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A winter crossing turned deadly when Alfred Packer led five men into the San Juans against Chief Ouray’s warning, then returned alone with shifting stories and other men’s gear. We trace the confessions, the trials, and the forensics that still complicate his guilt.

• Packer’s troubled past and failed careers
• The mining party’s formation and dire route choice
• Chief Ouray’s warning and the fatal decision to proceed
• Packer’s lone arrival and suspicious possessions
• First and second confessions with conflicting details
• Discovery of the bodies at Dead Man’s Gulch
• Trials, appeals, and a landmark sentence
• Media advocacy, parole, and late-life image
• Modern forensic findings and the revolver analysis
• Our take on motive, survival, and responsibility

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Special thank you to Lunarfall Audio for producing and doing all the heavy lifting on audio editing since April 13, 2025, the Murder of Christopher Meyer episode https://lunarfallaudio.com/