Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast

Episode 105 “Exonerate the West Memphis 3” - An Interview with Dan Stidham, Defense Attorney and co-author of A Harvest of Innocence: The True Story of the West Memphis Murder Case Part 4

Episode 105 “Exonerate the West Memphis 3” - An Interview with Dan Stidham, Defense Attorney and co-author of A Harvest of Innocence: The True Story of the West Memphis Murder Case
Part 4: In a heartfelt interview, author Dan Stidham and Jill discuss the inside story of defending the West Memphis Three’s Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin as a young, inexperienced attorney, caught up in mass hysteria.  The malignant prosecution that conspired with a biased judge to convict three innocent teenagers for the 3 horrendous murders of 8-year-old boys, left a killer loose in Arkansas. Threatened, attacked, treated as a pariah, Dan suffers from PTSD, even as he receives new tips and information to this day.  With Misskelley and Baldwin out of prison (along with Echols), today Dan pursues the exoneration of the West Memphis Three, and—long overdue justice for the victims, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers, who’s killer has never been identified-- but Dan and Jill both have theories on WHO committed these gruesome murders!.
 
Buy A Harvest of Innocence by Dan Stidham & Tom McCarthy on Amazon- (highly recommended! 
Sources, photographs, recipes and drink information can be found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com – Oct 2024.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!

Episode 104 “Paradise Imperfect” -Pt 3 2ndCast- A Harvest of Innocence: The Untold Story of the West Memphis Three Murder Case by Dan Stidham and Tom McCarthy

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! !
Part 3
In this stunning episode, Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols languish in prison, as the Paradise Lost films are released, causing the public to become aware of the injustice and wrongful convictions of the West Memphis Three. Claiming ineffective counsel and a violation of Jason and Jessie’s rights, Dan Stidham fights for a new trial, with new attorneys joining the team.  Then, out of the blue, Dan receives a shocking call- an Alford Plea has been accepted and the West Memphis Three, after 18 years and 78 days, are released from prison.  Stunned by the rapid twist of events, Dan strives to understand what happened and why, as devastating revelations come forth.  
(Part 4: Join Jill for her interview with Dan Stidham in 2 weeks!)
 
Buy A Harvest of Innocence by Dan Stidham & Tom McCarthy on Amazon- (highly recommended!)
Sources, photographs, recipes and drink information can be found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com – Oct 2024.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!

Episode 103 “Confession Suppression” Pt 2- -A Harvest of Innocence: The Untold Story of the West Memphis Three Murder Case by Dan Stidham and Tom McCarthy

Part 2: Preparing for trial, against all odds, defense attorney Dan Stidham gathers world-class experts from a variety of fields, ready to prove his client, Jessie Misskelley, did not kill the 3 boys of West Memphis, wasn't at the crime scene, and his confession should be inadmissible according to the law.   But judicial hijinks derail the Defense’s plans as the State repeatedly violates Jessie’s rights. Convicted, a bewildered teenage, Jessie tries to adjust to prison, as Dan vows to never quit until Jessie is out of prison. 
Filing appeal after appeal, the court stacks the deck against the defense.  Adapting to his new pariah status, Dan sees the tide begin to change when the film, Paradise Lost is released, exposing judicial malfeasance and a case that rests on sketchy evidence & flawed eyewitness testimony.  Meanwhile, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin remain in prison, with Damien Echols on -death row-.
 
Ep 104 'Paradise Imperfect" on A Harvest of Innocence, will drop in two weeks!
Buy A Harvest of Innocence by Dan Stidham & Tom McCarthy on Amazon- (highly recommended! 
Sources, photographs, recipes and drink information can be found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com – Oct 2024.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!
 
 

Episode 102 “Righteous Malice” Pt 1 -A Harvest of Innocence: The Untold Story of the West Memphis Three Murder Case by Dan Stidham & Tom McCarthy

Part 1:  West Memphis, AR May 5, 1993: After riding their bikes around the neighborhood, three 8-year-old Cub Scouts went missing, Found the next day submerged in a drainage ditch in the woods, this heartbreaking triple homicide would ultimately leave 6 families utterly devastated.  30-year-old attorney, Dan Stidham, would agree to take on 16-year-old accused murderer, Jessie Misskelley, as a client, pro bono, working on a plea deal that would spare Jessie the death penalty.  This choice that would propel him onto a professional path that would test his dedication to his client, his decision to become a lawyer, and his faith, while trampling his marriage and his mental health.  Meet Dan Stidham, victims, Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore, their parents, and the 3 teenagers sucked into the judicial abyss- Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, with Dan Stidham struggling against the worst possible confluence of players in the judicial system of West Arkansas, as the Satanic Panic raged.
 
Buy A Harvest of Innocence by Dan Stidham & Tom McCarthy on Amazon- (highly recommended! 
Sources, photographs, recipes and drink information can be found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com – Oct 2024.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!
 
See you in two weeks!

Episode 101 “She Who Fights Monsters” 2ndCast- In My DNA: My Career Investigating Your Worst Nightmares Pt 3 by Lindsey Wade

Part 3: Now a homicide detective, Lindsey continues to change the system as she investigates the Bundy serial murder case, kidnappings, serial rapes, and murders. And all the while, she continued to work the unsolved 1986 Jennifer Bastian case.  When a huge breakthrough occurs, it throws the Bastian and Michella Welch cases into new scrutiny- exposing the monsters, that were hidden in the shadows.  
Buy Lindsey’s book on Amazon (highly recommended!) or check out the link on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X, Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!

Episode 100 “The Monster Inside”- In My DNA: My Career Investigating Your Worst Nightmares Pt 2 by Lindsey Wade

Part 2: Now in the Special Assault Unit, Det. Lindsey Wade and her partner investigate heartbreaking child abuse cases, violent serial rapist cases, and the kidnapping of 12-year-old Zina Linnik.  Connecting the dots across jurisdictions, many perpetrators face justice.  Yet, her attention returned again and again to the unsolved murder of Jennifer Bastian, even as other cases are solved with new technological breakthroughs, and changes in procedure, initiated by Det. Lindsey Wade, who holds SVPs accountable for their crimes. What's a SVP? Listen! You know Jill will give you ALL the details! 
Buy Lindsey’s book on Amazon (highly recommended!) or on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!
 
 
 

Episode 99 “Monsters are real”- In My DNA: My Career Investigating Your Worst Nightmares Pt 1 by Lindsey Wade

1986: Growing up in Tacoma, Washington, 11 yr. old Lindsey Jackson (Wade) remembers no longer being allowed to ride her bike, and the fear of walking home from the school bus after two girls were brutally murdered, Michella Welch and Jennifer Bastian.
An adult Lindsey joined the Tacoma Police Dept, honing her investigative skills in patrol, then as a detective in sex crimes, dealing with terrible, frustrating cases, and putting bad guys behind bars, as DNA evidence begins to play a role in investigation.  Raw, respectful of the victims and their families, this is Lindsey’s story, poignant, powerful and not to be missed.
 
Buy Lindsey’s book on Amazon (highly recommended!) or on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!
 
 

Ep 98: Safety, Sanctuary, & Sense- Jill chats with P.I., author, and podcaster, Lori Morrison of the Unlovely Truth podcast

It seems every day there are new horrors in the news; our most trusted members of society are abusing our children and trust, stealing our innocence, security & peace of mind.  Lori Morrison, retired Private Investigator, host of the Unlovely Truth podcast, is also the author of three books- Kick Fear to the Curb, In God We Trust: Everyone Else Gets a Background Check, and her newest- Reclaiming Sanctuary. She offers real world, sound tips for securing yourself, your family, and the institutions that are part of our lives.  And they get into some recent cases that changed our communal perceptions! Do NOT miss this one! It’s a game changer!
Links to buy Lori’s books are here (highly recommended!) or on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!

Episode 97: ‘Theriocide’- Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar & the End of Horse Racing’s Golden Age Pt 5!

In this exclusive interview, Jill chats with author of Broken and animal law attorney, Fred M. Kray, who offers his insights into the motivation of those involved in the injury Alydar sustained in his stall at Calumet Farm. How did he uncover the evidence he discovered? Are coincidences too coincidental?  What didn’t Fred include in the book? And ---Fred makes his BIG announcement here!  
 
Oh, what does theriocide mean? ‘The killing of a non-human animal by a human.” Ahhhh!  Right?
 
Sources, photos, diagrams, snack & wine pairing information is found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!
 
 

Episode 96 ‘Legacy’ Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing’s Golden Age by Fred M. Kray, Pt 4

Trials are over, as Fred Kray begins his investigation into the suspicious death of Alydar, tracking down reluctant witnesses even as doors slam in his face. Persistent, determined, Fred continues to connect the dots, that may exonerate an innocent man while providing answers to the many questions surrounded the death of the beloved, magnificent race horse, Alydar.
 
Sources, photos, diagrams, snack & wine pairing information is found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com.
Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or on X, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube!