MMP Remastered #84: The Latest on Stephen Smith, SLED’s Investigation into the Murders and Russell Lafitte’s Future

On today's True Sunlight Podcast, Co-hosts Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell update you on what went down at Alex Murdaugh’s federal sentencing hearing this week, where he was sentenced to 40 years. What does this new sentence mean? And why does Alex have to pay back millions to his former law firm and Palmetto State Bank when both allowed these crimes to happen for years? Also on the show, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office believes suspected murderer Michael Colucci has been on house arrest at his parents’ house but … his parents have been dead for years. Also, according to police reports, Michael was evicted from their home in April 2017 — BEFORE his first trial. Why does South Carolina have such a terrible bond system when it comes to violent criminals? Also, what police reports tell us about Michael’s life after his arrest in Sara Lynn Colucci’s death. We want to share a special thanks to True Sunlight fan Tom at the Late Night with Seth Meyers show for the unbelievable experience and CONGRATS to Sheryl Crow on her new album Evolution!!!  Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ In April we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a Premiere Member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Apr 20241h 7min

On today's True Sunlight Podcast, Co-hosts Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell break down what happened at Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill’s pathetic last attempt at staying in the post-Alex Murdaugh spotlight and why there might be more to the story about Becky’s pick for a replacement.  Also on the show, the federal government files a 126-page response to Russell Laffitte’s appeal, proving once again that they fight the hardest for victims … and, to them, the victims are Alex’s old law firm and Russell’s family’s bank.  Plus, Mandy and Liz put together a timeline surrounding Alex’s failed polygraph with the FBI. He was asked where $6 million in unaccounted stolen money went and didn’t answer them truthfully. But why did they ask that question when they did and do Cory Fleming’s and Peter Strauss’ cases have anything to do with it? Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ In March we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a Premiere Member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Mars 202455min

On today's True Sunlight Podcast, Co-hosts Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell begin their dive down the complex rabbit hole that is the Sara Lynn Moore-Colucci case.  Sara Lynn was killed on the evening of May 20, 2015, outside of Charleston, South Carolina, at a jewelry warehouse she owned with her husband, Michael Colucci. She died by asphyxiation mere feet from Michael, who said he was waiting in the car for her to use the restroom. Michael Colucci contends that Sara Lynn took her own life or … barring that … she tripped and fell into the loops of an industrial garden hose and accidentally hung herself.  When first-responders arrived at the scene, they found Sara Lynn’s body already cold to the touch and Michael with scratches on his body and a fat and bloody lip, which he says he got from giving Sara Lynn CPR. In 2018, Michael was tried for her murder but that case ended in a mistrial. Now, as the prosecution and defense gear up for a May 13, 2024, retrial, Mandy and Liz break down what went wrong six years ago and the story of Sara Lynn and Michael that the jury should have heard back then.   We'll also hear from speakers at the Victims Matter Rally like David Pascoe, Carl Smalls Sr. and Sarah Ford plus a special message from Sandy Smith on her experiences at the rally... Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ In March we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a Premiere Member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Mars 20241h 10min

On today's True Sunlight Podcast, Co-hosts Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell talk to South Carolina Victims Assistance Network attorney Sarah Ford and Karl Stoller, a father who continues to seek justice for his daughter’s sexual assault, about the latest arrest of Bowen Turner. Bowen — who was accused by three girls in three separate counties of rape — avoided prison time for those sexual assaults after he received a sweetheart plea deal in 2022, which his lawyer-legislator was able to secure because of his implied influence over the prosecution and the judge. This is his second arrest since his sentence was suspended almost two years ago and it’s just four months since he was released from the South Carolina Department of Corrections.  Also on today’s show, Mandy and Liz begin their coverage of the Michael Colucci retrial, starting with the night Michael’s wife, Sara Lynn, was found dead outside their business in Summerville. They break down the 911 call from that night and talk about what’s in store for Michael’s retrial in May. Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ In March we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a Premiere Member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Mars 202459min

On today's True Sunlight Podcast, Co-hosts Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell continue their investigation into the photos and screenshots found on Stephen Smith’s phone, learning more about what the Hampton, S.C., teen’s life was like leading up to his mysterious death in July 2015. Mandy and Liz revisit two interviews with South Carolina Highway Patrol that — with new context — shed more light on his very last night and on what evidence SLED might have to help them retrace Stephen’s steps. Plus, listeners will finally get to hear Stephen’s own voice from a video Mandy and Liz found on his iPad... Also on the show, Luna Shark is taking on a new case! This May, Michael Colucci will stand trial — again — for the 2015 murder of his wife, Sara Lynn Moore-Colucci. Michael — a wealthy, prominent and well-connected Charleston-area man — insists that his wife killed herself with a garden hose. His attorney Andy Savage (yes, that one) even suggests that she might have tripped and fallen into the hose and hanged herself. SLED Agent David Owen — remember him from Alex Murdaugh’s trial? — and the Attorney General say Michael strangled Sara to death in a fit of anger. This case features a lot of familiar themes and players from the Murdaugh trial, including the twists and turns that seem to have come right off the pages of a novel... On Tuesday, we published one of our Top Five Favorite episodes of Cup of Justice! We interviewed Emmy Award Winning Journalist and TV Host Tamron Hall. Tamron was on the TODAY Show in Mandy's early days of journalism and she deeply admired how she handled stories. So, y’all… give episode 69 of COJ a listen to learn all about her new book 'Watch Where They Hide', the attached scripted series and bias in journalism. We promise it’s a good one!  Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ In March we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a Premiere Member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Mars 20241h 7min

True Sunlight Podcast co-hosts True Sunlight Co-hosts Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell continue to unpack the evidence in the Stephen Smith case file. On today’s episode they take a look at the thousands of photos downloaded from Stephen’s iPhone and iPad in 2015 and explore what they tell us about Stephen’s life … and his death. Hear an interview with someone from Stephen’s past who got to witness his life in action. Plus, they take a look at the Kinsey Report — an investigation into Stephen’s death conducted by crime scene expert Dr. Kenny Kinsey, who helped put Alex Murdaugh behind jails for life last year. To listen to all of our episodes with information on Who Killed Stephen Smith, visit truesunlight.com or https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GI4ezkrlQorzy2HuyiGsu In February we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

29 Feb 202452min

Just like in our Cup of Justice Episode 69 that published Tuesday on the separate feed, we’re going to do something a little different with today’s show. Today we'll 'Feed Drop' the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Podcast called Crime Story whose host, Kathleen Goldhar, interviewed Mandy back in November promoting the best selling book, Blood On Their Hands.  Fraud. Abduction. Murder. Every week, Crime Story host and investigative journalist Kathleen Goldhar goes deep into a true crime case with the storyteller who knows it best." You can listen to more incredible tales of true crime every week on Crime Story with the storyteller who knows it best. Find more Crime Story episodes in your podcast app, or here: https://link.chtbl.com/HtkP-5kV We know y’all are eager to learn everything you can regarding Stephen Smith and Grant Solomon’s cases. We are not anywhere near brick walls in either case as we continue to get more materials. That said, these types of investigations take time. Our whole team has been sprinting for years now, and as someone who can sense burnout due to their own experience, we made the call to take a little break this week a step back to see the big picture and carve a plan ahead.  If you’ve been with us for the longest time then you know much of this story… if you’re new we want this episode to be a check-in on all that we’ve covered and where we are going. Also, this is a great episode to share with people who don’t know the story and want to get caught up. We’ll have small intermissions with Mandy's impressions at the breaks, but for now we hope you’ll enjoy Mandy's conversation with Kathleen Golhar on this presentation of CBC’s Crime Story. All that said... we hope you enjoy this Crime Story episode with another amazing and inspiring woman, Kathleen Goldhar. In February we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Feb 202459min

It’s FOIA around and find out time again on True Sunlight Podcast! True Sunlight Co-hosts Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell unpack the latest round of records reporter Beth Braden received from Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill’s emails. In the stack of documents, Beth found memos from SLED outlining interviews with Alex Murdaugh’s siblings after Alex was finally charged with Maggie’s and Paul’s murders in the summer of 2022. Turns out there was a bloody towel found in the house the morning after the murders that no one knew about. Sorry, no one other than Lynn Murdaugh, Alex’s older sister. I know, right? Also on today’s show, Mandy and Liz do a deeper dive on a piece of evidence in the Stephen Smith case — his little yellow car that was found on the side of the road. Plus an update on Peter J. Strauss, the suspended attorney we told you about in Season 2, Episode 29, who might hold answers to the big question: Did Alex stash stolen money off-shore? To listen to all of our episodes with information on Who Killed Stephen Smith, visit truesunlight.com or https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GI4ezkrlQorzy2HuyiGsu ' As mentioned in this episode, we'll be sharing most of our recent FOIA responses, MOI's, case files and creepy messages to Alex with our Luna Shark Premium Members. In February we’re offering your first month of Soak Up The Sun membership for 50% off. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 Feb 20241h 2min