In January of 1999, an 18 year high school student mysteriously vanished after school. Four weeks later, her body was found in a shallow grave in a nearby wooded park. An arrest was made and the suspect was eventually convicted of her murder. When it happened, this tragic story barely made the local papers, let alone the national news. 14 years later, after becoming the subject of the most downloaded podcast on record, the case became an international phenomenon and one of the most talked about in modern history. It turned millions of people into armchair lawyers and detectives overnight, igniting the rise of the true crime genre as we know it today. Years after the trial, new evidence was uncovered calling into question the validity of the conviction. Through it all, the convicted party has always maintained his innocence. The victim’s family has likewise maintained that the right person was convicted and punished for killing their daughter. For many people, though, questions remain: Has the killer been brought to justice, or was someone wrongfully convicted? Is there another person law enforcement should have investigated further? Did the convicted killer’s accomplice even have anything to do with the crime? Did legal or law enforcement misconduct play a role in the case, or is everyone wasting their time fighting for justice when it has already been served? These are the questions, among many others, that keep this case top of mind for millions of people to this day. Check us out: Visit Murderish.com for more info about the show and Creator/Host, Jami. The website also has links to buy MURDERISH merchandise and become a Patreon supporter. Patreon subscribers can get access to exclusive Patreon-only episodes. To sign up for Patreon perks, click “Go Behind the Scenes” on the website OR click here for a direct link to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/Murderish. Let’s get social: @MurderishPodcast (Instagram), @MurderishPod (Twitter), search “Murderish podcast” (Facebook). CrimeCon: Visit CrimeCon.com to buy your badge to attend the event. Use code MURDERISH for 10% a Standard Badge. Hope to see you there! Sponsors: - Shopify: Visit shopify.com/murderish (all lowercase) for a free 14-day trial and full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features. - Sundance Now: Visit SundanceNow.com & use code MURDERISH for 30 days of free streaming. - Best Fiends: Download Best Fiends free today on the App Store or Google Play. - Native: Visit NativeDeo.com/murderish, OR use promo code murderish at checkout, to get 20% off your first order. - Thrive Causmetics: Visit ThriveCausemetics.com/MURDERISH for 15% off your first order. - MasterClass: Visit MasterClass.com/MURDERISH for 15% off of an annual membership. Pre-roll podcast promo: Crimes of the Centuries - Season 2. Want to advertise on this show? We’ve partnered with Cloud10 | iHeartRadio to handle our advertising requests. If you’re interested in advertising on MURDERISH, send an email to Sahiba Krieger mailto:sahiba@cloud10.fm with a copy to mailto:jami@murderish.com. Sound design: Justin Hellstrom Music: Some of the music in this podcast was composed by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams Research & Writing: Gina Mazzolini Jami’s other podcast: Follow Judgey & Juryish wherever you listen to podcasts & on Instagram @JudgeyJuryish. Remember, listening to this podcast doesn’t make you a murderer - it just means you’re murder...ish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices