Investigation: Homicide

investigationhomicide

Telling Mississippi’s crime stories from an eyewitness perspective.

  1. 12h ago

    Episode #75: The War Within

    There are many voices around Mississippi speaking on behalf of first responders in the field of mental health. One of the more prominent currently is Kevin Whitsell, a 20-year veteran paramedic and firefighter and the founder and host of “A Silent War Within,” a podcast dedicated to confronting and destigmatizing mental health challenges among first responders and healthcare professionals. A Mississippi native, Whitsell spent years in critical care transport, including pediatric and neonatal patients, before moving into supervisory roles. His advocacy is rooted in his own journey through the mental health struggles that come with the job. Therese Apel and Amanda Johansson discuss some of Kevin‘s experiences in the business, and the importance of making mental health a priority as a first responder.   Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

  2. Aug 27

    Episode #74: What Happened at the Po' Folks.

    In April 1996, a spring afternoon in South Jackson turned into a scene of terror the metro area has never forgotten. This week, Therese Apel and Sara Perkins-Ricks sit down with Charlie Smith, a former Jackson Police Department Crime Scene Investigator, who walks them through one of the most harrowing cases of his career, from the inside. On April 12, 1996, Larry Wayne Shoemake barricaded himself inside an abandoned Po' Folks restaurant at the Ellis Isle shopping center near Ellis Avenue and Interstate 20. From within the building he opened fire on people in and around the center, in a siege that stretched roughly 40 minutes to an hour and left more than 100 shots fired. Early reports counted one person killed and several others wounded by gunfire and flying glass, with later accounts describing an even higher toll. Shoemake ultimately died in the fire that consumed the restaurant. From the first shots to the smoke rising over the shopping center, Smith recounts the investigation as only the man who processed it can: what he saw, what he documented, and what it took to make sense of a day that captivated and terrified an entire community.   Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

  3. Aug 20

    Episode #73: The Story of Mike Dill.

    Some of the people who change our lives never know they did it. Capt. Barbara Folsom-McNeal was eleven years old when a police officer walked into the worst night of her childhood and carried her out. She'd been whipped with an extension cord, and to a terrified kid, he was a promise that someone would come through when it mattered most.  She didn't learn his name that night, but because of him, she grew up to wear the badge herself in order to continue to fulfill that promise to others.  A few months ago, Barbara sat down with us and told that story, and said that as she neared the end of her career, she'd made up her mind to find the officer who set her on this path. So we went looking. And we found his family. Tonight, Therese Apel and Amanda Johansson welcome Barbara back, and this time she isn't alone. Chris Dill joins us to talk about his father, Mike Dill, the officer who once lifted a little girl out of harm's way and, by every account, went to his grave with no idea he'd shaped the whole course of her life. This is the episode where the dots connect. It's about the long reach of a single heroic act, the echo it leaves behind, and how the memory of the same good man has shaped two entirely different lives.   Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

  4. Aug 14

    Episode #72: The Coroner's Call -- Counting the Toll

    Jackson has held the highest homicide rate per capita in the nation for five years running. Behind every one of those numbers is a name, a family, and a death someone has to answer for. In Hinds County, that responsibility runs through Jeramiah Howard.   As County Coroner, Howard oversees an office that investigates them all: every scene, every call in the middle of the night, every hardest conversation of someone's life. This week, Therese Apel and Sara Perkins Ricks sit down with the man who carries the weight of a city's losses to ask the questions most people never think to: What is that life actually like?    What do you learn about a place from the way its people die? And how do you keep doing this work, year after year, in the deadliest city in America?   It's a raw conversation about death, duty, and the human cost behind the statistics from the man who knows them better than anyone. Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

  5. Aug 6

    Episode #71: Not a TV Cop

    From Olivia Benson to Dana Scully to Ziva David, we’ve all got a TV idea of what it looks like to be a female cop. Spoiler alert: you can’t actually run in those heels, and the cases don’t wrap up in 42 minutes. Tonight, Therese and Amanda sit down with Warren County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Stacy Rollison, and her story is the real thing. She started as a part-time jailer while raising three kids as a single mom, and she didn’t stop until she became Warren County’s first female patrol deputy, then investigator, then Chief Investigator. AND she’s currently in her third year as Secretary/Treasurer of the Mississippi Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, because apparently she sleeps at some point but we’re not sure when. Stacy talks about what it actually takes to build a career in law enforcement as a woman, the moments that tested her, and why she believes in a department that reflects its community and treats every single person who walks through the door with dignity no matter what they’ve done or where they’ve come from. This is the episode for every woman who ever wondered if there was a place for her in this field, and for everyone who wants to know what real service looks like. Investigation: Homicide — tonight.   Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

  6. Jul 30

    Episode #70: The Guard at Canton Estates

    George David Herrin spent a decade as a fixture at the Canton Estates Apartments. The 85-year-old security guard mowed lawns, helped residents with small tasks, and was a grandfather figure to the kids in the neighborhood.   Then, one Sunday night just after 11:20 p.m., deputies responded to gunshots and found him shot multiple times as he sat in his vehicle outside the complex. The Madison County Coroner called it a homicide. Authorities called it execution-style. He died in the hospital the next morning.   Sara Perkins Ricks and Therese Apel are joined tonight by Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker to dig into a case that still hasn't been solved. They talk through what investigators know, the surveillance footage and witness interviews, the possible suspect named in early reports, and why a man everyone described as kind and generous ended up targeted this way.    The community is still shaken. The people who loved David Herrin are still waiting for answers. Tonight, we reach out to find out if you know something that might help close this case. A $5,000 reward is on the table.   Madison County Sheriff's Department:601-859-2345 Crime Stoppers: 601-355-TIPS (8477)   Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

  7. Jul 16

    Episode #69: Not Safe at Home: The Murder of Janell Hatton

    In October 2004, Janell Hatton, a 63-year-old real estate agent from the Bunker Hill community in Marion County, was shot during a robbery at her home. Her body was found buried in a barn near Kokomo. Before it was over, five people would be arrested, and the brutality of the crime would make it one of the most talked-about murders in recent Mississippi history. This week, Sara Perkins-Ricks and Therese Apel sit down with Lt. Col. Jimmy Herzog of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to walk through how the case came together, from the search for a missing woman to the arrests that followed and the guilty pleas that sent Steven Kirkley and Keith Magee to prison for life without parole. Herzog takes us inside the investigation with the perspective of someone who has spent a career working Mississippi's hardest cases. It's a conversation about what it takes to bring a killer to justice, and what a case like this leaves behind long after the sentence is handed down.   Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

  8. Jul 9

    Investigation: Homicide, Episode 68 - You're the guest!

    Sometimes the best conversations are the unplanned ones. Our guest for tonight was under the weather this week, so hosts Therese Apel and Amanda Johansson are flipping the script and opening the floor. Episode 68, "You're the guest," is exactly what it sounds like. No case file, no set agenda, just the two of us talking with you about the stories that pull us in and keep us coming back. We are pulling back the curtain on how Investigation: Homicide actually comes together, what draws us to a particular case or guest, and why we keep telling the stories of Mississippi's law enforcement, first responders, and the crimes and issues that shape their world. We will trade our favorite episodes, the ones that stuck with us long after we stopped recording, and talk about the moments that reminded us why this work matters. But the whole point tonight is you. Bring us the cases you want investigated, the guests you want to hear from, the questions you have always wanted to ask, and the issues you think deserve more attention. Drop them in the comments and get in on the conversation live. This one runs on your curiosity, so pull up a chair. Tonight, you're the guest. Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

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5
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Telling Mississippi’s crime stories from an eyewitness perspective.

Information

  • Creator
    investigationhomicide
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Investigation: Homicide