Case 014: Ricky Byrdsong

Explicit content warning

12/30/22 • 36 min

July 2, 1999. Ricky Byrdsong and his children were enjoying a jog through their neighborhood in Skokie, Illinois. Like many families across the country, the Byrdsongs were looking forward to the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

But the peace of the evening was shattered when a car pulled up alongside them and opened fire.

Who would want to hurt Ricky Byrdsong—and why?
Art
"Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio
Music
"Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen
Sources

Byrdsongfilm.com.
The Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate.
“Mental health professionals say society becoming numb to tragedy after mass shootings” by Vanessa Leon, Spectrum News 1.
“Understanding the Character and Fitness process for bar admission” by Barbri.
“A white nationalist killed a black coach 20 years ago. The horror changed his friend forever” by Matthew VanTryon, Indystar.
“Ricky Byrdsong's death at hands of white supremacist still prevalent 20 years later” by Fox 32 Chicago.
“Sixteen years later, the slaying of a basketball coach by a 21-year-old white supremacist haunts all over again” by Mike Spies, The Trace.
“In Memory of Valerie T. Lockett.” Murray Brothers Funeral Home. (2004)
“Midwest Gunman Had Engaged In Racist Acts at 2 Universities” by Bill Dedman, The New York Times.
“Racial Slayer Killed Himself in Struggle” by Edward Walsh, The Washington Post.
“Byrdsong turned lessons into a kinder way of living” by Neil Milbert, The Chicago Tribune.

But the peace of the evening was shattered when a car pulled up alongside them and opened fire.

Who would want to hurt Ricky Byrdsong—and why?
Art
"Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio
Music
"Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen
Sources

Byrdsongfilm.com.
The Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate.
“Mental health professionals say society becoming numb to tragedy after mass shootings” by Vanessa Leon, Spectrum News 1.
“Understanding the Character and Fitness process for bar admission” by Barbri.
“A white nationalist killed a black coach 20 years ago. The horror changed his friend forever” by Matthew VanTryon, Indystar.
“Ricky Byrdsong's death at hands of white supremacist still prevalent 20 years later” by Fox 32 Chicago.
“Sixteen years later, the slaying of a basketball coach by a 21-year-old white supremacist haunts all over again” by Mike Spies, The Trace.
“In Memory of Valerie T. Lockett.” Murray Brothers Funeral Home. (2004)
“Midwest Gunman Had Engaged In Racist Acts at 2 Universities” by Bill Dedman, The New York Times.
“Racial Slayer Killed Himself in Struggle” by Edward Walsh, The Washington Post.
“Byrdsong turned lessons into a kinder way of living” by Neil Milbert, The Chicago Tribune.

Previous Episode

Case 013: Tiffany Whitton

September 13, 2013. Twenty-six-year-old Tiffany Whitton and her boyfriend spent about an hour at the Walmart Supercenter in Marietta, Georgia. Confronted at the store exit on suspicion of shoplifting, Tiffany fled into the store parking lot—never to be seen again.

What happened to Tiffany Whitton?

Art
"Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio
Music
"Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

Find Tiffany Whitton (https://www.facebook.com/findtiffanywhitton/)
“Acworth Police Chief Set To Retire, Former Cobb Prosecutor To Replace Him” by Larry Felton Johnson, Cobb County Courier.
“Tiffany Whitton." The Charley Project.
“GONE COLD: Finding Tiffany Whitton” by Jessica Noll, 11 Alive.
“Four years ago, Tiffany Whitton disappeared into the night–what happened?” by J.D. Capelouto, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Missing: The Curious Anomaly of Tiffany Whitton’s Disappearance” by Tom Junod, Esquire.
“15 years after killing in Cobb County, man sentenced to life” by Alexis Stevens, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“2 Women Arrested In Dalton For March 7 Robbery” by Chattanoogan.com.

Next Episode

Case 015: Regina Martínez Pérez

April 28, 2012. The open door of Regina Martínez Pérez’s home was the first clue something was amiss. When the home was inspected further, Regina was found dead inside. Although investigators couldn’t be certain who committed the crime yet, one thing was clear: this was not a murder—it was an assassination.

Who killed Regina, and why?

Art
"Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio
Music
"Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen
Sources

In the Mouth of the Wolf: A Murder, a Cover-Up, and the True Cost of Silencing the Press by Katherine Corcoran (2022)
“Calling for justice for Mexican journalist Regina Martínez 10 years after her murder” by Veera Nikkanen, The International Press Institute.
“A Mexican journalist was murdered. It wasn’t the end of the story” by Stuart Miller, The Los Angeles Times.
“The murder of Regina Martínez Pérez: An opportunity for justice” by A Safer World For the Truth (2021)
“How did a journalist who knew she would be killed live?” by Amigzaday López Beltrán, openDemocracy.
“Uncovered: The Buried Truth of Assassinated Journalist Regina Martínez” by Paloma Dupont de Dinechin, Forbidden Stories.
“Body of Mexican journalist found beaten, strangled” by The Committee to Protect Journalists.