Unheard: True Crime in Their Own Words returns in early August with brand-new episodes and incredible guests.

In the meantime, please make sure you're following the podcast, leave a five-star review if you've enjoyed the show, and share it with someone who loves true crime.

You can also support our mission by signing the petition to help end plea deals for child predators. You can find the petition at Change.org/EndPleaDeals

If you're new here, I highly recommend starting with Episode 1 featuring Elizabeth Smart.

Thank you for being part of this community. See you in August!

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When Jessica Vestal's son Dax started coming home with bruises and injuries, she knew something wasn't right.

The problem was that Dax is nonverbal. He couldn't tell her what was happening.

What Jessica eventually uncovered led to criminal charges, national attention, and difficult questions about how vulnerable children are protected when they can't speak for themselves.

In this episode of Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words, Jessica shares Dax's story, the warning signs she saw, the fight for answers, and what happened after the truth finally came to light.

Follow Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words, for more conversations with the people at the center of the stories making headlines.

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At 17 years old, David Garlock and his brother killed the man they say subjected them to years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.

The crime led to murder convictions and decades-long prison sentences. David ultimately spent more than 13 years behind bars before being released on parole.

Today, he is a criminal justice reform advocate, speaker, and survivor who openly discusses what he calls the "trauma-to-prison pipeline"—the connection between childhood trauma, violence, incarceration, and rehabilitation.

His story has drawn comparisons to the Menendez brothers, raising many of the same questions that continue to divide the public:

Can someone be both a victim and an offender?

How should courts evaluate years of abuse when a victim eventually becomes a perpetrator?

What does accountability look like after taking a life?

And can redemption exist after prison?

In this episode of Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words, David walks through the abuse he says he endured, the events that led to the killing, his years inside prison, and how he rebuilt his life after release.

Whether you see his story as one of justice, tragedy, survival, or all three, it challenges many of the assumptions people hold about crime, punishment, and trauma.

Listen now and decide for yourself.

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On November 6, 2021, 22-year-old Vladek Hasel walked away from a coffee shop near the University of Central Florida and seemingly vanished.

More than four years later, his family is still searching for answers.

In this episode, I sit down with Vladek's sister, Bethany Hasel, to discuss the day her brother disappeared, the investigation that followed, the theories surrounding his case, and why she refuses to give up hope.

This is not just the story of a missing person. It's the story of a family living through every unanswered question imaginable.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Vladek Hasel, please contact law enforcement immediately.

Make sure to follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

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Mark Geragos has spent more than three decades at the center of some of the most high-profile and controversial legal battles in America.

From Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Winona Ryder, and Scott Peterson to Erik and Lyle Menendez, Geragos has represented clients whose names dominated headlines around the world. Most recently, he served as an advisor to Sean "Diddy" Combs' defense team during one of the most closely watched federal trials in recent memory.

In this episode of Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words, Justin sits down with one of America's most recognizable defense attorneys for a candid conversation about the justice system, celebrity defendants, media narratives, public perception, wrongful convictions, the Menendez brothers' fight for freedom, and the challenges of defending clients in the age of social media.

Whether you agree with him or not, Mark Geragos has had a front-row seat to some of the biggest legal stories of our generation.

Topics include:

• Sean "Diddy" Combs
• Erik & Lyle Menendez
• Michael Jackson
• Scott Peterson
• Celebrity trials
• Media influence on juries
• The court of public opinion
• High-profile criminal defense
• America's justice system

🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations with the people closest to the stories that captivated the world.

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On May 25, 2020, the world watched as George Floyd’s final moments sparked one of the largest social justice movements in modern history. Six years later, on the anniversary of his death, Unheard sits down with the man who has spent years carrying both the grief and the responsibility of keeping George’s name alive: his uncle, Selwyn Jones.

In this deeply personal and emotional conversation, Selwyn speaks openly about the pain of losing George, the weight of becoming a public voice for his family, and the reality of fighting for justice in America long after the headlines fade away.

But this episode goes far beyond one case.

Selwyn and Justin Shepherd discuss systemic racism, police brutality, sentencing disparities, and the larger history that connects George Floyd to generations of injustice stretching back through the civil rights era and the murder of Emmett Till. Selwyn reflects on the courage of Mamie Till, the outrage that followed George Floyd’s death, and why accountability still remains elusive for so many families.

The conversation also explores the emotional toll of activism, the failures within the justice system, the importance of speaking out, and why silence only allows injustice to continue. Throughout the episode, Selwyn shares raw personal reflections, difficult truths, and a message centered on courage, awareness, and action.

This is not a political debate.

It is a conversation about humanity, loss, accountability, and what happens when ordinary people decide they can no longer stay quiet.

Follow and subscribe to Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

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This isn't just another Charles Manson episode....

For decades, the name Charles Manson has been synonymous with evil. The media painted him as a master manipulator, a cult leader capable of controlling minds, and the face of one of the most infamous murder cases in American history.

But what if the story the public was told was never the full story?

In this episode of Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words, Justin Shepherd sits down with John Michael Jones — a man who developed a deeply personal relationship with Charles Manson over years of correspondence and conversations — alongside filmmaker Billie Mintz, director of the documentary Making Manson. Together, they explore the man behind the myth through unheard prison recordings, firsthand experiences, and years of research into one of the most controversial criminal cases in American history.

The conversation challenges long-held beliefs surrounding the so-called “Manson Family,” the idea of mind control, and whether Manson became a scapegoat for a chaotic era America was desperate to make sense of. It also examines the role media narratives played in transforming Manson into something larger than life, often overshadowing the deeper complexities of the case itself.

John Michael Jones shares what it was like communicating directly with Manson and witnessing sides of him the public never saw, while Billie Mintz discusses the process of creating Making Manson and the questions that emerged while digging through archival material, recordings, and decades of public mythology.

The episode also dives into prison brutality, manipulation, redemption, societal fear, and the emotional burden carried by those connected to the case. At the center of it all is an important reminder: while history often turns killers into legends, the victims and the lives stolen should never be forgotten.

This is not a glorification of Charles Manson. It is an attempt to understand how one man became a symbol, how narratives are shaped, and what happens when media mythology overtakes reality.

Follow Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube for more long-form conversations with survivors, investigators, journalists, insiders, and voices rarely heard in mainstream coverage.

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This week on Unheard: True Crime In Their Own Words, I sit down with Jesse Weber, attorney, legal analyst, host, and one of the most recognized voices in true crime and courtroom coverage today.

Known for his work with Law&Crime, CourtTV, NewsNation, national television appearances, and extensive coverage of high profile criminal trials, Jesse joins me for an in depth conversation about some of the biggest cases dominating headlines, the evolution of true crime media, courtroom strategy, and what really happens behind the scenes when the cameras are rolling.

From livestreamed trials and internet sleuthing to the ethical line between reporting and entertainment, this is a raw and honest discussion between two people who spend their lives immersed in some of the darkest and most talked about stories in the country.

We also discuss the pressure of live television, the responsibility that comes with covering victims and defendants in real time, and why certain cases explode into national obsessions while others disappear from public attention.

If you follow criminal trials, breaking news, legal analysis, or the modern true crime landscape, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

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There are cases that sit for years, sometimes decades, with no answers. No suspect, no clear direction, and no path forward.

But that’s starting to change.

In this episode, Justin sits down with Dr. Kristen Mittelman, Chief Development Officer at Othram Labs, to break down how advanced DNA technology is being used to solve cases that were once considered unsolvable.

Othram specializes in working with extremely limited or degraded DNA, evidence that, until recently, would have gone nowhere. Their work has helped identify unknown victims, generate new leads in cold cases, and push investigations forward when traditional methods failed.

That includes playing an instrumental role in the process that helped connect DNA evidence to Bryan Kohberger in the Idaho four case, using an incredibly small amount of touch DNA.

In this conversation, Dr. Mittelman explains how this technology works, what people often misunderstand about DNA evidence, and how forensic science is rapidly evolving.

More importantly, this episode looks at what all of this means for the future, where cases that once had no path forward may now have one.

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There’s the version of a case you see… and then there’s what’s actually happening while it’s unfolding.

In this episode, I’m joined by Allison Weiner, an investigative journalist who’s spent years covering high-profile cases in real time, not after the fact, not cleaned up for a documentary, but as they’re happening.

We get into cases like Holly Bobo case and Amy Harwick case, but this isn’t about retelling what happened. It’s about everything that happens around it.

How quickly narratives form.

How pressure, whether it’s media, law enforcement, or public opinion, can shape the direction of a case.

And how hard it is to undo that once it starts.

We also talk about the impact on victims’ families, what people misunderstand about investigative reporting, and where the line is in true crime, and what happens when it gets crossed.

This is one of those conversations that makes you step back and question how these stories are told… and what you think you know.

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