Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #99 - A Symphony of Lies: Scott Spivey’s Sister Forces Officials to Face Truth + More Weldon Boyd Calls and Texts Paint A Dark Picture

Episode Date: May 8, 2025

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell dive into the fight for justice for Scott Spivey, who was killed in a shooting incident in Horry County, SC, after allegedly being chased for nine miles. Scott's sister, Jennifer Spivey Foley, has emerged as a powerful force demanding accountability. Along with attorney Mark ‘The Tiger’ Tinsley, Jennifer's lawsuit has unearthed a "treasure trove of evidence" pointing to an allegedly "corrupt and inept investigation by Horry County Police" and a flawed review by SLED and the Attorney General's Office. Jennifer reveals how she discovered crucial audio recordings from evidence collected on the shooter Weldon Boyd's phone, which contradict the official narrative. You'll hear Jennifer's powerful and emotional speech before the Horry County Council, where she outlined the biased investigation, mishandling of evidence (including Scott's body), and challenged officials directly. We also share the chilling audio from Weldon's own phone where he boasts Scott was "terrified" during the chase. The episode explores the political response, including a letter from Horry County lawmakers asking the governor to intervene. We scrutinize State Representative William Bailey's decision not to sign this letter and examine disturbing recorded phone calls where Weldon Boyd discusses a potential "proclamation for bravery" allegedly crafted by his attorney Ken Moss and SC State Rep. Bailey. Bailey denies involvement, but his statements appear contradicted by the evidence. We also dissect the Horry County Police Department's press conference aimed at mitigating backlash. Chief Kris Leonhart's explanation of "improperly labeled videos" is obviously inadequate. More significantly, Chief Leonhart's claim that former Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland had "no action on scene" is directly countered by Strickland's own voice on tape admitting he was "working in the shadows" for Weldon Boyd the night of the shooting.  Lots to cover, so let's dive in... 🥽🦈 Episode Resources Stay up-to-date and follow Mandy, Liz, and Beth on Facebook! 👀 “ACT LIKE A VICTIM - CAMERA” Note Video 🎞️ Horry County Council Meeting - May 6, 2025 🎞️ Horry County PD Press Conference - May 7, 2025 🎞️ Premium Links Scott Spivey Wrongful Death Lawsuit - June 3, 2024⁠ 📄 ⁠Motion to Compel in Wrongful Death Lawsuit - May 2, 2025⁠ 📄 ⁠Jimmy Richardson’s Letter to SC AG’s Office - Sept 15, 2023⁠ 📄 Referenced Episodes: COJ 128 & TSP 97 🎧 Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ ⁠⁠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! *** Thank you to Lori M. for an adjustment near 27:55 :) 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

From commutes that become learning sessions to dishwashing filled with laughs, podcasts can help you make the most out of your everyday. And when it comes to everyday spending, you can count on the PC Insider's World Elite MasterCard to help you earn the most PC optimum points everywhere you shop. The PC Insider's World Elite MasterCard, the card for living unlimited. Conditions apply to all benefits. Visit PCFinancial.ca for details. I don't know how many Horry County heads will roll when the whole truth of the Scott Spivey case comes to light.

But after observing public agents and agencies orchestrate a symphony of lies in their diabolical handling of this investigation, the good ol old boys should prepare for sunlight and pressure like they've never seen before. My name is Manny Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption previously known as the Murdoch Murders Podcast. True Sunlightlight is a Luna Shark production written with journalist Liz Farrell. Okay, deep breaths everybody because I am full of rage today. Earlier this week, Liz and I sat down with Scott Spivey's mother Deborah and sister Jennifer Folley for Cup of Justice episode 128.

And y'all, if you haven't listened to it yet, please grab some tissues and click the link in the description because these two heroic women are a huge part of this story. Jennifer is the reason why we are talking about this case right now. Jennifer refused to accept the lies she was fed by Horry County Police. Jennifer knew the way they were treated on scene wasn't right.

Jennifer knew something was wrong when her brother was shot to death on a rural road and no one was arrested because police said that the man who shot him, good old boy Weldon Boyd, was acting in self-defense. Even after, Weldon chased Scott for over nine miles. Jennifer stepped up to demand answers for her brother, and she hasn't stopped fighting since she went to the scene of his death on a rural Horry County road on September 9th, 2023.

In this week's Cup of Justice, Jennifer and Deborah walked us through all of the steps that they have taken in their journey to get justice for Scott, including the explosive lawsuit filed by Mark Tinsley that has revealed a treasure trove of evidence pointing to a corrupt and inept investigation by Horry County Police and a corrupt and inept investigation by Horry County Police, and a corrupt and inept review of that investigation by Sled in the Attorney General's office. During this week's COJ, Jennifer told us about polling an all-nighter when she received those explosive files in the case,

including the audio files from the phone of shooter Weldon Boyd that were buried in a nest of subfolders and labeled with numbers. Here is a clip from Cup of Justice 128. I sat down Super Bowl Sunday, sent my children to my mother-in-law's, and I pulled an all-nighter. It was the first one I pulled since college. And I opened up the first folder, opened up the first folder, first folder, and then it just unfolds everything that was in the phone and I don't know whose phone I was looking at at the

time. And then the first file in there is an audio recording and I was like, what is this? And I listened to a few more and then I finally listened to the one that says 9-1-1 on it. And I realized that that 9-1-1 tape doesn't sound anything like the one from Horry County. The Horry County version, there's so much feedback from the dispatch room. The dispatch room is very loud. You can't really hear what's going on inside that truck. In the version that I got with the recordings, you can hear everything. When he says I want to chase him down, you hear that motor is maxed out.

You can hear his passenger say slow down, slow down, slow down. You can hear the shots. You can hear everything. You can hear his passenger say, GD at Weldon, why the F cut you just left him alone. And he hit me. They knew what they were doing. They knew what they were doing. And all this whole time the police have said they haven't they have the right to be there. They're protecting underneath Castle Doctrine. Well you know what I had to do is put all these pieces together and I've had to make the case myself

to hand back to them. Those pictures that they took from inside their truck, when I got those pictures, they have metadata on them, GPS points on every single picture. You drop those pictures in a map, time over distance you got speed. The shooter's truck is moving at 100 miles per hour between pictures. That's not Scott's truck, that's the shooter's truck. In order for Stand Your Ground to be applicable, like you have to not be doing something unlawful. What is the threshold of

unlawful in South Carolina? I mean if I got pulled over doing a hundred miles per hour on the highway, they'd take my license and they'd take me to jail that day. Like I don't understand how we get to this point where the castle doctrine is all that we're going to talk about. And it just felt like finding those tapes, it was like the betrayal all over again. It's like everything I knew happened is solidified right here. I mean I asked Sled, I asked the attorney general's office, I said something's going on between Horry County and Weldon. What is going on? Look at their phones because they didn't take their phones. It took three months for them to get their phones. You hear that? That is the sound of a smart woman who knows exactly what she's talking about

and a woman who is on a mission for the truth. A woman who is a force to be reckoned with and will not stop until she gets justice for her little brother. On the evening after our explosive COJ episode aired, Jennifer Spivey Folley, backed by an army of over 100 Justice for Scott Spivey supporters,

spoke at the Horry County Council meeting, where she eloquently called out Horry County leadership for their inaction in her brother's case, and made another plea for help, getting Governor Henry McMaster to assign a special prosecutor to look into Scott's case. Before we get into her amazing speech and Horry County Police Department's absurd press conference

following the speech, to of course mitigate the mess that they made, I want to remind y'all how we got here in this story. On September 9th, 2023, Scott Spivey of Tabor City, North Carolina was shot to death following a road rage incident involving Weldon Boyd and Bradley Williams.

No charges were filed against the two men who shot Scott to death because Horry County Police had quickly determined that Scott was the suspect and that the two men who shot him to death were the victims. In other words, they quickly claimed that this was a case of self-defense.

And Horry County Police took the shooters at their word and seemed to bend the investigation in that direction. In 2024, the Attorney General's office reviewed, and reviewed is in air quotes because they didn't, and determined everything was all good and there was nothing to see in those files. Again, people, this is why we need a special prosecutor here. Looking at you, Henry McMaster. So after that happened, Jennifer Spivey Foley reached out to Zero Dark Tensley, aka Mark Tensley, the lawyer who helped take down Ellc Murdoch and is known for filing massive lawsuits to

expose South Carolina corruption. Jennifer and Mark worked together and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Boyd and Williams. In discovery, the Spivey family received a massive amount of evidence in the case, including Weldon's own recorded phone calls right after the shooting with Horry County Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland. Strickland, apparently, saw the writing on the wall with a lawsuit, and he saw what was about to come out, and Horry County police allowed him to resign in March, which is when we started covering this story back in episode 91.

Shortly after he resigned, we exposed his phone calls on this podcast where he admits to working in the shadows on behalf of Weldon in the investigation. And he admits to literally sending a good old boy to the scene to advocate for ol' Weldon. Since Strickland's resignation, Horry County police have continued to lie to the public, and the Horry County media

has largely supported them in this endeavor to soften the massive corruption exposed in this case. Remember last week when Lunashark reporter Beth Braden found a note on a body cam from the scene of the crime written by officer Damon Biscovi telling Weldon Boyd to act like a victim for the camera while police were quote unquote investigating the scene of the crime. Lunashark published this video before Horry County held its press conference. Because we wanted to force them to be open with the public. Luna Shark Media announced this discovery before Horry County Police lied to the public

and claimed that they made this discovery on their own. And yet, Horry County Police spokesperson, Makayla Moskov, you know, the one who refused to answer our questions about the Micah Francis investigation until I publicly shamed her on Twitter? That one." Well, she continued to double down on this lie. She told the Sun News last week that,

quote, it was inaccurate that an outside entity was the source for the information used to terminate the SCOVIE. That is what the Sun News reported. She claimed, according to the Sun News, that Horry County police were conducting their own investigation when they happened to see the note at the exact same time Sled did, which is interesting, because we know when Sled found out. It was late afternoon on April 22, after Beth was looking through body camera footage for us. She called Liz, who passed the information on to Mark Tinsley, who immediately alerted Sled chief Mark Keel and the agents investigating Brandon Strickland.

"...We wanted to post about this right away, but out of respect for the investigation and the fact that Vescovich was on vacation at the time, we waited. We agreed to wait until Sled had spoken with Vescovy." Which they did the morning of the press conference. So unless all three of us, Lunashark, Sled, and Horry County, happen to pick up on the same 10 seconds of body camera video in a case file that contains 32,000 pages worth of data. Horry County Police are liars, and they continue to double down on that lie. We don't need or want credit from Horry County Police.

We just wanted them to be honest with the public and not use our work and Sled's work to cover for their own failures." In the meantime, every agency that has the authority to step in and do a proper investigation into Scott Spivey's death and the surrounding corruption has treated this case like a political hot potato. Horry County Police have asked Sled and the FBI to investigate it. Horry County Council has asked Governor McMaster to step in and appoint a special prosecutor to review the homicide case.

And not one agency has the guts to stand up and just say, "...What happened here was wrong and we will be in charge of this investigation to right the wrongs." And that brings us to Tuesday's Horry County Council meeting, where Jennifer Spivey Folley bravely stood up and spoke about her brother's case. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the council. I want to thank you and the people of Horry County for this opportunity to speak. Tonight, my family and I stand before you to advocate for your insistence of justice. Not simply for justice for my brother Scott Ryan Spivey and not just for my

family but for the community. Thank you for what you have done so far with the letter to the governor. The night my brother was killed our lives were changed forever. I wear black tonight not just to mourn the loss of my brother but also to mourn the loss that we have in those that were sworn to protect and serve. The words hanging over the door of Horry County Police Department reads, professionals at work for you. These words carry a hollow meaning for my family. We trust law enforcement to protect us, to do the right thing.

The rule of law requires that people in these positions are required to be ethical, moral, and abide by the rules. But the truth in Scott's case never had a chance from the beginning. Its outcome was determined before the real investigation ever got started. All we ever asked for was a fair, true, and just investigation. As you all know that did not happen. We are disappointed to continue to discover the acts of Horry County Police Department officers that assisted in this biased investigation. These officers took an oath to uphold and protect individuals in their jurisdiction to ensure the application and protection of their constitutional rights,

the same rights that we all have. As the former Deputy Chief said, dead men tell no tales. In this case, it seems that many people of authority believe that since dead men can't tell any tales, their voice doesn't matter. I speak for those tonight who cannot speak for themselves, and that is my brother. Imagine meeting with these people

that are entrusted to protect your life and your family, and when you start to ask simple questions, you are immediately dismissed with indignation. We were repeatedly asked about the relationships of Horry County Police Department and the shooters and we were dismissed every single time. We were lied to when investigators and the prosecutor told us that they looked. They didn't. How could they have looked and ignored all the evidence that has brought us here tonight? We were lied to and we were told that there was no evidence to warrant prosecution. Our family was never notified of Scott's death. Now I also ask you to imagine

being told later of the indignity that was done to my brother's body when he was towed in his vehicle. Scott was left in his truck in 77 degree heat for six hours, sealed up and towed across County to have his body drugged out on the ground, stripped and photographed in the impound lot. To have the County only try to justify this to claim that there was a threat of inclement weather. I ask yourselves would you want your loved one done that way? The County owns tents, they own the lighting. There was no reason for this to have happened. Now imagine hearing the secret recording conversations of an officer telling the shooter what was done to help him. What

else was done? There are two hours of body cam footage missing from the scene that night. They were told to turn their body cams off. And so all of this, these decisions to tow my brother and his truck, these that were executed are missing. No one is taking accountability for them. They refuse even now. The tow sheets that have my brother's name on them, it says victim slash truck. No one signed them. Scott was told to preserve evidence. Detective Allen Jones had to come back to my brother's truck three times to get more evidence out of his truck. Three times, and those pieces of evidence are not indicated in the police report.

The 300 pages of the police report I have. Many questions have been raised surrounding the evidence that weren't taken from the beginning. Evidence that is known by detectives to be present that were on electronic devices that were in the truck. They were not seized because our family was told that they had no probable cause because no crime had been committed. There was a dash cam in the truck of the individual that shot my brother. That dash cam has a video on it.

That is in their recordings and that is in text messages. And that recording of my brother's last minutes on this earth sat in that truck for four days on the Horry County Police Department's inbound lot. That is unacceptable. Sled admits that they have missed the calls. They dismissed it. The prosecutor will not admit, the AG's prosecutor will not admit that she did not listen to them either. How can Alan Wilson's office determine that there is insufficient evidence to bring charges on the two shooters when they haven't even looked? When they haven't even considered the law. The AG told my family that nothing mattered prior to the incident that

happened on Camp Swamp Road. It did not matter that Boyd and Williams chased my brother at speeds at close to or over 100 miles per hour for nine miles. How could they not consider that when you clearly hear the shooters say they have their guns drawn to? Right from the beginning. In Boyd's own admission in his tape to his mother, between me and you, mama. Yes, Scott knew he was being followed. He just ran me off the road and I was like F that guy and I chased him. I was on his ass and his truck couldn't outrun mine and Scott knew it. Scott was terrified. Those are his ones.

Imagine being chased down and somebody telling you that this is a stand your ground case. No reasonable person can say that those shooters were without fault on bringing on this difficulty. Our family has been told that all evidence was clearly and thoroughly examined to reach the AG's decision. You know it wasn't or y'all wouldn't have written a letter to the governor and thank you for that. Pause real quick. We went back to the tapes and listened to the phone call where Weldon told his mother

that Scott had been terrified when he was chasing him. We want you to hear this for yourself. When I told this dispatcher that I'm going to follow this guy so I can tell you where he's going, his response was okay so there's no wrong thank you for following oh he knew I was following him yeah my me and you talking he knew he had fucked up at that point because all the other cars slammed on brakes and was trying to get away from them and I was like he just ran me off the road and aimed a gun at Raleigh's head.

Fuck this guy and I chased him. Oh I was on his ass and his truck couldn't outrun my truck and he knew it. So yeah he was terrified. I believe 100% he had realized he's fucked up, he's probably going to jail, and he's running. And then for some reason when he turned down that road, I turned. He decided it was just going to be a fight. Again Weldon's own words telling on himself. Words that should have been heard by a number of law enforcement officials who claimed they

had thoroughly reviewed this case but did nothing until they absolutely had to. By the way, while Jennifer was speaking, Horry County Police Chief Chris Leonhart and three other officers were standing off to the side with their backs against the wall. And if that isn't a visual representation for what is happening in this case, I don't know what is. Let's talk more about Jennifer's pivotal speech that sent Horry County officials shaking in their boots after a quick commercial break. 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. Jennifer Spivey Foley pulled no punches in her 10-minute speech to County Council. And honestly, we don't want to cut any of this from the podcast because every word she said matters. Through discovery, I found the amounts of evidence that were never reviewed. Did these agencies fail to investigate or did they investigate and turn a blind eye to all the evidence? There are 90 recorded phone calls.

There are hundreds of text messages and there is a wealth of metadata on those pictures that are on those phones, regardless of the missing video. Body cam footage displaying blatant and inappropriate interactions between the officers on scene. Clear violations of standard protocols by everyone, like coaching the shooters to act like a victim. These noted actions are not only displayed with the shooter's malice intentions and vile enjoyment of killing my brother, but it also depicts the police department's complacency in the obstruction of justice and what actually happened in the shadows. We will continue to fight for justice that is the price we pay for loving Scott. We will not stop until all the acts of these officers and anyone else involved who participated in

this are held accountable. All we have ever wanted was the truth and we will continue to advocate for Scott's case to be reopened with a thorough investigation by an honest prosecutor who is willing to actually review all the evidence, apply South Carolina's laws to the actions of that day. We are only asking people to do the job that they were sworn to do. We ask that you demand the governor to appoint a special prosecutor independent of the AG's office. He has the power to do that. In closing, Horry County's mission statement reads, compassionately serving our community through partnerships and professionalism. And that's what my family's been asking for and I appreciate your hand in trying to help us accomplish that. I appreciate our neighbors,

the South Carolina delegates and the governor of South Carolina to demand a fair and just investigation. We need your support in this fight. The trust in those who are sworn to protect us has been broken. How can Ortee County constituents, tourists, bordering locals trust the justice and unbiased service here. We ardently and respectfully request the council to take action to help restore the community's trust. With all the evidence available to the public now, I hope everyone realizes there is no rug left to sweep anything under. Demand the governor to act if he won't. Please demand the sheriff to act. Do something more than what's been done to date.

This is not just my family's problem. We must all continue our fight until justice is had. I would like to thank the council again for the opportunity to speak. And we also want to thank the people of Horry County that have recognized that reform is needed. We pray that these requests have fallen on open ears and concerned hearts, and I pray that you all sleep tonight knowing that no blind eye can be turned to Scott's Bible anymore. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Hold on a minute. I guess, I guess you don't want me to talk. Jennifer received a standing ovation that was immediately interrupted in the most good ol' boy of ways by Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner. On April 17th, which is about six weeks after Horry County was made aware of the recorded calls and what was on them, Johnny Gardner sent a letter to Governor Henry McMaster praising Horry County Police Department saying they had his utmost respect and trust, while asking the governor to appoint a special prosecutor to clean up their mess. That said, when Jennifer was finished speaking, Gardner ordered her to stay where she was, but she left the podium. As people clapped and shouted, justice for Scott, Gardner whined into the microphone, I guess no one wants me to talk.

When the noise died down, he continued his passive aggressive ways. He told Jennifer that the council understood her quote, situation, her situation, and that they had tried to help just as the police had tried to help, which is laughable. And also incredibly tone deaf because, hello, telling Jennifer

that the police were trying to help her is like telling a hiker that bears are good tour guides. Beyond that, this isn't a situation, it's a crisis. Gardner held out a sheet of paper and told Jennifer that if she had stayed where she was, he would have given it to her. It being a letter from members of the Horry County Legislative Delegation asking Governor McMaster, who is taking the wait-and-see approach on this, to appoint a special prosecutor.

And then Gardner all but patted Jennifer on the head and told her to be a good girl now. As you can imagine, the internet was on fire Tuesday night. And please, follow Liz, Beth, and me on Facebook if you want to see how angry Horry County citizens are with their police department for their blatant corrupt ways in handling this case. On Tuesday night, a letter signed by nine Horry County lawmakers and not signed by the representative who was mentioned in several of Weldon Boyd's phone calls asked Governor

Henry McMaster to step in and review all of the evidence in the Scott Spivey case. The letter was signed by nine of Horry County's 16 legislative delegates. So I want to take a moment and say thank you for doing your jobs to Representatives Kevin Hardy, Lucas Atkinson, Heather Ammons Crawford, Case Brittain, Jackie Hayes, Tim McGinnis, Carla Schussler, Carl Anderson, and Val Guest. And yes, Val Guest was JP Miller's lawyer. This is a very small world. As for the noticeably absent senators, which I'll name,

Luke Rankin, Greg Hembree, Kent Williams, Ronnie Saab, and Stephen Goldfish, along with the noticeably absent representatives, Jeff Johnson and William Bailey. We see you. We don't know what exactly is up with the senators of Horry County or why exactly Jeff Johnson didn't sign this, but we do need to talk about

William Bailey for a minute. But before we do that, a little background on Horry County. Horry County is the largest tourism market in South Carolina. Around 12% of the county's government revenue comes from tourism, which is roughly 80 million dollars per year. Each of these delegates knows how important and essential tourism is to Horry County. And each of them know how quickly its economy would shatter if people stopped visiting the Myrtle Beach area. At the heart of the Scott Spivey case is an ongoing and increasing issue in Horry County,

which is public safety or lack thereof. Why would anyone want to visit a county where police officers actively worked a crime scene to protect a man who followed another man for nine miles before shooting him to death? Why would anyone want to visit a state where certain members of society are allowed to chase you and shoot you to death and claim it was self-defense,

while knowing that every law enforcement agency all the way to the top will take the side of the shooter. Why would anyone want to visit a place where laws don't matter, especially when it comes to a certain few like Weldon Void? And that protection offered to a certain select few endangers the entire public. Let's be real here. Until Horry County Police Department's dirty deeds were exposed through Jennifer Spivey's civil lawsuit and they were forced by the public to look into the investigation that they said was over, they would have never sought any accountability

for the Spivey case. Ever. They are only investigating this case right now because they absolutely have to. For over a year, Horry County's actions to cover up their own and their inaction, letting this case just sit there, and taking no steps to hold anyone accountable for Scott Spivey's homicide, that has sent a message, loud and clear, to visitors and residents of the Myrtle Beach area. Come to Horry County, South Carolina, where a man can chase you for nine miles

before shooting you to death, and the police will work hard to make sure that man gets away with it by claiming self-defense. What happened to Scott Spivey could have happened to anyone. Remember, we don't know what exactly started the beef between Scott and Weldon that evening in September 2023. We do know from hundreds of text messages and calls and Facebook posts from Weldon leading up to the incident that he was a man full of rage and baby mama problems on that day.

From where we stand, what happened to Scott Spivey could happen to anyone. And I wouldn't advise anyone to visit the Myrtle Beach area until Horry County police actually clean house instead of dancing around the sunlight like a bunch of lying fools. The message Horry County has sent in this case from day one has been clear. Horry County is not a safe place where you can rely on law enforcement to protect you if something bad happens.

That is all to say that the delegation got involved because they absolutely should have gotten involved. And if they don't take action in this case to right the major wrongs that have been exposed before the public, then they shouldn't be lawmakers representing the people of Horry County. Now, let's talk about William Bailey, the representative who did not sign his name on this letter

asking for an independent prosecutor to be assigned to the Scott Spivey case. Why didn't he sign his name? Well, because he's a coward, at best. That's my opinion, based on his politicking responses to Beth Brayden this week. To recap, in episode 97, we talked about multiple phone calls recorded by Weldon Boyd,

where it was discussed that state lawmaker, William Bailey, who represents North Myrtle Beach, Little River, and Longs, South Carolina, was apparently working on a whole plan to use his taxpayer-funded power to bolster Weldon's whole I'm Not a Murderer campaign and publicly declare him a hero on behalf of the state legislature.

Beth Braden reached out to Representative Bailey this week to ask him if what Weldon said in the recorded phone calls was true. Did Bailey really intend on giving Weldon a hero award for shooting Scott Spivey to death? Bailey was quick to respond. I'll have David read his email to Beth. I do not know Mr. Boyd personally or any other person related to this tragedy. No proclamation was ever considered. Yes, I was asked by Mr. Moss and I told him no, that this situation was tragic situation involving a death. As far as the mayor of NMB,

I hope she serve as long as she feels she can effectively serve. And I, at this time, I have not heard of a better candidate for the position. Thank you for reaching out. So Bailey claims that Weldon's attorney, Ken Moss, asked him to give Weldon a hero award, and Bailey claims that he was like, no way, Jose. But this is contradicted by what is in the case file, where it's undeniable that Weldon

was told that this plan was crafted by both his attorney and Mr. Bailey. And it is also undeniable that Weldon told others that his attorney was actively working with Mr. Bailey. So there is that. And hold on, in that same email, Bailey claimed that he didn't know anyone related to this quote unquote tragedy. So Beth asked if he could clarify,

does he even know Ken Moss, who is definitely related to this tragedy? In response, he said quote, "'Sorry, let me clarify. Mr. Moss has been my attorney since 2008, so I do know him.'" When Beth asked Bailey, if Ken Moss is working as his attorney, the good ol' boy inside Bailey couldn't help but shine through. He was so quick to say that Quinn was not his attorney at the

moment, but he quote, has respect for his ability, and quote, would definitely call him if he needed an attorney. Notice how careful Bailey was to not piss off Weldon's attorney, who definitely roped him into this case that he calls a mess. If someone threw my name around in the way that Kit Noss is apparently throwing Bailey's name around, again, according to Weldon's phone, wouldn't you lose respect for that person? Wouldn't you want to publicly separate from that person and definitely not tell a podcast how much you respect him and his ability? I'm just guessing here, but I am pretty sure this is good ol' boy code for something else

is going on that Bailey is not telling us. His story just doesn't add up in my opinion and it directly contradicts what has been revealed in the case file. And his reaction to cover for Ken Moss absolutely contradicts his answers here because William Bailey is calling Ken Moss a liar. Weldon says Ken Moss told him that Bailey had hoped that Bailey had helped come up with the plan. Weldon would have no reason to lie about that context. Therefore, it must be Ken, right? So William Bailey would have no problem hiring a lawyer.

So William Bailey has no problem hiring a lawyer who lied about him? Huh. Anyway, Bailey told Beth that he has never met Brandon Strickland or Weldon Boyd. Here's Weldon talking to co-shooter Bradley Williams on the evening of September 12th, 2023, three days after killing Scott. Because Ken says, you hear me yell, I need a mag. Ken laughed and said, I told Bailey, it would have been fun if he yelled, we need an airstrike. You're the representative, right? Which one is Bailey?

Bailey's the state representative. Okay. He's the one you're going to meet him after this because he's going to try and get us a proclamation for bravery where we're going to have to go to Columbia and dress nice and be awarded a proclamation for the second amendment shit. The only thing about that, I mean, I get one side of me, it looks good over second amendment. The only thing about that, dude,

it's not gonna push like this pride thing towards the family where it's gone. Nothing they can do at that point. I'm not sure if you noticed this, but Weldon told Bradley that Bailey was the man you are going to meet, not we, you. No, we're going to look like, we're going to look like, Ken said that he's going to make us look like heroes before this thing's over.

That's all fine and dandy, but I don't want it to come across as arrogance. It won't come across as arrogance because here's how Bailey sees it. And Jimmy Richardson who's the head solicitor for Horry County, that's top dog. His exact words to Ken this morning were, in my opinion, those boys are heroes because this guy was a danger to everyone around him and when everybody else pulled over, backed off or fled, they followed to make sure a police officer could find him. Nice, that's always nice to hear. And let's be real, actions speak louder than words,

and Bailey chose inaction when he had the opportunity to right the wrongs in this case, when he chose not to sign a letter asking for McMaster to step in. So then, of course, Beth asked Bailey why he didn't sign the letter. He said that he doesn't want to get involved in this situation, and he doesn't think

that legislators should use their political position to sway criminal investigations. Yeah, and this is why I will always call him a coward. If you don't use your political position to call out corruption and fix the broken system that your constituents are stuck with, what exactly are you doing as a public official? What do you think your job is?

Wait, before we forget, Bailey also told Beth that he was filing a bill Wednesday to repeal the shady legislation that was shoved through the legislature in 1959 to essentially dismantle the sheriff's office in Horry County in favor of a county-wide police department that could be controlled by a local police commission. And that is a messy story for another day. But here's the thing. Bailey, the same guy who wants to

quote, stay out of this mess, is suggesting the legislature blow up a police department with an annual budget of 20 million dollars that is also a major employer in the area. That's his solution. But signing a letter along with his fellow legislators asking for a special prosecutor is too far? Make it make sense. Actually it does make sense. Here's why. Today is the last day of the legislative session in South Carolina. Homeboy sent us a one-sentence bill with no bill number on it late Wednesday afternoon and when we asked him for the names of co-sponsors he had lined up for this bill, he said quote, I am trying not to put others in a bind. In other words, there are no co-sponsors.

Bailey said he thinks he has some support though. So this feels like the political equivalent of floating a check. Bailey says that this bill he hadn't yet filed by our deadline on the night before the very last day of the legislative session will be primed and ready to go for next year because he's doing this now. And frankly it's insulting that Bailey seemed to think he could show us a mostly blank piece of paper and we would take that as a sign of his efforts with no follow-up questions. It's men like William Bailey who have no business being in politics, but unfortunately

our entire political landscape is made up of mostly cowards like him, who are so quick to stick their necks out for their good old boy buddies. but when it comes to calling out corruption and fixing the broken system that they are a part of, they recoil and claim it's not their place. Bailey is one of many public officials in Horry County who have been exposed in this case, and we will continue to shine a light on every one of them. We will be right back. So, after the Horry County Legislative Delegation Letter was published Tuesday, and after Jennifer Spivey Foley

delivered her groundbreaking speech in front of county council. Horry County police attempted to mitigate the public backlash they've been getting for this case by calling a Wednesday morning press conference. Here is police chief Chris Leonhardt, who lied in his last press conference and has not corrected that lie, giving the quote unquote update in this case. Everyone ready? Okay.

Well, good morning, everyone. Thank you again for coming. Today is the day just to, as I've spoken previously, to give you an update on our Internal Affairs investigation as that has been continuing, that I requested once discovering the news, the information of the recordings previously in this case. I've directed now an IA team. That team, we have three investigators that are dedicated every day to reviewing this case for any type of misconduct, policy violations that we may find on the part of the Ory County

Police Department. Since I've been chief, I've directed that. We have discovered last week seven additional videos that were improperly labeled. Those were reviewed and sent over to SLED as a continuation of the misconduct investigation as well as our internal affairs investigation to conduct. So as I've stated before, as new updates become available, we will get that information to you to be transparent to the community and get that information out there.

So that's the update I have for you in the case, and I'll be glad to take any questions you may have. Okay, so that's a big old nothing burger. That's their big excuse for this massive cover-up is that they mislabeled files? Like it was a simple organizational error? Girl, no. I'm not even going to get into why that is so absurd. But sadly the majority of the TV stations covering this story ran with that excuse and blasted it to their audiences.

Horry County Police want us to be happy that they are dedicating three officers to investigating this case? That doesn't matter because no one has been charged. And like I said, this police department has been caught lying multiple times. So I literally believe nothing Chief Leonhart ever says about this investigation. And neither should the public. He should know by now that he needs to earn the public's trust through action. And if he is too cowardly to do that, he should step down. As much as I am a vocal critic of the Horry County Press, see my Facebook page for more on that.

I have to give big props to Charles Perry of The Post and Courier, who asked Leonhart tough questions that made him look foolish. We need more of that." Leonhart said in the press conference that three other officers involved with the Spivey case, who have not been named yet, are being investigated for policy violations. But again, I'm not going to put any undeserved weight in his words. We need to see action. And just in case you're thinking to yourself, Mandy, you are so hard on cops.

They deserve to be trusted by the public." Well, Chief Lanhart lied to the public again in Wednesday's press conference, when he was asked about Officer Brandon Strickland. No, from what I'm aware, Brandon Strickland had no action in this case, as far as on scene. I'm sorry? What? Now I realize he said no action on scene. But sir, the deputy police chief that you allowed to resign

literally was caught on audio the day after the shooting, telling his buddy boy Weldon, the suspect, that he was literally working in the shadows of the Scott Spivey investigation. Here's a clip to remind you again. But I was up through it last night talking to him. I was working, I was in the shadows last night. I weren't there, but I was in the shadows.

And this is why Leonhart cannot be trusted. This is why the entire Horry County Police Department cannot be trusted. This is why the entire Horry County Police Department cannot be trusted. Because when the truth is exposed to the entire world, they continue to double down on their lies. I understand that he was quick to couch his words by saying he had no action in this case as far as the scene. When in reality, Strickland himself was caught on tape saying exactly what he was doing in the shadows to steer this investigation. If Leonhardt had a single shred of integrity left inside of him, he would have at least said something like, we are still investigating the extent of

Strickland's involvement in this case. That's all he needed to say. But instead, all that Wednesday's press conference showed was that good old boys will continue to double down when they are caught, and they will continue to dance around the truth when they are forced to face the sunlight. Last week, we ended the episode with the recording of that sham of an interview that was done

with now former Horry County Deputy Chief of Police Brandon Strickland. The interview was conducted by the detective Alan Jones that Brandon had described as a good old boy, the one he said he had handpicked to take care of his friend, Weldon Boyd. The interview is one of many little things that they did at the police department to quote unquote dot their I's and cross their Ts in this investigation to protect them from Scott's family later coming back and accusing them of favoritism.

And according to Brandon, this particular interview was done because, quote, they told him to do it. We're not sure who they is because Brandon was the number two guy there. There was only one guy above him. So who were the multiple people with authority over Brandon Strickland and this investigation who told him to have an interview with the detective? The answer to the question is important because it suggests a discussion and acknowledgement of the issue, which is that Weldon had a big in at the agency. Like we told you last week, Brandon lied in that interview.

He told Alan Jones that he merely informed Weldon that he couldn't come to the scene that night and that he had simply advised Weldon to cooperate with law enforcement. But really, Brandon had told Weldon that he had the right people coming his way. Brandon also didn't mention the four other phone calls he'd had with Weldon prior to that interview. The ones in which Brandon had told Weldon he was working in the shadows and gave Weldon details about the investigation that could help shape Weldon's narrative working in the shadows and gave Weldon details about the investigation that could help shape Weldon's narrative about what happened.

The calls in which Brandon told Weldon that he and Bradley were going to be okay. The call in which Brandon told Weldon the real reason they towed Scott's body to their impound lot to help paint the evidence in the best light for Weldon. Last week we also told you how this interview was not included in the original data dump that Horry County police gave to Jennifer and Mark. It wasn't until Jennifer and Mark had listened to the calls that they even knew an interview of Brandon existed.

When they asked the police for it, the file was then slipped into the Dropbox and Mark was told by Horry County that it had been there all along. But the data on the file was then slipped into the Dropbox and Mark was told by Horry County that it had been there all along. But the data on the file was clear. Someone had put that recording of their interview in the Dropbox after Mark pointed out that it was missing. This is a really big deal because it seems to indicate that Horry

County Police Department didn't want Mark to have the interview. Right. Why would that be? If it was done to keep the Spivey family from making accusations of police favoritism, then wouldn't this be rollout time? Wouldn't this be the exact circumstance Horry County Police was planning for by conducting that interview in the first place? Shouldn't they have been like, aha, we thought you'd never him? Or because they knew about the relationship between Brandon and the video? And if they knew that, why would they put it in the Dropbox?

And if they knew that, why would they put it in the Dropbox? And if they knew that, why would they put it in the Dropbox? And if they knew that, why would they put it in the Dropbox? And if they knew that, why would they put it in the Dropbox? And if they knew that, why would they put it in the Dropbox? And if they knew that why they didn't put it in the Dropbox? And if they knew Brandon was lying on that video, is that because he told them? Or because they knew about the recorded phone calls and what Brandon said on them?

And if they knew about the recorded phone calls, then how is it that nothing was done before Jennifer made it public knowledge? Anyway, the day after this charade of an interview, on September 11th, 2023, two days after Scott's death, Brandon called Weldon just before noon to check in. Brandon was in Gatlinburg at his taxpayer-funded course on how to conduct internal affairs investigations, and he was on a break.

The call lasted for 12 minutes, but most of it was redacted except this part. So I got a phone call from a from an official in this count in that county, our county, that you also know and that you're a supporter of and he told you to just sit back and relax. You're good to go. Just don't let that shit get to you that it's all gonna come out and wash. Somebody I come up there and eat lunch with one day, would you? And that's where it ends.

Cryptic, huh? Brandon got a phone call from an official in this county, that county, our county, and that official said, sit back, relax Weldon, you are good to go. Not even 48 hours after the shooting, the number two guy at Horry County Police Department is telling Weldon that someone powerful whose name Brandon didn't dare utter lest someone around him hear it, had already exonerated Weldon. Who could that person be?

Let's just put it this way. It is a very short list of people in Horry County who have a name that would be recognizable to random police officers with an earshot of Brandon Strickland at a work conference in Tennessee, who would have the type of influence where those words would mean something reassuring to Weldon.

Now, according to Weldon's Android call log, Brandon called him again at 9-12 that evening and they spoke for 22 minutes. That call was not provided in the case file that Horry County Police Department gave to Jennifer Spivey Foley and Mark Tinsley. Given the nature of the calls that were provided, it really makes you wonder how bad that call was. The day after that, on September 12th, 2023, Weldon called Brandon at 8.08 a.m.

There's no recording of that call and no information about how long it might've lasted. Real quick, let's talk more about Brandon's and Weldon's text messages to each other during the same time period. Let's rewind a bit. Just after one in the morning on September 10th, 2023, the day after the shooting, Weldon texted Brandon

to let him know that he was almost home. Ah, how sweet. I wonder if Weldon didn't have an Android, whether the two would be sharing their locations. Like we said, the next morning just before 7.30am, Brandon texted Weldon, asking him to call him when he woke up, which as you know, Weldon did. Later that afternoon, Weldon sent three screenshots to Brandon without comment. One was a Facebook comment that said, I heard Weldon Boyd got killed, but he actually killed someone.

The person he killed is a spy V. They're trying to make it look like self-defense. Weldon was let go. The guy who died was shot once in the head and grazed twice. Now for the record, Scott was grazed twice and shot once in the back. But wild that that specific information about the investigation was floating out there not even 24 hours after Scott's death. The responses to that comment were, that is correct, and oh no, Weldon is a good man.

The second and third screenshots were continuations of that back and forth, which included this comment. He was let go, never arrested. They're trying to say it was a self-defense case. He should have still been arrested and that could still come. But that's what happened. Investigation ongoing. LOL.

Investigation ongoing. They secretly cleared Weldon at the scene. There was no investigation. There was crossing of T's and a whole lot of shoulder padding. Wellden knew that an officer had told him to quote, act like a victim, and he knew, we presume, from his lawyer that he needed this to look like self-defense. So is this Wellden's own story? Or is it just a story of a man who was killed by a police officer? Well, I think that's a good question.

I think that's a good question. I think that's a good question. I think that's a good question. I think that's a good question. to quote, act like a victim. And he knew, we presume, from his lawyer that he needed this to look like self-defense. So is this Weldon thinking he's been unfairly persecuted online or is this him being like, they're on to us? Okay, now let's look at what their September 11th look like over text. Their day started just before nine with a text from Weldon. Have you heard any update from Alan?

My reputation is being ruined. The Sun News story basically makes it seem like Scott was shot while driving. That he was the road rage victim. A friend told me the family knows the details and knows Scott was the aggressor, but are letting people think the opposite to save his reputation while mine is being ruined. Brandon, I haven't heard anything. You should hear from him today or tomorrow. I read the same story.

The media does their best to stir up the best eye-catching story they can. You will be fine when the real story comes out. And it will show you weren't in the wrong. All those talking shit will have to eat their words. Weldon. Brandon. That boy straight up tried to kill me. He looked me in the eyes from 30 yards, racked his pistol, and began firing at me. And Facebook says I'm the murderer. I'm the fucking survivor. Brandon, I deal with the media daily with half reporting and stories that leave questions unanswered. I promise you when the full story comes out you will have a huge amount of support. Right now people don't know the whole story so they are quiet until they figure out what really happened.

Just trust me, stay off social media, don't even read it. Then three minutes later, Brandon texted. It will drive you crazy. Just maintain your composure. People are going to think whatever they want. Even when the full story comes out, there will be ignorant people who are still going to believe what they want. Even when the full story comes out, there will be ignorant people who are still going to believe what they want. Don't let them shake you and maintain your composure. Weldon. I'm worried to even leave my house. Worried the family will put pressure

on HC to arrest me. Worried his friends might try to get revenge. This shit is awful. Brandon. friends might try to get revenge. This shit is awful. Brandon, you will be fine to leave your house. At the end of the day, the law is the law and your rights are your rights. People try to put pressure on departments all the time. But we don't bend to pressure. We do what's right by the law. The quote mudslinging will continue for a while.

But the worst thing you can do right now is start talking. That evening, Weldon texted his general manager at Buies on the Boulevard, this little gem. Cops are watching Buies behind the scenes. That was offered to me. A lot of people in higher places have made sure y'all and my family are safe until this clears. I'm cleared for self-defense. They are even saying Bradley and I saved other people's lives.

It just needs to stay quiet until the facts come out." So according to Weldon, the Horry County Police Department, and maybe others from other agencies, were helping Weldon by providing what seems like additional special services, aka private security, on the down-low. Does this sound like a service that would be available to you after you shot and killed a guy? No. It just never stops. On September 12th, Weldon started his day

of texting with Brandon at around 820 in the morning with this. Ken said he is okay to post a statement today now that an article is out stating that Scott initiated the shooting. Here is the statement. Do you feel it's okay and won't offend the officers still working?" Weldon sent two screenshots of the statement to Brandon, which included the paragraph, quote, I want to thank all of the officers and deputy solicitors who responded and investigated the incidents. From my perspective, you have conducted yourselves with the utmost professionalism and empathy for all the victims. I trust that your efforts will soon bring some measure of understanding and closure

to all of us affected by this tragedy." In other words, Weldon, the supposed homicide suspect, was running his public statement by the number two guy at the police department that was supposed to be investigating him. And then Brandon responded with this. The article you are talking about is based solely on the initial redacted incident report. I'm not going to tell you to send it out or not to send it because that's your and your attorney's choice.

Me personally? I would wait. But that's your and your attorney's choice. Me personally? I would wait, but that's your decision. That statement is going to stir a bunch up, and the media is going to run with it. Typically, news stories are big news for a couple days, and they phase out. This is going to bring it back into the spotlight, and the department's statement is going to.

to bring it back into the spotlight, and the department's statement is going to. Two minutes later, Brandon wrote, It's not going to upset me if you do decide to send it out. Just giving you my personal opinion. Weldon then responded, I'm waiting. Then he wrote this, People from NC Numbers are calling the restaurant last night telling my staff they work for a murderer and asking had I been charged with the murder yet. And I've gotten calls from restricted and private numbers this morning.

Scott's friends are policing people who know me in North Carolina. One girl asked for prayers for a friend talking about me and then they went after her hard. She said she's scared to say anything now. Another girl I know called me and said, be very careful. His dad is just as crazy as he is and they want justice. Said, watch my back. Soon after, Brandon responded.

Okay, I know it's tough right now going through this. And you are ready to declare your innocence. That time will come once the case is finished, and there are documents supporting your innocence that the media can put their hands on. Even when the case is done, there will still be negative people talking bad about you, but that's the world we live in. Remember, these people speaking negatively are the few and not the many.

That's the world we live in, says man complaining about the quote unquote negative people out there who might have something to say when they find out that the so-called investigation that he's already admitted has been fixed had a predetermined conclusion. Can we just take a second there to reflect? Weldon and Brandon literally are gaslighting themselves into believing that they're ethical

men who are victims in an unfair world that has a problem with what they're doing, while smack dab in the middle of cashing in on their own power to influence the investigation. We've got a lot more to share on this after a short break with our amazing sponsors. Weldon then told Brandon that he was going to lay low for the day, which is hilarious because what does a guy who has a guest room converted into a 70 plus gun safe, who records his calls out of paranoia, is suing a pregnant woman for custody of a baby that hasn't even been born yet, purchases realistic skulls with simulated brain and blood to shoot at, and just killed a man due to lay low. Oh right, he works the phones to whine about how the existence of this investigation, which only just started, is making him look bad. In response, Brandon told Weldon to reach out

to Detective Jones and ask for an update. He won't mind taking your call. Two hours later, Horry County Detective Alan Jones texted Weldon with his cell phone number. Weldon didn't even have to make an effort to reach out. Horry County police came to him, which is so funny, because do you know how hard it is for investigators to get suspects to talk to them?

Especially ones who have attorneys they're paying for? But there is no worry of that happening here. Talking to a detective without his lawyer present wasn't a risk for Weldon Boyd like it would be for the rest of us in this same situation. Weldon called Alan Jones and Alan told him, just let everything work itself out and there's a reason you're not in jail. Weldon also asked Alan for advice on whether he should post a statement and Alan told him

he'd hold off on that. Now September 12, 2023 was a big day for Weldon because at 512 p.m. against the advice of Brandon Strickland and Alan Jones and the pledge that Weldon made to Brandon not to do this and assuring Brandon that he was going to wait, Weldon posted the statement written by his attorney about the shooting. It was posted on his restaurant's page, Bowies on the Boulevard. At this point, police still had not released Weldon's or Bradley's names to the press. So he was outing himself, the guy who was so worried about what people thought of him. The next morning, he posted the same statement on his personal Facebook page. The statement caused uproar because of how he explicitly thanked the Horry County Police

and the Solicitor's Office and the witnesses in a case where he was supposedly being investigated for killing someone. Because of this post, that again Weldon sent to Brandon for approval, two days later Solicitor Jimmy Richardson and the Police Department announced that in the interest of full transparency and fairness, they were asking State Attorney General Alan Wilson and Sled Chief Mark Keele to review their findings and the evidence. Meaning the investigation went from being fully in the hands of Weldon's friends at the police department and solicitor's office to now having state agencies getting called upon to review investigators' work.

We're obviously very cynical when it comes to the state agencies because they have their fair share of good ol' boyism, but even so, more eyes on the case could have potentially meant more problems for the police and for Weldon. Although, in our opinions, Solicitor Jimmy Richardson's letter contained a signal in it to the Attorney General's office. He said he was asking them to look into the case because of a conflict of interest, but also wrote, I do not see a conflict. However, I never want to be in a position where there is an appearance of impropriety. As always, I thank you for all that the Attorney General's office does for us to help uphold the public's

trust in the process. Before they've even taken a look at the case, the AG's office is essentially being told that there's nothing to see here and that this is just a man-to-man formality. Still, at the very least, this was certainly an inconvenience for Horry County unless they got the right sled agent on the case, which we'll talk about in a future episode. Let's just focus on the fallout from Weldon's official statement for now. On September 13th, 2023 at 1253 PM, Weldon texted Brandon, can you call me? Weldon was in a panic because he had just learned from his lawyer that the Spivey family

was asking the police why they had not taken into evidence Weldon's and Bradley's phones and the tablet that was very clearly mounted on Weldon's dashboard. And the tablet Weldon reportedly used is a dashboard camera. Like Scott's sister Jennifer said

on this week's Cup of Justice, in communications after the shooting, Weldon refers to video from the incident, but no video from that tablet has been produced. And maybe that's because it took more than two months for investigators to get those devices from Weldon's attorney, Ken Moss. We have so many questions about how that went down and what happened to some of the data that was there at the time of the shooting and the days after. Two minutes after Weldon's text to Brandon, Brandon called Weldon.

Note the drastic change in Brandon's demeanor. Hey. Um, you got a second? Yeah. So I guess the I guess they're mad at Alan for not seizing our phones. So now Alan's telling Ken that his superiors want a data dump on both of our phones. I mean, because we're gonna have to fight. I can't give them a data dump. I mean what I look at on the internet, my banking information, my notes that have my cash that I don't report.

A data dump is too severe, don't you think? Yeah, I'm going to try to put myself, not put myself in a weird situation because of the position I'm in. I would talk to your attorney on that and make a decision based on that one. You know what I mean? Okay. Should I not have called you? Yeah, don't put me in that position to answer that question. Okay. All right. Sorry. me in that position to answer that question. Okay, all right, sorry.

I'm just trying to- No, no, you're good. I just want this shit over with. Okay, all right, well- And I'm not there to plug in, so I don't know what the, any of it. I've tried to stay out of it just because of our friendship.

So I haven't been asking or doing anything like that. So nobody can come back and say nothing. No, I get it. I'll, I'll leave you alone. I'm sorry. No, you good. No, don't, don't leave me alone. I'm still here for you.

I just got to be careful. Yeah. It's just, I guess they, yeah, I got you. I understand. So a few things. One, we'd love to know what the police did with the information Weldon said he kept on his phone about the cash he doesn't report to the government. That's pretty shady.

But could it not be any more clear that the second the stakes got raised, when it was no longer fully in the hands of the local good old boys, Brandon Strickland pulled back, right as there is talk about seizing Weldon's phone and doing a data dump. Brandon Strickland telling Weldon

that he's stayed away from the case because of their friendship, read to us like more signaling, like he was signaling to Weldon what the official story was going to be here. Notice how much Weldon said, I get it, message received, right? Because we all know what a lie that is

given the content of their calls and texts. Listeners have asked us a number of questions about Weldon's recorded phone calls. So I wanna address those before we go. One, why were these calls being recorded? So these were not wiretap calls. These calls were being recorded by Weldon through an app on his phone

that had the ability to record calls automatically. Weldon might've been doing this at the time because of the custody battle he was embarking on with his unborn baby and the baby's mother. But also, there's evidence that this is just something that Weldon was known to do. Which brings me to question two, were people aware they were being recorded? South Carolina is a one-party state, meaning that in most circumstances,

there are exceptions, people can record audio of others talking without having to disclose they are doing this. This is something that politicians and law enforcement officers and lawyers and judges and journalists are very aware of, which is why most people in these roles generally try to be careful about what they say because you never know who's recording what. But also, it's hard to live your life according to constant suspicion. Anyway, there is a possibility that Brandon Strickland and other members of the police department knew how Weldon had operated in the past and either forgot sometimes or trusted him more than he deserved or simply spoke as carefully as they could, which you

can sometimes pick up on. Also, if they did know that Weldon recorded his calls and that these calls were in evidence, they likely never worried about these calls seeing the light of day because they were buried deep in subfolders with numbers for file names and they were fighting Jennifer on getting that case file. Anyway, before this civil suit, Weldon's tricks were out there for the public to see. In February 2021, Weldon was battling the city of North Myrtle Beach over an illegal St. Patrick's Day event he was planning. The city had canceled the annual parade

because of ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Weldon, who was anti-COVID restrictions, planned what he called a St. Patrick's crawl for all on Maine. The event had begun as a pub crawl involving golf carts, but had morphed into plans for a parade, according to a news report in the Myrtle Beach Sun News at the time. In response to the city issuing Weldon a warning against this off-brand parade, Weldon recorded two videos that he posted on Facebook.

In them, he claimed that the city knew about these plans and he played conversations with City Hall employees that he had secretly recorded. He claimed that the employees had given him verbal permission to hold the parade. But according to the newspaper, that's not exactly what was on the recordings. Shocker. According to the paper, Weldon referred to his event in many different ways with the employees and his discussion was about where the golf carts, which he sometimes referred to as a golf cart parade,

would be able to drive. Quote, he decided to use that as permission to hold the parade, the city spokesperson said. Well, now that sounds really familiar because that is how Weldon interpreted the 911 call he made while chasing Scott. Weldon is on some of those recorded calls telling people that he had informed the dispatcher that he was turning onto Camp Swamp Road to follow Scott, quote, until an officer could get there, and that the dispatcher said, OK. Neither of those things happened, but we'll talk more about that next week.

For now, let's just say this. Weldon was on record with the local paper admitting to recording people without their knowledge. Anyone at Horry County Police Department who cared enough about the community to read the daily newspaper and who knew Weldon at the time might have picked up on that. But also, if you're not up to no good, like fixing an investigation, it really doesn't matter if someone is recording what you say, does it?" Again, deep breaths. I know it is hard to see this much corruption in one case, and

it's even harder to stay hopeful for any change in the future. But it's okay to get angry as long as we fuel that anger to work for change. I urge everyone listening to this right now, feeling furious, to do something to keep up the pressure. Write to Governor Henry McMaster to urge him to appoint a special prosecutor in this case. Write to the Attorney General's office to urge them to recuse themselves from this case where they have already failed. Call Horry County police out on their lives on Facebook. Tell Horry County Council they aren't doing enough to make this right. Share this podcast episode with a person who might not believe that this kind of police corruption exists. Choose to vacation somewhere else until Horry County right its wrongs.

Make noise about this case everywhere and let the good old boys know they won't be allowed to hide in the shadows or run from the sunlight. This won't go away as long as we keep the pressure up. 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 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. 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 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 Greg'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.