March 11, 1985. Waverly, Georgia. While holding a Bible class at the Rising Daughters Baptist Church, 66-year old deacon Harold Swain is summoned to the vestibule by an unidentified man. Harold is soon shot to death and when his 63-year old wife, Thelma Swain, goes to check on him, she is fatally shot as well. Eighteen years later, a suspect named Dennis Perry is convicted of the murders and receives two life sentences. However, controversy surrounds the conviction, as a lot of crucial evidence went missing, Perry seemed to have a solid alibi, and another suspect allegedly bragged about the murders. Did Dennis Perry actually commit this crime, or has the real killer escaped justice? This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” examines an “Unsolved Mysteries” case which may not be as “solved” as everyone thinks.

Additional Reading:

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Harold_and_Thelma_Swain

https://www.news4jax.com/news/man-found-guilty-of-1985-church-murders

https://www.denverpost.com/2007/07/24/key-evidence-goes-missing-in-georgia-church-murders/

https://www.georgiainnocenceproject.org/active-cases-2/case-page-perry/

https://www.georgiainnocenceproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015-3-19-PERRY-combined.pdf

http://matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/2777/assets/A93D_Motion__exhibits_combined_SMALLER.pdf

http://freedennisperry.blogspot.com/2007/11/

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“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing alongside other true crime podcasts at a “A Canadian Crime Podcast Event” on July 22 at The Hideout in Toronto. For more information on the event and to purchase tickets for only $10, please visit here.

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

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.