October 27, 2007. Grand Forks, North Dakota. 38-year old Joel Lovelien and his fiancée attend a Halloween party at a local bar. When Joel takes a moment to step outside, he is beaten to death in the parking lot. The investigation leads to a suspect named Travis Stay, who was so intoxicated that night that he cannot even remember what happened. Travis goes on trial for Joel’s murder, but his defence team manages to generate reasonable doubt by diverting attention towards a group of costumed suspects from a party bus. Did Travis Stay commit this crime or have others managed to get away with it? We look at both sides of this case in another Halloween-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Special thanks to listener Scott Owings for providing the opening narration for today’s episode.

Additional Reading:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/halloween-murder-mystery-who-killed-man-hockey-costume-f8C11470596

http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/2086041-taxi-driver-tells-jurors-ride-travis-stay

http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/2086010-party-bus-riders-testify-lovelien-murder-trial

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.