies-beneath/.
- "A Murderous Minister & His Mistress in Emporia, Kansas | City Confidential." YouTube, uploaded by A&E.
What Do You Think?
Tom Bird was acquitted of actually pulling the trigger in Marty Anderson's murder because the jury simply refused to trust Lorna's shifting, deceitful testimony
Leave us a comment or a voice note with your thoughts on this case, or join our community on Patreon to discuss the bizarre details of the 1987 Hollywood movie filmed right on location in Emporia
Until next time, don't kill your wife, and don't kill your husband
Sandy and Tom Bird/Lorna and Marty Anderson - Part 1
