Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #95 - ‘We’re About to Have a F***ing Shootout’: The Case That Sheds Light on Why Mica Francis Felt Hopeless + Lee Gilley Indicted for Capital Murder

Episode Date: April 10, 2025

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell have great news to share … (00:52) Lee Gilley — the Houston man accused of strangling his wife, killing her and their unborn baby — has been officially indicted by the Grand Jury. This is a big deal — especially considering he’s yet another man with resources who seems to think he can buy his way out of consequence with a pricey defense team that includes the likes of Robert Durst’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, and maybe even an image consultant, based on his public behavior as of late.  Also on the show, Mandy and Liz take listeners on their first deep dive into the killing of (11:15) Scott Spivey of Tabor City, North Carolina. Thirty-three-year-old Scott was shot to death in a hail of bullets in September 2023 on a rural highway in Horry County, South Carolina. His shooters were never charged in his death and the case was closed in April 2024. But now the FBI has been asked to take a look at the evidence and the No. 2 officer at Horry County Police Department — a good friend of one of the shooters — is under criminal investigation.  And yes, that’s the same police department that let Mica Francis down time and again in the lead-up to her death … when she reported multiple times that she was being stalked by her estranged husband, “Pastor” John-Paul Miller in Myrtle Beach. And no one would listen... maybe now their ears will perk up.  Let's dive in... 🥽🦈 Episode Resources Justice for Christa Instagram Post Lee Gilley’s Indictment for Capital Murder Charges - April 7, 2025 “33-year-old shot and killed in vehicle in Loris area, coroner’s office says” - WBTW, Updated Sept 11, 2023 “NMB business owner named in deadly Hwy 9 shooting; solicitor wants investigation review” - WPDE, Updated Sept 19, 2023 “Shooting death involving North Myrtle Beach restaurant owner reopened nearly 2 years later” - The Sun News, Updated March 14, 2025 Referenced Previous Episodes: TSP 62, 91, & 93 Premium Member Resources FB Statement from Weldon Boyd - Sept 12, 2023 Scott Spivey Wrongful Death Complaint - June 03, 2024 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

Okay, Martin, let's try one. Remember, big. You got it. The Ford It's a Big Deal event is on. How's that? A little bigger. The Ford It's a Big Deal event. Nice. Now the offer? Lease a 2025 Escape Active all-wheel drive from 198 bi-weekly at 1.99% APR for 36 months with $27.55 down. Wow, that's like $99 a week.

Yeah, it's a big deal. The Ford It's a Big Deal event. Visit your Toronto area Ford store or Ford.55 down. Wow, that's like $99 a week. Yeah, it's a big deal. The Ford It's a Big Deal event. Visit your Toronto area Ford store or Ford.ca today. I don't know if anyone will ever be held responsible for Scott Spivey's death, but I have a gut feeling that this case is going to expose corruption that affects every single person who lives in Horry County. And it's going to expose the same trusted law enforcement agency

that let Micah Francis down time and time again. My name is Manny Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption previously known as the Murdoch Murders podcast. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production, written with journalist Liz Farrell. Hello, hello. I am in a good mood today for so many reasons. As I told y'all on COJ, I have been told that any day now, a big announcement is coming on The Hulu Show about who will play me in the upcoming Murdoch Murder series. When I first heard that this actress was remotely interested in the

role and actually listened to our podcast years ago, my jaw hit the floor. I danced in my office like I've never danced before, and for the first time in a long time I accepted feeling joyful because I realize now I deserve this. And everyone working so hard on this show deserves the success that is going to come with it I'm just grateful and patiently waiting for the moment when Hulu says that I can tell you all because a I hate secrets Especially a secret like this that is really going to upset the people who spent years trying to bring me down So be sure to follow me on social media as this announcement will be coming any day now. I'm also in a good mood because of what happened on Tuesday

in the Krista Bauer Gille case out of Houston, Texas. And in this business, you have to celebrate every win. Krista Bauer Gille lost her life on a Tuesday in October. To honor Krista's memory while bringing awareness to domestic violence, Krista's best friends who run the Justice for Krista page have vowed to wear purple every Tuesday. In a post, they wrote, "'This Tuesday we remember her with joy, her sweet contagious laugh, her quiet way of making

everyone feel special and seen, her comforting touch on the shoulder, and the pure light that radiated from her as a mother. We carry her legacy with us, striving to live as the way she did, with unwavering faith, deep love for family and community, and the kind of quiet strength that made everyone around her better. Help us keep her memory alive and keep shining her light." And call it magic, call it Christa's light, or call it the power of prayer, but for the last two Tuesdays, Christa's friends and family have made big strides in their march to justice. Last Tuesday, Christa's autopsy report finally came back after more than five months of waiting.

This was a big step. In episode 93 in March, we urged Harris County, Texas officials to not let this case slip through the cracks, as apparently so many do. Christa's family and friends were worried that the autopsy was delaying the indictment and Texas law states that the DA's office has 180 days to indict a defendant after their arrest. If it extends past 180 days, the defense can make a motion for dismissal

and the court would be compelled to drop the charges. So time was ticking and prosecutors had until this week to either indict Lee, dismiss charges, or ask for an extension. We also heard from a few sources close to the situation that Lee was feeling extra confident that his capital murder charge for allegedly strangling his pregnant wife to death

would be dropped and that he would be a free man. Then this Tuesday came, another Tuesday, and Christa's light worked its way through darkness. Lee Mongerson Gilley was finally indicted by a Texas grand jury on one count of capital murder and that is a big deal. The indictment states that Lee, quote, "...intentionally and knowingly caused the death of Christa Gilley by applying pressure to Christa Gilley's neck and upper back, and intentionally and knowingly caused the death of an unborn child by applying pressure to Christa Gilley's neck and upper back while

Christa Gilley was pregnant with the unborn. Christa was nine weeks pregnant with their third child. Christa and Lee's two children were in the house at the time that Christa was allegedly strangled. Unfortunately, this indictment did not include a lot of details about evidence against Lee, but as we said in episode 93, the evidence we already know of would be hard for any defense attorney to get past. How do you explain that your client was the only adult in the home where Krista was strangled

to death? And how do you explain that he then lied to police about Krista taking drugs and killing herself? However, we won't be foolish enough to underestimate Dick DeGaron and his expensive defense team working for Lee. We know how important sunlight is in this case, and we will continue to keep it shining on Houston until the Bauer family gets justice." The Bauer family's fight in court against Lee's family for custody of Krista's two children

is still ongoing, and I want to say three things. The Bauer family's fight in court against Lee's family for custody of Krista's two children is still ongoing, and I want to say three things. One, shame on the Gilley family for adding to the Bauer family's stress by continuing to fight for time with the children. If they have any shred of decency left and any concern at all for the well-being of those little kids, they would give this family the grace and space they need during this horrific time. Perhaps Lee's family should wait to hear all of the evidence against him before fighting for time with his children. Two, please continue to donate to the Bauer family's GoFundMe, as their costs for moving to Texas and fighting in family court continue to pile up. And three, follow Justice for Christa on Instagram and Facebook,

and wear purple, the color of domestic violence, every Tuesday, and tag Justice for Christa to show your support. It takes a village to get justice, and together, we can help fight for Christa. Visit the link in the description, and together we can help fight for Krista. Visit the link in the description to see how you can help. Now we need to talk about the next case that we will be diving into and why this case is important and link to the Micah Francis investigation.

When Micah Francis tragically lost her life nearly a year ago, she left behind a paper trail of clues for us to follow in order to expose the corruption and abuse that led to her death. Micah lit the path and we followed, finding a shocking tangled web of cover-ups, corruption and coercive control surrounding her death. While we were shocked to uncover the alleged medical,

spiritual, and sexual abuse she allegedly endured during her marriage to J.P. Miller, we were more stunned and disgusted to see how local police appeared to foster that alleged abuse, no matter how many times she cried out to them. Dozens of Horry County police reports and 911 calls paint a clear picture of JP Miller, a man who is currently facing two lawsuits for child sexual abuse,

by the way, with favorable treatment, while dismissing Micah as a crazy person who they treated like a suspect when she deserved to be treated like a victim, time and time again. like a suspect when she deserved to be treated like a victim, time and time again. What we found was a deadly cycle. A woman in danger, crying out for the police to help her, the police labeling her as crazy, and taking her husband's word over hers again and again, each time deflating her hope of ever being able to escape the cycle. Perhaps what concerns us the most is the pattern of the doubling down on mistakes that Horry County Police leadership

has shown us in the past year. The coverups through blatant FOIA violations and ultimately an action by leadership to recognize the simple fact that they mistreated Micah and that simple policy changes within their department could save lives. We told you about the number of struggles we have encountered with Horry County in the last year.

All of the times they overcharged us for police reports, the times they specifically left out certain reports and FOIA requests where they happened to look really, really bad. Times when the Director of Communications rudely ignored our questions to the point where we had to blast her name to 80,000 people on Twitter to get her to answer a simple question. So many times when the agency proved to us to be at best dysfunctional and at worst corrupt. We specifically addressed this issue of Horry County's lack of transparency

and illegally circumventing FOIA in episode 62. And we have discussed the possibility of suing Horry County for this, which we are still collecting evidence for. And yet, while turning up the spotlight on Horry County police and all of their problems, we've noticed that these issues extend well past Micah. Let me have David read a few recent headlines about Horry County government.

Horry County officer got distracted and ran over and killed woman on bench, lawsuit claims. Fox, Carolina. Pillhead Vibes. Horry County woman sues HCPD over suspected illegal car search. WMBF News. Lawsuit claims Horry County funds fraudulently used to buy golf equipment, TVs, luxury items.

WMBF News. Ex-Ori County Deputy Coroner will no longer stand trial for murder after pleading guilty to other charges. WMBF News. Yikes, and I can say yikes because Liz and I have been working in local news long enough to know that these headlines, combined with everything we know in the Micah Francis investigation, indicate a big problem in Horry County.

And by the way, Horry County has a population of just 397,000 people. And it should not have this many issues with its police force. Which brings us to the Scott's Byvie case. Scott was 33 years old when he was killed on September 9th, 2023, at the intersection of Highway 9 and Camp Swamp Road, which is between Little River, South Carolina and Loras, South Carolina, in Horry County. It's a rural area about 45 minutes north of Myrtle Beach where JP Miller and Micah Francis lived. We first told you about this case in episode 91, but there is so much more to discuss. There are so many layers to it and it's taking serious restraint right now not to make this episode 10 hours long. But we're going to

start slow and first show you why this case intrigues us so much, especially in light of what we've been saying for a year, that the police acted like J.P. Miller's personal security team, and he certainly seems to have regarded them at his beck and call. Today, we're gonna talk about the basics of the case.

In the weeks ahead, we'll be taking a look at the case from a lot of different angles and sharing more about who Scott Spivey was. For now, here's what to know. Scott was a resident of Tabor City, North Carolina, which is just over the state line from Horry County, about seven miles from Loras. This case was sold to the public as the result of a road rage incident. No charges were filed against the two men who shot Scott to death because the police,

with seemingly little to go on, immediately determined that Scott was the suspect and the two men who shot him to death were the victims. In other words, that this was a case of self-defense. From where we sit right now, it seems like investigators, instead of engaging their brains, maybe purposely, relied almost entirely on what the shooters said happened and called that the truth. We'll get into that in a minute because, wow, it is bad.

Soon after Scott's killing in 2023, we began hearing from listeners asking us to look into the case because as we were repeatedly told, something did not smell right there. The general allegation was that one of the men who shot and killed Scott, his name is Weldon Boyd, was highly connected to the Horry County Police Department. The belief among those who contacted us was that Weldon had a friend inside the department who was, from the very beginning,

making sure that Weldon had a soft landing, which ultimately is what happened, like I that Weldon had a soft landing. Which ultimately is what happened, like I said, he got a soft landing. No charges were filed against him or his passenger, and the case was closed in April 2024. The case was odd from the start. First, Horry County would not release the names of the two men who shot Scott, regardless of whether that shooting was warranted in their eyes at the time the public had a right to know those names. By putting those names out there, by adequately describing the incident, police might have

gotten more information from the public about what might have motivated the shooting or from witnesses who might have remembered seeing what happened in the nearly 10-mile chase. And that reminded us of the boat crash case when it took weeks for South Carolina DNR to release Paul Murdoch's name as the potential driver. Second, Scott's body was apparently taken away from the scene on a flatbed truck. They left his body in his truck and towed him away. I know Horry County says that's normal because of the weather and to preserve evidence, but literally tents have been a thing since 40,000 BCE.

So that is more than enough time to save up the $1,000 you need for a pop-up crime scene unit to protect evidence. Third, Horry County and the Solicitor's Office were forced to acknowledge the name of one of the shooters, and that's only because three days after the shooting, that shooter posted about it on his business' Facebook page, Buies on the Boulevard, and the day after that on his personal page. Here is David with what Weldon Boyd wrote on September 12, 2023. David Boyd, Author, Solicitor, Solicitor's Office

Thank you once again to everyone who has reached out to offer their support and prayers during this difficult time. The events that unfolded were truly tragic and have left a lasting impact on me, my good friend from college, and all the many motorists that were involved and affected. It's hard to comprehend why such random and traumatic events occurred. I don't know if we will ever find the answers that we seek. We were certainly at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't know if we will ever understand or come to terms with why these random and traumatic events occurred.

To the family and friends of the person who lost his life, I want to express my deepest condolences. I cannot imagine the pain and grief you are going through, but please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope you find the strength and peace you need during this incredibly difficult time. To the other motorists who were also victimized, I am very sorry that you too experienced all that occurred. I wish we had met under different and better circumstances. I wish that I could remember all of your names, but please know that I am grateful for each

and every one of you who stood by and shared your accounts with the investigating officers. Your willingness to further the investigation is truly appreciated. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all the officers and solicitors who responded to the scene and are conducting the investigation. Your professionalism and empathy towards all the victims did not go unnoticed. I have faith that your efforts will bring us some understanding and closure in due time. It saddens me that your jobs are being complicated by those who are spreading false and hurtful narratives.

Please know that there are many of us who appreciate and support your work and dedication. Weldon Void. So, a few things about that. First of all, that was smarmy. Obviously, friends and loved ones of Wildon are going to disagree with me on that characterization and insist that he's being sincere there. But all I can see is a guy who saw the comments on Facebook where people were saying that, hey, there's more to the story here, and who impulsively decided to fill in that silence that was being left by the police, the same police who seemingly had his back with that silence.

And maybe this is because Weldon's ego is fragile and he couldn't manage his emotions enough to hold back and not choose to post a case closed themed message, openly and directly addressing witnesses and potential witnesses, as well as the victims family. To us, the message is clear here. There's only one version of the story this man will accept from people, and that's that he was a reluctant hero in a tragic event that will never have an explanation. And that post wasn't just smarmy. It was suggestive. It will never have an explanation.

He's already concluding that the police will not be able to solve it. I wish that I could remember all your names about the witnesses. And quote, your professionalism and empathy toward the victims did not go unnoticed. And quote, I professionalism and empathy toward the victims did not go unnoticed. And quote, I have faith that your efforts

will bring us some understanding and closure in due time. He said that to the investigators. Remember, according to the police report, Weldon and his friend Bradley are the so-called victims that Weldon is referring to in this post. But also, police are ostensibly trying to determine whether this was an actual case of self-defense at the very same time that Weldon is writing

these words publicly. This is why criminal defense attorneys tell their clients to shut up, because in my opinion, did not go unnoticed can read like, I don't know, a promise of future acts of appreciation in certain contexts. Maybe for know, a promise of future acts of appreciation in certain contexts. Maybe for instance when one of those contexts is, he's friends with the investigator and in a position to be generous.

I also want to note that even though Weldon seemed to out himself in that post, it would take another few days for the public to learn from law enforcement that Weldon was in fact connected to the case. The way the public found out is from a letter the solicitor sent to the state attorney general's office asking for help. Fourth, and that said, Weldon Boyd is the owner of a very popular restaurant called Boo'ez on the boulevard in North Myrtle Beach and people in the area seem to know him very well and at least publicly generally really seem to like and respect him.

But there are also detractors. For instance, one comment under the initial reports of the shooting said, Why did I know this was about Weldon before even having to read it? Dude's definitely a hothead and this story isn't really surprising. And under that, another person wrote, Same. And we'll talk about all that in a second. Fifth, and finally, exactly how many solicitors were at the scene because this was, well, for one, it was a Saturday evening, but two, I'd love to know how many other Horry County

crime scenes where even one prosecutor goes to it. Never mind plural prosecutors. This feels like a theme though. Every case where the defendant is, you know, someone, seems to end up having a prosecutor on the crime scene right away. So right off the bat you can see there's something up here, right? More on that after a short commercial break. When you let arrow truffle bubbles melt, everything takes on a creamy, delicious, chocolatey glow. Like that pile of laundry.

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See in-store for details. Bontera. For a better planet. No purchase necessary. Terms and conditions apply. See online for details. online for details. Now again, we're going to talk more about Weldon in a future episode, but here's what you need to know for now. Picture the beginning of a Lifetime movie and your introduction to the small town guy who's going to capture the protagonist's heart.

He's single, well spoken, he spells all his words right for the most part. I know that's not a feature talked about in Lifetime movies, but I did notice Weldon can spell and it's important to the overall picture. Back to our main male character. He seems intelligent, deliberate, thoughtful, and hyper-aware. The man had dreams of opening a family-friendly restaurant that never met a holiday it wouldn't celebrate or a parking lot carnival that it wouldn't want to host for the community. So he planned it all out and then he did exactly that.

This man had dreams of owning a lot of land and building a bespoke Pinterest-worthy farm perfect for a trad wife to settle in. So he planned all that out too. And he did exactly that. Our main character in this Lifetime movie goes big with everything he does just to bring joy to others. He pays attention to the lyrics and songs. He's intentional about his wardrobe,

but not too intentional. He dispenses inspirational advice about not necessarily needing to go to college to be a success, and being sure to invest your money for a secure future. He helps the community and loves animals and has witty takes on the quirks of life. His employees seem to love him and he seems to love them back. He loves kids and he loves his family.

He especially loves his mom. And he wants to start his own family. He's ready to be a dad. So he begins planning for a future that includes the perfect country dream house in which to raise a family. Let's pause on that thought. So, at the time of Scott's killing, Weldon was about to become a father for the first time. But he was no longer with the mother of his future baby, Weldon was about to become a father for the first time, but he was no longer with the mother of his future baby, according to sources. And it's sort of a rough situation in that this woman had allegedly only been dating Weldon for a month or so when she

got pregnant. Soon after, the two became engaged. Weldon bought her a four-carat diamond ring and a mint-colored 2023 Toyota 4Runner. But according to sources, Weldon soon began to suspect that his fiance was cheating on him by communicating with a man she had dated prior to seeing Weldon. That man's last name was Spivey, but not the Spivey who Weldon boyed and Kenneth Bradley Williams shot that September, almost three months before Weldon's son would be born. In April 2023, Weldon posted to his Facebook page and to a page called Myrtle Vegas, asking if anyone knew of a good private investigator he could hire.

Over the next few months, Weldon would post or repost quotes about him deserving better. One repost said, quote, "...I have spoiled too many people with my time and attention and made them priorities in my life when they barely deserved it." In late August 2023, about two weeks before Scott Spivey's killing and three months before his son was due, Weldon sued the mother of his child for custody in Darlington County Family Court. This is a good time to go back to our Lifetime movie character.

So again, picture the small-town guy who seems to have it all. He's a hard worker. He manifests and makes his future come true. The farm is coming together. The business is doing great. But there's another side to him. On social media, he talks a lot about his haters, and he seems to relish the idea of people not liking him. He's been in the paper a few times for loudly fighting the town government on COVID mandates. He seems to have every toy known to country boy heaven. Dirt bikes,

forerunners, AR-style rifles. And is that a grenade launcher? Weldon is former military, and he has been to war. He talks about it a lot on social media, saying that he would love to relive those days. And, um, why is he posting about narcissists from a group called the Father's Rights Movement? Okay, let's ignore that. But wait, his political opinions seem to be based on the me-versus-them theme. To them, as in I'm the superior being who knows it all and everyone else is a loser. Hold up, is he bragging about shooting an anatomically correct and true-to-life ballistic gel dummy of a

human head that cost hundreds of dollars just to hear its skull crack and watch the fake blood spray everywhere? As if it's a human who is being killed in real life? Yes, these are all real Facebook posts of well-dones. Let's just say he's a complicated guy. Now let's talk about September 8th and September 9th. On the day before Scott Spivey's death, Weldon posted a photo of a nursery he was building for his son.

In his hand was a framed wooden etching of a western scene with a cactus that said, I do not and will not fear tomorrow because I feel as though today has been enough. On the post, Weldon thanked people for helping him pull together the very Pinterest-worthy old Western theme nursery with its accent wall that will soon feature his son's name in big gold painted letters. Then he wrote, I will do everything in my power to make sure he uses it. And then he asked for prayers for him and his family. The next day, Weldon started his social media post with a repost of a reminder that autistic

children might be carrying blue pumpkin candy buckets at Halloween to signal that they cannot communicate trick-or-treat and they are not being rude by not saying it. Shortly after that, he posted something about how all Bibles are not the same. And shortly after that, he reposted a story that a television station had written about him in 2018 with the headline, Community Supports North Myrtle Beach Restaurant Suing Customer Over Fabricated Review. Above that, Weldon wrote, "...throwback to that time I sued a lady for a fake review and won."

And he put the crying, laughing emoji there. She even moved to Florida to try and dodge collections. We'll talk more about that case in the future because, again, yes, that happened. A little after 2.30 p.m., Weldon posted videos and a photo of a four-wheeler, announcing that his farm was getting a new piece of equipment that people will be able to race for a true road racing experience. Then at 4.16, Weldon posted photos of the Toyota 4Runner he had given his fiancé earlier that year. With only 2,000 miles on it, he listed it for sale at $52,000.

An hour later, he posted photos of an engagement ring along with an appraisal showing its value at $19,500. He wrote, quote, "...absolutely stunning, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind engagement ring for sale. Designed this ring on paper myself and Kohl's had it made. 97 total diamonds, 5.09 carat total, spec sheet below. Beautiful diamond. Price to sell at $11,000. 20 minutes after that post, Weldon and his friend were locked in a road battle with Scott Spivey.

At the time we first heard about this case, we didn't have a whole lot of experience with Horry County. It took Micah's case to really crack that nut open for us. So we were ready last month, like re-gee, when Horry County police announced that they were asking the FBI and SLED to re-open Scott Spivey's case. And they announced that in the least informative and most truth-avoidant press release known to man. It's wild how police agencies never seem to consider that the truth is already known

and that people like, I don't know, us, are sitting back giving them the chance to be honorable, only to be repeatedly but not surprisingly disappointed. Because here's the thing, the release came out March 12th, the day after Horry County Police Department's Deputy Chief, their number two guy, Brandon Strickland, resigned from the agency with a single sentence. Quote, the purpose of this officer's report is to officially resign from my position at the Horry County Police Department effective close of business." It wasn't surprising to us to learn that Brandon was no longer chief there, but it was annoying

to find out that Brandon had been allowed to voluntarily resign when, in our opinions, he should have been fired, at least from what we know right now. Now remember that soft landing we mentioned earlier? Remember those tips we were getting about Weldon Boyd having friends in the department? One of those friends was Brandon Strickland. He appeared in photos with Weldon. One of them, he is on an alligator hunting trip with Weldon and other people in law enforcement to perhaps even include Sled.

And Brandon is the number two guy at the investigating agency that is responding to the Scott Spivey crime scene. Interesting how Brandon's departure time with the agency times with the announcement that Scott Spivey's case is being reopened by the FBI and Sled, right? Interesting how Horry County's stupid press release didn't even mention that their number two guy was no longer there.

Interesting how Horry County didn't think to tell the public that his resignation is connected to a criminal investigation into him, right? Not until the media who knew better started asking anyway. The public was entitled to this information for so many reasons that we'll talk about later. After hearing that the case was officially reopened, we checked in with the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy to see how honest the Horry County Police Department was with them about what was going on. Fun side note, a former colleague of ours from the Island packet, Becca Lurie,

did an investigation into local police agencies who were hiring the so-called bad apple cops, meaning the officers who, let's say, had resigned from their previous agency in lieu of an internal investigation that likely would have shown misconduct on their part, which in turn would have led them to be fired, or worse, would have led to them losing their law enforcement certification and with that There goes the ability to be a police officer once again, which is a big deal These guys do not want to lose that anyway some local agencies in the 14th circuit again Murdoch country

We're hiring that kind of officer and in many cases it predictably resulted in more bad behavior and the public suffered. In some cases, police officers were getting passed around like bad priests. At the time though, the Justice Academy didn't require agencies to report when their officers resigned in lieu of being fired or when they resigned after being informed that there was an internal affairs investigation involving them.

That was a big problem in terms of transparency and preventing dangerous problems in the future because remember, law enforcement officers are one of the only public positions, meaning paid with taxpayer money, where they can legally kill citizens under certain circumstances. It is a very serious responsibility.

Anyway, that policy changed after Becca's report. In 2017, the Justice Academy began requiring agencies to be more specific about the reasons for an officer's departure. It was an accountability measure to make sure agencies didn't try to cover up whatever had led to the resignation. So as part of the separation process,

a law enforcement agency has 15 days to report that an officer has left their ranks and checks and boxes as to why. Here's what we learned about Brandon Strickland's departure from Horry County Police Department. Like I said, he voluntarily resigned on March 11th. Funny story, these separation papers were submitted to the Justice Academy exactly 15 days after that, on March 26th. They sat on them, basically.

Under reason for separation, Ory County wrote, quote, resignation while under internal investigation. The agency told the Justice Academy that the investigation into Brandon does not involve misconduct as outlined in the South Carolina Training Act. That misconduct, by the way, is known as the nine deadly sins among law enforcement officers. It's listed on the Justice Academy website under this warning. You have worked hard to earn your law enforcement

certification. If you don't want to lose it, avoid the following. Here's David with a brief simplified rundown of those sins that Brandon Strickland's agency says are not involved in their investigation into him. One, conviction in a felony or crime of moral turpitude. Two, unlawful use of a controlled substance. Three, repeated use of excessive force.

Four, dangerous and or unsafe practices involving firearms or vehicles. 5. Physical or psychological abuse of members of the public or prisoners. 6. Misrepresentation of employment information. 7. Lying to law enforcement. 8. Lying to the courts. 9. Lying in a report. So, they're pretty specific while also being wide open to interpretation, especially those last three points.

But Horry County is asserting that Brandon is being investigated for a policy violation and that Brandon left when told of it. But here is where it gets interesting. The agency told the Academy that there is a pending criminal investigation into Brandon Strickland. And I have to laugh at this part because the Academy asked the question twice on the form, twice. Like in a low key, are you sure you want to go down

this road, Bo? Sort of way. Here's what the second question says. You indicated that this individual is involved in a pending criminal matter. Please type yes in all caps below to confirm. And Horry County typed yes in all caps. So where were all the headlines that said Brandon Strickland, Horry County PD's number two guy, is under criminal investigation? We couldn't find a single one. They all note that Brandon resigned while under internal investigation. But call me crazy, if I'm a resident of Horry County, I'd like to

know that my second-in-command police chief is under criminal investigation. I know some of y'all think that we complain about other media agencies way too much, but I mean come on, this is important. Now, like we keep saying, there's a lot to get into here, including the whole history of this very troubled police department, including how it all started. Speaking of, anyone in Horry County who wants to share stories with us about what Horry County was like back in the day, specifically when it comes to moonshining and drug trafficking, you know where to reach us.

Preferably by email. Okay, so again, 20 minutes after Weldon posted his fiance's ring for sale on Facebook, the ring he designed himself and had inscribed, and that included, and the ring that included more than 5 carats of diamonds, here is what happened. According to court records, some sort of interaction occurred between Weldon Boyd, Kenneth Bradley Williams, who goes by Bradley, and Scott Spivey, and perhaps one other truck at some point,

which we will talk about later. At the corner of where Highway 9 and SE57 meet in Little River, where the Tractor Supply and Bell & Bell GMC dealership are, is the beginning of what would be an almost 10-mile ride. As one Facebook user said, a nearly 10-mile ride where there were 69 opportunities to exit the road. Let's listen to Weldon's version of what was happening. Here's his 911 call at 5.54 p.m.

with a 911 dispatcher in real time of the so-called road rage incident where Scott Spivey was killed and labeled the suspect. Hey, I've got a guy pointing a gun at me driving. We're armed as well. He keeps throwing the gun at our faces. I don't like he's about to shoot us. If he keeps this up, I'm gonna shoot him. Where are you at? I'm on Highway nine. We're running. He's trying to run from me. Now we're on highway nine headed toward the lowest.

You have a cross street. Uh, we just passed, uh, Marlowe's Circle. We're past the Marlowe's Circle. We're heading towards Loris. I'm going to swip him the whole way. Y'all need to get this guy off the road. He's aiming guns at people. He ragged it.

He was about to shoot at us and pulled our guns out. I don't know what this dude's problem is. I'm towing a fucking couch and he just pulls up next to it and aims a gun at my fucking friend's head. Okay, what's your name? He's in a black Chevrolet. His license plate is, it's a Michigan, what does that say? North Carolina weighted tag, Chevrolet black pickup truck. Okay, we have heard a lot of 911 calls in our careers and weird ones too, like the 911 call that Connor Cook made in 2019 to report the boat crash that Paul Murdoch had caused killing Mallory Beach in the process.

Let's just say the dispatcher in that case was lethargic and confused. And in the midst of that chaotic situation, she sent first responders to the wrong bridge. At one point, she asked Connor to describe where they were based on if they were coming from the Walmart. But this, this man, Weldon Boyd, tells the dispatcher, he's trying to run from me now. He, being Scott Spivey, the so-called suspect, the so-called aggressor in this road rage incident. And the dispatcher was just like, cool, where you at? It's insanity because there was actually one single correct way to respond to that. And that correct way was to say, sir, do not chase the driver who has a gun.

We've got this. There are at least 23 automated license plate raiders in Horry County, according to a 2022 story by WPD. The dispatcher should have told Weldon to end his involvement in this case once the plate number was given, because Scott Spivey, even without those license plate raiders, was eminently findable. But that's not what happened. I'm going to play the rest of the 911 call now,

but I really want to warn you, it's going to include the narration of a shooting death happening in real time. Yes, he's aiming guns. Listen, this dude shoots at me. We're going to put him down. He's, I mean, this dude's insane. Are you following him or is he following you? He's been following us. Now we're behind him.

We've got pictures of him holding, I've got pictures of him aiming the gun at us, everything. He's about to put the gun out again. Sir, if this guy aims that gun at me, we're going to have to shoot him. Does it start with a road rage or something? He just pulled up next to you? I didn't do anything. I was talking to my friend. We're trailer and couches. And this dude just, my buddy's like, what the fuck? And he's got a gun aimed at us next to us. Then he tried to slam on brakes and wreck me, ran me into the grass. He just swerved at me. I need a trooper fast. He may shoot at the cop too man.

Tell the cops we're in a white Ram pickup truck and we are armed. I'm military so it ain't us. Don't shoot us. This dude's fucking nuts. Did he say anything to you or just point the gun at you? Nah, he's turning off the road. We're going to keep trying to follow him but if he starts shooting, dude, I don't know. Alright, so he's turning on to Camp Swamp Road.

What road? Camp Swamp Road. Camp Swamp Road? He's stopping. He's stopping. Hey, we're about to have a fucking shootout, dude. This dude's got a gun. He's got a fucking gun. Do you have an address where you stopped at? Where I at? Hey, hey.

I'm not. I'm really out of here! I can't! I can't put in gear! Put in gear! Are you guys shooting? Hello? Hello? Hello? Back it up, back it up, back it up. Are you guys shooting each other? I have to break in for a second even though I'm literally speechless right now. This dispatcher sounds like a bored babysitter hanging out by the family's pool with the

kids he's supposed to be watching, but he wants to work on his tan and maybe take a sunny nap and not be bothered. So when he starts to hear the kids that he's being paid to watch hit each other and push each other down on the concrete, he doesn't even open his eyes or tell them to stop. Instead he's just like, are y'all fighting? I'm going to say it again. This dispatcher should be like, get out of there. I cannot understand why he is not doing that.

And honestly, it's almost like the dispatcher thinks he's getting updated by a road officer with the legal authority to chase a driver with a gun. It's almost like Weldon regards himself as a member of law enforcement chasing a perp. Again remember the words from Weldon saying, I'm gonna put him down and we're gonna try to keep following him? Hey boss please! Are you guys shooting each other? He aimed and shot.

He held his gun and aimed right at us. Dude, please come help us, man. Has anybody shot? I don't know. Dude, I don't want to go over there. This guy will try to kill us. I don't know if he shot or. This guy will try to kill us. I don't know if he's shot or not, man. He shot fucking first.

The dude shot at him. Why the fuck would he do that? I know this is intense, so let's take a quick commercial break before getting back to it. 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.

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I sense. You need a two-inch angle brush for the trim in your family room, regal-selected and eggshell finish, and directions to the post office. Benjamin Moore paint is only sold at locally owned stores. Benjamin Moore, see the love. Okay, so we are four minutes into this Weldon Boyd 911 call and Weldon is saying that Scott Spivey shot at them and he's saying in a way that would make it seem that the shots that went Spivey's way were in retaliation for that. It's hard to hear on

this audio recording but David isolated the sounds and it sounds like there were about 25 rounds that went off but that's not a scientific assessment we just wanted to give you sort of an idea of what we're hearing on our end. Where are you at? I'm on Camp Swamp Road. You turned off from nine, you're on Camp Swamp Road. Yes, this dude, he fucking shot at her. Why the fuck would he do that?

I don't know. Man, what the fuck? Man, he might be dead. We don't know, man. Why the fuck would he do that? Why did you fucking do that? How quick can you get me a cop here? They're a-comin'. You think you hit him? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, no. 100%. He got out, held the gun up, and then he whacked it, and when he whacked it, I tried to put the truck in reverse and get the fuck out of here and then he shot.

I don't know if he shot my truck. I don't know where it hit, but as soon as he shot, man, I shot back. I can't risk my fucking life like that. I understand. I can't hear you. I'm in my truck and it's loud. I've got to get out my truck and see if this dude's alive or not. Okay.

Alright. Do I get off the phone? What do I do? Do you have another mag? Hand me another mag. How far from Howie 9 are you on Camp Swamp Road? Do you want me to check to see if the guy's alive or not? I wouldn't get too close in case he shoots again. How far from Highway 9 on Camp Swamp are you? We're right off the road. How far away from him are you? I was trying to back up and get away from him. I'm probably 30 yards. Yeah, he fucking shot at him. He swung at me on the road, he held a gun out the window.

Don't go out there, man. The dude's crazy. Did you see him do that to us? Please fucking stay here and call the cop. Please don't leave. Is there an officer there? No, there's a guy here who said he watched the dude do all this to us. Okay. How far apart are you from the other vehicle? 30 yards. Please don't leave! Please! He's... man, how quick... how far out are we? They're on the way. I'll stay on the phone until I get there.

How far out did you say? They're on the way, hold on. Can I call my mama? So as you heard, things don't really add up too well here, just based on what we're hearing in that phone call. The evidence doesn't add up too well either. For instance, Weldon says that Scott jumped out of his vehicle and began shooting at him. And that's when Weldon shot Scott.

But Scott was shot to death inside his truck. His body was slumped over his center console with his gun just under his hand. We are going to break all of this down in a future episode, so hang tight. For now, just know that the evidence didn't seem to match the account of what happened. But we'll leave you with this 911 call from one of the several witnesses who saw pieces of what happened. I am, I don't even know, I just came down from a, one second, I'm really sorry, somebody just shot somebody in the middle of the road. I am at the corner of Camp Swamp Road and somebody just unloaded, shot through his windshield

and shot this guy. Oh, okay. I'm at the corner of Highway 9 and Swamp Creek Road. Okay, what's your first and last name? Don't go over there. Alright. The gentleman. Alright, can you spell your last name for me?

Yep. And the phone number you're calling me from, Mr. Frank. Oh my god. Okay. And what's going on? I know you said shots fired there. Okay, so a guy got out of his truck, he was in a black truck, he got out of his truck with a pistol drawn, the slide was open. He told the guy, do not follow me anymore. The guy in the white truck had his gun drawn pointed at him.

And the guy in the black truck kind of like moved his pistol and the guy in the white truck just unloaded a complete magazine at the guy. Shot through his back window and I think he might have hit him. A little explanation here. What the caller is saying is that he saw Scott's by-vie get out of his truck with his gun in the slide of his gun open, racked back. And again, police noted that when they saw Scott's body in his truck, his gun was under his hand in that same locked back position. Why are two separate people noting this? Because it indicates that Scott's gun was not in a position to shoot.

Now I know there are some of you in the middle of typing emails to us right now to tell us that there are no warnings when it comes to guns. If a person presents a pistol, it's fair game to shoot that person to protect your life. Let's set that aside for now. But again, pause on this point and hold on to it. Scott's body was in his truck, and according to sources, he was shot from behind. Did he take cover after shooting at Weldon and Bradley, or did he say what he wanted to say?

Why are you following me? Stop following me! And then get back to his car to drive off? We will explore that later. Scott was in the black truck. Weldon and Bradley were behind him in the white truck. Scott got out, drew his pistol with the slide back. Notice how the caller didn't say that Scott pointed the gun at Weldon and Bradley. He said that Weldon, the guy in the white truck, had his gun pointed at Scott.

The caller said Scott told Weldon and Bradley to stop following him. According to court records, Scott also asked Weldon and Bradley why they were following him. And along the way, which was nine miles, Scott had been break checking Weldon to get him to back off. OK. And what color of the vehicle was the vehicle that the individual was in that actually shot the weapon?

It's a white Dodge Ram with a trailer on it. They're both sitting there. I did not see the guy that shot at the guy that It's a white Dodge Ram with a trailer on it. They're both sitting there. I did not see the guy that was shooting, did not get out of his truck. I'm not going to... Holy shit. I mean, I was driving by and bullets were going by. I'm like, I saw the cussing. I'm like, please... Alright, you're okay. And this was into the black truck?

What kind of truck was the black truck? The black truck was in a Dodge Ram 2. He shot at the guy and completely blew out his back window. I don't know if there's kids in that car. I don't know who's in that car, but he just unloaded into this truck. So, that sounds terrifying. Here, the caller describes the scene for the dispatcher.

Weldon is out and talking to witnesses. In the meantime, another witness came up to the man on the phone with 911 and said that she saw Scott try to run Weldon and Bradley off the road. The caller then tells the dispatcher that Scott was chasing Weldon and Bradley, which hold on to that thought. Ma'am, so just just so you know, there's somebody else that saw it. The guy in the black truck was trying to run the white truck off the road. Like literally drove the white truck off the road. He was like way down at Longs when it started. The guy in the black truck was chasing the white truck down trying to drive him off the

road. That's I guess when he got out with the pistol. But there's other people here that said this guy's been chasing this guy in the white truck for a couple miles now trying to drop him off the road. Okay, so three things to note here. One, the caller is relaying secondhand information. He did not see the chase. Two, Weldon had already been around talking to witnesses at this point.

We don't know exactly what this woman who spoke to the 911 caller saw, but this appears to be an account that worked in Weldon's favor and that investigators, at least in part, might have relied on. And three, again, Weldon admitted to 911 he continued to pursue Spivey's vehicle and was pursuing Spivey when he got out of his vehicle. Here the caller continues to update the dispatcher. Driver, the black truck, he's dead. The guy that drives the white truck walked up to check on him and he said he's dead.

Oh my God. Okay, I am putting that in here, okay? We are having officers come there. There is an officer coming down Highway 9 right now. Yep, right now there's some witnesses, a driver, a white truck. He's not had a firearm on him. Everyone's just calmed down, but he just said he walked up and saw him. The guy's dead. Okay. All right. We do have officers come in there, okay?

Do not disturb anything in that truck. And if you can, go ahead and tell people around there not to disturb anything in there either, okay? Okay. All right. Go ahead and tell people around there not to disturb anything in there either, okay? Right after media began reporting on this, people started asking questions. And according to posts on social media, Weldon began sharing photos from the incident with his friends, including a photo of Scott holding his pistol in his left hand and displaying it outside the window of his truck, which he was driving at the time. Scott was a righty, so it's likely he was holding it for Weldon to see. But obviously that photo was meant to show that Scott was the aggressor,

right? And people taking up for Weldon on social media, after many people began saying that Weldon story did not make sense, took that picture as hard indisputable evidence that Weldon's story did add up. But the same people never put any significance on the fact that the photo was taken from behind. Meaning, how was Scott chasing Weldon and Bradley if Weldon was able to get that photo? Now yeah, it's not a great look to be waving a pistol out of a window while driving on a busy business route for nearly 10 miles, but let's ask a question here. If Scott was utterly confused by what was happening, why is this truck with these two guys in it chasing me so aggressively? Would it make sense for him to be filled with adrenaline

trying to escape the situation to the point that it made sense to show the truck behind him that he was armed. We don't know what went down. Did Weldon show a gun? Did Bradley show a gun? Were words exchanged? Did Scott allegedly run Weldon and Bradley off the road with his truck because he was trying to get away from them? Or trying to push him off the road for other reasons, more nefarious. Weldon supporters have asked why Scott didn't call 911 if he was the victim.

And it's a great question, right? He could have just asked Siri to do the work for him on that. We'll get into the possible answers to this question later, but remember, this was good old boy country. and calling the police in areas like that isn't always seen as dialing up a hero for some people. Scott was mere miles from the border of North Carolina, his home turf. Maybe he thought getting there was the best idea to de-escalate this situation. We've also seen Weldon supporters being like, duh, they didn't charge him because Weldon's supporters being like, duh, they didn't charge him because Weldon records everything from a dashboard camera, which in Weldon's case was possibly a tablet he had mounted to the dash of

his truck. But no dashboard camera footage from Weldon has ever been produced to investigators. Initially, the police didn't even seize his phone or his tablet. While we will go through each piece of evidence that we can get our hands on in this investigation, we know enough to say that the same agency that failed Micah has failed Scott. We could go back and forth all day about details of the moments leading up to Scott's death, but it boils down to this. Weldon Boyd called police in a road rage incident, and he admitted that he was following a man who was waving a gun.

Again, on the 911 call, Weldon Boyd said the words, I'm gonna put him down and we're gonna try to keep following him, moments before Scott Spivey was shot to death in his truck. Now, I want you to close your eyes and imagine an emotional Micah Francis a year ago today. Imagine what a 911 operator would have told her if she was chasing a man who was waving a gun. Imagine what police would say to her if she pulled over and shot the man that she was chasing. Do we think that Horry County police would have said that that shooting was justified? Or do we think that she would have been charged with murder and denied bail because the system would have deemed her a threat to herself and others, given that she had just killed a man over a road rage incident.

That said, Weldon and Bradley have not been charged in this case and are innocent until proven guilty, right? But it is very telling that this case is being reopened right now. What evidence prompted that? Because let's be real, Horry County Police, the Solicitor's Office, SLED, and the Attorney General's Office all looked at this case and found nothing? Why do they need to look again? And why is the FBI involved? And why do we have any hope for justice in this case almost two years later? Well, in June, Scott Spivey's sister, Jennifer Foley, filed a wrongful death lawsuit

against Weldon Boyd and Bradley Williams. And guess who their attorney is? Mark the Tiger Tinsley, AKA Zero Dark Tinsley, AKA the attorney in South Carolina known for taking on the most complicated cases against defendants that most would consider to be untouchable, A.K.A. Ellic Murdoch. And he's known for going to great lengths to expose corruption and get justice for his

clients. So yes, the Jane Doe cases against J. against JP Miller, the Murdoch case, and the Spivey case all have that Zero Dark Tinsley factor at play. Like we keep saying, there is so much to peel back here, including the revelation that after shooting Scott Spivey to death, Wildon Boyd allegedly joked about getting a te tear drop tattoo. You know, like a gang member bragging about murder. More on that in a later episode. And thank you to our listeners for all of your tips on this. Please continue reaching out. We keep all of our sources anonymous unless they want to be on the record.

We don't know what happened on the road that day. Scott is not here to defend himself, but sometimes the truth is really easy to hide, and yet really hard to delete. We have so much more information to share with you about this case in its intersection with Micah's death. Stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True Sunlight is a Lunashark production

created by me, Mandy Matney, co-hosted and reported by journalist Liz Farrell. Research support provided by Beth Braden. 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 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.