The Thefts of The Scream

Episode Notes AI TRUE CRIME Episode: Natalie Wood – What Happened on the Splendour Tagline: The Intelligence is Artificial, but the Crime is Real. EPISODE SUMMARY On November 29, 1981, actress Natalie Wood was found drowned off the coast of Catalina Island near a yacht named Splendour. She was 43 years old. The official ruling at the time was accidental drowning. For decades, that explanation stood largely unchallenged in the public imagination. This episode of AI True Crime reexamines Natalie Wood’s death through documented timelines, witness statements, physical evidence, and the behavior of those present that night. Rather than treating the case as a tragic mystery, this episode treats it as a failure of investigation shaped by power, celebrity, and silence. KEY FACTS Natalie Wood was aboard the yacht Splendour with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken. The group had been drinking and arguing earlier in the evening. Natalie Wood was known to have a lifelong fear of water. She was last seen alive during a confrontation onboard. She was found hours later in the water, wearing a nightgown, socks, and a zipped red down jacket. No immediate distress call or search was initiated. The initial investigation was brief and accepted the accident narrative with minimal challenge. Decades later, the case was officially reopened and the manner of death was changed from “accidental” to “undetermined.” THEMES EXPLORED IN THIS EPISODE Control and escalation in intimate relationships The role of delay and inaction in preventable deaths How celebrity alters police behavior Why accident narratives are often convenient The difference between legal outcomes and factual understanding Hollywood’s long history of narrative containment KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED Why would a woman with a documented fear of water voluntarily enter the ocean at night? Why were injuries on Natalie Wood’s body never rigorously reconstructed? Why did witness statements change over time? Why was there no immediate emergency response? Why did the story harden into “accident” so quickly? Who benefited from that conclusion? ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION This episode does not rely on rumor or internet folklore. It draws from: Contemporary police reports Autopsy findings Public statements by witnesses Later sworn testimony Investigative journalism Official changes to the case status by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Where facts are disputed, the episode focuses on behavior, probability, and consistency rather than speculation. WHY THIS CASE STILL MATTERS Natalie Wood’s death is not simply a celebrity tragedy. It is a case study in how power reshapes truth. It demonstrates how quickly investigations can be derailed when the people involved are famous, respected, or institutionally protected. The questions surrounding her death remain unresolved not because they are unknowable, but because they were never pursued with the seriousness they required. WHAT’S NEXT The next episodes of AI True Crime begin a major multi-episode investigation into the 1922 murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor, a crime that established many of the same patterns seen in Natalie Wood’s case: compromised scenes, controlled narratives, and institutional silence. SOURCES AND FURTHER READING (All links are active and suitable for show notes. Line breaks between entries, no truncation.) https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1981-12-01-me-2449-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1981-12-04-me-3174-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-11-18-la-me-natalie-wood-20111119-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-01-14-la-me-natalie-wood-20120114-story.html https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-natalie-wood-death-20180131-story.html https://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/18/natalie.wood.death/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/showbiz/natalie-wood-death/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/01/entertainment/natalie-wood-death-investigation/index.html https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/natalie-wood-death-investigation-what-we-know-n844151 https://www.npr.org/2018/02/02/582464185/natalie-woods-death-what-we-know https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mysterious-death-of-natalie-wood-180968193/ https://people.com/movies/natalie-wood-death-everything-to-know/ https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/natalie-wood-death-investigation https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/01/natalie-wood-death-investigation-reopened https://www.biography.com/actors/natalie-wood https://www.biography.com/actors/robert-wagner https://www.lasd.org/natalie-wood-investigation-statement https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/natalie-woods-death-investigation-know/story?id=52788370 https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/natalie-wood-death-investigation-124555/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/natalie-wood-death-investigation-timeline-1081613/ This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

15 Dec 44min

Episode Notes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phil-Spector https://www.biography.com/musicians/phil-spector https://philspector.com/phil-spector-biography/ https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/november-20/music-producer-phil-spector-indicted-for-murder-of-actress https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/phil-spector-famed-music-producer-and-murderer-dies-at-81 https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/music-producer-phil-spector-convicted-murder-dead-81-2021-01-17/ https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-phil-spector-trial-20120927-story.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/arts/music/phil-spector-dead.html https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/phil-spector-obit-1116002/ https://www.theguardian.com/music/phil-spector https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/31/phil-spector-wall-of-pain-review https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/phil-spector-career-murder-beatles-b1789089.html https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/phil-spector-dead-obituary-9519362/ https://www.npr.org/2021/01/17/957900514/producer-phil-spector-dead-at-81 https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/phil-spector-obit-reconsideration/ https://variety.com/2021/music/news/phil-spector-dead-1234884892/ https://consequence.net/2021/01/phil-spector-dead-81/ https://www.stereogum.com/2114361/phil-spector-dead/obit/ https://www.vox.com/2021/1/18/22235955/phil-spector-music-producer-death-murder-lana-clarkson https://abcnews.go.com/US/phil-spector-music-producer-convicted-murder-dies/story?id=75327636 https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/us/phil-spector-death/index.html https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6365951/people-v-spector/ https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2012/b218360.html https://allmusic.com/artist/phil-spector-mn0000330714/biography https://teachrock.org/article/phil-spector/ https://aaep1600.osu.edu/book/08_Spector.php https://www.songhall.org/profiles/phil_spector https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817682/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tearing_Down_the_Wall_of_Sound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector_(film)

8 Dec 35min

Episode Notes Robert Blake (actor) overview with detailed “Murder of Bonny Lee Bakley” sectionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Blake_%28actor%29 Wikipedia Bonny Lee Bakley – background on the victim and details of the killing and trialshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonny_Lee_Bakley Wikipedia List of unsolved murders 2000–present – entry summarizing Bakley’s killing and Blake’s criminal and civil caseshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_murders_%282000%E2%80%93present%29 Wikipedia Actor Robert Blake acquitted of wife’s murder – History.com case summary and timelinehttps://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-16/robert-blake-acquitted-of-wifes-murder HISTORY Actor Robert Blake Acquitted in Shooting Death of His Wife – Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-17-me-blake17-story.html Los Angeles Times Robert Blake Found Not Guilty of Killing Wife – ABC News trial reporthttps://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/LegalCenter/story?id=525076\&page=1 ABC News The Murder of Bonny Lee Bakley: Case Remains Unsolved Decades Later – A\&Ehttps://www.aetv.com/articles/the-murder-of-bonny-lee-bakley-case-remains-unsolved-decades-later AETV Who Really Killed Bonny Lee Bakley in 2001? – Biography.com crime featurehttps://www.biography.com/crime/a43275241/bonny-lee-bakley-murder Biography Court cuts Robert Blake’s wrongful death judgment – Reuters on the appeal cutting $30M to $15Mhttps://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/court-cuts-robert-blakes-wrongful-death-judgment-idUSN26416189/ Reuters Blake to pay $30m damages after guilty verdict – The Guardian on the civil wrongful death verdicthttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/nov/22/2005inreview The Guardian Blake Hit with $30 Mil Wrongful Death Verdict – People magazinehttps://people.com/celebrity/blake-hit-with-30-mil-wrongful-death-verdict/ People.com Robert Blake Case: Investigators Speak Out 15 Years After Death of Actor’s Wife – Peoplehttps://people.com/celebrity/robert-blake-case-investigators-speak-out-15-years-after-death-of-actors-wife/ People.com Bonny Lee Bakley had a remarkable story that played a big role at her husband Robert Blake’s murder trial – ABC Newshttps://abcnews.go.com/US/bonny-lee-bakley-remarkable-story-played-big-role/story?id=60056830 ABC News How Robert Blake’s bold and unpredictable personality played into trials for his wife’s murder – ABC Newshttps://abcnews.go.com/US/robert-blakes-bold-unpredictable-personality-played-trials-wifes/story?id=60261418 ABC News Robert Blake Murder Case – CNN transcript (Larry King Live segment, 2002)https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lt/date/2002-11-12/segment/07 CNN Transcripts Robert Blake Found Not Guilty of Killing Wife – CNN transcript (Nancy Grace, verdict day, 2005)https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ng/date/2005-03-16/segment/01 CNN Transcripts Blake Jury Reviews Transcripts, Goes Home – Fox News on jury deliberationshttps://www.foxnews.com/story/blake-jury-reviews-transcripts-goes-home.print Fox News Out on Bail, and Out of Jail Forever? How Robert Blake’s Pretrial Hearing Evidence May Help Him Win His Case At Trial – FindLaw legal commentaryhttps://supreme.findlaw.com/legal-commentary/out-on-bail-and-out-of-jail-forever.html FindLaw Robert Blake Case File – Smoking Gun document hub (criminal complaint, letters, etc.)https://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/robert-blake-case-file thesmokinggun.com The Robert Blake and the Bonnie Lee Bakley murder investigation – Englert Forensics analysishttps://englertforensics.com/the-robert-blake-and-the-bonnie-lee-bakley-murder-investigation/ englertforensics.com The Alternative Science of the Robert Blake Criminal Trial – forensic science journal article (PDF)https://medwinpublishers.com/IJFSC/the-alternative-science-of-the-robert-blake-criminal-trial.pdf Medwin Publishers Tual v. Blake – California appeal reducing civil judgment to $15M – Horvitz & Levy case summaryhttps://www.horvitzlevy.com/tual-v-blake-california-court-of-appeal-reduces-civil-judgment-against-actor-robert-blake-from-30-million-to-15-million/ Horvitz & Levy Appeal From Robert Blake Wrongful Death Verdict – opinion (scanned document on Scribd)https://www.scribd.com/document/33530773/Appeal-From-Robert-Blake-Worngful-Death-Verdict-Opinion Scribd Blake lawyer says civil trial was unfair – Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jan-16-me-blake16-story.html Los Angeles Times Blake to Talk With Barbara Walters – Los Angeles Times on the jailhouse interview arrangementhttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-15-me-blake15-story.html Los Angeles Times Walters to interview Blake inside L.A. jail – San Francisco Chronicle / SFGatehttps://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Walters-to-interview-Blake-inside-L-A-jail-2669582.php SFGATE Jailhouse interview granted; Blake to tell story to Walters – Lawrence Journal-Worldhttps://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/feb/16/jailhouse_interview_granted/ LJWorld.com Robert Blake Can’t Keep Quiet – CBS News on his desire to speak publicly during the casehttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-blake-cant-keep-quiet/ CBS News Entertainment Today: Showbiz News – UPI item on Blake’s Barbara Walters interviewhttps://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2003/02/19/Entertainment-Today-Showbiz-News/27521045641600/ UPI State Court – Bail – Capital Murder – Mesereau Law Firm on defending Blake in the murder casehttps://mesereaulaw.com/state-court-bail-capital-murder/ Mesereau Law Group Robert Blake, actor acquitted in wife’s killing, dies at 89 – PBS NewsHour obituary with case recaphttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/robert-blake-actor-acquitted-in-wifes-killing-dies-at-89 PBS BLAKE BEATS RAP; SLAY VERDICT A SHOCKER – New York Post verdict coveragehttps://nypost.com/2005/03/17/blake-beats-rap-slay-verdicta-shocker-even-for-him/ New York Post Bonny Lee Bakley had a remarkable story that played a big role at her husband Robert Blake’s murder trial – ABC News featurehttps://abcnews.go.com/US/bonny-lee-bakley-remarkable-story-played-big-role/story?id=60056830 ABC News Lonely Heart – Robert Blake murder, Bonny Lee Bakley – trial chronology and documentshttps://www.vanceholmes.com/court/trial_blake.html vanceholmes.com Season 7: The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley – Wondery’s Hollywood and Crime podcast season pagehttps://wondery.com/shows/hollywood-and-crime/season/7/ Wondery | Premium Podcasts Introducing: The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley – Spotify episodehttps://open.spotify.com/episode/0pBGzhc3pNMCvZKa3pt4OS Spotify True Crime Vault: Robert Blake – 20/20 podcast page with trial discussionhttps://pod.wave.co/podcast/2020/true-crime-vault-robert-blake-cdb61086 Wave AI Podcast Notes “20/20” Robert Blake – IMDb entry for Barbara Walters’ 2003 special on the casehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt6633994/ IMDb The Robert Blake Case – Court TV / YouTube segment (video, but focused on the murder case)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCNcH_5G6ic youtube.com The Mysterious Murder of Bonnie Lee Bakley – documentary episode on Blake casehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX1aqDBGCWE youtube.com

1 Dec 15min

Episode Notes 1. The 1973 DOJ Lawsuit Against Trump for Housing Discrimination United States v. Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump, and Trump Management, Inc. (Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse) https://clearinghouse.net/case/15342 NPR - Decades-Old Housing Discrimination Case Plagues Donald Trump https://www.npr.org/2016/09/29/495955920/donald-trump-plagued-by-decades-old-housing-discrimination-case Politico - FBI releases files on 1970s race discrimination probe into Trump Management https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/02/trump-fbi-files-discrimination-case-235067 Washington Post - Trump and the Central Park Five: the racial injustice that won’t die https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/20/trump-and-the-central-park-five-the-racial-injustice-that-wont-die 2. Trump Tower’s Mob-Connected Concrete Supply Politico - Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910 Esquire - Fear City and the Real-Life Mafia Connections to Trump Tower https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a33350476/fear-city-new-york-mafia-donald-trump-tower-mob-ties-explained New York Times - Trump and the Mob https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/opinion/campaign-stops/donald-trump-and-the-mob.html The Guardian - Trump’s connections to the mob go back decades https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/28/donald-trump-mafia-links-construction-new-york 3. Commodore Hotel and the Grand Hyatt Tax Abatement Scheme ProPublica - Trump Pushed for a Sweetheart Tax Deal on His First Hotel https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-pushed-for-a-sweetheart-tax-deal-on-his-first-hotel-its-cost-new-york-city-410-068-399-and-counting NPR - As Trump Built His Real Estate Empire, Tax Breaks Played A Pivotal Role https://www.npr.org/2017/05/18/528998663/as-trump-built-his-real-estate-empire-tax-breaks-played-a-pivotal-role New York Times Archive - Trump Sees Big Payoff in Hotel Deal https://www.nytimes.com/1980/08/14/archives/trump-sees-big-payoff-in-hotel-deal-trump-sees-big-payoff-in.html Wikipedia - Hyatt Grand Central New York (formerly Commodore Hotel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Grand_Central_New_York 4. Trump’s Use of the Alias “John Barron” Washington Post - The Amazing Story of Donald Trump's Old Spokesman, John Barron https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/21/the-amazing-story-of-donald-trumps-old-spokesman-john-barron-who-was-actually-donald-trump-himself New York Times - Trump Posed as Publicist to Brag About Himself https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/14/us/politics/donald-trump-tape.html CNN - Yes, Donald Trump Posed as His Own Spokesperson. Here's the Tape. https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/13/politics/donald-trump-john-barron-spokesman/index.html Wikipedia - Pseudonyms Used by Donald Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonyms_used_by_Donald_Trump 5. Early Financial Misrepresentation and Media Manipulation Vanity Fair - The Secret History of Trump’s First Fortune https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/10/donald-trump-family-history The Atlantic - Donald Trump, Real Estate Huckster https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/the-ugly-american/476370 Fortune - Donald Trump’s Business Failures Were Very Real https://fortune.com/2016/06/23/donald-trump-business-failures 6. General Histories and Investigative Journalism on Trump in the 1970s The New Yorker - Trump’s Mobbed-Up, McCarthyite Mentor https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-mobbed-up-mccarthyite-mentor Mother Jones - 40 Years of Donald Trump’s Lies https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/07/guide-donald-trump-falsehoods/ Vox - Donald Trump’s Long History of Racism https://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12270880/donald-trump-racism-history PBS Frontline - The Choice 2016 (documentary and transcript) https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-choice-2016 1973 DOJ Lawsuit Against Trump for Housing Discrimination Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse – United States v. Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump, and Trump Management, Inc. https://clearinghouse.net/case/15342 NPR – Decades-Old Housing Discrimination Case Plagues Donald Trump https://www.npr.org/2016/09/29/495955920/donald-trump-plagued-by-decades-old-housing-discrimination-case Politico – FBI Releases Files on Trump Apartments' Race Discrimination Probe in '70s https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/02/trump-fbi-files-discrimination-case-235067 2. Ties to Organized Crime and Use of S&A Concrete Politico – Just What Were Donald Trump's Ties to the Mob? https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910 Esquire – True Story of Donald Trump's Mob Ties in Fear City https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a33350476/fear-city-new-york-mafia-donald-trump-tower-mob-ties-explained The Washington Post – Trump Swam in Mob-Infested Waters in Early Years as an NYC Developer https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trump-swam-in-mob-infested-waters-in-early-years-as-an-nyc-developer/2015/10/16/3c75b918-60a3-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html 3. Commodore Hotel and the Grand Hyatt Tax Abatement Scheme ProPublica – Trump Pushed for a Sweetheart Tax Deal on His First Hotel https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-pushed-for-a-sweetheart-tax-deal-on-his-first-hotel-its-cost-new-york-city-410-068-399-and-counting NPR – As Trump Built His Real Estate Empire, Tax Breaks Played A Pivotal Role https://www.npr.org/2017/05/18/528998663/as-trump-built-his-real-estate-empire-tax-breaks-played-a-pivotal-role Wikipedia – Hyatt Grand Central New York https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Grand_Central_New_York 4. Trump's Use of the Alias "John Barron" The Washington Post – The Amazing Story of Donald Trump's Old Spokesman, John Barron https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/21/the-amazing-story-of-donald-trumps-old-spokesman-john-barron-who-was-actually-donald-trump-himself/ Wikipedia – Pseudonyms Used by Donald Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonyms_used_by_Donald_Trump YouTube – Trump's Alter Ego | Choice Moments | FRONTLINE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsYKRUE_D5g 5. Early Financial Misrepresentation and Media Manipulation Vanity Fair – The Secret History of Trump’s First Fortune https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/10/donald-trump-family-history The Atlantic – Donald Trump, Real Estate Huckster https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/the-ugly-american/476370 Fortune – Donald Trump’s Business Failures Were Very Real https://fortune.com/2016/06/23/donald-trump-business-failures 6. General Histories and Investigative Journalism on Trump in the 1970s The New Yorker – Trump's Mobbed-Up, McCarthyite Mentor https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-mobbed-up-mccarthyite-mentor Mother Jones – 40 Years of Donald Trump's Lies https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/07/guide-donald-trump-falsehoods/ Vox – Donald Trump's Long History of Racism https://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12270880/donald-trump-racism-history PBS Frontline – The Choice 2016 (Documentary and Transcript) https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-choice-2016

13 Nov 27min

Transcript Some of the most disturbing details came from her final days. In the Bahamas, she had been photographed with a local politician, the immigration minister, fueling rumors of influence and favoritism. Her mansion there contained an open refrigerator filled with diet products, injectable vitamins, and bottles of methadone. The drugs followed her everywhere, from Los Angeles to Nassau to Florida. Each bottle seemed to carry someone else’s name. Even her funeral was a contest. In the Bahamas, where she was buried beside her son, old enemies stood side by side with lovers and lawyers. Cameras filmed every moment. Her daughter’s paternity was finally confirmed: Larry Birkhead was the father. He would raise the child far from the cameras that had devoured her mother. The story of Anna Nicole Smith has all the elements of a true crime story: money, sex, death, and power. But the crime was not only the overdose or the prescriptions. It was the system that fed on her. She was used by everyone who touched her life—the tabloids, the lawyers, the corporations, the men who called themselves protectors. Even the courts could not save her. She fought for a fortune she never got to spend, for love she could not keep, and for peace that never came. The FBI investigation remains a strange footnote. The paternity trial turned her death into spectacle. The drug charges revealed a pipeline of controlled substances fed to her by people who said they cared. And through it all, she became an American myth. A poor girl who became rich, a sex symbol who became an addict, a mother who buried her child, and a woman who died surrounded by people who stood to gain from her demise. She wanted to be Marilyn Monroe, and she got her wish in the worst possible way. Like Monroe, she became a blonde ghost of the American dream—beautiful, tragic, profitable. In the years since her death, documentaries, trials, and lawsuits have kept her story alive. They have not brought clarity, only repetition. Every retelling shows how modern fame can turn a human being into a commodity. Anna Nicole Smith’s death was ruled an accident. But accidents do not happen in isolation. They are built step by step, by decisions, by pressure, by greed, and by neglect. Hers was a slow-motion crime committed in plain sight. Her beauty was her weapon and her curse, and in the end, the same eyes that once adored her only watched her fade. She remains frozen in photographs, smiling with a tilt of the head, all promise and sadness. Her story is not just a tragedy; it is a warning. The cameras are still rolling. The appetite for destruction is still there. The crime that killed Anna Nicole Smith was never solved, because it was never meant to be. It was the crime of fame itself.

11 Nov 8min

13 Okt 22min

Episode Notes https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/billy-jensen-murder-squad-misconduct-allegation-investigation-1384950/ https://jamesrenner.com/the-whisper-network/#:~:text=A%20woman%20who%20worked%20on,at%20a%20company%20Halloween%20party. Book: "Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders" https://www.amazon.com/Chase-Darkness-Me-True-Crime/dp/1492685852 Jensen, Billy. Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders. Sourcebooks, 2019. Podcast: "The Murder Squad" https://themurdersquad.com/ Jensen, Billy, and Holes, Paul. "The Murder Squad." The Murder Squad. Podcast: "The First Degree" https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/the-first-degree Jensen, Billy, Linkletter, Alexis, and Vanek, Jac. "The First Degree." Stitcher. Podcast: "Chasing Cosby" https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/chasing-cosby Jensen, Billy, and Weisensee Egan, Nicki. "Chasing Cosby." Stitcher. Podcast: "Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unraveled-long-island-serial-killer/id1554853981 Jensen, Billy, and Linkletter, Alexis. "Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer." Apple Podcasts.

6 Okt 6min

Episode Notes Major Official Reports & Autopsies Los Angeles County Coroner’s Autopsy Report, June 26, 2009 – determined the cause of death as “acute propofol intoxication” with contributing sedatives, ruled a homicide. PDF via CNN: https://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/09/mj_autopsy.pdf DocumentCloud+3mrsblackmonsscienceblackboard.weebly.com+3YouTube+3Britannica+5Hilaris Publisher+5DocumentCloud+5i2.cdn.turner.com Michael Jackson Autopsy – DocumentCloud, text/html version: confirms cause of death as “acute propofol intoxication” along with sedatives. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/251735-autopsy-0001-optimized/ DocumentCloud The Michael Jackson Autopsy: Insights Provided by a Forensic Anesthesiologist – academic PDF report providing forensic and timeline analysis. https://www.hilarispublisher.com/open-access/the-michael-jackson-autopsy-insights-provided-by-a-forensic-anesthesiologist-2157-7145.1000138.pdf DocumentCloud+5Hilaris Publisher+5YouTube+5 📰 Press Coverage & Timeline “Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest”, Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2009. “Jackson death a homicide, criminal charge possible”, Reuters, Aug 28, 2009. “Jackson’s death ruled a homicide; lethal levels of propofol found”, Pitchfork, Aug 25, 2009. https://pitchfork.com/news/36313-michael-jacksons-death-ruled-a-homicide EBSCO+6Wikipedia+6People+6Pitchfork “What Was Michael Jackson’s Cause of Death? Inside the King of Pop’s Final Moments, 16 Years Later”, People.com, Jun 25, 2025. https://people.com/michael-jackson-death-legacy-what-to-know-8606534 Pitchfork+4People+4sites.temple.edu+4 🕵️ Investigative & Contextual Sources Wikipedia: “Death of Michael Jackson” – extensive breakdown of events, official statements, trial, public response. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Michael_Jackson Wikipedia Britannica: “How did Michael Jackson die?” – concise confirmed cause of death ruled homicide by propofol overdose. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Jackson Wikipedia+6Britannica+6Pitchfork+6 HISTORY.com Article "King of Pop Michael Jackson dies at age 50", Nov 13, 2009 (updated Jan 31, 2025). https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/june-25/king-of-pop-michael-jackson-dies-at-age-50 HISTORY ⚖️ Legal Proceedings & Trials People v. Murray trial coverage: Murray convicted involuntarily of manslaughter—see Reuters and NY Times, CNN archives (coverage referenced by Wikipedia entry). 🧪 Toxicology & Expert Analysis EBSCO Research Starter: “Michael Jackson’s Death” – summary of drug interactions, propofol overdose dynamics. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/pharmacy-and-pharmacology/michael-jacksons-death Britannica+5EBSCO+5Wikipedia+5 Mrs. Blackmon’s Science Blackboard – Toxicology summary: overview of acute propofol + benzodiazepine cause. http://mrsblackmonsscienceblackboard.weebly.com/toxicology.html mrsblackmonsscienceblackboard.weebly.com+1Hilaris Publisher+1 📷 LAPD Evidence Archive Reddit compilation: “The 155 photos LAPD investigators took on June 26, 2009” – links to images of evidence at the scene. https://www.reddit.com/r/MichaelJackson/comments/131gz8c/the_155_photos_lapd_investigators_took_on_june/ reddit.com+1People+1 🏛️ FBI Records FBI Vault: Michael Jackson Investigative Files – includes assistance documents, FBI input re threats; not directly about death but contextual. https://vault.fbi.gov/Michael%20Jackson fbi.govvault.fbi.gov 📚 Secondary & Tertiary Analyses TEMPLE University Libraries: “Michael Jackson, 1958–2009: Primary Resources…” overview. https://sites.temple.edu/librarynews/2009/07/07/michael_jackson/ sites.temple.edu

8 Juli 26min