True Crime Time For July 14, 2026 | Cold Case Breakthrough, Child Predator & Death Row

On this episode of True Crime Time, Woody Overton delivers another powerful collection of true crime stories while sharing lessons from decades in law enforcement about persistence, forensic investigation, and why cold cases should never be abandoned.

Woody begins by revisiting the conviction of Alex Murdaugh before turning to a disturbing attempted child abduction in Portland, Oregon, where a naked man allegedly tried to pull a seven-year-old girl away from her parents before bystanders intervened.

The episode also examines the suspicious homicide of New Jersey psychotherapist Brooke Hanlon, whose murder remains under active investigation, along with Florida's planned execution of one of the state's oldest death row inmates for the 1981 kidnapping and murder of Patricia Gifford.

Additional stories include:

• A targeted mass shooting in East St. Louis that left five family members dead.
• A remarkable 20-year cold case solved through persistence, digital evidence, witness interviews, and modern investigative techniques after a woman was allegedly murdered during what was originally ruled a hiking accident in Zion National Park.
• The exposure of a youth pastor accused of grooming minors, insurance fraud, and murdering his wife for financial gain.
• Woody's continued updates on Justice for Haley, What Happened to Madison, and the importance of never giving up on unsolved cases.

Throughout the episode, Woody explains how investigators use timelines, witness statements, digital records, astronomical data, and forensic evidence to challenge decades-old assumptions and ultimately pursue justice—even when a killer believes they've escaped accountability.

• What happened in the Alex Murdaugh murder case?
• What happened during the attempted child kidnapping in Portland?
• Who is Brooke Hanlon?
• Is there an update in the Brooke Hanlon homicide investigation?
• Who was Florida death row inmate Dennis Sokor?
• Why was Dennis Sokor scheduled for execution?
• What happened during the East St. Louis family shooting?
• How was the Zion National Park cold case solved?
• Who was Bernadette Vander Meer?
• How did investigators reopen a 20-year-old murder case?
• How did NASA sunrise data help solve a homicide?
• What evidence can reopen a cold case?
• How do investigators prove staged accidents?
• Why are witness interviews important decades later?
• What updates are there in Justice for Haley?

True Crime Time, Woody Overton, Alex Murdaugh, Brooke Hanlon, Portland kidnapping, Dennis Sokor, Florida death row, East St. Louis shooting, Zion National Park murder, Bernadette Vander Meer, cold case solved, NASA forensic evidence, insurance fraud, youth pastor crime, child grooming, homicide investigation, true crime podcast, unsolved cases

• Cold cases can be solved years or even decades later through persistence and new evidence.
• Modern investigative techniques—including digital evidence and environmental reconstruction—can expose false statements made years earlier.
• Community intervention prevented a child abduction in Portland.
• Active homicide investigations often remain intentionally quiet while detectives build prosecutable cases.
• Capital punishment cases continue generating legal challenges decades after convictions.
• Witnesses who come forward years later can dramatically change the course of an investigation.
• Financial motives, hidden relationships, and digital records often become critical pieces of homicide investigations.
• Public tips remain one of the most valuable tools available to investigators.
• Washington County (Utah) Attorney's Office
• Zion National Park
• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
• Florida Department of Corrections
• Portland Police Bureau
• Morris County Prosecutor's Office (New Jersey)
• Washington County Sheriff's Office (Utah)

Disclaimer

The cases discussed in this episode involve allegations, criminal investigations, court proceedings, and criminal convictions. Information is presented for educational, informational, and commentary purposes using publicly available information available at the time of recording. Individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Some investigations discussed remain active and details may change as additional evidence becomes available. Listener discretion is advised due to discussions of homicide, child abuse, sexual offenses, violence, and other disturbing subject matter. 

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