Murder Blueprint

Murder Blueprint

By Gary JenkinsTrue Crime
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Murder Blueprint episodes

  • Lindsay Clancy and Diane Downs: A Detective Compares the Cases
    Retired Kansas City detective Gary Jenkins examines the Diane Downs and Lindsay Clancy cases in this episode of Murder Blueprint, exploring how motive, deception, psychiatric evidence, and criminal responsibility shaped two very different prosecutions.  

    In 1983, Diane Downs claimed a stranger shot her three children on an Oregon country road. One child died, and two survived. Investigators challenged her account through physical evidence, witness statements, and the powerful testimony of her surviving daughter, Christie.  

    Forty years later, Lindsay Clancy’s killing of her three children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, raised a different question: whether she was criminally responsible. Gary compares the prosecution’s argument of deliberate planning with the defense’s account of a severe mental health crisis.  

    In this episode:
    • Diane Downs’ account of a “bushy-haired stranger.”
    • The prosecution’s theory involving Robert Knickerbocker. 
    • Christie Downs’ testimony against her mother. - Lindsay Clancy’s psychiatric treatment and insanity defense. 
    • Why organized behavior and planning matter in evaluating criminal responsibility. 
    • The differences between proving who committed a crime and determining legal responsibility. 

    Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. A mistrial is neither a conviction nor an acquittal. apnews.com  

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint for more investigations and case analysis from retired detective Gary Jenkins.  

    Content advisory: Discussion of violence against children and suicide attempts.


    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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    11 min
  • Introducing Murder in the 918: The Wedding Dress Murder
    A wedding dress offered for sale. A young Tulsa woman murdered. More than four decades without answers.  

    In this special promotional preview, retired Kansas City detective Gary Jenkins introduces **Murder in the 918**, a new true-crime podcast from his friend and veteran journalist Melanie Morgan and fellow journalist Sandra Phillips.  

    Their opening episode, “The Wedding Dress Murder,” examines the unsolved killing of a young woman who placed an advertisement to sell her wedding dress. The series explores unsolved murders, overlooked clues, and the stories of families still waiting for justice.  

    Melanie Morgan and her co-host, Sandra Phillips, bring their reporting experience to cases that deserve another look, drawing on investigative journalism, law enforcement perspectives, and forensic evidence.  

    Listen to this sneak peek, then search for **Murder in the 918** on your favorite podcast app. Follow the show and share it with someone who cares about cold cases and the search for answers.



    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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    4 min
  • Hotels, Money, and Exploitation: Inside Sex Trafficking Cases
    How do sex traffickers gain control of their victims—and how do detectives build a case against them?  

    Retired Kansas City police detective Gary Jenkins welcomes former Los Angeles prosecutor Ted Swanson for a special episode appearing on both Gangland Wire and Murder Blueprint. Drawing on his experience leading a human sex trafficking prosecution unit, Ted explains how traffickers use promises of romance, protection, and belonging to draw vulnerable young people into exploitation.   Gary and Ted discuss recruitment through social media, the isolation that keeps victims dependent on their traffickers, and why leaving can be so difficult. They also examine the role of hotels and motels, the demand from buyers, and the shift from arresting exploited people toward pursuing those who control and profit from them.  

    In a disturbing case study, Ted describes an investigation involving a victim whose trafficker used gunfire near her head to trigger seizures. He explains how investigators connected phone records, hotel registrations, online advertisements, text messages, and recorded jail calls to build their case.  

    Topics include: -

    How grooming develops into coercion and control.


    The difference between romantic promises and overt threats.
    How digital evidence helps investigators identify traffickers. - Efforts to hold hotels and motels accountable. 
    Behavioral changes that may warrant a conversation with a child.

    Why patience, practical support, and survivor services matter when someone tries to leave.

    Ted also shares his family’s connection to Friedreich’s ataxia and his hope for continued research.  

    Content note: Discussion of sexual exploitation, child abuse, and violence.  

    Resources - Saving Innocence: Survivor support and information about human trafficking. savinginnocence.org 

     Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance: Information on supporting research. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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    36 min
  • Who Was Ann Rule? Inside the Life of a True Crime Legend
    Who was Ann Rule beyond the pages of her bestselling true crime books? Retired Kansas City police detective Gary Jenkins welcomes investigative journalist and author Cathy Scott to Murder Blueprint to discuss The First Lady of Murder: Ann Rule's Life, Legacy and the Serial Killer She Called a Friend, her biography of the writer behind The Stranger Beside Me and Small Sacrifices.  

    Scott shares how she became friends with Rule and how that friendship led her to examine her life more deeply. From childhood summers at her grandfather’s jail to her relationship with Ted Bundy, the conversation explores the experiences that shaped Rule’s fascination with crime and her ability to get people talking.  

    Gary and Cathy discuss Rule’s reporting on Diane Downs, her growing attention to victims, and the challenges of writing about someone you know personally. Scott also examines disputes with fellow writers and the tension between Rule’s public reputation and her private personality.  

    The conversation closes with Susan Berman, daughter of Las Vegas mob figure David Berman, and her fatal friendship with Robert Durst.  

    In this episode:
    • Ann Rule’s childhood exposure to jail inmates.
    •  Her friendship with Ted Bundy and the reporting behind The Stranger Beside Me. - The Diane Downs case and Small Sacrifices. - How reporters earn trust and uncover personal stories. 
    •  Rule’s generosity, devoted readers, and professional conflicts. - Cathy Scott’s research into Susan Berman’s life and murder. Featured guest: Cathy Scott, author of The First Lady of Murder, The Killing of Tupac Shakur, and Murder of a Mafia Daughter.


    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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    25 min
  • Altemio Sanchez: Inside the Buffalo Bike Path Rapist Case
    What happens when a forensic psychology researcher sits across the table from a serial killer?

    In this episode of Murder Blueprint, retired Kansas City Police Detective Gary Jenkins interviews author and PhD candidate Chelsea Noel about her correspondence and prison visits with Altemio Sanchez, known as Buffalo’s Bike Path Rapist.

    Chelsea explains how her undergraduate honors thesis led to letters, telephone conversations, and three days of face-to-face interviews at Clinton Correctional Facility. She describes building rapport with Sanchez, handling his attempts to steer their conversations, and processing the disturbing accounts he shared.

    Gary and Chelsea explore why Sanchez targeted bike paths, how he studied his surroundings, and what he told her about the long interruption in his attacks. They also discuss the wrongful conviction of Anthony Capozzi, who spent more than two decades in prison for crimes he did not commit.

    Drawing on her research, Chelsea raises questions about additional attacks and how DNA evidence is interpreted. These portions reflect her findings and views as discussed in the interview.

    Topics include: -

    How Chelsea persuaded Sanchez to communicate with her.





    • What three days of prison interviews revealed about his behavior.
    •  How concealment and opportunity figured into his attacks.
    •  The investigative failures surrounding Anthony Capozzi’s wrongful conviction. 
    •  The emotional demands of researching violent offenders.
    • Respecting victims and survivors while examining a perpetrator’s behavior.
    •  Situational awareness and recognizing potential danger.


    Chelsea discusses her book, Beyond the Path, available on Amazon. Find her on Instagram and TikTok under @NoelNovels.

    Follow Murder Blueprint for more conversations about violent crime, investigations, and the people affected.
    Content advisory: Discussion of sexual assault, murder, and violence.

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

    Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer use @ganglandwire
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    To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
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    43 min
  • Precious Doe: How Police Solved Erica Green’s Murder
    Retired Kansas City homicide sergeant David Bernard joins Gary Jenkins to recount one of the most disturbing and demanding investigations of his 21 years in the Homicide Unit—the murder of a young girl initially known only as “Precious Doe.”  

    On April 28, 2001, Kansas City police officers searching a wooded area near 59th Street and Kensington Avenue discovered the nude, decapitated body of a young Black child. With no clothing, identification, or apparent witnesses, investigators faced an extraordinary challenge: determine who she was before they could identify her killer.  

    Bernard describes the massive investigation that followed, including the use of luminol to trace the path taken by the person carrying the body, cadaver dogs, metal detectors, neighborhood canvasses, forensic testing, facial reconstructions, DNA ancestry analysis, and assistance from the FBI. Three days after the body was discovered, Billy Stagall—who said a dream had drawn him to the scene—found the child’s head inside plastic trash bags.  

    The community named the unidentified girl Precious Doe and refused to let her be forgotten. Investigators pursued thousands of tips over four frustrating years, while the Precious Doe Committee kept the case in the public eye.  

    In 2005, a telephone call from Muskogee, Oklahoma, finally revealed the child’s identity. Precious Doe was nearly four-year-old Erica Green. Her mother, Michelle Johnson, and stepfather, Harrell Johnson, had been questioned during the original neighborhood canvass without investigators knowing their connection to the victim.  

    Michelle eventually confessed that Harrell, while under the influence of PCP, kicked Erica and caused the fatal head injury. Rather than seek medical help, the couple allowed her to die. Harrell then removed her head in an attempt to conceal her identity and disposed of her remains in the wooded area.  

    Michelle Johnson received consecutive sentences totaling 25 years without parole. Harrell Johnson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.  

    This episode examines the investigative breakthroughs, missed opportunity, forensic innovations, emotional strain, and persistence behind one of Kansas City’s most unforgettable murder cases. Most importantly, it remembers the little girl behind the name Precious Doe: Erica Green.

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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    1 hr 14 min
  • The Strange Case of Mike Todd’s Stolen Remains
    A rumor about a $100,000 diamond ring led two Chicago thieves to the grave of Hollywood producer Mike Todd, Elizabeth Taylor’s late husband. In 1977, someone dug up Todd’s coffin and removed his remains. The ring was never found. 

    Retired police detective Gary Jenkins tells how the investigation stalled until famous Hollywood private eye Anthony Pelicano took on the case. He located Todd’s remains, and a witness connected to the Chicago Outfit’s Hole in the Wall Gang later helped identify the grave robbers. 

    It’s a strange story about a Hollywood legend, a costly rumor, and thieves willing to dig for a score. If you enjoy Murder Blueprint, follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

    Transcript
    [0:03] Welcome, everyone. Lean in and listen to one of my strange and crazy stories. This one's about the grave robbing Chicago mobsters. This is kind of a short, fun story. I wanted to give you a break from the first four episodes filled with murder, torture, and kidnapping. I promise I'll get back to those subjects soon enough. I promise I'll get back to those subjects soon enough. Oh, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and review my new podcast on the Apple app or on your favorite app. Settle in and hear all about the grave robbing mobsters. I'm going to start talking about a Hollywood movie producer. He was born under the name of Avron Goldboggen, but he became known as Michael Todd. He grew up in the north central part of the United States and moved to Chicago, started out in the construction business, then got into the film industry when he was working on soundproofing stages when the pictures first changed from silent to talking films.   [1:00] During the Depression, he would go bankrupt, but he came back in the construction business, and World War II came along. During World War II, he started getting into the movie business, and right after World War II, probably more like the early 50s, he developed a new big-screen film process in operation called Cinerama. I don't know if you remember Cinerama. I remember probably when I was in late grade school, they came out with these huge big screen productions that were Cinerama,   [1:33] that were mainly westerns and had the big sky country as a background. He broke off from the company that developed Cinerama, which he had been involved with, and developed another widescreen film process that became known as Todd AO. And that was immensely popular. I think his first success with that was a film version of the popular musical Oklahoma. I'll try to sing Oklahoma for you, but it would not sound good. Just remember they spell out O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A, Oklahoma, O-K. That's the extent of my singing, folks. His next big hit was Around the World in 80 Days, and I remember seeing that. I think maybe I was a freshman in high school or something. It was a huge, big production. It had a lot of fun. It was a comedy. And won an Academy Award for the Best Picture in 1957.   [2:23] In the very next year, 1958, Michael Todd was at the very peak of his success. He'd won an Academy Award. He was going all around the country. He was getting all kinds of offers, and he was going from one part of the country to the other. I can't remember exactly where. It was a small private plane, and he was killed in an airplane crash. At this point in time, he was also married to the most popular and what some would say the most beautiful actress in Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor, who was at the peak of her career in the 50s. They lived the Hollywood legend. They threw huge big parties. They lived on a lavish scale. He left a huge big estate after he died in this airplane crash. It was estimated $3 to $5 million. Now, that doesn't seem like so much. Now, in 1957, $3 to $5 million was probably more than $40 to $50 million. Half the estate went to Elizabeth Taylor, and they'd had a daughter together named Elizabeth Francis. I wonder know, whatever happened to Elizabeth Frances Todd, or maybe she used the name of Goldboggen. I don't know. I've never heard of the daughter.   [3:26] The other half of this estate went to his son by a former marriage, Michael Todd Jr. During the years since his death and internment, they had a big funeral in Chicago, and he was buried in Chicago, but people started a rumor that Elizabeth Taylor.   [3:43] As they closed the coffin down on him, put a big 10-carat diamond ring that was valued at $100,000 on her husband's finger. Authorities would later say that anybody who did even a little bit of research and read the newspaper articles about the accent would figure that there probably wasn't enough left of Michael Todd's body to put any kind of a ring on, but maybe, I guess you might assume she just throw it in the casket with him. I don't know. There would be a grand gesture when people had that kind of money, live that lifestyle, you never know what they'll do. After the crash, the reporters had questioned the manager of the Albuquerque, New Mexico funeral home. The crash was down in New Mexico. That guy claimed at the time that his body had been burned 100% and could only be identified by dental charts. They reported they made no attempt to embalm the body. The family had said that to their knowledge, there was no valuables in the grave.   [4:35] He was buried in the Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Forest Park. So this is 1958. Fast forward about 19 years later 1977 June, there's a lady visiting a grave in the.   [4:53] Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park and she notices a recently opened grave of some fresh digging that was not dug in anticipation of putting a casket in it, and it was under the headstone that said Afron Goldboggen, but it also had the name Michael Todd on it. It was Michael Todd's grave. Responding coppers quickly learned that this was the famous movie director, Michael Todd, and third husband of Elizabeth Taylor. They described this grave at the time, for you guys that live in Chicago, if you happen to be in this area or driving by, it was on 100 feet south of Roosevelt Road, just west of Des Plaines Avenue. The cops found that the casket had been opened and the remains of Mr. Todd were missing. They believed that it happened sometime after 5 o'clock on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning when the cemetery reopened. I guess the cemetery, being a Jewish cemetery, was totally closed on Saturday. Interesting little sidelight. They noted the casket was buried about four and a half feet deep.   [5:58] And it was in the Congregation Beth Aaron section of the cemetery. Okay. They took the coffin out and placed it reasonably close to the grave site, but it was hidden by some large branches. They smised open the top. There was a glass case in the top. They smised all that open. Crime scene technicians could not find any fingerprints. They did find some digging tools in the area.   [6:21] Of interest, as you do these investigations, were any other graves disturbed? Was this some kind of anti-Jewish thing or something? But they had no other complaints about disturbed graves in the cemetery.   [6:31] Cops got in touch with Elizabeth Taylor and learned that she had not received any threats or any demands. She didn't have any idea. Now, in an unusual coincidence, she had just visited the grave the Friday before they discovered it had been disturbed. She said that was the first time she'd been there in years. She happened to be coming through Chicago and she had a stopover with some time to kill at O'Hare Airport. At the time, she was married to Navy Secretary of the time, John Warner, who will go on to be the U.S. Senator from Virginia. I think he maybe even eventually was a governor,   [7:05] but she was not the First Lady of Virginia. A couple weeks after this happened, the famous Hollywood private eye, Anthony Pelicano, got involved, and he claimed that he got information from an informant where the body could be found because they weren't finding any remains. He flew to Chicago. He directed the cemetery workers to a plastic body bag with some human remains inside of it, hidden under some other branches and leaves in an out-of-the-way section of this Jewish Waldheim cemetery. When they opened the bag, they couldn't really see any human characteristics to what was inside of there. They did say there was a heavy canvas web belt, like an airplane seatbelt, inside the bag. Authorities took it into a hospital or probably to the morgue and they determined that these remains were Michael Todd's remains.   [7:56] Pelicano told the police that his informant had suggested to him that the thieves had removed the body because they believed that he was buried with this $100,000 10-carat ring. And once again, Ms. Taylor and the rest of the family assured the police that Mr. Todd had not been buried with any jewelry. This is 1977. Three years later, in an unrelated situation, authorities stumble   [8:20] onto a guy who will end up solving this crime. And that's where we get into the hole-in-the-wall gang now. In 1980, after being caught with a load of stolen furs, FBI agents had turned a Chicago outfit thief named Sal Romano, and before they actually surfaced him as a witness, he was involved in the hole-in-the-wall gang, and they put him back into the gang to report on what they were doing, and this was about the time they were getting ready to do the Bertha score. We've talked about this several times before, and if you remember, Frank Culatta was the street boss of this gang. And Tony Spilatro liked Romano and really forced Culatta to take him on according to Culatta. During this time, another Chicago outfit thief named Peter Basile, and I believe that's Basile, B-A-I-S-L-E, Peter vouts for Sal Romano because they had stolen together before. So we're getting closer to the 4th of July weekend, 1981.   [9:15] Sal Romano is going to have to come out of the closet, so to speak. He set up

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

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    14 min
  • Phantom Killer: The Unsolved Texarkana Serial Murders
    In this episode of Murder Blueprint, retired Kansas City Police Detective Gary Jenkins examines one of America's most chilling unsolved serial murder cases—the Texarkana Moonlight Murders of 1946.   Known to history as the work of the mysterious Phantom Killer, these attacks terrorized the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas, and Arkansas during a ten-week reign of fear.

    Young couples parked on lonely lovers' lanes became targets as the masked gunman brutally attacked eight people, killing five while leaving investigators with few answers and no arrest.  

    Gary reconstructs each attack in chronological order, beginning with the savage assault on Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jean Larey before moving through the murders of Richard Griffin, Polly Ann Moore, Betty Jo Booker, Paul Martin, and the deadly home invasion that claimed Virgil Starks' life.   Drawing on original investigative records, Gary explains how local police, Texas Rangers, Arkansas State Police, and the FBI mounted one of the largest manhunts in the region's history.

    The investigation introduced early criminal profiling, roadblocks, undercover decoy operations, forensic ballistics, and thousands of citizen tips—all while an entire community descended into panic.  

    The episode also explores the leading suspect, Yule Swinney, the evidence that pointed toward him, why prosecutors never filed murder charges, and the many false confessions and dead-end leads that have kept this case officially unsolved for nearly eighty years.   Was the Phantom Killer identified but never prosecuted? Or did America's most elusive serial murderer escape justice forever?

    Join Gary Jenkins as he separates documented fact from decades of legend.

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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    1 hr 2 min
  • Philadelphia House of Horrors: Seven Women Missing
    In this breaking-news bonus episode of Murder Blueprint, retired Kansas City detective Gary Jenkins examines a disturbing investigation unfolding at a Philadelphia home connected to several missing women. Police reportedly discovered an enormous collection of graphic photographs and videos involving dozens of women. Some appear unconscious, injured, or possibly deceased. Investigators have identified several missing women among those depicted, including Nicole Fusaro, Maribel Fresses, and Gabrielle Amarando.

    Gary compares the discovery to the Kansas City investigation of serial killer Robert Berdella, whose photographs documented the torture of his victims.

    Authorities are still reviewing the Philadelphia evidence, and many questions remain unanswered. This remains an active investigation. No bodies have been recovered from the property, and Eugene Horsch has not been charged with homicide or with crimes involving the women shown in the recordings. More recent reporting indicates that seven missing women may now be connected to the evidence.

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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    5 min
  • Hunting Lorenzo Gilyard: The Detective Who Caught a Serial Killer with DNA
    In this episode of Murder Blueprint, retired Kansas City Police detective Gary Jenkins sits down with retired KCPD homicide detective Mike Luster to go inside the investigation that finally identified Kansas City serial killer Lorenzo Gilyard.  

    For years, women were found murdered around Kansas City, many of them vulnerable women working the streets. The cases stretched back decades and initially appeared to be separate homicides. Then advances in DNA technology began connecting them.  

    Luster explains how he started digging through old homicide files and discovered striking similarities among the victims. What began with a few DNA-linked murders eventually grew into a much larger investigation. Detectives compiled thousands of names, eliminated suspects one by one, examined jail records and old police reports, and ultimately narrowed the investigation to Lorenzo Gilyard. 

    The breakthrough also came from evidence collected years earlier and preserved long before DNA technology became the investigative tool it is today.   Luster describes the surveillance of Gilyard, his arrest at a North Kansas City restaurant, and the marathon interrogation that followed. He also reveals what Gilyard told detectives, why investigators struggled to get an emotional reaction from him, and what Luster would do differently if he could interrogate Gilyard again today.  

    Gary also shares his own encounter with Gilyard years before anyone knew he would eventually be identified as a serial killer.   It is a firsthand look at cold-case detective work, DNA evidence, interrogation strategy and the painstaking police investigation that connected murders spanning decades.

    Subscribe to Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.

    Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

    Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer use @ganglandwire
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    53 min

About Murder Blueprint

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Murder Blueprint with Gary Jenkins is a true crime podcast hosted by retired Kansas City Police detective Gary Jenkins. Each episode investigates real murder cases, serial killers, cold cases,…

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