The Cheat Sheet: Strikes and Slimebags

Joe Kennedy was a longtime agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or the NCIS. The NCIS is tasked with investigating criminal activities involving the United States Navy and the Marine Corps. So he investigated cases all around the world. Today, Joe works with the Carolina Cold Case Consortium and is devoted to helping solve cold cases. He is also working with eSleuth. This interview is part of our new occasional recurring segment, the Future of Crime Solving. It’s a series where we will talk to different figures associated with eSleuth AI. eSleuth AI offers a suite of new tools crafted to help eliminate backlogs and get cases solved — cold and otherwise. It employs artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, and its systems are Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Justice Information System compliant. To help convince law enforcement departments around the country that eSleuth is the future of crime solving, the company is working with an impressive array of former law enforcement officials. And they’re willing to talk to us. If you're a law enforcement official curious about eSleuth AI, email Scot at sthomasson@esleuth.ai or check out their website at: https://www.esleuth.ai/Find discounts for Murder Sheet listeners here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/discountsCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

16 Dec 51min

The Cheat Sheet is The Murder Sheet's segment breaking down weekly news and updates in some of the murder cases we cover. In this episode, we'll talk about cases from California, Indiana, and New York.And check out Kindle's Deal of the Day! For December 12, 2025 only, you can get an ebook of our book Shadow of the Bridge for only $1.99. Source: Fox 10 News on the murder of Tanya Jackson and her baby daughter Tatiana Marie Dykes: https://www.fox10tv.com/2025/12/08/florida-man-charged-1997-killing-mobile-woman-once-thought-linked-gilgo-beach-murders/The New York Post on the murder of Susan Leeds by Cherie Townsend: https://nypost.com/2025/12/09/us-news/california-mom-cherie-townsend-convicted-of-killing-66-year-old-retired-nurse-in-botched-robbery-to-fund-daughters-cheerleading-trip/CBS on the murder of Susan Leeds by Cherie Townsend: https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/woman-convicted-of-killing-retired-nurse-in-rolling-hills-mall-parking-lot/People on the homicide of Michael Virgil: https://people.com/michael-virgil-fiancee-files-suit-against-cruise-company-after-death-11864285CBS on the homicide of Michael Virgil: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-virgil-royal-caribbean-alcohol-death-lawsuit-california/Forensic Resources on homicide: https://forensicresources.org/2019/homicide-manner-of-death-vs-legal-conclusion/Find discounts for Murder Sheet listeners here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/discountsCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12 Dec 1h 6min

We spoke with Monia Ali, author of the Fandom Exile Substack, about how true crime is becoming more and more like a fandom. We talked about the difference between stans and fans, how fandoms go bad, and how we can all combat toxicity in true crime.In new segment, True Crime Wave, we’ll be talking about issues endemic to true crime. At its best, true crime offers the audience a way to learn about stories of crime, social issues, legal realities, and the real human beings at the heart of cases. It can be educational and compassionate and cathartic and thoughtful and incisive, and it can help raise awareness of cases. Good true crime can show case all kinds of different perspectives. It can center journalism, advocacy, legal analysis, investigative approaches, the experiences of survivors or victims’ families, and more. That is all very good. But too often, we see true crime devolve. We have seen online mobs, harassment, conspiracy theories, ethics-washing, and more. True crime won’t get better on its own. We think talking about these things will help. Check out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Dec 1h 28min

Steve Kramer has dedicated his career to law enforcement. First, he served as a deputy county attorney, prosecuting cases for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in Phoenix, Arizona. Then he went to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as in-house counsel. Today, he will talk to us about his involvement in solving cases like the Golden State Killer and the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders.Check out Indago here: https://www.indago.ai/Find discounts for Murder Sheet listeners here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/discountsCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

9 Dec 1h 10min

The Cheat Sheet is The Murder Sheet's segment breaking down weekly news and updates in some of the murder cases we cover. In this episode, we'll talk about cases from Alaska, Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri.9 and 10 News on the murder of Rebecca Park and her baby and the arrest of Cortney Bartholomew and Bradley Bartholomew: https://www.9and10news.com/2025/12/03/biological-mother-spouse-face-murder-and-torture-charges-in-rebecca-park-case/ABC News on the murder of Rebecca Park and her baby and the arrest of Cortney Bartholomew and Bradley Bartholomew: https://abcnews.go.com/US/family-members-charged-death-pregnant-woman-michigan/story?id=128069205CBS 4 Local’s report on the murder of Rebecca Park and her baby and the arrest of Cortney Bartholomew and Bradley Bartholomew: https://cbs4local.com/news/nation-world/parents-of-murdered-rebecca-park-accused-cutting-baby-out-of-womb-prosecutor-says-wexford-county-michigan-brad-cortney-bartholomewPatch’s coverage of the recent attempted murder case involving Aneta Marsek: https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/woman-who-once-sparked-nationwide-missing-persons-case-now-sentenced-shootingThe McHenry County State’s Attorney’s press release on the outcome of the attempted murder case involving Aneta Marsek: https://www.mchenrycountyil.gov/Home/Components/News/News/18490/We also looked at the Reedsburg Times-Press and Northwest Herald via Newspapers.com.The Alaska Beacon’s reporting on the case of Brian Hall and the murders of Mickey Dinsmore and Stanley Honeycutt: https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/12/03/alaska-court-of-appeals-upholds-1995-murder-conviction-despite-key-witness-reversing-testimony/BBC's coverage of Judge Matthew EP Thornhill: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yq3g7lqgqoCBS's coverage of Judge Matthew EP Thornhill: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/missouri-judge-elvis-presley-wig-music-court-stepping-down/Fox 2 Now's coverage of Judge Matthew EP Thornhill: https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/st-charles-county-judge-who-wore-elvis-wig-talked-politics-in-court-to-resign/The Associated Press's coverage of Judge Matthew EP Thornhill: https://apnews.com/article/missouri-elvis-wig-judge-matthew-thornhill-ac85ac95a5dd942ea87f688fda75b758STLPR's coverage of Judge Matthew EP Thornhill: https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2025-11-26/st-charles-judge-wearing-elvis-outfitFind discounts for Murder Sheet listeners here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/discountsCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Dec 1h 8min

On February 13, 2017, a man named Richard Allen murdered two girls, 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams in Delphi, in Carroll County. Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland and his team, Stacey Diener and James Luttrull, prosecuted him. Allen’s defense team consisted of lead counsel Brad Rozzi, Jennifer Auger, and Andrew Baldwin.That defense team established a consistent pattern of engaging in baseless personal attacks on prosecutors and detectives throughout their representation, and also put forward a flimsy theory of the case centering an alleged Norse pagan cult. Allen was convicted on November 11, 2024 by a jury of his peers.The Murder Sheet can now exclusively report that Baldwin filed a ridiculous complaint against McLeland this past summer with Indiana’s Disciplinary Commission, a body tasked with disciplinary complaints against lawyers. Baldwin's complaint was dismissed on its face. Now McLeland will weigh in on the whole situation. Find discounts for Murder Sheet listeners here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/discountsCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

3 Dec 39min

On February 13, 2017, a man named Richard Allen murdered two girls, 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams in Delphi, in Carroll County. Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland and his team, Stacey Diener and James Luttrull, prosecuted him. Allen’s defense team consisted of lead counsel Brad Rozzi, Jennifer Auger, and Andrew Baldwin.That defense team established a consistent pattern of engaging in baseless personal attacks on prosecutors and detectives throughout their representation, and also put forward a flimsy theory of the case centering an alleged Norse pagan cult. Allen was convicted on November 11, 2024 by a jury of his peers.The Murder Sheet can now exclusively report that Baldwin filed a ridiculous complaint against McLeland this past summer with Indiana’s Disciplinary Commission, a body tasked with disciplinary complaints against lawyers. We will continue talking about Baldwin's frivolous complaint here, and get into the similarly ridiculous complaints we received. Find discounts for Murder Sheet listeners here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/discountsCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

3 Dec 1h 8min

On February 13, 2017, a man named Richard Allen murdered two girls, 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams in Delphi, in Carroll County. Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland and his team, Stacey Diener and James Luttrull, prosecuted him. Allen’s defense team consisted of lead counsel Brad Rozzi, Jennifer Auger, and Andrew Baldwin. That defense team established a consistent pattern of engaging in baseless personal attacks on prosecutors and detectives throughout their representation, and also put forward a flimsy theory of the case centering an alleged Norse pagan cult. Allen was convicted on November 11, 2024 by a jury of his peers. The Murder Sheet can now exclusively report that Baldwin filed a ridiculous complaint against McLeland this past summer with Indiana’s Disciplinary Commission, a body tasked with disciplinary complaints against lawyers. Baldwin's complaint was dismissed on its face. But we can now share that this was not the only frivolous complaint filed regarding the Delphi murders — we got one too.Find discounts for Murder Sheet listeners here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/discountsCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsOrder our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

3 Dec 58min