Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #93 - Buster Murdaugh Plans to Offer Evidence in Stephen Smith Death + It’s Time to Indict Lee Gilley in Wife Christa’s Murder

Episode Date: March 27, 2025

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell provide updates on the case of Chris Skinner's suspicious death, Buster Murdaugh’s defamation case, Johnnie James’ suspicious/not suspicious death and the capital murder charge against Lee Gilley for the death of his pregnant wife Christa Bauer Gilley. [3:37] Hear the latest developments in the tragic and suspicious 2021 drowning death of Chris Skinner, the quadriplegic husband of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, “Pastor” John-Paul Miller’s girlfriend, Suzi. In 2024 — after watching video footage of Skinner’s final moments and seeing that it didn’t seem like his drowning was an “accident” — Mandy and Liz called on the Myrtle Beach Coroner’s Office to reopen its investigation into Skinner’s death.  This past week, that second investigation was finally announced publicly.  [18:21] Also on the episode, Buster Murdaugh calls on a federal judge to reconsider his order to split Murdaugh’s defamation case against Netflix, Warner Brothers and other defendants. Buster’s argument? He’ll be presenting evidence to the court proving that he didn’t kill Stephen Smith — a gay teenager left for dead on a Hampton County road — including DEPOSITIONS of people who have “personal knowledge” of the events that led to Stephen’s death in July 2015. Will Buster end up the hero in bringing justice to the Stephen Smith case?  [33:35] Plus, an update on men’s rights fan Lee Gilley, who is accused of killing his wife and unborn baby in Houston, Texas, and lying about it. Why is it taking the state so long to indict him and should we be concerned?  [50:42] Finally, a correction in the Jane Doe No. 1 case against JP Miller and an appeal for information. Let's dive in... 🥽🦈 Episode Resource Links Remembering Chris Skinner FB Group Former Harris County DA Kim Ogg on Fox News Video Kristen Chavez Change.org Petition In Loving Memory of Christa GoFundMe Connect with Randy Hood: [e-mail] or 855-326-1091 Connect with Mark Tinsley: [e-mail] or 803-584-7676 Referenced Previous Episodes: TSP 88 & Defamation Dive No. 2 (TSP 70) 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. *** ALERT: If you ever notice audio errors in the pod, email [e-mail] and we'll send fun merch to the first member that finds something that needs to be adjusted! ***   For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com    |    facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod  |   youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia     |   tiktok.com/@lunasharkmedia bsky.app/profile/mandy-matney.com   |   bsky.app/profile/elizfarrell.com Twitter.com/mandymatney   |   Twitter.com/elizfarrell   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Fizz loyalty program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan. You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with Fizz. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. Hey there, EB here, your faithful Cup of Justice co-host. I am so excited to tell you about my new book, Anything But Bland. In this memoir, I share stories about my childhood marked by bullying, my father's job loss, and the indomitable spirit that propelled me into the law and ultimately international recognition during the Alex Murdoch murder trial. I believe in certain life principles that have helped me and helped others achieve success.

From the power of organization and a sense of urgency to the importance of truth, leadership, and resilience. 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 I don't know how we still have hope for the justice system after all of the horrific truths we have exposed in the last three years. But sometimes we get a few wins that remind us how important it is to keep seeing the

light through darkness. And that is a big deal. 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. Well hello again from Atlanta. For once, we had a really exciting and rewarding and not super stressful week of work, and gosh, for that we are grateful.

This week marks our 93rd episode of True Sunlight, and let me tell y'all why that is a big deal. In total, we published 93 episodes of the Murdock Murders podcast before our name change. Meaning, we have spent just as much time on True Sunlight podcast episodes as we did on MMP. And y'all, that is crazy. When we transitioned from MMP to True Sunlight, I was really struggling with major depression that was triggered daily by online trolls, who regularly really struggling with major depression that was triggered daily by online trolls who regularly told me on social media that I was an imposter who would

go back to being a nobody after the Ellic Murdoch case was over. I hate that I allowed them to influence my opinions of myself, but I hope that other people struggling with bullies in their lives can be inspired by this story. Because honestly, when we started True Sunlight two years ago, I wasn't sure how long it would last. After day after day of reading horrible comments about myself, about how cringy and awful and untalented and stupid I was, I started to believe it was true. But my sweet husband

David always believed in me, and he believed in our ability to make Lunashark something well beyond the Murdochs. He encouraged Liz and me to start pursuing other cases. He hired contractors to support our work so we felt less alone, and so that we could have the work-life balance that we didn't get to have throughout MMP. Perhaps most importantly, he set up ways for all of you, our amazing listeners, to continue to support our mission and keep our business going. And here we are, 93 episodes later and full of gratitude for our listeners who made this show possible. Week after week, y'all showed up for us.

And because of that, we continue to pursue our mission, to expose the truth wherever it leads, give a voice to the victims, and get the story straight. Pretty much every single week, I have learned about new ways that our podcast has improved the justice system, with impacts big and small. From giving victims an ounce of hope to pursue accountability in their own cases, to pressuring agencies to do their job and go the extra mile to put bad people behind bars, we are making a difference on this podcast, and I can't thank you enough for getting

us here. Here's to 93 episodes of True Sunlight and maybe 93 more. And speaking of meaningful work we have done on this podcast that actually moves the needle, we need to talk about the latest in the Chris Skinner case and how our open calls for an investigation into his cause of death have been answered and that is a big deal. Chris Skinner died on September 6th, 2021 after he mysteriously drowned

in a neighborhood swimming pool. Chris was a quadriplegic man and a motivational speaker who was married to JP Miller's alleged paramour, Susie Skinner, who according to court documents was having an open affair with J.P. at the time of Chris's death and who is allegedly still dating J.P. to this day. Chris Skinner's death was initially ruled an accident after what appeared to be a very shoddy investigation.

Chris Skinner's death was first brought up in legal documents soon after Micah Francis' death when J.P. Miller's ex-wife, Allison Williams, filed for emergency custody over their children. In Allison's affidavit, she said, quote, based upon information and belief, just two weeks prior to this incident, meaning Chris Skinner's death, Susie's husband had confronted JP and asked him to leave his wife and children alone. It is chilling, Allison said, to know that the spouses of both Susie and JP are now dead from tragic events."

That statement alone obviously raised a ton of red flags for us. So we foiled for everything that we could get our hands on in the investigation. And Luna Shark was the first news outlet to obtain video footage from the pool on the morning of Chris Skinner's death. So we called for the Horry County Coroner to open a thorough investigation. Why? Because what we saw on the video did not appear to be accidental. It looked intentional.

It was hard to see, but it looked like Chris' hand was on the joystick that propelled his wheelchair into the pool. And there was other evidence that just didn't seem to fit, like the story that Chris was meeting someone at the pool that day to play chess. And no one showed up saying that they were there to play chess with Chris. We were also the first to point out that both Micah and JP were on scene appearing to comfort Suzy shortly after Chris was found unconscious at the bottom of the pool. Anyway, we called for this inquest, meaning an investigation, a second look into Chris'

death because we, at the very least, think that consideration should be given to what seems like discrepancies between the death certificate and the videos that we saw. Again, the difference in the cause of death, accidental versus suicide, what we're talking about here, could matter if there was a life insurance policy at play. Even though there's not one listed on the online summary of Chris's probate case, there's no definitive proof that one did not exist. And also, if it was a suicide and not an accident,

then questions need to be asked, right? Cause that would make two alleged spousal suicides that occurred during JP's alleged affair with Susie. It would be relevant to know what other commonalities, if any, exist between the two deaths, right? It would be important for law enforcement, specifically the ones who are investigating JP, to know the actual facts surrounding Chris Skinner's death, right? Well, last week the Horry County Coroner finally confirmed that they were reopening the death investigation with Lunashark reporter Beth Braden. I'll have David read this statement from Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.

Many of you have recently inquired about this case and yes, both Myrtle Beach Police Department and Horry County Coroner's Office have been contacted with new evidence regarding the manner of death in this case. This evidence is being investigated. I should remind you that the coroner's office only releases information on homicide and accidental deaths, except overdose cases. Therefore, you may not receive any additional information on this case from our office. So let me be clear here. This is a big deal simply because the coroner's office is recognizing that the evidence we exposed on this podcast, thanks to the tireless FOIA work from

Liz and Beth, is important. It is always a big deal when reporting forces public officials to recognize that they might have made a mistake, and even more important to know that they are allocating resources to find out what really happened. That is always a win. However, I don't want to encourage false hope here. As we know from Stephen Smith and Gloria Satterfield's cases that were both reopened by Sled in 2021, reopening investigations does not always lead to answers. Sometimes, and I'm not saying in this case,

but sometimes officials reopen cases simply so that the case won't be considered as closed. Therefore, the investigation wouldn't be subject to the Freedom of Information Act, AKA FOIA. So we hope that the Horry County Coroner's Office is taking this case seriously and doing their best to not give false hope to Chris's family.

This week, Beth Braden also received a statement from Chris Skinner's sister, Tamara McDermott. Here's David reading that statement. My parents and I have fully complied with the ongoing reinvestigation into the death of my brother, Chris Skinner. Over the past year, speculation surrounding his passing has grown, prompting many to question the circumstances.

This scrutiny stems from concerns about an individual who was called to and present at the scene of Chris' death by his former spouse. This individual is now under an alleged FBI investigation. The heightened attention regarding Chris' manner of death is a direct result of his former spouse's continued association with this person, a relationship that she has recently and publicly acknowledged as more personal in a recent court hearing.

My parents and I want Chris's children to know that we love them. It has been deeply painful that our honesty and cooperation with law enforcement have led to an intentional effort to separate us from them. While this has caused us great pain, we remain hopeful for reconciliation and for the understanding that truth and integrity must guide us. Our cooperation is not an act of division, but one of love for Chris, his memory,

and the justice he deserves. While it is unfortunate that Chris's name and story have been widely circulated across the internet due to the actions of others, this exposure has also led to a significant number of witnesses coming forward. My parents and I have gained invaluable information that we may never have discovered without the bravery and courage of those who stepped forward. If you have any information that may be relevant to our family or law enforcement, we encourage you to reach out confidentially to chris skinner truth at gmail.com.

Your identity will be protected. We deeply appreciate all the support our family has received. To honor Chris's memory, I have created a Facebook group remembering Chris Skinner. I invite those who want to support my family to join. We have a quick update before we get into our latest reporting on Buster Murdoch's defamation case and the Jane Doe cases against Myrtle Beach pastor, and I put that word in quotes, John Paul Miller, his felonious father, the reverend, again in quotes, Wayne Miller, and their very evil churchy businesses. We're going to start with the latest on Johnny Jr. Jacobs, the man we told you about in last week's True Sunlight, who was the only sort of witness

to Micah Francis' final moments last April in Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. Like we said, Johnny was killed in a car wreck on March 14th in Robeson County, also in North Carolina, which obviously set off a lot of alarm bells with everyone, us included, because what are the freaking odds of something like that happening?

There were already a number of red flags when it came to Johnny's changing accounts of allegedly hearing a woman crying somewhere in the slough near where he and others were before then hearing a single, yes, single, gunshot. And there were especially red flags when it came to what he said he did after that, such as taking Micah's purse and her cell phone

and leaving the park with them for some very strange and illogical reason. Add all of that to everything we've learned about JP Miller and his bizarre behaviors over the past year and, well, that car crash looked mighty suspicious. Like we said last week, our Murdoch experience has taught us that anything is possible, but also based on what we knew at the time, it didn't seem like the crash that killed Johnny was anything other than an unfortunate event and likely not connected to Micah's death.

To make sure our instincts on that weren't wrong, we had reporter and researcher Beth Braden-Foya for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol report on the crash, as well as a copy of the citation issued against the other driver involved. According to the report, the crash took place at 7.35 p.m. March 14th on a state road near Fairmont, North Carolina, which is in Robeson County, like I said, and that's the same county where Micah died. Johnny was hit by a man named Winston Charles James, who is in his mid-50s and from Chester, Virginia, or who at least has a license plate from Virginia and a Virginia address.

Also, this is a minor point, but if I know the internet and I think I do, I'm sure we'll hear from someone if I don't mention this. The initial report says Winston is from Chesterfield, but his zip code is for Chester and his citation says Chester. Anyway, for some reason, and I'm sure it's benign, the State Highway Patrol redacted the state where Winston holds a driver's license. According to the report, Winston was driving a 2006 Mercedes Benz and he was insured by State Farm, which seems like a weird detail for me to include for you here, but it's

part of the context we use in assessing the level of shabiness we're dealing with. For instance, we looked up the VIN on Winston's car. And according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, this particular vehicle, a four-door sedan, was totaled in December 2021 and considered a loss at that time. The cause of loss was listed as animal, and the NICB recommended that anyone considering purchasing that car to get the airbags checked. So basically Winston was driving a salvaged vehicle. This isn't to say that people don't drive salvage cars obviously, but you know, uh oh,

right? Was this a throwaway car? A one use situation? You know what I mean? Those are the questions that pop into our heads when considering whether Johnny was targeted in this crash. Knowing that the car was insured though certainly helps legitimize the intent of the purchase

because I don't know any vehicular hitman, but I don't think they're trying to do paperwork. Anyway, Johnny was driving a 2005 Chevrolet. According to the VIN check, it was a two-door Silverado 1500 work truck. Both men were estimated to be driving 55 miles per hour just before the crash, which, according to the report, was the speed limit for both roads they were on. There were no tire marks left behind, though Johnny appears to have slowed his car to around

50 miles per hour on impact, according to that report. The crash took place at the intersection of Iona Church and Raynham Roads, which is 18 miles from where Micah died, about 23 minutes from there, according to Google Maps. Johnny was driving eastbound on Iona Church when Winston, driving northbound on Raynham, failed to stop at the stop sign, according to the police report. Johnny did not have a stop sign. According to CAD reconstruction images of the crash, the point of impact happened between

the front of Winston's car on the driver's side and the front of Johnny's truck on the passenger's side. Johnny was not wearing his seatbelt and ejected from the vehicle. Both cars left the road. Johnny's appears to have come to a stop in a way that suggests it might have spun out. Neither car was drivable after the crash, according to the report. After the crash, Winston was airlifted to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, South Carolina, and Johnny was

taken to UNC Health South Eastern in Lombardton, North Carolina. Two days later, Winston James was cited for two moving violations. The first is a misdemeanor death by motor vehicle charge for quote, unintentionally causing the death of Johnny. This is a charge reserved for people who are not driving under the influence. The second citation is for failing to yield the right of way at a stop sign. Winston is ordered to appear in Robeson County Court on July 30th. So that is the official word on how

Johnny James, the only sort of witness to Micah's last moments on earth, was killed. For now it looks like a legitimate and very tragic turn of events, despite the strange coincidence of it all. We'll be right back. I know that we talk about a lot of horrible attorneys on this show, but we want to highlight one attorney who has always done the right thing for us since we have known him. He has helped us secure the right partners at the right terms. But now, he's doing so much more. Greg Finch from Bowen-Fallagin in Savannah, Georgia has given us a great opportunity this year to do our part to help knock out cancer. This year, we've joined Greg's fundraising

team to help raise funds and awareness through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Greg, tell us why that is such a big deal. So what does LLS do and why do we need your help? LLS is the preeminent organization that helps raise funds, awareness, and performs research to fight against blood cancers. We all know someone who has been impacted by blood cancer, whether a parent, child, a loved one,

someone who had to go through the fight of their life to fend off blood cancer. This is a scary condition that affects all of us, and I've seen firsthand from the kids who have fought blood cancer just how important the villages and support teams around them are. No one should fight this fight without a village

and without the best chance of survival. You may know one of our dearest friends and premium member, Tammy Daniels. Well, her dad Larry started one of our favorite island escapes, Coco's on the Beach, where we hosted our Lunashark Premium Beach Bash last year. But Larry is currently battling leukemia, and we are proud to help fund life-saving research through LLS. Until May 10th, we will be sharing Gregg's fundraising page at greggslls.com. Donate what's on your heart to help in this fight

because every single dollar counts. Visit greggslls.com. Make tomorrow better today. And join us to support Team Cancer Fight Club in knocking out cancer. Hey, lovely. If you're fascinated by criminal minds and behavior, psychology and prevention, and you want to keep yourself and loved ones safe, follow and listen to the award-winning Crime An analyst podcast, your new best friend on speed dial. Every week, ride shotgun with me, your host Laura

Richards, criminal behavioral analyst, former head of New Scotland Yards Homicide Prevention Unit as I profile behavior and center and honor the victims. Listen to me unravel cases with a unique expert lens and answer the critical questions that are on your mind. Cases include Gabby Petito, the Menendez murders, the Murdoch murders, Corey Mitchell, the British Airways killer, serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, and cases I've worked. Crime Analyst is more than entertainment, it's life changing. Follow and listen to Crime Analyst wherever you get your podcasts and for deeper dives, exclusive episodes and videos, and to be part of my dynamic monthly live events and more, join the Crime Analyst Squad. Go to patreon.com forward slash crime analyst. All right, now it's time to talk about Buster's defamation case. The last we left Buster, federal judge Richard Gergel had effectively split up his lawsuit

against a number of defendants, or simplicity. We're going to call them the Netflix defendants, the Warner Brothers defendants, and the Gannett defendants, which includes Hampton County reporter Michael DeWitt, who is being sued for his comments in the Netflix documentary about the Murdochs. All of the defendants wanted Judge Gergel to allow them to have their case heard in federal court. Buster and his attorney were like, nope, we want this tried in Hampton County where, you know, the jury pool is pretty much a packet of heirloom tomato seeds passed down from Buster's literal forefathers. Judge Grigol agreed with Buster that Netflix and Gannett belonged in the state

courts, but Warner Brothers could have their case heard in federal court. I'm not gonna do a play-by-play on all the legal back-and-forth there, except to say that Warner Brothers essentially felt they were being strategically used by Buster in a guilt by association way because it was Netflix and the Gannett guys and not the Warner Brothers guys who were involved in a documentary featuring a right-headed background actor yielding a bat in a recreation of Stephen Smith's death. Because again, generally speaking, there is a big difference between reporting that

someone's name appeared multiple times in police records of a death investigation and portraying that same person as definitively involved in said death. That said, everyone but Warner Brothers is asking the court to reconsider its decision. Netflix and Gannett want back in federal court. Buster wants Warner Brothers back in Hampton County. Again, in the interest of keeping this simple, we want to focus on one very interesting element. Interesting to us because it's what we've been wishing for from the very moment Buster's lawsuit was filed. And that is Buster's chance to be a hero in

this story. Inside the beating heart of Buster's lawsuit to be a hero in this story. Inside the beating heart of Buster's lawsuit is the question of who killed Stephen Smith. And a filing from Buster on Monday acknowledges this. So again, Buster wants all the defendants tried together. Buster argues that his case arose from a common series of events, which I'll explain in a minute.

Again, Buster's connection to Stevens' case is simply that his and his family's name were mentioned dozens of times in the case file, which included recorded interviews. No one in the Murdoch family has ever been charged or formally accused in Stevens' case. In making that argument about the common series of events, Buster said the court is misunderstanding his reasons for wanting these defendants to be tried together. Again, the Warner Brothers defendants maintain that Buster's beef with them is different from his beef with Netflix and Gannett.

Again, they don't want to be financially lumped together. Again, they don't want a jury to look at Michael DeWitt and the Netflix footage and be like, whoa, make all of them pay Buster a million billion dollars. And again, they want a jury to look at their documentary separately. In his order, Judge Gergel's rationale for splitting the case was basically like, okay, so you're saying that you should be able to file one single lawsuit against anyone you think defamed you and they're reporting of your family's alleged wrongdoings.

And now Buster is like, no, that's not at all what I'm saying. I'm saying that this particular set of defendants defamed me in similar but separate ways, but that I also have a right to try them together because their defamation involves the same findings of law and also all of this came from the same series of events. Meaning, from Steven's death, from the investigation into his death, from the rumor about me and Steven and where it came from and how it was spread, and from people reporting on Stephen's case because of my mom and brother getting killed.

Buster's argument is that even though we're talking about different productions here, we're talking about the same set of case law that guides the judge, and we're talking about the same core information that led to the decisions the defendants made and how they presented that information. Okay, I'm going to have David read a few passages from Buster's filing on Monday. core information that led to the decisions the defendants made and how they presented that information. Okay, I'm going to have David read a few passages from Buster's filing on Monday. We're not including the parts of the passages that cite case law, though. Here's David.

Respectfully, Mr. Murdoch's defamation claims have absolutely nothing to do with any wrongful conduct by any member of the Murdoch family. And this characterization of Mr. Murdoch's argument for Joinder is a distortion of what he has argued and has led to an erroneous decision. Okay, so by Joinder, they mean having all the defendants together in one claim. As alleged by Mr. Murdock's complaint, the defamation claim against all defendants all surround the central factual issue

of who killed Stephen Smith. Mr. Murdock has alleged that all defendants published statements with an identical defamatory implication, that Mr. Murdock murdered Mr. Smith and the murder was subsequently covered up by the Murdock family." So, this is where it gets good.

And by the way, for anyone wanting to learn more about how defamation cases work, Lunashark producer Sam Berlin has a two-part bonus episode series on Lunashark Premium called Am I Being Defamed? The second installment is available with ads on the True Sunlight feed near episode 70 or check the link in the description. Listen ad free as a premium member at lunashark.supercast.com. But back to the filing. Under South Carolina law, the first element of a defamation claim is the existence of a defamatory statement. Depending on the status of the plaintiff and defendants and the content of the publication, either the plaintiff is also required to prove the falsity of the statement,

or its meaning, or the defendant may prove its truth as an absolute defense. Therefore, either Mr. Murdock will have the burden of proving that he did not murder Mr. Smith, or defendants will have the burden of proving that he did murder Mr. Smith. In order to prove or disprove the falsity or truth of the identical defamatory implications made by each defendant, the parties will all rely on the exact same factual proof to demonstrate who killed Mr. Smith. And this proof is, and will be, entirely derived from the exact same foundational series of events, from the days and moments leading up to Mr. Smith's death, the ensuing investigation of grand jury proceedings against individuals who are not Mr. Murdoch.

I mean, we all knew that Buster's case, if it made it to trial or even to the discovery phase, could be monumental for Stephen Smith's investigation. In fact, we celebrated that idea with Sandy Smith's attorney and our Cup of Justice co-host Eric Bland early on. It's the perfect confluence. Buster has to prove to the court that he is being defamed. In order to do that, he has to show that there is no reasonable degree of evidence

that could lead to the conclusion that he did kill Stephen, to the extent that the jury believes that the defendants made that conclusion. And then once Buster meets that burden, then the defendants have to show that there's a reasonable degree of evidence that could lead to the conclusion that he did kill Steven. Either way, there is an opportunity to get closer to that answer. But hold up, did Buster just reference the, quote, ensuing investigation of grand jury proceedings against individuals who are not Mr. Murdoch?" We have obviously reported before on the existence of a grand jury investigation into Stephen's

death before, but we've not reported on who the investigation was against, to use Buster's phrasing. Grand jury investigations involve witnesses and they involve targets. So does Buster know who the targets are? I mean, sure, we all know the names Sean Connolly and Patrick Wilson have been thrown out there as persons of interest when it comes to Steven's death. But not only has no suspect been named,

there has not been an acknowledgement by the powers that be that suspects even exist as such. Also, grand jury proceedings should be secret. Buster isn't supposed to know who is being investigated. But we also don't know whether or not Buster has been asked to testify in front of the grand jury. We don't know what Buster knows about the case in general, beyond the assumption that he feels confident that he can show it wasn't him.

And if he is getting information about the grand jury investigation, we don't know if that's by design. Meaning, maybe he's helping in some way. Which stick a pin in that for a quick second. Because guys, this isn't black and white. It's not just us speculating and hoping. It's an acknowledgement by Buster that there's a task at hand here and that task is getting to the bottom of Steven's case.

And I know this is probably a testament to how little Sled and the AG's office are actually doing in Stephen's case, or I should say, how little it seems like they are doing from where we sit. Anyway, this feels big. It feels almost hopeful, because let's not forget, no matter what the court decides to do here, these defendants are going to come

at Buster with a 10,000-horsepower legal team. And they could literally turn their investigations into another documentary, easily. So it has potential to be pretty explosive. At some point, Buster's going to have to fatten up his legal team if he's planning to go through with the battle. And from the sounds of things that we're hearing, that does seem like it's the direction that he's going in. Anyway, you might be wondering how Buster intends to show it was unreasonable for anyone

to conclude that he killed Steven. How do you prove a negative, right? Here is David with Buster's plan, according to the filing. Mr. Murdoch's burden to prove falsity or defendant's burden to prove the truth will also rely on evidence documenting and demonstrating Mr. Murdoch's whereabouts at the time Mr. Smith was killed, autopsy findings demonstrating that Mr. Smith was not killed in the manner implied by Defendants 3 series, as well as evidence of the ongoing law enforcement investigation and grand jury proceedings involving other suspects and persons of interest in Mr. Smith's death. Key to disproving the implication that Mr. Murdoch murdered Mr. Smith will not only be

proving that Mr. Murdoch was unconnected to Mr. Smith's death, but also proving where the rumor connecting Mr. Murdoch to Mr. Smith's death originated. This will also rely on identical fractal proof, regardless of the defendant, and will include, but not limited to, the contents of the mate investigation into Mr. Murdoch's death, which memorializes the activities of law enforcement in the immediate days, weeks, and months following Mr. Smith's death, prior interviews with members of the Hampton County community by law enforcement and reporters, and depositions of members of the community who have personal knowledge of the events

leading up to Mr. Smith's death, all of which transpired prior to and gave rise to defendants' defamatory publications. Um, depositions, you say? From people with personal knowledge of the events leading up to Stephen's death. Depositions. Like, on the record, recorded in some way statements of fact? Obviously we have a lot of experience with a Murdoch saying he has evidence, ironclad evidence even, that proves his innocence.

So we're going to tread cautiously here, but also, sorry, it's not often we get to practice optimism. So I'm going to do that here, because it seems like Buster is saying he knows what happened that night and that he's gotten people, assuming these are his depositions, to say it. So if Buster has depositions from people who know what happened leading up to Stephen's death that night, I certainly hope he wrapped those in some pretty paper and put a bow on them and sent them to Sled Chief Mark Keele and Attorney General Alan Wilson. It makes us so angry that it takes a civil case like this to finally give some real semblance of hope in getting justice for Stephen and his family.

And it makes us furious when we look at the list of villains that we're keeping over here, the list of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who have stuck their heads in the sand. The very long list of names of every law enforcement officer who has touched Stevens' case or who should have by publicly paid job description touched Stevens' case. The very long list of people who have the power and influence to get to the truth here but make no effort to do so in the interest of self-preservation. The very long list of cowardly men who wake up every day and through their silence and inaction,

choose to protect evil because make no mistake here, even if Stephen's death was unintentional, it's the very definition of evil to intentionally keep Stephen's family and Stephen's mother, the person who created Stephen, who gave Stephen life to keep them in the utter dark about what happened to him. I know we're preaching to the choir here, but it's so hard for us to fathom how anyone can have information about how and why a teenager was left to die

like an animal in the middle of the road and then continually make the decision not to share that information. Anyway, we'll obviously be keeping a close eye on Buster's case and we'll continue to hold out hope that a whole bunch of sunshine is coming Stephen Smith's way. Alright, let's talk about everyone's least favorite, men's rights-loving, mama's boy. Lee Gilley, the man who stands accused of strangling his pregnant wife, Krista Bauer Gilley, to death on October 7th in their Houston, Texas home, apparently managed to delay his arraignment again. Lee, who has one of the most famous and likely most expensive defense attorneys in Texas

on his legal team, Dick DeGaron, was set to appear in court on Tuesday for arraignment on his capital murder charge. Reminder, Dick DeGaron was David Koresh's attorney and also represented Robert Durst. If you don't know who those two are, definitely Google them and watch the jinx on HBO if you haven't already because it's a wild ride. Anyway, on Monday, reporter Beth Braden found out

that Lee's hearing had been postponed yet again. Court filings show that Lee did not list an excuse for the delay, but we were hearing behind the scenes that he was claiming a quote, family emergency kept him from attending court on Tuesday. Think about that one for a minute. A man who was charged with murdering his wife and unborn baby had the audacity, allegedly, to say that he had a family emergency. A man who lost custody of his two children. He, allegedly, had a family emergency. What family emergency could possibly be more important than the one that he is facing

at this moment? Normally, I would say that this is a sign of weakness on behalf of the defense. Like, is this all they got? To just keep delaying the process until something gives? But in this case, there are a few things that worry me. First of all, Christa's autopsy is still not yet complete. And because of that, Lee has not yet been indicted for his capital murder charge.

It is hard to tell whether or not that is normal because this is Texas, where everything is bigger and the process is different. And we have to talk about the Harris County situation at play here. Remember, Harris County has a population bigger than about half of the states in the U.S., with a population at about 4.8 million. For comparison, the entire state of South

Carolina has a population of 5.5 million. Harris County Sheriff's Office and Houston Police, in total, sees between 500 and 600 murders per year. Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ott was recently quoted in a Fox News report saying that Harris County judges have an increasingly bad reputation when it comes to letting violent offenders out on bail. In February, she said that there were over 800 defendants

currently out on bail for murder. 830, she said. That is a lot of people walking around waiting for their murder trials. And that is a lot of murder cases for one district attorney's office to keep track of. Since Krista's murder in October, several other murder cases have made national headlines. Just this month, 32-year-old paralegal Kristen Chavez was allegedly beaten to death with an iron by her husband of seven years, Chance Chavez. Chance was charged with murder after police found him with blood all over his clothes, according to reporting from Fox26. He allegedly dumped Kristen's four dogs on the highway after the murder, and one of the

dogs was found dead. Chance Chavez's bond was originally set for $250,000, which immediately sparked public outrage in the Houston community, according to an article in the Leader News. Kristen Chavez's family made a Change.org petition calling for the court to increase chances bond and calling for overall bond reform when it comes to violent offenders. More than 10,000 people have already signed the petition, and the court ultimately set his bond at $500,000. And as of today, he's still behind bars for now. The Change.org petition said that Kristen was a victim of incestant domestic violence for years,

and it said she died in the middle of her struggle to leave her abuser. Like, unfortunately, so many victims of coercive control. According to the Houston Chronicle, prosecutors said that Chance Chavez attempted to get a $1 million loan right before the murder. Perhaps, maybe, he read about Lee's $1 million bond that he posted immediately after being charged with capital murder. And maybe, Chance thought that he could purchase his way to freedom after allegedly murdering his wife too. We hope that the Kristen Chavez petition gets more traction because it raises a good point. Violent offenders should not be entitled to bail.

Men accused of violent, horrific crimes like beating a woman to death with a clothing iron, should be by definition considered a danger to society, right? Shouldn't women be included in this society that we are speaking of? Men who are charged with murder should be considered a danger to society, and therefore they shouldn't get bond. That's simple. If there's probable cause to arrest them, then there's probable cause to believe that

they are not safe people who can regulate their emotions in an appropriate non-violent way. In what world does it make sense to set them loose at a time when they are likely under the most stress in their entire lives? A murder charge? Innocent until proven guilty, of course. But we also live in a world where women are considered wrong about the violence they're experiencing until proven dead. And that needs to change.

So remember, Lee Gillie has been out and about with few restrictions for the last five months, just like Michael Colucci has been out and about for 10 years. In fact, multiple sources spotted Lee at one of Houston's most popular non-denominational churches called Ecclesia. And, get this, he was spotted walking around with a woman his age. Multiple sources told us that Lee was not religious prior to Christa's murder. And we are wondering what exactly is going on here?

Is he dating the woman that he was seen with? Did he attend the church to win over people in Houston? Does the woman that he was seen with? Did he attend the church to win over people in Houston? Does the woman that he was seen with know exactly what Lee is accused of doing? Could she be in danger? Does she have good friends in her life who could be like, girl, no, please Google him. We shouldn't have to ask these questions

because Lee, who faces not just murder, but capital murder, meaning he could face the death penalty, he should be behind bars until his trial. No amount of money should be able to purchase freedom for a man who is charged with killing his wife and unborn baby. Now, while all of this is daunting, we still have hope for seeing justice in this case because of the evidence that we already know about. If the Harris County Prosecutor's Office

can't get an indictment off of this evidence alone, then there really isn't hope for any victims of violence in Harris County. We'll talk more about that evidence after a short commercial break, and we'll be right back. Okay, think about the facts that we already know from the Lee Gilley case and think about how hard it should be if justice moves the way that it should for Team Lee to overcome. Remember, first of all, Lee initially told police that he and Christa got into an argument the night of Christa's death and three hours later, he said he found

her unconscious from an apparent drug overdose. But that story fell apart almost immediately when medical professionals took a closer look at Krista. According to the district attorney's office, the medical examiner found that Krista had suffered significant trauma. She had two black eyes, along with petechial hemorrhaging to her eyelids and chin, meaning her breathing was so restricted it caused her blood vessels in her face to burst. There was visible discoloration and swelling to her eyes and cheeks, and extensive bruising

to the muscles and tissues in her upper back between her shoulder blades. And her hyoid bone was also fractured, which is rare and usually caused, again, by extreme physical trauma. When confronted with this, Lee apparently admitted to police that Christa did not take drugs or kill herself. Meaning, Lee apparently trapped himself in a box of his own lies before charges were even filed against him.

How does a man who wants to convince the internet that he's an innocent family man incapable of doing anything to hurt his wife talk his way out of lying to police like that, when he allegedly found his wife unconscious and bruised? What kind of man would jump to a conclusion like that, assuming his pregnant wife, with no history of drug abuse or depression, would take her own life and her baby's life? Why would he jump to that horrific conclusion? That initial apparent lie to the police also puts Lee where he doesn't want to be.

At the scene of the murder, at the time of the murder, with no one else to blame. Oh, and don't forget the whole free Lee website, which was completely scrubbed from the internet since we last talked about it on this podcast on episode 88. Earlier this year, someone on Team Lee made it an offensive and alarming campaign website advocating for Lee's charges to be dropped, which was something we had never seen before. It was so much more embarrassing than Russell TV if you could imagine such a piece of ridiculous propaganda. Anyway, there was a section of the website that purported to show evidence of Lee's innocence. And there, Team Lee included a PDF from one of the polygraph tests he allegedly passed, but also paid for.

The polygraph gave us a glimpse into Lee's defense for what his team could claim at trial when they are trying to convince the jury that Lee didn't kill his wife in their home on the night of October 7th. It also put more evidence on the record that hadn't been public before, so thank you for that, team Lee.

During his polygraph, Lee did not mention anything else abnormal happening in their home that night. He said he helped bathe the kids, put them to bed, worked. But not once did he mention, and then I heard a strange noise. Or did he even hint at the possibility that someone else could have entered their single floor home that night?

Remember, in Ellic Murdoch's case, despite the jury hearing six weeks of testimony and evidence, it really came down to one key notion. Three people went down to the kennels on that night, June 7th, 2021. Two of them died, and one of them lied about being down there. Lee's case so far appears to be equally that simple.

There were four people in the house the night that Christo was killed. One of them died, two of them were children, and one of them lied about what happened. It shouldn't be a hard reach to think a jury can get there. So why hasn't Lee been indicted yet? Texas law states that the DA's office has 180 days to indict a defendant.

If it extends past 180 days, the defense can make a motion for dismissal and the court is compelled to drop the charges. However, if the DA has a quote, good reason for delaying the indictment, they can get an extension from the court. Mid-April would be the 180-day deadline in this case, and we hope that we see the autopsy

and the indictment out before then. Beth Braden asked the Harris County DA's office about this and they responded with the following statement. While we cannot discuss details of the case or our work product while the case is pending, I can tell you the case is not at risk of being dismissed at this time. So that's good, as long as they don't let the case slip through and so long as there's no greater meaning to

that little phrase at the end, at this time. Lee is now scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. April 29th in Harris County, Texas. We hope that this is the last time Harris County allows for this case to be delayed further and we hope April 29th will mark a big step toward justice for Krista. Speaking of justice for Krista, please follow Justice for Krista on Instagram and Facebook. The page is run by Krista's friends

who are reminding the world every day just how special of a person Krista was, the legacy she left behind, and the magnitude of loss. Christa was taken from her friends, family, and children, allegedly by the man who was supposed to love and protect her, but who instead, again allegedly, couldn't control his emotions. The posts written by Christa's loved ones capture Christa's spirit in a way that we couldn't.

I want to have David read one of the most recent posts. Krista never sought recognition for her accomplishments. In fact, many of those closest to her only became aware of her array of professional achievements after she was gone. I can almost hear her now, urging us to stop making a fuss, insisting, quote, I was just doing my job. But that was Krista, selflessly devoted to others, never seeking praise, and likely unaware that her unwavering commitment to her patients and students far exceeded what most of us

could give even on our best days. And because Krista never boasted about herself, we will do it for her. After graduating from Clemson University in 2008, she earned her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was a part of the team that won the 2010 Pitt Marquette Challenge, raising funds for physical therapy research. A board-certified specialist in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, she played a pivotal role in developing and implementing protocols to improve mobility for critically ill patients with heart and

lung complications. Her contributions to the field extended beyond the bedside. She published three research papers on physical therapy and cardiopulmonary care, taught courses at the University of Pittsburgh, and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Krista's influence reached even further as APTA CVP Chair-elect of the nominating committee, a respected presenter at both regional and national conferences and most recently as the first recipient of the Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapies inaugural Krista Nicole Bauer Clinical Excellence Award presented to her parents in February.

She never stopped fighting for others, and we will never stop fighting for her. Okay, and one last update in the Krista Bauer Gilley case. Her parents are still fighting a massive legal battle for custody over her children and for Krista's estate. They have another hearing scheduled for this Friday, and I cannot imagine how quickly their court costs are adding up. Please consider donating to the Bauer family's GoFundMe. See the link in the description.

Okay. Before we go today, we need to talk about last week's filing in the Jane Doe number one case again. We didn't mention this at the time, but it was sort of a last minute addition to the show. We read through it quickly, posted about it on social media, and then did a quick write up and well, we regret that. I mean, we're obviously glad we got the news to y'all, of course, but I missed something

pretty big. It took someone close to the case to point this out to me shortly after our episode aired. Like we said last week, JP denied every accusation made against him, initiated a counter suit against Jane Doe, number one, accusing her of slander and trying to prevent her from talking about her experience on social media, and wrote that he was 18 at the time of the rape he is accused of committing. But I was wrong about that last part. So JP's answers to Jane Doe number one's lawsuit appeared to be copy and paste jobs basically being like, I don't know what you're talking about, but I know I didn't do it.

It was like 200 and something paragraphs of that. But in paragraph 29, JP also included, defendant John Paul Miller turned 18 years old on May 20th, 1997. In my haste, I read that as him stating for the record that he was 18 at the time he was accused of raping a child and not just merely confirming the date of his 18th birthday. JP was confirming that because in paragraph 29 of Jane Doe number one's complaint, she wrote that defendant JPM was a man over the age of 18 at all times involved in this action. I mistook JP's inclusion of his 18th birthday as being some sort of signal

that he was planning to make an argument that this was consensual sex and that other states protect teenagers who are close in age from being charged with a sex offense. And the reason I thought that was because the same set of pro-JP trolls doing his dirty work for him online were posting about the Romeo and Juliet laws that exist elsewhere. The same set of trolls who were out there making the point

that JP was a teenager too. So again, that's my mistake. JP was merely stating his birthday to confirm that he was, as Jane Doe said, in fact, older than 18 in July, 1998, when he is accused of raping Jane. So to be clear, he was 19 in July, 1998. And I'm going to put that part on him because he could have said that for clarity.

But I should not expect an accused child rapist slash accused child sex abuser to be meeting anyone halfway in the lawsuits against him. Anyway, let's talk a little bit more about those lawsuits. Behind the scenes, we're continuing our deep dive into the history of JP's daddy, Wayne Miller. And I have to tell you, it's really fascinating at how different things look once you read the claims in Jane Doe number two's lawsuit. It was one thing to know about Wayne's guilty plea after he was arrested in 2006 for soliciting what he thought was a male sex worker, but what turned out to be a police officer with handcuffs. And it was one thing to know about the accusations in 1989

of Wayne allegedly sexually assaulting former Bible college students of his. Obviously, it's never great for a pastor to be arrested for soliciting a sex worker right around the time he was getting married to his second wife. Or to be accused of multiple sexual assaults while married to his first wife. Or at all. Wife or not. But both of those things seem to speak more to a closeted homosexual element. Clearly it's never okay to sexually assault anyone no matter your sexual orientation.

And that's not at all what I'm saying here. But there was a feeling of, well, maybe Wayne, if you stopped spewing hatred about gay people and teaching others to hate gay people when you yourself appear to be attracted to the same sex, then you could have a healthy, sexually fulfilling relationship instead of acting like a lawless pervert.

But now that Wayne is being accused of ignoring accusations of child sex abuse by his son and punishing a student who reported the abuse to adults, and now that he's accused of using his schools as a hunting ground for children, of fostering an environment and participating in an environment that allegedly allowed for the brutal bullying fostering an environment and participating in an environment that allegedly allowed for the brutal bullying, physical assault, and further sexual abuse of a child, everything resets to zero. Every piece of information we have about Wayne Miller has to get looked at again. So we are looking forward to being able to share what we're finding.

For now, we want to reiterate something very important. If you or someone you know thinks that you have or there is information that might be helpful to the dough cases, now is the time to speak up no matter how small or how minor you think the information is. There is safety in numbers. If you know people who know things, but who don't listen to the show, please let them know everything I'm about to say or share it on your social media pages so that people will see. If you or someone you know

attended or worked at Cathedral Hall Academy in the 1990s, Grand Strand Academy in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Faith First Academy up until recently, Cathedral Baptist Church in the 1990s and 2000s, or Cathedral Bible Institute until recently in Horry County. And you think you have documents, photos, memories of events that might now make sense, videos or any other information

that might be important to share, please do so. Or if you think there's information that needs to be known, please share that information. If you or someone you know attended St Paul's Academy in the 1980s in Florence, Tabernacle Baptist Church of Florence, Tabernacle Bible Institute, or any programs, daycares, or services held at or connected to Gloryland in Florence in the 1970s and 1980s and think there's relevant information to share, please do so.

If you or someone you know were in a youth group program led by Wayne Miller or J.P. Miller in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and onward and you think there's relevant information to share, please do so. If you or someone you know are part of the following communities in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 80s, 90s, and onward, and have information to share that might be relevant to the child sexual abuse accusations that have been filed against John Paul Miller and Wayne Miller, who also goes by Reg, Reggie, Reginald, without the D at the end, and Reginald Miller, please do so.

Those communities are Hemingway, Darlington County, Florence, Florence County, Marion County, the Myrtle Beach area, Horry County, Columbia, and Richland County. If you have any information to share related to any business or real estate transactions or involvement in probate cases or cases of mental incapacitation that you think could be relevant to the cases

against John Paul Miller and Wayne Miller and the investigations being done by the attorneys, please share that information. Neither JP Miller nor Wayne Miller has been charged in connection with any allegations of abuse, and JP has formally denied any and all allegations of abuse that have been made against him thus far. To stop any form of abuse anywhere, we must work together. When accusations of abuse are made, it doesn't matter how long you've remained silent or how long

you've looked the other way. For lack of better words, if you have the information that is helpful, the right thing to do is to speak up. Now, if any part of what I just said describes you or someone you know, please contact attorney Randy Hood at McGowanhood.com or 855-326-1091 or contact attorney Mark Tinsley at mark at goodingandgooding.com or at 803-584-7676. If you're not ready to share the information with one of the attorneys but want to talk to us off the record, meaning we will keep your identity anonymous and we will not share any of the information without your explicit permission, please reach out to us at info at lunasharkmedia.com or message us on our social media platforms.

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 Learn more about our mission and membership at lunasharkmedia.com Interruptions provided by Luna and Joe Pesky Hey there, listeners. EB here and I want to 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 couple 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 podcast.