Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #122 - Is Karma Coming to Get JP Miller? + Weldon Boyd Sues Mark Tinsley

Episode Date: November 6, 2025

Investigative journalists ⁠Mandy Matney⁠ and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ have a Spidey sense and it’s telling them that karma is coming for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, pastor John-Paul Miller.(3:33) JP, who is currently facing two lawsuits accusing him of sexually assaulting two teen girls at his father’s Christian school, has been under investigation by the FBI for quite some time. In fact, it was just over a year ago that the FBI sent a cavalry to raid his house. After asking his congregation at Mercy Church to pray and fast for him in a “life or death” situation this past weekend, it seems something has this churchy business bro scared. Could it be handcuffs? Also on the show North Myrtle Beach businessman (16:54) Weldon Boyd files a bizarre and laugh-worthy lawsuit against Mark “Zero Dark” Tinsley aka Tiger Tinsley, claiming that Mark’s “self-aggrandizement” and desire to be “famous” is preventing Weldon from getting a fair trial. Is Weldon anticipating criminal charges? Plus a rundown on the history of Horry County Police Department’s shady beginnings.So much to cover, so let’s dive in! 🥽🦈 Leave A Review for Hulu's Original Series!“Murdaugh: Death in the Family” on IMDB⁠ ⭐⁠“Murdaugh: Death in the Family” on Rotten Tomatoes⁠ 🍿Episode ReferencesJustice for Christa’s Facebook Page 💜JP Miller’s Nov 2 Sermon video 🎞️“New details emerge in Horry County shooting probe; 2 officers ousted” - WPDE, Updated May 6, 2025 📰Sen. James P. Stevens, Sr. 1992 Interview 📰“Looking back: The head of the class” - by Jennifer Boyd 📰 Part One - Updated Sept 16, 2015 Part Two - Updated Sept 16, 2015 H 4542 Sponsored by Rep. Bailey 📜 Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ Learn more about Premium Membership at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunashark.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get bonus episodes like our Premium Dives, Corruption Watchlist, Girl Talk, and Soundbites that help you Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight Here's a link to some of our favorite things: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4cJ0eVn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** ALERT: If you ever notice audio errors in the pod, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we'll send fun merch to the first listener that finds something that needs to be adjusted! *** For current & accurate updates: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunashark.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram.com/mandy_matney⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   |   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram.com/elizfarrell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky.app/profile/mandy-matney.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky.app/profile/elizfarrell.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrueSunlight.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@lunasharkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Alec Murdoch. I need police in an ambulance immediately. Murdoch, Death in the Family Official Podcast, is here. I'm joining Patricia Arquette, Jason Clark, and the cast to uncover all things Murdoch. Family first. To unravel the story piece by piece was really surprising because you don't want to believe it. Murdoch, Death in the Family Official Podcast, Wednesdays. And stream Murdoch, Death in the Family on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.

Terms apply. I don't know what Weldon Boyd was thinking when he filed that absurd lawsuit against Mark Tensley this week. But I know that it is a good sign for Scott Spivey's family as it clearly shows that he is scared. And in more good news this week, he is not the only good old boy we are covering who appears to be extra scared this week. My name is Mandy Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption, previously known as the Murdoch Murders podcast, which was the inspiration for Hulu's original series, Murdoch, Death in the Family, and the Murdoch, Death in the Family official podcast, now both streaming on Hulu and audio episodes wherever you listen. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production, written with journalist Liz Farrell. Okay, so let's start out the podcast with some good news.

Lee Gilley, the Houston, Texas man accused of killing his wife Krista Bauer and their unborn baby in October 2024, was apparently seeking supervised visitation with his and Krista's two young children who were at home at the time that Krista was killed, which all of that is galling. It's as if he doesn't know he is actually accused. of taking their mother away from them forever. After Krista's death, the Bauer family had to fight Lee and his family to take the kids back to South Carolina, to live with Krista's mother and father, and to be surrounded by the love

of her sisters and her tight network of friends. Luckily, they were able to do that. But of course, Lee being Lee couldn't leave them in peace. Like I said, though, this is good news. Lee was scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday to discuss this motion for a supervised visitation and issues in his criminal case, which includes his motion to be allowed to travel to South Carolina for Thanksgiving, and he wanted to drive himself there, which is weird. On Tuesday, the Justice for Krista page on Facebook posted news that Lee withdrew his motion for visitation with the children. Krista's friends posted, quote, this is a small step forward for Christa's family, who continues to fight for the safety and well-being of her babies every day.

Thank you all for the endless prayers and love. We will keep you posted on what we learn about Lee's criminal hearing. Lee Gilley's trial is still set for February 23 in Houston, Texas, so stay tuned for coverage on that. Now, for more good news. Are the walls of accountability finally closing in on old J.P. Miller a year and a half after his wife Micah's sudden death? Could something big be coming for that unhinged pastor? Well, maybe. This week, J.P. Miller made an unusual call for prayers and fasting in a sermon, specifically saying that he would be facing a life or death situation this week or next. He didn't sound like things were churchy business as usual in his strip mall sermon this week.

And yes, y'all, he is actually preaching in a sad strip mall. to a small group of people that he calls a church congregation. He sounded desperate, y'all, and scared. Take a listen to this recording captured by C.B. Myrtle Beach and see the link in the description for the YouTube video. That is, and I'm going to say on this microphone, that I've been asking y'all to pray for me each week. This is a very, very, very important week of my life. This week and next week will be kind of almost a life or death situation.

So I'm asking for 12 people in this room, 12 faithful tithers, because I want to make sure your heart is there in the kingdom, who are willing to fast something every day this week for me. And you can fast a television, social media, cussing, negative words, food, solid food, whatever you, cigarettes, whatever you need to fast. But I'm asking that you fast for me this week and that you pray out loud once in the morning and once at night, at least Psalm 50. Psalm 56. And so if 12 people can do that, because I want to know if you are, I'm going to ask my wife to just write down your names so I can text you during the week or know who I can text to pray for me or maybe even invite you over to my house this week. So you just walk through honey. You just walk through the aisles and just get all their names. I want to make sure that I know that we know. So I need you to pray out loud, out loud. I need you to pray Psalm 56 at least. And I'm asking that you fast to the Bible. So there's certain things that can only be accomplished through prayer and fasting.

it's my wife and I are fasting different things we pray every all throughout the day we probably read our Bible more and prayed more in the past two or two weeks than we have our entire life so we're ready for all this stuff to be over and for God to prove the truth you know for God to somehow let the truth get out let the truth said everybody free and you know I've been praying for God to show mercy to those people who have tried to do me wrong out of ignorance, even though David in the Bible prays that God destroys them like wax and cuts their head off and all the other good stuff. Sometimes they'll read those scriptures and sometimes I say, Lord, just you show them mercy,

except for this one, you can cut their head off. But the rest of them are just kidding. Hey, we got it. Okay, let's do some faith confessions. Oh, J.P. Miller, why do you always have to be so weird? First, to point out the obvious, when J.P. Miller says his wife, as a reminder, he is referring to his former alleged mistress, who he married this spring, just one year after his wife Micah's death. Because again, this man can't help himself. In the 17 months that we have spent investigating J.P. Miller since his wife, Micah, was found shot to death in an alleged suicide, in a North Carolina park, he has stayed consistently absurd.

I will be honest, I don't have the stomach to watch his sermons every week, but thank God there are some YouTubers and TikTokers who do, because every once in a while, he says something newsworthy like this. So, let's dissect this quickly. JP specifically asked for 12 tithers, aka 12 people who give this accused abuser 10% of their income all in the name of God to give up something significant for him this week and next. week and pray out loud, twice a day, a certain Bible verse that seems, uh, very appropriate for his situation. The Bible verse says, be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit all day long. They press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long. In their pride, many are attacking me. Hmm, who could those enemies in hot pursuit be? And what kind of life or death situation would JP be facing from them? Well, one year ago this week, the FBI raided

JP Miller's home in a promising form and with a small army of agents who toted away what appeared to be a truckload of items, including computers. Naturally, we've all been waiting to hear where the FBI investigation stands, because it still stands, y'all. It is still a thing. J.P. is still facing potential charges here, and this is the only investigation that we know of that seems to be tick-tocking its way toward an end. So, why does J.P. Miller need the people of his congregation, those who for some reason still think he's worthy of their money and support to pray for him, especially hard this week, and give things up in their own lives in support of him? Because maybe, and I'm just guessing here, he knows something that.

very karmic is about to come his way. See, it is hard for us to predict where federal investigations stand. Sometimes the feds will arrest a person, then indict them, like they did with Charleston County Judge James Skipper Gosnell. Sometimes they indict a person first and then arrest them, like they did with former South Carolina legislator and convicted pedophile, RJ May. And other times, they work behind closed doors with the target lawyer in negotiating a plea agreement prior to charging the target like they did with Elic Murdoch's co-conspirator Corey Fleming. It is anyone's guess what is happening here, but it's not so far off target to think that JP is asking people who already gave him 10% of their income to starve themselves and deny

themselves life's little joys on his behalf, to get God to help him of whatever might be on the horizon for him, which could very likely be prison time. considering that he does have an FBI investigation looming over his stupid little head. Also, I get the tithing is popular in some churches. Can we pause for a minute and talk about how unchristian this concept seems as someone who was raised Catholic? This man wants the people who already gave him a ton of money in this economy to sacrifice more for him so that he can attempt to avoid accountability for the horrible

things that he has allegedly done, please. And speaking of the horrible things that J.P. Miller has been accused of, we also can't dismiss the possibility that this could be about something besides the FBI investigation. Don't forget, he is also facing two major lawsuits filed by Mark the Tiger Tinsley. You know, the guy whose lawsuits scared the hell out of Elic Murdoch, and Randy Hood, who was equally as intimidating. Earlier this year, Mark and Randy, on behalf of Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, filed massive lawsuits accusing J.P. Miller, his creepy pastor father, Reginald Wayne Miller, and their churchy businesses, accusing JP of sexual abuse and accusing Wayne and their churchy businesses of enabling the abuse.

Listen to episodes 91 and 92 for a refresher on those. And to make matters worse for JP, he also has lost a whopping 21 lawsuits and magistrate court this year that he has filed against Justice for Micah protesters. That has to be some kind of loser record. I would love to say that it is also possible that Orie County Police could charge J.P. Miller for all of the times that he falsely reported information to police, allegedly. From the time he accused his wife Micah of stealing from a church charity to the many times he allegedly lied to police about protesters outside of his church. But who am I kidding? County isn't going to hold J.P. Miller accountable, and they certainly aren't going to scare him

into thinking that they will. Rory County is as deeply problematic as J.P. Miller, and more on that later in this episode. We will be keeping a close eye on all things J.P. Miller in the next few weeks as his little fasting club ramps up their activities. Be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for Linnashark Premium so you won't miss an update. This has been a really unusual week, and by Monday evening, it already felt like it had been 200 days long. For me, it started with a full day on the 19th floor of a building overlooking the inner harbor of Baltimore, sitting in a conference room at the Baker Donaldson Law Firm, getting badgered from morning till evening by attorney Mark Moore,

in what has to be one of the most ridiculous depositions in the history of bullying for billing that included the accusation, you called me J. Edgar Picklejuice, didn't you, Miss Farrell? Have you guys ever been to a deposition where the witness has to look into a camera and explain what she meant when she put a cutout of a wannabe billionaire's face, Greg Parker, on Cookie Monster's Body, standing next to a wanted poster of the wannabe billionaire's face, Greg Parker on Cookie Monster's Body? I'd really like to say me neither, but I would be lying. I've been trying to do the math on what Monday's game costs for Mark Moore's client, Greg Parker, the owner of Parker's convenience stores who stands accused of leaking

confidential court materials to people with the intent to publish them in an effort to minimize his own liability in the boat crash case that killed Mallory Beach in 2019. For real, I think that deposition was in the six figures territory for a team of lawyers to come to Baltimore and depose one person, me. It's so gross, and I really don't even want to think about it right now, so I'll just share what it went down later, but trust. The tone was J. Edgar Pickle Juicy. So that happens with Mark Tinsley representing me, by the way,

which is funny because as we were sitting there in that building, overlooking the inner harbor, Walden Boyd was filing a 24-page lawsuit against Mark in Ory County. Let me just tell you, the laughter, the laughter. I had when I read this on Tuesday morning. So you all know who Weldon is, right? He's the North Myrtle Beach businessman, meaning restaurant and blueberry farm owner, who, along with his friend Bradley Williams, shot and killed 33-year-old Scott Spivey

on a stretch of road in Ory County in September 2023. Weldon and Bradley said they killed Scott in self-defense, and Ory County Police Department made sure that this was the conclusion of their corrupt investigation into it. Why? Because Weldon was palsy's. with the top cops in the agency. Five months after Scott's death, Scott's sister, Jennifer Spivey Foley,

hired Mark to represent Scott's estate in a wrongful death suit against Weldon and Bradley because she knew things weren't right. With Mark's help, Jennifer fought Ory County Police Department to get a copy of her brother's case file, which Ory County Police wouldn't give it to her because, and this is them, lying. They told her that she wasn't entitled to it because Scott was the suspect, that she and her family weren't considered victims in this case and therefore, couldn't get the investigation file. Again, lies. The case was closed in April 2024. The second it was closed, anyone listening right now could have filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get

it, and Lori County would have had to give it to them for the price of record retrieval. Anyway, good thing Mark and Jennifer fought for the case file because it proved every one of Jennifer's suspicions about how the case was handled. And even more than that, there are three major things that were revealed in this case file. One is law enforcement misconduct, which we're still peeling back the layers on. Two is potential prosecutorial misconduct by 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson, who allegedly gave reassurances to police that Weldon would be taking care of. And by state Attorney General Alan Wilson and his office, who didn't bother to look past the very curated SLED report in the file and declined to press charges against Weldon

and Bradley. And three is the evidence itself, which doesn't 100% black and white, cut and dried point to self-defense and a stand-your-ground case as Weldon and the police kept saying in the minutes, hours, days, and months after. All of that is in the public interest. All of it. The public needs to know whether they can trust their police agency with its annual budget of $63.5 million to be honest, transparent, and it seems crazy to even say this, but law-abiding. The public has a right to know when their chief law enforcement officers are giving special treatment to some over others. The public has a right to know whether it can trust its top prosecutors. The public has a right to know that the state has effectively just said it's okay to chase a man

for the better part of nine miles before killing him because that's called self-defense. In other words, this isn't just a civil dispute between two parties. It's not just about getting money from two men who will likely claim poverty if that time ever comes. It's not even just about getting justice, though that's a big part of it. It's about exposing bad acts by bad actors. using public resources. It's about assuring residents of Orie County that owning a restaurant and feeding law enforcement officers for free

isn't a requisite to getting better service out of police. And it's about reassuring visitors to Myrtle Beach that they didn't just enter Thunderdome. And that's why this lawsuit is Laugh City. You know what's better than the one big thing? Two big things. Exactly. The new iPhone 17 Pro on TELUS's

year rate plan price lock. Yep, it's the most powerful iPhone ever, plus more peace of mind with your bill over five years. This is big. Get the new iPhone 17 Pro at tellus.com slash iPhone 17 Pro on select plans. Conditions and exclusions apply.

You're about to hear a preview of the Jordan Harbinger show with a skilled art forger who made millions selling his fakes. I was a storehouse of knowledge of how to create an illusion, presented to a experienced expert, and bring him to the inevitable conclusion that the painting is genuine. We flooded the market with my paintings, and eventually the FBI will lead to my door. They uncovered a mountain of evidence against me. But they never actually got you. Why did it go away? Why did it go away? Why did you never get indicted?

And how are we having this conversation? I guess that's the greatest story of all. To hear details of how Ken Perenni evaded the scrutiny of everyone from the mafia to the FBI and lived to tell the tale, check out episode 282 of the Jordan Harbinger Show. Now let's talk about what Weldon Boyd is accusing Mark Tensley of doing. in this lawsuit that he has titled, quote, Tinsley did not let the truth get in the way of a good story. You guys, it's too much. Next to the title is a footnote. I'll have David read it. The Oxford English Dictionary defines celebrity as, quote, the state or fact of being well known,

widely discussed or publicly esteemed personal fame or renown as manifested in and determined by public interest and media attention y'all it gets worse and more weird see also how to become a celebrity and then there's another link to a reddit page wait not just a reddit page but a Reddit page on the Girl Survival Guide. This is too much. But David, keep going on that footnote. See also also how to become famous in nine celebrity certified steps. There's a link after that to Backstage.com. So I am not a North Myrtle Beach businessman, facing a wrongful death lawsuit in the prospect of homicide charges, but I would also be bothered by the fact that I just paid a lawyer to literally Google how to be famous in what is the definition of a celebrity. I would much rather be charged for an email about how much

they're going to charge me. I'm sorry, though. We have to look at these links. Let's talk about the Reddit link because it takes you to a page where these are just the first 10 posts that you see. David, can you read those for us? 1. How do I stop feeling homesick after moving? 2. Best Sex for Women Advice. 3. Genuinely, what's with our periods taking a break midway through? 4. What do you girls do for self-maintenance? Joy and confidence. 5. Brown discharge? 6. Brown discharge.

7. Can your body develop more? in your 20s without weight gain or pregnancy. 8. Am I weird for being icked at my boyfriend's instant note? 9. Brown discharge. 10. How do I stop feeling homesick after moving? We went pages deep into this Reddit channel and not one post mentioned how to become a celebrity. So cool footnote, Weldon, very effective. Okay, now let's see what those nine steps to become becoming famous are. Number one, know your brand. Quote, the key is authenticity. Okay, fair, fair, that sounds like Mark Tinsley. He's certainly nothing else, if not Mark Tinsley-ish. And so far,

he's the only Mark Tinsleyish attorney we know about in South Carolina. Number two, expand and grow your talents. Quote, take acting classes, join a theater or improv group, learn a special skill like horseback riding or stage combat. Just to make sure we weren't making assumptions about Mark, we asked him, have you ever taken a stage combat class? His answer was, LOL, nope. I had to ask chat GPT what that even was. And actually, he called it chat GBT, if that gives you any clue as to whether he cares

about how cool anyone thinks he is. Number three, know how to use TikTok, post often, and stick to a consistent routine, follow trends. The thought of Mark doing a TikTok dance in the hopes of becoming famous is Again, it's too much. If I picture it, I will pass out from laughing. Number four, work hard. Okay, all right, now we're talking.

Mark does work hard. Let's see what it says about how he should go about that, though. Quote, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, of course. Maestro, actor, director Bradley Cooper's path included studying at the actor's studio. roles in sex in the city, and alias, a comedy movie career, and finally, a foray into directing. Again, y'all, we aren't even past the title of Weldon's lawsuit, and this is how stupid it is. Number five, keep your survival job for now.

Oh my God, I can't breathe. It is so hard not to burst out laughing in your ears right now. Quote, flexible survival jobs like shift work and side hustle gives you the most chance to change. your dreams. Listen, maybe Mark is happy that they're onto him. Maybe he can finally quit his little side job at Long John Silvers now that Weldon Boyd has outed him as a man on the search for celebrity. All right, we're not going to waste any more time going through the rest of the steps. I'll say this to you, Mark Tensley. Weldon Boyd wants you to know that the road to stardom is, quote, paved with rejection and setbacks. So, Mark, focus on, quote,

Delivering something exciting and innovative rather than fame as the end goal. It will only make the endeavor more rewarding. You'll get there, Mark. We believe in you and your alleged dreams of becoming a big-time celebrity. Can you imagine having the money to waste on a lawyer willing to attach their name to this filing? Stick a pin in that because we have some more things to share about her. We've got to talk about the accusations in this dumb lawsuit. that Weldon has filed against Zero Dark Tensley.

Here is David with the crux of it. Plaintiff Weldon Boyd files this action seeking equitable relief, including, but not limited, to a declaratory judgment, finding and determining that defendant Mark B. Tinsley has intentionally engaged in conduct prejudicial to the interests of justice by manufacturing, capturing, disseminating, and perpetuating a false narrative through manipulative use of media outlets, which has permanently harmed Boyd's ability to obtain a fair trial in the courts of this state in any related civil or criminal matter. Tinsley has done all acts in his individual capacity,

and for his own purposes, and not as a lawyer to further any client. matter, Tinsley's acts have been done intentionally and solely to generate personal publicity for himself by engaging in self-promotion. Tinsley did not engage in the acts for any tactical reasons in any client matter or to assist in furtherance of any client matter, but for his own personal purposes of establishing and or increasing his selection. celebrity status. Boyd expressly waives any claim of damages against Tinsley and does not seek an award of actual or punitive damages against Tinsley and seeks equitable relief only. Public policy justifies the equitable relief sought in this action. Okay, so the first interesting thing here is that Weldon is making a point to put a wall between Tinsley doing his job as a lawyer and being a civilian. He's done that because he would have no claim to make on Tinsley's work

litigating this case. So he wants to create this distinct person, Mark Tinsley, the guy who seeks fame outside of his role in this case. The second interesting thing is that he's demanding a jury trial for what amounts to a judge's order, i.e. the declaratory judgment. The third interesting thing is that Weldon is making a point to not ask for money, i.e. damages as part of any equitable relief, which again is basically a judge's order. For instance, the judge could tell Tinsley, hey, knock it off, pal, you're just exposing all this public corruption because you want to sign autographs on the professional photos of you that you don't seem to have posted on your law firm's website that doesn't exist. And the fourth interesting thing is that even though Weldon says

that he doesn't want money out of this, he is definitely asking for his attorney's fees to be reimbursed. Now, the word truth in Weldon's lawsuit title, which I love a good lawsuit title, by the way, this is not one of them, is really interesting. Tinsley did not let the truth get in the way of a good story. Let's talk about the truth by going through the lies and misinformation contained in this lawsuit, shall we? Specifically, let's talk about the lies under the part of the complaint labeled factual background. In that section, Weldon reiterates what he says happened on the evening of September 9, 2023. In this, he says that, Scott Spivey engaged in a, quote, road rage incident that he single-handedly initiated, whereby he stalked an assaulted void and others on the public highways of Ory County. This is stated as a fact, but it is not a fact. Walden wants us to believe that out of nowhere, Scott Spivey, who was driving home, began waving his pistol at him and Bradley without provocation. Weldon wants us to believe

that this happened right at the time when he was obsessing, literally, at that time, over text message about the possibility that his ex-fiancee had brought a man with her when she returned her ring and the car he bought her to his aunt's house a little bit earlier. He wants us to believe that this happened right when he was possibly feeling rage and stress and his truck was loaded with weaponry, including an automatic rifle and flashbangs, that this is something that just happened to him. which, hey, maybe it did. But the only witnesses to that are the two guys who shot and killed Scott Spivey.

The lawsuit goes on to say that Scott stalked and assaulted Weldon and Bradley while under the influence of drugs and or alcohol. Notice how the lawyer put the word drugs first. There is a toxicology report and there were no drugs found in a system. None. And his BAC, which was 0.13, is... contested because of the hours that police kept Scott's body in his hot truck, towing it across the county while still in his truck, and keeping his body outdoors in the late South Carolina

summer temperatures, something that could raise the BAC level due to fermentation, according to Jennifer Spivey, who is a biology teacher. And y'all, the way history is rewritten in this lawsuit, Weldon's attorney, Desa Ballard, leaves out the facts that don't look so great for Weldon. Instead, she's painted him out to be a man who was simply turning down a side road who got ambushed by Scott Spivey, when in reality, based on the case file, we know that Weldon was actively pursuing and screwing with Scott for miles. The photos that he and Bradley took of Scott themselves prove this to be true. I don't want to spend too much time talking about all the ways that Weldon and his attorney whitewashed the story for the judge. But we'll have David

read a dramatic reading of it at some point because it's as if Weldon were a sixth grader, and he was asked to write an essay about the time that he heroically protected the Republic of Orie. But here's our favorite distortion of the truth. Quote, multiple other calls were placed to 911, each providing contemporaneous and consistent reports of Spivey's aggression and unlawful conduct, as well as Boyd's evasive measures, which were both confirmed by 911 tapes and multiple eyewitness accounts. Because we have already broken this down

second by second, by second, and proven that none of that is true, the witness calls do not support Weldon's statements. What he's doing here is taken a box of oranges and covered them with apples to make it look like something that it isn't. Oh, and also, Weldon says that an autopsy shows, that Scott was, quote, suffering the effects of chronic abuse of anabolic steroids.

Again, which is untrue. First, that is not what the toxicology report indicated. And second, one look at Scott's body could tell you that he was not abusing steroids. In fact, one 911 caller mistook him for a woman because of his slender frame. Weldon also misrepresents Scott as drinking for five hours and presents his bar tab prior to the incident as fact that he consumes seven beers and eight shots of fireball, when in reality, police have only produced the last two hours of Scott being at the bar,

where he can be seen buying shots for other people at the bar, eating a cheeseburger and fries and sipping on a beer. And of course, Weldon presents this as one plate of food as well as a tuna roll to make it seem like Scott was operating on a dainty little stomach, which, by the way, if true, would be another indicator that Scott wasn't on steroids because they increase a person's appetite. Now, here's a line that is about as audacious

as one can get in this case. Quote, after an appropriate, thorough, an impartial investigation that lasted seven months, or a county law enforcement confirmed the initial on-seeing conclusion that Boyd and his passenger acted in justifiable self-defense. Appropriate, thorough, impartial. also seven months. What a joke. I don't even know what to say here because it's so incredibly

the opposite of what this says it was. It's infuriating that Weldon was able to get a second lawyer to say this with a straight face after knowing everything. At least two officers. One of them, the second in command, have lost their careers because of what they did to help guide this impartial, thorough, and appropriate investigation to a single conclusion. And as Walden also points out, The criminal case was reopened last month by the state attorney general's office and given to a special prosecutor to suss out whether there is, in fact, evidence that supports charging Weldon and Bradley in this case. That isn't something that happens to investigations that are appropriate and thorough and impartial. The lawsuit then goes on to talk about Mark Tinsley's so-called actions. The first manipulation of fact.

Weldon says that Scott's family hired, quote, legal counsel who privately contacted law enforcement for assistance on, Monday morning, September 11, 2023. Y'all, that mention of privately is disgusting because at the scene, Walden was on the phone with the number two guy at the police department who was assuring him that he was sending the right people to help Weldon at the scene. And Walden's attorney was all but snuck onto the crime scene with the aid of police officers. And not one, but two officers were caught on camera telling Weldon in one case to act like a victim. And two, zip it, so that Weldon's stories wouldn't.

contradict each other later. Weldon wants to mention that the Spivey's legal counsel privately contacted police for help as if something nefarious were going on there. Help. They weren't even told where Scott's body was. And what do you mean privately? Were they supposed to take out an ad on a billboard in North Myrtle Beach saying, our lawyer is calling the police for help, signed the Spiveys? Come on. The lawsuit claims that after the family hired Martinsley and he filed a wrongful death case against Weldon and Bradley, in June 24, that Tinsley set about to further his celebrity and to create a knowingly false yet sensational narrative which was perpetuated by obtaining non-public material and releasing

selective portions to media outlets for widespread distribution. Quote, Tinsley knew his actions were wrong. Tinsley's status as a lawyer created the vehicle through which Tinsley engaged in public disclosures, self-promotion, and pursued celebrity as set forth herein. So, well, Weldon seems to think that the case file isn't public information, which is false. Jennifer Spivey Foley discovered evidence of corruption in her brother's case file. And yes, body camera footage isn't responsive to the Freedom of Information Act, but it is nonetheless public information. And Weldon's phone calls, oh, honey, that's evidence that had this case been thoroughly investigated as you say it had been,

would have revealed the truth about what you actually did that day from the beginning. Let me quote one more thing here. Quote, the public's appetite for rooting out perceived public corruption was co-opted by Tinsley for Tinsley's own personal purposes in self-enggrandizement and seeking celebrity status for himself. Nothing Tinsley revealed through the media changed the actual facts, so Tinsley set about to manipulate the facts himself to show his media influence, his celebrity, and what was perceived by the public as Tinsley's own power in furtherance of Tinsley's self-aggrandizement. Could this read any more like the minutes from the I'm jealous of Mark Tinsley club for loser lawyers?

The public would not have known about the corruption had Jennifer Spivey Foley not uncovered it and forgive us. But it is shocking and unacceptable whether or not Mark Tinsley says so or not. Now, Weldon says he has evidence of this happening. And that evidence is a text between Mark and Weldon's ex-fiance in which Mark told her that he started with one media outlet because he knew the others will follow. And to that I say, and... Okay, I'll say it. It's called exposing the truth,

which is what his client wants. She wants the truth about what this investigation actually look like to be known to the public, and like we've said, for very good and selfless reasons. No family should have to go through what the Spivey family has dealt with from the same power players

who are supposedly in charge of the safety and well-being of society. The rest of the lawsuit repeats itself over and over and uses Tensley's Twitter bio as evidence that he's super into himself because he references himself as a Dragon Slayer, a five-year-old forensic auditor and part-time provider of comedy, all the while being a tiger on your tail. The lawsuit says multiple media outlets have dubbed Tinsley, Tiger Tensley, which is a goal sought by Tensley for his own personal purposes.

And that brings us to Weldon's attorney in this case, Dessa Ballard, whose website says this about her. The practice grew. The law offices of Dessa Ballard developed a civil litigation practice that can only be described as, quote, a little different. And a lot of phone calls to the office began with, quote, this case is a little unusual, end quote.

And she soon developed a slogan, we make pigs fly. Dessa's website literally notes that she has a slogan and that lawyers aren't allowed to have one, which they aren't in South Carolina. They also can't give themselves nicknames to advertise their services with. Maybe Dessa wants Mark to be as sneaky as she is,

but girl. The media that you think Mark loves didn't give him that nickname. Judge Clifton Newman did in the Murdoch trial. Where were you? He called Mark the Tiger on Elyx tail. Hence the line in the bio. He called Mark Tiger Tensley. And the five-year-old forensic auditor, Mark references in his bio, is also about the Murdoch trial.

I'm sure Weldon thinks that I'm proving his point here, But you're literally using a bio of 160 characters as evidence to back dozens of paragraphs accusing Mark of being a fame hound. Dessa, by the way, has something most lawyers in South Carolina don't have, and that's a three-digit bar number. Even Dick Harputlian has a four-digit number. I'm not sure exactly how she got a three-digit number, or what that means, but it's not nothing. It's pretty rich that a lawyer whose own website employs a slogan that she admittedly

isn't allowed to have, but is sharing anyways, because I think that's called self-aggrandizement. It's really difficult to comment on something as baseless and flawed as this lawsuit. What I will say is that I'm proud to represent the Spivey family because I believe we should all do our part to live in a world where right is right and wrong is wrong. What happened to Scott Spivey and then to his family is simply wrong. In every case in which I'm involved, I endeavor to do my best to represent the interests of my clients, the same way as I would if I were representing myself or my family. When I was retained to help the Spivey family in February of 2024,

I filed the lawsuit on the family's behalf because it was warranted by the facts and the law. but more importantly, it was the right thing to do. Since that time, I have handled this case the same as I handle any other, despite anyone's narcissistic belief that he is special or above the law. It's very unfortunate that some people believe they can make things up, threaten and bully to get their way. However, neither I nor the Spivey family will be bullied by the likes of Weldon Boyd. Besides that, if Mr.

boy didn't like the way he sounds in the secretly recorded calls he made then he should not have recorded himself we'll talk more about the spivey case in the future i am sure but in the meantime we need to talk about old ory county after a quick commercial break and we'll be right back Wait, wait. Isn't it like a month long now? Nissan Blackfri-Mondh? Does that work? It's the Nissan Black Friday Month event. On remaining 2025 Rogan Centra, get 0% financing.

Plus, get $1,000 Nissan bonus on kicks models. This Black Friday, you've got a whole month to catch all the exclusive offers waiting for you. See your local Nissan dealer or nissan.ca for details. Conditions apply. Okay, it's time for our next segment in the Scottsby-V-slash-ORI-County Police Department Corruption case. We want to go back in time to what might be considered the root of the problem with ORI County Police and why it's one of the most smelly bushels of rotten apples we've come across,

even factoring in the ones in Murdoch country. Like we've told you, South Carolina is made up of 46 counties. Each county, including ORI, has a sheriff's department and municipal police departments. Sheriff's offices in South Carolina vary to some degree in what they're responsible for. Many, in addition to the traditional police work they do countywide, do things like provide security for county buildings, specifically courthouses, run the county jail, serve warrants, handle the chief emergency services operations for the county,

as well as maybe the dispatch center. Some sheriff's offices are in counties that have their own autonomous staff for the jail and the dispatch center and the emergency management team. But every county has a sheriff's office, and every county elects its own sheriff, someone who ostensibly reflects the values of the community they serve. Now, so far, that has been sheriffs who are but for one woman men. Regardless of that annoying statistic, those sheriffs are elected every four years, and they are accountable to the people they serve. For instance, look at the Squiresgate case. That took the community's voice to get where we are.

Now, a lot of people don't realize this because it can be confusing, but deputies work for sheriff's they are deputized by the sheriff and police officers work for a police chief who reports to the top leaders in municipal and city governments, which is typically a mayor, an administrator, and maybe an elected council. Meaning, they're not directly accountable to the people. It's a little like how South Carolina's judges are elected. They're elected by the people who were elected. In the Case of a police department, such as Orie County, the chief is accountable to a person hired by a group of elected people. That's a big difference. It's not to say that sheriff's offices are on more solid ground when it comes to curbing, internal corruption, but there's more

recourse and consequence when the public speaks out about it. Again, see the Squiresgate case. Now, one more South Carolina law enforcement fact for you. A sheriff's office's jurisdiction is the entire county, but particularly unincorporated areas of the county. And police departments, their jurisdictions are the bounds of their own town or city. ORI County is the only county in South Carolina, a state that has brought you good old boy story after good old boy story that has a police department whose jurisdiction is the entire county. It is the only county where the police department is in the direct control of whoever the county council puts in the county administrative role. The people who live in every other county in the state

get to choose who handles their county-wide law enforcement, not O'Re County. Yes, they have a sheriff's office, but it was neutered a long time ago for a reason. So let's talk about that. Let's talk about how the O'Re County Police Department was born. There are three ways to tell the story. The first is the most told, and it's the simplest. In the late 1950s, state senator James P. Stephen had mad beef with the sheriff at the time, a man named John T. Henry.

So James P. Stevens fast-tracked a bill. Like fast-tracked a bill. There's no record of any discussion about the bill or opposition to it or news coverage. It just appeared and was passed and that was that. The bill was to set up a police commission in Oregon County in 1959, right as the new governor, 37-year-old Fritz Hollings, was taking office. That police commission created the police department and away we go. The police commission was abolished in 1990. But the police department obviously continues to exist. Now, the second way to tell the story is James P. Stevens' version. And it goes like this, literally. We pulled this from the Coastal Carolina University's Oral History Project Archives, Stevens, who was from Laura South Carolina, where Scott was shot and killed, and where Weldon has his 50-acre farm, sat for this interview in 1992. First, he was asked whether he agreed that commissions were better than departments,

because departments created an, quote, explosion of county bureaucracy. Here's David with what Stephen said. I do. I really do. Because the departments, the head of the departments, become too close to members of the city council. It's like when we, you know, like when we had the county police system and I talked to one old senator that had the same thing. He said, quote, don't make a commission where the officers get to close the commission.

He said when a man serves four years, put someone else in his place. We always did that, and I hated to see some of them go, but they left, and they had someone else. No one ever got real close to a commissioner, and it worked out fine. But now I know, and I think the general populace knows that a lot of the police officers are just too close to members of the city council, the ones that govern them. And I know when I went out of office, we had 16 county police. officers in 1976. And I really thought that was too many. We started out with eight. Of course, I know that

with federal guidelines coming on, you know they had to have rotating shifts. But you could take those 16 or you could take those 25 and let them rotate, subject to calls and overtime pay. But now they've got over 200. They've got more than sled now and they police the whole state. I just think that's too many. According to a draft of the county's budget book, ORI County Police Department now has 352 employees, which is down from 387 last year. And gee, what has changed since last year? In 1992, Stevens seemed to have a good outlook on the work of the ORI County Police Commission, which stick a pin in that for a future episode because, yikes. I first want you to hear what Stevens, essentially the founding father of the ORI County Police Department, at least on paper,

said about the department itself when he was asked what caused him to establish the rural police, which is how the department was seen at the time. Here is David again. Well, at that time, you know, the county was growing. We had certain places that weren't being policed and at that time I went to the sheriff and I asked him to keep records. He said he would. But don't get me wrong because I think he was a very good man, but when I asked to see the records and show me arrest books, and there would be, and I don't blame it on him because I think he tried to do it, and there would be a third of the pages torn out. They were so dirty you couldn't make heads or tails. I said, quote, there had to be a better system, end quote. And so we discussed it and decided all except one member of the delegation and he came across. We thought it was, was time to at least give it an opportunity, where we made our mistake if we had at that time submitted it to the people, which we should have done, but we didn't, and I've always regretted that. If we had submitted it to the people, I think they would have voted for it very easily at

the time. And I think today is a good time to submit it to the people, because really we are the only county in the state that now has it. Charleston had submitted it to. the people, and they voted it out of office. And here's why he didn't think ORI County would put it to a vote, whether they should merge the police department into the sheriff's office. David? Like I say, they become too close, and I realized this as I was going out. But this is just my feelings. A lot of people disagree with me. But I think they come too close to the governing body. And so I don't think, with our present structure of governing body,

I don't think you'll see it any time in the near future, but it should be done, and let the people vote on it and see what they say, but I don't know. So that's Stephen's reason for creating the ORI County Police Department, because the sheriff kept messy, dirty, and incomplete records, but he thinks he's a very good man, which stick a pin in that for a second, too, because we're about to tell you story number three about why O'Re County has a police department that answers to one man, who is controlled by 10 men, sorry, 11 men and one woman. Let me first give you a rundown on state Senator Stevens' reputation and legacy,

and this largely comes from a two-part story by Jennifer Boyd in 2014 about Stevens, who died in 2002. It is fascinating. Here is David, with some passages that we have stitched together from Jennifer Boyd's stories and the lorice scene. Even the ladies jumped on the bandwagon with his campaign, taking down James Stevens' campaign posters from the telephone polls. They saw him as a local celebrity, placing his likeness upon their bedroom walls.

James Stevens became the voice of the people. He was a true believer in the Constitution and human rights. He spoke loudly about African-Americans' equality, their right to vote, and their right to receive an education. alongside white students. He became a supporter of removing stripes from prison inmates' attire while advocating the teaching of a trade

to those who wanted to better themselves while serving a sentence. Okay, so that's Stevens. Let's talk about O'Re County Sheriff John T. Henry now because he was different from Stevens. In 1957, famed journalist Ores Carter wrote an explosive story about the sheriff of O'Re County. Carter, by the way, is credited with weakening the KKK in the South through his reporting,

and he owned newspapers, including in Tabor City, North Carolina, where Scott Spivey was from, and in Loris, South Carolina, where Scott Spivey died. Odd coincidence. Anyway, Carter's investigative reporting led to an Orie County grand jury investigation into Sheriff John T. Henry and his deputies, who Carter says were involved in an illegal liquor scheme And we're pressuring beachfront businesses to stop using jukeboxes owned by Alan Schaefer of Dillon, South Carolina and H.C. Keels Jr. of Florence, South Carolina. And to start using jukeboxes owned by Cecil Buffkin of Mullins, South Carolina. So, J. Ruben Long was the solicitor of the 15th Circuit in 1957, which included Ori County. From the start, Rubin, the prosecutor for Ori County, called these accusations rumors.

I want to point out that Orris Carter won the Pulitzer Prize Award for his reporting just four years before this, but I digress. Here's what the Florence Morning News reported in February 1957. Quote, Solicitor Rubin Long took official notice yesterday of rumor-ridden or a county, calling for an immediate submission of any evidence of wrongdoing in the Department of Sheriff John T. Henry. In a three-page statement, hold up. Three pages? That's emotional. Okay, sorry. Long said he wanted to know who is conducting the investigation and demanded any information

and connection with it. Here is David with some excerpts from that statement. I wish to take this opportunity to express to my many friends and the good people of Ory County my appreciation for their kindness during my recent illness. I'm glad to say that I have recovered to the extent that I will be able to participate in a limited degree in the handling of criminal cases at the March term of court. So this sheriff John T. Henry thing had Ruben Long going from zero to 60. Interesting. His regular caseload, he's only able to handle in a limited way, but this case, he's up and at him. Go ahead, David. I wish to say at the outset of my remarks that to the best of my recollection that this is the first public statement

that I have issued to a newspaper during the 18 long years that I have had the honor of serving the good people of this circuit as their prosecuting attorney. I wish to preface my remarks by saying that during this 18 years, I have handled more than 15,000 cases. I have prosecuted people from preachers to bootleggers charged with practically every offense known to law. Then he goes on for two paragraphs

about how he's been in contact with practically, every family in his circuit. Recently, several people have reminded me that certain rumors were being spread in Ory County, that there were certain investigations and crookedness going on among certain law enforcement officers in this county. It seems that their remarks were chiefly directed at the sheriff's department by reason of certain articles written by a certain newspaper circulated throughout this county. Only a few days ago, I was furnished with a

copy of one of these blasts directed at our law enforcement. This was all news to me. It seems like Rubin wrote a three-page statement because he was either angry that he didn't know about this before it was published, or afraid that people thought he was scared of Sheriff John T. Henry, and his crowd sat on this investigation. Or maybe he was just plain scared of Sheriff John T. Henry's crowd, and maybe afraid they thought he was behind this, which could be why he mentioned that he's been sick, and could be why he used the phrase blasts directed at our law enforcement. Rubin went on to say that it was his policy to, quote, protect the poor, ignorant and unfortunate people and see to it that they get a fair and impartial trial, and to see that

the quote, guilty are vigorously prosecuted regardless of their strata or. station and life. He said, quote, I have no friends to reward and I have no enemies to punish. Okay, so Ruben Long, let's just throw it out there why someone may think that he was afraid of Sheriff John T. Henry. Here is David with a news brief from October 15, 1956 in the item newspaper. There is an outdated and offensive term for African Americans in that brief. David is going to Read the brief as is because we are not trying to deny history. And this is David, as David, apologizing for this segment. John L. Ford, 225-pound Negro, accused of beating Ory County Deputy Sheriff J.D. Stanley,

was caught by a large posse yesterday after a chase. Danley said he was beaten after he asked the owner of a jukebox to turn down the volume. And Ford interfered. Stanley was not seriously injured. So according to other news reports, this sheriff's posse included 30 men. They spent 14 hours trying to find John L. Ford, who was 22 years old and a recently discharged member of the Air Force, where he served as a military policeman. And Deputy J.D. Stanley's story about what happened had several iterations. And the Florence morning news at the time, Stanley is quoted as saying he was making a routine check of an African-American night spot on Saturday night and quote, I asked the owner to cut down the jukebox because it was too loud. It was playing wide open. Ford came up and told me to leave it alone, that it was all right. I told him to keep out of this business. And before I knew it, he floored me. The initial report was that Stanley wasn't injured, but other reports have him going to the hospital with cuts and bruises on his face and body.

Stanley also later said that Ford had knocked him unconscious and had taken his pistol and blackjack, which is basically a club that police used to hit people with. Okay, so stick a pin in that for a second. There was a ton of drama over Horace Carter's accusations that the sheriff and his goons were involved in the illegal liquor trade and were strong-arming businesses into switching jukebox vendors. Interesting that the incident I just told you about involved

a jukebox, right? So long story short, Horace Carter was dragged into court to testify to the Ory County grand jury, and he feared for his safety and did not trust that they wouldn't arrest him. He had to be escorted by a bodyguard. The grand jury, which would have had evidence presented to it by Ruben Long, declined to indict the sheriff and his men on June 8, 1957. Here's what Carter, the reporter, had to say about that. Quote, actually, I have never expected, indictment of members of the Sheriff's Department from the ORI County Grand Jury. I was reluctant to testify at the original hearing and at the one just completed because I felt this confidential information of mine should be given to a federal grand jury, which would not

be composed of friends, relatives, or near relatives of the very person under investigation. I feel there were a lot of witnesses who had potentially important testimony who were not called, but who would have been glad to testify had they been subpoenaed. I have said all along, and I say it again, there has been misconduct on the part of some members of the Orie County Sheriff's deputies. So here we are. Almost 70 years later on the same old beat. Good Lord, it is like reporting on ghosts. Anyway, Sheriff John T. Henry was not indicted on the illegal liquor accusations or the accusations of acting like Tony Soprano and the boys, but just five days before this, he actually was indicted by a federal grand jury, along

with eight of his deputies. Remember John L. Ford, the 22-year-old military veteran captured by a 30-man sheriff's posse? Well, Sheriff John T. Henry and his eight merry deputies were indicted on two charges of violating civil rights for allegedly beating John L. Ford of Long's South Carolina, and another man, Cleo Patrick of Loris. The assaults on Ford and Patrick were both connected to the alleged beating of deputy J.D. Stanley, who was also indicted. Ford told the court in February 1957 that three carloads of deputies pulled him to the side of a back road, got out, and, quote, worked him over. Ford testified that after they put him in a car, one of the deputies said,

let's take him to the jail where we can do what we want with him. After getting indicted in June 1957, Sheriff John T. Henry and his posse were re-indicted in February 1958, and two new victims were added. Vernie Floyd, who was black, and Jackson Spivey, who was white. The sheriff and his deputies were tried in March 1958, and the South Carolina Sheriff's Association raised money for their defense fund. Their defense was that they had to beat Ford because he was attacking them. After a 50-minute deliberation, the all-white, all-male jury, exonerated Sheriff John Henry and his deputies.

It seems like Sheriff John T. Henry was pretty well protected, right? It seems like he had a lot of people on his side, including maybe even Rubin Long. Even James Stevens said he was a very good man. So why take his sheriff's department away from him? Why strip him of power less than 12 months later? Why create a new police department? the lowly esteemed ORI County Police Department to undermine his law enforcement efforts in ORI County.

We have a theory, and that's moonshine in the battle for the moonshine market. We'll talk more about that in a future episode, but this is the very beginning of the origin story for ORI County Police Department, an agency born during a time of civil unrest, KKK threats, and the great potential of the great strand in its growing, tourism dollars. One last thing about them, though, remember when we reported on this recorded call between Weldon Boyd and Bradley Williams and Ory County State Rep William Bailey. Because Ken says, you hear me yell, I need a mag. Ken laughed and said, I told Bailey,

it would have been funny if he yelled, we need an airstrike. Bailey? Bailey's the state representative. Okay. He's the one, you're going to meet him after this because he's going to try and get us a proclamation for bravery, where we're going to have to go to Columbia and dress nice and be awarded a proclamation for Second Amendment shit.

After it became public that Representative William Bailey, who has denied any such plan to award Weldon and Bradley for killing Scott Spivey, introduced a bill in the house at the very end of session to revoke the act that established the Ory County Police Department way back in the day. He seems to think he's serious about this, but to us, it looks more like a feeble attempt to save face. Mandy and I have so much more to say about the crooked agency that threw itself into the fire on behalf of Weldon Boyd, a guy who owns a restaurant where law enforcement apparently ate for free. So, Between J.P. Miller, Lee Gilley, and Weldon Boyd, it seems like the good old boys are starting to get scared this week.

And we cannot wait to see what happens next. And speaking of men who are terrified of facing accountability for their own alleged actions, I hope y'all are watching Murdoch Death in the Family on Hulu and listening to the official podcast. There are only two episodes left, y'all. So, until next time, stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production created by me, Mandy Matney, co-hosted and reported by journalist Liz Pharrell, research support provided by Beth Braden, audio production support

provided by Jamie Hoffman and Grace Hills, case file management provided by Kate Thomas. Learn more about our mission and membership at lunasharkmedia.com. Interruptions provided by Luna and Joe Pesky.