Matter of Fact: A play on "matter" (physics) and "facts" (news).

Larry White
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Our true crime episodes have a new home: The Headline Case: True Crime Behind the News. New cases every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Search "The Headline Case" on Spotify and hit follow. Every story has a structure; every event has a cause. Matter of Fact dissects the latest trends in science, technology, and physics with rigorous analysis. We apply first principles to the news, helping you understand not just what is happening, but the mechanics of how and why.

  1. 3h ago

    Roger Fortson: The Airman, the Deputy, and a Not Guilty Verdict

    Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old U.S. Air Force senior airman, was shot and killed in the doorway of his Florida apartment in May 2024, seconds after opening the door to an Okaloosa County deputy while holding his own gun pointed at the floor. The sheriff's office fired the deputy, Eddie Duran, and he was charged with manslaughter. On October 1, 2026, a jury found him not guilty. We go through the afternoon of May 3, 2024 second by second, the body-camera video, the girlfriend who was on a video call with Roger, the sheriff's own investigation, and the trial, where Duran testified that he believed he was about to die. Both sides, the way the jury heard them. Chapters: 00:00 A knock at the door 00:38 Welcome 01:31 Who was Roger Fortson 02:27 The call and the knock 03:54 What the body camera shows 04:33 The video is released 05:50 The deputy is fired 06:43 Fired vs. charged: two different questions 07:37 The manslaughter charge 08:32 Stand your ground and the immunity hearing 09:57 The trial 10:21 Duran takes the stand 11:19 The defense experts 12:04 Cross-examination and closings 13:19 The verdict 14:32 Where things stand Follow The Headline Case on Spotify for new cases every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This episode was produced with AI voices, from a research brief of court records and news reports. Sources are listed below. Sources: WUWF: Former Okaloosa Deputy found not guilty in fatal shooting of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, https://www.wuwf.org/local-news/2026-10-01/former-okaloosa-deputy-found-not-guilty-in-fatal-shooting-of-senior-airman-roger-fortson WJHG: State Attorney releases statement following not guilty verdict in Eddie Duran case, https://www.wjhg.com/2026/10/01/state-attorney-releases-statement-following-not-guilty-verdict-eddie-duran-case/ WUWF: Former Okaloosa County Deputy Eddie Duran takes the stand in manslaughter trial, https://www.wuwf.org/local-news/2026-09-30/former-okaloosa-county-deputy-eddie-duran-takes-the-stand-in-manslaughter-trial WUSF: An Okaloosa County deputy is fired following an investigation into Roger Fortson's killing, https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-05-31/okaloosa-county-deputy-fired-eddie-duran-investigation-roger-fortson-shooting-death WJHG: Former Okaloosa deputy charged with manslaughter in Roger Fortson case, https://www.wjhg.com/2024/08/23/former-okaloosa-deputy-charged-with-manslaughter-roger-fortson-case/ Fox 10: Testimony begins in trial of former sheriff's deputy charged with senior airman's death, https://www.fox10tv.com/2026/09/29/testimony-begins-trial-former-sheriffs-deputy-charged-with-senior-airmans-death/ WSB-TV: Girlfriend describes hearing final moments of Atlanta airman killed by Florida deputy, https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/girlfriend-describes-hearing-final-moments-atlanta-airman-killed-by-florida-deputy/5TPGVW4XBBFSZJPH3GBPGXN44E/ CNN: Florida sheriff releases bodycam video of airman fatally shot in apartment, https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/09/us/roger-forston-florida-airman-shot/index.html

  2. 2d ago

    Kristin Smart: 30 Years, a Conviction, and Still No Body

    Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman when she vanished after a party in May 1996. For 25 years, no one was charged. Then a podcast brought new witnesses forward, and in 2022 a jury convicted Paul Flores, the student last seen with her, of first-degree murder. His father, Ruben Flores, was acquitted. But Kristin has never been found. In May 2026, investigators spent three days digging at another house, and soil tests pointed to human remains. They still did not find her. We go through the night she disappeared, the evidence under a deck, the trial with two juries, and why her family is still waiting. This episode mentions testimony about sexual assault. In the US, the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673. Chapters: 00:00 Thirty years later, still not found 01:01 Who was Kristin Smart 01:39 The night she disappeared 02:47 The first days and the black eye 03:53 Cadaver dogs and a lawsuit 05:27 A new sheriff and a podcast 06:30 The search under the deck 07:16 The arrests and the charges 08:08 The trial 09:58 Two juries, two verdicts 11:07 The sentencing 11:56 The appeal and the 2026 search 13:18 Where the case stands Follow The Headline Case on Spotify for new cases every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This episode was produced with AI voices, from a research brief of court records and news reports. Sources are listed below. Sources: NBC News: Verdicts reached in 1996 disappearance and murder of California college student, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/verdicts-reached-1996-disappearance-murder-california-college-student-rcna49787 KCBX: Two juries, two verdicts in Kristin Smart murder trial, https://www.kcbx.org/central-coast-news/2022-10-19/two-juries-two-verdicts-in-kristin-smart-murder-trial-paul-flores-guilty-ruben-flores-not-guilty San Luis Obispo County District Attorney: Paul Flores Found Guilty / Justice for Kristin Smart, https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/District-Attorney/Latest-News/2022/October/Paul-Flores-%2844%29-has-been-convicted-by-jury-of-the.aspx NBC News: Kristin Smart 'not recovered' after search of property linked to her 1996 disappearance, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/search-property-linked-kristin-smarts-1996-disappearance-hasnt-found-r-rcna344154 ABC News: Kristin Smart case: Sheriff's office says latest search completed, her remains not found, https://abcnews.com/US/new-search-warrant-kristin-smart-case-decades-after/story?id=132719151

  3. 3d ago

    Christa Pike: The Execution That Failed

    Christa Pike was set to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. On September 30, 2026, an appeals court stopped the execution an hour before it was due, the Supreme Court restarted it, and then two doses of the execution drug failed. She was taken to hospital, and Tennessee has paused all executions for the rest of the year. We go back to January 1995, when Pike, then 18, killed 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at a Knoxville job-training center. Pike confessed and was sentenced to death in 1996. We look at the childhood abuse her lawyers say was never properly weighed, what Colleen's mother has waited 31 years for, and what happens now. This episode discusses violence and abuse. In the US, if you need support, call or text 988. Chapters: 00:00 The night of September 30, 2026 04:10 Christa Pike's childhood 07:17 Colleen Slemmer and January 1995 10:25 The satanic panic and the 1996 trial 16:02 Thirty years on death row 21:33 Clemency denied 24:12 A stay, a reversal, an execution that failed 29:53 Where the case stands now Follow The Headline Case on Spotify for new cases every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This episode was produced with AI voices, from a research brief of court records and news reports. Sources are listed below. Sources: CBS News: Christa Pike's execution temporarily halted, as Tennessee seeks to put to death first woman in 200 years, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-to-know-christa-pike-first-woman-executed-tennessee-200-years/ PBS NewsHour / AP: Court halts execution of Christa Gail Pike for a Tennessee murder she committed at age 18, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/court-halts-execution-of-christa-gail-pike-for-a-tennessee-murder-she-committed-at-age-18 Al Jazeera: Tennessee death-row prisoner Christa Pike survives lethal injections, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/1/us-supreme-court-clears-way-for-christa-pikes-execution-in-tennessee Death Penalty Information Center: Governor Bill Lee Denies Clemency for Christa Pike, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/governor-bill-lee-denies-clemency-for-christa-pike-refusing-to-stop-tennessees-first-execution-of-a-woman-in-more-than-200-years The Intercept: The "Satanic Panic" Made Her a True-Crime Obsession. The Truth Is More Haunting., https://theintercept.com/2026/09/27/christa-pike-execution-women-death-row/

  4. Sep 28

    Matter of Fact Is Moving: Follow The Headline Case for True Crime

    Matter of Fact is taking a break. Our true crime episodes, the ones you listened to most, now have their own show: The Headline Case: True Crime Behind the News. Every episode takes one case in the news right now and tells it from beginning to end, with new episodes every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The first episode covers the Lindsay Clancy mistrial. Find it on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3wvcSJGJ0pA6jjmjZHEmjV All past Matter of Fact episodes stay up. Thank you for listening. This episode was produced with AI voices.

  5. Sep 24

    The Million Dollar Void

    In 1903, Pittsburgh heiress Alice Thaw married the debt-ridden Earl of Yarmouth after he refused to walk down the aisle until her family handed over one million dollars. The union proved to be a facade, as the couple lived separately and the Earl left the marriage completely unconsummated. In 1908, Alice obtained a formal legal annulment, reclaiming her wealth and maiden name to later build a quiet, independent life.

    The Million Dollar Void

  6. Sep 23

    The Fallen Abbot: Corruption and Scandal in Thailand’s Royal Temples

    A 66-year-old abbot of a royal temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand, was arrested alongside his 47-year-old female assistant for embezzling over 92 million baht in temple donations and amulet sales. Investigation footage exposed the pair engaging in intimate physical encounters within the temple's private quarters, during which the abbot monitored live surveillance feeds on his phone to avoid detection. Authorities subsequently seized over 215 million baht in illicit assets—including gold bars, a pure gold Buddha statue, stacks of cash, and property deeds—and charged both individuals with corruption, official misconduct, and money laundering.

    The Fallen Abbot: Corruption and Scandal in Thailand’s Royal Temples

  7. Sep 23

    The High Cost of Conflict: Russia and Ukraine’s Economic War

    The Russia-Ukraine conflict has evolved into a costly war of attrition that severely devastated Ukraine's domestic economy through widespread infrastructure destruction and massive population displacement, leaving the nation heavily reliant on foreign financial aid[1]. Meanwhile, Russia initially absorbed Western sanctions through aggressive central bank rate hikes and redirected energy exports, but its transition to a war-driven industrial economy has triggered labor shortages, high inflation, and rising budget deficits[5]. Consequently, both combatants are operating on borrowed economic capital, with Ukraine hovering near fiscal insolvency while Russia steadily depletes its sovereign financial reserves to sustain military spending.

    The High Cost of Conflict: Russia and Ukraine’s Economic War

  8. Sep 18

    Echoes of Atlantis: The Fall of the Aztec Empire

    The theory that the Mayan and Aztec ancestral home, Aztlan, was actually the lost city of Atlantis, suggesting deep cultural connections between these civilizations and ancient Egypt

    Echoes of Atlantis: The Fall of the Aztec Empire
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About

Our true crime episodes have a new home: The Headline Case: True Crime Behind the News. New cases every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Search "The Headline Case" on Spotify and hit follow. Every story has a structure; every event has a cause. Matter of Fact dissects the latest trends in science, technology, and physics with rigorous analysis. We apply first principles to the news, helping you understand not just what is happening, but the mechanics of how and why.

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