The trial of accused killer Matthew Farwell, 40, is underway. Farwell stands accused of murdering pregnant Sandra Birchmore, and staging the scene to look like Sandra took her own life. Farwell had known Sandra since she was 12 and a member of the Stoughton, Mass, Police Explorers Youth Program. Farwell was one of the active cops who volunteered their time to teach young people about law enforcement, and it was at these group meetings where Farwell is accused of grooming Sandra. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack explore some of the evidence to determine why Sandra's death was initially ruled a suicide, and how the ruling was changed, and how the Feds stepped in to charge Farwell in the death of Sandra Birchmore.

Highlights:

00:01.400 Setting the Stage for a Federal Homicide Case
01:54.280 The Sandra Birchmore Case Unfolds
02:52.660 The Explorer Post and Grooming Process
06:18.580 A Pregnant Woman's Tragic Fate
28:53.630 The Investigation and Initial Ruling
32:22.230 Challenging the Suicide Verdict
33:22.980 Dr. Michael Baden's Expert Opinion
34:25.640 The Nuances of Hanging and Strangulation
39:13.489 Lividity and Asphyxial Death Indicators
41:19.590 The Trial and New Evidence
45:23.250 Federal Charges and Their Implications
48:20.350 Closing Thoughts on a Tragic Case

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On September 21 in Oxford, Mississippi, two young men were found dead on and near the campus of Ole Miss. Aidan Hamilton, an 18-year-old freshman from Colorado, was found unresponsive in his dorm room at Stewart Hall, and was taken to a local hospital where he died. Robert Strang, 20, was found dead in an off-campus residence. Investigators reported finding packaging associated with Kratom-related products at both locations. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack talk about the cases and how Kratom is linked to the deaths even though toxicology results haven't been made public yet.

Highlights:

00:01.420 Setting the Stage for a Deadly Convenience

01:46.260 The Allure of Kratom: A Mysterious

02:32.919 A Tragic Double Death at Ole Miss

06:24.300 Kratom's Dual Nature: Sedative and Stimulant

14:38.930 The Wild West of Unregulated Substances

17:15.550 Investigating the Deaths: A Forensic

32:13.920 The Aftermath: Arrests and Legal Implications

43:48.090 Closing Thoughts on Kratom's Impact

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Following a botched lethal injection attempt, death row inmate Christa Pike was revived by medical staff and is now awake, walking around, and reportedly confused and angry. Rather than a divine intervention, legal maneuvering and systematic operational breakdowns in Tennessee’s execution protocol led to her survival. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack break down the forensic, procedural, and legal failures of Christa Pike's botched execution.

Highlights:

00:10.330 - Miracle in Nashville

01:18.160 - The Controversial Nature of "Miracles"

02:10.010 - The Execution Gone Wrong

12:47.080 - The Aftermath and Legal Implications

19:30.770 - The IV Fiasco and Medical Protocol

26:53.580 - The Future of Capital Punishment in Tennessee

27:47.140 - The Failed Execution of Christa Pike

29:54.650 - The Mechanics of Lethal Injection

37:34.260 - Legal and Political Implications

47:46.050 - Wrapping Up and Future Developments

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Many people following "True Crime" know the name "Texas Equusearch" and its founder, Tim Miller. Not everyone knows that Tim Miller is the father of Laura Miller, a 16-year-old who vanished September 10th, 1984, in the Texas coastal town of League City. For 17 months, Tim Miller worked with law enforcement and volunteers to find his daughter without success. On February 2nd, 1986, two boys riding their bikes through a field now known as the Texas Killing Fields, discovered the remains of Laura Miller and another woman who would not be identified for 33 years, Audrey Lee Cook. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the "Texas Killing Fields" in general and focus in on the murders of Laura Miller and Audrey Lee Cook.

Highlights:

00:10.289 Death Investigation and PTSD

01:26.040 The Texas Killing Fields

02:45.660 Tim Miller and Texas EquuSearch

11:12.740 The Discovery of Laura Miller and Audrey Lee

14:24.710 Investigating Crime Scenes and Evidence

20:24.900 The Isolated Location and Evidence Challenges

29:13.990 The Importance of Tim Miller's Quest

38:52.890 The Confession and Justice Served

40:12.130 A Father's Decades-Long Search for Truth

40:54.469 The Confession and Legal Pursuit

42:31.050 Justice Served, But at What Cost?

43:47.890 The Brutal Truth Behind Laura's Death

44:27.610 The Elusive Truth in Unsolved Cases

46:22.210 Accountability in the Texas Killing Fields

50:18.550 Reflections on Justice and Loss

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James Vlassakis was part of a group of men who preyed on the physically and mentally weak in their community, gaining banking and welfare information that created a waterfall of money that kept coming even after the victims were dead. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack break down the case that became the subject of books, articles, and movies related to the deaths of at least 11 people, 8 of whom were found dismembered and dissolved in barrels filled with hydrochloric acid. James Vlassakis took part in the murders of at least 4 of the victims but turned rat for the state prosecution of the rest, negotiating a deal that allowed him to walk out of jail this month!

Highlights:

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• 00:10.690 - The Philadelphia House of Horrors
• 02:41.260 - Bodies in Barrels: A Shocking Discovery
• 06:36.390 - The Motivation Behind the Murders
• 10:07.500 - The Victims and Their Stories
• 12:49.660 - The Use of Hydrochloric Acid
• 23:14.340 - The Aftermath and Disposal of Bodies
• 39:55.640 - The Final Victim: Troy Udy
• 42:40.120 - The Eyes of Death
• 45:27.120 - Dismemberment and Acid Bath
• 49:25.080 - The Perils of Transporting Human Remains
• 54:21.100 - The Aftermath and Sentencing
• 55:58.640 - Closing Thoughts on Justice

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The execution of Christa Pike did not go off as planned and she is currently on a ventilator in ICU as her attorneys file motion to preserve evidence. The Head of Tennessee's Prison System resigns after the failed execution. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack review the case and the botched execution attempt and look to the future of what happens next.

Highlights:

• 00:01.400 - The Colleen Slemmer Case
• 00:10.570 - A Forensic Anthropologist's Testimony
• 01:28.240 - The Murder of Colleen Slimmer
• 03:53.790 - The Botched Execution of Krista Pike
• 04:42.660 - The Execution Process and Its Challenges
• 12:18.130 - The Legacy of Krista Pike
• 32:12.720 - The Aftermath and Legal Implications
• 33:52.740 - The Execution Process Gone Wrong
• 34:17.540 - Pentobarbital: A Controversial Drug
• 36:01.830 - The History of Botched Executions
• 36:49.610 - The Decision to Save Lives
• 38:29.190 - The First Female Execution in Tennessee
• 40:07.230 - IV Insertion Challenges
• 42:45.900 - The Aftermath and Future Implications
• 50:28.910 - The Hippocratic Oath and Medical Ethics
• 54:01.290 - Remembering Colleen Slimmer

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Four days after Christmas on December 29, 1977, skeletal remains and clothing were discovered near the Firestone Tire plant in Wilson, North Carolina. After state and local police found the remains, a medical examiner said they belonged “to a white female, approximately 16 to 23 years old, who had likely been there for six months to two years." That was as far as the case seemed to go before it went cold. The case might have been cold but was never forgotten. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the investigation and how "Wilson County Jane Doe" was finally identified as a 15-year-old girl from Monkton, Maryland, Cindy Marcell Blizzard.

You can help! If you have any information regarding this case, please call North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Cold Case Tip Line at 919-582-TIPS or email coldcases@ncsbi.gov or call Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 252-237-2118.

Highlights:

00:01.420 Nostalgia for 1977
00:46.440 A Different Era of Parenting
01:29.430 The Case of the Vanished Teenager
03:00.480 Musical and Cultural Context of 1977
03:41.570 The Changing Landscape of Missing Persons
07:48.800 Forensic Challenges of 1977
12:13.420 The Firestone Plant and Highway Connections
22:05.080 Identifying Skeletal Remains
36:05.200 The Power of DNA in Solving Cold Cases
37:13.410 Closing Remarks and Call to Action

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