The Vault
Mar 30, 2023
Refugio Rodriguez, part 4: Homicide or suicide? What role does the medical examiner play in determining how a person died
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*This episode contains disturbing descriptions of both strangulations and hangings. Please take care while listening.
In this episode, we examine the role of the medical examiner in suspicious death cases. Can a medical examiner determine whether a death was a suicide? The answer is complex.
More episodes from The Vault
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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Apr 26, 2023
Midwest pipe bomber tried to make a 'smiley face' on national map
In less than a week, 18 pipe bombs packed with lead shot and nails were either found or detonated in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas. At least six people were injured in Iowa, four of whom were mail carriers .
With a country still reeling from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the FBI got involved and began the task of putting the pieces together. This time, the war on terror would lead investigators not to foreign lands but to Minnesota and neighboring Wisconsin.
Full story: https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/21-years-ago-a-midwest-pipe-bomber-tried-to-make-a-smiley-face-on-national-map?ajs_aid=da7b69ca-81f8-41d5-90bb-fd7337a4d74e
Written by: Mark Wasson
Hosted by: Trisha Taurinskas
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