Gasper “Geppy” Celauro babysat Kimberly and Kristen MacDonald and played Santa Claus for Kimberly. In this October 20, 1979 interview, he tells Bob Keeler about his closeness to the family and the shock of hearing about the murders. Then he makes a startling argument: even assuming Jeffrey MacDonald was guilty, keeping him in prison would be “a waste of a good life.”
James McGinniss introduces the complete interview and returns afterward, moved by Celauro’s grief and stunned by his conclusion. Reading from Fatal Vision and Jay MacDonald’s later account, James examines the limits of friendship, personal memory and faith in rehabilitation.
Chapters
00:00 James McGinniss: Why this interview shook me
01:36 The complete Celauro interview
04:32 Growing up with the MacDonald family
10:44 Jay, Judy and Jeff
15:47 Jeff’s summer jobs
22:53 Remembering Kimberly and Kristen
28:21 Hearing the news
32:22 Paying respects to Colette and the children
36:24 What he saw of Jeffrey’s temperament
37:30 Why he believed Jeff was innocent
41:10 Even assuming guilt
42:34 Support and fundraising
46:41 The dinner at Maxwell’s Plum
51:08 James’s response: Grief, loyalty and punishment
52:55 The boy on the boat — Fatal Vision
53:45 Jay MacDonald’s account
54:28 What friendship cannot answer
Interview: Bob Keeler with Gasper Celauro, October 20, 1979.
Commentary: James McGinniss, The Fatal Vision Podcast.
Reading: Joe McGinniss, Fatal Vision, Conclusion, Chapter 3.
Jay MacDonald’s account: telephone interview with Marc Smerling, September 20, 2019.
More Bob Keeler interviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGpWbknFRGMNWn7eN-goWugL34RpCSZW-
#FatalVision #BobKeeler #JeffreyMacDonald
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