Undetermined - Introducing Culpable Case Review: Episode 1 - Andrew Thomas Wall

Episode Date: August 21, 2023

When 26-year-old Andrew Thomas Wall was found dead in his apartment from an apparent drug overdose, his friends and family were devastated. But after noticing that all of his valuables were missing, i...ncluding his car, they grew suspicious of the individuals he was known to be with in the days leading up to his death. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Your business has grown fast, from opening your first location to planning an expansion in no time. And with your business platinum card from American Express, you can access spending power and payment flexibility to fuel your growth. Sarah, the contractor is here with the plans. American Express, don't do business without it. Terms and conditions apply visit mx.ca slash business platinum. Almost every kid here has a absolute horror story. I don't even know how to explain it. Hidden in the redwoods of the Pacific Northwest, Hupa Valley grapples with a crisis.
Starting point is 00:00:43 A series of unsolved disappearances spanning decades. And we've been hearing about a lot of them. I've been following your new season about Ashley Lawrence. I'm sure you may have been contacted. We're talking about the name of Alia Heavy Runner. Many of the missing and murdered are indigenous persons. And we wondered what factors make this tribal land a place where people just vanish.
Starting point is 00:01:04 So we started looking into it. People seem to be very hesitant to come forward because they're scared for their own safety. You don't know if she was trafficked, you don't know if she is murdered. What's even more crazy is that person who ever did it is probably someone we all know here. From Tenderfoot TV, I'm Celicia Stanton, and this is the vanishing point, an up and vanish series. Available now, listen for free on Apple Podcasts. Hey, I'm Determine listeners, Dennis Cooper here, executive producer of Undetermine and
Starting point is 00:01:41 Host of the Podcast Culpable. I want to let you know about an exciting update with Culpable that I think you'll be interested to hear. In 2019, I took a long form investigative approach covering the case of Christian Andrew Aqyo, a young man who was shot and killed inside his apartment under mysterious circumstances. In 2022, I did a deep dive into another case, the case of Brittany Stikes, a young, pregnant mother who was gunned down while driving on her local highway. Now, we're changing things up a little, with a new spin on the series.
Starting point is 00:02:13 Over the next six weeks, I'll be highlighting six different cases to help give more victims and their families a voice and their fight for justice. We're going to share with you the first episode and a two-part case review of Andrew Thomas Wall, a 26-year-old who has found dead from an overdose, although several questions surrounding his death remain. As you listen to this episode, search Copable in your podcast app and follow the show, so you can listen to part 2 of Andrew's case review, which is available now, and get new episodes as they release each Friday. If you want ad-free listening and early access to next week's episode, subscribe to
Starting point is 00:02:50 Tenderfoot Plus on Apple Podcasts or at tenderfootplus.com. I hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the individuals interviewed and participating in the show and do not represent those of Tenderfoot TV or Resonate Originals. All individuals described or mentioned in the podcast should be considered innocent until found guilty and accordive law. This podcast contains subject matter such as violence, drug use, and other graphic descriptions, which may not be suitable for all audiences.
Starting point is 00:03:29 Listen to discretion is advised. Hi, Tiktok. We see all your comments. We thank you so much. We are so grateful for all of your support. Justice for Andrew Thomas Wall. All right, this is part two of Andrew Thomas Wall's update on his case.
Starting point is 00:03:50 The detectives have assured us that the case remains open and that they are working on it. This is coming from us at Andrew Wall's home base. Say hello everybody, and thank you so much. The person you just heard is Brianna Sturm, long-time friend to our victim in this story, 26-year-old Andrew Thomas Wall. In the spring of 2023, I stumbled on a TikTok video that she had posted.
Starting point is 00:04:17 Well, technically my wife shared it with me. I should confess, as a millennial trying his best to stay with the times I do not actually have a TikTok account. But don't think for a second that I underestimate its power. After all, it's how the industry story reached me. Thanks in part to some savvy work from his good friend Bri, as we'll call her. Like many grieving loved ones out there, Bri has the passion and the voice to keep Andrew's name alive. I'm not worried about that for a second. But as a spot on her TikTok account, listening to updates day by day, scouring over the comments and engagement from followers,
Starting point is 00:04:52 watching it go fund me crawl towards its goal. I realized that these people have a story worth telling. I just need people to hear it. So we reached out to Bri, and then shortly after making contact, we were introduced to Andrew's parents, Bill and Sheila Wall. We're happy that you're reached out to us, so we're open that you can now bring some light. Not just justice, but answers. I already knew a lot about Andrew's case, a couple weeks worth of TikTok videos, that is. So in a way I felt I knew what I was
Starting point is 00:05:25 getting into. But after spending time with the walls and the comfort of their home, I learned there was so much more to the story which I've been closely following. A story about loss and heartache, yes, but also a story that has given me a deeper understanding of the word culpable. I've been told that Andrew probably wouldn't have wanted me to make this podcast about him, but in his desire to help others and educate the world, he would have gladly accepted it. This is a culpable case review. Oh, glad you made it. How was the drive? It was not too bad. Good to see you.
Starting point is 00:06:08 Good to see you. You too. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it.
Starting point is 00:06:16 I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it.
Starting point is 00:06:24 I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you made it. I'm glad you Hello! This is Bill and Sheila Wall, Andrew's parents. They've invited me and a couple of our producers to their Ohio home to learn more about Andrew and the investigation into his puzzling death. While there's a lot I could say about these wonderful people I had the pleasure of meeting, all I'll say for now is the first thing that stuck out to me. That is that their pain and their grief is palpable. It's fresh, you could say. I gathered that from a brief introductory phone call. Unlike the cases I've covered in the past, Andrew's passing was very recent.
Starting point is 00:07:16 He was found dead in his apartment on January 3rd, 2023, from an apparent drug overdose. But that's just a fraction of the story. I wanted to know more. So flash forward a few months, and here we are, standing in the wall, family home, setting up equipment, and exchanging pleasantries with mom and dad. Do you want to check out the basement first, or do you want to?
Starting point is 00:07:38 Yeah, you, this is... Yeah, you don't have to think anything. Yeah, why not? Cool. But before sitting down for an interview, the walls ask if we'd like to head down to their basement for a moment, and we happily oblige. As I'd sort of suspected, the reason for the basement tour was not to show off renovations or anything, though we did speak in depth about their recently installed stone flooring.
Starting point is 00:08:12 Pretty cool I gotta say. Now the reason Sheila encouraged us to start downstairs was because since Andrew's passing, she's taken a large section of the basement and used it to memorialize him, a catch-all for Andrew, anything to keep his memory alive. There's artwork from over the years, family pictures, and all of his personal belongings are displayed here as well. Though Bill and Sheila tell me there weren't many items they could take from his apartment. More on that later. I saw him in the hat. Yeah, all my things about his sunglasses.
Starting point is 00:08:47 This, but he had given his sister, she brought her birth. And then some of his artwork, he was little. That's his piano over there. Oh, he was so good at it. He played in our nieces, wetting when he was 10. He played in our mists as wedding when he was 10. He played these for us when we were little. Hearing them boast about just how good of a pianist Andrew was, we had to ask if there was any way we could hear it.
Starting point is 00:09:12 An old video or recording. But Bill was already ahead of us. Remote in hand, pulling up YouTube on the TV. And we quickly realized that, yeah, he was that good. I'd usually hear him around for, he didn't play as much for us. But I got him a keyboard with the headphones and so he would play, he had it in his apartment. And he would play for himself and make his own music and just kind of last time we were down here we were singing karaoke and Bill comes down and it's like what are you guys doing because I was making him sing the carpenters and Barry Manlow he was going along with it I you know to put the words up for him
Starting point is 00:10:01 yeah so that was pretty neat She let the pleasure of seeing Andrew perform outside the home as well. For years, she provided part-time care for elderly patients. She tells us that Andrew loved coming to the rehab facility she frequented, to play music for the folks there. Not as go-to said or anything, but oldies from sheet music given to him. He gave the people what they wanted. He was just that giver and he had such a connection to give, give, give back. And he was very spiritual and just, he had just a sweetheart. Free spirit?
Starting point is 00:10:41 Totally. Yeah. Yeah, he loved like the galaxy and planets and the universe and Anything to do with the stars and he was extremely brilliant Like rocket science smart I look over and see that Bill again as a head of the pack holding his phone He starts playing a recording for us taking one late night during a deep conversation with Andrew. The reason for the recording, he knew he'd need to listen back to it if you really wanted to understand it all. He's telling you about the universe. Distruction, but that's what it does in Rome.
Starting point is 00:11:25 So that's how it fuels itself. Like, first of all, we're about to ensure that our fight is dying. It is on. I mean, he loved to talk and discuss and have conversation and you have to sit around and hang out, you know, to all hours and, you know, I'm fallin' asleep. Yeah, the deeper the better. Yes, yeah.
Starting point is 00:11:46 That's what I do. Yeah. I'm just gonna, I'm gonna bottle a line. I can't, I can't pull this. It's bedtime. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:11:58 Yeah. Yeah. As the walls continue sharing memories of Andrew, I start to glance back towards the wall of items that Sheila had first introduced to us when we entered the basement. This time, something catches my eye that I missed before. I believe it's an item I'd heard about in one of Breeze TikTok videos, a handwritten note, printer paper size, kept in a plastic sleeve to protect its already withered edges and running ink.
Starting point is 00:12:24 It must be important. I gesture to Sheila and she picks it up from the table, removing it from its sleeve. Oh, then this is a letter he wrote that was, I think the place was founded, got out of the garbage can. So maybe there was a second person involved. You said you got it on that in the garbage can? As I mentioned, some of the ink was water damaged along the right side of the paper, but as far as I can discern, the note reads, D. Me and Jean went to hustle, we'll be gone for 30-40 minutes. There's coffee and a vitamin C drink to help you feel better. You're more than welcome to stay the night
Starting point is 00:13:17 if you like. We love you and we'll see you soon. Your stuff will be placed on the table, respect, and re-engin. Your stuff will be placed on the table. Respect. Andra and Jean. This note obviously had no sentimental value to Bill and Sheila. The reason they've kept it and protected it is because it's one of the only pieces of physical evidence they've been able to get their hands on since Andrew's passing. It was found crumpled up in the trash can of his apartment. But to them, this once piece of garbage is significant, and may even contain some clues around the events leading up to their son's death.
Starting point is 00:13:49 One of the names of the note, D, whom the writing was addressed to, was unfamiliar to them. But the other name mentioned in the note, Gene spelled J-E-A-N. They'd heard before. In fact, they just heard about him for the first time, about a week before losing Andrew. It was a recent friend he'd made, a homeless man they gathered. This didn't surprise them, knowing their son. But he told them he had invited Gina state his place until he could get back on his feet. And that part did take them by surprise. According to the walls, Andrew was a very private person. She list says the only people she'd known to step foot in his new apartment were her, Bill, and Andrew's two closest
Starting point is 00:14:31 friends, Bree, who he'd known since childhood, and Davida, who he'd hit it off with in recent years, working together at Lurosa's Pizzeria. So the fact that he'd invited a practical stranger to stay with him was odd in a way. Though in the moment she rationalized it. thought he was making a friend. Yes, my jeopardy. And kind of hurt him. Before Sheila could expand on that comment, we decided to pause things for a moment and move back upstairs for a more formal interview. Seated on their leather couches, circled in the living room, we go back in time and ask Bill and Sheila how they met. and we'll give another hundred dollars to a charity of your choice. RBC Vantage, this great perk and more.
Starting point is 00:15:45 Only at RBC. Visit rbc.com slash get 100 give 100. Condition supply, ends January 31, 2024. Complete offer eligibility criteria by March 29, 2024. Choose one of eight eligible charities, up to $500,000 in total contributions. Business notifications out of hand, Thrive Command Center keeps your customer emails,
Starting point is 00:16:03 texts, and social messages all in one place so you never miss a message. Small business runs better on Thrive. Get it free today at Thrive THRYV.ca. Terms and conditions apply. Free plans have limited functionality. So she and I met on a night going out to see music at a bar. We both love music. All her friends were my friends growing up. I don't know how we didn't run into each other before, but Sheila was out actually out on a date with someone else when we met.
Starting point is 00:16:41 Her date was a friend of mine. He told Sheila how great of a guy and like the greatest guy ever. You gotta meet this guy, he's the greatest guy ever. And I actually drove Sheila home. And that was the end of their date. So, I thought that was pretty funny. But I told him, I'm like, I'm gonna start dating Bill.
Starting point is 00:17:04 He's like, I totally understand. He's a great guy. That was funny. Sheila was a stay-at-home mom for a long time before going on to do part-time elderly care. Bill, on the other hand, is a perfumist. First, I've ever met. One of his greatest achievements was working on Downey's unstoppables. You know, the little beads of fresh nutberry laundry. So you can thank him for the fresh aroma found in the green bottles.
Starting point is 00:17:27 But Bill and Sheila felt fast in love, and just as fast started a family. She already had one child, Jake, at that time he was 18 months about. Ended up dating, getting married. Andrew came along shortly after that. I ended up adopting Jake, so it was the four of us for quite some time until I think they're about six and eight years old and then we started foster care. Our first set of foster children were
Starting point is 00:18:03 Shelby and Dalton. Like any foster child, Shelby and Dalton came from a broken home. And they experienced a difficult childhood as a result. Their father wasn't in the picture, and their mother suffered from addiction. But the foster care system eventually landed them exactly where they needed to be. And they were afforded the life and the love they so deserved. And we had them for two and a half years till the state took custody from their mother
Starting point is 00:18:31 who was on drugs and the state offered us first dibs on adoption, which of course we couldn't say no. There were arcades and we were mom and dad to them. And if that's not wholesome enough? They were adopted on Andrew's birthday, which we forgot Andrew's birthday. Andrew's 10th birthday. We forgot it. National adoption day.
Starting point is 00:18:58 It was. Oh yeah. Andrew would not let us live that down. Nope. The next couple weeks, Andrew got whatever he wanted. Yeah. That was. We made up for it.
Starting point is 00:19:07 Yeah. As you've likely gathered, the walls have built a beautiful life together. And looking at their family photos, I can confirm the beauty there as well. Andrew tall and looming over the rest of the family, along with his father, but so approachable. With this signature dark shaggy hair and a distinct, affiliative smile, a trait he also shared
Starting point is 00:19:31 with his father, unmistakably a product of his parents. After all, he was the one child they shared together through blood. What about, um, let's take it back to as a kid. Like, what was the other thing? He was always tall, very smart, taught himself how to read. But he would sit and listen with me and Jake as we're doing the flashcards and, you know, sight words. And, you know, I walk past his bedroom and I'm just sitting in his bedroom with a little book,
Starting point is 00:20:03 reading it out loud. I'm like, he can read. So, he pretty much taught himself how to read. And I'd love to play the piano. And we used to have a lake house. I'd like to go fish him with his dad and be in on the boat and tubing and just super sweet. He'd make friends with anybody and everybody, especially adults, adored him, because he was very intelligent
Starting point is 00:20:30 and spoke like he was 20, you know, and he was just a kid. So I thought it was like he had all of these things, but I'd just be curious to hear, like, what were his best qualities? I would say empathy. Yeah, being able to read people, What were his best qualities? I would say empathy. Yeah, being able to read people, see what they needed. He liked to enlighten and be enlightened. Everything he did, it was meant something deep.
Starting point is 00:20:59 And he never did anything part way or his friendships, like, they're so deep and, you know, his friend would call him and he'd be over there in a second, no matter what. And no questions asked, just so sincere and care, just loved you to pieces and would do anything to make sure you're taken care of. He was just such a blessing and greatly missed. So you think you know sports? Point's bet is the sportsbook for you because we've got the features for true competitors
Starting point is 00:21:41 like live, same game parlates. Use your sportsmarts to make picks live on the players and teams you're watching and qualified bets can use our early cashout feature so you could take your winnings to play live blackjack on the same points bet at the platform that gives you everything you need. You know what to do. Bet on it. Point spets sportsbook and casino. Enjoy the
Starting point is 00:22:04 classic taste of the holidays at Tim's with the new non-alcoholic Bailey's flavored holiday menu. Whether you're hanging holiday lights or driving up to your folks, you can enjoy your Tim's and Bailey's anytime, anywhere at participating restaurants in Canada. Metro links and cross links are reminding everyone to be careful as Eglinton Cross-Town LRT train testing is in progress. Please be alert as trains can pass at any time on the tracks. Remember to follow all traffic signals. Be careful along our tracks and only make left turns where it's safe to do so. Be alert, be aware, and stay safe.
Starting point is 00:22:47 Andrew may be gone. No more concerts for the folks at the rehab home, or 4 a.m. conversations in the kitchen over pizza rolls. He was their night owl. But Sheila doesn't take for granted the time they had together. She recognizes how fortunate of a parent she was, being able to spend a lot of time with Andrew growing up. I was stayed home mom so for 20 years so that was really nice. Got to spend a lot of time with all of them doing a lot of PTA activities and involved in school because
Starting point is 00:23:19 he insisted on public school. I was raised Catholic and I was afraid. So I said, well, they're going to public. I'm going to be at school with them. I didn't realize, wow, that's a great world out there at the public school. And it was much better. He was right. I'm like, wow.
Starting point is 00:23:37 The tuba bullie started. Until the bullying started, yeah. Until now, it seems like Andrew had a pretty picturesque childhood, a close-knit family, a good head on his shoulders. And then came this mention from Sheila that Andrew had been bullied in the past. It took me by surprise. It's an unfortunate reality, but the truth is, no one is safe from bullying.
Starting point is 00:23:58 Not even a person is caring and friendly as Andrew was. I knew from a previous conversation that Andrew had struggled with mental health in the past, but I was curious if it was in connection to the bullying. So you hit on something a minute ago, the bullying incident? Well, I didn't know anything was going on. He did not bring it to my attention. His grades were dropping, and he didn't want to go to school and he was always straight A very involved and all the sudden it was he couldn't get out of bed. I called the counselor at school. She la contacted the school counselor to alert them of the situation and it was their first time hearing that Andrew had been bullied. Of course the school wouldn't be able to fix the situation but shortly after this,
Starting point is 00:24:41 Andrew was able to get into therapy and over time he started to open up about the trauma he faced. They got him in the bathroom. I do know that. And his therapist told me he was assaulted. It was sad and it got really, really bad. It was social media. And it was them telling him to kill himself and Everybody wants him to die nobody wants him to live and he's showing me and nobody's doing anything about it and it was so
Starting point is 00:25:16 upsetting and I said what if we change schools? He said mom, it's on my phone. It's on social media. They'll follow me wherever I go and He said I'll just continue on. I'm just going to keep trying and then trying to get medication to help. It's a full-time job. I mean, yeah. I mean, but he found it. He found what he needed and was on that path. And I think he was really making an effort. As always, Andrew persevered, thanks in part to therapy. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the friends who stood by his side and helped him get through this tough time in his life. Those friends were Kelsey and Bri. He known them since grade school.
Starting point is 00:26:02 But it was around this time that their friendships would blossom, eventually forming the group that called themselves the three Musketeers. That's when he met Kelsey, his best friend, and then Kelsey was friends with Brianna, and that's how he met Brianna. So he had developed a good, really good connection with her, and she helped him get through school.
Starting point is 00:26:27 Andrew and Bri remained best to friends through high school, and a few years after graduating, the two even lived in an apartment together for a short stand. But I'll let her tell that story when we hear from her. In the following years, Andrew lived what most would consider a fairly normal life, working at the local pizza shop, hanging with friends, traveling, your average mid-20s stuff. But at age 25, he was hit with a bombshell, thyroid cancer, and it was spreading.
Starting point is 00:26:56 The news came by a total chance through a scan for something unrelated. Crazy how that happens. And this devastating news would serve as another bump on his road of mental health. How could it not? He was just 25 years old. But he seemed to bounce back quickly yet again.
Starting point is 00:27:13 Doctors eventually removed the cancer, and after some radiation he was given a clean bill of health. During this time Andrew found a psychiatrist he trusted, and with that he got his life back on track. His next big move, now at age 26, and apartment, the first of his own. He found a place in Price Hill in Cincinnati overlooking the city and lived there for a year.
Starting point is 00:27:39 He was so proud of it. It was, oh my gosh, the view was amazing. One of the times he brought us up to the roof, He was so proud of it. It was, oh my gosh, the view was amazing. One of the times he brought us up to the roof. He got the whole view. He's like, yeah, bring my chair up here and sit. But he was so proud and got his own furniture decorated his own way. But it was a rough neighborhood.
Starting point is 00:28:01 It was, yeah. He wanted to be next to people that needed help. This has become a recurring theme as I've spoken with the walls. Andrew was a helper, a caretaker. Whether it was his siblings, his classmates, or the coworker he literally gave the shirt off his back to when they spilled something on themselves. Andrew was always there when someone needed him.
Starting point is 00:28:24 One of his greatest qualities, according to his parents. But from everything I've heard thus far, I fear it might have also been as Achilles heel. As we continue our conversation, Bill and Sheila begin to open up about the days leading up to Andrew's death. Admittedly, it's hard for them. Remember, we're only a few months removed here. You want to talk about that? Sure. You start wherever you think. Where do you think that should start?
Starting point is 00:28:58 Okay, well, a couple weeks before the holidays, he was here almost every day, which was wonderful. We're just playing cards and hanging out and talking and it was really, really, really nice time. And he spent Christmas together, Christmas Eve. He spent the night here. They woke up. He and his sister had tradition.
Starting point is 00:29:21 They were both sleeping here, woke up open gifts, and making plans for Christmas Day, who's going to go in, when, where, and enter something around home, get a shower and change, and dad will meet you at Grandpa's house, at his father's. So when he had gone home, that's when he had met Jean for the first time, a homeless man at the gas station. And he was freezing because it was below zero at the time. And told him he'd give him a place to stay
Starting point is 00:30:00 if he needed a place to stay, and that he would pick him up in the evening because he was spending the day with his family. So just a quick recap, it's Christmas day for the wall family. They wake up, do their usual Christmas morning, and then the plan is to meet at Grandpa's house. But first, Andrew runs to his apartment to get ready. And during that trip, he meets a homeless man named Jean. Later, at the gathering is when Sheila learned of their encounter, and that Andrew had promised Jean a place to stay for the night, which he desperately needed. So as the evening stretched on in tonight, eventually Andrew got a call from Jean. He wanted to be picked up. Jean called and he's like, yeah, he's mad. I was supposed to be there to be picked up. Jean called and
Starting point is 00:30:51 He's like, yeah, he's mad. I was supposed to be there to pick him up. He's gonna go sit on a bus because it's so cold so we all sat our goodbyes and I was standing in the kitchen there. He's walking out the door and I waved to him. I Love you by Andrew and that was the last time I saw him. I didn't hug him. Didn't know it'd be the last time I'd see him. Sheila doesn't recall feeling too concerned about it at the time, but walls admit they didn't always see eye to eye with Andrew when it came to his selflessness. But it's tough, as selflessness like this is a rare quality.
Starting point is 00:31:25 Who do you know that would bump into a homeless person and offer them a bed in their apartment the same night? Heck Andrew wasn't even known to do this, but then again, it wasn't technically out of character either. So after sharing their goodbyes on Christmas Day, evening technically, Andrew left to be with Jean for the night, and the walls figured they'd speak with him sometime the next morning or afternoon. But as they waited to hear from him that next day, they'd end up receiving a different call, regarding Andrew's credit card.
Starting point is 00:31:55 The next day, there's some weird credit card activity, so we got an alert and a phone call. And then I called Andrew and he answered, he didn't sound like himself, which was weird. Sounded kind of angry. Yeah, I mean, at first I thought he just woken up. He sounded agitated, I guess, would be a way to describe it. Like he was pissed off about something, but then he was like, no, he didn't have any issues
Starting point is 00:32:25 with the credit card and I said, well, okay, just let me know if you hear, or if you haven't any other issues with it, I told the credit card company that there was nothing to worry about. So that was on December 26th. It was very short, probably less than a minute call, and that was the last time that I talked to Andrew. I did tell him I loved him, but he did sound like there was something off. To this day, Bill doesn't know what to make of that call to Andrew on the 26. On one hand, a concerned credit card company checking in on some activity, all of which Andrew explains away, is pretty normal.
Starting point is 00:33:10 On the other hand, Andrew's demeanor felt off as Bill puts it. How off? He can't really say. It just didn't seem like typical Andrew. There's really no telling what was going on at this time, between Andrew or Gene or anyone else for that matter. But I don't at all question Bill's sense that something wasn't right. Because as the week between Christmas and New Year's continued, things would start to unravel.
Starting point is 00:33:36 I always took off work between those two holidays. You know, the days go by quickly. It's like, you know, you put text or call and they end you every once in a while and don't hear anything back and think, eh, then you start to get anxious. And then you call Brianna and Davita, you know, his friends that he normally talks to. And, you know, by that time they hadn't heard anything either, then you start getting the butterflies and it's like,
Starting point is 00:34:04 okay, now, now what? You just have that nagging feeling in the back of your head saying, you know, this might not be okay. When DeVita couldn't get a hold of him, then I knew something was wrong. She said, it's going straight to voicemail. It's not even ringing or making any other. Yeah, because it rang for a while. It's like I even used my mom's phone to call him.
Starting point is 00:34:27 Just if I was blocked or something and nothing, so it was either turned off or the battery was dead or... Yeah, but I could go on the credit card. A week passes, with no word from Andrew. As you can imagine, Bill and Sheila are concerned at this point. January 3rd was Bill's first day back to work, after the long holiday break. He made it to about noon, and then left to check on Andrew at his apartment. When he arrived, he noticed that Andrew's car wasn't in the lot, but he knocked on
Starting point is 00:34:58 the door anyways. No answer. So then Bill went up the street to a rehab center which Andrew had visited before, thinking maybe he had some sort of mental break. But no sign of Andrew. At this point, Bill decides to call for a welfare check, and then proceeds back to the apartment to meet the police. But before he gets there, he receives a panic call from Sheila.
Starting point is 00:35:20 Police are already at the apartment. Something has happened to Andrew. Bill arrives just minutes later. There's one policeman out in front of the door, and the door was closed, and he's on his phone. Two feet away, and I'm standing there. And he looks straight at me, and then straight back down to his phone,
Starting point is 00:35:40 and I stood there for probably two minutes. And until finally I said, excuse me. And he's like, yeah, are you the father? I'm like, are you that much of an asshole that you would do that? I mean, I basically had to piece together what was happening. I like what they were saying to each other. And... Adjitated over the police's behavior at the scene, and unable to get any answers to his burning questions, Bill instead resorted to eavesdropping, eventually picking up on a few details.
Starting point is 00:36:16 Andrew had been found seated upright on his couch, dead from an apparent overdose. But all Bill could see at that moment, was a giant red flag. And when he and Sheila were finally given access to the apartment, they discover even more. And all I could kept saying was, his car is not here, so, like,
Starting point is 00:36:37 oh, it looks like it was natural, there's no signs of a struggle or anything, I'm like, his car is not here. Yeah, so, something is a skew. Everything's gone paperwork, like, titled to his car, like everything, everything. Let me explain what Sheila means by everything. Pretty much anything of value was missing from his apartment.
Starting point is 00:37:03 We'll go through the list in the next episode, but after noticing the potential signs of foul play, all Bill and Sheila wanted to know was when and how their son died, and ultimately, what the police were doing about it. Unfortunately, answers wouldn't be coming any time soon. Bill and Sheila are admittedly underwhelmed with the Cincinnati Police Department in their handling of Andrew's case. They understand that Andrew isn't priority number one within the department. They get that.
Starting point is 00:37:32 At this point, all they want is some assurance that his case is being treated with the same respect as any other case. I genuinely believe that they have the working hard, but in the end it was like there were no answers to our questions and they're just not providing anything that we can use. I don't understand why they can't call any of these people in, where they could easily say we've talked to them and this is their story and we don't have any answers. At a minimum, that would be, it wouldn't be great, but it would be something. I wouldn't say the police let us down, but they haven't done their job.
Starting point is 00:38:16 Like if these detectives can't communicate with us, find somebody in the department that can and come and lay it out. I mean, Bream has to do the TikTok thing to get any kind of traction or attention and then it's just what does it take to put a fire under their feet. To the Walls relief, there'd be many revelations in the coming days. You see that fire build just mentioned? Well, it turns out Andrew's friend Bree was already getting it started. Okay guys, here is the update for Justice for Andrew Thomas Wall aka my best friend that passed away. Like I said in previous videos, it's going to be a long bumpy road. There are a lot of loose ends for this case that the detective is not taking seriously, but I digress. I'm also just uncovered today that actually Jean has a
Starting point is 00:39:11 record and is in the system which is even more mind-blowing that we are not getting anything out of this. The credit crunch transactions are severely triggering because you're telling me that there's not a single camera that has caught any of these transactions. And downtown Cincinnati. Okay, I didn't plan to make an update, but here we are. I didn't anticipate this happening,
Starting point is 00:39:38 but a reporter reached out and we gave him the full story. The wheels are in motion. We are boosting Andrew Thomas the full story. The wheels are in motion. We are boosting Andrew Thomas Ball's story. We are boosting this story. Justice for Andrew Thomas Ball. The Colpable Case Review is a production of Resonate Originals and Tenderfoot TV and partnership with Odyssey, written and hosted by me, Dennis Cooper. Executive producers are myself, Mark Mennery, Jacob Bozar, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsay. Our senior producer is John Street, additional production from Jamie Albright and Taylor Floyd.
Starting point is 00:40:34 Editing, mixing, mastering, and sound design by Dayton Cole, Pat Kicklider, and Adam Townsill of the Resonate recordings team. If you have a podcast or are looking to start one, check us out at ResonateRecordings.com. Our theme song and original score is by Dirtcore Robbins with additional scoring by Dayton Colt. Our cover art is by Drew Bardana. You can follow us on social media at Copable Podcast.
Starting point is 00:41:02 Additional content can be found on our website covablepodcast.com. If you enjoyed this episode please take time to subscribe, rate, and review. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks again for listening. Be sure to tune in next week when we return with an all-new case. Until next time. You can't imagine what it's like until you're actually there. My heart weight went from zero to 100. You hear the automatic weapons fire outside. A adrenaline rushes through your body
Starting point is 00:41:50 and you do what you've been trained to do. He gets maybe 40 feet and he collapses. You better have that pit near stomach. Once you commit, it's game on. We started going down the road and then I hear this bravery valor determination These are the stories of our heroes like you've never heard them before
Starting point is 00:42:16 It felt like somebody hit me with a baseball bat and a lower back I opened up my eyes and I looked at him and he was like I Thought you were dead son and he was like, I thought you were dead son. And I was like, I did too. A new podcast from Tenderfoot TV and Telegraph Creative. I'm Remy Ann Lake, former Navy SEAL. And this is DownRange. DownRange is available now. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.