True Crime | True Stories by Major James R Howell

Send us Fan MailBetween 2001 and 2005, eleven women were buried by an unknown assailant dubbed the "Bone Collector" in an arroyo bank on Albuquerque's West Mesa, in an undeveloped area within city limits. Satellite imagery taken between 2003 and 2005 shows tire marks and patches of disturbed soil in the area where the remains were recovered. According to satellite photos, the last victim was buried in 2005.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.cabq.gov/police/contact-t...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Me...https://web.archive.org/web/201012230...https://olj1002.wixsite.com/westmesam... 

Send us Fan MailPolice Officer Kenny Moats was shot and killed after responding to a domestic violence call at a home near the intersection of Kerrway Lane and Alcoa Trail at approximately 4:00 pm.https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/22944-po...https://www.wbir.com/article/news/com...https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Man-...https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/c...https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/ma...

Send us Fan MailOn January 11, 2005, defendant shot his wife, Donna Jordan, to death at her office in a TDOT facility in Jackson, Tenn. Defendant also shot and killed Jerry Hopper, who was in the office with Ms. Jordan at the time of the shooting. After leaving the office, Jordan shot and killed David Gordon, a motorist who followed Jordan to the TDOT facility after Jordan ran Gordon off the road. When Gordon accosted Jordan about the incident, Jordan removed a high-powered assault rifle from his truck and shot Gordon thirteen times. Jordan then returned to the TDOT office and riddled his wife’s body with shots from the assault rifle.During the incident, Jordan shot and wounded two other TDOT employees James Goff, who was wounded along with Larry Taylor. He was convicted of two counts of attempted first degree murder for the additional shootings. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.tncourts.gov/press/2010/0...https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/tn-...https://www.actionnews5.com/story/564... 

Send us Fan MailTrooper Nicholas Hopkins was shot and killed while serving a search warrant at a home at 1426 North 42nd Street and Caseyville Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. He and other members of the Emergency Response Team were making entry into the home at 5:30 am when he was shot by an occupant during an exchange of gunfire.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/24193-tr...https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/...https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/cri...https://wgntv.com/news/man-sentenced-...https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/cri...https://www.restorejustice.org/legal-...https://restorejusticeillinois.org/fa...

Send us Fan MailDuring the 1980s, several other women in St. Petersburg were also killed in stabbing attacks, raising fears about a possible serial killer. Neighbors in South St. Petersburg even held community meetings to discuss their concerns, but detectives said those cases likely were not connected.Known as the Summer of Hell"Each one has their differences, which would probably rule out a pattern," One of the most chilling links to the Playboy club came in 1983 when Linda Lansen, the photographer who took photos of Carolyn Merricks winning Bunny of the Year, was found murdered in Tampa. Lansen had been raped and shot. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...   • Cold Case: Can DNA Solve the 1984 murder o...  https://www.fox13news.com/news/murder...https://stpetecatalyst.com/vintage-st... https://hoodline.com/2026/03/suncoast... https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9j... https://www.distractify.com/p/abron-s... https://www.instagram.com/p/C8FoyqAPZ...    • DNA evidence points to 2 men in 1983 rape,...    / 335569777813955  https://www.wgauradio.com/news/trendi...

Send us Fan Mail1969 unsolved stabbing death of a student inside the library on the campus of Penn State University.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.statecollegemagazine.com/...https://www.aetv.com/articles/penn-st...https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold...    • Murder in the Stacks: A Tragic Story  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_... 

Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/20632-co...https://www.ajc.com/news/man-charged-...https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/fami...https://www.wsbradio.com/news/accused...   • LeCroy Murder - Expanded Ch 2 Coverage  https://www.deseret.com/2010/12/28/20...https://www.mdjonline.com/news/troope...https://www.corrections1.com/arrests-...

Send us Fan MailKate Ragsdale, 73, was killed on Feb. 24, 2013, in her home in The Highlands neighborhood, off University Boulevard and not far off the eastern edge of the UA campus. A neighbor checked on Ragsdale the night of Feb. 24, 2013. Ragsdale was last seen by friends on the Sunday night before she was found. She had been to a friend's home in the Forest Lake neighborhood to watch an episode of "Downton Abbey."Ragsdale was a well-known, well-liked member of the Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama communities. Friends have described her as having a giving nature and vivacious spirit.Investigators have interviewed more than 200 people about the Ragsdale case and they say it's very possible they've spoken to the killer. Everyone in the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods was questioned, as well as friends, acquaintances, former colleagues and about 100 construction workers who were doing road work next to her house and at Bryce Hospital at the time.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/...https://www.wbrc.com/2026/01/10/inves... https://patch.com/alabama/tuscaloosa/... https://www.wvtm13.com/article/murder...    • 8 Years Later: Kate Ragsdale Case Remains ...   

Send us Fan MailIdaho trapper murders two Wildlife OfficersMerchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/...https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservat...https://www.odmp.org/officer/10727-ga... https://www.odmp.org/officer/4568-gam...    • KUTV News clip, March 1987  https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us...    • This EASY HIKE In The Sawtooths Changed My...     • Owyhee Canyonlands Drone Footage. DJI Air 2s 

Send us Fan MailRichmond, Indiana officer is shot to death.Merch:https://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/26362-po...https://www.indystar.com/story/news/c...https://www.indystar.com/story/news/c...https://www.wthr.com/article/news/loc...https://www.wrtv.com/news/public-safe...   • Listen: Richmond K-9 Officer Seara Burton'...  

Send us Fan MailWoman on Tennessee death row due to be executed in November of 2026 for the 1995 murder of a woman who was stabbed, had her throat slit and a pentagram cut into her chest and finally beaten to death with a piece of asphalt. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/tennesse... https://law.justia.com/cases/tennesse...https://www.wbir.com/video/news/local...    • Murder victim's mom wants Christa Pike exe...   

Send us Fan MailAn American serial killer dubbed "The Sunday Morning Slasher".  Is now suspected to have killed more than 100 women, which would make him the most prolific serial killer in American history.  Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://murderpedia.org/male.W/w/watt...https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-ce...    • Detectives Lock up a Murderer Using Eviden...  

Send us Fan MailArkansas Correctional Sergeant is stabbed to death.https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/919-serg....https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/...https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/20...https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ar-...https://casetext.com/case/jackson-v-p...https://doc.arkansas.gov/facilities/t...https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/en...

Send us Fan MailJanuary 18, 1970.Karen Ferrell, who was 18 and in her freshman year at WVU, was hitching a ride back to her dorm with her friend, Mared Malarik, who was the same age and in the same year of school. The pair became fast friends during freshman orientation, despite having distinctly different backgrounds. Karen was a coal camp kid from the Mountain State and Mared hailed from suburban New Jersey.Two female WVU undergraduates take a trip to the Metropolitan Theatre to catch a movie, but they never return. Eighty-eight days later, their headless bodies are found in the woods about 15 miles south of Morgantown in a makeshift grave. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold...https://morgantownmag.com/mared-and-k...https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/inv...https://www.dominionpost.com/2022/05/... 

Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/26756-po...https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/new...https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/new...https://auburnpub.com/partners/cnn/of...https://www.wtvy.com/2023/07/15/fargo...https://www.newscenter1.tv/news/north...

Send us Fan MailApril 17, 1996 (Charlotte County, Florida)Thomas Reese and Michael Tish, who were storm utility engineers for Charlotte County, discovered a human skull in a remote, heavily wooded area off of Highway 41 and immediately notified the police department.   While searching the scene, deputies found the nude body of a young, white male that was later identified as Richard Montgomery. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_...https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/john... https://www.mysuncoast.com/2020/02/06...  https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending/fl...    • Killer Left 8 Bodies On Florida's Hog Trai...  https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-... 

Send us Fan MailSeventeen year old Lisa Pennington, along with her twenty-five year old sister, Cheryl Genzer were last seen alive at the Oklahoma State Fair on September 23, 1987.The sisters would both be found a month later, their bodies in a shallow grave. They had both been shot in the head- but each with a different caliber of weapon. It was known within days that the sisters had last been seen with the suspect and another male friend of his.   Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://oklahomacoldcases.org/cheryl-...https://kfor.com/news/local/progress-...https://okcfox.com/news/local/three-d...    • Family looks for closure in 35-year-old mu...  https://amwfans.com/thread/14690/cher...    • Judge approves petition for grand jury rev...     • 'We had the right man': 1981 Fairground Ki...  https://www.news9.com/story/6042c132c...

Send us Fan MailA state trooper is murdered in Indiana.https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/26745-tr...https://fox59.com/indiana-news/10-42-...https://www.wthr.com/article/news/loc...https://dailyjournal.net/2023/07/07/l...https://www.wdrb.com/news/indiana-sta...https://www.fresherslive.com/latest/a...https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/...

Send us Fan MailA Mountain Brook, AL officer on routine patrol discovered Montgomery’s body in the parking lot of the athletic complex of Mountain Brook High School.Montgomery was face down on the pavement and had been shot multiple times, including once in the back and possibly twice in the head. “There was blood in the area and there was other physical evidence that led us to believe she was shot in the parking lot,’’ Cook said.There was no car nearby, and the victim did not have any identification on her. It wasn’t until Monday morning that they learned her possible identity.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...   • Family honors Megan Montgomery's legacy fi...  https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/20...https://www.wbrc.com/2019/12/04/megan... https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023... https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... https://abc3340.com/news/local/video-... 

Send us Fan MailIn February 2019, both Turpin parents pleaded guilty on 14 felony counts, including abuse of a dependent adult, child abuse, torture, and false imprisonment. In April, they were sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpin_...https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-can...https://www.star-telegram.com/news/lo... https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/20/us/tur... https://rivcoda.org/news/david-and-lo... https://abc7chicago.com/post/david-lo... https://www.biography.com/crime/a7014...

Send us Fan MailA Gilbert, AZ officer is gunned down.Merch:https://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/20249-li...https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/loc...https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/loc...https://casetext.com/case/state-v-red...https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...

Send us Fan MailLawson was abducted from her Jasper home in the early-morning hours of September 11, 1991.McPherson’s cousin, Jerry Bland, was identified as the main suspect and died by suicide as law enforcement surrounded his home.The kidnapping happened about 3 a.m. at the home Lawson, 25, shared with her husband, 26-year-old Earl Lawson, also an attorney.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.al.com/crime/2025/03/woma...https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/20... https://www.cbs42.com/news/missing-my...https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/20... https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/30/us... 

Send us Fan MailSerial Killer in Oklahoma City, OklahomaCathy Lyn Shakelford, The first known victim was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation. She ran away at the age of 17 and lived homeless in Oklahoma City. The last sighting of her alive was two months before her death, when she was being treated at the Oklahoma City Hospital.Arley Bell KillianOn April 19, 1979, children playing basketball in a park discovered a human head. Over the next few days, police found more of her remains scattered throughout the neighborhood. Some of the body parts were wrapped in bags and newspapers. The body parts had an odd absence of blood because the killer washed them before disposing of them. Her left hand, pelvis, head, shoe, and other parts of her flesh were found.Tina Marcia SandersThe final victim was 22-year-old, a homeless Native American woman. Her torso and left leg were found in an alleyway by a man walking in his backyard on March 6, 1986. Her head, which was set on fire, was found just a block away in a garbage bin the following week. She was quickly identified because of her tattoos. She was last seen just a day prior to her death. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahom...https://www.oddmurdersandmysteries.co...

Send us Fan MailThree correctional officers are murdered in North Carolina.https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/23418-co...https://www.odmp.org/officer/23417-co...https://www.odmp.org/officer/23430-co...https://wcti12.com/news/state-news/au...https://www.officer.com/features/hono...https://www.witn.com/2022/10/12/five-...https://www.ncdps.gov/blog/2022/10/12...

Send us Fan MailIncident date: Wed, 07/03/1991 - 12:00Location: Inside overturned 1985 blue Subaru station wagon along Highway 297 in Toombs County near Emanuel County lineSex: FemaleOn July 3, 1991, Kirsten Davis, 21, was traveling on Highway 297 in Toombs County not far from the Emanuel County line when she was shot and killed. She died from a shotgun wound to her face and neck. Kirsten's 1985 blue Subaru station wagon was found overturned in a ditch by passing motorists around 1:30 a.m., thirty minutes after investigators believe the shooting occurred. At the time of her death, Kirsten was on her way to visit a friend in Vidalia.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://gbi.georgia.gov/cases/unsolve...https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/c...

Send us Fan MailA Clark County, Ohio Deputy is murdered.Merch:https://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.odmp.org/officer/20636-de...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing...https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2...Link for Podcast / Book Purchase / Author's Website / Facebook / Documentary Purchase / Twitter / Coffee Tea and Crime:https://linktr.ee/jrlawman​​​​​​​​​

Send us Fan Mail09/11/61Name Minnie Lutes-Johnson, Age 20Gender FemaleSUSPECT DETAILSName UnknownOffense MurderCause Ligature/StrangulationMay 29, 2011Bill and Peggy Stephenson slain in brutal fashion – bludgeoned and stabbed – and then, whoever killed them staged a bizarre scene. Posed the bodies and staged every room in the residence.  Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://database.projectcoldcase.org/...  / killer-sought  https://spotcrime.com/KY/Fayette%20Co... https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/3... https://www.boonecountyky.org/governm... https://www.cincinnati.com/story/accu... 

Send us Fan MailUnsolved murder of James Larry McAnnally July 26, 1999. Killed by a bomb planted under his riding lawn mower. Jasper, AL in Walker County.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...   / @jamesr.howell  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/u...https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1999/... https://groups.google.com/g/alt.true-...    • Pennsylvania man accused of placing explos...     • Device placed under lawn tractor leads to ...   

Send us Fan MailAn Arkansas prison officer is stabbed to death.https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/21102-co...https://caseguard.com/articles/in-mem...https://law.justia.com/cases/arkansas...https://www.cnn.com/2012/01/20/justic...

Send us Fan MailDecember 2nd, 2025Just after 8 o’clock this morning the Elk Grove Police Department Communications Center received a call from a mother concerned about the safety of her two children who were home with their father.  The mother was at work when she saw her son laying on the ground unresponsive, on home surveillance video.  mother said she saw home security video of the children's father assaulting their 11-year-old son.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.fox26houston.com/news/for...   • Police: Ex-deputy stabbed son, then fled b...  https://elkgrove.gov/news/father-susp...   • Extended Coverage | Former Sac deputy susp...  https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/cri... https://people.com/ex-cop-allegedly-s... 

Send us Fan MailThree village idiots set fire to nine churches in rural Alabama. Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...    / @jamesr.howell  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1202285/ep...https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/20... https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...https://www.wsfa.com/story/4602098/ch...   • 2006 Church Arson Hearings     • 10 Year Anniversary of Church Fires in Ala...  https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16304691 https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/...

Send us Fan MailA Sacramento Deputy and a K-9 are murdered.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/... https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/25070-de...https://www.abc10.com/article/news/lo...   • Officer Involved Shooting 01-18-2021  https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramen...https://fox40.com/news/local-news/fal...

Send us Fan MailKiller strikes in Houston, TX and Baton Rouge, LAMerch:https://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStor... https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-death-r...https://www.chron.com/news/houston-te...https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/green-v...https://www.wafb.com/video/2018/10/16... https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/... https://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/gree...

Send us Fan MailNorth Carolina Trooper is murdered.Merch:https://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...https://www.youtube.com/@jamesr.howel...https://www.odmp.org/officer/19429-tr...https://journalnow.com/court-papers-p...https://journalnow.com/florida-man-ch...https://www.wral.com/story/8269864/https://casetext.com/case/state-v-won...

Send us Fan MailCozad (a population of approximately 4,000 when the crime happened), Nebraska was rocked by a brutal crime. Leah Rowlands, a 41-year-old mother of two teenagers, was murdered during a robbery while working at a local Amoco gas station just off Interstate 80. Despite clear surveillance footage of the murder and years of investigation, her killer has never been identified.Merchhttps://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailMass Murder at church in South Carolina.Merch:https://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailCorrectional Officer in NC is beaten to death with a fire extinguisher.Merch:https://jrlawman-shop.fourthwall.com/...Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailLinda Lee Jackson is found murdered in 2009 near the town of Oriental in North Carolina. The case is still unsolved. Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailFederal Prison Officer is stabbed 203 times.Come visit us on YouTube.

Send us Fan MailThe murders took place on September 8, 1981. farm near Mt. Vernon in 1981. In one of the highest-profile murder cases in South Dakota history, the husband and father, accused of killing his wife and two sons, walked free. But if John Mathis wasn’t the murderer, who killed the mother and two of her children?Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailSupremacy Group robs and murders across the country. Come visit us on YouTube.

Send us Fan MailTwo Hattiesburg, MS officers gunned down during traffic stop.Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailJune 30, 1999The partially decomposed body of Ricky McCormick was discovered in a field in St. Charles County, Missouri,. Sheriffs found two garbled hand-written notes – apparently written in secret code – in the victim's pockets, and these were handed over to the FBI for further investigation. Case is unsolved.Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailThe unsolved December 6, 1991, murder of four young girls at an Austin, TX yogurt shop.CASE SOLVED | SUSPECT IDENTIFIEDhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-YKvwjmfNoCome visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailMemphis Police Officer is murdered on Christmas Day.Come visit us on YouTube.

Send us Fan MailThe murder of nurses in their dorm like apartment in Chicago, IL

Send us Fan MailAugust 26, 2008, a woman is stabbed and left in her burning house to die in Biloxi, MS.Come visit us on YouTube

Send us Fan MailTwo Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC officers are murdered in an ambush.Come visit us on YouTube. @jamesr.howell 

Send us Fan MailChristine Gallegos, 18, was last seen alive hitchhiking to downtown Salt Lake City on her way to work on May 15, 1985. Her body was discovered early the next morning. 40 years later her case is solved.Come visit us on YouTube.

Send us Fan MailPastor / Husband in Alabama pays to have his wife murdered.Come visit us on YouTube    @jamesr.howell