This week we are in the bluegrass state of Kentucky and we decided to start this episode off with a pizza ranking! Don't ask why just enjoy! Then listen to Amber share about an increasing epidemic of domestic violence and how Louisville is trying to a make a change with its Domestic Violence Prevention Coordinating Council.  This council was formed due to the murder of Pam Fortney by her estranged husband when it was discovered that the system did not help them. Amber also shares about Amanda Berry and how the DVPCC is still working on holding the system accountable for not helping victims of domestic violence. Finally, hear Celina tell the story of Katie Autry, a young college student that made friends with just about everyone she met. After a fun night out with her roommate and friend Danica, she would get a ride home from a young frat brother. Little did Katie know that the other passenger in the truck would change her life forever. 

State of Murder

Kentucky - The Fortney's & Amanda Berry and The Murder of Katie Autry

Join us this week as we travel to the country music capital, Tennessee! First, Amber shares the story of a country music legend Stringbean Akeman.  After playing at the Grand Ole Opry, he and his wife make their way back to their small cabin and are surprised to find their front door open and two murderers inside.  Then listen as Celina shares about Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, two young college students who are going out together to get some food and then meet up with their friends, when suddenly they are carjacked and kidnapped.  What would happen to them during that night would lead to their bodies being discovered days apart in horrible ways. Don't forget to check out www.stateofmurder.com for bonus content after the episode!

Tennessee -David (Stringbean) & Estelle Akeman and Channon Christian & Chris Newsom

This week we have traveled to the southern state of Alabama. First, Amber shares about Shae Graham and how her murder shocked the whole town, as the person they least suspected was found guilty of orchestrating her murder. Then hear Celina share the horrifying story of the Tuskegee Experiments, a 40 year “medical” study that was focused specifically on black men and the unfortunate side effects of syphilis. 

Alabama - Shae Graham and the Tuskegee Experiments

Happy Labor Day from State of Murder! In honor of the holiday this week we are not in any specific state, instead we are celebrating the resiliency of the American worker. This episode is all about the crime and murder that haunted the beginnings of the labor movement. First hear Amber tell about how the mafia in Chicago has always had a hand in the Teamster Union.  When the mafia's number one assassin took out Union leader Billy Logan, we found out just how corrupt the Chicago court system was. Then listen to Celina tell all about how corruption in the United Mine Workers of America lead to the murder of Jock Yablonski and his family forever changing the union as we know it. 

Labor Day - Billy Logan and Jock Yablonski

We've made it halfway through the USA! This week we are in Mississippi, does anyone else sing a song to make sure they spell this state name right? No? Just us? Awesome. First listen to Amber talk about the Jackson family.  In 1990, Regina was home with her two daughters and 4 nieces and nephews, when there was a knock on the door.  When she went to answer it, there stood her older brother. Little did she know that she would be letting a monster into her home. *Warning* Details of Amber's case include some graphic descriptions so if you would like to skip past that, the time stamp is 12:38-18:08.  Then listen to Celina share about the murder of Jessica Chambers, an All-American cheerleader from Courtland, Mississippi, who went out to grab something to eat and clean her car but would never return. When volunteer firefighters received a call about a car fire that same night it would turn this whole town on its head. 

Mississippi - The Jackson Family and Jessica Chambers

This week we are in the state of Illinois the land of Lincoln or as Celina and Amber like to call it the wonderful state that created Michelle Obama.  In Chicago in the 70's and 80's one police precinct was getting a lot of confessions from their prisoners.  This area was in the south side of Chicago and specifically Area 2.  When one prisoner stated that he had been tortured into confessing it, all of a sudden over 118 African American men shared very similar horror stories of what happened to them.   Celina shares about Kyrian Knox a sweet two year old little boy from Rockford whose body was found dismembered in the Garfield Park Lagoon in Chicago.  His mother had left him in the care of  Kamel Harris who said two strangers came and picked up the little boy for Ms. Knox.  With little evidence and a jail house confession, there was little justice for Kyrian.  *Correction: Celina pronounces Kyrian's name incorrectly throughout the episode as Kear-e-an instead of Ky-ren and is incredibly sorry. And update will be in the next episode with the correct pronunciation. 

Illinois - Death Row 10 and Kyrian Knox

This week we are in the dairy state of Wisconsin, where butter is king. Amber shares with us about the Sikh Temple Murders and how the bass player of a White Power heavy metal band, went from being stationed at Fort Bragg to murdering people at a Sikh Temple.  Halloween is such a fun time of year for children. It’s a time for trick or treating and haunted houses. Celina shares the heart breaking story of Lisa French a young 9 year old girl whose Halloween turned out to be much scarier than she would imagine. 

Wisconsin - Sikh Temple Murders and The Halloween Killer

This week we are traveling to the land of a thousand lakes, Minnesota. It seems that cold cases are in the news more and more. Amber shares about the murder of Nancy Daughetry, who was murdered in 1986 and her killer was just found thanks to our old friend: familial DNA.   Then hear Celina tell us about the tragic events of July 15th 2017. Justine Damond would hear screaming coming from the alley behind her neighbor's house in the Fulton neighborhood of Minneapolis. She called the police twice to try and help and when they finally arrived Justine rushed out to meet them. Just one minute and 19 seconds after leaving her house, she would go from Good Samaritan to victim. 

Minnesota - Nancy Daughtery and Justine Damond

On November 17, 1973 Sandra Cheskey and her boyfriend Roger Essem, went with a group of friends to go camp out at Iowa's Gitchie Manitou nature preserve.  They wanted to sing around the campfire and smoke a little pot.  They had just arrived when three brothers who had been out poaching, noticed their campsite.  Deciding that they would pretend to be narcotics officers they walked up on the group and opened fire.  Only one of the teens would survive.   Celina shares the heartbreaking story of Kedarie Johnson. As a gender fluid teen in a conservative town, he was a shining example of someone brave enough to live their life to the fullest. After some strange Facebook messages and a red car following him on the evening of March 2nd 2016, Kedarie would be found murdered in an alley way. Thanks to some google searches and missing phone calls police would be hot on the trail of his two murderers. 

Iowa - Gitchie Manitou Murders and Kedarie Johnson

For over forty years the small town of Skidmore, Missouri was terrorized by one man. Everyone knew to stay away from him, for if he ever thought you did him wrong he would harass your whole family. This one man was Ken McElroy. Over  the course of 40 years, he would rape young girls, steal from farmers and just plain bully the towns people. On July 10, 1981, the town’s people had had enough and decided to do something about it. January 1991, Trudy Darby was closing the convenience store where she worked when 3 suspicious looking men caught her eye. After a phone call to her son asking him to come stay with her, the men would kidnap her at gun point and brutally attack her. After her body was found 2 days later police quickly ran out of leads. In 1993, a lead finally surfaced putting them right on the doorstep of Jessie Rush. The 17-year-old would confess but in letters uncovered by the police he may have confessed to so much more.  Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @sompodcast and check out our blog at www.stateofmurder.com!

Missouri - Skidmore and Ken McElroy and The Missing Women of Missouri

The 1980's in Arkansas was an interesting time. Cowboy discos were all the rage and rumor has it the Mafia was making its way to Little Rock. After Ron Orsini is found dead under mysterious circumstances, attention turns to his wife Mary Lee, who insists that the Mafia must have done it. Mary Lee hires William "Bill" McArthur, a well liked lawyer in Little Rock to help her case and soon forms a friendship with Bill and his wife Alice. After Alice's car is hit with a car bomb, the Mafia story doesn't seem so far off.  March 28th 1998, was a normal day at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas until the fire alarm went off during 5th period. As students started filing out to the field behind the school, gunshots rang out across the school. Panic set in and in the four minutes the shooting lasted 5 would end up dead and 10 more would be wounded. As police arrived they caught the shooters attempting to flee, Mitchell Johnson, 13 and Andrew Golden, 11. They would become two of the youngest school shooters in history. Don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @sompodcast! 

Arkansas - The Orsini's & The McArthur's and The Westside Middle School Massacre

In 1998, pizza delivery man Jarvis Griffin was robbed and murdered. Witnesses pointed the finger at 3 young men but they pointed the finger at 16 year old Corey Williams. With a DA and a prosecutor out for blood, Williams didn't stand a chance. Hear Amber tell all about the two victims of this Caddo Parish murder.  2006 was a dark year for New Orleans. But for Addie Hall and Zack Bowen the hurricane would be a chance to find love. Riding out the storm together these two seemed to be living in paradise. When the waters receded, however, it was a different story. Fueled by trauma, drugs, and alcohol these two love birds would turn deadly. *trigger warning* What happens during the course of this story gets very graphic, Celina gives a warning during the episode but feel free to skip ahead if you need too.  *Details of the crime in Celina's case are from 56:50 to 1:05:01.   Don't forget to check out www.stateofmurder.com for any links or bonus content we mention in this and every episode!

Louisiana - Jarvis Griffin&Corey Williams and Addie Hall&Zack Bowen

We are traveling to the Lone Star State and this week Amber and Celina are sharing two crimes that happened decades ago but seem like they could be ripped straight from news articles today.  Amber shares about the 1998 lynching of James Byrd Jr. a black man who was picked up by three white man while walking home from his parents house early one morning.  His murder would help form Hate Laws and rock a county to its core.  Celina shares the story of Joe Campos Torres a young Latino man, who served his country during  the Vietnam War.  He had big dreams that came crashing down when his path crossed 5 Houston police officers in 1977. Don't forget to check out www.stateofmurder.com after the episode for bonus content! 

Texas - James Byrd Jr and Jose (Joe) Campos Torres

We made it to Kansas! Amber tells about Decoration Day in 1925, when Florence Knoblock was found murdered in her home in Coffey County Kansas. Her husband John was quick to point the finger at a black man whom he knew helped around town.  John stated that whomever murdered her surely couldn't have been a white man because it was too horrible.  However the evidence pointed closer to home.  Celina tells about the bitterly cold evening of December 8, 2000, when a group of friends was hanging out in their apartment in Wichita.  As everyone is getting ready to fall asleep, the porch light turned on at the front door.  The next thing everyone knew there were two men in the house forcing them to strip naked and sit in a closet. After hours of torture the group would be taken to an empty soccer field where the bravery of one woman would help bring them justice.  Don't forget to check out bonus content after the episode on www.stateofmurder.com! 

Kansas - Florence Knoblock and The Wichita Massacre

Surprise! It is Celina’s birthday today and we decided to shake things up! Due to current events, we are in Oklahoma this week not Kansas! Sorry Kansas but 1921 was a rough year in Oklahoma. First hear Amber tell about the Osage Indian Murders, where surprise surprise, some white men created a loophole to steal some land. Follow Amber as she tells the story of Anna Brown and her family and the unsolved deaths that seemed to plague them. Next Celina is telling about the Tulsa Race Massacre. Recently making headlines, this is known as the single worst incident of racial violence in American history. In 1921, after a black shoeshine was accused by the Tulsa Tribune of sexually assaulting a white elevator operator the town of Tulsa went on a rampage. Destroying the historic Greenwood neighborhood, also known as Black Wall Street, this is one of the biggest injustices you’ve never heard of. Don’t forget to check out our blog at www.stateofmurder.com for bonus content after the episode!

Oklahoma - Osage Indian Murders and Tulsa Race Massacre

Join hosts Celina Cooper and Amber Ratzlaff as they travel state by state discussing lesser known true crime cases.

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State of Murder

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