EPISODE 8: Dead End

06/07/22 • 31 min

2 Listeners

Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery

In February 2015, the Somerset prosecutor announced that John Sheridan had murdered his wife in cold blood and then killed himself. In 2017, the manner of death was updated to “undetermined.” From the local detectives to the state’s Attorney General’s office, a lot of people walked away from these murders. If a family as powerful and well-connected as the Sheridans gets such bad treatment, what does this say about the justice system in New Jersey?

New voices interviewed in episode:

• Ben Barlyn, lawyer who filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the Chris Christie administration.

• Peter Sheridan, younger brother of John, and a federal judge in New Jersey.

New voices interviewed in episode:

• Ben Barlyn, lawyer who filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the Chris Christie administration.

• Peter Sheridan, younger brother of John, and a federal judge in New Jersey.

Previous Episode

EPISODE 7: Breaking News - "Thou Shalt Pursue"

In the almost eight years since John and Joyce Sheridan were killed, five state Attorneys General have come and gone in New Jersey. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently nominated a new Attorney General, Matt Platkin. Last week, an email came from Platkin’s press office with surprising news.

Next Episode

UPDATE: The Camden Investigation

The new Attorney General for New Jersey opened an investigation into the Sheridan deaths, and another investigation into the real estate deals in Camden. While there's been no news on the murder investigation, the subpoenas are flying in Camden. State investigators appear to be looking into real estate deals on the waterfront, whether state tax breaks were given out fraudulently, and how land in Camden owned by public agencies was sold at a cut rate.

New voices in this episode:

Ron Chen, associate dean of Rutgers Law School and the co-chair of a task force that investigated the New Jersey tax break program.
Jim Walden, a private attorney in New York City and a former federal prosecutor who specializes in investigative law. He was the co-chair of the task force that investigated the New Jersey tax break program.