Case 88: Stephen Hilder

DESCRIPTION
Accidents are to be expected in skydiving. It is, after all, an extreme sport. Over 99% of people who jump out of an aeroplane will do it just once, attached to an instructor...
CREDITS
Narration - Anonymous Host
Episode researched and written by Eileen Ormsby, author of ‘The Darkest Web - Drugs, Death and Destroyed Lives: The inside story of the internet’s evil twin’
Production, scoring - Mike Migas
Additional scoring - Andrew Joslyn
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RESOURCES
For all credits and sources please visit www.casefilepo...

[@stevebond7387]

Absolutely riveting. Casefile rules the true crime world.

[@billie6814]

I had been thinking about the few terrifying seconds poor Stephen would have known he was about to die. My heart sank when the narrator said he would have been aware for at least 10-20 seconds.

[@tebsa76]

That was very chilling! Sad, but very well narrated. Thank you.

[@aaronthomas2789]

The Opening Narration about Skydiving and the Skydiving Community reminds me of a former Skydiver I knew who said he stopped doing it because he felt he'd done it so much, he'd risked the statistics of an accident.

[@Cloudbusting31]

I’m obsessed with your broadcasts. Can’t stop listening.

[@julieblackstock8650]

chilling, poor Stephen

[@samsitluoc2375]

This is one of my favourite casefiles. So chilling. I'm back to listen again. Lol.

[@foxit515]

I couldnt it makes me sad

[@lisetteeliseparis7070]

My Ma became a skydiver, and my youngest brother (he had some type of fancy license, perhaps). My youngest sister also, she was not a total fan. I swear Ma became addicted, but thought it was my imagination; the first part of this story resonates. Thank you!

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Knowing who has access to your chute and who is packing it is paramount. I don't let anyone pack my chute.

[@billie6814]

I have no idea about sky diving but I was thinking no way in hell would I let someone pack my parachute for me?! I would gladly do the task 6000 times no matter how boring or time consuming!

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

Too right man

[@tillitsdone]

I don't have to worry because I don't jump out of airplanes.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

@@billie6814 u let someone pack ur chute?ha ha

[@xWILZTAx]

I very live close to hibaldstow and remember this well.

[@christopherjameslee3341]

I'm only a few miles away too but I have to say it's the first time I've heard of this.

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

Shocking

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

This was murder not suicide 100 percent

[@SlimSlashie]

"Going through life saving emergency procedures whilst falling." Including pulling his reserve and praying, I suppose. Horrible.

[@SlimSlashie]

Oh heck, he did it himself? Wow, that's a turn I wasn't expecting.

[@JimMilton-ej6zi]

1:00:40 "the person may still be among us" lmao i laughed hard at that

[@belleslettres354]

Why? I don't get it lol

[@JimMilton-ej6zi]

@@belleslettres354 amogus

[@dashippo]

To sabotage a chute like that, wouldn't you have to open all of it then pack it all again ?

[@catherinegrace2366]

Good point.

[@billie6814]

Yeah and?

[@fender8421]

Not quite; the bridle is normally the last thing you tuck in after everything else is packed, and depending on the container, the reserve risers can be easily accessible without opening much. It definitely would take knowledge of equipment to think of that, but wouldn't take very long to do. I think they did leave out though that packers and riggers have that same knowledge, even if they're not jumpers

[@therealmichaeljackson4622]

5:23 David Mason from black ops 😂

[@tturnr207]

Bro.

[@Jolenesmart1980]

I hope they find the killer at the end of this -

[@vicguy1710]

Shut up.

[@billie6814]

So did I!

[@thedisabledwelshman9266]

miles in britain. not kilometers

[@SHurd-rc2go]

I recently watched a video about a young man's suicide. He had started doing more and more riskier things, including sky-diving. He eventually jumped off a bridge to his death. Most suicides are cheerful before they take their own life.

[@maxinegrears2944]

S. Hurd, that’s right, I know many cases where people haven’t shown they were depressed or suicidal then randomly taken their own life, I think I’ve committed suicide, I have severe depression but you learn how to act normal and cheerful, you just never know what’s going on inside a person’s head ( sorry, he should say “I think he committed suicide”

[@carolball5764]

You’re right ! I’ve read that once someone has made up their mind to go through with it , it brings closure so to speak . So their last few days , they live like they haven’t a care in the world !!

[@Stphne1968]

I think it was suicide in this case. The fact that he randomly mentioned how he'd do it if he were going to commit suicide is the simplest but most telling answer. But nobody wants the mysterious death of someone they love and care about to be suicide, they'd rather think they were murdered than know they took their own life.

[@FknNefFy]

They should have. He led everyone’s hook knives for fibers that day….. why would skydivers use scissors to do this? He may have used them at SOME point on his gear but less likely scissors would have been used to sneakily sabotage someone (especially from HIS CAR). This is a mystery still to me bc I don’t feel like he did it

[@Atomchild]

Kerry Carey Cary Hopwood hogwood hopward I can’t find anything about this person.

[@Argondish]

"The American parachutist, 36-year-old Cary Hopwood, hit the ground at an estimated 75 mph after he separated from his slashed parachute lines. He survived after plunging into a field in southern Illinois, but his would-be killer was never caught." New York Post

[@Atomchild]

@@Argondish Thank you! I couldn't tell what name he was saying.

[@carolinebishop681]

Omg. How terrifying. I have problems jumping on a plane, never mind jumping out of one. Rip poor Stephen.

[@marktrezise7312]

These are not funny they are just sad.

[@legentilhommedefortune]

Surfed the best waves in the world for fourty years , motocross racing & sportscars addict , 51 jumps paragliding from cliffs , but never ask me to jump from a plane with a parachute prepared by someone else...

[@SpicyTexan64]

You built your own paraglider?