The night after brutally stabbing a homeless man in Roanoke, Virginia in 1985, William Shifflett and Robert Albright checked into a nearby emergency shelter called the RAFT. In 2018, a volunteer from the RAFT wrote a letter to the Virginia governor and to one of the original investigators in the Haysom murders stating she believed Jens Soering was wrongfully convicted. She cited incriminating conversations volunteers at the shelter overheard between Shifflett and Albright including reference to a "rich bitch" who'd refused to pay. She has refused all interviews since writing those letters until now. For the first time, that volunteer, Sandra Thornton, talks publicly about the night the two men checked into the RAFT. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit <a href='https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime'>https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a> Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart Hosted and Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime">Support the show</a>

The night after brutally stabbing a homeless man in Roanoke, Virginia in 1985, William Shifflett and Robert Albright checked into a nearby emergency shelter called the RAFT. In 2018, a volunteer from the RAFT wrote a letter to the Virginia governor and to one of the original investigators in the Haysom murders stating she believed Jens Soering was wrongfully convicted. She cited incriminating conversations volunteers at the shelter overheard between Shifflett and Albright including reference to a "rich bitch" who'd refused to pay. She has refused all interviews since writing those letters until now. For the first time, that volunteer, Sandra Thornton, talks publicly about the night the two men checked into the RAFT. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart Hosted and Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas Support the show

The night after brutally stabbing a homeless man in Roanoke, Virginia in 1985, William Shifflett and Robert Albright checked into a nearby emergency shelter called the RAFT. In 2018, a volunteer from the RAFT wrote a letter to the Virginia governor and to one of the original investigators in the Haysom murders stating she believed Jens Soering was wrongfully convicted. She cited incriminating conversations volunteers at the shelter overheard between Shifflett and Albright including reference to a "rich bitch" who'd refused to pay. She has refused all interviews since writing those letters until now. For the first time, that volunteer, Sandra Thornton, talks publicly about the night the two men checked into the RAFT. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a> Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart Hosted and Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas<a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">Support the show</a>

The Witness

It was the bloodiest crime scene investigators in Bedford County had ever seen. Derek and Nancy Haysom were stabbed more than thirty times in their own home. There was plenty of forensic evidence to collect, but detectives had few leads. After months of dead ends in the investigation, the couples' youngest daughter, Elizabeth, aroused suspicions with her strange behavior. When detectives started questioning her and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, the young lovers fled the country.  To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit <a href='https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime'>https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a> Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime">Support the show</a>

It was the bloodiest crime scene investigators in Bedford County had ever seen. Derek and Nancy Haysom were stabbed more than thirty times in their own home. There was plenty of forensic evidence to collect, but detectives had few leads. After months of dead ends in the investigation, the couples' youngest daughter, Elizabeth, aroused suspicions with her strange behavior. When detectives started questioning her and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, the young lovers fled the country. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas Support the show

It was the bloodiest crime scene investigators in Bedford County had ever seen. Derek and Nancy Haysom were stabbed more than thirty times in their own home. There was plenty of forensic evidence to collect, but detectives had few leads. After months of dead ends in the investigation, the couples' youngest daughter, Elizabeth, aroused suspicions with her strange behavior. When detectives started questioning her and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, the young lovers fled the country.&nbsp; To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a> Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas<a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">Support the show</a>

The Crime Scene

After investigating the Haysom murders for three years, the reporters have eliminated three alternate suspects and created a path for DNA testing. Their investigation has come full circle back to Jens and Elizabeth, who now each have a decision to make. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit <a href='https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime'>https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a> Sound production by Taylor Thomas<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime">Support the show</a>

After investigating the Haysom murders for three years, the reporters have eliminated three alternate suspects and created a path for DNA testing. Their investigation has come full circle back to Jens and Elizabeth, who now each have a decision to make. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime Sound production by Taylor Thomas Support the show

After investigating the Haysom murders for three years, the reporters have eliminated three alternate suspects and created a path for DNA testing. Their investigation has come full circle back to Jens and Elizabeth, who now each have a decision to make. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a> Sound production by Taylor Thomas<a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">Support the show</a>

The Decision

As they wait for the Bedford County Circuit Court to respond to their petitions for new DNA testing in the Haysom case, Rachel and Courteney use a new law to gain access to the never-before-seen investigative files. Thousands of pages of notes and other documents reveal how investigators eliminated early suspects and honed in on Jens and Elizabeth. The court responds to the petitions, and the push for DNA testing takes a twist.To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime and to hear a bonus episode and other exclusive content, please visit <a href='https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime'>https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a>Sound production by Taylor Thomas<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime">Support the show</a>

As they wait for the Bedford County Circuit Court to respond to their petitions for new DNA testing in the Haysom case, Rachel and Courteney use a new law to gain access to the never-before-seen investigative files. Thousands of pages of notes and other documents reveal how investigators eliminated early suspects and honed in on Jens and Elizabeth. The court responds to the petitions, and the push for DNA testing takes a twist. To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime and to hear a bonus episode and other exclusive content, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime Sound production by Taylor Thomas Support the show

As they wait for the Bedford County Circuit Court to respond to their petitions for new DNA testing in the Haysom case, Rachel and Courteney use a new law to gain access to the never-before-seen investigative files. Thousands of pages of notes and other documents reveal how investigators eliminated early suspects and honed in on Jens and Elizabeth. The court responds to the petitions, and the push for DNA testing takes a twist.To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime and to hear a bonus episode and other exclusive content, please visit <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime</a>Sound production by Taylor Thomas<a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">Support the show</a>

The Investigation

Jens Soering’s team has been calling for new DNA testing on crime scene evidence for years but claims Bedford County officials are stonewalling. After Rachel and Courteney meet with the man who could reopen the case and order new testing, Bedford’s top prosecutor Wes Nance, he gives them a challenge: find a lab on the cutting edge of DNA science and see if new testing technology can provide answers in the case. A path to DNA testing opens.  A special thanks to Bruce Williamson for his legal assistance. Sound production by Taylor ThomasTo support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime <a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime">Support the show</a>

Jens Soering’s team has been calling for new DNA testing on crime scene evidence for years but claims Bedford County officials are stonewalling. After Rachel and Courteney meet with the man who could reopen the case and order new testing, Bedford’s top prosecutor Wes Nance, he gives them a challenge: find a lab on the cutting edge of DNA science and see if new testing technology can provide answers in the case. A path to DNA testing opens. A special thanks to Bruce Williamson for his legal assistance. Sound production by Taylor Thomas To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime Support the show

Jens Soering’s team has been calling for new DNA testing on crime scene evidence for years but claims Bedford County officials are stonewalling. After Rachel and Courteney meet with the man who could reopen the case and order new testing, Bedford’s top prosecutor Wes Nance, he gives them a challenge: find a lab on the cutting edge of DNA science and see if new testing technology can provide answers in the case. A path to DNA testing opens.&nbsp; A special thanks to Bruce Williamson for his legal assistance. Sound production by Taylor ThomasTo support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">Support the show</a>

The Pursuit

In 1985 Derek and Nancy Haysom were brutally murdered in Bedford County, Virginia. Their daughter Elizabeth, a University of Virginia student, and her then-boyfriend, Jens Soering, the son of a German diplomat who was also attending UVA, were convicted of the crime in 1990 after the pair were apprehended in Europe and Soering confessed. He recanted almost immediately and insists he offered a false confession to protect Elizabeth. More recently tested DNA evidence supports his claim of innocence. It suggests two unidentified males were present at the crime scene.  Despite international pressure, Bedford officials refuse to reopen the case. Now three investigative journalists are sifting through the evidence and tracking down the key players in an effort to find the truth about who really killed Derek and Nancy Haysom.  <a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime">Support the show</a>

In 1985 Derek and Nancy Haysom were brutally murdered in Bedford County, Virginia. Their daughter Elizabeth, a University of Virginia student, and her then-boyfriend, Jens Soering, the son of a German diplomat who was also attending UVA, were convicted of the crime in 1990 after the pair were apprehended in Europe and Soering confessed. He recanted almost immediately and insists he offered a false confession to protect Elizabeth. More recently tested DNA evidence supports his claim of innocence. It suggests two unidentified males were present at the crime scene. Despite international pressure, Bedford officials refuse to reopen the case. Now three investigative journalists are sifting through the evidence and tracking down the key players in an effort to find the truth about who really killed Derek and Nancy Haysom. Support the show

In 1985 Derek and Nancy Haysom were brutally murdered in Bedford County, Virginia. Their daughter Elizabeth, a University of Virginia student, and her then-boyfriend, Jens Soering, the son of a German diplomat who was also attending UVA, were convicted of the crime in 1990 after the pair were apprehended in Europe and Soering confessed. He recanted almost immediately and insists he offered a false confession to protect Elizabeth. More recently tested DNA evidence supports his claim of innocence. It suggests two unidentified males were present at the crime scene.&nbsp; Despite international pressure, Bedford officials refuse to reopen the case. Now three investigative journalists are sifting through the evidence and tracking down the key players in an effort to find the truth about who really killed Derek and Nancy Haysom.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime" rel="noopener noreferrer">Support the show</a>

Introducing Small Town Big Crime

A beloved couple brutally murdered in their home. Their daughter's boyfriend, Jens Soering, confessed to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. But decades later, DNA evidence tells a different story. So who really killed Derek and Nancy Haysom and why?

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