He called himself “Mr. Social Security,” a small-town lawyer who turned double-wide trailers into a legal empire in Eastern Kentucky. Eric C. Conn built his fortune on outlandish marketing, luxury cars and roadside monuments to himself. But behind the spectacle was something darker: the largest Social Security fraud in U.S. history.

In the first episode of The Eric C. Conn Case, hosts Marcus Roland and Emily Steele trace Conn’s rise from humble beginnings to Appalachian celebrity, and how his flashy persona masked a system of lies, bribes, and corruption.

Listen at https://pod.co/kentucky-case-files, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

The murder of Amanda Ross sent shockwaves through Kentucky and beyond. In The Steve Nunn Case, Pt. 3: Amanda Ross, Her Law and the Limits of Justice, the final installment of our three-part series, we look beyond the crime itself and examine the lasting impact of Ross’s death — and the fight for change that followed.

Ross's mother turned grief into advocacy, pushing for stronger protections for victims of domestic violence. The result was Amanda’s Law, a measure designed to use GPS monitoring to help keep survivors safe. But the law that ultimately enacted was far weaker than intended — and heartbreakingly, would not have protected Ross herself.

Hosts Marcus Roland and Emily Steele explore the politics, compromises and obstacles that shaped the law, as well as the programs and resources created in Ross's name.

Trigger warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and intimate partner homicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Listen at https://pod.co/kentucky-case-files, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

By noon Sept. 11, 2009, police had tracked former legislator Steve Nunn — accused of killing his ex-fiancée, Amanda Ross — to a rural Kentucky cemetery. What followed was a tense armed confrontation, a mounting pile of damning circumstantial evidence, and a legal case shaped by the very laws Nunn helped pass.

In The Steve Nunn Case, Pt. 2: From the Statehouse to the Jailhouse, hosts Emily Steele and Marcus Roland trace Nunn’s arrest, the twists and turns of his prosecution, his surprising plea deal, and the multimillion-dollar civil judgment that would follow. The story of Steve Nunn’s fall from power is one of pursuit, justice, and consequences that echo long after sentencing.

Trigger warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and intimate partner homicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Listen at https://pod.co/kentucky-case-files, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or wherever you get your podcasts.