Murder 101 - The Final Exam

Episode Date: March 13, 2024

Alex, Reiley, and Marlee meet with members of the press, law enforcement, and locals at the Elizabethton County Chamber of Commerce to present their latest findings. A moment they had been working towards for months.  Follow us on Instagram @kt_studiosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bring a little optimism into your life with The Bright Side, a new kind of daily podcast from Hello Sunshine, hosted by me, Danielle Robay, and me, Simone Boyce. Every weekday, we're bringing you conversations about culture, the latest trends, inspiration, and so much more. I am so excited about this podcast, The Bright Side. You guys are giving people a chance to shine a light on their lives, shine a light on a little advice that they want to share. Listen to The Bright Side on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search The Bright Side.

I'm Johnny B. Goode, the host of the podcast, Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin. This podcast dives deep into the story of Ray Trapani and his company, Centratech. I'll explore how 320-somethings

built a company out of lies, deceit, and greed. I've been saying since a very young age that I. Listen to Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or whereverers in Hollywood are as old as the Hollywood sign itself. And while fame is the ultimate prize in Tinseltown, underneath it lies a shroud of mystery. Binge this season of Variety Confidential from Variety, Hollywood's number one entertainment news source and iHeart podcasts. Six episodes are waiting for you right now to dive into the secret history of the casting couch to explore the scandalous history of Hollywood's casting process. Listen to Variety Confidential on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A group of high school students, high school students, high school students started a project to research a string of unsolved murders. Their research led to the identification of the killer. Investigators now have an answer to a 34 year old question.

Once you start getting a few tips or a few leads or a few identifications, then the cold case isn't so cold in the North. There's a pretty good chance he's still alive. Everything that the students predicted through their profile turned out to be accurate. Redhead killer profile male Caucasian 5'9 to 6'2 180 to 270 pounds unstable home absent father and a domineering mother right-handed IQ above 100 most likely heterosexual. There is no profile of this killer except for the ones the students created. Just because some of these women no longer have people to speak for them does not mean that they deserve to not be spoken for.

What if this guy's still alive? Like, what if he comes after us? I said, are you going to kill me? And he said, yes. This is Murder 101, Season 1, Episode 10, The Final Exam. I'm Jeff Shane, a television and podcast producer at KT Studios with Stephanie Lidecker, Courtney Armstrong, and Andrew Arnault. In 2020, I came across a story about a group of high school students who set out to investigate a series of unsolved murders in their community. It was an incredible story that here at KT Studios we felt needed to be explored further. I'd like to thank everybody for coming down. Thank you for being patient with us. My name is Alex Campbell and I'm a teacher at Lisbetan High School. The reason we've called

you all here today is to provide some updates on the Bible Belt Strangler case. On February 6, 2023, Mr. Campbell, Riley, and Marley met more than 30 members of the press, law enforcement, and locals at Elizabethton County Chamber of Commerce to present the latest findings. It was a moment the club had been working toward for months. First, Mr. Campbell summarized the work they had done thus far. I was a teacher in 2018 when my sociology class wanted to do as a project to see if there was any relationship between any of these murders that happened. So in May of 2018, that class called a press conference to announce about the work they had been doing. And they believed that they had some information that did show that maybe six of these murders could be related back to one person. Because for 30 years, nothing really happened with most of those cases. It was just

completely cold from about 1985 till 2018. So there has been a lot of developments in the last few years, and there's a lot of things to catch you up on, and the students think they've found some more evidence they're going to share with you today so I'm going to turn it over to them so girls tell you next Riley and Marley spoke on September 6 2018 the TVI release of the Campbell County Jane Doe had been identified as Tina Marie McKinney farmer of Indianapolis and after speaking with family new information reveals that she is at the epicenter of the Bible Belt Strangler case. Not long after that, on October 1st, 2018, KSP announced the Knox County Jane Doe as Epsi Regina Black Pilgrim of North Carolina.

But after further research, we determined that she is not a potential victim of the Bible Belt Strangler case. And then lastly, on November 25th, 2018, the TBI and New Hampshire authorities announced that the Greene County Jane Doe is Elizabeth Lamont of New Hampshire, and she is involved in the valuable strangler case. On December 20th of 2019, the TBI announced that Tina Farmer's killer was identified as Jerry Johns

because his DNA was matched with DNA that was left at the crime scene. So Johns had been in prison since 1985 for charges relating to trying to kill a Tennessee redheaded woman, but he died in custody in 2015, so he did not live to see the conviction of this murder. Also, baby girl Jane Doe was identified as Tracy Sue Walker of Indiana. She was 15 years old at the time of her death, so we think that she could be included in the Bible Belt strangling victims because of

different evidence in the crime scene and the M.O. and signature. They pointed to the extensive updates since the original assignment. This was our original list developed by the class in 2018 of potential victims of the Bible Belt strangling. You see there are a lot of Jane Does, a lot of unidentified victims. And then next, this is our current list that we think could be tied back to the Bible Belt Strangler. You can see there are a lot more identifications, a lot less Jane Does, which is something very encouraging for us that law enforcement is continuing to identify these victims. And I think that's in part to some of the research and the press conference that was held in 2018. They also spoke about the work they've done since then. We were able to work with an FBI behavior

analyst and that was really cool getting to work with a professional and someone that had done this for years and then kind of giving us the green light and telling us that our work was pretty substantial. So, he also said he was 100% convinced that the person who killed Tina Farmer is guilty of others based on his admission to being at the secondary crime scenes. The suspect would also fit the profile by exhibiting these classical serial killer behaviors, such as knowing a lot about serial killers, even mentioning them by name. He studied criminal justice and serial killers in three different colleges. He felt he was smarter than the police. And then might say an incriminating statement like he didn't do it,

but would offer how he would have done it, et cetera. And then our FBI behavior analyst said he would be my number one suspect, and a jury would convict him every single time. As well, we presented to a retired detective who had decades of experience and had also worked on many homicides. And then after seeing the evidence, he was asked if he would give this to a district attorney to take to a grand jury. And his answer was, oh yes, I would work with it.

And then lastly, we presented to a district attorney who had decades of experience as well in legal practices and is a former assistant district attorney. And then when he was shown the evidence, he was asked if he had ever taken a case to a grand jury with less evidence than what we had and he said oh yeah when asked if he would take the case to a grand jury he answered this is solid there is no question yes definitely David Davenport a retired TUL special agent and member of the redhead murderers task force said because of the similarities in all of the cases and how they were dumped along the side of the interstate, it was probably

done by the same truck driver. The former assistant district attorney that we've presented to believes that there's enough evidence that it is the same M.O.N. signature of the Tina Farmer killer, and a retired homicide detective believes there is enough information that it, once again, is the same M.O. and signature of the Tina Farmer killer. To the students, all signs pointed to Johns being the killer. So, all the other victims were found along travel routes just like Tina Farmer. They all had the same characteristics, such as being white, petite, and transient. All were killed when the person who killed Tina Farmer was not incarcerated, so while he was in prison, all the murders stopped.

The same ligature was used on a surviving victim, the Cheatham County Jane Doe, and Tracy Sue Walker. And a ligature used on DeSoto County Jane Doe was just minutes away from Tina Farmer's killer's family member's house, which she visited several times per year that was in Houston. So here's just another look at McKinney Farmer's killer's M.O. and signature. So an extensive criminal record that dated back to the age of 16. He spent the better half of his younger life between 1967 and 1976 incarcerated, with no murders matching the M.O. happening while he was incarcerated. And then in 1976, he became a trucker. And then when the murders matching his M.O. and signature occurred, he would be out of jail until his arrest in 1985. So whenever he was in jail, no murders. Whenever he was out of jail, he started appearing. While he was out of jail, six murders and an attempted murder would take place with the same M.O. and the same signature. The first murder matching this M.O MO would take place in 1978, the year he begins as a long haul trucker.

In 1980, he would start his own trucking company under the Motor Carrier Vehicle Act, which lifted a lot of regulations on trucking. So truckers were able to be their own bosses pretty much. So there was not a lot of supervision. They were able to kind their own bosses pretty much. So there was not a lot of supervision. They were able to kind of do their own thing. And then he would have to admit to law enforcement that he had been everywhere a victim was found because of his job as a trucker. And then the murders that fit the same M.O. and signature would stop after he was arrested in March of 1985. Next is a match book, which was found near Elizabeth Lamont's body.

And it was just a book of matches from the Skinny Rooster, which was an exotic dancing club in Houston, Texas. And I don't know if you know much about Houston, but it's pretty big, like 10,000 square miles big. However, the Skinny Rooster was located in an out-of-the-way location in a small industrial part of the city, which was less than a two-minute drive from where the suspect was staying. which was less than a two-minute drive from where the suspect was staying. And the matchbook, mysteriously, was found a 16-hour drive and over 1,000 miles away beside a dead body that matched the M.O. and signature of Tina Farmer's killer exactly. And what we hope this information will lead to and what we can get from this is for tips that can help identify further victims.

The press was able to ask the girls questions. Y'all didn't even do this for a grade? No, this is just for fun. We come in early, usually once a week in the mornings before school, and talk about murder. What made you, I mean, why? Why did you all bring this route back up after five years? Like she said, we are very close in age with many of these victims, it just kind of resonates right back home for us because it could be us or

it could be like she's a sister, it could be her sister or our moms back in the day. And so it's just really hard to think that some of these people had to live with not knowing that and some of them had children and they could have just let their moms left them rather than been murdered. So we just want to bring closure to all the people affected by all these murders. When you look at the evidence and you look at the way these women lived, many of them were transient runaways, different things like that, but that didn't make them any less human, and that didn't make them any less of people.

And the fact that someone tried to take advantage of that and didn't take advantage of that and thought that these people would not be missed, no one was going to come look for them, I think that's very selfish. That's a very evil person. And I think that that person needs to, obviously, the suspect is gone, passed away, so he can't pay for what he did. But these parents and these families and daughters, sisters, children, they all deserve justice and they all deserve to know that, you know, my mom didn't run away when i was little because she didn't want me she was taken from me and i think that that's something very important and that there are still families and it's still

affecting people and also this can bring attention to future instances you know don't get in the car with a man you don't know and then different things like that just help make people more aware that you know there are people out there who are, and that's very important to be aware and to know that it's real. A local police officer commented on their work. So I would say I don't have any questions, but I'm very appreciative. You guys are very professional. I know you're still in high school, but I was very blown away. I did.

I did. You all are very well put together. You know you're not. You have your knowledge. You can answer questions off the top of your head. You look very professional. And if you're ready to give your PowerPoint presentation, if you all want to be in law enforcement,

we'll be happy to help you. But I will say, as a law enforcement officer, if you all came to me and said, hey, we have this new information, I would be ecstatic. I would be very happy that you all put to me and said hey we have this new information i would be excited i would be very happy that you all put that work in to say hey this is what i have can you take the time to go look so i definitely would be very appreciative of the extra help and the extra knowledge and for you all to do what you all do as well to work together i think the most important thing right now is getting all the people involved on

the same page because like Mr. Campbell said we've been in contacts with some different agencies and stuff out of state who have no clue that this happened and there's been new management new people take over so that don't even know about these cases don't know what the files are didn't even know there was a file you know and I think that it's very important that we get everybody on the same page and kind of present this information to everybody and just make sure that what's known is known. Let's stop here for a break. We'll be back in a moment. Bring a little optimism into your life with The Bright Side, a new kind of daily podcast up here for a break. We'll be back in a moment. I find it all over the world and it makes me really happy. I never imagined that I would get the chance to carry this honor and help be a part of this legacy. Listen to The Bright Side on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search The Bright Side.

My name is Johnny B. Good and I'm the host of the new podcast, Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin. Over this nine-part series, I'll explore the life and crimes of my best friend, Ray Trapani. I always wanted to be a criminal. If someone's like, oh, what's your best way of making money? I'm like, oh, we should start some sort of scheme. You see, Ray has this unique ability to find loopholes and exploit them. They collected $30 million. There were headlines about it.

His company, Centratech, was one of the hottest crypto startups in 2017. It was going to change the world. Until it didn't. I came into my office, opened my email, and the subject heading was FBI request. It was only a matter of time before the truth came out. You can only fake it till you make it for so long before they find out that your Harvard degree is not so crimson. How could you sit there and do something that you know will objectively cause more harm in the world? Listen to Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Abusers in Hollywood are as old as the Hollywood sign itself. And while fame is the ultimate prize in Tinseltown, underneath it lies a shroud of mystery. Binge this season of Variety Confidential from Variety, Hollywood's number one entertainment news source, and iHeart Podcasts. Six episodes are waiting for you right now to dive into what lies beneath the glitzy image

of Hollywood's golden age and all the sex, money, and murder that's been swept under the rug for decades. Using the Variety archives, each episode offers a rare glimpse into little-known casting couch stories that have long lived in the shadows. So join us as we navigate the tangled web

of Hollywood's secret history with host Tracy Patton, along with expert Variety reporters and correspondents as they discuss the secret history of the casting couch to explore the scandalous history of Hollywood's casting process. Listen to Variety Confidential on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Murder 101. After the press conference, Mr. Campbell sat down with Riley and Marley to reflect on their work. Had a couple days to reflect, and I guess the first question might be, how do you think you did? Like, during the actual press conference, I did not feel super confident in myself. I was nervous about how I, like, sounded,

the kind of verbiage I was using. But then afterward, hearing, like, the response and how they thought we sounded very professional, I felt a lot more confident in we sounded very professional I felt a lot more confident myself and then felt pretty I feel pretty good about it. I agree with Riley while doing it I was a little bit nervous and didn't feel too good about it but after hearing like the praise from everybody else I felt a lot better about everything. The girls discussed their motivations. Because I think it's important to identify these killers

and find justice for these women, regardless if we're necessarily right or not. Yeah, it's not just about, like, convicting Jerry Leon Johns of all of them. It's just finding justice for the girls. Mr. Campbell shared some frustrating news. I don't know if you saw it or not, but there was an article in one of the local newspapers,

and they followed up with a representative from the tbi and the quote was that there's no evidence connecting these crimes how do they know though because they haven't it's not like they went out of their way to see if there's any dna evidence anything like that like i don't understand i can sit there and say there's no evidence when they haven't even give it really attention. They're so similar that it's insane. I don't see how there couldn't at least be something. There has to be some evidence. Because any time we've tried to talk to them or make contact with them to see if we could help in any way

or give them information, if there's any new information, they've kind of shot us down. It wasn't long before the press picked up the story. New research from Tennessee high school students shows a single person could be responsible for a string of killings. New research from a pair of Elizabethan high school students suggests a single person was responsible. The students now believe is actually responsible for six murders and one attempted murder. In September, two students started looking into the case again, and those students presented their findings to the public today. Two Elizabethan high school students are now sharing the results of their research into a string of cold case murders.

Two Elizabethan high school students believe a serial killer was on the loose in the South in the mid-80s. This week, two students, Marlee Mathena and Riley Whitson, joined with Campbell to present the culmination of five years of investigation into the Redhead murders. Marlee Mathena and Riley Whitson explained to reporters and investigators what they found. The women were strangled with a pattern of veins. They also identified more likely victims and ruled out others. They also identified more likely victims and ruled out others. Elizabethton High School students Riley Whitson, Marlee Mathena, and teacher Alex Campbell say their research centers around the murder of Tina McKinney Farmer.

They were able to find similarities in her killing with others around the same time period. They hope to bring some closure to families. Back in 2018, the first group of Elizabethton High School students, under the guidance of their teacher, developed a profile of a serial killer who could be responsible. In September, more students joined in. The students presented their findings to FBI behavioral analysis and other criminal justice experts, who all agreed the suspect fit the profile of the other killings. Whitson and Mathena are both juniors at Elizabethton High School. They hope to continue working on this investigation in their senior year. It wasn't just the press that felt moved by their work. Man, I was truly blown away. I mean, I knew, you know, we would talk about it a little bit, but not in depth, all the stuff they presented.

Riley's dad, Mr. Whitson, who was sitting in the press conference, shared his thoughts on the assignment with Mr. Campbell. I was so proud of him. I think digging through information, getting on the Internet, digging through stuff, digging through 40-year-old documents, finding details, finding information, I think that's a skill that will help her and Marley in life going forward in college, especially to pour over, have tons of information and what's important in this information. I think that's a, that's something really big that'll help them going forward. Mr. Whitson had a good question for Mr. Campbell. You're not getting paid extra,

you know, stopping to do this, correct? That's correct, yeah. And I was telling the guy that, he's like, are you kidding me? I was like, yeah. I said I said the girls go early before school. I said, Mr. Campbell comes early. They're not they're not doing this for a letter grade or a number or a dollar amount. They're just doing it because they want to do it. They're passionate about it. Most people are blown away by that because most teenagers and let's be honest, most people that work don't do stuff unless they get compensated. That's just life. You know, people don't do that in the time you all have poured into this. And you especially, you know, you have life, you have a wife, you've got kids, you've got a family, you've got like myself. I don't know if I could find the time that you've put into this extra with as much as we have going on. And then

on top of that, to not get compensated, that's that's a I'm going to pat you on the back really, really largely for that. Well, I appreciate that. Carrie Schneider from the XQ Institute, the company that originally helped back the project in 2018, discussed the everlasting mark a project like this leaves. I think one of the most fascinating and compelling pieces of this entire project is that it just kept going. We're years now into this. The original kids that were a part of this project are long gone. They're adults. It's not just a project, right? It's when you really actually have interest and curiosity in something, you're going to do it once the bell rings. You're going to do it once the school day ends because you're going to do it once the bell rings you're going to do it once the school day ends because you're really invested in it so I think that's just a big a big part of what what learning can be it can actually be something that exists outside the confines of time or classrooms or

bell schedule or any of that and I think this is just one example of that being true this class taught me more than general education. It was about family togetherness and most importantly understanding the world. Students who are now adults reflect on the original project and the impact it has had on their lives. I learned the importance of advocating for those without a voice. I often find myself thinking about the woman behind the graves. They were somebody's lover, friend, or mother. That's the part that really hurts me the most. Missing for years without a trace, and no one is even looking.

What does that say about humanity? The best time to make a difference is the present. Hello? Hey, Linda, this is Alex. How are you? Hello. Oh, just wonderful. Let's stop here for another quick break. Bring a little optimism into your life with The Bright Side, a new kind of daily podcast from Hello Sunshine.

Hosted by me, Danielle Robay. And me, Simone Boyce. Every weekday, we're bringing you conversations about culture, the latest trends, inspiration, and so much more. Thank you for taking the light, and you're going to shine it all over the world, and it makes me really happy. I never imagined that I would get the chance to carry this honor and help be a part of this legacy.

Listen to The Bright Side on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search The Bright Side. My name is Johnny B. Good, and I'm the host of the new podcast, Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin. Over this nine-part series, I'll explore the life and crimes of my best friend, Ray Trapani.

I always wanted to be a criminal. If someone's like, oh, what's your best way of making money? I'm like, oh, we should start some sort of scheme. You see, Ray has this unique ability to find loopholes and exploit them. They collected $30 million. There were headlines about it. His company, Centratech, was one of the hottest crypto startups in 2017. It was going to change the world.

Until it didn't. I came into my office, opened my email, and the subject heading was FBI request. It was only a matter of time before the truth came out. You can only fake it till you make it for so long before they find out that your Harvard degree is not so crimson. How could you sit there and do something that you know will objectively cause more harm in the world? Listen to Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Abusers in Hollywood are as old as the Hollywood sign itself.

And while fame is the ultimate prize in Tinseltown, underneath it lies a shroud of mystery. Binge this season of Variety Confidential from Variety, Hollywood's number one entertainment news source, and iHeart Podcasts. Six episodes are waiting for you right now to dive into what lies beneath the glitzy image of Hollywood's golden age and all the sex, money, and murder that's been swept under the rug for decades. Using the Variety archives, each episode offers a rare glimpse into little-known casting couch stories that have long lived in the shadows. So join us as we navigate the tangled web of Hollywood's secret history with host Tracy Patton, along with expert Variety reporters and correspondents, as they discuss the secret history of the casting couch to explore the scandalous history of Hollywood's casting process. Listen to Variety Confidential on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Murder 101. While Mr. Campbell received lots of positive feedback from the press conference, there was one person whose opinion mattered more than anyone's. Jerry John's surviving victim, Linda. I guess you saw some of the news stories and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I was impressed. Very impressed.

I couldn't believe that they were so mature and they talked so well. And I couldn't even talk on the phone. If somebody put me on TV, there's no way I could speak. But they were just, they did great. Not even getting a grade for it, you know, and coming in early. It took a lot to get me to come into school early.

It takes me a lot to get some kids just to come to school at all. For Linda, the press conference brought up painful memories of the night Jerry Johns tried to kill her. When I first saw Tina Farmer's picture, it reminded me of a photo of myself. I'd say Tina and I probably were the same height and weight and had the same hair. You know, I mean, hers was shorter than mine, but I don't know. All those women seem to have a lot in common. Yeah. I mean, you know what? I think I've got it bad,

but then I look or I see all these people and all this tortured, and, you know, it was the longest 10 minutes of my life. I mean, it seemed like forever, but then, you know, so many have had it worse. Can I ask you a personal question? And you don't have to answer it if you don't want to. And I could be wrong. But it seems like I can tell a big difference in you since the first time we talked. Just how you deal, just how you're dealing with things.

Do you feel there's a difference? When I first, when you first, I talked to you, I just freaked out. I couldn't breathe the first few times. I mean, honestly, there was one time I had to hang up because I could not breathe. And I mean, I was, it was, and the next time, I think it was the time that you had to wait until afternoon or something, and I'm like, oh, yes, I can have more coffee before I have to get on the phone. So, yeah, I've definitely calmed down, and I've prayed about it,

and I was excited for you guys to do that. It was a little overwhelming. I'm glad I didn't have to be there because it was a little more than I thought it was going to be, but it was really exciting. It was a little more than I thought it was going to be, but it was really exciting. Anything you do to help anybody is just, I can't imagine not knowing what happened to my child. Despite connecting with her numerous times over the phone, Mr. Campbell and Linda had never met, something he wanted to change.

You had mentioned that you might consider maybe coming for a visit sometime this summer. Is that really something you feel like doing? Yes, once I saw those girls, I thought, I have to meet those girls some way if it's possible. I just felt this kinship or something with them, seeing them. I don't know why, but the minute I saw them, I thought, I have to meet these girls. Mr. Campbell relayed the news to Riley and Marley. I was able to speak to our surviving victim. She said that in the last few years, she really hadn't gone many places, like basically left her town, she said. But she said, after I saw those girls, like, I just wanted to

come meet them. So she said that she would like to maybe plan a trip down here maybe in the next few months. No way. That's crazy. How do you feel about that? That's insane. It's going to feel like surreal. Because I mean we have not talked to her one on one but we've talked about as much as we could about this woman without actually meeting her.

Her whole life. In a creepy way where it was like her stalkers and her fan club. Because, you know, she is the reason he did get prosecuted. And so we've kind of been her biggest fan. And she doesn't even really – we've never met her. And it kind of feels like, oh, she don't know who we are. She's kind of a celebrity in our minds, I guess. To know we can meet her, that's crazy.

Yeah, you guys are smiling. You're pretty excited. You're talking can meet her, that's crazy. Yeah, you guys are smiling. You're pretty excited. You're talking over each other. That's cool. You're excited. Big compliment. That's what it's about. It's about these girls.

I mean, obviously we want as much media attention as possible and as much attention to the case as possible, but if we can do justice on these girls' part and get their stories out there and make it known, I think that's the most important thing. I think we've got more work to do, and new stuff's going to happen. And so maybe you guys can just focus on winning the state championship for the next couple weeks, okay?

That's our hope. Take a little break from all the murders, and let's just go win the state championship. And then maybe after all that, maybe we'll see what's happening. Yeah, definitely. And if there's some way we want to continue this, maybe in the spring or next year, I'm sure there'll be more work to do. Definitely.

It seems that time might come sooner rather than later. The only question I have is Jerry Johns could not have murdered Espy, the victim who was found in Barberville, Kentucky, because he was arrested, which was the very last victim. He was arrested for the attempted murder of Linda. He would have been in jail. But what I know is that Jerry Johns had a brother. Shane Waters, who has been on the case since the beginning, has a theory that can't be ignored. Shane recalls his interview with an eyewitness who saw Epsi Pilgrim being abducted.

He told me what the man looked like, what the truck looked like. But what's odd and interesting is that the truck is a red truck, which Jerry Johns' truck was red. So the description is a perfect description of what Jerry Johns' truck was. However, Jerry Johns was a redhead, and Bruce said that this man had dark hair. And Jerry Johns' brother had dark hair. Shane spoke to Jerry Johns' ex-wife about the brother. like how could he do this with his brother there all the time and so i was like well do you think they could have been doing this together she's like well he kind of would have to be maybe his brother did it to try to take the heat off of jerry johns because i know that they questioned jerry johns about these women being murdered when he was arrested however However, I believe once Espy was murdered,

shortly after while he's in jail, I think that the suspicion gets off of him because of her body being found. I think that Jerry was the lead person who was doing all these things, but I think that his brother was there with him. They were probably in it together. Hey girls, how y'all doing?

Good, how are you? Not too bad, hadn't seen you in a while. What y'all'all doing? Good how are you? Not too bad, I haven't seen you in a while. What have y'all been up to? Not much just playing basketball. Playing basketball yeah. Did y'all win something or something the other night? We did, we won the district championship. Awesome, what's next? Region. Yep. Okay awesome. Well the bell just rang I'm getting ready to go to class. Did y'all need something? I know we haven't met in a while, but I have some new information I need to share, and I think it changes everything. More on that next time.

Murder 101 is executive produced by Stephanie Lidecker, Alex Campbell, Courtney Armstrong, Thank you. production of iHeartRadio and KT Studios. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. This is Alex Campbell, co-host of Murder 101. We hope you're enjoying season one. We ask that if you know anything that could help police solve these cases, that you contact the appropriate agencies with any information you feel can help with their work to bring justice to these women and their families. But we also ask that if you feel you can help us continue to tell these stories, that you reach out to us with any of the following information. Number one, if you have any personal experiences with these victims

that could help us tell their stories as real people. Maybe you grew up with them, worked with them, or are even related to them. If you can shed light on the investigations going back to the 1980s, then maybe you worked with the cases such as a police officer or maybe you were a witness or even a journalist. That would also be very helpful. And finally, if you have any information on our suspect, maybe you grew up with him, you were in the military with him, incarcerated with him, or maybe involved with him through law enforcement, such as his jailer, guard, or parole officer. All those things can be helpful. We would love to hear from any of you. You can reach us at info at kt-studios.com or message us through Instagram at KT underscore studios. trends, inspiration, and so much more. I am so excited about this podcast, The Bright Side.

You guys are giving people a chance to shine a light on their lives, shine a light on a little advice that they want to share. Listen to The Bright Side on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search The Bright Side. I'm Johnny B. Good, the host of the podcast, Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin. This podcast dives deep into the story of Ray Trapani and his company, Centratech. I'll explore how 320-somethings built a company out of lies, deceit, and greed. I've been saying since a very young age that I was going to be a millionaire.

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