The House on Sweet and Seventh

Dakota Spotlight | True Crime Podcast by James Wolner

In September 1998, Barbara and Gordon Erickstad were murdered inside their home on Sweet Avenue in Bismarck, North Dakota. What began as a worried visit to the police station by a teenage girl soon uncovered a brutal crime that stunned a quiet neighborhood near Sweet Avenue and Seventh Street. In Season 3 of Dakota Spotlight, host James Wolner investigates the disturbing story behind the Erickstad murders and the group of teenagers known as the East Sweet crew. Through interviews, police accounts, and careful reporting, the series explores how loyalty, fear, and peer pressure among a circle of young friends led to unimaginable violence and left a lasting mark on the Bismarck community.

Season 1

  1. Episode 1

    A Little Red Car - The Erickstad Murders Begin in Bismarck

    September 1998 brought a chilling moment in Bismarck, North Dakota when 17 year old Aimee walked into the police station with a troubling suspicion about her boyfriend Brian Erickstad. What began as a welfare check soon revealed a brutal double murder inside the Erickstad home on Sweet Avenue. In Episode 1 of The House on Sweet and Seventh, a Dakota Spotlight investigation, host James Wolner introduces the murders of Barbara and Gordon Erickstad and the group of teenagers whose loyalties and secrets would shape one of North Dakota’s most disturbing small town murder cases. Support Dakota Spotlight Get episodes early and ad free with Spotlight PLUS https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore more Dakota Spotlight investigations https://dakotaspotlight.com Contact: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min

  2. Episode 2

    Never Ever Narc - Bismarck Detectives Question the East Sweet Crew

    Detective Lloyd Halvorson believed the answers to the murders of Barbara and Gordon Erickstad were likely hidden within a small group of teenagers in Bismarck, North Dakota. In Episode 2 of The House on Sweet and Seventh, a Dakota Spotlight investigation, detectives begin questioning Brian Erickstad’s friends and members of the East Sweet crew while searching for someone willing to speak. With Brian Erickstad and Robert Lawrence wanted for questioning, investigators faced a wall of silence that complicated the Erickstad murder investigation. Support Dakota Spotlight Get episodes early and ad free with Spotlight PLUS https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore more Dakota Spotlight investigations https://dakotaspotlight.com Contact: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  3. Episode 3

    Patience Pays Off - A Witness Breaks Silence in the Erickstad Murder Case

    The investigation into the murders of Barbara and Gordon Erickstad slowly began to shift as patient police work uncovered new information in Bismarck, North Dakota. In Episode 3 of The House on Sweet and Seventh, a Dakota Spotlight investigation, detectives press a reluctant witness until the truth begins to surface while a frightened woman arrives at the police station late at night with critical details. Step by step, testimony begins reshaping the understanding of how the Erickstad murders unfolded. Support Dakota Spotlight Get episodes early and ad free with Spotlight PLUS https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore more Dakota Spotlight investigations https://dakotaspotlight.com Contact: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min

  4. Episode 4

    One of These Days - The Night Before the Erickstad Murders

    The night before Barbara and Gordon Erickstad were killed reveals disturbing clues about what was unfolding among a group of teenagers in Bismarck, North Dakota. In Episode 4 of The House on Sweet and Seventh, a Dakota Spotlight investigation, detectives Bob Haas and Steve Lundin pursue parallel investigative leads while interviews with friends and witnesses uncover troubling details about the events leading up to September 16, 1998. As the timeline becomes clearer, a darker portrait of Robert Lawrence begins to emerge. Support Dakota Spotlight Get episodes early and ad free with Spotlight PLUS https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore more Dakota Spotlight investigations https://dakotaspotlight.com Contact: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min

  5. Episode 5

    A Sick Salute - The East Sweet Crew After the Erickstad Murders

    The arrests of Brian Erickstad and Robert Lawrence confirmed their role in the murders of Barbara and Gordon Erickstad, but the reaction from some of their friends stunned the community. In Episode 5 of The House on Sweet and Seventh, a Dakota Spotlight investigation, investigators and residents describe how members of the East Sweet crew rallied disturbingly around the killers through letters, salutes, and public disrespect toward the victims’ families. Former detectives Bob Haas and Lloyd Halvorson reflect on the lasting impact of the Erickstad murder case in Bismarck, North Dakota. Support Dakota Spotlight Get episodes early and ad free with Spotlight PLUS https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore more Dakota Spotlight investigations https://dakotaspotlight.com Contact: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  6. Episode 6

    Escape to the Movies - Misty Jones Reflects on the Erickstad Case

    More than twenty years after the murders of Barbara and Gordon Erickstad, one of the young people closest to the events reflects on what happened. In Episode 6 of The House on Sweet and Seventh, a Dakota Spotlight investigation, Misty Jones remembers her life in Bismarck during the late 1990s and her connection to the East Sweet crew. In a 2020 interview she describes the night of the killings and the people surrounding the case, adding a personal perspective to one of North Dakota’s most unsettling true crime stories. Support Dakota Spotlight Get episodes early and ad free with Spotlight PLUS https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore more Dakota Spotlight investigations https://dakotaspotlight.com Contact: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

In September 1998, Barbara and Gordon Erickstad were murdered inside their home on Sweet Avenue in Bismarck, North Dakota. What began as a worried visit to the police station by a teenage girl soon uncovered a brutal crime that stunned a quiet neighborhood near Sweet Avenue and Seventh Street. In Season 3 of Dakota Spotlight, host James Wolner investigates the disturbing story behind the Erickstad murders and the group of teenagers known as the East Sweet crew. Through interviews, police accounts, and careful reporting, the series explores how loyalty, fear, and peer pressure among a circle of young friends led to unimaginable violence and left a lasting mark on the Bismarck community.

Information

  • Creator
    Dakota Spotlight | True Crime Podcast by James Wolner
  • Episodes
    6
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Six Horse Media LLC
  • Show Website
    The House on Sweet and Seventh

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