A FATHER gunned down his wife and six children before killing himself in a tragedy that left a small North Carolina town traumatized for years.

The motivation behind the sick killings died with Charlie Lawson and his children, until a curious writer fresh out of college started asking questions.

The Lawsons were a well-respected family who earned some wealth through tobacco farming in Germanton, North Carolina, about 20 minutes north of Winston-Salem.

Charlie Lawson moved to the area to settle with his wife Fannie and their seven children: Arthur, 19, Marie, 17, Carrie, 12, Maybell, 7, James, 4, Raymond, 2, and Mary Lou, 4 months.

His brothers had moved there years earlier, paving the way for him to purchase land and start a farming business.

In December 1929, the family went on a shopping spree to purchase gifts for Christmas and take a portrait, which was rare for farmers during The Great Depression.

But the Lawsons had seen a good harvest that year, so a little shopping spree was expected.

After opening presents for Christmas Day, the family went about their business playing and socializing at their aunt and uncle’s house.

That afternoon, Charlie, 43 at the time, grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and gunned down his daughters Maybell and Carrie who were playing outside a barn.

After shooting them, he beat their heads to make sure they were dead and hid their bodies.

Charlie then walked toward the house and took aim at Fannie who was sitting on the porch, killing her immediately.

Their daughter Marie started to scream, and their sons little James and Raymond tried to find a place to hide.

The rampaging dad didn’t stop, and shot and killed Marie before hunting down the boys.

He killed the baby last by bludgeoning her to death.

After the bloodbath, Charlie took his gun and paced around the nearby woods while his dogs stood by his side.

He turned the shotgun on himself hours after firing the first shot.

The only survivor of the massacre was the eldest sib Arthur, who had been sent out hunting for game by Charlie.

Down the street from the killings was an 8-year-old boy who would never forget hearing the devastating news that day while he played in the snow.

“He was fascinated by it, horrified by it, and never could shake the feeling that he wanted to know more about what had happened,” his daughter Trudy J. Smith said in an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun.

Smith remembers growing up and hearing stories about the killings and how it affected her father but added that he never went into great detail about it.

It wasn’t until after he retired that the two really connected over the tragedy that defined his upbringing.

Smith said the two went back to the house of horrors once he turned 65 so he could pay his respects and remember Christmas Day, 1929.

Outside of the home stands a mass grave for the family, with a tombstone that Smith stopped to read.

The epithet on the stone said: “Not now, but in the coming years, it will be in a better land.

“We’ll read the meaning of our tears, and then sometime we’ll understand.”

Remembering the impact of the message, Smith said: “I stood there reading that with him, and I said, ‘You know, it’s almost like a prophecy that somebody’s supposed to write about this.’

“And I said, ‘I think I could write something.'”

THE MEANING OF OUR TEARS

An author of two books on the Lawson murders, Smith is now the leading scholar on the case.

She’s interviewed countless subjects and descendants of locals through her decades of research and writing.

Read Related Also: ‘Stop this madness’ Idaho victims’ families cry on demolition day as state insists home won’t help Bryan Kohberger trial

Smith, a North Carolina local, is also the person who uncovered why Charlie opened fire on his family that day.

While there’s no way to truly know his motivations, Smith said she spoke to a close friend who gave a convincing reason.

Stella Lawson Bowles was the cousin and best friend of Marie Lawson and had been a primary source for Smith and her father throughout their research.

After collecting enough information for her first book, White Christmas, Bloody Christmas, Smith gave Bowles a draft of the novel for review.

Bowles was so struck by the great work Smith did, that she felt compelled to tell them her biggest secret: Marie was pregnant with her father’s child when she died.

Bowles went on to divulge about a conversation she had with Marie where her friend admitted that her father had been sexually abusing her.

“I just could not believe it,” Smith said.

“I had found Marie’s best friend, and she actually had confided that scandal.”

After serious thought, Smith decided to include the crucial piece of information in her final draft and gave some much-needed answers to the community haunted by the killings.

RED FLAGS

Looking back, Smith said there were some haunting signs that Charlie was unwell before Christmas Day.

The family reported at the time that Charlie would get up in the middle of the night and get on his hands and knees to pray fervently.

His wife said that she would wake up to the sounds of his prayers, and he wouldn’t tell her whether something was wrong when she asked.

Months before the murders, Charlie suffered a head injury that some family members believe could have altered his mental state.

However, an autopsy and brain analysis at Johns Hopkins Hospital found nothing was wrong.

Neighbors reported hearing explosive fights between Charlie and Fannie, with the arguments getting more intense as Christmas approached.

A couple of months before the murder, Charlie’s brother Marion tried to speak with him on the street, but couldn’t understand what Charlie was saying.

He was speaking erratically and eventually turned away after getting frustrated.

“You don’t think about nothing much like that until the murders happened,” Smith said.

“Marion looked back on it and thought, ‘I should have tried to find out more what was bothering him.'”

SMITH’S LEGACY

The Lawson family murders were a national sensation at the time, landing a front-page spot in The New York Times.

The only survivor, Arthur, gave little to no information to the public and died in a car accident at age 30.

Smith’s books White Christmas, Bloody Christmas and The Meaning of our Tears remain the leading chronicles of the Lawson family murders.

They’re also considered noteworthy sociological studies on the effects of sexual abuse, and were used in a social work program, Smith said.

When asked about Charlie’s actions, Smith said: “He loved them, but he was selfish. I call it a twisted love.

“He loved them, but he wanted to take them with him.

“It’s a real look into human nature.”

Smith’s books can be purchased on her website or on Amazon.