171: The Murder of Lauren Burk

12/14/22 • 65 min

7 Listeners

On a cool March evening of 2008, motorists on Highway 147 in Auburn, Alabama were startled to see a young girl in the road. She was naked, crying, covered in road rash and waving her arms desperately for help. Despite everyone’s best efforts, 18 year old Lauren Burk did not survive her ordeal. She had been shot and and bled out within 2 to 3 minutes after jumping from a moving car. The Auburn University student had been carjacked in a campus parking lot. The ensuing trial for her murderer, Courtney Lockhart, called into question many troubling aspects of the law. The standard for mental incompetency as well as the Alabama law that a judge can override a jury’s recommendation.
Trigger Warning: Discussion of PTSD due to combat
Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Researched by Haley Gray
Written by Erica Kelley
Research Assistance by Anna Luria
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley
Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/the-murder-of-lauren-burk
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170: Blue Eyed Butcher: The Controversial Murder of Jeff Wright

In January 2003, police arrived at an unassuming house in Northwest Houston, Texas after receiving a vague message from a local lawyer about a potential crime scene. In the backyard, they discovered the mutilated body of Jeff Wright. The master bedroom was a blood-splattered nightmare. Susan Wright, Jeff’s wife of five years, confessed to his shocking murder. At her trial, Susan claimed she killed Jeff in self-defense but, in an unforgettable courtroom spectacle, prosecuting lawyer Kelly Siegler would try to prove otherwise.
Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank
Additional Writing by Erica Kelley
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley
Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/blue-eyed-butcher-the-controversial-murder-of-jeff-wright
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- Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
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- For resources in other countries, visit this website
- This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp online therapy. Go to BetterHelp.com/southern.
- Every holiday, we are sponsored by the amazing gift for loved ones, StoryWorth. Go to StoryWorth.com/southern to save $10 off your first purchase.
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Next Episode

Introducing Season 2 of Suspect: Vanished in the Snow, by Wondery & Campside Media

For more than three and a half decades, the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews was a mystery – a riddle neither authorities nor her family members could solve. The residents of her cloistered Colorado hometown had scoured every inch of prairie. Jonelle’s face had been on milk cartons nationwide. Even the President of the United States had appealed to the public for help. Still, every lead had fizzled. Every person of interest had turned out to be a dead end. Then, in 2019, Jonelle’s remains were unearthed near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. With the discovery came a troubling new question: Had the truth been hiding in plain sight the entire time? Was the man who couldn’t stop obsessing over Jonelle’s disappearance also the person who took her? From Campside Media and Wondery comes season two of SUSPECT.
Former CNN reporter Ashley Fantz and executive producers Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson (Suspect, Over My Dead Body) dig into one of the most mind-bending cold cases in modern history, in an attempt to separate fact and fiction, compulsion from guilt, and true-crime fandom from a motive for murder.
Listen to SUSPECT: Vanished in the Snow early and ad- free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Unique Url: https://wondery.app.link/suspect-sftc