Two Can Keep A Secret

Allan Pinkerton was a Scottish man who moved to the New World in 1842. Not long after his move, he foiled a counterfeiting ring which served as the catalyst for what would become the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. The PNDA was the first to employ female operatives and former slaves who would serve as Union spies against the Confederate army. Its also responsible for the coined term "private eye" and led to what is the modern day secret service agency.

Ronda:  Allan Pinkerton made waves with the methods he used to solve crimes and recover stolen goods. He was a revolutionary for his time, using spies and unconventional methods to get results. Follow along as I tell you how the Pinkerton National Detective Agency came about and the many firsts that come along with it. You'll also get to freshen up on a little Civil War history as you listen.

Pam: To dive into one of the many times the Pinkerton National Detective Agency hunted down some crooks... I will be telling you about the world's first ever train robbery. The Reno Gang of the 1860's were some of the toughest men of the Midwest and they weren't afraid to rob anyone which led to them making out with hundreds of thousands of dollars, (millions after inflations) before being stopped by the PNDA.

Sources:
Ronda:
Wikipedia - PNDA
                        - Allan Pinkerton
Podcast- Unearthed Ep3
Washington Post - Kate Warne
John Scobell - Turning the racism of the Confederacy against itself

Pam:
Wikipedia - Reno Gang
Heroes, Heroines, and History: Worlds First Train Robbery and the Reno Gang
History - Vigilantes Yank Train Robbers From Jail and Hang Them

Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

It's time for our July Freestyle!! Tell us your what you think we should cover in next months freestyle episode!

Pam:  In 1874 when Charley and Walter Ross were picked up in a horse drawn buggy, they weren't the least bit concerned. But when Walter came out of the store to see the buggy was missing, he thought he was in danger! Little did he know, his little brother was in the process of becoming America's first ever kidnap for ransom. In this old timey story, you'll get to ask yourself what you would've done if placed in this position. Hindsight is everything...

Ronda:   This week, I chose a true crime genre that Pam swore would put her to sleep and you'll be pleased to know that she was very entertained. Thank you very much! 
White collar crimes are more than just intentional accounting "errors". So for my case this week, I chose to beguile you guys with the captivating 10 year journey of one of Great Britain's most prolific con artists who duped the art world out of almost 2 million pounds. John Drewe, along with his co-conspirator, John Myatt, would have gone uncaught for probably another decade had it not been for one man's larg... ego and a scorned woman. 

Sources:

Pam:
Wikipedia - Kidnapping of Charley Ross
USHistory.org - Kidnapping of Charley Ross
Library of Congress - The Kidnapping of Little Charley Ross
Ranker.com - Unbelievable Facts About The First Kidnapping For Ransom In The United States

Ronda:
Conmen Case File
Esquire - Art fakes, fraud and forgery: John Myatt and John Drewe’s con on the art world
The Sunday Morning Herald - Infamous art forger John Myatt reveals his secret: you have to love the artist

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

It's the summertime! And what do people love to do when the weather warms up? Camp, fish, hike, go to the lake... all the things! Well, this week we bring to you a couple of cases where these outdoorsy folks trips didn't go exactly to plan. Remember, keep your eye out, even when you think no one else is around.

Ronda:  When a 20-something couple decides to go camping, they’re met with an unfortunate end. Unfortunately, this 1976 crime took 43 years to solve. It took dedicated detectives and some crafty police work to make it happen along with the helpful work of Parabon.

Pam: The Appalachian Trail is a very high trafficked hiking trail in the Eastern United States and while major crimes are extremely rare... they aren't impossible. This week I tell you about the homicides of  Robert Mountford Jr and Laura Susan and the attempted homicides  of Sean Farmer and Scott Johnston, the only known attempted homicides to happen on the trail. While these two cases happened 27 years apart... the connection between them is undeniable. 

Sources:
Ronda:
Cold Case- The Neighbor Story 
Podcast- The Ties That Find
Oxygen
ABC 10
ABC News

Pam:
Strange Outdoors
MSN
NBC News


Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

For this week’s episode, we decided to share some of the injustices that happen against those who fit into the LGBTQ+ community.

Pam: When Steven Lopez Mercado was brutally murdered in Puerto Rico, the entire nation cried out for his attacker to be charged with a hate crime. It would be the first of it's kind under the new Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. But, no matter the out cry, it wouldn't be enough.

Ronda: My episode this week highlights one of the difficulties a trans woman must face as she traverses the dating world. To find out how Nireah Johnson and Brandie Coleman lost their lives due to fragile masculinity, tune in to my case where I know you’ll be just as outraged as myself and Pam were.

Sources:

Pam:
Wikipedia - Hate Crimes
Justice.gov - 2020 Hate Crime Stats
Shadow Proof
Boston.com
GLAAD.org (1)
CNN
GLAAD.org (2)
Wikipedia - Gay Panic Defense

Ronda:
Commonplacebook.com
Wikipedia
Paul Moore v. State of Indiana
Hate Crime Stats
Podcast - A Hateful Homicide- The Murder of Nireah Johnson: A Chance Encounter 

Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

You know what time it is.... it's time for a FREESTYLE!

Pam:  On the eve of Thanksgiving in 2012 Sage Smith was headed out for a date. When they didn't make it back home, police immediately filed a missing persons report and suspected foul play.  Later, the last person known to have spoken to Sage, and the person who may have the answers, also goes missing... Now, nearly 10 years later, we are not any closer to finding out what happened to Sage as we were the day they went missing.
 
Anyone with information about Dashad "Sage" Smith can contact Detective Ross Cundiff at 434-970-3373 or the anonymous Crime Stopper tip line at 434-977-4000.


Ronda: Poland was riddled with political turmoil in the 1970s and 80s. As a result, one of Poland’s most notorious serial killers went unnoticed for several years. This is the case of Pawel Tuchlin- a hammer wielding, woman stalking, peeping  Tomer rapist. Clearly, he was a very busy man. 

Sources:

Pam:
Investigation Discovery: Disappeared S9 E5 - Born This Way
The Crime Sheet - What Happened to Sage Smith
Charlottesville.gov - CPD Contiunes to Seek leads Regarding Dashad "Sage" Smith Homicide


Ronda:
Podcast: What Makes a Killer: Pawel Tuchlin, The Scorpion
Wikipedia- Pawel Tuchlin
Chicago Tribune- Pole to be Executed


Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

After last weeks heavy episode we decided to take it a little easier on ourselves and we picked a show that we both enjoy and found an episode to cover. See if you can guess the show and we will tell you at the very end...

No cheating!

Ronda: When Opal Williams calls 911 to report that her husband is missing FOUR days after he disappeared and then takes off with another man “to search for him” could this really be the case or is she covering up for something more ominous? Steven Williams was, by all accounts, a great husband and father, but you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

Pam: When a mother thinks someone has wronged her child, she will do whatever it takes to get the justice she thinks is due. Chandaliea Lowder is no different. This week I tell you about a murder and let you decide… was it justified? Or should this have been handled in a different way?

Sources:
Ronda:
Snapped S25E5: Opal Williams 

Pam:
Snapped - S18E13: Chandaliea Lowder
Salisbury Post - Man Shot in 2005 Dies; Three Charged With Murder


Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

*Trigger Warning - School Shooting/ Gun Violence*

School shootings in America are not a new thing. They are even recorded as far back as the 1700’s... as long as there have been guns to take to schools, it has happened. This week, we wanted to talk a little about why this happens, and what the aftermath of a school shooting can be.

We are going to tell you about the March 24, 1998 shooting at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, AR. This is a case that we have personally watch shape a town and we hope to bring to light some of the aftermath and second hand victims that these tragedies can bring. And while we considered postponing this episode, we decided that NOT talking about these events is a part of the problem.

We would also like to take a moment to use this platform to show our support of the 19 students and 2 teachers who were recently victims of a horrible shooting similar to this in Uvalde, Texas. We stand with your community during this awful aftermath, and we grieve with you.


Sources:
Everytown - Mass Shooting in America
BBC - America's Gun Culture in Seven Charts
Sandy Hook Promise - 16 Facts About Gun Violence and School Shootings
Wikipedia - List of School Shootings in the United States
NPR - School Shooters: Understanding Their Path To Violence Is Key To Prevention
K12 Academics - History of School Shootings in the United States
Encyclopedia of Arkansas - Westside School Shooting
NBC News - Arkansas School Shooter Who Killed Five In 1998 Dies in Head-on Car Crash
Wikipedia - Westside School Shooting
Buzzfeed - The Ghost Of Jonesboro: Fifteen Years After A School Shooting, A Small Town Is Still Recovering


Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Hitchhiking has steadily declined over the last few decades with law enforcement very much discouraging it and some states have even banned hitchhiking altogether. This week, we tell you two horror stories that will make you think twice before picking up a hitchhiker or even hitchhiking yourself.

Pam:  After trying to turn himself in for some crimes only for the ball to be dropped by the FBI, Gary Sampson decided to hitchhike his way across multiple states. However, what he really wanted was a car and a place to stay... and if that meant taking a few lives, that's what he was going to do.

Ronda:  In 1978, 15 year old Mary Vincent would prove herself a badass boss babe!!! What started as an attempt to hitchhike across state to her grandfather’s turned into a fight for survival and an inspiring display of strength and determination  

Sources:
Pam:
Investigation Discovery: Signs Of A Psychopath S3E6 - I’m Just A Sick Murderer
The Patriot Ledger - Timeline: Gary Sampson's life of crime and punishment
NECN - "Agitated and Anxious": Bank Tellers Describe Chaos During Robbery in Gary Lee Sampson Sentencing Retrial
Taunton Daily Gazette - Reliving the murder of Taunton man Philip McCloskey
Washington Post - Killer of 3 in bloody rampage faces second death penalty trial 13 years later
Jonathan Rizzo Foundation
Find a Grave - Robert Whitney


Ronda:
S1:E3 I Survived…
Ranker
The incredible and disturbing case of Mary Vincent
Mary Vincent
Morbidology
Episode 27 Morbid Podcast 

Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)

Overkill - a term that was originally used to describe nuclear weaponry is now used when there is a killing in excess of what is intended or required.  In this week's episode we will tell you two cases where the "overkill" is what makes or breaks the case.

Ronda: Daniel Laplante never stood a chance, but instead of turning his life around, he became a creep. He enjoyed breaking into homes and playing mind games with his victims. This is what he did with the Andrews family until he decided to escalate his behavior. This one is a wild ride, so buckle in! 
 
Pam: When Haile Kifer and Nick Brady broke into Byron Smith's home, they were not expecting to be met with an ambush. This double murder called into question some of Minnesota's laws regarding the right to protect your own home. At what point does self defense turn into premeditation? Listen and let us know your thoughts! 

Sources:

Ronda:
Case: 

• The Bizarre Story of Daniel LaPlante 
• LaPlante’s Childhood 
• Manhunt for 17yo Murderer

Pam:
Case: 

• Wikipedia - Murders of Haile Kifer and Nicholas Brady
• Murderpedia - Byron David Smith
• Surveillance Video 
• Audio Recording
• Haile Kifer Obituary
• Nicholas Brady Obituary

Music: Big Foot by Gvidon on Pixabay (Go check it out!)