Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

James shares new information about red scoria, or clinker, found on Shelly’s car and speaks with a North Dakota geologist about what that material could mean for the investigation. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James examines allegations involving Bismarck Police Lieutenant Don Schaffer, discusses questions and comments from listeners, and lays out what he believes could still be done in Shelly’s case. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James speaks with Jaden Woodworth about his memories of his mom, growing up without her, his father and grandparents, and a later police interview with Kevin Woodworth that centered on when Shelly was reported missing. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James interviews Tony Hulm, former bartender at the Burnt Creek Club, and revisits questions about Shelly’s final days, the Comfort Inn, the railroad workers, and other leads still left to examine. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James sits down with Shelly's parents, Wes and Linda Julson, and retired Bismarck Police Officer Rob Carvell, who responded to the original missing persons call in 1994 and later volunteered to re-examine the case in 2016. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James speaks with one of Shelly’s friends, retired investigator Bill Connor, and one of the railroad workers mentioned in the cold case file. He also goes looking for Jennie, the former Burnt Creek Club barmaid Shelly suspected may have been harassing her. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James follows the early investigation into Shelly’s final known days, including Tony Hulm’s statements, the babysitter’s account, the two railroad workers, Rick Snell, and the missing records in Shelly’s case file. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As investigators continue looking for Shelly, they interview friends and co-workers, follow reports of harassment, search for her Ford Thunderbird, and begin tracing the people who may have seen her before she disappeared. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In August 1994, 26-year-old Michele "Shelly" Julson drops off her three-year-old son with his grandfather, planning to return a few hours later. She never does. As family, friends, and police begin searching, troubling details emerge about the days leading up to her disappearance, including reports that Shelly believed she was being harassed. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Inspired by Dakota Spotlight Season 7, Call Me Shelly is now a documentary film. Watch the official trailer, see upcoming screenings, and purchase tickets at https://callmeshellyfilm.com Call Me Shelly is written and produced by James Wolner. Archival audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo. Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leah Sottile joins Dakota Spotlight for a conversation about investigative journalism, the ethics of true crime storytelling, and the challenges of reporting on unresolved cases in overlooked rural communities. Leah discusses the making of Hush Season 2, the line between mystery and journalism, and the emotional weight of reporting on the 2019 death of Sarah Zuber in rural Oregon. Following the interview, hear the first episode of Hush Season 2. In March 2019, 18-year-old Sarah Zuber was found dead just 400 feet from her family’s home in the wooded hills above Rainier, Oregon. Six years later, her family still has no clear answers. What begins as a tragic and confusing death soon spirals into a story filled with unanswered questions, community rumors, disputed forensic conclusions, and a family’s relentless search for the truth. Listen to Hush: https://www.opb.org/show/hush/ More from Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas at The Western Edge on Substack: https://substack.com/@thewesternedge1 Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the release of The Bagpiper and His Brother, listeners who knew Harold Pieper began reaching out. In this update episode, Harold's stepdaughters and granddaughter share memories that reveal a devoted husband, caretaker, and grandfather. Their stories offer a fuller picture of the man whose life was forever changed by the 1971 bombing. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and podcast creator Josh Dean joins Dakota Spotlight to discuss scams, deception, and the craft of narrative podcasting. Josh talks about the rise of fraud stories, producing investigative audio on a weekly schedule, and his upcoming book on the legendary Lockheed Skunk Works. Following the interview, hear an episode of Chameleon Weekly titled “The de Kooning Job: Teachers Turned Thieves,” the strange true story of a retired couple linked to the theft of a priceless Willem de Kooning painting that vanished from an Arizona museum in 1985, only to resurface decades later hanging behind a bedroom door in rural New Mexico. Listen to Chameleon Weekly: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chameleon/id1532225667 Crimeless is another stellar podcast by Josh: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crimeless/id1844700671 Josh’s new book “The Impossible Factory” is available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0bJ7XR8a Explore the full Dakota Spotlight catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September 1972, in Edina, Lloyd Brenna appears to have put the bombing behind him, until federal agents return with a new case. This time, it’s tax fraud, built around a fabricated identity and a scheme that begins to unravel in court. Faced with the evidence, Lloyd doesn’t back down. Instead, he offers explanations so strange, so confident, that they seem to defy common sense. As Lloyd faces sentencing, Wallace Brenna serves time for his role in the bombing, and Harold Pieper, still recovering from his injuries, turns to the civil courts in search of accountability.  A special thanks to Mike Wald and Derrik Dyka for their contributions to this episode. Looking for hockey pickup games, leagues, tournaments, and clinics? https://HockeyFinder.com The Bagpiper and His Brother is written and produced by James Wolner, with additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hanson. Archival audio sourced from the Library of Congress, identified as public domain. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a quiet night in 1971, in Huron, South Dakota Harold Pieper is asked to pick up a small case at the airport. Minutes later, it explodes. The investigation turns to Genevieve Johnson and her connection to Wallace Brenna, setting off a chain of events driven by jealousy and obsession. With Lloyd Brenna pulled in, the brothers become the focus of a bombing case that leads to a nationwide search, an arrest, and a trial that seems all but certain. But when the verdict comes down, it leaves more questions than answers, and the consequences are far from over. The Bagpiper and His Brother is written and produced by James Wolner, with additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hanson. Archival audio sourced from the Library of Congress, identified as public domain. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1960, in St. Paul, something didn't look right with an office phone, and it leads back to Lloyd Brenna. By now, he has built a life that looks stable on the surface, a job, a home, a reputation, but there are cracks. A wiretap. A past he’s left behind. Behavior that doesn’t quite line up with the man people think they know. As Wallace Brenna settles into his own version of adulthood, Harold Pieper moves forward on a steady path. Then, in 1970, an IRS agent investigating Lloyd is shot. The Bagpiper and His Brother is written and produced by James Wolner, with additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hanson. Archival audio sourced from the Library of Congress, identified as public domain. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1930s Chicago, Lloyd Brenna is arrested for burglary and sent to prison, where parole hearings reveal a young man who is both highly intelligent and deeply unpredictable. Given a rare second chance with a job and housing, he quickly violates parole, returns to theft, and lands back behind bars. As Lloyd moves between incarceration and opportunity, his brother Wallace Brenna is arrested and imprisoned for crimes of his own, while a boy named Harold Pieper grows up, unaware their paths will one day cross. The Bagpiper and His Brother is written and produced by James Wolner, with additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hanson. Archival audio sourced from the Library of Congress, identified as public domain. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lloyd and Wallace Brenna are two Midwestern brothers whose outwardly ordinary lives conceal a long pattern of troubling behavior. From rural North Dakota beginnings to a 1971 bombing in South Dakota, the story moves through wiretapping, theft, and an attempted assassination. Built from years of research and original reporting, the series follows the Brennas while, in parallel, the life of the victim unfolds, carrying a quiet, growing sense of dread toward an unsettling end. A serious story, with moments of dark humor along the way. A special thanks to Mike Wald and Derrik Dyka for their contributions to this episode. Looking for hockey pickup games, leagues, tournaments, and clinics? https://HockeyFinder.com The Bagpiper and His Brother is written and produced by James Wolner, with additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hanson. Archival audio sourced from the Library of Congress, identified as public domain. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bagpiper and His Brother traces two Midwestern brothers whose outwardly ordinary lives conceal a long pattern of troubling behavior. From rural North Dakota beginnings to a 1971 bombing in South Dakota, the story moves through wiretapping, theft, and an attempted assassination. Built from years of research and original reporting, the series follows the Brenna brothers while, in parallel, the life of the victim unfolds, carrying a quiet, growing sense of dread toward an unsettling end. It’s a serious story, with moments of dark humor along the way. Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James is joined by Dakota Spotlight researcher Mari Zoerb Hansen for a conversation with investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd about the making of Valley of Shadows, their deep dive into the disappearance of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay. It’s a discussion about reporting, persistence, and what happens when a case refuses to stay buried. Following the interview, you’ll hear Episode 1 of the series. Listen to Valley of Shadows: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/valley-of-shadows About Valley of Shadows: How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn’t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened. Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true… that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff’s department has kept hidden all these years. Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy. Episode 1: The Devil's Punchbowl: Deputy Jon Aujay is former military, an ultramarathon runner, and a part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s elite SWAT unit, so when he fails to return home from a run in Antelope Valley’s Devil’s Punchbowl…no one knows what to think. The sheriff’s department launches a widespread search for him, but finds no trace. Theories of accident, suicide, and desertion swirl, but Aujay’s former boss — retired CaptainMike Bauer — is convinced there’s something darker at play. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James sits down with award-winning filmmaker and host of Someone Knows Something, David Ridgen. We talk about his approach to storytelling, how he works with families, and what it really means to stay with a case over time. We also get into his latest investigation, the disappearance of Jaclyn Ferland-Smith, and how a simple trip to Costa Rica turned into something much more. Following our conversation, you’ll hear Episode 1 of the Jaclyn Ferland-Smith investigation from Someone Knows Something. Jaclyn Ferland-Smith moved to Playa del Coco with her husband Sebastien to find and build a new life. But then Jackie disappears, with no trace found. Jackie's family, with David's help, begins the process of picking up the pieces. More episodes of of Someone Knows Something are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/SKS10xDSP Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Years pass, and the case remains. In this final episode, we hear from people still connected to that night, to the investigation, and to what followed. They reflect on what has changed, what has not, and the question that still lingers at the center of it all, who killed Joel Lovelien. Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo. If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000. This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside the courtroom, the story is told again, through testimony, through argument, through the structure of a trial. And when it is all over, the jury returns a verdict, not guilty. A moment that resolves one question, and leaves others behind. Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo. If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000. This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here, we look at the case as it was built. What investigators believed, what prosecutors brought forward, the evidence piece by piece. And the questions that come with it, not just what it shows, but what it cannot fully explain. Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo. If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000. This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before all of this, there was Joel. In this episode, we step away from the investigation and spend time with the people who knew him. The stories are simple, but they stay with you, offering a picture of who he was and a quiet reminder of what was lost. Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo. If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000. This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now the focus turns to Travis Stay, who was there that night, moving through the same space and crossing paths with the same people. As investigators begin to build a timeline, his name comes into sharper view. It leads from those early questions toward something more defined, and eventually, toward arrest. Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo. If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000. This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the hours after Joel is found, the story begins to shift and scatter. Witnesses recall different things, a clown, a cowboy, a hunter, a lion, people arriving and leaving, a party bus pulling in and out. Detectives are left to sort through fragments of a night that feels crowded, blurred, and just out of reach. Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo. If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000. This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023. Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We begin with a 2026 interview with Sergeant Suby of the Grand Forks Police Department, sharing where the Joel Lovelien case stands today. Then we return to the original 2023 episode, and back to October 27, 2007, a crowded Halloween night at the Broken Drum Bar. Costumes, noise, people coming and going. Outside, in the parking lot, something happens. Joel is found unconscious and badly injured, and by the end of the night, he is gone. Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo. If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000. This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023. Explore the full catalog at https://DakotaSpotlight.com Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected] Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected] Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Melissa Jeltsen joins me to discuss the investigation behind her podcast What Happened to Talina Zar.  In April 2020, a woman posted a troubling message on Facebook about COVID-19 and then vanished. What followed was an unusual search involving online sleuths, hidden identities, and a mystery that captured national attention. Listen to What Happened to Talina Zar wherever you get podcasts and https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-what-happened-to-talina-z-310583841/ Learn more about Melissa Jeltsen’s work: https://melissajeltsen.com/ Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 X/Twitter: https://x.com/DakotaSpotlight Instagram: https://instagram.com/dakotaspotlight TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@dakotaspotlight Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dakotaspotlight.bsky.social Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James sits down with investigative journalist Gina Barton, host and creator of the USA Today true crime podcast Untested, to talk about a case that illustrates the real-world consequences of untested rape kits. In this episode of Untested, Detective Annie Harrison learns that a man she is investigating for rape in Michigan has also been accused hundreds of miles away. The evidence existed. The reports were filed. But delays and gaps in the system allowed years to pass before patterns came into focus. This conversation looks at how evidence can sit on shelves, how survivors are left waiting, and how one detective refused to let the case go quiet. Listen to Untested wherever you get podcasts. To read the companion piece and the full investigation, in addition to listening to the podcast: https://usatoday.com/rapekit Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 X/Twitter: https://x.com/DakotaSpotlight Instagram: https://instagram.com/dakotaspotlight TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@dakotaspotlight Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dakotaspotlight.bsky.social Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September 1992, Tammy Haas was 19 and figuring out her next step in life. After attending a homecoming celebration in Yankton, South Dakota, she and her on-again-off-again boyfriend crossed the Missouri River to a farm party in Nebraska. By morning, Tammy was missing. Five days later, her body was discovered in a ravine near a golf course just across the state line. A broken neck. Conflicting statements. A trial that ended without conviction. More than thirty years later, silence still lingers in Yankton, and investigators believe there are people who know what happened that night. This Case Snapshot is dedicated to the memory of Tammy Haas. Produced by James Wolner. Research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 X/Twitter: https://x.com/DakotaSpotlight Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dakotaspotlight TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dakotaspotlight Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dakotaspotlight.bsky.social Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James sits down with Harry, the host and victim behind The Rachel Cancer Scam, before sharing Episode One of his story. What Harry once believed was a twenty-year love story slowly revealed itself to be a long-term romance scam built on lies, emotional manipulation, and carefully constructed identities. Careers were invented. A pregnancy was faked. Crises were manufactured to keep multiple men emotionally tethered at the same time. This is a true story about a love scam that was never about money, but about control, devotion, and the power of belief. How does a relationship scam last for decades, and how does the truth finally come to light? Listen to the complete story of The Rachel Cancer Scam: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rachel-cancer-scam/id1772955263 Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 X/Twitter: https://x.com/DakotaSpotlight Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dakotaspotlight TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dakotaspotlight Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dakotaspotlight.bsky.social Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode examines how Raymond Matzker assumed the identity of William T. Boerum and used it to secure jobs, credentials, and professional standing across multiple states. As the deception went unchecked, the stolen identity became a shield behind which far more serious crimes were committed. Through firsthand recollections and reporting, the story traces how the fraud unfolded, why it was never properly challenged, and how institutional failures allowed devastating consequences to follow. Tour the Northern California Wine County with Bill Boerum: https://californiawineservices.com/ Produced by James Wolner. Research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode presents the complete police interview of Edward Royal Reitan, recorded following his arrest for the 1990 murder of Robin Enockson in Driscoll, North Dakota. The interrogation is presented in full, allowing listeners to hear Reitan’s own words as investigators question him about the crime, his actions, and his shifting explanations. Related episode: Ten Years from Killing - The Murder of Robin Enockson: https://dakotaspotlight.com/dakota-spotlight-standalone-stories/ Music heard in this episode by Ike Turner: https://michiganindienetwork.bandcamp.com/track/a-ghost-bike Produced by James Wolner. Research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m joined by returning guest Peter Hicks, whose music with Sleepy Driver was heard in Season Two of Dakota Spotlight—but this time to talk about his debut novel Roughing It, written under the pen name Andi Ellis. We discuss his shift from songwriting to fiction, the inspiration behind the book, and he reads an excerpt from the story. "Roughing It", available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roughing-Andi-Ellis-ebook/dp/B0FT4J9PW2 "Unicorn Blues", available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Unicorn-Blues-Andi-Ellis-ebook/dp/B0G6Q43RXY Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Case Snapshot examines the 1990 murder of Robin Enockson in rural North Dakota. Beginning with an escape from a state hospital a decade earlier, the episode lays out the crime, the investigation, and how the case was ultimately resolved years later after a confession. Archival news audio courtesy of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Produced by James Wolner. Research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forty years after 22-year-old Kelly Jean Robinson was found floating in a gravel pit pond in rural Minnesota, her case had gone cold — until DNA tests taken by an adopted man revealed that Kelly was his biological mother, and she had been murdered. In this episode, Dakota Spotlight is excited to share this story from our longtime friend Trisha Taurinskas. Her investigative reporting is meticulous, insightful, and deeply respectful of the families she covers. Working with Kelly’s family, Trisha uncovered never-before-released information: new suspects, details from her autopsy, and new critical facts from an autopsy. To see images of Kelly, visit: https://www.inforum.com/people/kelly-robinson Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James shares a Christmas message with Dakota Spotlight listeners. A moment to pause, say thank you, and reflect before the year comes to a close, with appreciation for everyone who listens, supports the show, and makes this work possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the season’s final chapter, Dakota Spotlight returns to Rapidan, Minnesota—to the classmates, friends, and families still living in the shadow of Ray Dahms’s murder. Host James Wolner traces the final years of Brian Lee Hendrickson, from later crimes and manipulation to his eventual downfall. This episode also brings together two people whose lives he forever changed—Mark Hendrickson, the killer’s brother, and Michelle, one of his victims—for a conversation decades in the making. From courtrooms and archives to quiet Minnesota cemeteries, this conclusion reflects on truth, forgiveness, and the slow turning of justice. A Dakota Spotlight true crime podcast rooted in investigative journalism, it’s a story about accountability, empathy, and how truth, though buried, endures. Meanwhile in Mankato was written, researched, edited, and produced by James Wolner. Additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By the early 1980s, Brian Lee Hendrickson was still working at the Minnesota Home School in Sauk Centre, supervising teenage girls. When one of them—Michelle—spoke up, she was dismissed as unstable and her accusation brushed aside. Hendrickson walked free again. In this episode, Michelle tells her story, while Hendrickson’s brothers and Michelle’s husband reflect on how this could have happened. Dakota Spotlight revisits a Minnesota courtroom case where no one seemed to realize that the man on trial had already been convicted of murder years earlier. Through careful investigative journalism, this true crime podcast examines how blind faith in rehabilitation allowed history to repeat itself—and how one survivor’s courage brings long-overdue clarity to a broken justice system. Meanwhile in Mankato was written, researched, edited, and produced by James Wolner. Additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode looks inside Minnesota’s prison and parole system during the years when Brian Lee Hendrickson was behind bars—and how shifting attitudes toward rehabilitation vs punishment helped lead to his early release. We hear from Brian’s brothers, Mark and Gary, about the shock of seeing him walk free after just five years for murder, and how he soon ended up working for the State of Minnesota at the Minnesota Home School in Sauk Centre. Through interviews, records, and careful investigative journalism, Dakota Spotlight examines the Minnesota parole experiment that failed to protect the vulnerable and reveals how the optimism of reform collided with the realities of crime and manipulation. A Dakota Spotlight true crime podcast that uncovers how one man’s early release exposed deep flaws within Minnesota’s corrections system—and how the consequences still echo decades later. Meanwhile in Mankato was written, researched, edited, and produced by James Wolner. Additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second half concludes the You Killed Chris story — newly abridged and remastered. Through interviews, archives, and reflection, I revisit Linda’s decades-long effort to confront the man she believes murdered her college friend — and how her determination kept the story alive through five decades of silence and disbelief. Check out the music of MVLL CRIMES: https://mvllcrimes.bandcamp.com/ Two Good Books about Christine Rothschild: Murder on the 56th Day: Linda Schulko. Get the Kindle version of Linda’s great book. Linda donates all proceeds to charity. Get Linda’s book on Amazon⁠ https://amzn.to/4cX0DEe⁠ Cold: The Unsolved Murders of Seven Young Women: Kevin Damask. Get Kevin’s book on Amazon⁠ https://amzn.to/43YFy8l Additional research by Mari Zoerb Hansen Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A newly abridged and remastered two-part version of You Killed Chris: A Friend’s Fight for Justice. In 1968, 18-year-old Christine Rothschild was found murdered outside Sterling Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. This first part takes us back to the turmoil of the 1960s and into Christine’s world — and to her friend Linda, who refused to let her story be forgotten. Two Good Books about Christine Rothschild: Murder on the 56th Day: Linda Schulko. Get the Kindle version of Linda’s great book. Linda donates all proceeds to charity. Get Linda’s book on Amazon⁠ https://amzn.to/4cX0DEe⁠ Cold: The Unsolved Murders of Seven Young Women: Kevin Damask. Get Kevin’s book on Amazon⁠ https://amzn.to/43YFy8l Additional research by Mari Zoerb Hansen Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 3 follows Brian Lee Hendrickson’s case through late 1965 and 1966, as court procedures, psychiatric evaluations, and a Minnesota trial unfold under the state’s Youth Conservation Commission. At the same time, a new Supreme Court ruling on Miranda rights reshapes the very laws surrounding confession and sentencing. We meet Hendrickson’s brothers, Mark and Gary, whose memories of that era reveal a family story caught between denial and discovery, and we open a parallel thread on Michelle’s early life — the beginnings of a second tragedy yet to come. Through careful investigative journalism, Dakota Spotlight continues this true crime podcast journey through Minnesota’s justice system, where one decision inside a courtroom still echoes six decades later. Meanwhile in Mankato was written, researched, edited, and produced by James Wolner. Additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the aftermath of Ray Dahms’s killing, Blue Earth County investigators launch a Minnesota murder investigation that soon points to a local teenager, Brian Lee Hendrickson. When they finally bring him in for questioning, Hendrickson shocks officers with a murder confession that seems to close the case almost as quickly as it began with the justice system.  Episode 2 of Meanwhile in Mankato revisits those first tense hours of the Mankato Gas Station Murder and the community’s mourning for Ray Dahms, whose death left Rapidan searching for answers. Through careful investigative journalism, Dakota Spotlight explores how a small-town murder rippled across Minnesota, shaping perceptions of truth and accountability. A Dakota Spotlight true crime podcast where every answer reveals another question—and where justice proves far more elusive than anyone imagined. Meanwhile in Mankato was written, researched, edited, and produced by James Wolner. Additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1965, seventeen-year-old Brian Hendrickson committed a small-town murder when he walked into a gas station outside Mankato, Minnesota, and shot clerk Ray Dahms twice at close range. Sentenced to forty years, he served just over five.The case would later be remembered as the Mankato Gas Station Murder. In this opening episode of Dakota Spotlight’s twelfth season, host James Wolner takes us back to 1965 and the small town of Rapidan, Minnesota. We meet the classmates and friends of Ray Dahms, shot down at the age of 18 in this Minnesota murder case — people who have never forgotten him. The episode traces Ray’s final hours on September 25, 1965, and introduces us to seventeen-year-old Brian Lee Hendrickson, whose own path that night would lead to tragedy at Rothfork Truckstop in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Dakota Spotlight is a true crime podcast dedicated to investigative journalism, revisiting cold cases and small-town murders across the Midwest. Learn more about the Mankato Gas Station Murder at DakotaSpotlight.com. Meanwhile in Mankato was written, researched, edited, and produced by James Wolner. Additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 27, 2007, Joel Lovelien stepped outside the Broken Drum Bar in Grand Forks, North Dakota, during a night filled with costumes, celebration, and heavy drinking. Moments later, he was found in the parking lot, gravely injured. Despite a rapid emergency response, Joel did not survive. For this Halloween throwback, Dakota Spotlight revisits the first episode of Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien — a true story that began with a party bus, a crowd in costume, and a tragedy that left behind more questions than answers. Through interviews, trial evidence, and police reports, journalist James Wolner reexamines one of North Dakota’s most haunting unsolved cases — and the night that changed a community forever. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Announcing Season 12 Meanwhile in Mankato: Lies, Silence & Murder in Minnesota arrives this November. Episode 1 premieres for all listeners on Thursday, November 6. Spotlight PLUS subscribers can hear — and binge — the entire season ad-free that same day. Learn more at https://dakotaspotlight.com/meanwhile-in-mankato-true-crime-podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 6, Escape to the Movies, brings forward Misty Jones — remembered as the girl with the little red car — in a 2020 interview. Misty recalls her early path into a party lifestyle, her personal struggles since 1998, and her account of the night Barbara and Gordon Erickstad were killed. She also discusses figures like Rick Storhaug and Ryan Werner. This North Dakota true crime story adds a human voice to one of the state’s most disturbing small town murder cases. Welcome to Nobody Should Believe Me listeners, and for Dakota Spotlight listeners who haven’t yet heard Andrea Dunlop’s show, you can check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tU5rLsNkx7LeI2GhLlQ4X/ Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The arrest of Brian Erickstad and Robert Lawrence confirmed their role in Barbara and Gordon Erickstad’s murders, but the aftermath shocked the community. Episode 5, A Sick Salute, reveals how the East Sweet crew rallied disturbingly behind the killers — with salutes, letters, and public disrespect for the victims’ families. Former detectives Bob Haas and Lloyd Halvorson reflect on what the case meant and whether unanswered questions remain. This episode captures the unsettling loyalty at the center of a North Dakota true crime tragedy. Welcome to Nobody Should Believe Me listeners, and for Dakota Spotlight listeners who haven’t yet heard Andrea Dunlop’s show, you can check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tU5rLsNkx7LeI2GhLlQ4X/ Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The night before Barbara and Gordon Erickstad’s murders revealed troubling signs in Bismarck, North Dakota. Episode 4, One of These Days, traces September 16, 1998, through interviews and police files. Detectives Bob Haas and Steve Lundin worked parallel leads, while interviews with Misty’s boyfriend Rick Storhaug and others uncovered disturbing details. A darker side of Robert Lawrence also came to light. This North Dakota true crime investigation shows how teenage choices and violence collided in a small town murder. Welcome to Nobody Should Believe Me listeners, and for Dakota Spotlight listeners who haven’t yet heard Andrea Dunlop’s show, you can check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tU5rLsNkx7LeI2GhLlQ4X/ Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected] Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: [email protected] All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices