Going West: True Crime

In August of 1989, a 17-year-old boy went hunting on his family’s property, but never returned. When his dad went out to search for him, he found his son dead in the woods. And although his manner of death was thought to be an accident, a stranger’s suspicious threat to the family convinced them that he had been murdered. This is the story of Norman Ladner.

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Unsolved Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfiT5gHtjT4

2. Norman Senior's Obituary: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13207298/norman-ladner

3. Norman's Obituary: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13207222/norman-charles-ladner

4. Hattiesburg American: https://www.newspapers.com/image/278179601/?terms=norman%20charles%20ladner&match=1

5. Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/driedfruitcrap/613240535354900480/my-towns-biggest-mystery-the-death-of-norman

6. True Crime Diva: https://truecrimediva.com/norman-ladner/

7. Unsolved Mysteries Website: https://unsolved.com/gallery/norman-ladner/#comment-9230

8. Lorance's Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78301326/ulmer-lorance-lumpkin

9. All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/dixie-mafia

10. Picayune, MS Archives:  https://picayune.ms.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Meeting-Minutes/1989.pdf

11. The Clarksdale Press Register: https://www.newspapers.com/image/268363999/?terms=lorance%20lumpkin%20dog%20fight&match=1

12. Unsolved Mysteries (Follow-up episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3eZmJpOd_4

13. Criminal Misconduct: https://criminalmisconduct.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-murders-of-kevin-ives-and-don-henry.html

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In April of 2022, a 38-year-old man died in his apartment due to an apparent medical condition. Without seeing the scene of his death, his parents had him cremated, fully believing the ruling. But later, when his ex-girlfriend entered the apartment to a horrific, bloody mess, his friends and family began to doubt his cause of death. And after seeing damning security footage and audio from his neighbor, they knew: he had been murdered. This is the story of Johnny Cashman.

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Arrin Stoner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv2J7WmpaSA

2. WSET: https://wset.com/news/local/johnny-cashman-death-investigation-police-negligence-steven-church-elizabethton-tennessee-gruesome-scene-family-questioning-lynchburg-police-department-murder-medical-emergency-bloody-crime-scene-surveillance-video-virginia-april-2022

3. WSET: https://wset.com/news/local/police-find-speak-with-witness-in-investigation-of-man-found-dead-in-lynchburg-apartment

4. Web Sleuths: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/va-johnny-cashman-jr-38-death-investigation-lynchburg-apr-2022.636773/

5. Village Soup: https://waldo.villagesoup.com/2014/07/08/july-4-fight-ends-with-stitches-jail-time-for-belfast-man-1208648/

6. Pen Bay Pilot: https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/belfast-police-department-beat-shoplifting-insurance-violations/26011

7. Sara's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-cashman-a9a289b4/

8. Howard Cashman Obituary: https://obituaries.eagletribune.com/obituary/howard-cashman-771016101

9. Spokeo: https://www.spokeo.com/John-Cashman/Maine/Lincolnville/p356432521

10. Medical Examiner's Report: https://www.scribd.com/document/574955166/Johnny-Cashman-Medical-Examiner-s-Report

11. Lynchburg VA Police: https://www.lynchburgvapolice.gov/news-updates/update-2-attempt-to-identify-witness/

12. WSET: https://wset.com/news/local/commonwealths-attorney-announces-no-charges-in-death-of-john-cashman

13. Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/esophageal-varices/symptoms-causes/syc-20351538#:~:text=Esophageal%20varices%20are%20enlarged%20veins,throat%20and%20stomach%20(esophagus).

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In November of 1974, a 23-year-old man ran into a bar on Long Island and exclaimed to the patrons that his mother and father had been murdered, only for them to find that his entire family had been massacred in their picturesque colonial-style house. With motives ranging from a mob hit to demonic possession, this investigation took the small coastal village of Amityville for a terrifying ride. This is the story of the DeFeo Massacre, also known as the Amityville Murders.

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Newsday: https://www.newspapers.com/image/710071492/?terms=ronald%20defeo%20jr&match=1

2. The Journal News: https://www.newspapers.com/image/162751335/?terms=amityville%20murder&match=1

3. Newsday: https://www.newspapers.com/image/162751335/?terms=amityville%20murder&match=1

4. Interview with Ronald DeFeo Jr.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcoyXIxKiz4

5. The Black Grimoire Blog: https://the-black-grimoire-blog.tumblr.com/post/10618544227/the-amityville-murders-amityville-long-island

6. Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/108-Ocean-Ave-Amityville-NY-11701/32596605_zpid/

7. Amityville Murders: https://amityvillemurders.com/the-defeos/the-defoe-family.html

8. The Real Thing by Joe Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkQ8cm26SsQ

9. Seequent: https://www.seequent.com/amityville-weapon-resurfaces/

10. All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/amityville-murders

11. Medium: https://medium.com/crimebeat/the-horror-of-amityville-a05929e962ab

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In November of 2002, a 19-year-old woman went missing after telling her mom she was visiting a friend’s apartment in West Virginia. When her car was found the next morning aflame in a remote area, her family and police feared the worst. This is the story of Samantha Burns.

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207758061/samantha-nicole-burns

2. The Courier-Journal: https://www.newspapers.com/image/180253218/?terms=samantha%20burns&match=1

3. Herald-Dispatch: https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/recent_news/samantha-burns-case-timeline/article_5eeaf368-6418-56f5-82fc-a1d9eeeecad8.html

4. WSAZ: https://www.wsaz.com/2022/05/03/honoring-samantha-burns-legacy-20-years-later/

5. Caselaw: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-4th-circuit/1251118.html

6. NC Missing Persons: https://ncmissingpersons.org/samantha-burns/

7. The South Bend Tribune: https://www.newspapers.com/image/522834234/?terms=samantha%20burns&match=1

8. Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2452726/Chadrick-Fulks-Death-row-inmate-returns-spot-murdered-teenage-girl-help-FBI.html

9. Facebook group for Samantha: https://www.facebook.com/bringsamanthahome/

10. Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2452726/Chadrick-Fulks-Death-row-inmate-returns-spot-murdered-teenage-girl-help-FBI.html

11. Herald-Dispatch: ttps://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/police-investigate-lead-in-burns-case/article_d7ac5c71-3997-5958-a73b-61494591c3cb.html

12. Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/samantha-nicole-burns

13. WMBF: https://www.wmbfnews.com/story/10786725/remains-of-missing-woman-identified/

14. My Crime Library: https://mycrimelibrary.com/brandon-basham-federal-death-row/

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In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a masked man began snatching children from their homes in Melbourne, Australia. With crimes similar to that of a fictional boogeyman, the area was petrified with fear, and to this day, police have never identified him. This is the story of Mr. Cruel.

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Real Crime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArIl4189jDw

2. Unresolved: https://unresolved.me/mr-cruel

3. Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10569225/Masked-child-killer-Mr-Cruel-terrified-city-abducting-young-girls-homes-three-decades-ago-raped-elderly-nun-years-earlier-loose.html

4. The Age: https://www.newspapers.com/image/122998873/?terms=mr%20cruel&match=1

5. Australian Missing Persons Register: http://www.australianmissingpersonsregister.com/Worledge.htm

6. Melbin Marvels: https://melbinmarvels.com/2022/01/20/the-abduction-of-nicola-lynas/

7. Herald Sun: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/victoria-police-set-to-increase-reward-for-child-killer-mr-cruel/news-story/a65fb33fa370d04d740a68b9f6410d2e

8. News.com: https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/crime/forensic-technology-links-mr-cruel-suspect-to-melbourne-electrical-industry/news-story/318bc9381837cde0682077c84be75ca0

9. Melbin Marvels: https://melbinmarvels.com/2021/01/26/mr-cruel-serial-rapist-and-murderer-overview-of-case/

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On Halloween day in 2005, a 25-year-old photographer headed to a Wisconsin Salvage Yard and was never seen again. When her car was found a few days later on the same property, a man was arrested for her murder. But did he do it? With theories of the man being framed and other persons of interests sneaking into the story, many are left wondering if police have the right man behind bars. This is the story of Teresa Halbach. 

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/09/25/an-inmate-allegedly-confessed-making-murderer-killing-that-steven-avery-is-prison/

2. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146279086/teresa-marie-halbach

3. Digital Spy: https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a869232/steven-avery-teresa-halbach-suspects/

4. Green Bay Press Gazette: https://www.newspapers.com/image/192503299/

5. Legacy: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/teresa-halbach-obituary?pid=177175485

6. Innocence Project: https://innocenceproject.org/cases/steven-avery/

7. Post Crescent: https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/steven-avery/2016/02/05/teresa-halbach-remembered-fondly-teachers/79819784/

8. WBAY: https://www.wbay.com/content/news/Woman-who-falsely-accused-Avery-in-rape-case-talks-memory-in-new-doc-511964861.html

9. The Marshall Project: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/01/05/penny-beernsten-the-rape-victim-in-making-a-murderer-speaks-out

10. Nicki Swift: https://www.nickiswift.com/480978/the-truth-about-steven-averys-ex-wife/

11. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MakingaMurderer/comments/44608m/thereas_fathers_death/

12. Richard's obituary: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156826464/richard-urban-halbach

13. Heavy: https://heavy.com/entertainment/2018/10/teresa-halbach-family/

14. Bustle: https://www.bustle.com/articles/157203-this-steven-avery-family-tree-connects-the-many-many-making-a-murderer-figures-infographic

15. Green Bay Press Gazette: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/steven-avery/2016/03/14/rapist-avery-case-suspected-gb-attacks/81452156/

16. University of Michigan Law: https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3003

17. Twitter: https://twitter.com/makingamurderer/status/1056947963925274624?lang=en

18. The Famous People: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/steven-avery-52981.php

19. The Inspiring Dad: https://theinspiringdad.com/who-was-teresa-halbach/

20. Green Bay Press Gazette: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/2016/07/29/steven-avery-rips-his-former-lawyers-via-letter/87647902/

21. Post Crescent: https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/steven-avery/2016/01/07/report-details-halbachs-death/78437306/

22. WISN: https://www.wisn.com/article/i-believe-he-is-100-innocent-brendan-dassey-supporters-work-to-get-convicted-killer-freed/40130583#

23. AETV: https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/steven-avery-now#:~:text=In%20March%202007%2C%20a%20jury,without%20the%20possibility%20of%20parole.

24. Grunge: https://www.grunge.com/484598/where-is-making-a-murderers-brendan-dassey-today/#:~:text=On%20March%202%2C%202006%2C%20Brendan,%2Dyear%2Dold%20Teresa%20Halbach.

25. Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/making-a-murderer-steven-averys-lawyer-claims-teresa-halbach-killed-by-ex-198491/

26. Post Crescent: https://eu.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/steven-avery/2017/06/13/averys-lawyer-ex-boyfriend-killed-halbach/387912001/

27. Fox News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIBAoe8hNPk

28. Gawker: https://www.gawker.com/making-a-murderer-is-good-but-what-is-it-good-for-1749904524

29. Goliath: https://www.goliath.com/tv/6-reasons-why-making-a-murderers-steven-avery-could-actually-be-guilty/

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In October of 1988, an 18-year-old man in Massachusetts dressed as Jason Voorhees and set off to kill a young woman. Obsessed with the horror franchise Friday the 13th, he wanted to impersonate his favorite character and commit a murder. So he did. This is the murder of Sharon Gregory, and the story of the Friday the 13th Copycat Killer.

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Greenfield Recorder: https://www.recorder.com/Milestones-18351972

2. Court TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FqRYpQHxkg

3. All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/murders-inspired-by-horror-movies/3

4. UPI: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/11/01/Fear-stalks-streets-of-Greenfield-on-Halloween/3278594363600/

5. AP: https://apnews.com/article/30277ed058513b9f7550f07ca742f38b

6. The Recorder: https://apnews.com/article/30277ed058513b9f7550f07ca742f38b

7. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187326533/sharon-gregory

8. The Recorder: https://www.newspapers.com/image/841419152/?terms=sharon%20gregory&match=1

9. The Recorder: https://www.newspapers.com/image/841420411/?terms=sharon%20gregory&match=1

10. The Recorder: https://www.newspapers.com/image/841418631/

11. My Life of Crime: https://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2006/07/26/sharon-gregory-murder/

12. Sharon's obituary: https://www.newspapers.com/image/841421982/?article=c0a14ae8-f704-4339-aba4-8b4be4da211a

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In October of 2008, a young woman threw a Halloween party along with the rest of her apartment complex with countless attendees. But three days later, her body was found in her apartment, and the scene was not only gruesome, but incredibly confusing. With multiple partygoers as potential suspects, it was unclear to police from the start who was actually behind this tragedy. This is the story of Arpana Jinaga.

BONUS EPISODES

CASE SOURCES

1. Unresolved: https://unresolved.me/arpana-jinaga

2. India Today: https://www.indiatoday.in/latest-headlines/story/indian-techie-arpana-was-strangulated-autopsy-report-32870-2008-11-05

3. Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/trial-begins-8-years-after-redmond-woman-raped-strangled/

4. Medium: https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/a-review-of-the-2008-murder-mystery-of-indian-immigrant-arpana-jinaga-in-redmond-washington-e858dd1cd24c

5. Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/emanuel-fair-trial-lawsuit-dna-murder-charge-1330251/

6. DNA Idea: https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-arpana-s-body-to-arrive-by-the-weekend-1204033

7. Suspect: https://wondery.com/shows/suspect/

8. New Indian Express: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2008/nov/05/kins-hopes-of-seeing-arpana-dashed-4498.html

9. Student Hardware Competition: https://emc2022.emcss.org/student-emc-hardware-design-competition.html

10. GNU: https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-system-india.en.html#:~:text=The%20school%20system%20in%20India,secondary%20(17%20and%2018).

11. Arpana's apartment complex: https://www.apartments.com/valley-view-apartments-redmond-wa/pjp728s/

12. WA State Court Documents: https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/petitions/96468-8%20Petition%20for%20Review.pdf

13. Seattle Weekly: https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/the-troubling-trial-of-emanuel-fair/

14. Yahoo News: https://www.yahoo.com/video/m-m-not-free-man-150700113.html

15. Crime Story: https://crimestory.com/2020/09/02/interview-emanuel-fair-found-not-guilty-of-murder-after-nine-years-in-jail-with-amanda-knox/

16. CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/marc-oleary-rapist-sexual-assault-golden-coloradonetflix-unbelievable/

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In October of 2019, a 19-year-old college student vanished after stopping at a Chevron gas station late one night in Alabama. Shortly after she was reported missing, her blood-stained, damaged car was located in an apartment parking lot almost an hour away. But thanks to surveillance footage, an eyewitness testimony, and DNA evidence, a suspect was charged. This is the story of Aniah Blanchard.

BONUS EPISODES

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/218020516/aniah-haley-blanchard

2. Tapology: https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/17046-walter-harris#:~:text=Walt%20was%20signed%20by%20the,The%20Ultimate%20Fighter%2018%20Finale

3. Aniah's Heart Foundation: https://www.aniahsheart22.com/

4. 48 Hours: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aniah-blanchard-murder-family-justice-48-hours/

5. Medium: https://jacquewhitekochak.medium.com/a-murder-in-dixie-2b85394acafd

https://www.aniahsheart22.com/about-us/

6. WTVM: https://www.wtvm.com/2022/06/10/aniah-blanchards-family-host-second-self-defense-event-birmingham/

7. Montgomery Advertiser: https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/11/08/aniah-blanchard-update-missing-ibraheem-yazeed-suspect-criminal-history/2528477001/

8. Heavy: https://heavy.com/news/2019/11/ibraheem-yazeed/

9. Heavy: https://heavy.com/news/2019/11/aniah-blanchard/

10. NY Fights: https://nyfights.com/worldwide/aniahs-soul-lives-on-in-aniahs-heart-and-her-moms-resolve/#:~:text=It's%20not%20easy%2C%20it's%20very,best%20life%20that%20we%20could.%E2%80%9D

11. WSFA: https://www.wsfa.com/2019/11/08/affidavit-aniah-blanchards-blood-found-suv-witness-saw-her-abduction/

12. AL.com: https://www.al.com/opinion/2019/11/johnson-aniah-blanchard-may-soon-be-home-protecting-others-like-her-is-all-of-our-business.html

13. AL.com: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/11/aniah-blanchard-kidnapping-suspect-ibraheem-yazeed-captured-by-us-marshals-in-pensacola.html

14. Montgomery Advertiser: https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/11/25/aniah-blanchard-update-david-johnson-jr-charged-hindering-prosecution-alabama/4300567002/

15. WSFA: https://www.wsfa.com/2021/06/23/dist-attorney-involved-aniah-blanchards-murder-case-trial-ethics-violations/

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In October of 2007, a 22-year-old tennis player was supposed to meet up with a friend before heading to a party, but he never showed up. After leaving strange voicemails for his parents and telling his sister that “important” people were after him, he vanished. Even though his car and backpack were soon found, they only brought more questions than answers. This is the story of Charlie Allen Jr.

BONUS EPISODE

patreon.com/goingwestpodcast

CASE SOURCES

1. South Coast Today: https://web.archive.org/web/20210514104435/https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20071027/NEWS/710270331

2. Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064255856677

3. Disappeared: https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/video/disappeared-investigation-discovery-atve-us/game-over

4. Vocal: https://vocal.media/criminal/charles-allen-jr-is-still-missing-what-do-you-think

5. Liz Wakeford's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=May1XOK3bZw

6. South Coast Today: https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/local/2021/01/15/partial-skull-found-dartmouth-beach-confirmed-human/4176285001/

7. Dartmouth Week Today: https://dartmouth.theweektoday.com/article/skull-found-little-beach-%E2%80%98probably%E2%80%99-male/51509

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