Thinking Sideways Podcast

Karen wraps up this part of the Car Barn Murders series with her assessment of accomplices Walter Oliver and Robert Janney along with a breakdown of the statement of Francis Gregory. Please go to the Shattered Souls Facebook page for insider details and to render your verdicts on the case. Stay tuned for future episodes and a few surprises! Thank you for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After handing off her findings on William Clarke to you, the public jury, Karen details every factor and Clarke's criminal intent to put the final pieces together. She also uncovers the identity of Captain Vollten's confidential informants.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karen makes her opening argument against her primary suspect, William Clarke, based on the information provided in the 1935 reports and from Captain Vollten's confidential informants from 1954....but, who were the informants?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karen's friend, Stephanie White, cracked the identity of  DC Metro Police 'ex-Sergeant Greene", named numerous times in Captain Vollten's 1954 Addendum report. Who was this man and how did he play a role in the murders of Emory Smith and James Mitchell?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 1954 Addendum report written by Captain Vollten provided all of the details needed to crack the case, but there were still unidentified persons involved in the murder that Karen has to identify to come to a conclusion.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Karen continues putting the pieces together, she finds out about an addendum report that was not included in the original files. She also discovers that there may have been evidence tampering by one of the original detectives. William Clarke's friend and alibi, James Weir, goes on the run.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prison letters between William Clarke and Mary Branch tell a sordid story of love and hate. Clarke also wrote to several other people from his prison cell, including a U.S. Senator and one woman who proved to be pivotal regarding a solution to the case.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The lid finally blows off of the case when Karen discovers a related crime that was not mentioned anywhere in the case file. Dead men tell no tales. Dead women, too.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karen delves into the police interviews of William Clarke and Mary Branch and finds marked discrepancies, an unnamed DC cop, as well as a direct link to another person of interest -- the only person left alive after the murders.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the political machine churned in the background, Detectives Vollten and Rodgers follow up on the information from DC Jail inmate Horace Davis and his claims about Walter Oliver's confession. Another name was dropped by Davis and Karen finds a treasure trove of information and a link that sets her wheels spinning toward a solution.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DC Jail inmate Horace Davis provided the first solid lead to investigate, but was he telling the truth? Karen has more names to investigate and finds the first bombshell from an unlikely source.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Detective Vollten kept interviewing suspects after breaking away from the investigation of Tony The Stinger Cugino, but nothing was panning out. Almost a year to the day after the Car Barn Murders, Vollten got a letter on his desk from a con who said he had intel.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A wormhole in Philadelphia? Gangsters are on the forefront of Detective Vollten's investigation and Karen follows their leads down a rabbit hole to find out if the Car Barn Murders were a gang hit.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The District of Columbia was dealing with rampant illegal rackets and Karen finds out just how much corruption was going on. The detectives start working with an informant, who finds out key information about the Car Barn Murder case.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the detectives followed lead after lead, nothing seemed to be panning out. Karen starts following leads of her own, including an attempted robbery of another ticket office that provided a suspect description.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karen begins reconstructing the moments of the murders of James Mitchell and her great uncle, Emory Smith, which leads to difficult questions. Was it really an inside job like everyone thought?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retired detective Karen Smith discovers that her father kept a family secret for decades. In 2002, her father revealed that Karen's great uncle, Emory Smith, was the victim of a heinous murder and that her grandfather had been held as a suspect. Karen begins her journey to solve her great uncle Emory's murder.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Shattered Souls: The Car Barn Murders' premieres March 22nd! What happens when a double homicide case lands in your lap? What if it is the oldest active cold case in the history of American true crime? What if your father held a family secret for fifty years before he confided in you that one of the victims was your great-great uncle and that your grandfather had been held as a suspect? What if the murders happened during the most corrupt era our nation has ever known? And what if you are a retired detective, like me, with the unique skill set needed to figure out an 87-year-old family mystery? Well, you put everything else on hold and set out to solve it. This is my story. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karen shares two fun, strange, and lighthearted cases from Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, including an encounter with a "Jeff Spicoli in the flesh" surfer dude. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this surprise lighthearted bonus episode, Karen recounts one of the more straightforward cases in which a perp discovers the hard way that she isn't as smart as Karen and her colleagues. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.