Small Town Mysteries

54-year old Colonel Philip Shue left to go to work on the morning of April 16, 2003. He left an hour earlier than usual, at 5:30AM, in order to get a jumpstart on some paperwork. He made his wife, Tracy, coffee, kissed her, and said “I love you”. The next report of Shue is from two witnesses who saw him driving his vehicle on the highway, going around 60mph. After swerving from one lane to another, his car eventually hit a tree. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they noticed several oddities about this particular accident. First, Shue's shirt is ripped from his chest to his navel. Shue’s nipples were cut off. There was an almost 6-inch slash on his chest, and he was missing part of his finger. Shue also had duct tape around both of his arms and ankles.
The case was determined to be a suicide.
Listen to this week's episode in order to find out why, for many people, this case is still unsolved.
Sources:
1) https://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/BCME_autopsy.pdf
2) https://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/first_warning_note.pdf
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0itSpglLimo
4) https://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/psychological_autopsy.pdf
5)https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?ID=155997&cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person

Christine opens up the episode with a new segment. Each week, we will be briefly reporting on a recent missing child case, as we all feel that it is important to spread awareness for cases that may not be getting the recognition they deserve.
During the main segment this week, Kate tackles a couple of different hate crimes relating to the arsons of several Jewish-affiliated buildings. She also goes over some very interesting aspects of how hate crimes are charged and categorized. If someone commits a hate crime, is it also a hate crime if a person covers for them?
Rachael (who is Jewish) leads an important discussion on acts of anti-semitism that she and others have faced.

Sources:
1) https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/massachusetts-man-indicted-obstructing-investigation-fires-jewish-affiliated-institutions2) https://www.masslive.com/boston/2022/02/alexander-giannakakis-arrested-in-sweden-accused-of-misleading-authorities-in-massachusetts-investigating-2019-fires-set-at-jewish-institutions.html3) https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/bja/162304.pdf4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_crime#United_States5) https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crime-statistics

In the early hours of the morning, 12-year-old Christopher Pittman walks into his grandparent's room and shoots 4 times, killing both Joe and Joy Pittman before setting their house on fire.
We discuss Christopher's difficult early childhood leading up to this moment, and analyze his legal team's "Zoloft defense", as Christopher had recently been made to switch from antidepressant Paxil to Zoloft and double his prescription dosage. He was allegedly experiencing severe side effects in the weeks leading up to the murders.
So many factors add to the mix in this case, making you question what could have been if just one had been different.
Sources:
1) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prescription-for-murder-13-04-2005/
2) https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/sertraline-oral-route/proper-use/drg-20065940
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUuAVO3nKTk
4) https://murderpedia.org/male.P/p/pittman-christopher-opinion.htm
5) https://public.doc.state.sc.us/scdc-public/inmateDetails.do?id=%2000307734

On March 9, 2018, a veteran entered the The Pathway Home, a residential treatment facility offering care to veterans, armed with the intention to kill multiple employees. Rachael talks about the victims of this crime: Christine Loeber, Jennifer Golick, and Jennifer Gonzalez Shushereba. She delves into their lives prior to the tragedy and discusses the tangible marks they left on their communities, even after their passing. Lastly, we close with a discussion regarding veterans and mental health, and Rachael provides statistics that will leave you speechless.

Kate talks about the infamous 1892 murder case of Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother, which Lizzie was tried and acquitted for. We discuss the events in Lizzie's life leading up the murders, possible accomplices, multiple theories, and how gossip spreads through a small town. This one is infamous for a reason!
Sources:
1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Borden
2)https://web.archive.org/web/20140201220523/http://www.thelizziebordencollection.com/fall-river-history.php
3)https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22543295/the-seattle-post-intelligencer/
4)https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22529704/statesman-journal/
5)https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22543087/the-boston-globe/