The Vault
Mar 17, 2023
Al Capone, part 3: Are the rumors true?
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I have a bit of a treat for you folks who are fascinated with Al Capone. Forum journalist Tracy Briggs put together a three-part series on some incredibly fascinating — and definitely not well known — stories of Capone and his shocking connections to Minnesota and North Dakota.
More episodes from The Vault
4 days ago
Kate Richards O’Hare: She delivered anti-war speeches all over the U.S., but North Dakota threw her in prison for it
Kate Richards O’Hare was sentenced to a five-year sentence of hard labor at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Her crime? Violating the Espionage Act of 1917 for making an anti-war speech in Bowman, North Dakota, just two years earlier.
Full story: https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/she-delivered-her-anti-war-speech-all-over-the-u-s-but-north-dakota-threw-her-in-prison-for-it
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May 17, 2023
Vanished in Vermillion: A reporter's deep dive into South Dakota's most infamous cold case
This episode focuses on the book, "Vanished in Vermillion," written by award-winning journalist Lou Raguse.
“Vanished in Vermillion,” peels back the layers of complexity that hide behind headlines. Through years of added research and interviews with those involved, Raguse tells the story in a way that captures the nuances of it all.
True crime books often focus on the crime itself and the investigation, or lack thereof, that follows. This story shows what happens when law enforcement makes critical mistakes in the investigation, and how those errors can impact the lives of those caught in the tangled web.
In this episode, Trisha Taurinskas shares her thoughts on the book, along with parts of her interview with Lou Raguse.
Full story: https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/vanished-in-vermillion-peels-back-layers-of-complexity-in-infamous-south-dakota-cold-case?ajs_aid=da7b69ca-81f8-41d5-90bb-fd7337a4d74e
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May 4, 2023
A farm party murder. Who killed Karla Jo Nieland?
Court documents newly obtained by Forum News Service show the man who was acquitted in the 1981 brutal murder of his girlfriend, 18-year-old Karla Jo Nieland, at a farm party had first asked a judge to dismiss second-degree murder charges on the grounds that he did not intend to kill her.
The newly obtained Minnesota Supreme Court documents relate to appeals the defense team filed prior to the trial of John Keep. They argue damage to Nieland caused by the horsehoe ring Keep wore on his right hand shows Keep made “backhand slaps," not "bludgeoning blows."
Keep's legal team also argued he was drunk and not in a state of mind to kill Nieland.
In addition to arguments that Keep should not stand trial for second-degree murder, his legal team also appealed to have him tried as a juvenile, based on arguments that he wasn’t a threat to the public.
Keep was 17 years old at the time of Nieland's death.
Full story: https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/karla-jo-nieland-was-murdered-at-a-1981-minnesota-farm-party-now-new-documents-reveal-complexities-in-case
Written and narrated by Trisha Taurinskas
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