There have been many conversations of late discussing systemic issues in our world. While we've given many examples of current issues within the justice system, it is important to look back at the foundation of such a system to understand why it operates the way it does today. 

For Portland, the corrupt history of the police bureau and local government is a story that isn't special to our city, though it does contain some uniquely Portland elements. 

This is the story of Big Jim Elkins and how pinball machines, teamsters, gangsters, bootleggers, drug dealers, and gambling dens in every corner of the city helped form both its police and local government, one bribe at a time. You'll also learn about Portland's old-timey coven of corruption, The Bourbon and Ham Club.

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

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The Northons Part 2: “The Perfect Story”

In last week’s episode, we explored the background of Christopher and Liysa Northon. If you haven’t listened go check it out because there will be spoilers! On October 9th, 2000, authorities found Chris dead inside his sleeping bag at the campsite he and Liysa had been staying at with their young son Dane. Later that day, Liysa sought out medical help for some minor injuries, telling nurses and police that they were caused due to a fight with her husband, who had been abusing her. She told her story to multiple law enforcement officers, and over time there were parts of her that were different or that people questioned. In this week’s episode, we’ll conclude the case of Liysa Northon and how her story, when compared to evidence, just didn’t add up. We'll also dive into some major bombshells in this case. 

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

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Part 1: “Who’s the Monster?”

Liysa Northon never disputed the fact that she had killed her husband. Truth be told, she informed the police that she may have killed him. But the story that she would go on to tell, would change, like many of the stories told throughout her life. She was adamant she had to kill her husband, if she hadn’t, it would have been her or her son. When Lisya’s case was being prepared for court, it by no means drew notoriety across the country, but in the NW corner and in Hawaii, it became well-known and highly anticipated. People were intrigued and even moved by the fit, pretty, young woman who claimed to desperately fight for her life, and yet, many people stood behind the victim to point the blame at her. Once court was over and the case settled, many were left scratching their heads at the outcome. Soon, one of the most famous true crime writers in the world would discover Liysa’s case and pen her final chapter, and what she had to say showed Liysa in an entirely different light. Over the next two episodes of Murder in the Rain, I’ll share Liysa’s story and dig into why when picked apart, it didn’t quite line up with the evidence. So, was Liysa Northon married to a monster who terrorized her every day, or was she the monster?

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog.

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

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The Portland metro area has always been the ‘quirky girl’ of American cities. We partake in anything usually deemed ‘weird’ or ‘out of the norm’, and we like it that way. However, that weirdness can often be perceived as a gateway to even more strange and, who knows, maybe even dangerous lifestyles. So, when a young mother in Gresham called 911 after being attacked, her life was dissected and detectives thought they may have uncovered the role the evil-doer played in her life. That role was of a pirate. Today, I’ll be telling you the story of Annastasia Hester of Gresham, Oregon, and how her killer was closer than detectives ever imagined. 

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

Episode Host: Alisha Holland

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Part 2: "An Act of Sheer Madness"

Before 1970, anyone over the age of twelve could legally purchase dynamite in Oregon. Beginning in 1963 on the University of Oregon Campus and the surrounding area, many many bombs were detonated. Mostly aimed at military buildings off-campus and ROTC buildings, on campus, the bombings didn't slow until the law changed, and almost no one was ever charged significantly for the crimes. 

In part two of Explosive, we’ll discuss the University of Oregon bombings and Odie's Steakhouse and Bronco Room, in the tiny town of Elgin, Oregon, which exploded in 1986, killing one man and sending another fleeing from justice for over a decade.

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

Episode Host: Josh McCullough

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Part 1: The Maximum Amount Of Damage

In Portland, an extortion letter threatening a bombing was received and in the process of being read when said bomb exploded inside a downtown department store. The search for the culprits stretched on for months before an unrelated case of mail fraud led investigators to a known grifter and his accomplice, whom he employed as 'his eyes', due to the lack of vision of his own. In part one of Explosive, I'll also thrill you with the story of Portland's own Liberty Bell and that time in 1970,  when it exploded. 

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

Episode Host: Josh McCullough

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In the early morning hours of January 22nd, 2007 Karen Bodine’s body was discovered by a passerby at the entrance of a gravel pit in Rochester, Washington. Mere hours before, a police officer spoke to Karen and had the opportunity to make sure she got home safely to her family safely, but they didn’t. What happened to Karen Bodine? In this episode of Murder in the Rain, we sit down with Karlee Bodine to help us tell the story of her mother’s murder. We also get to hear from the new Thurston County Sheriff to learn just how he intends to deal with cases like Karen’s in the future. 

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

Episode Host: Emily Rowney

To keep up with the Bodine family, you can follow the Justice for Karen Bodine Facebook page Justice for Karen Bodine

To support the Bodine family raise funds for a new billboard please consider making a purchase at lashgasms.com Use code Karen20 at checkout to get 20% off your order AND 20% of your purchase will go directly to the Karen Bodine Cold Case Fund.

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For a teen from California, the jarring Alaskan temperatures of late January were unbearable. Luckily, he had three guides there to help him stay warm and to show him the hunting traditions of their ancestors. The day after they began their adventure, the dark figure of the young man was spotted by hunters in a helicopter. Something had happened to his chaperones, and no one, not even the boy knew what had occurred. His story left Alaskan authorities wondering, who killed Oscar Henry, Freddy Jackson, and Clarence Arnold?

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

Episode Host: Alisha Holland

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In Oregon's Umpqua National Forest, three officers responded to a report of an unknown party firing on a trailblazing crew, and when they arrived at the hand-built creekside cabin of the man they believed responsible, their suspect's Winchester rifle rang out and one of the officers was shot in the head and killed instantly. The shooter- a nearly-seventy-year-old-recluse, trapper, and gold prospector- fled the scene and vanished into the wilds, moving around the vast search area like a phantom- invisible to his pursuers and seemingly impossible to capture. This is the story of George Baker Dunkin: The Woodsman.

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

Episode Host: Josh McCullough

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In the early 1980s, several adults came together and formed a “new light” bible study group in Grants Pass, Oregon. This was a group of Seventh-day Adventists who wanted to be more in tune with God. Eventually, the group welcomed sisters Sharon and Deborah Halstead, childhood friends of the leader’s husband who grew up with him in California. What started out as straightforward bible study morphed into what modern-day religious leaders would call Spiritualism or Voice Ministry, something that the church does not support. The group fractured and some members began following a very unlikely prophet, one who led them down a dark path of destruction and murder. 

For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog. 

Episode Host: Emily Rowney

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