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Speaker 1: M M.

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Speaker 2: A Wall Street line, shackle change, Oh, do someome gird

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it's calling my name. There is no mercy and it's

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been a tentery juice as the huge stream game Wrangle three.

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Speaker 1: Come here be by me to die inside these walls,

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inside the wild and went no girl as I.

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Speaker 3: Hey won. And Welcome back to Bloody Angola Podcast one,

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forty two years in the making, the complete story of

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America's bloodiest present. I'm Jim Chapman and we are back

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with the second episode in the Peaceful Warrior series. Of course,

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the conviction and incarceration of Eric Michelson and Christy oh Priye.

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So the last time we left you, Eric Michlson had

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confessed to the murder, dismemberment, and disposal of the remains

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of Christy o' prye in dumpsters around Caddo Parish, Louisiana,

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and while police are working to locate those remains, on

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Friday July twentieth of two thousand and seven, the funeral

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for Charles Martin is held at First Baptist Church in

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Boser City, Louisiana. Also around this time, more information comes

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out through the confession made regarding Christy o'price's death. Now,

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it seems that though Michelson told detectives he disposed of

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Christy's remains in dumpsters, that was not initially what he did.

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According to Michelson, he strangled Christy with his bare hands

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than disposed of her body in a pond on his property,

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even claiming that he had to weigh the body down.

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Then he said some time later that he moved the

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remains to several other locations. And to tell you how

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sick this sum bitch was. Police, when they're trying to

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get an idea of where Christy's remains are, they asked him, Eric,

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don't you think her family deserves closure? And of course

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you never get closure, right when something like this happened.

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She might get what you would consider justice, but you're

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never gonna get closure. But irregardless of that, they asked

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Eric Michelson that in his response was let it be

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a festered open wound that is half ass healed now

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quote unquote what an asshole. So on August twenty third

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of two thousand and seven, the Caddo Parish Sheriff's office

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they charge Mickelson with second degree murder in the death

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of Christy Opry, saying Michelson's confession was cooperated with evidence

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found near a location he said to have left Christie's body. Then,

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on September fifth of two thousand and seven, Michelson and

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Author were indicted by a Caddo Parish grand jury on

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the first degree murder charges for the death of Charles Martin,

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so about ten days after he's charged with the second

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degree murder charge in the death of Christy opryh Now

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Betty Copeland, Beverly, Author's mother, said if she killed Charlie,

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I hope she gets what she deserves life. Of course,

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referring to her daughter, they didn't have any mercy on Charlie,

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Poor Charlie. He didn't deserve that. This is not my

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little girl. This is a monster. Susie is a smart

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girl and a good girl, but she got on drugs

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and started doing bad things. Betty also gave a little

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bit of breaking news to investigators when she told them

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that Charles Martin came to her house around midnight the

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day before he was reported missing and he was questioning

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Betty about Mickelson. Betty said she was quoted as saying

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Charlie knocked on the door and asked me, is that

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the same Eric that Susie knew from Amelia Street. I

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told him yes, and he left. She said, so police

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have all this evidence, slash information, slash witnesses saying things,

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and even with all that, it took five years to

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get from the point of Michelson confessing to this shit

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and Author and actually going to trial. And Michelson was

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up for trial first, and he was up for the

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murder of Charles Martin. This is on July thirtieth, two

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thy eleven. And during the trial, Michelson's attorney, Mario Guatemalade,

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said that Eric Michilson did not possess the specific intent

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to kill Charles Martin and did so only because his

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mentally damaged brain quote unquote was taken over by cocaine,

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and that statement is going to become very important as

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we go on today. His attorney also said that Michelson

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was Author's puppet throughout the crime and used him like

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she did Charles Norton to obtain drugs. The defense attorney

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referred to Charles Martin as Author's sugar daddy quote unquote,

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and said Author is a predator willing to do whatever

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is necessary to get what she wants. So he's doing

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what any defense attorney should do, and he's trying to

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point the light away from his client. Right. But it's

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interesting that even Mickelson turns on author and basically his

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defense attorney blames everything on her. She's a manipulator, right,

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She manipulated Charles Martin, she manipulated Eric Mickelson. She's just

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this girl going around wanting drugs and manipulating all these men.

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And that's why Micholson killed Charles Martin. Just ridiculous shit.

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No responsibility for Michelson. Right now, KADO Assistant District Attorney

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Leah Hall read from a state satement Mickelson gave the

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police in which he said, quote unquote, I wrung his

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neck like a pit bull would lock up. The audio

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of this interrogation was played and Mickelson is heard saying

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on that audio in open court, I locked up like

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a pit bull. I locked up, and he quit hissing,

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he quit grunning, he quit everything. Members of the jury

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were shown photos of Charles dismember body. Sergeant Danny Duddy,

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a Shreport police crime scene investigator, said it appears the arms, legs,

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and head were separated from the torso. It appears there

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were some tool marks or damages to the side of

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the torso. So what they're trying to do there is

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they're trying to paint a picture of how heinous this

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actual crime was. He didn't just choke him and Charles

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Martin died, this eighty six year old war hero after

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he did that. He chopped him into fucking pieces. And

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he wants that jury, obviously, the prosecutor, they want that

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jury to have that picture and feel absolutely no mercy

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for Eric Michilson because he overkilled in this case. Now,

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according to court testimony, Author had been getting money from Charles,

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but he was threatening to cut Beverly Author off. And

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they're trying to establish motive, right, why would Eric Micholson

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do this, Why would Beverly Author do it? Well, it

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was all about money and getting drugs and those sorts

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of things. The jury also heard jailhouse phone calls of

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Michelson admitting on those phone calls to killing Charles to

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his mother. Michelson had hoped to take all of the

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blame for the crime, according to his jail calls, so

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that his girlfriend would be free. But we know now

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that we have the benefit of hindsight looking at that

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trial that that was far from the truth. He may

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have been saying it on those phone calls, but when

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it came down to reality, they were trying to point

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everything at Beverly author. So on August second of two

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thousand and eleven, Eric Dale Mickelson is found guilty of

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first degree murder in Charles Martin's death, and it took

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the jury only about an hour to reach that verdict. Now,

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first degree murder in the state of Louisiana, he's in

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a bind, right, that is the death penalty on the

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table when you're convicted of first degree murder in the

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state of Louisiana. So his sentencing is scheduled for just

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a week later, and on August tenth of two thousand

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and eleven, Michelson is indeed sentenced to death for the

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murder of Charles Martin. Now at the sentencing here in

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Christio Priz's daughter, who was eighteen by this time, she said,

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Eric Micholson got just what he deserved, and I'm glad

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the court went the way it did today. I think

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that was the most difficult part, just having no idea

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what had really happened to my mom. Referring to Christio Pry.

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Michelson was sent to Angola to serve his sentence on

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death row and eventually get that needle. Right. So two

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years later, and I don't know why it took two

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years to get to the point where Beverly Author's trial

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came up. It's ridiculous how slow things moved. Five years

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it took Eric Michelson to actually get a trial after

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a confession. This was a situation where the guy confessed.

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They had tons of evidence, They had people saying that

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just the day before the deceased Charles Morton, the guy killed,

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was at their house, meaning Beverly Author in her mother's house.

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You got all that evidence, it still took you five

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years to bring the guy a trial. Then it takes

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another two to get to Beverly Author's trial, but it

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finally begins. This is on April of two thousand and thirteen.

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So Author enters a guilty plea in Caddo Parish District

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Court to second degree murder in Charles Martin's death. And

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that kind of surprised me. Apparently I am opining here,

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but I would think that first degree murder was on

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the table, which means the death penalties on the table,

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and she took a plea to second degree murder, which

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is life in prison in Louisiana, a lot better than death,

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I guess in her eyes. But I would have been

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surprised with a first degree charge when you weren't the

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one actually committing the murder. But in this case, something

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happens and she pled to second degree murder. And you

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don't do that without a deal. You got nothing to

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lose if they're going to automatically charge you with that anyway.

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But that's what she did. In District Judge Ramona Emmanuel

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sentences Author to life in prison without the benefit of parole,

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probation or suspension of sentence. An Author, of course, was

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immediately reminded to the custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

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So at this point in time, you have Eric Michelson,

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he's awaiting the needle, he's in Louisiana State Penitentiary's death Row,

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Bloody Angola, and you have Beverly Author in jail for

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the rest of your life. Right, no problems, We're just

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waiting on justice to serve. Well, there was a big

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problem a year later, in September of twenty fourteen, a

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shocking ruling is made when the Louisiana Supreme Court completely

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throws out the conviction and the death sentence for Eric Michilson.

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So let's talk about this for a second. Not only

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did they take the death penalty off the table, he

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had been sentenced to death, they totally threw that out.

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They didn't just say, well, you're getting life in prison. Instead,

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they threw out the fucking conviction. This dude gets a

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brand new trial. It's not unprecedented that this stuff happens,

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but it's very rare, especially when someone's been sentenced to death.

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So what happened to make the Supreme Court vote four

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to three to throw out his conviction and his death sentence. Well,

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apparently Michelson had appealed his conviction, and he argued that

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the district court failed to allow the defense to exercise

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what's done as a preemptory challenge and excuse a prospective

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juror from the case because he would not consider intoxication

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as a mitigating factor in the sentencing phase. Now, part

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of Mickelson's defense was that he was high on cocaine.

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Remember I told you that at the time of the murder.

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And so let's break this down. A juror actually said

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that even if Michelson was high on cocaine, it doesn't

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excuse him from killing somebody. And I would I would

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place my vote in court as him being guilty regardless

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of what his mental condition was at the time of

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the murders. It's okay. Everybody has their opinion, and that

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was his. The problem was they didn't dismiss him at

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that point. That was a major problem. As a matter

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of fact, let's get into it. Cado District Court Judge

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Scott Krichton, he denied the defense request to bring the

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juror back for further questioning in order to challenge the

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inclusion of the juror. Crichton reminded counsel that it is

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inappropriate to take one isolated, out of context statement of

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one perspective jur and micro dissect it to the point

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of reaching an absurd result. In his opinion. Now, the

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Supreme Court found that the jur did not make just

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a one out of context statement, but that he stated

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unequivocally on the record, not once, but five times that

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he would not consider evidence of intoxication as a mitigating

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factor in his determination of the appropriate sentence. The ruling

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also stated, rather than retract from that statement, the last

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time he was questioned on the subject, he indicated that

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not only would he not consider intoxication as a mitigating circumstance,

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but that he would give the guy the penalty if

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he was on drugs and alcohol and go out and

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kill somebody. And he emphasized, yes, I would do that,

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repeating his lack of equivocation. The final response to questioning

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indicates not just an unwillingness to consider intoxication as a

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mitigating factor in the sentencing during determination, but a predisposition

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to vote for the death penalty if drugs or alcohol

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fueled the crime. When a perspective jur is not excused

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for cause and the defense exhaust its preempatory challenges as

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occurred here, this is reversible error. So they fucked up,

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for lack of a better term, you had this jur,

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this perspective jur that ended up being chosen on that

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jury telling in vardir that whether someone's high or on

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drugs or drunk or whatever, if they go out and

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kill somebody, they're responsible. It's okay. He can have that opinion.

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And I'm not saying I disagree with him. But the

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problem is the defense objected to that juror and they

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would not dismiss that juror based off of that statement,

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and it came back to totally bite them in the ass.

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It's absolutely crazy. But Mickelson gets a new trial. It

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was set to start on October of twenty fifteen, and

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this guy who has been sentenced to death now not

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only has an opportunity to get off of death row,

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but get out of jail completely over this mistake. That's

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why it's so important that every tea is crossed and

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every eye is dotted. So they do this whole thing,

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this whole trial while over again. Can you believe it?

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So on October twenty fifteen, once again Mickelson's trial begins,

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and it was not without its theatrics. Let's just say

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that even threats from council lawyers threatening other lawyers. At

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one point during the retrial, Cado District Attorney Dale Cox

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threatened to cut the throats of defense counsel representing Mickelson.

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In court documents, Mickelson's defense council wrote that they were

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within earshot of Cox when they overheard the prosecutor tell

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his co counsel, he wanted to kill everyone in here,

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quote unquote, I want to cut their fucking throats. I'm

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just being honest, and if any of them want to

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go outside, we can do it right now, he said.

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According to the transcript attached to the filing, the comments

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were made while First Judicial District Court Judge Katherine Dora,

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who was presiding over the case, was out of the room,

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so lead defens's earning Catherine Sheeley. She questioned Mickelson's close

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friend and his mother, and each spoke about how Michelson

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could be delusional, imagine that claiming to have special powers

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such as the ability to levitate and frequently has out

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of body experiences. They also talked about his crack cocaine

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addiction and its effects on his mental state. Now the

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defense also called a forensic psychiatrist and a neuro psychologist

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both spoke on Michelson's mental stability, claiming he suffered from

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schizo effective disorder, which is characterized by suffering from symptoms

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of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Forensic psychologist doctor Brushan Akbar

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said that Michelson was delusional, citing his claim to have

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made three point six million dollars by stealing quarters from

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vending machines, and he used that as a major example.

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Of course, that was total bullshit. Michelson did not ever

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in his life have three point six million dollars da Dale.

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Cox said the fact that two doctors say he had

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schizo effective disorder and was impulsive does not necessarily mean

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he had an extreme mental disturbance. Indeed, everything about Mickelson's

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conduct before, during, and after the murder of Charles Martin

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reveals that he was cold, calculated, and under complete control,

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and so there is not extreme mental or emotional disturbance.

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Cox used Mickelson's own words against him during his closing arguments, saying,

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I'm a killer and I love ringing people's neck. And

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what was he trying to get out there that DA?

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What's he trying to prove and what was the defense

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trying to prove? Obviously the defense is trying to prove

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that Mickelson is crazy, he's out of his mind. But

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the problem is the premeditation and post meditation with this crime,

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when you make an effort to conceal the fact that

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you committed a crime. In this case, they buried and

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hid Charles Martin's remains. When you make an effort to

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do that, you're proving at that point that you knew

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what was wrong because you're trying to cover it up.

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And if you know right from wrong, in the eyes

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of the law, you're not crazy. So he knew what

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he was doing was wrong because he tried to hide

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and cover it up, right, And I think the prosecution

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did a good job of pointing that out. Now. Thankfully,

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at the retrial, Michelson was again convicted, thankfully, But but

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Mickelson was taken off of death row and was granted

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life in prison without parole by that second Caddo Parish jury.

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So that one mistake with that one juror in the

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very first trial totally flipped Mickelson's fate. Instead of facing

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the death penalty, which he faced it at that second trial,

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there was an opportunity, but the jury would not give

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him the death penalty that second time around, So that

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one mistake made that big of a difference. So Christy

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Opri's sister, she commented about the sentence change from death

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to life, and she said, if what he did didn't

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deserve the death penalty, nothing does. In the state of Louisiana.

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They put people on death row, but they don't kill people.

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They hardly ever do. Charles's grandson said, a killer, a

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murderer that murdered countless people and is proud of it.

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He gets to live out the rest of his life

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in prison. I figured they give him the death penalty.

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Especially with what this guy did. Every guard is going

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to have to walk him to and from and every

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single person is in danger. He added, to make us

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go back through it. And then at the end of it,

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just one more dagger, we pray for Eric Mickelson's soul. Now,

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by twenty eighteen, Michelson had exhausted all of his appeals

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and even as if today, remains in prison for the

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rest of his life. And what about Christy O. Priye. Well, Sadly,

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Christy O. Prize remains have never been found and Michelson,

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though charge, was never tried for her murder. Now on

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July tenth of twenty sixteen, her family did hold a

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memorial service for Christy and in lieu of flowers, the

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family requested memorial donations be made to dog Tired Ranch

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the Living Memorial of Christy gwyn Oh Pry and this

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living memorial celebrates Christie's life and blesses the lives of

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many in her honor. Every day. So Dog Tired Ranch

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has celebrated over two thousand dogs being adopted in Christie's name,

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and y'all, that gives me absolute goosemumps. I stumbled across

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another podcast as a matter of fact, while looking at

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this case and a pome I thought was fitting for

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this episode. Her sister shared via this podcast or on

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this other podcast, and she wrote, the loss of her,

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the loss of anyone, my sister, my blood. So many

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years of uncertainty. Words could never express the sadness. Happier

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she is, with beaming smiles and radiant eyes of glow,

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an invisible plane right before me, her scent still lingering

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in my soul. Good night to you? But where are you?

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Oh God? Holding back emotions, learning to live with such agony,

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numb my family, an empty place, an empty space where

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she should be? How do I do? What do I say?

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Hold back? I still can't imagine, visions haunting my being forever.

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Where is she? Where could she be? She could be

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under my feet, Oh God, mend me. I could have

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walked right past her. I could have been down the street,

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I look up at the black night sky and say

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good night, for I know she is here with me.

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And that was a poem from her sister that she

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wrote shortly after her disappearance. As for Charles Martin, his

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headstone reflects the way in which he lived as a

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heroic tribute, saying Charles Martin, Corporal, US Army, World War II,

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May fourteenth, nineteen twenty one to July eleventh, two thousand

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and seven, Purple Heart. And right there as the last

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line on that headstone reads peace full Warrior, and there

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it is, thank you so much for lessening. And next

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week we have another crazy case for you, complete with

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conviction and incarceration into Bloody and Gola. But we're going

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to bring you on a journey to a bunch of

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killings in New Orleans as we cover the Storyville Slayer

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of New Orleans. So that's coming to you next week.

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Check out the Patreon if you would like to help

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support what we do here at Bloody in Gola. Thank

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you as always to Rachel Spiller's and Rachel Spiller's research

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for the amazing details provided for this episode. And until

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next time for Bloody and goa a podcast one forty

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two years of making the complete story of America's Bloody

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Is Prison. I'm Jim Chapman, Peace, a.

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Speaker 2: Wall Street line shackle Chaine. Who's some girdie it's calling

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my name? There is no mercy and this's been a

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teneri juice as the hill Stream game. Wrangle three, I'm here.

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Speaker 1: Fum me to die inside these walls, inside the water.

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Speaker 3: And when wal

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Speaker 1: I know it's overbody angle, obody angle,