True Crime Reporter

By Robert RiggsTrue Crime Government History

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True Crime Reporter episodes

April 25, 2023 The Power of Forensic DNA Bringing Killers and Sexual Predators to Justice
Sitting across the desk from a DNA profiler, she told me that I was leaving a trail of cells in her office that would lead back to me, especially if I committed a crime there.
The rapid advancement of science and technology makes DNA evidence a powerful investigative tool for catching killers and rapists, solving cold cases, identifying missing persons, and clearing the innocent.
I’m investigative reporter Robert Riggs here to take you inside the crime scene tape to look at how DNA plays a central role in the judicial system.
The first use of DNA typing for a criminal investigation occurred in 1986 in England. DNA evidence identified the killer of two 15-year-old girls and cleared an innocent, mentally challenged suspect who had confessed to one of the murders.
Police conducted a DNA dragnet by collecting thousands of samples from men in the village around the crime scenes.
I recommend watching Code of a Killer to learn more. It’s a three-part British police drama television series that tells the true story of the case, and I have placed a link to a story in the Guardian about the case.
DNA analysis has come a long way since then.
To bring us up to date, I asked Dr. Suzanne Bell to take me back to biology and chemistry class to help me understand the advances in science and technology.
Dr. Bell is an Emeritus Professor and Chair of the Department of Forensic and Investigative Sciences at West Virginia University.
She coauthored Understanding Forensic DNA with John M. Butler.
This is the first of a two-part interview series with Dr. Bell.
We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen.
Join our true crime community and follow us here.
The True Crime Reporter® podcast features stories about serial killers, mass murderers, murder mysteries, homicides, cold cases, prisons, violent criminals, serial rapists, child abductors, child molesters, kidnappers, bank robbers, cyber criminals, and assorted violent criminals.
True Crime Reporter® is a @2023 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter®, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
20 min
April 11, 2023 The Enduring Fascination of Bonnie and Clyde: A Love Story Gone Wrong
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were two of the most notorious outlaws in American history, forever linked to the public consciousness.
They were young, daring, and dangerous, and they captured the imagination of a country struggling through the Great Depression. But behind the legend lay the harsh reality of their lives, a story of poverty, violence, and desperation.
They met in Dallas, Texas, and were immediately drawn to each other.
Together, Bonnie and Clyde embarked on a crime spree that would capture the nation's attention and make them both into legends.
They robbed banks, gas stations, and stores across the South and Midwest, always staying one step ahead of the law.
The outlaw lovers became folk heroes to many Americans who were struggling to survive amid the Great Depression, seen as modern-day Robin Hoods who were sticking it to the wealthy and powerful.
Today, Bonnie, pictured in a beret and flapper-style dress with a cigar stuck out the side of her mouth, would be described as a rebellious fashionista. Clyde wore suits and ties with a fedora cocked on his head.
The glamorous image captured in photographs of the outlaw couple taken by members of their gang riveted American newspapers.
But for Bonnie and Clyde, the fame came at a cost. They were constantly on the run, never able to settle down and live a normal life.
They always looked over their shoulders, afraid the law would catch up.
As their crimes became more violent and their notoriety grew, Bonnie and Clyde began attracting the attention of law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Texas Ranger Frank Hamer hunted them for staging a deadly escape from the Eastham Prison Farm.
Their day of reckoning came on May 23, 1934, in Louisiana, where Ranger Hamer lured them into a deadly ambush.
Crowd Gathers Outside McKamy Campbell Funeral Home In Dallas Clamoring To See The Open Casket Holding Bonnie Parker in May 1935
More than fifty thousand people came to see their open caskets at two funeral homes in Dallas.
In death, the legend of their crimes and love affair grew, immortalized in magazines, books, and movies.
Investigative reporter Robert Riggs separates facts from fiction in this episode.
For listeners who want to learn more, he recommends Bonnie and Clyde: The Making Of A Legend by Dallas journalist and author Karen Blumenthal.
Bonnie and Clyde Death Scene (1934)
This footage captures scenes of the aftermath of the shootout with police that killed the infamous outlaw couple, Bonnie and Clyde on May 23, 1934. They were ambushed by a posse of six officers led by legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer.
29 min
April 04, 2023 A Shocking Failure of Justice: A Serial Rapist And Serial Killer Murder Six Teens
Texas Death Row Inmates Called Them The “Macs.”
Kenneth McDuff and Jerry McFadden.
Two violent psychopaths hated and feared by fellow death row inmates.
Two killers with a lust for randomly abducting, raping, and murdering young people.
Suzanne Harrison
Gena Turner
Bryan Boone
Two killers whose victims would still be alive if Texas had kept them behind bars.
In this episode, investigative reporter Robert Riggs takes listeners inside the crime scene tape of one of Texas' most brutal killers.
Jerry "Animal" McFadden
He called himself "The Animal."
21 min
March 28, 2023 Inside the Minds of Death Row Inmates: A Terrifying Journey Into Evil
Jerry "Animal" McFadden
Pastor Wayne Whiteside says, “there are people that seem to be hell-bent on being held bound.”
Whiteside knows of what he preaches after ministering to prison inmates for thirty-nine years.
He spent the last 24 years talking with death row inmates in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.
Whiteside says he has looked evil in the eye and seen nothing but empty souls.
He has come face to face with the worst of the worst of serial killers who inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on their victims.
Whiteside holds an unusual perspective on capital punishment.
He has witnessed 30 executions and was present as a chaplain inside the Texas death chamber for one execution.
Two hours before a lethal injection started flowing, one killer confessed to Whiteside the murder of a young convenience clerk and solved a 17-year-old cold case.
Our episodes often take listeners inside the crime scene tape. This episode is truly a journey into darkness.
At its end, Pastor Whiteside shares advice about how to keep yourself safe from men with a lust for murder.
Note: We have shared photographs of some inmates Whiteside discusses in this episode, including Jerry “The Animal" McFadden.”
L. to R. Pastor Wayne Whiteside & Rolando Ruiz (Executed on March 7, 2017) on Texas Death Row
Texas executed hitman Ronaldo Ruiz late Tuesday night, 25 years after he killed a San Antonio woman for $2,000.
L. to R. Luis Salazar (executed March 11, 2009) & Pastor Wayne Whiteside on Texas Death Row
Victim's Family Says Killer's Execution “Wasn't Difficult”
Jerry "Animal" McFadden
ANIMAL MCFADDEN DNA SOLVES 40-YEAR-OLD MURDER CASE
Notorious serial rapist and murderer of 3 East Texas Teenagers trigger one of Texas' biggest manhunts
Mass Killer Douglas Feldman Interviewed By Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs on Texas Death Row (Executed July 31, 2013)
Death Row Interview With The Mass Killer Known As The "Terminator"
Serial Killer Kenneth Allen McDuff AKA "The Broomstick Killer"
“Freed To Kill” Serial Killer Kenneth Allen McDuff is the Broomstick Killer Episode 2 – Season 1
55 min
March 21, 2023 China Kills Hundreds With Deadly Fentanyl - It Ought To Be A Crime
Mexican cartels aided by China are poisoning the United States with deadly fentanyl overdoses.
The death toll is the equivalent of a jumbo jet load of passengers crashing every day.
What better way to undermine a country without firing a shot?
In this episode, I conduct a wide-ranging discussion about the consequences of the war in Iraq on U.S. security.
This is a timely conversation because March 20th of, 2023, marks the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq.
David Grantham, an intelligence officer for the Tarrant County Sheriff in Fort Worth, Texas, joins me for an interview.
Grantham served as an Air Force intelligence officer in Iraq and is the author of Consequences: An Intelligence Officer’s War.
We discuss the challenges faced by U.S. law enforcement and the communities they are charged with protecting.
And we offer some practical personal safety advice stemming from the investigation and arrest of a suspect in the murder of four Idaho college students.
We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen.
Join our true crime community and follow us here.
The True Crime Reporter® podcast features stories about serial killers, mass murderers, murder mysteries, homicides, cold cases, prisons, violent criminals, serial rapists, child abductors, child molesters, kidnappers, bank robbers, cyber criminals, and assorted violent criminals.
True Crime Reporter® is a @2023 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter®, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
49 min
March 21, 2023 China Kills Hundreds With Deadly Fentanyl – It Ought To Be A Crime
Mexican cartels aided by China are poisoning the United States with deadly fentanyl overdoses.
The death toll is equivalent to a jumbo jet load of passengers crashing daily.
What better way to undermine a country without firing a shot?
In this episode, I conduct a wide-ranging discussion about the Iraq war's consequences on U.S. security.
This is a timely conversation because March 20th of, 2023, marks the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq.
David Grantham, an intelligence officer for the Tarrant County Sheriff in Fort Worth, Texas, joins me for an interview.
Grantham served as an Air Force intelligence officer in Iraq and is the author of Consequences: An Intelligence Officer’s War.
We discuss the challenges faced by U.S. law enforcement and the communities they are charged with protecting.
And we offer some practical personal safety advice stemming from the investigation and arrest of a suspect in the murder of four Idaho college students.
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49 min
February 17, 2023 Women Who Kill: This Bank Robber Viciously Shot Her Victim In The Back
Jerry and Dava Truett lived well beyond their means in the small central Texas town of Kosse. They owned a lake house and a speed boat. They drove a pair of expensive pickup trucks and numerous recreational vehicles.
Townfolk thought they were receiving oil and gas money from their farmland or had an inheritance.
How Did They Live Such An Extravagant Lifestyle On Small-Town Wages?
The small community of 500 people confronted the cold-blooded truth about the couple's lifestyle when 52-year-old Michael Wells was murdered inside the First State Bank of Kosse.
Sue and Michael Wells (Slain President of First State Bank of Kosse
Williams was the bank's president and a beloved community leader.
He arrived early one morning before the bank opened to meet with a customer.
A 68-year-old business owner wanted to find out why thirty thousand dollars was missing from his account.
Before they could meet, Williams was gunned down. The bank's vault was still locked. No money was missing from it.
But in the aftermath of this tragedy, an FBI audit discovered that $700,000 was missing from elderly customers' accounts.
What happened to all of that money?
In this episode of the True Crime Reporter® Podcast investigative reporter Robert Riggs takes you inside the crime scene tape with a case from former federal prosecutor Bill Johnston.
It will leave you wondering if you can trust anyone.
LINK to previous bank robbery episodes mentioned:
This Bank Gets Robbed Everyday With Former FBI Agent Don Bentley
The High School Gang That Graduated To Cold Blooded Murder
95
35 min
January 24, 2023 Women Who Kill: This Bank Robber Viciously Shot Her Victim In The Back
Jerry and Dava Truett lived well beyond their means in the small central Texas town of Kosse. They owned a lake house and a speed boat. They drove a pair of expensive pickup trucks and numerous recreational vehicles.
Townfolk thought they were receiving oil and gas money from their farmland or had an inheritance.
The small community of 500 people confronted the cold-blooded truth about the couple's lifestyle when 52-year-old Michael Wells was murdered inside the First State Bank of Kosse.
Williams was the bank's president and a beloved community leader.
He arrived early one morning before the bank opened to meet with a customer.
A 68-year-old business owner wanted to find out why thirty thousand dollars was missing from his account.
Before they could meet, Williams was gunned down. The bank's vault was still locked. No money was missing from it.
But in the aftermath of this tragedy, an FBI audit discovered that $700,000 was missing from elderly customers' accounts.
What happened to all of that money?
In this episode of the True Crime Reporter® Podcast investigative reporter Robert Riggs takes you inside the crime scene tape with a case from former federal prosecutor Bill Johnston.
It will leave you wondering if you can trust anyone.
We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen.
Join our true crime community and follow us here.
The True Crime Reporter® podcast features stories about serial killers, mass murderers, murder mysteries, homicides, cold cases, prisons, violent criminals, serial rapists, child abductors, child molesters, kidnappers, bank robbers, cyber criminals, and assorted violent criminals.
True Crime Reporter® is a @2023 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter®, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
32 min
January 17, 2023 Idaho Arrest Affidavit Traces Path Of Suspected Killer of 4 Students
Homicide detectives and even killers categorize the slain four University of Idaho students as “shiny” victims.
They were young, innocent, and attractive.
John Moriarty, the former Inspector General of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, says such cases motivate investigators to go the extra mile to solve the crime.
“It’s the ultimate good versus evil,” said Moriarty.
Investigators used sophisticated techniques detailed in an arrest warrant affidavit, including DNA, cell phone data, and ubiquitous video surveillance cameras, to charge 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger with murdering four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home on November 13, 2022.
If Kohberer, a Ph.D. criminology student at the University of Washington, is convicted, it will prove the adage that some criminals return to the scene of the crime.
In this episode of True Crime Reporter®, John Moriarty and investigative reporter Robert Riggs walk listeners through details contained in the arrest warrant.
Moriarty, the former Inspector General of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, used the same means to hunt down fugitives wanted for murder and violent crimes.
He also wrote countless arrest and search warrant affidavits, which Riggs relied on as the factual basis for his crime reporting.
You may recall that Moriarty, the transplanted Irish cop from New York City, is featured in True Crime Reporter®’s series about serial killer Kenneth McDuff and the Telly Award-winning television documentary on Fox Nation streaming titled Freed To Kill.
Kohberger made a brief court appearance on January 5th of 2023, with cuts on his face, raising questions if the suspect’s alleged victims had fought back.
Based on the review of the arrest warrant affidavit by Moriarty and Riggs, you will hear their thoughts about a possible motive for the murders.
Homicide detectives and even killers categorize the slain four University of Idaho students as “shiny” victims.
They were young, innocent, and attractive.
John Moriarty, the former Inspector General of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, says such cases motivate investigators to go the extra mile to solve the crime.
“It’s the ultimate good versus evil,” said Moriarty.
Investigators used sophisticated techniques detailed in an arrest warrant affidavit, including DNA, cell phone data, and ubiquitous video surveillance cameras, to charge 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger with murdering four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home on November 13, 2022.
If Kohberer, a Ph.D. criminology student at the University of Washington, is convicted, it will prove the old adage that some criminals return to the scene of the crime.
In this episode of True Crime Reporter®, John Moriarty and investigative reporter Robert Riggs walk listeners through details contained in the arrest warrant.
Moriarty, the former Inspector General of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, used the same means to hunt down fugitives wanted for murder and violent crimes.
He also wrote countless arrest and search warrant affidavits, which Riggs relied on as the factual basis for his crime reporting.
You may recall that Moriarty, the transplanted Irish cop from New York City, is featured in True Crime Reporter®’s series about serial killer Kenneth McDuff and the Telly Award-winning television documentary on Fox Nation streaming titled Freed To Kill.
Kohberger made a brief court appearance on January 5th of 2023, with cuts on his face raising questions if the suspect’s alleged victim’s had fought back.
Based on the review of the arrest warrant affidavit by Moriarty and Riggs, you will hear their thoughts about a possible motive for the murders.
Link to Arrest Warrant Affidavit
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46 min
January 05, 2023 True Crime Reporter® Answers Questions About Murder Mysteries
This episode marks Part 2 of questions posed to investigative reporter Robert Riggs by true crime fan and Texas A&M architecture major Patricia Rocha.
Hopefully, listeners can take away advice about staying safe in the wake of an arrest of a suspect in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students on November 13, 2022, at their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
Two other roommates upstairs slept through the brutal slayings.
The mysterious murder struck fear in college students across the country.
This continues our new press conference at the True Crime Reporter® podcast.
This episode marks the second part of our press conference in which the fans of the True Crime Reporter® podcast ask investigative reporter Robert Riggs questions.
FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast
SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter
THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps.
TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about
34 min