1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Gradios How Stuff Works. Hello, welcome 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: back to the show. My name is Matt, my name 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: is They called me Ben. We're joined as always with 7 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: our super producer Paul mission controlled decons. Most importantly, you 8 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: are you, You are here and that makes this stuff 9 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: they don't want you to know. This is this is 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: a special episode for us. No all, it's one that's 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: very close to your heart. We are diving into a 12 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: genuine mystery today, right, and this is a mystery that 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: may be familiar to some of our listeners in the audience, 14 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: but for some of this this may be something completely new. 15 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: Spoiler alert. We're not diving in alone. But before we 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: introduce our guests, no, do you want to give us 17 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: a little bit of an understanding about this? Oh? Sure, 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: I sure? What had been Thank you for for the opportunity, 19 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: my friend. Um, yeah, we just wrapped. And when I 20 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: say we, I mean myself are mystery guests today. It's 21 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: not really a mystery. It's in the metadata, but we're 22 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: gonna play at Koy for now. And Lauren Pacheco, who's 23 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: a colleague of mine, producer from New York who I've 24 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: worked on a previous show called Happy Face with UM. 25 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: And this show that we just wrapped us called Murder 26 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: in Oregon, and it dives into the tragic death of 27 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: Michael Frankie, who was the director of Oregon's Department of 28 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: Corrections UM in the late eighties, nineteen eighty nine, about 29 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: as late in the eighties as you can get. UM. 30 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: This gentleman was who was a pillar of the community, 31 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: a very well respected former judge. UM. And it's a 32 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: very very intelligent and kind man. UM was stabbed to 33 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: outside of his office. UM. And very quickly there came 34 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: to be kind of a reckoning where you know, the 35 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: government needed to pin this on somebody. It wasn't going 36 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: to go away. And UM unfortunately, as based on our 37 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,239 Speaker 1: research and the research of our guest today, UM, they 38 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 1: pinned it on a patsy, someone who very very clearly 39 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: didn't do it. But within all of that and that 40 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: search for the truth is a twisting, turning story the 41 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: likes of you would which you wouldn't believe something more 42 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,359 Speaker 1: along the lines of true detective than a nonfiction podcast. 43 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: But um again, we're not doing this alone. Today. We 44 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: have Phil Stanford with us, who has been invested in 45 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: this story for going on thirty years um and has 46 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: just done a massive amount of research and written columns 47 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: for The Oregonian on this very subject and has really 48 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: been himself a huge part of this very story. Phil, 49 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: welcome to stuff they don't want you to know, sir, Well, 50 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: thank you for much good to be here. Yeah, um, 51 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: I don't even it's such a massive story and we 52 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: don't want to spoil it for anyone that you know 53 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: hasn't finished listening to the series yet. But how would you, 54 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: you know, kind of characterize this story of murder and 55 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,839 Speaker 1: Oregon and the death of Michael Frankie. What what would 56 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: you say some of the main themes are that we 57 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:22,119 Speaker 1: kind of you know, touched on in this very very 58 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: fascinating series. Well, uh, it comes in several parts. I 59 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: mean it was first of all, an assassination, which no 60 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: one wanted to acknowledge. Things like that just don't happen, 61 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: uh in this country, Uh, let alone, uh little Old Oregon. 62 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: But this guy, Michael Frankie had come into the state 63 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: just about a year before he discovered that his department 64 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: was rife with corruption all the way to the top 65 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: and he was going to reveal it. Uh, they had 66 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: him killed. Well, that was the first part of it. 67 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,559 Speaker 1: The second part was the cover up, a really pervasive 68 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:05,559 Speaker 1: her up, because so many individuals and institutions in Salem, 69 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: even if they weren't involved in the in the murder, 70 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: had so much to cover up. It goes back to 71 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: systemic things I think, you know, just the nature of 72 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: narcotics law enforcement that corrupted the state police for example. Uh, 73 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: and and the governor too had things to cover up. 74 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: So an assassination, cover up, selection of a patsy, the 75 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: manufacture of evidence against a low level tweaker who had 76 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 1: nothing at all to do with the crime. And uh, 77 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: the insistence since then to this very day by the 78 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: state that he still deserves to be punished, even though 79 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: a federal judge has ruled that no reasonable juror would 80 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: vote to convict. Hey, Phil, I really want to know 81 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: in as much basic detail which sounds like an odd phrase, 82 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 1: but basic detail about the corruption that that Michael uncovered. 83 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: So like, what what were some of the major things 84 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: that he found out that he felt needed to be 85 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 1: told to the public. Okay, Well, first of all, uh, 86 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: and you'll find this in just about every prison. Uh. 87 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: The drug trade, protected drug trade. For the drug trade 88 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: to flourish in or out of the prison, it has 89 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: to be protected, and it was being protected. In the 90 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: Oregon State Penitentiary. There were a number of scams that 91 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: the officials had had run for for years, including hanky 92 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: panky with animals on the farm, the sale of equipment 93 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: that belonged to the state, and so forth. Most recently, 94 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:47,919 Speaker 1: there had been a warehouse burned down for arson. It 95 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: was arson for insurance purposes, and he was onto that. 96 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: We referred to it as the a shed. And we 97 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: know that he was going to be talking the next day, 98 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: the morning after he was murder to the legislature about that. 99 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: We have evidence that he was going to be talking 100 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: about the aid and and it's just to point out, 101 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: I mean, this is all you know. While this this 102 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: might sound speculative to some folks that aren't fully familiar 103 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: with the story, these are all corroborated by multiple sources. 104 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 1: I mean, we we absolutely know that this type of 105 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: corruption is very, very real, and that Michael uncovered it um. 106 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 1: You know, there are various theories about who may or 107 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: may not have killed Michael Frankie, which is a big 108 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: you know, the central question to murder in Oregon, it's 109 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: who really killed Michael Frankie. But there is no question 110 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: that this corruption was rife in the system and that 111 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: the man that the crime was pinned on almost one 112 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: thousand percent, did not do it. He was like, there's 113 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 1: no question certainly among those who might have listened to 114 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,480 Speaker 1: the podcast or have been doing their own research, honest research. 115 00:06:54,560 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: But there is still a sizeable contingent of a local press, 116 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,599 Speaker 1: uh and and government that would argue that there was 117 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,280 Speaker 1: no corruption that they will not accept that. And from 118 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: the beginning that was the problem. They could not accept 119 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 1: the idea that Michael Frankie might have been murdered because 120 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: he was investigating corruption. I was about ready to blow 121 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: the whistle on some of his top officials from the 122 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: beginning they said. The official version was that it was 123 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 1: a car burglary that had gone bad. And one thing 124 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: that's interesting about this, Phil is in in just some 125 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: preparatory research, I found that you had devoted no less 126 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: than eighty columns to the murder right when when working 127 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: with The Oregonian. And I get this sense, and tell 128 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: me if I'm wrong here, but I get this sense 129 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: that for uh, for at least part of the time, 130 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: you were in in some sense alone, speaking truth to power, 131 00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: bringing up these various things that the authorities apparently wilfully ignored. 132 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: Did you ever feel like you were in a you know, 133 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: banging my head against the wall situation or did you 134 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: feel that the authorities were listening or did you feel 135 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: that they were actively trying to push this car Burglary narrative? Um? 136 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: And and do you think that they they genuinely thought 137 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: it was true or do you think they were, you know, 138 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: as you had said earlier, noal attempting to just close 139 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: some case combination. It's hard to read their minds what 140 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 1: they're thinking. At first, I was not entirely. I was 141 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: alone on at my newspaper, The Oregonian, which was the 142 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: big dog in Oregon at the time. I was writing 143 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: a column for them. It was a featured columnists. But 144 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:53,080 Speaker 1: there were other reporters in Salem, uh, Steve Jackson, Eric 145 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: Mason on on TV who were following the story too, 146 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: But I was I was certainly one of the paper, 147 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: and and because the Oregonian was such a big force 148 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: in Oregon, I was sort of the appointing man on 149 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: the thing as far as the authorities were concerned. The governor, 150 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:19,079 Speaker 1: after after about six months of my columns, held a 151 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: press conference and said, where is this garbage coming From 152 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: another interview, he called it bs He he really what? 153 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: And I couldn't figure out at the time why he 154 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: was resisting so strenuously. He'd just come into office and 155 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: if there was corruption, he could very well blame it 156 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: on his his predecessor and say let's uh, let's get 157 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: to the bottom of it. But he didn't. As far 158 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: as the state cops UH who were conducting the investigation 159 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: in the d a's office in Marin County, I think 160 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: from the beginning they knew they had to cover something 161 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: up once they realized where this thing was going, especially 162 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: then they they may have been hoping from the beginning 163 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 1: that it was a random car burglary, but once they 164 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: realized the connections which we talked about in murdering Oregon 165 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:13,079 Speaker 1: to UH officials and UH who were engaged in in 166 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: illegal activities, they knew they could not pursue an honest 167 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: investigation I had to get a patsy. It's it's it's true. 168 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: And we do discuss all of that, and we kind 169 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: of leave it up to the listener to sort of 170 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: make up their minds when we present all of this evidence. 171 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: And what you realize, if you're paying attention, is that 172 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: it just doesn't add up. You mentioned the idea of 173 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,680 Speaker 1: a car burglary gone wrong, and that was sort of 174 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 1: the narrative that the state police and the government at 175 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: large really pushed. This idea that Michael was leaving his 176 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: office and uh encountered somebody rifling through his car. They 177 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: used the I love this delightfully regional term jockey boxing, 178 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:52,960 Speaker 1: which I've never heard before, but I really liked a 179 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:56,079 Speaker 1: lot the idea of rifling through somebody's glove box. And 180 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: Michael Frankie was a very tall, very fit man, um 181 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:03,959 Speaker 1: really imposing, you know stature. I don't know his exact height, 182 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: but I think he was six ft something and very 183 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: you know, in shape, and played basketball and you know 184 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 1: it was a very active guy. And um, you know, 185 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: the notion that he came upon somebody rifling through his 186 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 1: car who then gave him a single stab kill shot 187 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,440 Speaker 1: to the heart in addition to like a defensive wound, 188 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: it's very hard to believe. And even in court, like 189 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 1: when they tried to set up the scenario of you know, 190 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: the angles and all of that of where how he 191 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:33,080 Speaker 1: would have had to be stabbed, you know, if the 192 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: guy was sitting in the car, you know, the angles 193 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,080 Speaker 1: didn't add up. And can you talk a little bit 194 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: about that, about how some of those narratives that were 195 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: pushed even in the trial just didn't really make sense. Well, 196 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: you know, nothing about the case made much sense. That's 197 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: that's the thing there. There there was no physical evidence 198 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 1: to start with connecting Frank Gable, that's the guy they 199 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: eventually indicted for the crime. There was no no evidence 200 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: that Frank Gable was there, I mean no physical evidence. 201 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,839 Speaker 1: All they really had was, when they came down to it, 202 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 1: was manufactured evidence of a bunch of jail birds and 203 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: ex cons who had potential sentences hanging over their heads, 204 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 1: so you know, a serious time for federal gun charges 205 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: and federal drug charges got them to make up stories 206 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: and in the end they got a couple of young hoods, 207 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: uh seventeen year old runaway girl and then a tough 208 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: guy named Shorty Hardened to say that they had been 209 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: there and had seen it happen. Jody Swearings in the 210 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: seventeen year Old Girl event ran away before a trial 211 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: could be held and said this police, I had her 212 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: make it up, make the story up shortly Hardened. The 213 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 1: other supposed eyewitness did testify, but his testimony contradicted other tests. 214 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 1: Simony on there had been a janitor who had come 215 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:05,080 Speaker 1: out and seen something happened in front of the the 216 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:08,440 Speaker 1: office building, the dome buildings it's called had no reason 217 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 1: to lie, and Shorty Harden's testimony completely contradicted what the 218 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:18,080 Speaker 1: janitor had said. So there were not only contradictions like that, 219 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: but Frank Gables lawyer was so bad he didn't even 220 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,319 Speaker 1: bother or maybe even think to bring it up with 221 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: the trial. It was it was for us. It's interesting. 222 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 1: I mean, it's he was so bad to the point 223 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: where you have to think there was some intention behind it. 224 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 1: And again that's not something anyone has, you know, actual 225 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: proof of, but it just makes it just makes no sense. 226 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: He shouldn't have gotten the case. We talked about that 227 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 1: in the show where you know there was an investigator 228 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: we talked to who I believe was the investigator for 229 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: Frank's defense. Um who just didn't feel like this lawyer, 230 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:55,839 Speaker 1: Bob abel Um was the last person that would have 231 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: gotten this trot this this case, and that he didn't 232 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: even have a phone, he didn't have an office of 233 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: his own, he kind of shared a space with He 234 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: was very much like almost a Saul Goodman type figure, 235 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 1: you know, early in his career. And all the judges 236 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: and lawyers, i mean, remember Salem is a fairly small town, 237 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: knew who he was. They knew he was incompetent, and 238 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: they knew he was a heavy drinker, to say the least. 239 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: So he was given this case. His business was going 240 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: down the tubes at the time, and he got the case. 241 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: He was just way over his head, even if he 242 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: hadn't been drinking. Uh. Shortly before the trial, the team 243 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: of investigators, i mean a tremendous amount of money was 244 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,520 Speaker 1: paid by the state for the defense on this thing. 245 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: For the lawyers and and and the investigators. The investigators 246 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: wrote a letter to the judge saying, we're not prepared 247 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: to go to trial. Our our lawyers don't understand the case. 248 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: And the judges blew it off and and the trial 249 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:01,800 Speaker 1: went forward. But my own opinion that Able I didn't 250 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: have to tell Able to throw it he but he 251 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: knew what he had to do. So this gentleman, Frank Gable, 252 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: he has been in prison since nineteen whatever when the 253 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: trial was uh. They arrested him in ninety and just 254 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: earlier this year in April, a federal judge ordered his release. 255 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: That's correct, I mean, so he did almost thirty years, 256 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: thirty years for a crime he had absolutely nothing to 257 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: do with. The judge rule that no reasonable juror would 258 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 1: vote to convict on the basis of evidence that was 259 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,640 Speaker 1: available then, and and the new evidence in including the 260 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: recantation of all the so called material witnesses against him, 261 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: leaving absolutely nothing left of the case, right, and and 262 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 1: then like the notion that they would retry him is 263 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: really almost comical, right, because they don't really have they 264 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,040 Speaker 1: would have nothing to uh to try him on. Yet 265 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: the State of Oregon is appealing the judge's decision. Judges 266 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 1: ruling on technical grounds, in effect trying to put him 267 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 1: back in prison for something they know he didn't do it. 268 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: It's a fairly evil political stance to take. And furthermore, 269 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: phil from what I understand, the Oregon d o J 270 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: also wanted to keep Gable in prison while that appeal 271 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 1: was being hashed out. Is that correct? Yes, they went 272 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: to the federal judge and after his ruling and said 273 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: that he's a dangerous the community, he must be kept 274 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: in and the judge by by this time, I mean 275 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: it had taken him two years to rule. I mean, 276 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 1: we were all very nervous. We didn't know what was 277 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,240 Speaker 1: going to happen because this was a highly from the 278 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: beginning has been a highly political case. Uh and and 279 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: you know with all all the Democratic establishment in Oregon, 280 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: which you know, this is a one party state behind 281 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: the cover up over the decades, And we didn't know 282 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:06,440 Speaker 1: what was going to happen. So he kept it two years. 283 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:10,880 Speaker 1: He really understood the case thanks to a brilliant habeas 284 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:14,960 Speaker 1: corpus petition that written by the federal public defender Neil 285 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: Brown and and and so when the state asked for that, 286 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,959 Speaker 1: he just said, nope, he's out. Let's let's get on 287 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:29,119 Speaker 1: with the appeal. It's worth pointing out that the a 288 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 1: g Attorney General for for Oregon, Ellen Rosenbloom, is a 289 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: protege of Neil Goldschmidt, who was the governor at the 290 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 1: time of the Frankie murder and who was instrumental in 291 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 1: the instrumental force behind the cover up. Wow, the whole 292 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,959 Speaker 1: story with Goldschmidth is its own thing and almost deserves 293 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: its own podcast because he was, you know, found out too. 294 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 1: I don't know, like I hate, I don't want to 295 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 1: feel like I'm spoiling anything. But honestly, you can't really 296 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: spoil this story because what we do is this more 297 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 1: of like it really takes you inside all of the 298 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: ins and outs of every character involved in this whole 299 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 1: situation and lets the listener kind of make up their 300 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: own mind as to what they believe. But the idea 301 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: of gold Schmidt. There's an episode that we devote to 302 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 1: gold Schmidt where he essentially was found known. He absolutely 303 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: was found out to have been um a pedophile child 304 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 1: rapist is the term that we use um because he 305 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: was carrying on a relationship with a thirteen year old 306 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: girl or I believe what how old was she felt? 307 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: Was it fourteen when it started? And it was. It's 308 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: so heartbreaking because she was the daughter of two of 309 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,719 Speaker 1: gold Schmidt's most fervent supporters who were like, you know, 310 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,239 Speaker 1: stumping for or campaigning for him, going door to door, 311 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: and they were really you know, they worshiped the guy, 312 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,879 Speaker 1: and they knew about the the affair quote unquote, the 313 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 1: the you know, the completely inappropriate relationship, and they borderline 314 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 1: encouraged it. And we got all of this for him. 315 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: One of your colleagues at the time, uh, Phil, Margie Boulet, 316 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: who wrote this incredible expose about this relationship where she, 317 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 1: you know, was trusted by this young woman when she 318 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: was you know, much older, and this relationship had literally 319 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 1: wrecked her life. I mean she became, you know, an 320 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:21,199 Speaker 1: alcoholic and outcast. Um she you know, he sent her 321 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 1: away and paid her off and all of this really 322 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: heartbreaking stuff and then she and you know, ultimately passed away. 323 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:29,920 Speaker 1: But to hear Margie talk about this stuff and to 324 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 1: know what gold Schmidt was capable of and that this 325 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 1: was something he was trying to keep buried for years, 326 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: you know, you can't make the one to one connection 327 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: that this is why they didn't want, you know, they 328 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: didn't want um Frankie digging around. But there's sure are 329 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 1: a lot of characters in this story that had a 330 00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: lot of stuff to hide, including the governor of the state. 331 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:56,400 Speaker 1: You know, Yeah, I don't think uh could be proved wrong. 332 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,959 Speaker 1: I don't think that gold Schmidt had anything to do 333 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: with the murder as elf, but he certainly didn't want 334 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: a thorough going investigation of the murder at which would 335 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: have led to corruption, which would have led to ripping 336 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 1: backs that covers on everything in Salem, because at that 337 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: time he was negotiating with the girl and her lawyers 338 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,119 Speaker 1: for the hush money payment. He eventually paid her over 339 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,679 Speaker 1: three hundred thousand dollars as long as she kept her 340 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 1: mass will pause here for a brief word from our sponsor, 341 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: and we're back. Okay, So phil Aton met something I've 342 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: I grew up in Georgia. I've lived here my entire life, 343 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:45,959 Speaker 1: done a little bit of traveling, but I've never been 344 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: to Oregon. I have a picture of this state in 345 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 1: my mind from popular culture, Um, you know Portlandia, of course, 346 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:59,119 Speaker 1: speaking particularly of Portland. Um, also just of kind of 347 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: marijuana cole sure of Um. I have a picture of 348 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: it in my mind a little bit that is very 349 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: much of popular culture, like a liberal bastion, kind of 350 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 1: like on the hill. And that's just the way. I'm 351 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 1: very progressive right, that's the way I think about in 352 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,400 Speaker 1: my mind because that's what's been highlighted. Right. So can 353 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 1: you paint a little bit of a picture of what 354 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: what Oregon, what Salem is like in the eighties? What 355 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: what does it feel like? Talk to me about I mean, 356 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:27,119 Speaker 1: we've talked about the corruption that we know of, but 357 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 1: what is the place actually like and what's going on there? Well? 358 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 1: Uh I wrote a column for The Oregonian for for 359 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:41,119 Speaker 1: a while, and that's how I'm usually identified, uh in 360 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 1: in this this context. But since then, I've written several 361 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 1: books about corruption in Oregon. And the first one, which 362 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: I wrote about about twenty years ago, I guess called 363 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:57,159 Speaker 1: Portland's Confidential, Oh, which, by the way, everybody won the 364 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: Independent Publisher's Best True Crime Award of two thousand five. Yeah, 365 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: it was. It was. It was very successful. It was 366 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: a regional bestseller, and and The Oregonian would not write 367 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:16,359 Speaker 1: about it. It was it was actually pretty funny. I 368 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: knew they weren't going to review it. The book review 369 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: editor told me that he had been ordered not to 370 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,439 Speaker 1: review it. But they at that time they were printing 371 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:26,400 Speaker 1: at once a week. They would print the best sellers 372 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: in the Northwest. He couldn't keep keep Portland's Confidential out 373 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,560 Speaker 1: because it was number one for several weeks. And so 374 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:38,520 Speaker 1: that first book was about a big vice scandal in Portland. 375 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:42,439 Speaker 1: At one time, back in the early fifties, Portland's was 376 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:47,919 Speaker 1: notorious throughout the nation. You know, they were Life magazine 377 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 1: features on how corrupt it was, and there had been 378 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 1: a big vice scandal. A lot of it had to 379 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: do with national politics and with the teamsters trying to 380 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: move in and the local mob trying to protect itself. 381 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,919 Speaker 1: You're Going In won a Pulitzer Prize at the time 382 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: for telling half the story about how the teamsters were 383 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: coming in, but they didn't record acknowledge that the town 384 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: had been set up for for decades, well back into 385 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:19,560 Speaker 1: the nineteenth century, by local mobs. And it ended in 386 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:21,640 Speaker 1: Senate hearings. I mean, it was that big a deal 387 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty seven, and everyone came back and tried 388 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: to forget about it. So by when I wrote that book, 389 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: it had really been a secret, not to be talked about, 390 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,800 Speaker 1: and and everyone liked to imagine that Oregon was this 391 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:40,360 Speaker 1: pristine state. I think that that's sort of a carryover 392 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: from the time when people were coming west anyway, and 393 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,160 Speaker 1: I thought they could leave the evils of civilization behind. 394 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 1: So at least here the impression that Oregon was somehow 395 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 1: an exception to the general rules of humanity was fostered. 396 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 1: And so when I wrote this, uh, Portland Confidential, it 397 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,919 Speaker 1: was one of the reasons it was successful is that 398 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:06,919 Speaker 1: it was it was just a real breakthrough, you know, 399 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:12,239 Speaker 1: people starting to realize except the fact that there was 400 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,200 Speaker 1: a real tradition of corruption here as there is in 401 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: most places. I think that you can find this in 402 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: just about any American city. And one thing, one thing 403 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: I like about that that understanding of corruption and it's ubiquity, 404 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: is that despite the image a lot of people outside 405 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: of Oregon or outside of the Northwest have about the 406 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 1: region and the place, despite that image, many of those 407 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:43,160 Speaker 1: same rules and I like that you call them rules 408 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: fille still apply. Uh. Many people don't know that Oregon 409 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 1: as a state was initially founded as a yeah, as 410 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 1: a racially motivated separatist society. Now, of course that's that. 411 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,200 Speaker 1: It's just another example of how many skeletons we can 412 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,439 Speaker 1: find when we dig into these closets. But I'd like 413 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: to change gears here just a bit and ask ask 414 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: a personal question of you. I've I've worked with many 415 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:17,680 Speaker 1: UH investigative journalists on various projects before, and one thing 416 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,679 Speaker 1: that I always find profoundly impressive and moving is the 417 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,359 Speaker 1: drive and the tenacity. And I think for many of 418 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,919 Speaker 1: our UM journalism students or journalists in the audience today, 419 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,160 Speaker 1: that's something that they would like like to hear your 420 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 1: take on and hear you talk about. Could you tell 421 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:40,640 Speaker 1: us what keeps you going on on a case like this, 422 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: because this has been a hard road and uh twisting tail, Like, 423 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,359 Speaker 1: are there ever moments where there's a dark night of 424 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,239 Speaker 1: the soul where you think maybe I should let this go? 425 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,320 Speaker 1: Or do you double up? I mean, where does the 426 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,159 Speaker 1: energy and the power and the drive come from to 427 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: stay with these kind of cases. It's always sort of 428 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,160 Speaker 1: a complicated thing, you know. From the beginning I got 429 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,840 Speaker 1: started on it, I was writing a column. I was interested, 430 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:11,320 Speaker 1: it was obviously an interesting story. And then then there 431 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:16,400 Speaker 1: are inconsistencies. I I certainly didn't know the answers, uh, 432 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: but but I I knew there were a lot of questions, 433 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 1: and so I started raising them. And then once I 434 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: started getting all this pushback, it became a little bit 435 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:29,119 Speaker 1: of a matter of pride, I suppose. And of course, 436 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: you know, we haven't talked about the brothers of the 437 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 1: murdered man, uh, Kevin and Pat Frankie, who from the 438 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:42,399 Speaker 1: beginning raised questions about it, and once they realized that 439 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:45,840 Speaker 1: Gabel was a Patsy, defended him, I mean, And so 440 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:49,760 Speaker 1: I took there their part in it from the beginning, 441 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:52,919 Speaker 1: partly because it was made it easier for me to 442 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: tell the story through Kevin's eyes, but also because they 443 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: were they were raising good questions, and so you know, 444 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: I got I got more and more involved in the 445 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: story over the years, and I would say, Okay, I'm 446 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:13,479 Speaker 1: going to write a book about it now, and then 447 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: I say, no, I don't have enough, and I'd go 448 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 1: off and write a book about something else. Then I'd 449 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:19,240 Speaker 1: come back to it and I said, okay, I'm gonna 450 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:23,480 Speaker 1: do it now. Finally, you know, over the years, Kevin 451 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:28,960 Speaker 1: was doing more research himself, investigation, and I was we 452 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: found it, you know, started understanding the case more. I mean. 453 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:37,960 Speaker 1: It was very difficult because the official investigation was a 454 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:43,080 Speaker 1: cover up. And finally there's brilliant habeas corpus petition by 455 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,960 Speaker 1: the public defender. Uh. They She and her team spent 456 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:52,120 Speaker 1: several years going into this in depth that confirmed so 457 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:54,959 Speaker 1: much of what we talked about and and elucidated all 458 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 1: the rest of it. Finally, after all these years, finally 459 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 1: understood it well enough to to make the case that 460 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: we make in Murder and Oregon. But why, I guess 461 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,879 Speaker 1: your your question, why why do you? Why do you 462 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,600 Speaker 1: keep doing it? It's it's it's for a combination of motives, 463 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 1: and some of them very personal and and and some 464 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:17,919 Speaker 1: of them probably a little selfish at the beginning, but 465 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: in this case anyway, deeply invested in it finally because 466 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:27,240 Speaker 1: just the the injustice of it on so many levels. 467 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:31,439 Speaker 1: And I've got to say also, because I'm very interested 468 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,359 Speaker 1: in these stories I spend my I've discovered that I 469 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: really enjoy putting together cases like this and understanding how 470 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: they really work. So that's part of it too. It's 471 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 1: really interesting to fill spending time with you and Kevin 472 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 1: U through the production of the show and kind of 473 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,280 Speaker 1: seeing the way you you guys basically became you had 474 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:52,840 Speaker 1: each other's backs in such a real way. And when 475 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 1: you and Kevin sort of met back when this was 476 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:59,400 Speaker 1: was happening. Um, you really forged a friendship. It was 477 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: like a part ship where you were almost kind of 478 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 1: a duo of kind of makes detectives, I guess for 479 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:07,960 Speaker 1: for lack of a better term. That's why I kind 480 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: of compare this to the whole True Detective story of 481 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: the first season, where it really is you know, YouTube 482 00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:17,400 Speaker 1: against kind of the world, trying to you know, push 483 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: for the truth against all odds. And Kevin even was 484 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: targeted by the police. I mean there were times where 485 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: he was harassed and his tires were slashed and there 486 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: were notes on his car saying go home. He had 487 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 1: guns pointed at it, right, and they tried to get 488 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 1: him killed. Yeah, And he uprooted his life from Florida, 489 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: where he had a successful construction business and moved to 490 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: Oregon and really embedded himself in this kind of underbelly 491 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: where he you know, almost became like that hard boiled 492 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: kind of dashiel Ham detective, going to all the sleazy 493 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: dives and really becoming you know, making his own informants 494 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: and you know, and and doing all the things that 495 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 1: the police clearly weren't going to do because it wasn't 496 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 1: and their interest to actually you know point the fingers 497 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 1: at the right people. Um, and I think that's really fascinating. 498 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:06,960 Speaker 1: And to spend time with you guys, I realized that 499 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: both of you are almost more comfortable in the presence 500 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: of of of folks that maybe skirt the law in 501 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:15,640 Speaker 1: a little. And you introduced me to a friend of yours, 502 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: for example, who was like he was a pilot. Who 503 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: tell me about your your your friend who you introduced 504 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: me to if you without naming names, but like these 505 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 1: the pilot story is another one. I at one point 506 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:35,239 Speaker 1: I was working as a legitimate journalist in Washington, did 507 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 1: you see. I dropped out and went back, went down 508 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,640 Speaker 1: to Miami, dropped out again from a newspaper and ended 509 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: up working for investigative agents, private investigator who was doing 510 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: business for one of the biggest drug smugglers in the 511 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: Western hemisphere. And and I got caught up in that. 512 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:57,240 Speaker 1: But I think the guy you're talking about in Salem 513 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:01,560 Speaker 1: was my friend Roger came down when we're doing interviews 514 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,600 Speaker 1: h in Salem, and he had spent a lot of 515 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:09,440 Speaker 1: time in some of the best prisons around the country, 516 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: h for a number of crimes. Very intelligent guys sort 517 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: of uh and and and a great storyteller. I do 518 00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: feel comfortable with with people who have gone through stuff 519 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 1: like that. It's it's listening to war stories and and 520 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 1: you know, the drug drug drug wars were wars. I 521 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: mean I I give people the same sort of license 522 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 1: I would I would give someone who had been overseas 523 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:38,360 Speaker 1: more with Phil Stanford. After we take a quick sponsor 524 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 1: break and we're back, let's dive in. Hey, Phil, I 525 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: want to ask you a question about your opinion. Please 526 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 1: feel free to skip this if you'd like to. But 527 00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: just as someone you you currently still live in order, correct, right, So, 528 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 1: as someone who lives in Oregon, Um, how do you 529 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 1: feel about the culture the that's happening right now the 530 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: legalization of marijuana? Like how how how do you feel 531 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 1: about all of that growing up, you know, covering crime 532 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: in the drug trade over all these years, the uh, 533 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 1: the legalization has made very little difference in in my 534 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 1: life or the life of people around me. Most of 535 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: the people I know have have smoked dope most of 536 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:40,840 Speaker 1: their lives. The biggest difference legalization has made in Oregon 537 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: is that has put some people out of business who 538 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 1: are operating illegally. You know, their prices the prices dropped 539 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: as we would PreTect and and um so let's put 540 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 1: some some friends out of out of business. But right 541 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: now I'm living out on the coast, Oregon coast, in 542 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: little town and gotten to know the a little bit 543 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:06,320 Speaker 1: about the history that here, everyone here, uh was raising dope. 544 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,280 Speaker 1: Everyone knew. This a little town, everyone knows who the dope, 545 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,479 Speaker 1: who's selling dope. Had to be protected by the local police, 546 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 1: and they were. I guess I'm getting a little bit 547 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:20,240 Speaker 1: off the question of what legalization has meant, but it's 548 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: actually meant very little. Why I I think I think 549 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: you make an interesting point though you talk about police 550 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: protection of of say, marijuana dealers, but what in Murdering Oregon, 551 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:35,240 Speaker 1: we're talking a lot about police protection of methamphetamine dealers 552 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:40,200 Speaker 1: and much more sinister drugs and things that really ruined 553 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: people's lives. That's the thing that why I said, none 554 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: of this is spoilers about murder and Oregon, because it 555 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:47,360 Speaker 1: really is about the experience of meeting all of these characters, 556 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:49,959 Speaker 1: and we have firsthand accounts from people that you know, 557 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,920 Speaker 1: really had their lives ruined by a lot of the players, 558 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,480 Speaker 1: the higher level players in the story. But you know, 559 00:33:55,760 --> 00:34:00,560 Speaker 1: meth in Oregon is a rampant problem, and that's the 560 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:03,640 Speaker 1: kind of drugs that were being smuggled into the prisons 561 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,880 Speaker 1: with police protection. UH. And that's a big part of 562 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:09,759 Speaker 1: our story. So, I mean, do you differentiate between the two. 563 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:11,400 Speaker 1: I know you're talking about you know, people that are 564 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:15,080 Speaker 1: in the drug wars. You you respect them in their stripes, etcetera. 565 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:17,480 Speaker 1: But you know, I do feel like there's a difference 566 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: between you know, smuggling marijuana and smuggling heroin and meth 567 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 1: amphetamine and things that you know, tear families apart and 568 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:30,799 Speaker 1: ruined lives. Sure, there's a difference between between them. I um, 569 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,719 Speaker 1: but they all get involved in the same trade. I mean, 570 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:39,000 Speaker 1: the people who were protecting the officials who are expecting marijuana, 571 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:43,120 Speaker 1: we're protecting heroin, We're protecting meth The big deal in 572 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 1: in UH Oregon prisons now as they've declared cigarettes out 573 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:51,520 Speaker 1: of bound so uh cigarettes sell for more than marijuana 574 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:55,520 Speaker 1: and uh and and so there's there's a lively trade 575 00:34:55,920 --> 00:35:00,400 Speaker 1: UH of of cigarettes smuggling UH run by the guards. 576 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 1: The guards are allowed to bring cigarettes into the US. 577 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 1: Where do you think they go? So it's um, drugs 578 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 1: are drugs as far as I am concerned. I mean, 579 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:13,840 Speaker 1: I certainly recognized that some are more dangerous than others. 580 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,000 Speaker 1: I would certainly say that hard liquor is more dangerous 581 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 1: than marijuana. But yeah, and has probably ruined more lives 582 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:25,760 Speaker 1: than heroin and is probably doing more doing more damage 583 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:29,480 Speaker 1: as we record this episode. Yeah, I do think your 584 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,520 Speaker 1: agnostic approach to like you you're looking at you have 585 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,759 Speaker 1: a problem with injustice. You don't make judgments necessarily, but 586 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:39,760 Speaker 1: what you what really gets under your skin is people 587 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:42,560 Speaker 1: who are liars and who are covering up the truth. 588 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 1: And you have this thirst for and that's what drives you. 589 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,719 Speaker 1: I think, in my opinion to Ben's previous question, is 590 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:53,799 Speaker 1: you cannot abide by people getting away with, you know, 591 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:56,520 Speaker 1: throwing others under the bus, who didn't deserve it, who 592 00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,560 Speaker 1: didn't actually have any steak in the game, and who 593 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:02,239 Speaker 1: you were just used as kind of ponds and these 594 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:05,640 Speaker 1: other more powerful people's kind of master plan for lack 595 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 1: of a better term. Would you agree with that or 596 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:09,560 Speaker 1: what are your thoughts about Yeah? I think I would 597 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 1: thank you. Yeah. Uh. Another question, we're talking a lot 598 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,319 Speaker 1: about police corruption, which is an open secret, especially in 599 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:22,400 Speaker 1: various smaller communities throughout the United States, do you, in 600 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,840 Speaker 1: your experience, UH, in the various regions of work, do 601 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 1: you find that Oregon has it feels so cynical to 602 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:33,000 Speaker 1: ask it this way, do you find that it has 603 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:38,080 Speaker 1: an extraordinarily high amount of law enforcement corruption or a 604 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:41,960 Speaker 1: normal amount whatever that is? Uh? And I guess the 605 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:46,320 Speaker 1: question is is Oregon exceptional in the degree of corruption, 606 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:50,960 Speaker 1: whether through UH smuggling or protected rackets or is this 607 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:54,040 Speaker 1: just sort of the the lay of the land that 608 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:58,279 Speaker 1: we don't typically talk about in mainstream media. I think 609 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:01,560 Speaker 1: that's exactly what it is. And it's not just that 610 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:05,480 Speaker 1: we don't talk about it and it's not really recognized. 611 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,799 Speaker 1: People can't really afford to recognize this. But I think 612 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:14,120 Speaker 1: it is. Of course, the levels of corruption depends on 613 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:17,040 Speaker 1: the place and on the time, and vary from time 614 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: to time, but in every place, but um, yeah, I've 615 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:24,719 Speaker 1: lived a number of different places, and I worked as 616 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:29,439 Speaker 1: a private investigator in Miami, in d C. And UH 617 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:34,720 Speaker 1: in Portland. I've worked, you know, UH as a writer 618 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:38,960 Speaker 1: in in those places and lived a lot of places. 619 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:46,839 Speaker 1: I think that corruption is certainly part of our our 620 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:52,359 Speaker 1: our political economy. There's a really good book on it. 621 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:56,839 Speaker 1: It's by a sociologist, William Chambliss called On the Take. 622 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:00,560 Speaker 1: He wrote it back in the I think the seventies 623 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:06,000 Speaker 1: or eighties. You can, uh, it's worth getting. But he 624 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:11,359 Speaker 1: talks about crime as a system that involves politicians, law 625 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:14,799 Speaker 1: enforcement people, and of course he says not always most 626 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:19,560 Speaker 1: importantly the racketeers. It's certainly true. In fact, he was 627 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:24,239 Speaker 1: sort of the inspiration for me getting started writing about corruption. 628 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:29,840 Speaker 1: I've been pushed out at the Oregonian and uh doing 629 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:33,160 Speaker 1: this and that. It was in Powell's Bookstore, which is 630 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:36,760 Speaker 1: a great bookstore there, and looking at the section and 631 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:38,919 Speaker 1: and there was this book I hadn't heard of before, 632 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 1: called On the Take by William Chambler. So I got it. 633 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: And he talks about Seattle in the seventies. He was 634 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:48,960 Speaker 1: doing his doctoral thesis there and he basically penetrated the 635 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: Seattle underworld where you know, and at the time in Seattle, 636 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 1: everyone was telling him, oh, this is a squeaky clean town. No, 637 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 1: he got out there and he started talking to these people, 638 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:00,799 Speaker 1: worked his way up the chain, and he wrote the 639 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:05,719 Speaker 1: thesis about it, and it's really terrific. And I said, well, 640 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 1: maybe that will explain some things in Portland. So I 641 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:15,080 Speaker 1: started researching those things that uh sort of the lower 642 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:20,320 Speaker 1: level people involved in in in the vice activities, and 643 00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:23,760 Speaker 1: UH made friends, got to got to know these people 644 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 1: who was a lot of them were dead by that time. 645 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,400 Speaker 1: Because this was about Portlands in the fifties. It was 646 00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:33,399 Speaker 1: the old vice scandal turned into Portland Confidential, the vice 647 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:37,440 Speaker 1: scandal that everyone pretended never happened and was able to 648 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:41,680 Speaker 1: reconstruct that. But it is a system and and and 649 00:39:41,719 --> 00:39:44,320 Speaker 1: if you look at Portland's history, for example, the first 650 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,840 Speaker 1: Marshal was the saloon keeper. He was a gun slinger 651 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:54,640 Speaker 1: from California. A saloon back then was booze gambling. And 652 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:59,399 Speaker 1: upstairs the girls six of the nine councilmen early on 653 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:03,320 Speaker 1: in poor Land, we're saloon keepers. Come on. And Portland 654 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:06,920 Speaker 1: considered itself an exception to the rule. I mean, it's 655 00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:12,360 Speaker 1: because they were they had their blinders on. But yeah, 656 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:19,120 Speaker 1: you look at New York, Chicago, Providence, Rhode Island, Miami, 657 00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 1: San Francisco, Los Angeles, I mean, and then the small 658 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:28,640 Speaker 1: towns of the same way, same way. So I'd also 659 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:33,640 Speaker 1: like to ask you if you have any advice to 660 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:39,320 Speaker 1: our our budding investigative journalists in the audience today, because 661 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,360 Speaker 1: I know my spider sense tells me at least that 662 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:44,759 Speaker 1: a lot of people who are who are hearing this, 663 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:47,480 Speaker 1: even if they haven't tuned into the podcast Murder and 664 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 1: Oregon yet, are are also identifying on some level with 665 00:40:52,239 --> 00:40:55,759 Speaker 1: some of the personal and professional struggles you have to 666 00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:59,080 Speaker 1: face when you're you know, when you're in what can 667 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:02,759 Speaker 1: you feel like a Dave adversus Goliath situation? Do you 668 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:07,520 Speaker 1: have advice to UH to journalists who are are digging 669 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,000 Speaker 1: into a story or people who would want to pursue 670 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:15,879 Speaker 1: investigative journalism. Sure, um, I don't know what I would 671 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,239 Speaker 1: do now. When I got into it, it was it 672 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:20,919 Speaker 1: was easier to sort of slip through the front door 673 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:24,279 Speaker 1: and get a job. These days, it seems you have 674 00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 1: to be so credential to UH TO to to get 675 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:32,799 Speaker 1: in and by that time you're you're pretty well conditioned 676 00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:36,120 Speaker 1: not to ask a lot of the questions that a 677 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:40,440 Speaker 1: good investigative journalist would ask. A lot of what passes 678 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:44,399 Speaker 1: for investigative journalism at the local and the national level 679 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:49,239 Speaker 1: is just people being fed leaks to really go against 680 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: conventional wisdom, which is what we're talking about here. Is 681 00:41:55,520 --> 00:42:01,120 Speaker 1: A is a very difficult proposition in the media, especially now, 682 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:05,360 Speaker 1: and the best investigative journalists in this country, in this 683 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:09,360 Speaker 1: country seemour Hirsch can't publish in this country anymore. That 684 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:13,399 Speaker 1: will give you some idea of his problems. So, I mean, 685 00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:15,480 Speaker 1: there are people out there who are getting away with 686 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 1: good stuff. Matt Tybee is good, Glenn Greenwald is good, 687 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:23,160 Speaker 1: and there there are a few more. But you've got 688 00:42:23,160 --> 00:42:25,880 Speaker 1: to find an organization that will support you. I I 689 00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:29,560 Speaker 1: I spend a lot of time in UH sort of 690 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:34,759 Speaker 1: devising getting my stuff out by devising strategies. When I 691 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:36,560 Speaker 1: was writing the column, I would always pretend to be 692 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:39,600 Speaker 1: a little bit more conservative than I was, use the 693 00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:45,480 Speaker 1: conservative argument to UH support a radical position. I mean 694 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:47,560 Speaker 1: that there's a lot of mental judo that goes on 695 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:51,759 Speaker 1: in anyway, and you have to learn how to do that. 696 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:59,200 Speaker 1: But I'm not terribly sanguine about the possibilities for UH 697 00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:02,479 Speaker 1: doing an investigative work on on the in the mass 698 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 1: media right now. You know, Phil I I agree with 699 00:43:05,080 --> 00:43:08,680 Speaker 1: all of that UM completely in terms of print journalism 700 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:11,799 Speaker 1: and more traditional media outlets. But I will say that 701 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,040 Speaker 1: you know, some of those UH, those organizations that are 702 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:18,080 Speaker 1: more traditional are not the only game in town anymore. 703 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:22,080 Speaker 1: They're no longer the only arbiters of you know, distribution 704 00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:25,560 Speaker 1: of information. And even with Murder in Oregon, while maybe 705 00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:28,600 Speaker 1: we couldn't have gotten The Oregonian to print a story 706 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:31,239 Speaker 1: like that, obviously, uh, we were able to do it 707 00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:34,239 Speaker 1: as a podcast and and and the only arbiters of 708 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:37,480 Speaker 1: that information were you know, you and myself and and 709 00:43:37,560 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 1: Lauren Pacheco, the producer, and of course you know, we've 710 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,360 Speaker 1: added things with legal to make sure we didn't get sued. 711 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:45,560 Speaker 1: But you know, with podcasting, I think, you know, young 712 00:43:45,600 --> 00:43:48,480 Speaker 1: people have the opportunity if they really see something they 713 00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:51,400 Speaker 1: want to uncover, like our friend Payne Lindsay for example, 714 00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:55,000 Speaker 1: and Up and Vanished, he did an investigative deep dive 715 00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:58,440 Speaker 1: into a cold case that ultimately lead to it being solved. 716 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:01,280 Speaker 1: So I think podcasting is kind of taking that place 717 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:05,759 Speaker 1: and sort of democratizing the ability of new voices to 718 00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:08,520 Speaker 1: kind of really push things forward, um in a way 719 00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:12,000 Speaker 1: that maybe you know, print journalism wouldn't allow, like for example, 720 00:44:12,239 --> 00:44:14,480 Speaker 1: Leaven that Marguie Boulet story we talked about in the 721 00:44:14,520 --> 00:44:19,680 Speaker 1: show Murder and Oregon that exposed Neil Goldschmidt's um crimes 722 00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:23,440 Speaker 1: uh and and horrific acts. They wouldn't publish it. The 723 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:27,080 Speaker 1: Oregonian wouldn't publish it until this woman had died. I mean, 724 00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:32,799 Speaker 1: it's right. I obviously left off stopped short of of 725 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:38,719 Speaker 1: of social media and podcasts, but um yeah, this this 726 00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:42,080 Speaker 1: would never have come out in the print media. And 727 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:45,319 Speaker 1: uh and and and and and we did it as 728 00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:52,320 Speaker 1: a podcast and it's very solid. Um uh. It's amusing 729 00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:56,080 Speaker 1: to note that The Oregonian has not taken note even 730 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:59,520 Speaker 1: of the podcast successful as it has been. Didn't you 731 00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:04,759 Speaker 1: guys slipping ad in there? We sure did we? Uh yeah. 732 00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:07,080 Speaker 1: And just to point this out to like maybe we 733 00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:09,880 Speaker 1: were burying the lead here, Phil wrote for The Oregonian 734 00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:14,200 Speaker 1: for many years and was basically pushed out. And it 735 00:45:14,239 --> 00:45:18,560 Speaker 1: became pretty clear that the Oregonian had a political act 736 00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:21,000 Speaker 1: to grind in this whole thing, that they were kind 737 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:24,879 Speaker 1: of in the gold Schmidt camp. And even when it 738 00:45:24,920 --> 00:45:28,080 Speaker 1: was revealed in a press conference, because you know, many 739 00:45:28,120 --> 00:45:31,040 Speaker 1: many years later, after statuted limitations on rape had passed, 740 00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,879 Speaker 1: gold Schmidt was exposed for having had this relationship. He 741 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:38,919 Speaker 1: did this this press conference where the Oregonians sent all 742 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:42,560 Speaker 1: of their kind of you know, company company guys um 743 00:45:42,640 --> 00:45:45,439 Speaker 1: who basically buried the lead. And I think they used 744 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:49,160 Speaker 1: the headline they called it had an affair with an 745 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:56,560 Speaker 1: underaged girl as opposed to yeah, which obviously that's absurd. 746 00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:59,239 Speaker 1: It is it is rape, you know, it's it's statutory 747 00:45:59,320 --> 00:46:01,839 Speaker 1: or otherwise having there's no such thing as having an 748 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:05,799 Speaker 1: affair with an underaged girl. That's an absolute misnomer. And 749 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:08,800 Speaker 1: it just goes to show they really did stand firm 750 00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:10,759 Speaker 1: in that gold Schmidt camp. And that was a big 751 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:12,879 Speaker 1: part of why you guys but it had so much 752 00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:17,080 Speaker 1: is because you wouldn't tell that company line, right, Oh yeah, yeah. 753 00:46:17,160 --> 00:46:21,399 Speaker 1: The the editor I find that who finally pushed me out, uh, 754 00:46:21,719 --> 00:46:25,719 Speaker 1: was a celebrity sucker and and and and she came 755 00:46:25,760 --> 00:46:29,759 Speaker 1: to town her her biggest u aim obviously, was to 756 00:46:29,800 --> 00:46:32,279 Speaker 1: become good friends with gold Schmidt and his wife. They 757 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:37,439 Speaker 1: are to this day. So I have a question here, 758 00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:41,160 Speaker 1: Phil that I definitely wanted to get to before we 759 00:46:41,239 --> 00:46:45,240 Speaker 1: close our show, and it's it's again it's another personal question, 760 00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:47,080 Speaker 1: but I know it's something a lot of us are 761 00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:53,360 Speaker 1: thinking while we're listening. Clearly, were you know, clearly were 762 00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:58,160 Speaker 1: persecuted by the oregony. And that's that's just a demonstrable fact. 763 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:02,759 Speaker 1: Did you ever feel that your life or have you 764 00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:05,000 Speaker 1: ever felt at any point in this investigation that your 765 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:09,480 Speaker 1: life was in danger or that you know, somebody might 766 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:13,600 Speaker 1: as stereotypical as it sounds, send some goons your way, 767 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:19,040 Speaker 1: or practice some sort of intimidation tactic. Well, actually, a 768 00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:23,799 Speaker 1: judge who conducted a an investigation in the Frankie case 769 00:47:23,880 --> 00:47:26,799 Speaker 1: at that time called me at one point and said, 770 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:30,880 Speaker 1: we received a threat, an anonymous threat against your life. 771 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:34,520 Speaker 1: And I said, well, who's it from? And he said, 772 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:37,520 Speaker 1: I said anonymous? Uh. I said, well, wh I did 773 00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:40,359 Speaker 1: tell me? He said, well, I that's what I had 774 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:43,360 Speaker 1: to do. And I said, thank you very much. But 775 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:48,080 Speaker 1: it's nothing that you could think too much about. In fact, 776 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:55,440 Speaker 1: I I never had, hardly ever had a firsthand information 777 00:47:55,560 --> 00:47:57,600 Speaker 1: that would have made me dangerous to people. I was 778 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:00,800 Speaker 1: just a journalist. Kevin was the one who was uh 779 00:48:01,239 --> 00:48:03,279 Speaker 1: most in danger because he was the one who was 780 00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:09,080 Speaker 1: really driving the moral force behind the resistance on on 781 00:48:09,160 --> 00:48:13,080 Speaker 1: this thing, the brother of the murdered man trying to 782 00:48:12,800 --> 00:48:16,520 Speaker 1: get get answers to his brother's murder. But you know, 783 00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:24,040 Speaker 1: I've received threats now and again. Uh, and uh, you 784 00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:29,040 Speaker 1: know it's I guess the best advice I ever got 785 00:48:29,080 --> 00:48:33,120 Speaker 1: on those is that from Bob Adams, who was head 786 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:35,319 Speaker 1: of the detective agency I worked for in Miami. I 787 00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:37,600 Speaker 1: got a threat back then. I went in and said 788 00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:40,719 Speaker 1: Bob um and told him about it, and he said, oh, 789 00:48:40,760 --> 00:48:45,279 Speaker 1: don't worry about the ones you hear. O. Yeah, I 790 00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:47,520 Speaker 1: know that's I can see that. Well, so then what 791 00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:51,480 Speaker 1: does your home security situation look like? Phil Oh? I 792 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:53,880 Speaker 1: I used to have alarms. I'm living on the coast. 793 00:48:53,880 --> 00:49:01,800 Speaker 1: Now if they want to get me, no, I'm I'm uh, 794 00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:05,640 Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's out together. Well. Uh, that is, 795 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:11,480 Speaker 1: first off, obviously fantastic to hear, because I think, you know, 796 00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:18,960 Speaker 1: sometimes people are pre frightened or pre intimidated to dive 797 00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:22,600 Speaker 1: into stories like that because they they have they have 798 00:49:22,719 --> 00:49:29,120 Speaker 1: a fear that outweighs their tenacity. And folks listening, we 799 00:49:29,360 --> 00:49:32,640 Speaker 1: hope you understand. This is just a taste of the 800 00:49:32,719 --> 00:49:35,640 Speaker 1: show Murder and Oregon, which I believe is available in 801 00:49:35,719 --> 00:49:39,640 Speaker 1: its entirety and that can benge the entire twelve episode 802 00:49:39,680 --> 00:49:42,960 Speaker 1: series on Apple Podcasts or the I Heart Radio app 803 00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:45,839 Speaker 1: or wherever you get podcasts, uh, and you know it's 804 00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:47,719 Speaker 1: just just to to to that point you made Ben. 805 00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:49,759 Speaker 1: It's funny with Phil and I also work together. We 806 00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:52,279 Speaker 1: met working on Happy Faith. Whire's another series you can 807 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:55,440 Speaker 1: binge in its entirety about the daughter of a Pacific 808 00:49:55,480 --> 00:49:58,680 Speaker 1: Northwest long haul truck driver UH and serial killer and 809 00:49:58,800 --> 00:50:02,239 Speaker 1: rapists by the name of Hunter jesperson who fill Um 810 00:50:02,400 --> 00:50:05,840 Speaker 1: reported on, and actually he reached out to Phil's newspaper 811 00:50:05,840 --> 00:50:08,520 Speaker 1: and then Phil coined the name Happy Face Killer, and 812 00:50:08,520 --> 00:50:10,920 Speaker 1: that's where we met Um and found out about this 813 00:50:10,960 --> 00:50:14,600 Speaker 1: story about Michael Frankie. But I had a very distinct 814 00:50:14,640 --> 00:50:17,839 Speaker 1: feeling late in the game and production on Happy Face 815 00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:20,720 Speaker 1: about you know, Keith Jess person is alive and in prison, 816 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:23,680 Speaker 1: and we all know the kind of cult of personality 817 00:50:23,719 --> 00:50:26,600 Speaker 1: that serial killers are and the kind of potential followers 818 00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:30,640 Speaker 1: they attract. It occurred to me in production, my name's 819 00:50:30,640 --> 00:50:33,520 Speaker 1: all over this thing. Am I gonna start getting threats? 820 00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:35,319 Speaker 1: You know, if people are gonna come like stalk me 821 00:50:35,360 --> 00:50:37,960 Speaker 1: and my family at my house. And I had that momentary, 822 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:40,080 Speaker 1: you know, fear, and then just kind of push it 823 00:50:40,120 --> 00:50:43,120 Speaker 1: away and realized, like, no, we're doing interesting work. You 824 00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:44,759 Speaker 1: have to kind of be a little bit. I'm not 825 00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:47,120 Speaker 1: saying I'm fearless, but you do have to kind of 826 00:50:47,360 --> 00:50:50,080 Speaker 1: throw caution to the winds sometimes and and really dive 827 00:50:50,120 --> 00:50:52,239 Speaker 1: in with this stuff. And I know all three of 828 00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:53,960 Speaker 1: us here have we've worked on shows like that and 829 00:50:54,360 --> 00:50:56,600 Speaker 1: just this show in general. We talk about things that 830 00:50:56,640 --> 00:51:01,759 Speaker 1: could potentially make us targets for crazed individuals of some 831 00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:04,439 Speaker 1: striper and others. So, UM, we're with you there, Phil, 832 00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:06,319 Speaker 1: and you definitely have to kind of shove that stuff 833 00:51:06,320 --> 00:51:12,880 Speaker 1: into the back of your mind and just keep pushing forward. Um. Yeah, 834 00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:16,680 Speaker 1: I didn't have anything intelligence to say well that. Uh, 835 00:51:17,280 --> 00:51:21,200 Speaker 1: you have uh many many brilliant works out there for 836 00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:24,719 Speaker 1: people who would like to learn more about Phil Stanford's 837 00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:30,920 Speaker 1: work and his research. Again, we recommend Portland's Confidential. Uh. 838 00:51:30,960 --> 00:51:34,360 Speaker 1: There's also White House, Call Girl. Uh. There's also a 839 00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:38,839 Speaker 1: collection columns from The Oregonian called do You Know how 840 00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:42,080 Speaker 1: Much a Light Year? Is? And Phil I was surprised 841 00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:48,080 Speaker 1: to note that there's also uh graphic novel City of Roses. Yeah, yeah, 842 00:51:48,200 --> 00:51:52,040 Speaker 1: that was fun did it with dark Horse Comics, great 843 00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:57,600 Speaker 1: artists and uh it's the story of corruption and uh 844 00:51:57,880 --> 00:52:00,720 Speaker 1: in Portland in the seventies when the nark Addis cops 845 00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:07,880 Speaker 1: were uh going wild. Uh uh. I later I did 846 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:11,080 Speaker 1: the graphic novel while I was getting up the uh 847 00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:15,759 Speaker 1: steam to write the book, which had to be documented 848 00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:19,480 Speaker 1: a good deal more and it was very difficult to 849 00:52:19,480 --> 00:52:21,680 Speaker 1: do because no one wanted to talk. And that book 850 00:52:21,719 --> 00:52:24,680 Speaker 1: is called Rose City Vice. It's dirty cops and dirty 851 00:52:24,760 --> 00:52:27,520 Speaker 1: robbers Portland in the seventies. I am going to get 852 00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:30,680 Speaker 1: that graphic novel as soon as we finish this episode, 853 00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:34,120 Speaker 1: which is which is ending right now. That's right. Uh 854 00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:39,400 Speaker 1: So the award winning author investigative journalists, the mind behind 855 00:52:40,120 --> 00:52:43,920 Speaker 1: our podcast Murder in Oregon, Phil Stanford, Phil, thank you 856 00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:48,760 Speaker 1: so much for your time. Uh and Phil, where can people? 857 00:52:49,480 --> 00:52:51,880 Speaker 1: Where can people go to learn more about your work 858 00:52:52,040 --> 00:52:56,360 Speaker 1: or to find some of your publications? Okay, well, Amazon 859 00:52:56,520 --> 00:52:58,760 Speaker 1: is the easiest way to do it. All the books 860 00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:02,200 Speaker 1: are available on Amazon as far as I know, and 861 00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:08,719 Speaker 1: um Wikipedia, Yeah, and don't forget you can check out 862 00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:12,560 Speaker 1: Murdering Oregon and its entirety available now wherever you get podcasts. 863 00:53:12,560 --> 00:53:16,360 Speaker 1: And also Happy Face where Phil is featured pretty regularly 864 00:53:16,360 --> 00:53:19,400 Speaker 1: on that one. But but Murdering Oregan really is Phil's 865 00:53:19,520 --> 00:53:21,720 Speaker 1: kind of brain child, and it's been a pleasure working 866 00:53:21,719 --> 00:53:23,440 Speaker 1: with you, and I do believe we've got some exciting 867 00:53:23,480 --> 00:53:25,879 Speaker 1: things up our sleeves for the future. Phil. But thanks 868 00:53:25,880 --> 00:53:27,520 Speaker 1: a million for coming on Stuff they Don't Want You 869 00:53:27,600 --> 00:53:30,520 Speaker 1: to Know, my friend, Okay, it's been great, Thanks very much. 870 00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:33,600 Speaker 1: And you can also find us on the internet. This 871 00:53:33,680 --> 00:53:36,719 Speaker 1: concludes our episode, but not our show. Find Stuff they 872 00:53:36,719 --> 00:53:39,200 Speaker 1: Don't Want You to Know on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 873 00:53:39,239 --> 00:53:43,160 Speaker 1: We especially like to recommend our Facebook community group Here's 874 00:53:43,160 --> 00:53:45,279 Speaker 1: where it gets Crazy, where you get to hang out 875 00:53:45,320 --> 00:53:48,000 Speaker 1: with our favorite part of the show, your fellow listeners. 876 00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:08,680 Speaker 1: M h h. Stuff they Don't Want You to Know 877 00:54:08,840 --> 00:54:11,160 Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. 878 00:54:11,320 --> 00:54:13,600 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 879 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,560 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 880 00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:17,400 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.