1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: The cheerleaders at a gym in Buffalo have been recording 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: themselves to make a new documentary where the news reporters 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: because one year ago a mass shooting changed their lives. 4 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: He just walked around shot all the black people. The 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: cheer squad, most of whom are black, had to figure 6 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: out how to go on and how to compete. I 7 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: wanted to win for them more than anything this season. 8 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: Listen to the embedded podcast from NPR within the iHeartRadio app, 9 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Carol Fisher and 10 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: I'm hosting a podcast called The Girlfriends. It's Las Vegas, 11 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,200 Speaker 1: it's the nineteen nineties, and it is time to find 12 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: a husband. There were four Jewish doctors who were felt 13 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: to be eligible bachelors. One of them was of the 14 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: Baron bat On paper he was perfect, but in reality, 15 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: this guy's a wacko. He shouted to the point went unconscious. 16 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: I would call him and I would say, I know 17 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: you killed my sister. You can listen to The girl 18 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: Friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you 19 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,479 Speaker 1: get your podcasts. This is the story of a man 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: who's fascinated me. His name was Sweet Daddy Grace, and 21 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: that's a name you don't forget. He was a visionary 22 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: who built a fortune as a black man during Jim 23 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: Crow during the Depression, but today not many people know 24 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: about him. The race sort of wiped out, and I 25 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: wonder if this was done intentionally. Listen to Sweet Daddy 26 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: Grace on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you 27 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: get your podcasts. I'm will daily. For years I've been 28 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: on the road playing shows and seeing America through live music. 29 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: This summer, I'll hit the stage. Who Season two of 30 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: Sound of Our Town ten cities twelve episodes every other Thursday, 31 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: we explore the live music venues and culture of a 32 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: new American city. With each new episode, our tour continues 33 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: into the kind of venues you want to get to 34 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: when you landed in Detroit, Providence, Denver, or Seattle. Listen 35 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: to Sound of Our Town on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, 36 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. You know everybody wants 37 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: to paint this idyllic picture of small town America. Well, 38 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: there's a CD underside to that. And if you don't 39 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: have anybody watching, the watchman keeping an eye on things, 40 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: keeping people accountable. Things can get out of control. There's 41 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: over twenty I'm solved homicides in Pike County. I want 42 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: the community to realize this can happen to their family. 43 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: This is the piked In massacre returned to Pike County 44 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: Season three, Episode nine, Cold Blooded. I'm Courtney Armstrong, a 45 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: television producer at Katie Studios with Stephanie Lidacker and Jeff Shane. 46 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: Over the last two seasons, we've covered a few local 47 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: stories that we believed were unrelated to the massacre. Turns 48 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: out we may have been mistaken. This episode is dedicated 49 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: to tying up the loose ends of these stories that 50 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: have new endings or new developments. We're also exploring the 51 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: intersection between many of the main players who also have 52 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:23,640 Speaker 1: ties to the Roden murders. The connections are undeniable. The 53 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: Roden murders of April twenty sixteen, earth shattering as they were, 54 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,639 Speaker 1: have pushed law enforcement in southern Ohio to the limit. 55 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: It's left their relatively small ranks hyper extended as a result. 56 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: As local cold case advocates like Angie Montgomery point out, 57 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: many other local homicides have gone ignored. In fact, there 58 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: are at least nine other murder cases in Pike County 59 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: dating back to two thousand that have iced over without 60 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: resolution or even charges issued. In light of the county's 61 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: population of only fifty eight thousand, this number is staggering. 62 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: Tracy Evans won the election, and he called me in 63 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: January when he went into office and told me that 64 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: he was going to try his best with the case 65 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: and to do the best he could with it. He 66 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: got in contact with the BCI and they were working 67 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: on some things. Speaking as Angie Montgomery, a piked and 68 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: mother of four and spiritual adviser. Once her kids were grown, 69 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,559 Speaker 1: Angie decided to dedicate her life to being a cold 70 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: case advocate. Here she is talking about Sheriff Tracy D. Evans, 71 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: who took over the Pike County Sheriff's office in twenty twenty. 72 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: This was after Sheriff Charles Reader, who spearheaded the Road 73 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: and Investigation, pled guilty to corruption charges. Reader is currently 74 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: facing a three year sentence at the Toledo Correctional Facility. 75 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:55,799 Speaker 1: Here's Stephanie and Jeff. Just as a reminder, Sheriff Charlie 76 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: Reader was the sheriff at the time of the Road 77 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: and murders, and he's ever been directly associated with the murders, 78 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: but he, alongside former DA Mike DeWine, we're very public 79 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: talking about it at the time, and after a very 80 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 1: thorough investigation, Reader agreed to be suspended in July twenty nineteen, 81 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: and shortly after was indicted on eighteen counts that included 82 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: also racketeering. Beloved Sheriff Charlie Reader was accused of stealing 83 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,160 Speaker 1: more than fourteen thousand dollars from the sheriff's office and 84 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: seized drug money. What he would do was go into 85 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,679 Speaker 1: these evidence envelopes that were in his possession, take out money, 86 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: go gamble with it, and then put the money back 87 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,840 Speaker 1: before anyone noticed, and allegedly he repeated this process numerous 88 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: times before anyone even caught on. In September twenty twenty, 89 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: Reader pled guilty to two counts of theft, one count 90 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: of tampering with evidence, and then also one count of 91 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: conflict of interest. Another matter that doesn't necessarily relate to this, 92 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 1: but is just another strike against Sheriff Reader's morality is 93 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 1: the story from twenty twenty one that he was sued 94 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 1: by Tony officials over collecting salary and benefits that they 95 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: say he improperly collected while he was suspended as they 96 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: were investigating all this other stuff that he had done. 97 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,799 Speaker 1: According to the lawsuit, Charlie Reader collected over one hundred 98 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: and twenty thousand dollars from the city. It's not clear 99 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: the exact status of this litigation, but it is just 100 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: another strike against the sheriff. Here again, Angie Montgomery, we 101 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: had a meeting with Tracy Evans in June, myself and 102 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: Curtis smother and Jenny sisters, and he told us that 103 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: Jeff the BTI decided not to assist with the case, 104 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: that he was going to wash his hands with them. 105 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 1: It's important to note that this is Angie Montgomery's recollection 106 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: of events. We've reached out to Sheriff Tracy Evans for 107 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: comment but did not receive a response. The Curtis and 108 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: Jenny Angie is referring to are her cousin Curtis Francis 109 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 1: and his fiance Jennifer Burgett. The pair were found dead 110 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,239 Speaker 1: in their bed on December ninth, two thousand and six, 111 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: in their home at one hundred and twenty four Hopper 112 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: Road in Piketon. Thirty four year old Curtis and thirty 113 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: year old Jennifer were each at once while asleep. The 114 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: killings became known as the Hopper Road murders. According to Angie, 115 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: Curtis and his fiance Jennifer were excited to get married. 116 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: They both loved hunting and fishing, and Chris was a 117 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: jovial guy known for playing practical jokes. Curtis had just 118 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: had shoulder replacement surgery and had a supply of pain medications, 119 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: so one early theory was that the killers were after 120 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: his pills. In the sixteen years since the murders, the 121 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: case has been opened and closed several times without a 122 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: single arrest. It's currently a cold case. Sheriff Evans, who 123 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: during his campaign promised voters to improve resources for victims, 124 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: has deflected Angie's passionate please to reopen the case. He 125 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: was done with it. Basically, there was nothing more they 126 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: could do that we would have to turn to the 127 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: media if we wanted to get help with the case, 128 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: which was kind of heartbreaking, because you know, he gets 129 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: elected and tells us that he's going to do everything 130 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: he can, but then he's flipping it around and saying, 131 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: if the BCI does that helped him. I'm just going 132 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: to wash my hands with it, so you kind of 133 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: contradict him what she told me. Kind he gave us 134 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: like salt hope, like this guy's really going to dig 135 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: into it and do something, and turns around and says 136 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: if the BCI doesn't do anything, he's not going to 137 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: do anything. And he also said that he didn't want 138 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: kIPS called into the sheriff's tournament, which I thought was 139 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: very odd. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation or BCI, 140 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 1: has offered no new support. Here's investigative reporter and journal 141 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: is a professor, James Pilcher. Unfortunately, the Francis and Burgette 142 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: case has been ruled a cold case now by both 143 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: of the Pike prosecutor in the Ohio Attorney General's office. 144 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,080 Speaker 1: That happened about two years ago, so now it's on 145 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: the shelf. There's no answers and unless family members can 146 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: come forwards new evidence, or if something just pops up 147 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: or somebody walks in off the street and says I 148 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: did it, you know, that's pretty much what's gonna happen 149 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: for anything to move on this case. For Angie, this 150 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: case has been a long and frustrating series of missed 151 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:39,040 Speaker 1: opportunities and snaffoos. In twenty sixteen, investigators discovered a hidden 152 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: well at three twenty four win Road, five minutes from 153 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: Hopper Road. This well contained a saddle gun, a lever 154 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: action eighteen shot that is what Curtis and Jenny were 155 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: killed with. There was also a pistol sunk in the 156 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: swampy well, but according to reports, in the process of 157 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 1: trying to flood the evidence out of the well, the 158 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: fire department blew an eighty foothole in the well and 159 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: wash the guns away. And then there was the issue 160 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:14,199 Speaker 1: of the lost nine one one call. Here again, Angie Montgomery, 161 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: and then they tell me that they lost a nine 162 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: one one call. They're not very efficient with things. You 163 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 1: would think that that would be one of the main 164 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 1: things you would keep a hold of in a double homicide. 165 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: So it kind of worried me that they did turn 166 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: everything over that they have to the BCI to bc 167 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: I light look at it and faceful, there isn't anything 168 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:39,720 Speaker 1: here we can walk with. That's where it falls back 169 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: on all these cases, all these cases that are unsolved, 170 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: it's the same thing. It's repetitive. All families I talked to. 171 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: They go through the same thing they go through, which 172 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: is they lost this or they don't have this, And 173 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: why doesn't a sheriff want keeps cone into the sheriff's office. 174 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: You know you got twelve documented until homicides in your account. 175 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:04,959 Speaker 1: Why aren't you asking the public for help for these cases? 176 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: It's like they're just shoved to the side. That's how 177 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: the case has become cold. Angie is still holding out 178 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:17,839 Speaker 1: hope that the BCI will reopen the cold case and 179 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: look at it with fresh eyes. It's actually their cold 180 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,679 Speaker 1: Case unit, which is through the Ohio Attorney General's Office, 181 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: and they are amazing. They just solved a forty seven 182 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: year old homicide. They're really good. So if they do 183 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 1: take it on and assist, I think that will get 184 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: an arrest because they're good at what they do. But 185 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: I'm also worried about what all Pike County has given them. 186 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: What ultimately stands in the way of the Francis case 187 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: finding resolution. Is it incompetence, apathy like the killer behind 188 00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 1: this awful crime. It remains a mystery. I've got someone 189 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: in curtain Junie's case that gave a statement back in 190 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: two thousand and six when it happened, and he was 191 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:11,559 Speaker 1: the last person to see Kurs and Jennifer alive, and 192 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: he went to the Sheriff's office and gave him a 193 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: statement that he was there, and those people haven't They 194 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: never called him back, They never followed up with him. 195 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: And I had him go again and make another statement 196 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 1: with mister Evans, the new sheriff and turning in and 197 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: I asked him every day and they have not called him. 198 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: They have not followed up with him. So to me, 199 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:41,960 Speaker 1: that makes me think that they don't care, period, because 200 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: that's a pretty big guils someone saying they were the 201 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: last person to see two people alive that were murdered, 202 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: and you're not going to call him back and talk 203 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: to him. It's eerie the way things are done around here. 204 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: We don't know where the Francis case will go, but 205 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,040 Speaker 1: there's yet another piken A case, this one involving a 206 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: young man named Jacob Lansing that has had its own 207 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: investigative issues. In January of twenty eighteen, piked In prosecutors 208 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: thought they had their man. Paul Detti, thirty one, was 209 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,600 Speaker 1: all set to face trial and in Pike County Common 210 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:23,439 Speaker 1: Pleas court charged with aggravated murder for the twenty twelve 211 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: death of Jacob Lansing, but then prosecutors suddenly reverse course. 212 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:33,080 Speaker 1: Newly uncovered evidence exonerated Debty, and the death penalty case 213 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: was dismissed. Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk, who's overseeing the 214 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,319 Speaker 1: road in trials, described this case as one of the 215 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,680 Speaker 1: weirdest he'd ever seen. On October twenty seventh, twenty twelve, 216 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: Jacob Lansing's body was found underneath the vehicle at his 217 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:53,439 Speaker 1: River Road home. Authorities thought it was an unfortunate accident 218 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: in which the suv the twenty five year old had 219 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: been working fell on him, but his mother, Maureen, was 220 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 1: incredulous and took action. The fact that Jacob wasn't dressed 221 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,679 Speaker 1: in his usual coveralls while working on his car did 222 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:11,959 Speaker 1: not wash here again, Stephanie and Jeff. Rob Junk is 223 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: one of the main prosecutors against the Wagoners, and as 224 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: we've come to learn over the years, he was involved 225 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: with both Reader brothers. All of these names kind of 226 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: keep coming back to each other. He had a very 227 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: public social media spat with Sheriff Charlie Reader, where Sheriff 228 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: Reader was threatening to take Rob Junk down, or, as 229 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: he put it, take the quote unquote Junk out. It 230 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: turns out it was Rob Junk who would end up 231 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 1: being an integral part in getting both Charlie and Brian 232 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: Reader removed from their posts. A lot of people have 233 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: theorized that the main reason that Brian Reader was removed 234 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: from office was because of his handling of the lancing case. However, 235 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,120 Speaker 1: it's been reported on that Brian Reader was terminated for 236 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: attendance records and sick time. This is according to Pike 237 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 1: County Commissioner Blaine Beakman. As for Rob Junk in January 238 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: of twenty nineteen, he noted that his office as an 239 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: out will employer, and he can quote let somebody go 240 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 1: if I don't like the color of their socks. Here 241 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: again are Montgomery. He never worked on his fickle in 242 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: his sport twelve. That's what was bug and her there 243 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: were the package cigarettes beside him, and he didn't smoke. 244 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: So she got a private investigator, did it behind the 245 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: CoP's back, and got her own evidence and took all 246 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: of her evidence into Rob Junk, and Rob said, well, 247 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: we'll look at it. This was a rare instance where 248 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,880 Speaker 1: an insistent family member was able to move the dial 249 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: with the prosecutor's office. Jacob's mom, Marine never believed that 250 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: his death was an accident. Now finally, in late twenty 251 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: sixteen early twenty seventeen, she got Brian Reader to listen. 252 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: Ryan was the chief investigator at the time with the 253 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: Pike County Prosecutor's Office that's Rob Junk who is now 254 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 1: part of the prosecution team overseeing the prosecution of the Wagners. 255 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: He opened an investigation and even had the body exhumed 256 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: and an autopsy perform and that revealed that he had 257 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: been beaten and strangled to death. This means that Jacob 258 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: Lansing's killer took his dead body, placed it under his suv, 259 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: and then precipitously dropped the vehicle to make it look 260 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: like Jacob was crushed a freak accident, but based on 261 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: the new evidence, the death was ruled a homicide. Bryan 262 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: spent months and months following the leads and doing interviews 263 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: to find these suspects. Zeran and on a man named 264 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: Paul Michael Allan Detty, who we arrested in May of 265 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: twenty seventeen, but in January of twenty eighteen, a week 266 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: before detty's trials to begin. Rob Junk, who I mentioned 267 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: before he was prosecutor, dismissed the case without prejudice and 268 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 1: Debti was released. He cited new evidence that popped up 269 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:08,960 Speaker 1: that affected the case, but he never told us what 270 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: that evidence was. A year later, in twenty nineteen, Rob 271 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: Young fired Brian Reader. Investigator. Brian Reader, who had been 272 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:21,960 Speaker 1: spearheading the probe, was let go from the prosecutor's office 273 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: in twenty nineteen. He is the brother of Charlie Reader, 274 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:30,920 Speaker 1: the disgraced former Pike County sheriff. Apparently Reader's payroll records 275 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:34,160 Speaker 1: and personnel files were under investigation by the state auditor 276 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: for some time. Due to Reader's firing and the general 277 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: lack of viable leads, the Jacob Lansing case stalled. No 278 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:47,240 Speaker 1: further arrests were made. In November twenty twenty, Jacob's mother, 279 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 1: Maureen Lansing, issued an eight thousand dollars reward for information 280 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: about her son's murder. It has yet to be collected. 281 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: We're going to take a break. We'll be back in 282 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:04,920 Speaker 1: a moment. Oh. I'm Carol Fisher, and I'm hosting a 283 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: podcast called The girl friends. Back in the nineteen nineties 284 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: in Las Vegas, a few of us dated the most 285 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 1: eligible bachelor in town, Bob. He spoke several languages, he 286 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: did medical missionary work, and he was Jewish. He was 287 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: perfect on paper. But he wasn't. He really wasn't. He 288 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: shouted into the point she went unconscious. Bob could lie 289 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: about anything, but only takes the one time when somebody 290 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 1: ends up dead. Unfortunately for Bob, us girlfriends know how 291 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: to fight back. I wanted him to pay for his crime. 292 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:45,880 Speaker 1: He needed to be put to justice. I'll be honest 293 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: with you. If I saw him right now, I'd spit 294 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 1: on him. I would call him and I would say, 295 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: I know you killed my sister. I will always hound 296 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,920 Speaker 1: you and haunt you. You can listen to the girlfriends 297 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:00,199 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get 298 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 1: your podcasts from iHeart podcasts. Whitney hell is going on here. 299 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: Everyone has their limits. I'd never confronted a situation like this. 300 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:11,959 Speaker 1: I just thought it was just a really terrible, immoral thing, 301 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 1: a line they won't cross. I was stunned, and I 302 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: just said, no, we're killing people. You may never have 303 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: to face that decision when you find yourself at that line, 304 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 1: thou art Ricin and somebody needs to just for once 305 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: give everybody the whole truth, like this is evil and 306 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,399 Speaker 1: the only person who can sound the alarm is you. 307 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:39,640 Speaker 1: I wasn't just going to sit silently. Buy from iHeart Podcasts. 308 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: These are the whistleblowers. If you are disloyal, things are 309 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,880 Speaker 1: going to happen to speak out disgrace to our gun 310 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 1: be evil. Pay should be prosecuted when power corrupts. Conscience 311 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: is the last line of defense. I'm Miles Taylor. Listen 312 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: to the Whistleblowers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 313 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. My name's Laverne Cox. I'm 314 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: an actress, producer, fashionista, and host of The Laverne Cox Show. 315 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:17,239 Speaker 1: You may remember my award winning first season. I've been 316 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 1: pretty busy. There's always time to touch incredible guests about 317 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: important things people like me have been screaming for years. 318 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 1: We've got to watch the Supreme Court. What they're doing 319 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:28,360 Speaker 1: is wrong, what they're doing is evil. They will take 320 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 1: things away and I can only hope that Dobbs is 321 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: that like Pearl Harbor moment, girl, you and I both 322 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 1: know what it took to just get through the day 323 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: in New York City and get home in one piece. 324 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: And so the fact that we're here and what you've 325 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: achieved and what I've achieved, you know, that's momentous. It's 326 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: not just sitting around complaining about some bills. The only 327 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,439 Speaker 1: reason that you might think, as Chase said, that we're 328 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: always miserable is because people are constantly attacking us and 329 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 1: we're constantly noticing it. Listen to The Laverne Cox Show 330 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get 331 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: your podcast. Be sure to subscribe and share. Hello and 332 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: welcome to Bad Manners. This is the podcast that takes 333 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: you inside Britain's stately homes and tells all the tales 334 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: the guide books don't. My name is Tom Burton and 335 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,440 Speaker 1: I'll be your host. Britain is riddled with the big houses, 336 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:27,159 Speaker 1: from crumbling castles, massive mansions and stately piles bigger than 337 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:30,200 Speaker 1: Buckingham Palace. As a comedian, I'm not really bothered about 338 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 1: the facts and figures. I just want the juicy stuff. 339 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:34,680 Speaker 1: So I'm on a mission to find out the frightening, 340 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: filthy and downright jaw dropping stories of these stately homes 341 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:43,640 Speaker 1: and the people in them. This podcast ventures deep inside 342 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 1: some of Britain's most incredible and outrageous buildings to spill 343 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: the tea on the scandalous, scary, shocking and hilarious tales. 344 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,040 Speaker 1: So if you want to get historically horrid, royally rawcus 345 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 1: and down to dirty, look no further. Listen to Bad 346 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 1: Man Is on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, well 347 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. What happened to Meghan and 348 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: Katie Lancaster. This is the harrowing story of two young 349 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 1: sisters in law, one missing and one dead. This happened 350 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: in a small town called Portsmouth, Ohio, one hundred miles 351 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 1: east of Cincinnati. It's a town of twenty thousand people 352 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: on the north bank of the Ohio River. Here again, 353 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 1: James Pilcher. I believe Meghan Lancaster got involved with some 354 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: bad people, like the people that have been thought to 355 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 1: have killed some women up narrow chill a coffee and 356 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,639 Speaker 1: she got involved in that ring, or whether or not 357 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: she just something went sideways with one of her clients 358 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: or whatever. I think. Meghan is buried somewhere in those 359 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:01,120 Speaker 1: hills of Sciota County. It's not like Pike County because 360 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: you get down south of Pike County, you start hitting 361 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,440 Speaker 1: where the glaciers came through to create the Ohio River. 362 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,960 Speaker 1: It's very, very, very hilly, and there's all these hollers 363 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 1: and valleys and woods and forests, and there's a lot 364 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:17,200 Speaker 1: of places to hide a body. And I think she's 365 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 1: buried or they dumped her somewhere and she's gone. Meghan Lancaster, 366 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:27,399 Speaker 1: a mother and former high school softball player, was twenty 367 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,120 Speaker 1: five when she disappeared on the evening of April third, 368 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: twenty thirteen, dressed in jeans and an Ohio State sweatshirt. 369 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:38,400 Speaker 1: She'd spent the evening with friends. Megan called her mother 370 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: at about seven thirty to say she'd be home soon. 371 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:46,120 Speaker 1: There was no communication from her after that. Meghan's white 372 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,679 Speaker 1: Mustang was located a few days later at a Rally's 373 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 1: Hamburger in Portsmouth. Her wallet was found on the front seat. 374 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 1: She left behind her seven year old son, whose name 375 00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: was tattooed on her shoulder. Portsmouth Police detect of Steve 376 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: Brewer spearheaded the missing person's investigation, but no one looked 377 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: for Megan more intensely than her sister in law and 378 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: best friend, Katie Lancaster. Megan had been scraping by as 379 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 1: a sex worker and had fallen into a life of addiction. 380 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,480 Speaker 1: So the search led Katie into the vast and shadowy 381 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:23,679 Speaker 1: underworld of sex trafficking and Portsmouth. Undeterred, Katie threw herself 382 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:27,639 Speaker 1: in defining her sister in law victims. Oudvocate Angie Montgomery, 383 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: who helped Katie and her search efforts, describe Katie's fearlessness 384 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:36,200 Speaker 1: and determination. Their pursuit began with scouring back page, which 385 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 1: sex workers often used to advertise their services. When I 386 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: first started to hang on with Katie, we would sit 387 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 1: for hours with our laptops and go through that website 388 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 1: back page looking for her. Hours like we would get 389 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: babysitters so we could sit and go through. She would 390 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,159 Speaker 1: send his pictures like Megan's. I remember she said a 391 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,120 Speaker 1: birthmark about her belly buttons. So we would look through 392 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: these pictures of these girls because mostly they would and 393 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 1: showed her faces and we would look for that birthmark. 394 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: Just hours and hours and hours of doing that. So 395 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: in the beginning I kind of did because she had 396 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:19,919 Speaker 1: a couple of leaves she sent me a video one 397 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 1: time of a girl in Columbus on Sullivan Avenue. It 398 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 1: was a traffic cam that looked a lot like Megan. 399 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,399 Speaker 1: Hey would get in the car. She would get in 400 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,640 Speaker 1: the car and go to strip joints and she would 401 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: talk to pants, She would talk to drug dealers. She 402 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: was not scared to do that. And in the beginning, 403 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: I did think she might be out there somewhere, but 404 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 1: I don't think so. Now I don't think she's here anymore. 405 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: Angie says that Katie's fierceness inspired her own efforts to 406 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 1: keep fighting to solve Curtis and Jennifer's double homicide on 407 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: Hopper Road. I started to tell her a little bit 408 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 1: about Curtis and Jennifer, and she one that told me 409 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: to be a squeaky wheel because you'll get the most grief. 410 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 1: I mean. She would go on television and talk and 411 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: I would watch her and I'm like, she's so brave, 412 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: And she would sit and talk with me and tell me, 413 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: you got to do this. You've got to be a voice. 414 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: Nobody else is going to do this. You have to 415 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 1: do this. You know. She's the reason why I fight 416 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:24,720 Speaker 1: so hard. I watched how relentful, she was, how passionate 417 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 1: she was, and she was kind of like my hero 418 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,040 Speaker 1: because there are a lot of bad guys in this 419 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: area and she was not afraid to stand up against 420 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,919 Speaker 1: the powers that be. Katie was well aware that there 421 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,959 Speaker 1: could be consequences for ruffling too many feathers. With her 422 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: insistent please for justice. Stupould always say, you know, if 423 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 1: something happens to me, make sure you look into it. 424 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: I'm sure you find out that that's really what happened 425 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: to me. Because when you do go up against the people, 426 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 1: and you know, the small enforcement or attorneys or judges, 427 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: there's always that fear they might retaliate against you. And 428 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,160 Speaker 1: she knew that, but she also always said, no, I'm 429 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:09,119 Speaker 1: on social media, I'm on TV. I'm saying what I 430 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 1: need to say about these people to these people. That way, 431 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: if something does happen to me, people will know to 432 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,200 Speaker 1: look into it, you know, instead of being quiet about it. 433 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: So that always stuck with me. So the more she 434 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: kind of pumped me up, the louder I got. Katie 435 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,560 Speaker 1: believed fervently that her sister in law got cut up 436 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:31,719 Speaker 1: with Michael Moran. Moran was a prominent local attorney who 437 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:36,600 Speaker 1: was later indicted on eighteen sex trafficking related charges. We 438 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 1: covered his story in season one of this podcast. The 439 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:43,960 Speaker 1: indictment accused Moran of engaging in sex trafficking from two 440 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 1: thousand and three to twenty eighteen, with at least six 441 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:51,680 Speaker 1: victims being involved. Here's reporter Bob Strictly who covered the 442 00:27:51,760 --> 00:28:00,880 Speaker 1: story for the Cincinnati Enquirer. Michael Moran is an attorney 443 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 1: that's been practicing for several decades. He's originally from Ironton, Ohio, 444 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,280 Speaker 1: which is just up the river from Portsmouth. He operates 445 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: of an office that is right across the street from 446 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: the Scato County Courthouse, and he was appointed to fulfill 447 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: a term on Portsmouth City Council and continued until recently 448 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 1: to practice criminal defense law until his law license was 449 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: suspended after he was charged with different sex trafficking related crimes. 450 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,800 Speaker 1: Here again, Stephanie and Jeff. Marent's focus as a lawyer 451 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 1: was Portsmouth's underworld, which gave him easy access to things 452 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 1: like sex workers and drug dealers. He also has a 453 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 1: connection to the Wagner's and just as a reminder, Pug 454 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: Carter is actually Angela Wagner's father. And George and Jake's grandfather, 455 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 1: and he was allegedly using his pawn business to rip 456 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,080 Speaker 1: people off back in the day. He was also a 457 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: frequenter of this nefarious place called Big Bear Lake. It's 458 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:05,479 Speaker 1: a location we've heard about for years but haven't been 459 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: able to speak about it until now, and it appears 460 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,600 Speaker 1: to be a place that intersects Michael Moran, Sheriff Charles Reader, 461 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 1: the Wagners, as well as the Roadents. It may be 462 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:20,719 Speaker 1: a key factor in the trials ahead. Big Bear Lake 463 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: could hauld deep secrets that pertained to the case. We'll 464 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 1: get into that a little more next week. Here's James 465 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: Pilcher speaking about Michael Moran and his connection to Pug Carter. 466 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,600 Speaker 1: I gotta tell you he would represent anybody that came 467 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: in his door, and he specialized in low level crime 468 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 1: and drug offenses and DUIs and all of that. That 469 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: was his specialty. That's how he made his living. The 470 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: fact that a guy like Pug Carter came across his 471 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: bow and he represented him was not surprising to me 472 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:59,600 Speaker 1: at all, because that's what he specialized in. But now 473 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: he was facing possibly career ending allegations from a half 474 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: dozen women here again, Bob. Strictly, I would say that 475 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: the women had stepped forward or was at the forefront. 476 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: It just took somebody hidden me over the head with 477 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,320 Speaker 1: a fish that'd actually start paying attention to it in 478 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 1: regard that it demands. What set this one apart for me, 479 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,160 Speaker 1: It was just the amount of women that stepped forward 480 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: and said something about this to us and talk to 481 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 1: us about it. And then also the apparatus that has 482 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: to exist around a person like Michael Moran for an 483 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,480 Speaker 1: operation as we've reported on to exist in the first place, 484 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:40,840 Speaker 1: a lot of people have to turn their heads. I think, 485 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 1: if anything, over the years working on this particular story, 486 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,720 Speaker 1: it's kind of the damnability of people who just turned 487 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: the other way and don't care about what's going on 488 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,200 Speaker 1: right in front of them in their community is more 489 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 1: prevalent than maybe we all realized. Initially. The charges against 490 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 1: Moran included three counts of trafficking in person, five counts 491 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:05,720 Speaker 1: of compelling prostitution, nine counts of promoting prostitution, and one 492 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 1: count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. His 493 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:14,000 Speaker 1: arrest was orchestrated by a Human Trafficking Task Force under 494 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, combining the forces of the 495 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 1: BCI and several other agencies. Moran was the first domino 496 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 1: to fall. Multiple other people are still under investigation. Megan 497 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: Lancaster had a color coded notebook in which she kept 498 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 1: track of clients. The entries included scribbles such as quote 499 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 1: dance for and quote men who give money, and included 500 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:48,640 Speaker 1: Moran's name and number, along with a notation of eighty 501 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: dollars again, Bob strictly. There were rumors about Lancaster's disappearance 502 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,840 Speaker 1: being related to Moran for several years. Her sister in 503 00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 1: law provided us with her little address like slash fun 504 00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:05,720 Speaker 1: number book with different numbers in it, dozens and dozens 505 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:09,560 Speaker 1: and dozens of different numbers of men Moran was listed 506 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 1: in there. We called all of those people to see 507 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 1: what their associations were with Lancaster and came back with 508 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: what we came back with. But she's still missing, and 509 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: I give her credit for continuing to keep the issue forefront. 510 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: According to investigators, there were at least six women entangled 511 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:33,920 Speaker 1: in his exploitative ring. Moran denied all allegations. Was Megan 512 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 1: Lancaster just another piece of his disposable merchandise. After years 513 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:43,239 Speaker 1: of probing the Megan Lancaster case when cold. In May 514 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:46,240 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty one, eight years after her disappearance, the 515 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:50,120 Speaker 1: Ohio BCI issued an age advanced rendering of Megan as 516 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:54,760 Speaker 1: a forensic tool to reignite interest in finding her. Soon after, 517 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,640 Speaker 1: the case was turned over to the BCI Cold Case Unit. 518 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: Katie was hopeful, but nothing came of it. Meanwhile, Moran 519 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:08,120 Speaker 1: remained business as usual. Michael Moran was out on bond, 520 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:13,520 Speaker 1: and part of his bond agreement was not to practice law, 521 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: and he was under investigation and possible suspension by the 522 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: Bar Association, and he still showed up trying to defend 523 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 1: a client in municipal court. So they rescinded his bond 524 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:25,960 Speaker 1: agreement and they put him on house arrestle of the bracelet. 525 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: But that shows you that he was arrogant to the end. 526 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 1: Then in October of twenty twenty one, the tragedy deepened 527 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: when Katie Lancaster, then thirty three, was found dead in 528 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:44,240 Speaker 1: a residence on the fourth block of Portsmouth. Angie Montgomery 529 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:48,920 Speaker 1: was devastated. I can't reneger who told me somebody sent 530 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,080 Speaker 1: me a message about it. Of course, the first thing 531 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: I did was crying my head off because she was 532 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:57,400 Speaker 1: one of my really good friends. She's the reason that 533 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:02,080 Speaker 1: I fight so hard. As reporter James Pilcher tells us, 534 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: Katie's death was a possible overdose, possibly induced by the 535 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,560 Speaker 1: stresses of relentlessly searching for her missing sister in law, 536 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 1: but no one knows for sure. Being the advocate can 537 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 1: really wear on you. There's only so much fuel in 538 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,799 Speaker 1: the tank, There's only so much emotional fuel in the tank, 539 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: or something like that. And the funny thing is is 540 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,440 Speaker 1: that she wasn't really other than being her sister in law. 541 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 1: She wasn't really technically related to her. She was really 542 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:34,040 Speaker 1: good friends with her, and then to lose her possibly 543 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:37,400 Speaker 1: a drug overdose, given all of what's going on in 544 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:41,600 Speaker 1: Syoda County, in Pike County, it was just such a tragic, 545 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:46,080 Speaker 1: tragic thing to hear given everything that that family has 546 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:49,320 Speaker 1: been through. As tragical as it is that she's gone, 547 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:51,560 Speaker 1: the fact that she kept going as long as she 548 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:55,000 Speaker 1: did and brought attention to this is one of the 549 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:59,360 Speaker 1: reasons why we had the story that we did. Angie 550 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:03,000 Speaker 1: has her doubt. It's about the apparent overdose infiltrating the 551 00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:07,040 Speaker 1: sex trafficking world like she was. Could Katie have been silenced? 552 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:11,960 Speaker 1: I'm going to be honest with you, she was easy. 553 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:16,360 Speaker 1: I didn't know it. Around this area, they find ways 554 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,800 Speaker 1: to meet people quiet Like at first, when I found 555 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:22,800 Speaker 1: out that it was supposed an overdose, I was like, no, 556 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 1: something's wrong. There's been people here in Pike Canody that 557 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:31,799 Speaker 1: have died of apparent drug overdoses and everybody knews better. 558 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:36,200 Speaker 1: As brutal as the fate of these two women is, 559 00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 1: it did raise awareness of the struggle of women living 560 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 1: in the margins. Bob, strictly, it certainly is taking you 561 00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:50,800 Speaker 1: an Epstein Weinstein sort of story and saying, yeah, it 562 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: can happen here too. There's positions of power litter throughout 563 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:56,799 Speaker 1: our society that are in a spot where they can 564 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:00,839 Speaker 1: abuse where they stand because they're marginalized people nobody will 565 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 1: listen to. This is a small town example of a 566 00:36:03,719 --> 00:36:06,239 Speaker 1: lot of really brave women stepping up and telling their 567 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 1: stories and hoping that something changes. James Pilcher points out 568 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 1: that small town cases of sex abuse are systemically no 569 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,359 Speaker 1: different from anywhere else. The one thing that this did 570 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:23,600 Speaker 1: was made me so much more aware, and so much 571 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,160 Speaker 1: more interested in telling the stories of all these women 572 00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 1: all over the country. It doesn't matter if it was 573 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:33,440 Speaker 1: a small town Portsmouth, Ohio or suburban Chicago. I've spoken 574 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:36,040 Speaker 1: to girls who got trapped into it by their uncles, 575 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:39,920 Speaker 1: and they've lived in pretty affluent suburbs of Seattle. This 576 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:43,439 Speaker 1: sex trafficking is an onerous, evil thing that is going 577 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 1: on everywhere. It's never going to stop until you make 578 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:52,960 Speaker 1: it harder on the men for buying the sex and 579 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:55,560 Speaker 1: going after the sex than it is for the women 580 00:36:55,600 --> 00:37:00,480 Speaker 1: selling the sex, who most likely, more than likely, highly 581 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 1: likely are being coerced into it. It's never going away. 582 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:07,479 Speaker 1: I will say that's one thing that I took away 583 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,959 Speaker 1: from that whole experience is just how whide my eyes 584 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:15,360 Speaker 1: were opened to this whole semi underbelly of American society. 585 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:23,760 Speaker 1: Let's stop here for another break. Oh. I'm Carol Fisher, 586 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:27,080 Speaker 1: and I'm hosting a podcast called The girl Friends. Back 587 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 1: in the nineteen nineties in Las Vegas, a few of 588 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 1: us dated the most eligible bachelor in town, Bob. He 589 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: spoke several languages, he did medical missionary work, and he 590 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:44,760 Speaker 1: was Jewish. He was perfect on paper, but he wasn't 591 00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:49,960 Speaker 1: he really wasn't. He choked into the point she went unconscious. 592 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 1: Bob could lie about anything, but only takes the one 593 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 1: time when somebody ends up dead. Unfortunately for Bob, us 594 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:01,480 Speaker 1: girlfriends know how to fight back. I wanted him to 595 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:04,840 Speaker 1: pay for his crime. He needed to be put to justice. 596 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 1: I'll be honest with you. If I saw him right now, 597 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:08,960 Speaker 1: I'd spit on him. I would call him and I 598 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:11,839 Speaker 1: would say, I know you killed my sister. I will 599 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,880 Speaker 1: always hound you and haunt you. You can listen to 600 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:19,520 Speaker 1: the girlfriends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever 601 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:24,200 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts from iHeart podcasts. Whitney hell is 602 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:28,160 Speaker 1: going on here. Everyone has their limits. I'd never confronted 603 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:30,080 Speaker 1: a situation like this. I just thought it was just 604 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,480 Speaker 1: a really terrible immoral thing, a line they won't cross. 605 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:37,120 Speaker 1: I was stunned, and I just said, no, we're killing people. 606 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:40,360 Speaker 1: You may never have to face that decision when you 607 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:44,120 Speaker 1: find yourself at that line. Bounce Ricin, arn't Ricin, And 608 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:47,840 Speaker 1: somebody needs to just for once give everybody the whole truth, 609 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:52,440 Speaker 1: like this is evil and the only person who can 610 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:55,759 Speaker 1: sound the alarm is you. I wasn't just going to 611 00:38:55,840 --> 00:39:01,759 Speaker 1: sit silently. Buy from iHeart Podcasts. Are the whistleblowers. If 612 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:04,240 Speaker 1: you are disloyal, thanks are going to happen to speak 613 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:10,760 Speaker 1: out disgrace to our good evil prosecute when power corrupts. 614 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:15,280 Speaker 1: Conscience is the last line of defense. I'm Miles Taylor. 615 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:19,400 Speaker 1: Listen to the Whistleblowers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 616 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:28,000 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. My name's Laverne Cox. 617 00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:32,200 Speaker 1: I'm an actress, producer, fashionista, and host of The Laverne 618 00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:35,200 Speaker 1: Cox Show. You may remember my award winning first season. 619 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:39,680 Speaker 1: I've been pretty busy. There's always time to touch incredible 620 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:42,920 Speaker 1: guests about important things people like me have been screaming 621 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,160 Speaker 1: for years. We've got to watch the Supreme Court. What 622 00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 1: they're doing is wrong, what they're doing as evil. They 623 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:51,160 Speaker 1: will take things away. And I can only hope that Dobbs, 624 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:53,600 Speaker 1: is that like Pearl Harbor moment or you and I 625 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:56,120 Speaker 1: both know what it took to just get through the 626 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,760 Speaker 1: day in New York City and get home in one piece. 627 00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:01,799 Speaker 1: And so the fact that we're here and what you've 628 00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:06,080 Speaker 1: achieved and what I've achieved, you know, that's momentous. It's 629 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:08,960 Speaker 1: not just sitting around complaining about some bills. The only 630 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,239 Speaker 1: reason that you might think, as Chase said, that we're 631 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:14,640 Speaker 1: always miserable is because people are constantly attacking us and 632 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: we're constantly noticing it. Listen to the Verne Cox Show 633 00:40:17,719 --> 00:40:21,480 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get 634 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:27,719 Speaker 1: your podcast. Be sure to subscribe and share. This is 635 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:31,759 Speaker 1: the unbelievable but true story of George Remus. You might 636 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:35,239 Speaker 1: know him as a character from Boardwalk Empire or as 637 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:38,840 Speaker 1: the inspiration for Jay Gatsby. He was an eccentric and 638 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,480 Speaker 1: genius lawyer who figured out how to game the system 639 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:45,840 Speaker 1: during Prohibition. Remus is in the whiskey business, and Remus 640 00:40:46,040 --> 00:40:48,600 Speaker 1: is the biggest man in the business, while living the 641 00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:53,120 Speaker 1: life of luxury with his clamorous and ambitious wife Imogene. Daddy, 642 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:56,320 Speaker 1: I am so glad you are here. But George Ramus's 643 00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:59,560 Speaker 1: wild existence took a dark and shocking turn, leading to 644 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:04,480 Speaker 1: betray She had Remus just exactly where she wanted him revenge. 645 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:07,879 Speaker 1: Feel this muscle. I got this for Remus. I could 646 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:09,960 Speaker 1: crush him like an egg. And one of the most 647 00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:13,799 Speaker 1: sensational murder trials in American history, we the jury, find 648 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:19,959 Speaker 1: the defendant, Join me Abbot Kaylor As we traced George 649 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,360 Speaker 1: Remus's transformation from Bootleg King to alleged Madman. Listen to 650 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:28,399 Speaker 1: Remus the Mad Bootleg King every Tuesday on the iHeartRadio app, 651 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:38,640 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In November 652 00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:41,479 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty one, Michael Moran, who had a number 653 00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:44,800 Speaker 1: of health issues, died while Aldam Bond after a brief 654 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:53,120 Speaker 1: hospital stay. His case was then dismissed, but Moran might 655 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:56,000 Speaker 1: have left behind a more wide ranging network of abuse 656 00:41:56,120 --> 00:42:01,359 Speaker 1: and exploitation. James Pilcher, the women wives he ruined are 657 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:04,080 Speaker 1: not getting a shot to face him in court, in 658 00:42:04,239 --> 00:42:08,480 Speaker 1: face person that did this to them. But there's so 659 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:11,120 Speaker 1: much more to that story than just Michael Moran. There's 660 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:13,279 Speaker 1: so much more what was going on in Portsmouth and 661 00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:18,479 Speaker 1: how his operation had created all of these webs into 662 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:22,680 Speaker 1: branches of government. I really think that there are people 663 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:25,759 Speaker 1: that do not want it to go any further. Now 664 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:31,160 Speaker 1: that Moran is dead, you're opening a whole can of worms. 665 00:42:31,239 --> 00:42:34,960 Speaker 1: I mean, they had opened an investigation into all of 666 00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:40,200 Speaker 1: the previous convictions and trials overseen by William Marshall. The 667 00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 1: judge who was known to pal around with Michael Moran, 668 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:48,959 Speaker 1: who was possibly named in the federal affidavit. The first 669 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:52,640 Speaker 1: turn to saw on to the Moran story and that 670 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:55,480 Speaker 1: other women said that they slept with him and that 671 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:59,759 Speaker 1: Moran set it up. According to an article published an 672 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:03,080 Speaker 1: a frill of twenty twenty by The Daily Independent, in 673 00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:06,440 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen, more than two thousand and seven hundred cases 674 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:10,400 Speaker 1: Judge William Marshall Oversaw were reviewed by the state. This 675 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:13,560 Speaker 1: happened after it was revealed that he was potentially involved 676 00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:17,800 Speaker 1: with Michael Moran's sex trafficking ring, among other allegations. He 677 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,400 Speaker 1: has never commented on these controversies, and he describes her 678 00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:25,800 Speaker 1: reaction when she learned Moran was dead. I turned my 679 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:29,520 Speaker 1: phone on and it was blown up. I was like, 680 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:32,840 Speaker 1: oh God, something happened, and I've seen it like that 681 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:37,680 Speaker 1: son of a bitch. That's horrible to say about someone 682 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:41,160 Speaker 1: passing away, but I got mean, you got away and 683 00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:44,040 Speaker 1: he took all these secrets with him, because there's way 684 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:48,040 Speaker 1: more than him involved in all that. I'm hoping that 685 00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:51,560 Speaker 1: he stilled the beans and told the whole story before 686 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,759 Speaker 1: he passed away, but I don't know. He was an 687 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:58,200 Speaker 1: awful evil man. There were other people involved and they 688 00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:02,759 Speaker 1: need to be prosecuted. That there's women, men are dead 689 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:06,959 Speaker 1: because of that, and when the men are missy because 690 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:10,120 Speaker 1: of what he did. For years he denied it, but 691 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:14,239 Speaker 1: everybody knew what he was doing. It surprised me that 692 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:17,560 Speaker 1: it took that long for something to be done about it. 693 00:44:17,960 --> 00:44:20,520 Speaker 1: It's a long time. People have been talking about that 694 00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:24,799 Speaker 1: for fifteen years. But as Angie says, in the end, 695 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:27,920 Speaker 1: Moran will still meet his maker and maybe there's a 696 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:31,720 Speaker 1: reason to hope for a brighter future again. James Pilcher, 697 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 1: Portsmouth is actually better off than Pike County. There are 698 00:44:36,719 --> 00:44:39,440 Speaker 1: new people in positions of authority. Now they've got a 699 00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:41,920 Speaker 1: new police because they've got a new mayor. I mean, 700 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:44,360 Speaker 1: you still have the poverty. It's still one of the 701 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:48,080 Speaker 1: places in Ohio with the highest rate of overdose deaths 702 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:52,640 Speaker 1: and opioid addiction. But as for the town moving on 703 00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:56,880 Speaker 1: from the corruption and all of the things were happening 704 00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:00,040 Speaker 1: when Moran was there, I think they're trying to on 705 00:45:00,120 --> 00:45:06,120 Speaker 1: a corner. More on that next time. If you're enjoying 706 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:08,920 Speaker 1: the Piked and Massacre, listen to our other hit series 707 00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:13,239 Speaker 1: Crazy and Love. New episodes there every Tuesday. Wherever you 708 00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:18,440 Speaker 1: get your podcasts. For more information and case photos, follow 709 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:23,800 Speaker 1: us on Instagram at Katie Underscore Studios. The Piked and 710 00:45:23,880 --> 00:45:28,440 Speaker 1: Massacre is produced by Stephanie Lydecker, Jeff Shane, Chris Greeves, 711 00:45:28,920 --> 00:45:33,880 Speaker 1: Alan Wheeder and me Courtney Armstrong. Editing and sound designed 712 00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:38,239 Speaker 1: by Jeff Tis, music by Jared Aston, audio mixing by 713 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:41,120 Speaker 1: Ken Novak. The Piked and Massacre is a production of 714 00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:46,359 Speaker 1: Katie Studios and iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 715 00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:50,360 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 716 00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:55,160 Speaker 1: your favorite shows. I'm Carol Fisher and I'm hosting a 717 00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:59,000 Speaker 1: podcast called The girl Friends. It's Las Vegas, it's the 718 00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:02,560 Speaker 1: nineteen nine, and it is time to find a husband. 719 00:46:03,040 --> 00:46:06,520 Speaker 1: There were four Jewish doctors who were felt to be 720 00:46:06,760 --> 00:46:11,960 Speaker 1: eligible bachelors. One of them was a Barrenmout. On paper, 721 00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:16,440 Speaker 1: he was perfect, but in reality, this guy's a wackome. 722 00:46:16,719 --> 00:46:20,399 Speaker 1: He shouted to the point she went unconscious. I would 723 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:22,759 Speaker 1: call him and I would say, I know you killed 724 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:25,560 Speaker 1: my sister. You can listen to The Girlfriends on the 725 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:30,960 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, 726 00:46:31,280 --> 00:46:34,319 Speaker 1: I'm free and I'm rthy. We have spent the last 727 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:37,320 Speaker 1: twenty years building and working at some of the largest 728 00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:40,319 Speaker 1: companies in the world. We worked with some remarkable people 729 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:43,040 Speaker 1: Rob mcalinney. When I see the people of Wrexham, I 730 00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:45,560 Speaker 1: grew up exactly like them. Check out the Art and 731 00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:49,640 Speaker 1: Treed Arm show. That is a R D HI and 732 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:54,120 Speaker 1: s R I R A M show. Listen to the 733 00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:57,880 Speaker 1: Art Instrie Arm Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts 734 00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:01,960 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the story 735 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:05,600 Speaker 1: of a man who's fascinated me. His name was Sweet 736 00:47:05,680 --> 00:47:09,160 Speaker 1: Daddy Grace, and that's a name you don't forget. He 737 00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:12,080 Speaker 1: was a visionary who built a fortune as a black 738 00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:16,680 Speaker 1: man during Jim Crow during the Depression, but today not 739 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:20,520 Speaker 1: many people know about him. The race sort of wiped out, 740 00:47:20,560 --> 00:47:24,200 Speaker 1: and I wonder if this was done intentionally. Listen to 741 00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:28,080 Speaker 1: Sweet Daddy Grace on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or 742 00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:32,759 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. I'm will daily. For years, 743 00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:34,880 Speaker 1: I've been on the road playing shows and seeing America 744 00:47:34,960 --> 00:47:37,640 Speaker 1: through live music. This summer I'll hit the stage who 745 00:47:37,719 --> 00:47:41,600 Speaker 1: Season two of Sound of Our Town ten cities twelve episodes. 746 00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:44,960 Speaker 1: Every other Thursday, we explore the live music, venues and 747 00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:47,600 Speaker 1: culture of a new American city. With each new episode, 748 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:50,120 Speaker 1: our tour continues into the kind of venues you want 749 00:47:50,160 --> 00:47:53,240 Speaker 1: to get to when you landed in Detroit, Providence, Denver, 750 00:47:53,560 --> 00:47:56,200 Speaker 1: or Seattle. Listen to Sound of our Town on the 751 00:47:56,239 --> 00:48:00,640 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.