Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #92 - Plot Twist? Man Who Heard Crying And Gunshot Before Mica’s Death Killed In Crash + The Victim In The Bowen Turner Case That The System Wants To Silence

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

After hearing news about the latest plot twist in the Mica Francis case, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell are taking another look into the day Mica allegedly took her own life in a North Carolina swamp and the mysterious “witness” to her very last moments … who turned up dead last week. The story of Johnnie Jacobs — aka the “fisherman” who heard Mica crying until it was stopped by what he said was a single gunshot — raised a lot of red flags over the past year after he admitted taking Mica’s purse, leaving the park and then returning with it to hand over to police. From the start, his story was strange and filled with curious inconsistencies, causing followers of Mica’s case to question whether he was connected to Mica’s husband, Myrtle Beach pastor and accused child rapist and sexual assaulter John-Paul Miller.  On Friday, he died in a two-car crash, leading to the biggest red flag of all … is this evidence that Johnnie Jacobs knew too much? Also on today’s episode, Mandy and Liz share updates in the Jane Doe No. 1 case against JP Miller, as well on JP’s latest legal loss, after settling with a random woman he sued over nothing. Plus an update on the Christa Bauer case out of Houston, Texas, and her husband (and accused murderer) Lee Gilley’s upcoming hearing. Switching gears, Mandy and Liz bring you an important conversation with Karl Stoller, the father of Dallas Stoller, as he shares his frustrations with the justice system's handling of her alleged rapist Bowen Turner and his third parole violation. Karl recounts being silenced at a hearing and expresses his deep concerns about the continued leniency shown to Bowen, a Good Ole Boy with a disturbing pattern of behavior Join us as we shine a "true sunlight" on these troubling cases and the persistent issues plaguing the legal landscape in South Carolina and beyond. This episode is jam-packed with updates... so let's dive in... 🥽🦈  Links and Resources Beth Braden’s FB Post - Sanctions Against JP Miller Settlement Jane Doe No. 1 & Jane Doe No. 2 Lawsuits against JP Miller and Wayne Miller Liz Farrell’s FB Post - JP Miller’s Reply and Counterclaim “Fisherman who found Mica Miller’s belongings in North Carolina reportedly killed in car wreck” - WBTW, March 15, 2025 Justice for Dallas Referenced Episodes: COJ 122, MMP 40, & TSP 72 Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Premium Members also get access to ad-free listening, searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. Check out our LUNASHARK Merch 👕 What We're Buying... Chewy - chewy.com/mandy - Chewy has everything you need to keep your pet happy and healthy. Save $20 on your first order and get free shipping at chewy.com/mandy or visit our storefront here: https://www.shop.anchor.store/chewy/@trusunlightpod 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: bsky.app/profile/mandy-matney.com | bsky.app/profile/elizfarrell.com TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia tiktok.com/@lunasharkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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With vivid recollection from challenges and triumphs framing each chapter, success isn't about luck. It's earned through skill and hard work. Please visit TheErikBland.com to learn more about the book, Anything But Bland, is the manifesto for those seeking triumph over adversity and a guide for anyone aspiring to reach their full potential. I don't know if and when the twists and turns will ever stop coming in the JP Miller case.

But this week was another dizzying doozy between the death of the man who found Micah's belongings right after she died, the content creators causing chaos, and JP's pathetic move to silence Jane Doe and any other victim who might come forward. My name is Mandy Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption previously known as the Murdoch Murders podcast. True Sunlight is a Lunashark production written with journalist Liz Farrell. Okay, let's start with the good news this week. J.P. Miller's plan to silence protesters blew up in his stupid face again, with another big old embarrassing loss.

Phew! Talk about a pastor disaster for J.P. Miller. On Tuesday, Lunashark reporter Beth Braden broke the news that the sanctions hearing filed against J.P. Miller by Tonya Hall. You know, the woman who had nothing to do with any of the protests, but her car happened to be in the area at the same time the protests, so JP Miller sued her. Well, that hearing has been canceled because a settlement was reached and that amount is not being disclosed at this time. For a reminder, JP Miller sued Tonya Hall in Myrtle Beach Magistrate Court in January.

The case was dropped on February 5th. Hall's attorney, Chris Helms, then filed a motion for sanctions against J.P. Miller, saying that J.P.'s filings were, quote, merely intended to intimidate and retaliate against the public at large. I cannot stress enough what a massive embarrassing blow this is for J.P. Miller. I can't emphasize enough how pathetic it is to have to settle in any amount in a case that you filed against someone else. And remember, he was also trying to settle with protesters during the last magistrate hearing

where he failed miserably to show the judge that he had enough evidence to get a restraining order against the protesters. Since January, JP Miller has been on an absurd legal quest to silence protesters, and he has lost at pretty much every single turn. Remember, JP and his cronies filed over 30 lawsuits, and the vast majority of those have been dropped, and JP has settled several of them. Meaning, he likely ended up paying the people that he sued in the first place because

they counter-sued. He still faces a counter-suit from the protesters that could result in more trouble for JP. If that's not sweet, sweet justice, then I don't know what is. Since he began that quest to get his reputation back in early January, JP's public image has spiraled to depths that we were unaware even existed. Because let's not forget, the biggest blow to JP's churchy business kingdom has been the two lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse against JP Miller and his father Wayne Miller that were filed last month by Jane Doe One and Jane Doe Two.

On Wednesday, March 19, Liz Farrell broke another twist in this case. JP and his attorney, Russell B. Long, who we like to call Russell B. Wrong, submitted an answer to the Jane Doe complaint, and unfortunately, and ironically, he filed a counter-suit against Jane Doe. Here is Liz explaining exactly what went down. In his response to the lawsuit, JP denied pretty much every accusation made against him by Jane Doe number one,

and stated that he was 18 at the time of the rape he's accused of committing. No matter what age someone is, not having consent is not having consent, JP. But JP mentioning his age seems like kind of a setup to the claim that he had consensual sex with Jane Doe number one, and that as an 18 year old, that meets the standards of the Romeo and Juliet law

that, as we've told you in an earlier episode, does not exist in South Carolina, no matter how much JP's supporters post about it. What's most galling about this filing is that JP is filing a counterclaim against Jane Doe No. 1 for slander and libel. I mean, you guys heard what Mandy said about him losing most of his extravagantly wasteful attempts at bullying people using the legal system, right? It's not at all shocking that this would be the route

he would go because that's what accused child rapists tend to do, turn things around on the victim. But that said, it's still shocking to see how predictably open JP is to creating more problems for himself and how predictably obsessed he is with how he looks on social media and to the public than how he actually acts on social media and in the public. And how predictably dumb he is because John Paul girl I would not want to file a counterclaim against Jane Doe number

one, or her legal team, Randy Hood and Mark Tinsley. That's like handing them a microscope and a sample of your financial DNA, along with a slideshow projector for them to show the world everything you didn't want people to know about you. So you have fun with that, you loser. Now we need to talk about the latest in Micah's case. Remember the whole reason why we are talking about JP in the first place? It's because of Micah's death.

When I tell you that reporting on an infamous good ol' boy case for years can really mess with your idea of what normal is, I'm not kidding. Especially when we're talking about a case like Elick Murdoch's where the entire world was watching as he pretended to be the victim of a roadside shooting, hoping that everyone would think he was being targeted by Maggie and Paul's murderer too. Which I guess is true now that I think about it because he was the one behind it all. So yeah, this roadside shooting was indeed the work of Maggie and Paul's murderer as it turns out. Anyway, a criminal like Elick Murdoch really raises your tolerance for surreal plot twists,

and it totally changes your definitions of belief and disbelief. Because again, it's South Carolina. I cannot say that enough. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth to live. One of the most fun and friendly. But man, you could swap out the state's history textbooks with John Grisham novels or scripts from the Righteous Gemstones and no one would notice because there are so many kooky real life plot lines happening at all times.

Which brings me to this past weekend. On Saturday morning, we got a reminder of our Murdoch days when we learned that high drama tends to come for a visit at the exact time that we have no room at the inn for it. As in, there are no more rooms that are metaphorical plot twists bed and breakfast and yet here comes another chaotic member of JP Miller's chaotic party knocking at our door looking to stay the night. The latest twist in the Mike of France's case, which we'll talk about in a second, is coming right as we've both been experiencing a renewed sense of peace and standing on solid ground.

We're not working on Elick Murdoch's schedule of entitled nonsense anymore. We're not constantly on guard for the next high-priced, accountability-dodging tactic of his. We can really take time with our work and just breathe and focus and take pleasure in shining sunlight in places that have never seen light before without getting startled by bats flying toward us with Dick Harputlian's face on them. This twist is coming right as things seem to be leveling out. We can think about the past six years without our hearts immediately pounding out of our chests, and we can fully feel the love of what we do again. The past few months have kept us both in awe. We're watching the Hulu show come

together in ways we could never imagine. We're really seeing our work make a difference in real time, which is always rewarding. And we're interviewing amazing guests on Couple Justice. If you haven't listened to this week's episode, by the way, do it. We had a really cathartic conversation with Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, who broke open the Jeffrey Epstein story, fought for his victims to finally be heard, and finally brought accountability in that case. And that was the finale to a jam-packed week of breaking news for us, where we just felt

really capable. Which I know might sound surprising that we don't always feel that way, but I think you know what I mean. We all need that occasional reminder in our guts about our purpose and our strength. A reminder that we are on the right path. And like I said, we were feeling it and feeling really thankful for feeling it, because it wasn't always like that. So back to Saturday morning, we got a tip from a source that the fisherman in Micah Francis's case had died Friday evening. You know, the only sort of witness to her death, Johnny Junior Jacobs, the guy who was fishing in

the swamp at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina, who said he heard a woman crying for a few minutes and a gunshot and then no more crying. The guy who found Micah's bag, but not her body, and for some reason then left the park with it, leaving Micah to be found by a kayaker shortly after. The guy whose involvement in this story has caused everyone paying attention to it to be like, wait, what? Because his account of what happened that afternoon changes and doesn't seem to make any sense at times.

That man, he died in a car crash, which let us give you a quick reenactment of where our heads immediately went with that one. Here's David. The Tallahassee Democrat, Sunday, April 17th, 1983. A federal witness was killed early Saturday morning when he walked into the path of an oncoming vehicle. At approximately 1.20 a.m., Franklin C. Branch of Eastport was apparently making his way to the Wonder Bar in St. Joe Beach whenport was apparently making his way to the Wonder Bar in St. Joe

Beach when he was struck by a car driven by T.J. Whitfield. Whitfield, returning home from Gulfport, Mississippi, was questioned by authorities and released. Branch was one of nine people arrested in February when authorities seized about 17 tons of marijuana from a shrimp boat in Beaufort, South Carolina. According to Trooper Millard Gilman of the Florida Highway Patrol, Branch had a blood alcohol level at the time of his death. Gilman said FBI agents were investigating the case as Branch was scheduled to testify in a drug trial. Whose drug trial was Franklin C. Branch supposed to testify in? Well, while Franklin was arrested in a sting

two months earlier, along with six other people from Florida and South Carolina, including Barrett Bowler, best friend of the Murdoch family and the man Alec Murdoch bought Moselle from. And I put bought in quotes because we all know how shady that deal was. It's a long and interesting story and one we've told before on Murdoch Murders Podcast, but Barrett Bowler was a suspected drug trafficker in Murdoch country, the 14th circuit, where

for generations there was a Murdoch in charge of who got prosecuted for alleged crimes and who didn't. And Branch was about to bring him and others tied to that operation in Murdoch country in the 14th Circuit, down, down, down. But then he died because he was randomly hit by a car. So you see what we're saying, right? That was a single one-size Snickers bar of information in a garbage bag

filled with candy. So you see what we're saying, right? If plot twists were candy, that was a single fun-sized Snicker bar in the Murdoch story. But it was the kind of Snickers bar you find in your Halloween bag, only to find out there's a razor blade in it.

A reminder of the very ominous rumors we'd all heard for years in the newsroom. A reminder of the very ominous rumors we'd all heard for years in the newsroom. A reminder of what current sources meant when they told us to be careful as we covered this very serious story that kept getting darker and darker. And what have we spent almost a year doing? Watching the Mike of France story get darker and darker just about every week and watching it get more serious and weird every time. But it was like mysterious alleged suicide, allegations of coercive control abuse, and

child sex abuse allegations kind of serious, and Spider-Man costumes, and shady lawyers, and odd churchy business dealings, and frivolous lawsuits blowing up in JP's face kind of weird. Not witness death serious and weird. So first, we just want to recognize that a human being died here in a tragic way. And we want to be respectful of Johnny and his family. So I hate that we even have to talk about his death in the way that we are talking about it right now.

The context is everything, and unfortunately for him, he is either a victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, or there's something else really weird going on here. Second, we don't know if Johnny Jacobs was considered an actual witness in the sense that he was being questioned by the FBI or any other investigators on a list to potentially testify against Pastor JP Miller or anyone else for that matter. Lunashark reporter and researcher Beth Braden called around to find out if law enforcement had been working with Johnny in any capacity of their investigation into J.P. Miller and right now it is unclear because they won't comment on open investigations.

As far as we know, there are no confirmed direct ties between Johnny and JP Miller or Johnny and Micah Francis, but there are theories attached to the fisherman and Micah's death last April. And that's all they are, theories. But as they say, something really does stink in suburbia here. More on that in a minute. We will be right back. Hey there listeners, E.B. here and I wanna tell you about a new weekly podcast that I'm hosting.

I love being a lawyer, being a speaker. I absolutely am looking forward to being an author of my book, Anything But Bland, but I'm excited to tell you that I'm launching my very own podcast called Good Skill, betting on yourself. I delve into the idea that success isn't merely about luck, but is instead achieved through honing skills and strategic efforts and planning. Each episode of Good Skill offers listeners an insightful journey into the minds of individuals

who are reshaping their respective industries and their careers. Good Skill serves as a beacon of inspiration with a roster of interesting guests like independent journalist, media disruptor, and Cup of Justice co-host Mandy Matney. These conversations empower listeners seeking to make their mark in the world. Visit the ericbland.com website to learn more or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start at the top with some reminders because it's been a while since we talked about the day of Micah's death.

Micah called 911 at 2.54 PM on April 27th to tell police that she was about to kill herself so that her family would be able to find her body. According to the medical examiner's report, she is believed to have been shot right after that call. Within minutes of Micah calling 911, law enforcement and park rangers were dispatched to begin looking for her. But according to the police records, Robeson County Sheriff's Office didn't arrive at the park until 3.31 pm. Micah's body was found by a kayaker who called 911 at 4.23 pm to report that, and her time of death was officially listed as 4.24 pm.

Johnny's involvement in this became notable, specifically because of his account of where he was at the time, what he then did, and where he went afterward. Everyone has their own logic and their own reasons for doing things, and it doesn't always make sense to everyone. But even with that in mind, Johnny's account, which in at least one interview he referred to as his story of what happened, never seemed to click into place fully. That doesn't mean he was complicit in anything. It could simply mean that he was bad at articulating himself, or bad at facts, or maybe something

else was going on that he didn't want people knowing about. There are a lot of reasons Johnny's account could seem… off. But when it comes to the context of what happened to Micah that day, those reasons don't matter a whole lot. So, to be clear, we're not trying to implicate Johnny in anything here. But we're also not always going to give him the benefit of the doubt in our assessments. Let's start with where Johnny says he was that afternoon. To understand that, we need to talk about the Lumber River, or at least the basics of it. The Lumber River starts in North Carolina and stretches 115 miles to the state's border with South Carolina. Then it continues about eight miles into South Carolina

and flows into the little Petey River and then into the Petey River all the way down to Winnia Bay and then off to the Atlantic Ocean, which is about 36 miles south of Myrtle Beach on the coast. The Lumber River is listed as one of North Carolina's natural wonders. And it's the only blackwater river in North Carolina designated as a National Wildlife and Scenic River.

This is notable because one of the characteristics of a blackwater river is its slow moving current. Now on April 27th, 2024, the water level at Lumber River at the monitoring station closest to where Micah's body was found, and the area where Johnny was fishing that day was just under four and a half feet, according to the United States Geological Survey, which tracks this data daily. That monitoring station is about four miles or less from where Micah was found.

We've looked at the other monitoring stations upriver, and their graphics seem to follow a similar pattern of highs and lows. To give you an idea of how the water level can vary there, at the time the area where Micah was found was experiencing little to no rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. However, the week before Micah's death, a strong and fast-moving storm did blow through the area, bringing high winds and hail to parts of Robeson County. But records show that at the same time, the area was starting to experience

abnormally dry conditions, which led to the declaration of a natural disaster just a few months after Micah died. On July 4th, that area of the river, which was just under four and a half feet on the day Micah died, was down to a foot and a half. Wasn't until August that the area began seeing a rise in rainfall.

And on August 12th, the river rose to about 10 and a half feet. That's the highest that part of the river has been in the past 12 months. So that's what the data tells us about the area where Michael was found. Again, the depth of water will vary even in the same section of river, but overall the river level was closer

to its lowest level for the year than it was its highest. And this is important because of the questions that were raised after Johnny came forward at the beginning of May 2024 to talk to the media and online content creators and defend himself against the online chatter. Another thing to know about the river, the area Johnny was in around the time of Micah's death is called Griffin Whirl. And it's an area of the river that's described as having a unique reverse flow, meaning the water in the Lumber River moves southward from the headwaters in Drowning Creek, North Carolina,

down toward South Carolina. But in Griffin Whirl, where the observation deck is in that part of the park, it doesn't move like that. It moves to some extent in the opposite direction. In his interviews, Johnny sometimes referred to Griffin Whirl as a lake, and the area where Micah and her belongings were found as a slough. The lake, or Griffin Whirl, is at a hairpin curve in the river, and it's shaped sort of like a rudimentary drawing of an ocean wave. The triangular

curve of the wave, which is on the northeast side of the lake, is the slough. Now, this too is important because a slough is an area of a river where the old riverbed used to flow. It's shallow and swampy and generally stagnant as in the water doesn't move much if at all. Now back to the so-called lake area. There's an observation deck there like I said. It's like any other waterfront deck. It's not a tower. It's not high off the ground. It's a large wooden platform with wooden rails that extends into the water a bit. At the same time of Micah's death,

there were seven or eight people fishing off that deck, according to Johnny's account. From the observation deck, you can see where the river continues on to the right. To the left of that is the slough area where Micah's body was found. That area, again, is shallow and stagnant and marked by fallen trees and limbs and filled with cypress trees, which sit in the water and have these large knees all around them.

They're like these wooden stalagmites that pop out of the water here and there, but they're part of the trees. They help stabilize the trees in the water and provide nutrition to the trees. But if you've ever kayaked around in an area with Cypress, you know that they can be difficult to navigate depending on the depth of the water and the size of your kayak. If you have a motor on your boat,

you can risk tearing up that motor. That day, Johnny said he was in a small one-man boat with a flat bottom, sort of like a canoe, he said, with a trolling motor. A trolling motor is a small, quiet motor that can be used on small boats and kayaks, fishing enthusiasts like them because of their maneuverability. But according to videos online, that area where Micah's body was found was difficult to get to in that you'd have to be really determined to get there and take your time

doing so, even in a small boat with a trawling motor. Not only was it a tight squeeze to get past the trees, knees, and logs, the lower depth of the water means less water between the bottom and even a flat boat, and whatever logs and such were at the bottom of the slough. Again, all of this is important to understanding why Johnny's account of what happened was so alarming to people. So, let's summarize exactly where we're at.

At the time of Micah's death, the area was experiencing below average rainfall. The river level was less than half of its peak and only three feet above its 12-month lowest level. And the entrance into the area where Micah was found was tight and difficult to navigate, according to reports from people who tried to do this, including me. Again, someone going back there that day would have had to be determined to do so,

and it would have taken time, according to a video of boaters that we saw who tried doing the same thing under similar conditions. In one interview, Johnny pointed out that once he got past the narrow and difficult part of going through the slough, the water opened up a bit, and he was able to maneuver around better. And yet, Johnny told interviewers

that there was a lot of water in the river that day because of recent rainfall, but the data does not show that. The data shows the opposite. And this is meaningful because Johnny Jacobs knew that area well, according to him. Also, if you know someone who really likes to go fishing a lot, then you know they can usually tell you every environmental nuance of the areas they frequent. So we gave you all of this information just to ask the question, why would it be important for Johnny to make it known that there was a lot of water in the river that day?

Obviously he didn't like being beaten up online with so many people sharing their opinions about how there seemed to be something shady going on with the fisherman. Maybe he didn't think people would buy his explanation of, I'm just that good when it comes to navigating my boat. So he said high water without thinking that people would fact check that. But the explanation could also be this. By saying a lot of water, Johnny could have been trying to provide answers to two sticking points with the public. One, it helps answer the question about why Micah's body wasn't near the casings when the water was stagnant.

And two, it answers the question of why Johnny was able to navigate his boat back in her direction to get her stuff but also didn't see her body. The more water there was in the river that day, the more his account might make sense, and the more it might make sense as to why Micah was found some distance away. It's strange to us that Johnny came forward when he did to share his side of things because it only made it worse for him. Okay, let's build on this and talk about what we know about the distances at play here.

And if you're bad at picturing distances, don't feel bad, because we are too. So let's do this in steps, literal steps, like the 10,000 we're all trying to take every single day. Beth Braden measured these out on a map, so they're really approximations and not taking into account every inch of every curve. But I think it gives you a good idea of the space that we're talking about here. From the parking lot to where Micah was shot that day, it's about a third of a mile, or about 670 steps in less than a 10 minute walk. From the observation deck, where Johnny said seven

or eight people were, it's about 600 feet or 250 steps from where Micah's body was found. So just over a tenth of a mile. Picture it like walking from the front to the back of a medium-sized Walmart, then halfway to the front again. Or like walking about a block in Manhattan. This isn't to say that people from the observation deck should have been able to see Micah. There were tons of trees and, again, she was back in a more dense area. But a source who has been to the site where Micah's body was found said that by waiting out a bit, they would have been able to see the deck from where they were standing.

That's how close it was. Johnny said multiple times that he was in the lake, which was technically Griffin's Whirl, when he heard the faint cries of a woman or child and then a gunshot. Not gunshots, but one gunshot. Then the cries stopped. This is important because Johnny's timeline of events was inconsistent and confusing. Now Beth Braden used the coordinates given to us

by the Robeson County Sheriff's Office as the approximate area where they found Micah's body. But really, it looks like it was actually where her phone was at the time when they pinged it, right? It was not necessarily her. I'll explain something about that in a minute, but we believe that the police would have asked for a GPS location given the emergency at hand.

And that potentially would have put them within as little as five feet from where Micah's phone was at the time, but they can vary. In this case, we believe it put them within 175 feet from her body. All right, so the medical examiner's report noted that the area where investigators found the two shell casings and one unused bullet on the riverbank, i.e. the spot where they believe

Micah shot herself, was 100 feet from where her body was. The gun was retrieved from that same area, but in the water. Investigators used a magnet to find it. Just so you can picture this, 100 feet would be like 30 or 40 steps, or like sitting at a traffic light with six cars in front of you. It's about 100 feet from you to the light in that scenario. This is all to say we're not talking about very long distances here, but two casings means two bullets

were likely fired from the cartridges. So why did Johnny only hear one gunshot? Did he just simply miss one? He was 56 at the time of his death. We all know how our hearing can go downhill midlife, or is it a sign of something else? Hold on to the thought of something else because there are two scenarios I wanna share with you

once we're done setting the scene here. So again, based on this medical examiner's report and Johnny's account, it would put Micah's body upstream right off of Griffin Whirl in the slough. Again, Beth mapped this out so we could see approximately where Johnny said he found Micah's sling bag, sunglasses, and her cell phone, which he said were about 30 or 40 yards into the slough and two feet off the bank of the river and at the end of the path to the water's

edge. On Wednesday, we received a photo from a source that was taken near where Micah's family placed her wreath following her death. Using the GPS coordinates and the metadata for that photo, Beth measured between that point and the point where Johnny says he found Micah's belongings 30 or 40 yards into the slough. The distance?

Approximately 120 feet. So again, not a very long distance. We don't know that the place where Johnny found Micah's belongings is the same spot where police believe she killed herself, which would also be where the shell casings and guns were found. But that seems most likely considering what the medical examiner's report says. Decedent was found prone submerged in river beside tree limbs

about 100 feet from casings. Now, let's say there was a current in the slew, which can happen, and that Micah's body floated from the area where the gun was found upstream to where she was found a hundred feet away from the place she was shot. That would ostensibly take time, right? By Johnny's account, he went into this slew shortly after hearing the gunshot. Even if what he says is right, and it turns out that Micah's belongings were not where the casings were, that would still mean it's not out of the realm of possibility to believe that Johnny was that close, or even a lot closer, to Micah's body. So in that scenario, at the very most, they would have been the length of a width of football field part. Again, the area was a tangle of trees and limbs, so we're not accusing Johnny of seeing

Micah's body and pretending he didn't. I'm just noting how close HE said he was. Okay, so let's rewind a few minutes here. In one interview, Johnny said he was in the back part of the lake when he heard the faint crying and a single gunshot. At the time he heard the crying, Johnny said he kept fishing. In an interview, he said that if he could have seen who was crying, he would have gone to that person to check on them. He also said the kayaker who found Micah's body was fishing to the right of the observation deck at that same time.

When he heard this single gunshot, the crying stopped, and he said he thought to himself, Lord, I hope something ain't happened what I thought had happened. He said he turned his boat around to see if he could see anything, and that's when a John boat with three people in it that he had seen earlier came downriver

back into the lake area. Johnny said he asked them, did y'all hear that gunshot? And that they said yes. He told them that he heard somebody crying before that. After that, he said he looked into the slough area and realized he could get his boat in there. I don't know why I did.

I just decided to go up in there, he said. Johnny said he happened to look up and saw Micah's belongings up on the bank of the river. did. I just decided to go up in there," he said. Johnny said he happened to look up and saw Micah's belongings up on the bank of the river, then he pulled up to the bank and picked up the stuff. He told one interviewer that he, quote, never looked at it at the time. He said her sunglasses were laying there as well as her cell phone. He said he got out of the boat and walked to the left and to the right of the clearing where her stuff was. He said he then got back into the boat, put her stuff at the front of the boat, and quote,

get the hell up out of there, because he was scared. Now, in one interview from late May, Johnny said that he had seen people online commenting that the water in the area where Michael was found was too shallow for his story to be true. So he made a point of saying that his boat could float in four or five inches of water. Interesting, right? Because at the very same time that he's maintaining that there was a lot of water back there, and that's why he could get back in there, he's also

saying that the reason he could get in it is because his boat could handle four or five inches of water. This is what we mean by inconsistencies, and we're not sure if it's a matter of the public, including us, not understanding the terrain or the equipment, or if they exist because he's a good guy who so desperately wanted the public to understand that he wasn't connected in any way to what happened to Micah that day so he feels the need to say all things at once. Or if he's a good guy covering up something else, or just forgetful, or bad at articulating himself, or if there is as many people seem to feel in their guts, something off about the whole situation.

In one interview, Johnny apologized for picking up Micah's belongings and said, I don't know why I picked them up, but I did. Which brings us to what Johnny said he did next. Now, in one interview, he said he took off with Micah's stuff and went straight to the boat landing. But first, let's talk about the other people who were there. Johnny has said that the kayaker was no longer in the area where the lake and slough meet, and that he later found out that the kayaker had moved on to fish elsewhere in the river.

He said he later learned that the kayaker had heard about what happened and that the police were there, so he retraced Johnny's steps back into the the slough and that's how the kayaker found her body there. He said the kayaker told him later that Johnny had passed right by Micah's body and Johnny said, you've got to be kidding me. He said the kayaker told Johnny that Johnny couldn't have seen Micah's body though. Johnny said the kayaker compared Micah's body to a plastic bag in the water with just a little bit showing above the water line. Johnny said he corrected the kayaker and told him

he couldn't see Micah because he wasn't looking for her. He was looking straight ahead he said and not in the water at all. And quote, anyway, I was just looking to get up out of there. Johnny said the kayaker told him that like his body was pinned against a tree by a log and that he discovered her when his boat hit the log and the log exposed Mike's foot, which is something that could happen naturally. And it's something that could have involved another person. Right. By the way, Johnny also said the kayaker had nothing to do with Micah's death either.

Now, as far as why Johnny said he didn't call 911, he said he couldn't because he didn't have reception. Obviously, some people have pointed out the inconsistency of Micah being able to make a phone call from that spot. But Micah had Verizon, and we don't know what carrier Johnny had. We know that carriers work differently, right? But there's also a story he told one interviewer in which he called his friend Charles to tell him about hearing the crying, the gunshot, and finding the bag.

He said he made that call from upriver and later asked Charles to look and see what time that call was made. This is where it gets weird. And again, it's why Johnny received so much bad mouthing and speculation online. First of all, Charles is a crazy guy. that call was made. This is where it gets weird. And again, it's why Johnny received so much bad mouthing and speculation online.

First of all, Charles is of course a very common name, but also the name of one of JP and Wayne Miller's closest associates, Charles Randall. So that's going to raise red flags for anyone with a mind for conspiracies. Then there's the fact that Johnny said he made that call from the river, where he also said he had no reception. Then there's the inference that can be made here that Johnny had to ask Charles what time they spoke because Johnny himself had no record

of that. Why wouldn't he have a record of that, right? That led to people wondering if he deleted his call log and if so, why? That led to people wondering if he deleted his call log, and if so, why? And obviously another explanation could be that he just receives and makes so many phone calls that it timed itself out of the log. Also, what Johnny says Charles' answer was, raised red flags.

Charles said the call in which Johnny told him about the gunshot, crying, and bag happened at 1. 30 that afternoon. We know from security footage that Micah was at the gas station, buying gas and a drink at that same time in South Carolina. So either something very odd was happening there or Charles misunderstood the assignment and gave Johnny data for another phone call. And Johnny just wasn't as familiar with the provable timeline

that was already established to challenge it. Okay, back to the scene. Johnny said when he passed the seven or eight people on the observation deck on his way, he told them that he found a bunch of stuff and that he didn't know who it belonged to. They told him someone called 911. Again, it's another inconsistency or Johnny isn't good at estimating time. He said he heard a gunshot, which according to Micah's 911 call, would put it at 2.54 or after and then he headed into the slough to check it shortly after. It is unclear what time he would have gotten to Micah's stuff on the riverbank. But we know that the park ranger got the call about Micah at 301.

It's possible a park ranger went to the observation deck soon after since it was an easy spot to access. And maybe that's how they knew about the call, right? Or maybe one of them made the call. Robeson County Sheriff's Office has not said how many 911 calls came in related to the case, as far as we know. Certainly they haven't answered our questions about that.

So it is possible that another call was made by someone on the deck, and that's why they said that to Johnny. After this, Johnny high-tailed it back to the boat launch. He said in one interview that his nerves were shot because he's a smoker and he didn't have a lighter. He took Micah's belongings and went to possibly Floyd's grocery store, which is about a 20 minute drive from the parking lot where Johnny was. I say possibly because we haven't heard any interview where Johnny said this directly.

One content creator said that Johnny told him it was Floyd's, but then the content creator also mentioned another name as well. The same content creator said that he interviewed the maintenance worker at Lumber River State Park, and that worker told him Johnny returned to the park in a white Dodge Charger. But Johnny himself is on the record saying he was in his truck when he returned. And herein lies another inconsistency. In one version of the story, Johnny said he saw a man with a drone that had the Robeson County Sheriff's Office insignia on it. So he pulled up behind the man and jumped out of the truck to ask him if he knew

Micah Miller. Because at this point, Johnny had gone through Micah's bag, and he said that he found her license, a small Bible, some receipts, more than $500 cash, and her bank card. Cash, you say? Yes, cash. Micah, who had no money and had to borrow money to hire a divorce attorney, and again, when she couldn't pay her vehicle taxes right before her death, and who just bought a $500 weapon a few hours earlier on her bank card. She had $500 cash?

Anyway, in that same interview, Johnny said that when he pulled up to the man with the drone and asked whether the man knew Micah Miller, the man who turned out to be an on-call, but off-duty deputy, told Johnny to get back in his truck. All of these are minor discrepancies, but again, this is why people suspected something more was happening there.

Because again, it's not often that somebody who has nothing to hide but wants to stay anonymous decides to come out to offer his version of transparency only to raise further suspicions. More on this in a minute. We know the Robeson County Sheriff's Office drone went out at 3.45 that afternoon. We know the first deputy on the scene arrived at 3.31 p.m.

And we know that Johnny said he saw the insignia on the drone, which would mean it hadn't lifted off yet or it had and had landed again. But that's still a very tight timeline, right? Micah calls 911 at 2.54. Johnny then hears a gunshot, talks to the John boat people about it, then goes into the narrow, difficult terrain, immediately finds her stuff, and then looks around a little before heading back through the narrow, difficult terrain, stops to talk to the observation deck people, notices the kayaker isn't there anymore,

hightails it back to the boat launch, either leaves his boat there, which not likely, or he hooks it up to his trailer, drives 20 minutes to Floyd's and 20 minutes back, and is back at the launch talking to a deputy either right before 3.45 when he launches the drone or sometime between 3.45 and Mike's body being found at 4.24. Sounds like we need some clarity from Johnny on this timeline, right? Which brings us back to the car crash Friday night. So, was Johnny officially a witness in this case?

We don't know for sure. In his interviews, he sounds convincing to us, despite the minor inconsistencies. He sounds like he's being truthful, and his version is mostly consistent at its core. It also mostly matches up with the facts other than the rainfall and the depth of the water. And again, we didn't just look at the data for that area. We looked for the data upriver as well. But the questions surrounding his accounts are legitimate. And it is an

odd turn of phrasing when someone refers to their truth as my story of what happened. So either Johnny was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and in the wrong frame of mind, let's say, to be the front man to a death investigation. Or let's play out the two scenarios I told you about earlier that we think exist here. One is that Johnny took the purse, saw the cash, thought he'd keep it, and drove away and then felt immediately bad about it and came back to give it to the police once he saw, let's say, Micah's sweet face on her license. A similar scenario to that would be Johnny felt out of sorts and took off with the purse before he realized,

hey, they're going to need that. And the second scenario is, Micah didn't kill herself. This isn't a road we like to go down, because it's fully fueled by conspiracy thinking at this point, but we really can't dance around it here. So let's do this. If Micah didn't kill herself, is it then possible that someone was a lookout for Micah's killer? Knowing the comings and goings of boats in the area

and the number of people on the observation deck would be important details for someone like that to know, right? Is it possible that a lookout would be told to check around to see if anyone heard a gunshot? And maybe the lookout only heard the one gunshot because the other gunshot happened somewhere else. And is it possible that a lookout would also be asked to make sure a certain element, let's say a body, wasn't immediately visible to the people in the area? And maybe, I don't know, pin that body down with a log against a tree? And is it possible that in checking the area, a lookout might have had a brain hiccup and took the victim's bag and belongings with him to help prolong any search,

not knowing that the casings had been put there. And finally, is it possible that a lookout might leave the park not knowing that two casings had been placed on the riverbank, perhaps to, I don't know, lend credibility to the situation given that there's an on-the-record account through medical records that lays out the victim's alleged previous suicide attempt in which she shot twice. And is it possible that a lookout might have left the park in a hurry and went to make a phone call somewhere off-site to make sure that whoever was in charge knew that the thing had been done? And maybe he happened to mention that he took the purse thinking he would get praise from

whoever was in charge, only to get yelled at. It's supposed to look like a suicide, you dummy. Why would her things not be there? And is it possible that that is why a lookout might return to the scene with the belongings? And is it possible that when the public started winning in at a time when unexpected criticism was coming J.P. Miller's way and wasn't quote, blowing over like he had expected it to,

that a lookout might've been told to go clear the record with certain content creators and certain media folks who whoever is in charge believed might be sympathetic to Johnny's cause and country charm and go easy on him with the questions. I mean, yeah, all of that is possible, but is it likely? That's always the question. And that's just one question among many. We don't know how much investigators looked into Johnny in any way, but we do know that

among the very first people to send their condolences to Johnny's family on his obituary page was Robeson County Sheriff, Bernice Wilkins. Quote, I would like to express my most sincere condolences during this most difficult time and may God give the family of Mr. Johnny Jacobs the comfort and peace to help ease the pain of Mr. Johnny Jacobs the comfort and peace to help ease the pain of your loss? We also know that Johnny's death, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, was the result of someone running a stop sign and Johnny, who wasn't wearing his seatbelt,

driving into the side of that driver's car and getting ejected. And from where we sit right now, that seems like an unfortunate thing that happens and not like it's part of a conspiracy to, I don't know, shut Johnny up. It seems like Johnny was at the wrong place and at the wrong time again. And I know that's hard to believe, but until we learn otherwise, it's the conclusion that we have to draw. And we say that as people who know that anything is possible when it comes to the good old boys and their crimes."

So another development this week. Thrice-accused rapist Bowen Turner will spend another year in prison after violating parole for the third time in February. Even though SEDC counts this as his second time violating parole, but we will talk about that in a minute. SEDC officials made the ruling last Thursday, March 13th, and we have got to talk about it because SEDC is still not getting this. The South Carolina Department of Corrections officials ordered 22-year-old Bowen Turner

to return to prison for a minimum of one year after they held two hearings on the matter. Hang on to the fact that it took two hearings to decide if good old boy Bowen Turner, who can't follow the rules, should go back to prison. We'll talk more about that in a minute. An SEDC spokesperson confirmed with Beth Brayden on Thursday that a hearing official also recommended that Bowen receive intensive addiction treatment while incarcerated. But wait a minute, didn't they do that last time? More on that in a minute or two.

At Bowen's first hearing to determine whether or not he violated parole in the February golf course drinking debacle, the SEDC hearing officer did not let Carl Stahler, who is the father of Dallas Stahler, Bowen Turner's second alleged victim, speak. They said that Dallas technically wasn't a victim in SEDC's eyes. So on today's podcast, we are going to remind SEDC and the world exactly why Dallas Stoller should be considered a victim and why we cannot let the system forget what happened to her. And let's talk about Dallas for a minute. Dallas was a stellar high school student when she encountered Bowen at a high school party

in October 2018. The full details of what happened are in episode 40 of Murdoch Murders Podcast. But according to her family, Dallas drank that night at the party and all of a sudden her friends noticed that she was missing. Another kid at the party searched the woods where he allegedly found Dallas passed out on the ground

with scratches and bruises everywhere and Bowen standing over Dallas, zipping up his pants. Like so many other sexual assault victims, Dallas faced resistance from the system at nearly every turn, starting with the moment at the hospital when the sexual assault nurse examiner, also known as the sane nurse, allegedly talked Dallas out of doing the sexual assault exam and warned her about how bad it would be for her. Thankfully, the next day she went to the hospital in Charleston where she decided to have a sexual assault exam to collect DNA evidence in her case.

They also took photos of Dallas' injuries from the assault, including her black and blue neck from being strangled. I'm repeating these details because they're important. There was a lot of evidence in Dallas' case, and I believe that if this prosecutor, David Miller, had taken this case seriously, like he should have, Bowen would be serving a long prison sentence, and Dallas would be alive today.

Bowen was charged in Dallas's case in January 2019. And Judge Freeman released Bowen on an absurdly low $10,000 bond with an ankle monitor. Three weeks after he was ordered to wear that ankle monitor, Bowen's attorney successfully argued to have it removed. This paved the way for Bowen to assault again with no consequences less than six months after he was charged in Dallas' case.

He assaulted and allegedly raped Chloe Bess at a high school party in June 2019. I am saying allegedly raped because Chloe's case never went to trial, nor did Dallas' case ever go to trial. Because again, David Miller didn't do his job. Dallas' family said that she ultimately decided to press charges because she was legitimately worried

about Bowen. She believed that he was dangerous when he was drinking. She wanted him to get help. But unfortunately, Dallas was bullied and ostracized not only by high school students, but by adults in the Orangeburg prep community. Even teachers bullied her, made fun of her and stood up for Bowen. Adults posted photos on Snapchat in his support. Dallas died of self-inflicted injuries on November, 2021 while waiting for

prosecutors to take her case seriously. Her blood is on their hands. That's you, David Miller. That's you, Solicitor Bill Weeks. After Dallas' death in April 2022, Bowen Turner, with the help of State Senator, Attorney Brad Hutto, was given a sweetheart deal of just five years probation under the Youthful Offenders Act after pleading guilty to assault and battery for stuggery for assaulting Chloe Bess. Even after he violated his court ordered ankle monitor more than 60 times while awaiting trial, the Solicitor's Office, specifically David Miller, dropped the charges in Dallas' case in a closed

door hearing with a judge who usually doesn't appear in Orangeburg County, claiming that they didn't have enough evidence to go forward with the case because the primary witness was dead, essentially blaming Dallas's death for not getting justice in her case. You know, because prosecutors can't try murder cases because the victims are dead. Oh wait, they can.

Anyway, after we published our episode last April, the story went viral and Bowen Turner's name and face were in headlines all over the world as a bright and shining example of how the South Carolina justice system prioritizes good old boys over women and girls at every turn no matter how despicable that good old boy in play is. All of this to say that SEDC has treated the Stahler family like victims all of this time before the February 28th hearing. Because honestly, they should have.

It is the least that they could do considering the amount of times that the South Carolina justice system failed this family and considering the fact that Dallas would be alive today if the system prioritized her safety over Bowen's comfort. The system is not rigid. It bends at every turn. It should bend in favor of the Stahler family because of the amount of times it has wronged them. So on today's show, I wanted to catch up with Carl Stahler and give him the voice he wasn't given during Bowen's hearing. For starters, I asked Dallas' dad what he thinks about Bowen's one-year sentence with addiction treatment.

My feeling on it is, you know, again, I kind of have a little bit of mixed emotions about it, but it's...but by the way, my understanding the way the YOA sentencing works, he is, you know, unfortunately, he's afforded to give me the opportunities because of being under that YOA. And this is actually only his second violation of parole through SCDC. So the first, the initial probation revocation does not, doesn't count as far as they're concerned. So that being said, he's, they have some sentencing guidelines, if you will, from what I'm being told. I'm assuming it also depends on how serious the violation is, but it wasn't unexpected that he would get a 12-month sentence this time based on what Sarah has shared with me

about how it works, me and Sarah Ford. The addiction treatment, I mean, obviously, I'm glad to hear that he's doing it again, but I thought I understood that the last time he was in, he did it and was supposedly taking some alcohol shots and as well me and Dan, I don't, I think he stopped that almost after the first one maybe. So at the end of the day, I'm not really sure how well it's going to work for him. You know, hope it does, but just don't know. So there that's kind of how I feel about it, but it kinda is what it is, right? To be clear, last summer Bowen's attorney, Aaron Bailey,

who we'll talk more about in a minute, successfully argued that Bowen didn't need to serve any additional time for his resisting arrest charge. Remember when he yelled ma'am 200 times after his DUI crash and told the officer he couldn't go to prison because he's a white boy? Well during that same hearing Bailey the defense attorney who I assume isn't cheap and the defense attorney who spends a lot of time promoting her business on social media argued essentially that Bowen was a changed man because his, get this, prefrontal cortex

magically closed at 21 and his only real problem was alcohol. And that problem was solved because of this magical shot that SEDC gave him that he apparently only took one time. And can I say that is literally exactly what we predicted would happen in episode 72. I asked Carl if he had any faith that this time would be different for Bowen. No, it doesn't. Unless there's something out now. The ones before, maybe they were only a month or so. I don't know what the durations were. I just noted and I'm pretty sure Mandy that he got some certificate for completing it before

when he got out this last time. But I have no way of knowing how long it was that he actually took it. It might have been an hour class here or there or something like that. And then of course, in no disrespect to the state, but it's obviously a state facility. And I don't know how private rehabilitation is. I'm sure you're familiar with it. They have more intensive treatment programs and the state has so many cases they have to push through. It's hard for them to do what I would say is the best chance at rehabilitation, if that

makes sense. Let's rewind for a second to the beginning of February when I texted Carl and victims attorney Sarah Ford that Bowen was drinking heavily at the Hillcrest golf course, and a worker there was completely creeped out by his behavior. I asked Carl if it was a surprise

to hear that Bowen was in public violating parole less than four months after his release. Well, you know, I want to say yes, but well, I was more surprised receiving the text from you that he was actually somewhere violating the conditions of his parole. And then, of course, not saying you were telling me something that wasn't right. I was just a little surprised to see that. But then at the same time, after you think about it, I said, well, that's about par for the course for him.

So it's not completely shocking either that he was at a local golf course having multiple alcoholic beverages and probably had been there several times before. I think I'm pretty sure I understood that's the case. That was the reason, of course, he was. And of course, Sarah and I reached out to Sarah Moore, got a hold of the South Carolina Department of Corrections and talked with them about saying, hey, this is what we got. Here's pictures of the receipts, et cetera. And here's what he's doing. And then they, of course, went and picked him up that same

night, if I'm making a mistake, around eight or nine o'clock that night. Carl said that he was impressed by SEDC springing into action the way that they did. And I was too. They were, they were very responsive. But, you know, only after, you know, obviously being made aware of it. And then of course, understanding that it was probably going to be public knowledge very shortly. So they I'm taking it. They said, oh, we kind of forced react because what we find out maybe a few days later, you might know the timeline better than myself, but that he had actually that Thursday before it tested positive for, um, TAC and his system. So, um, and, uh, say, and they knew that, yeah, I think was it the sixth of February that they were made aware of that positive drug test. And then this was several days later. I think the following what Tuesday or Wednesday, when this came to light about

him drinking at the local golf course. So they didn't say, so my point is that the initial thing was kept quiet. We didn't know about that until after this came out. So I suspect, and maybe I'm wrong, but I suspect if we had not found out about this, then he'd still be there drinking, you know. So I asked Carl Stahler about what went down at the first hearing on February 28th. And y'all be prepared to be angry about how messy this was. The first hearing, his first parole revocation hearing was, oh, let's see, let's see, it

gets the timeline right. Last Wednesday was the second one. So I think it was maybe two Fridays before, Mandy, and of course we were, you know, Sarah, of course, once she found out the date of the hearing, she got me all that information, asked me if I was going to be able to attend. And of course, I will be able to. And in the interim, SLED had reached out to me and showed interest in coming and being able to speak at the hearing as well. And so we made that connection.

And of course, the day of the hearing, SLED agents showed up and Sarah and myself. And it was a little disorganized to begin with. Nobody kind of knew. They knew about the hearing, but they seemed a little puzzled as to why we were there. And of course, Sarah introduced everyone to the hearing officer for SCDC and she asked us to step back out of the room while she, I guess, had to make a call or something to find out if it was okay if everybody spoke during the hearing. We probably sat there another 15, 20 minutes, and then they ushered in the sled agents,

and they were in there about 10 minutes and came out. And then Sarah and I went in, and we were, you know, I'm sorry, before we went in, the sled agents told us they weren't allowed to speak. And they explained that they would investigate an agency and the agent who led the investigation was there. And the SEDC hearing officer told her, you have to put your statement in writing. I can't hear any verbal statements from SLED.

And so when Sarah and I went in, she was introducing herself and me and she said, the same thing applies to Mr. Stoller. You're an attorney representing victims, but Mr. Stoller's daughter is not listed on this indictment, so he's not gonna be allowed to speak. And she said, she seemed puzzled why an attorney was there to begin with as well. And she said, well, I represent the best family. She said, I'm a little, she seemed puzzled why an attorney was there to begin with as well. And she said, well, I represent the Best family. She said, well, aren't they on the Zoom call?

And we, yes, yes, they are. Well, I can only hear from the victim. And that's what her initial statement was. I mean, and Chloe, she said, well, Dr. Best, her father is on here as well. And I'd like to say a few words. And after a few going back and forth, she finally allowed both Dr. Bess and Chloe to make a statement. But Sarah was actually not able to make any sort of statement on the record either.

And then, of course, I interjected in some way. I just happened to be a deputy sheriff in Orangeburg County as well. So I mean, can I speak for my agency? I mean, yes, I am a father of a victim, but could I speak on behalf of our sheriff's office? And because this guy's living in Orangeburg County and they said, no, no, you can't. You'll have to follow the same protocol as SLED and do a written statement or have the sheriff or chief deputy do it. So we were kind of shut down at every corner. I want to pause for a second and say thank you to SLED for continuing to dedicate resources

to the Bowen Turner case. It means a whole lot to the victims and also to women and girls in South Carolina that they sent an officer to advocate for Bowen Turner to continue to serve time in prison. More on that in a minute. We will be right back. I then asked Carl what he would have said at the hearing if they allowed him to speak. As Dallas' father, obviously, I would have spoken about my child and what she was like and then what she was like after this situation took place and then what ultimately led up to what, obviously I think had a tremendous bearing on her death

and I was certainly spoken to that behalf and then as the Deputy Sheriff of Williamsburg County, I would have said, my concerns protecting the citizens of this county from somebody who is a habitual offender and has no regard for the law or the regulations he's having to adhere to. I find that very concerning for the citizens of the county. And I would be remiss if I didn't speak out to that. You know, I mean, that's public safety is everything and that's certainly a risk to

public safety in my opinion, but I wasn't ever allowed to say it. So that's where we are. Then I asked Carl, what would you want SEDC to know about how you feel about all of this? Well, you know, mainly it's interesting that through this whole process, we've been able to speak as a family or individually. We are considered and so as the anonymous child's family and her as victims of the Bowen-Turner. And I would like to know why all the way through all these processes, we were allowed to speak

and all the way up to the situation that happened in Florence last year, going forward to today, and then now we suddenly can't, that we're not part of it, so to speak. But I do find it funny. I got a phone call today from SC Vine, which is SCDC's recorded message they send you when the offender changes status or gets moved, released or whatever the situation may be. And I got a call and said to my wife today that Bowen was transferred from Norbert County Detention Center to an undisclosed location within the Department of Corrections.

I'm still getting those and that's what victims get. And that on one hand, we're not a victim, but on the other hand, we are. Maybe it's just a mistake that they sent it to us this time. I don't know, but we got it. It's like clockwork. Speaking of Bowen's location, hours after we got off the phone, SEDC sent Carl another notification saying that Bowen was at Kirkland Correctional Facility, which, thank God, we were about to send Beth on a whole mission to figure out exactly what they meant by undisclosed location because that sounded sketchy. So a few weeks after Bowen's first hearing, where for whatever reason he didn't appear

to have a lawyer present, he had another hearing. I asked Carl what the deal was with this. Well, they were...my understanding is they decided to give him a second parole revocation hearing because the fact that we all showed up at the first one. And Sarah Ford, as our attorney representing everybody, including Sled, presence, etc. caused some sort of issue with the hearing officer in the Department of Corrections from my understanding. So basically it's like this, if she's going to have an attorney or victims as a whole are going to have attorney representation, then so should the defendant. Essentially, it sounds like SEDC held another hearing

for Bowen's sake. Again, another turn of the screw that only benefited Bowen. And speaking of SEDC decisions that only benefited Bowen and hurt his victims, I wanna remind you of the terms of Bowen's release that gave him all sorts of wiggle room. When we looked closer at the terms and conditions SEDC set out for good old boy Bowen, we were disgusted to find out that the rules he has to

follow for his release under SEDC were very much loosey goosey. It did not say no drinking, period, like it should have. It said no excessive drinking. You know, I think the last time we spoke, there was, you know, during his YOA Senate, back in 2022, in April of 2022, there were some guidelines, obviously, when he was released on probation for the salt and battery first degree charge, that there was guidelines, strict guidelines that, and because of this potential at that point to have it being registered on the sex offender registry, in order to stay off of that and not be revoked from his probation he would have to specifically, it said no alcohol intake whatsoever, no drug use, several other little things in there.

And then, the SCDC had released a separate set of guidelines that said no alcohol use in excess or drug use. So we're kind of wondering what happened to as the conditions of his original YLA,.A., where did that get lost? Where's that paper now? And obviously, who's monitoring him for, since he had to register as a sex offender, that's part of that paperwork. So who's handling that? There's just a lot of questions there. And it's totally different. And from the question that was asked to SCDC about that, they said they didn't know that wasn't under their purview. Every single time Bowen, who is now 22, has been arrested, alcohol has been a factor.

Both Chloe Bess and Dallas Stoller describe Bowen as very drunk and an entirely different person when he allegedly raped both of them at two different parties in two different counties. Last year, Bowen was caught drinking and driving after he flipped his truck in a one-vehicle crash that he is very lucky no one was seriously injured in. That's what we call a pattern in the world of criminology. Bad things happen when this man drinks. So, one would think that South Carolina

Department of Corrections keeping public safety at the top of their minds, would have put the words, "'Drinking alcohol of any kind is a violation of probation and will result in immediate jail time and the completion of your sentence at the top of his release form. But of course they didn't because this is South Carolina where good old boys rights always carry more weight than public safety. So instead, SCDC told Bowen, he can't drink to excess. Which is silly because what does that mean? And since he was arrested more than six hours

after he was reported for drinking at a golf course, would his BAC show that he was drinking to excess? And what happened to those strict guidelines that were given to him as a sex offender? Who monitors those? At the hearing in March, Bowen actually spoke. We have foiled for the transcript of this hearing to see exactly what was said. But here is Carl's understanding. And of course, he made a statement from my understanding and from what I was told, he explained to the hearing officer that he was a changed individual. He knew that he's a different person than he used to be.

And he knew that he had an alcohol and possibly, I don't know that he said drunk problem, but I'm going to say that, you know, substance abuse issues, let's put it like that. But he needed treatment and that would further change him down the line. And then he was willing to take the alcohol shots that they recommended or I don't know that they can make him do it, but etc. He was in his statement to the hearing officer at the second hearing, he was willing to do all that. In the words of Chelsea on this season of White Lotus, you are a victim of your own decisions, Bowen. And anyone with a lick of knowledge when it comes to

criminal behavior understands that repeat offenders are dangerous. So I asked Carl if he feels that Bowen has actually changed. No, I don't. Listen, I've had the occasion to deal with many deceptive people, unfortunately, in my work in law enforcement and in life in general. And I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of people's characters. And I'm pretty well certain based on what I heard and what Sarah was able to tell me that that was just nothing but a uniformed speech to say, hey, please don't put me back in. You know, again, I'll tell you whatever you want to hear to stay a free person.

So, no, I don't think he has. And honestly, he's done this so long. I mean, I don't know that I'm not going to say nobody's beyond savior, you know, saving. But I think it's a stretch to think that he'll ever be dramatically different, you know, if that's a polite way to put it. He clearly exhibits, again, no regard for the rules, you know, he does, and no respect for the law, law enforcement or the courts or anything. He just kind of just does his thing. And again, now, you know, what is he 21, 22 years old now? He's been in and out of this thing so much.

Is he 21, 22 years old now? He's been in and out of this thing so much. I think he's pretty much an educated criminal now and he knows how to work the system and he's done, sounds like he's done a pretty good job of making SCDC feel sorry for him too, based on what I understand. Carl made a good point. The downside of Bowen being in prison is that he is spending more time with criminals and he's likely learning from them. I asked Carl, what is his worst fear whenever he gets texts and phone girl, you know, that there's another victim and maybe she didn't make it this time. You know, maybe some people think I'm overstating or

exaggerating this, but I'm telling you, I think he's definitely a seasoned veteran in the criminal world now. And I think he does not want to get caught again in the future. And if he thought eliminating a witness would benefit him, I don't think he would hesitate to do it whatsoever. That's my personal feeling, but I feel like he's that person now, Mandy. But yes, that is my, anytime I get an update, that is one of the first things that enters my mind. He's done something, he's sexually assaulted or raped another girl.

And again, this time, possibly they didn't make it or they're on the borderline of death because he beat him so badly. So that's what jumps in my mind, first thing. And finally, I asked Carl, what have you learned about the justice system through the eyes of the victim side throughout this entire case? I want you to listen carefully to his answer. I've learned that, I'm going to be careful how I say this, that I've learned that there's little, very little concern for victims from the courts to the, you know, again, I'm in law enforcement,

so I'm not going to say it is all law enforcement. Maybe some we do get weary of the same call over and over again, but that's no excuse to not take it seriously. And as a matter of fact, I'm scheduled to do a little speech at the criminal justice academy on Friday. And it's kind of asking me the same questions I want to hear. That was the story, our family story. And then what is, how it's changed me as law enforcement,

as how I approach victims of crimes. And, you know, one of the things I fully intend to say is I never thought I'd be on this side of it and Now that I am and I see how it's how it works And maybe it doesn't work like this everywhere in the state, but it's a general rule It looks like it works this way and victims rights are routinely violated I want to make a point to everyone I'm speaking to that. Hey listen, we You know, we have to be professional.

When we're on a scene, there's no question about that, but we can also be compassionate and understand that what we're dealing with is a traumatized victim because we're gonna be the first ones there and we're gonna meet them at their worst, at one of their worst points in life. And we're able to talk to them and gotta try to make them comfortable

with wanting to speak to us and get as much initial information as we can to be able to help them, okay? And then I think we should go, we should do two or three days later, I think we should do a follow-up when the trauma's still there, obviously depending on how badly they were hurt

or traumatized, maybe to get an even clearer picture of what we're dealing with so we can articulate that to the courts in hopes that we can get a warrant to actually have some teeth to put these offenders in jail. That's what I want to do. And I want to get that message across, but also, too. One of my catchphrases for this upcoming thing is, you know, we're not always told the truth, right?

But a lot of times, victims are almost discounted immediately upon arrival on scene. And like, oh well, this isn't an ongoing thing where, you know, that's a civil issue. That's not criminal, whatever. No, we don't need to take that approach. We need to believe them. We need to believe them. And my catchphrase is, and I'm using it this Friday, it's something that I came up with,

maybe a solely my own, maybe others haven't, but believe the victim until you can't believe them. Try to do your best to help get something done and some justice form. Stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True Sunlight is a Lunashark production created by me, Mandi Matney. Co-hosted and reported by journalist Liz Farrell. Research support provided by Beth Brayden. Audio production support provided by Jamie Hoffman.

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