Murder on Songbird Road - 10. Suspect

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

Bob and Lauren return to Marion, knocking on doors once again. This time, however, they uncover crucial footage that reveals significant flaws in the investigation’s hasty rush to judgment. Email us with thoughts, suggestions or tips at [e-mail]. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Need the latest crime news fast? Whether it's the latest developments in a high-profile case or urgent alerts about missing persons, Crime Alert Hourly Update delivers the news you need to know as it happens. I'm Nancy Grace, and with our team of investigative reporters and experts, we bring you the top crime headlines you need to know every hour on the hour. Listen to Crime Alert Hourly Update on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Murder on Songbird Road is a production of iHeart podcasts. Previously on Murder on Songbird Road. I received an email approving my request for surveillance footage from Huck's gas station. What we were told that she did is exactly what it appears that she's doing. Does that mean that she didn't do it? Not necessarily in and of itself? Does it mean that I don't think there's any way in hell that that's what she was disposing of there?

Absolutely, 100 percent. Like I would die on that hill. The prosecution contends this was after the murder. She would have been covered with bloody scratches and bleeding hands. Why would she have been out and about in a t-shirt? My name is Katie. And your relationship to Julie? I would consider her best friend. She didn't like blood. She didn't like violence. Stabbing murderers? You're going to be talking about a man nine out of ten times, at least in the United States. We want to address a misconception that many people had or continue to have regarding what

was actually found at Huck's as opposed to the Southern Illinois Regional Landfill. It's the thing that upsets me the most about this entire trial, that any of this evidence was admissible in any way, shape, or form. I was removed from the courtroom because I was threatening the jury by sitting in the front row. The all-white jury, they were intimidated because I'm black. I didn't do this. She was not my blood daughter, but she was so a daughter to me.

Renee Hightower, Jason Flom. Chicago-based attorney Kathleen Zellner is one of the most formidable forces in wrongful conviction advocacy. I'll foot the bill for that, because if anyone can get Julie out, it's her. I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco, and this is Murder on Songbird Road. For over a year, Bob Mata and I have been deeply immersed in a murder that has only grown more controversial the further we've investigated.

We've scrutinized the prosecution's case against Julia Bevelie and her conviction for the stabbing death of 11-year-old Jade Beasley, a child she considered a daughter. Along the way, we've encountered moments that challenged our assumptions, shifted our perspectives, and stirred emotions we never anticipated. I think probably what struck me the most, frankly, more than anything that we may have uncovered or run into is meeting

Julie in person the first time because going into it we had dug into the case a bit as much as we could in terms of what was out there online but, until I met her to kind of get a sense and a feel for who she was and is, I really didn't know. And that for me was so important because I think we all kind of think that we can look somebody in the eyes and kind of be able to discern whether or not they're being truthful with us and deciding if this is somebody that you want to go to bat for. You know, I had an attorney visit, so we weren't being monitored. So I knew that she was going to be as truthful as she was going to allow herself to be, which I felt she was very truthful to me about everything that I asked her.

And if I subtract that out, it makes a big difference on how I think I would have construed things that we ran into. Instead of it just being somebody that I'm reading about or hearing about but having my own experience with that person, it changed everything for me in the sense that I was able to think about her and what I thought she would be capable of or not capable of. And I don't think that I would have been able to do that effectively or with any substance had I not actually had that meeting with her the first time. I found her to be just an extremely genuine person.

I really got the sense that I wasn't being snowed, she wasn't a fraud. And I walked out of that jail that day pretty firmly convinced that this just doesn't add up. I mean, for me, that was really an aha moment. One of the most impactful interviews for me is one you've yet to hear. One that took place many months

after we began our investigation. I'm always exceedingly sensitive when it comes to questioning minors, which is why, despite interacting with Julia Beverly's eldest son, Jayden, since our first trip to Marion, you haven't heard from him until now. It's crucial to recognize the ripple effect

of Beverly's conviction on her immediate family. And in Jaden's case, those ripples were more like shockwaves. His entire life as he knew it was torn apart. Can you tell me just in terms of the day to day, how much your life changed after December 5th, 2020? A lot, because I had to move schools, move in with my dad. Miss Jade, miss my mom, miss a lot of people. I basically just flipped a lot of things upside down, but completely flipped upside down every now and then with mom, always with dad.

Oh yeah, I miss a lot of people though, like old friends. Jaden is a thoughtful, intelligent young man with a slender frame and wide expressive eyes. Eyes that, at just 15, have witnessed far too much heartbreak. He has endured the sudden loss of Jade, his entire immediate family, and the only home he ever knew. And you never got to walk back into your bedroom? No.

And how did it alter your relationship with your little sisters? I didn't get to see them anymore, so I'd say it was more just like as if I one day just up and left, I guess. His choice of words is interesting, given the people who have abandoned him. So would you have considered Mike,

before this happened, as a stepfather or just as your mom's boyfriend? What kind of family life did you guys have? I'd consider him a stepfather, looking back at it. You may remember this detail Renee Hightower shared from the day of Julia Beverly's arrest. There was that knock at the door. I came in and Julie immediately started crying. She had her promise ring from Mike that she immediately took off and handed to me.

That ring now hangs around Jaden's slim neck, something I didn't realize when I inquired about its significance. It was a promise ring for Mike and Mom, like a little promise they had between each other, where Grandma gave it to me as like a gift from Mom. It's just really nice to have something from Mom. It's like a gift from Mom inside the jail and stuff. It stands for like, I made mom promise to stay strong in the jail and I'll stay strong for her and stuff like that.

But yeah, it's just really nice to have something between us and stuff, like the promise ring. She's always near your heart. So that ring means a lot to you? It does, yeah. And why don't you bring it to school? Because I'm more just afraid if it gets lost, someone's going to take it, and I'd rather just keep it by my bed at night.

Just having it with me is pretty comforting. Now a freshman in high school, there is something heartbreakingly stoic about Jaden. You get the feeling he doesn't ask for much because he's learned not to expect it. High school has been going well though. It would be a lot better if Jade was here and stuff and mom. It's harder for me to comprehend certain things like for stuff like death. It's for me, it feels harder. Bob and I were both tremendously impacted by our exchange with Jaden. The fact that that kid wears the ring Mike gave Julie as a promise ring, and now the promise

has become that poor little Jaden will stay strong for Julie, and Julie has to stay strong for him. Yeah, and it rests right above his heart with his chain that it's hanging on, you know, which is significant. And you can tell that it's not just a meaningless memento because he was fumbling with it and playing with it the entire time. It gives him comfort. Oh, and he doesn't bring it to school because he's afraid somebody will steal it?

Yeah. Yeah, he's a sweet kid. Renee Hightower's fight for access to her grandchildren was very much fought for Jaden's sake too. Here she is in an interview from July of 2024. I've been fighting this for three plus years. And they will know how hard you fought to be a part of their lives. And they need to be re-acquainted with their brother who hasn't seen them in just as much time as I have. Yeah. He's being kept from them as well. Absolutely. I am asking for one day out of a weekend every other weekend and I wanted to coincide with the days that Jaden is there visiting with me

so he could visit with his siblings. And in August of 2024, nearly four years after Jade's murder, Renee and Jaden were reunited with Beverly's three youngest children at a local McDonald's. It was the first time Hightower had ever met the son Beverly gave birth to while in custody of Williamson County. Oh, my gosh, what was it like to see Thomas for the first time?

It was amazing. And you still feel that connection, even though that's my first time meeting him. And I still felt that's my grandchild, you know? And it was just amazing. And just trying to get to know him right there, and it's almost like it instantly takes over from me and what to do.

The girls, Govely and Hightower had last seen as toddlers were now seven and five years old, were not using their names. How have they changed? Well, it's like a complete different person because she's got a head full of hair now. And she's moving around and she's talking. And she's, you know, the last time I seen her, she was a year and a half

and she barely had any little peach flows on her head, you know, and just to see her all grown up with a little personality, it was just... I'm sitting there listening to them talk and watching them interact with each other and how they answer my questions. And I can already see Julie and every single one of them. Before that reunion, Jaden was a bit on edge, unsure of what to expect. Jaden was getting a little anxious. He couldn't, he didn't even eat his food.

He ate his french fries while he was waiting. And then once they got there, he couldn't touch the rest of his meal. He said, I'll take it home. So he couldn't finish his food. But, um, wanted to give him a hug immediately. Which was really, she remembers him. She remembers him. And she She remembers him and she's looking up and she's like, I have a tall big brother. So it was nice. It was nice. She

wanted to hug him immediately. That was great. Renee shared a picture of the kids, the three youngest grinning ear to ear as they clutched the giant squish mellow stuffed animals Nikki sent to mark the occasion Jaden smiles too, but his carries a weight the others don't his mother's promise ring hangs prominently over his gaming t-shirt A quiet reminder of her absence. Oh my gosh, they're beautiful them cheesy grants. Oh my goodness Gosh, they're beautiful. See them cheesy grands. Oh my goodness.

But you can see the happiness in their faces. Oh my gosh, I can see Julie and all of them, but particularly. EyeTower has continued visiting her grandchildren as allowed, helping them reconnect with their eldest brother and gradually reintroducing information about their mother. To date, Julie Beverlyvelie has yet to see

her three youngest children in person. She hasn't held her daughters since the murder and has only held her son once for a single hour after his birth. I've already sent those pictures and the pictures of the kids to Julie. So she can have that. Yeah, they are priceless.

They are priceless. Murder on Songbird Road will be back after the break. Stay on top of breaking crime news with Crime Alert Hourly Update, available now. I'm Nancy Grace. Our team of reporters and experts is dedicated to bringing you the top crime headlines you need to know every hour on the hour.

From missing people to trial updates and true crime stories, we bring you the latest real-time news and analysis. Whether it's the latest developments in a high-prof profile case or urgent alerts about missing persons, Crime Alert Hourly Update delivers the news you need to know as it happens. Stay informed, keep yourself and your family safe with Crime Alert Hourly Update, the only podcast delivering hourly true crime updates. Subscribe now to Crime Alert Hourly Update

and never miss a moment of breaking crime news. Listen to Crime Alert Hourly Update on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here again is murder on Songbird Road. It is difficult to process what Renee, let alone Jaden, the three youngest children, and Julia Bevely have lost. Especially in light of the issues Bob and I have uncovered in this investigation so

far. It's hard to fathom. We're both parents and we're both very interactive, loving parents. We're very involved in our kids' lives and the concept of having that stripped away with no recourse or no seeming recourse or the recourse that exists could take decades is incredibly, incredibly powerful in terms of trying to wrap your mind around what that might feel like. Would I be sitting in there if I was wrongfully convicted,

if I knew that I didn't do this? Would I be getting bitter? Would I be filled with rage? It's probably like the steps of grief, like when you learn that you're dying and it's like I don't even know how I would function. I've dealt with enough people that have been wrongfully convicted to where they always inspire me.

Every time that I talk to one of these individuals at length and to see their strength and their ability to persevere and to turn negatives into positives is just mind blowing to me, really is. And it's like when you sit there and you think about Julia and everything that she's lost, both times that we've met with her in person, me the first time and then us when we went together. Her positivity just kind of blew me away both times.

You know who I credit for that? Renee. 100%. Because Renee has not missed a visit, has not missed a call. Her entire life is dedicated to fixing this. 100%. And that bolsters her daughter in a way that she desperately needs it.

I used to say, I didn't know what my kryptonite was until I had children. And it's the biggest fear in the world, because suddenly your heart is walking around outside your body. And I've always said that, you know, if anybody wanted to destroy me, all they have to do is get to my children. That has weighed heavily on me

when I process how this tragic ordeal and questionable investigation has impacted a potentially innocent mother. I look at her children and think of what they've missed. How important it is to have your mother there in those early years. I mean, Renee didn't meet Thomas until he was three years old. Those girls didn't, you know, have any interaction with their mother or their grandmother. Yeah, Renee has just been a rock, an absolute rock.

She just has never faltered. And then you have the flip side of it as well, which is the loss of Jade and how that has impacted Julia's family as well, but most definitely just the devastation that's caused to Michael Beasley and his family. There's no shortage of victims in this. And the fact that this wasn't properly investigated to begin with, the additional layers of heartbreak that heaps on top of this tragedy, it's frigging daunting.

It's just daunting. Wrongful convictions not only devastate the lives of the innocent, but also compound the suffering of the victims' families and friends. When the justice system fails to ensure accuracy the first time, it creates a ripple effect of dysfunction and harm. A misery onion with layers of pain and injustice that only grow increasingly rotten over time. And when Bob and I were finally able to access Jade's autopsy, we faced even more layers to that onion.

Here's how the then Williamson County State's Attorney Brandon Zanotti referenced the autopsy in the same press conference in which he announced Jade's murder and Beverly's arrest. An autopsy was performed on Sunday, and while we are awaiting the final autopsy report, initial information from the pathologist indicates that Jay Beasley died as a result of blood loss from multiple stab wounds. Numerous search warrants have been issued and evidence collected during the investigation. A lot of evidence has been sent to the Illinois State Police

crime lab in Belleville for testing. And we will be awaiting all of those results. We now know a substantial amount of evidence, seemingly anything that could have supported Beverly's innocence, was not tested. But the autopsy also revealed evidence that may have been mishandled. And it involved a towel that was apparently tossed into the body bag used to transport Jade to the morgue from the autopsy verbatim.

A blue beach towel accompanies the body. Renee Hightower was unaware of any such towel until we shared the report with her. I hadn't seen the autopsy report, so I didn't even know anything about that. And I have not seen the crime scene photos because I wasn't allowed in court. She then questioned Beverly as to whether she recalled seeing that towel at any point. I was talking to her about the autopsy reports, and I said that there was a towel in the body bag with Jade. She asked,

was it a beach towel? And I said, I think that's what it stated in there. And that's when she said that she's seen that towel in the pictures in the crime scene photos on the floor in the bathroom. She said, the thing about it, it looked like it was used to clean up with, like someone cleaned themselves off from blood. So she said, it didn't look like it was laying on the floor and got blood on it, like everything else did, you know, just sitting there and got blood on it. It looked like it was picked up and used to wipe blood off and then dropped on the floor. The police could have used it,

who knows. But for it to be put in the body bag with jade is crazy. I don't understand that at all. When reading through the autopsy report, former Kentucky crime scene investigator Katie Hartman, who worked in law enforcement for over two decades, was also a bit baffled by the presence of the beach towel within the body bag. Correct me if I'm wrong, you said that they said the towel was on the floor of the bathroom? Yes. Yep.

Do you think maybe when they pulled her out of the tub that they included it in there maybe because she landed on top of it? I don't know. See, that they included it in there, maybe because she landed on top of it? I don't know. See, that's what I'm saying. I'm trying to be devil's advocate here and think of ways that it could have occurred. A med unit who's not in forensics could have picked it up and thrown it in the body bag with her.

But still, that towel should have still been collected. I've had things put in body bags by med units that I had to collect even though they really had nothing to do with it. So I can only tell you what I would have done. If I was at the scene, the blue towel would have been collected separately, not with the body, never.

You don't throw things in the body bag. This blue towel was saturated with blood. So could it have been something that Jade had used to try to stop the blood? Or could it have been someone who did it, trying to stop their blood from their own wounds? Because it's a, with this many stab wounds, it's not a hundred percent, but it's pretty common for the assailant to cut themselves. You know, with their hands slipping down.

I'm looking at the evidence, they did say the clothing, that says here a beach towel. Yep. Now could that be the blue towel? That's the blue towel. Okay, so at least it was collected. Which conceivably means the towel, along with many other things, like Beverly's clothing, her nail scrapings, and Jade's electronics, could have been, and could still be, tested. Here's Bob's take.

It's unbelievable. I've said that word, I don't know how many episodes that I've listened to during this world saying that something's unbelievable or unfathomable, but every time I say it, I'm here to tell you I mean it. To me, to have that particular piece of evidence jammed in the body bag is beyond comprehension. I just don't understand what person that was at that crime scene that thought that that was the right thing to do. I have never processed a crime scene, I've never done it, but you know what I wouldn't do is I wouldn't jam a bloody towel that was found in the same room the victim was killed, at least theoretically, into a body bag that was with that victim,

and then transported to wherever she was transported. It's crazy. What else is crazy? The amount of time it took for the then-forensic pathologist to turn around Jade Beasley's autopsy. Here's Renee Hightower. — Athene was asking for discovery, and that took a while in itself as well. And then going through the discovery, she seen that the autopsy was not in there.

Athene had to file a motion to compel. — So while the autopsy was performed the day after the murder on December 6, 2020, it wasn't completed and filed for another two years, on February 2, 2022. So it took two years to turn around the autopsy? Yes. Did you get any explanation as to why? I did not. And whatever happened to the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy?

From what Zine was telling me, she was moving on to a new career to be an attorney. So another person who has either retired or changed careers. Yes. It's really interesting because there's no hypothesis as to how tall the assailant would have been or the trajectory of the stab wounds or anything. Right. She couldn't tell the order of the wounds. Nothing.

It's like she could tell how she died and that was it. No time of death, no order of the wounds, no type of weapon explained, nothing. No height of the assailant, nothing. Interesting. Murder on Songbird Road will return after the break. Stay on top of breaking crime news with Crime Alert Hourly Update, available now. I'm Nancy Grace. Our team of reporters and experts is dedicated to bringing you the top

crime headlines you need to know every hour on the hour. From missing people to trial updates and true crime stories, we bring you the latest real-time news and analysis. Whether it's the latest developments in a high-profile case or urgent alerts about missing persons. Crime Alert Hourly Update delivers the news you need to know as it happens. Stay informed. Keep yourself and your family safe with Crime Alert Hourly Update, the only podcast delivering hourly, true crime updates.

Subscribe now to Crime Alert Hourly Update and never miss a moment of breaking crime news. Listen to Crime Alert Hourly Update on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Back to Murder on Songbird Road. Now, going back to another line from the press conference with the then Williamson County State's attorney, Brandon Zanotti. When the incident occurred, the suspect gave law enforcement

an initial report that an unidentified male ran from the residence upon her arriving home. She said that she left the residence with Jade alone in the home for a short time and returned home to find an unidentified male fleeing. The investigation has proven this story to be false. Given the investigation had lasted all of four days at this point, it's interesting to note numerous knife-related crimes happened before and after Jade's murder and Beverly's arrest.

Williamson County, deputies responded to a call yesterday on Napoleon Lane. They found a woman with severe lacerations to her neck, shoulder, and hands. A Chester man is in police custody tonight after officials say he stabbed a person in Christopher early yesterday morning. Well, a man suspected of stabbing someone in Carbondale is now behind bars. Police say 42-year-old *** aggressively approached a woman at Arrowhead Lake this afternoon,

wrapped his arms around her, told her to be quiet and that he had a knife. In episode three, I mentioned this exchange, which took place at the scene of the murder as one that would come back to haunt us. I mean, this is rural. We're in farmland here. There's no question about it. So if we're looking at Songbird Road, we're not close to any kind of main thoroughfare.

So like the concept of somebody walking back here seems remote to me. You're not getting like casual foot traffic or somebody who is looking to rob because they think that there is something of great value in this neighborhood. Zero chance of somebody just wandering around back here. This exchange, also from the same initial visit, would do more than haunt us. It would end up serving as a premonition of sorts. Yeah, and unfortunately, this is not the kind of neighborhood where you would have ring

cameras or... No way. Yeah. Hindsight is sometimes 20-20, and sometimes it comes with receipts. At the end of August 2024, Bob and I were back in Marion, again knocking on doors on or around Songbird Road. My attempt to reach out by phone to a specific address wasn't exactly successful. So the in-person attempt fell on Bob. It was Cory League Road, yeah.

All right, so am I going this way? Yeah. How do we get to the ****? Yep All right, so am I going this way? Yeah. How do we get to the b----? Yeah, that's Songbird. Okay. This is exciting. Now since I'm the female who called them, do you want to be the one who walks up to the door?

Sure. I'm gonna lose the shades, so. I think that's a good idea. Mata in sunglasses definitely leans towards a law enforcement state trooper vibe. It's this house. Where? To the right. Here?

Okay. All right, I'm gonna head. Lose the glasses. Lose the glasses. So it is a one-floor trailer, modular. He's walking up. I would have walked up on this one, but I actually called, and they were not too happy to speak with me. Oh, he's knocking. He's waiting.

There's a car in the driveway, so, yeah, they may have seen us on the property. Oh, the door's opening. Gentleman without a shirt just answered. Let's see what Bob's got. While they're talking, which is good. Oh, the gentleman's sitting down and talking. It's a one-floor trailer that has been reinforced with the foundation, string lights dangling from the front porch, faded American flag. He's calling somebody in from

the house. This may be where he meets his resistance, because I called and spoke to, I believe, the daughter. The gentleman's lighting up a cigarette. I am waiting. If he gestures, I will walk over. But, oh, there seems to be a woman who's come to the door. Maybe it's just a flag blowing, catching in the window. I'm going to pause. At this point, we didn't realize we'd driven up to the wrong address. Yeah, there definitely seems to be somebody who is on the other side of that glass door that they're conversing with as well.

That is definitely longer than I have no information to give you kind of conversation. Bob would wave me up, gesturing that I could bring the microphone. As I walked up to join them, the woman, who was actually the man's wife, was sharing details of an encounter she'd had with a stranger on the very porch we were standing on. Knocking in, he kept kind of like he had both hands on either side of the door and he kept going like this, you know, not banging his head on the door, just making a motion, and just talking and gibber jabbering and talking like he was talking into the door

and he wasn't talking to nobody, you know, because I was too afraid to answer the door. And I was looking out the window and then the camera was videotaping him and he just kept knocking and knocking and waiting and I wasn't answering. So a shirtless guy and he looked like he was under the influence of drugs or mental illness? Absolutely. Yeah, he just... He didn't look like he was all with it. So they were able to observe it.

Unfortunately they don't have the video anymore. Do you remember what he looked like about how tall he would have been? He was probably a little taller than me. I'm 5'3". I was probably 5'5", something like that. Kind of balding hair. A little taller than me. I'm 5'3". I studied 5'5", something like that. Kind of balding hair. Shaved head, kind of like. Yeah.

Did you say he was 20s, 30s? Maybe older? Probably. 30s. Yeah, early 30s. Early to mid-30s, yeah. What kind of build? Um...

Medium build. Medium build, yeah. My size. Yeah. That's interesting. It's really interesting. It scared me really bad, so I didn't really know what to do about it. We didn't really call the sheriff or nothing because...

He just left after that. He was on foot. Yeah. On foot, foot. That's interesting. So he did not get in the hospital? Never seen him since? I haven't seen him since. Every time we leave or go somewhere I always look out because I would somewhat remember his face.

But I haven't seen him since. He definitely looked to be on drugs. I'm ashamed of it, but I was a former meth user myself. And I know a lot of the characteristics of meth use. And thank Jesus, he got me a work on it, you know? We were standing on a porch that directly bordered the property where Jade Beasley was murdered, speaking to people who'd bought the house just four days after her murder, on the very day that Julie Bevelie was arrested.

We purchased the house the 9th of December and moved in shortly after that. Right, the 10th, yeah. Did anybody ever come and talk to you about what happened? No, we didn't even know anything about it. I'd just seen the sign and- Or the vet did it or anything, no. No. Did you call the police after just seen the sign and... No.

Did you call the police after someone came to your door? No. No, she was just herself and she was too scared to... and didn't really know that... He didn't do anything, so he left. He knocked on the door and left. He only knocked on the door, so it wasn't like he damaged anything or banged on the door recklessly or you know he just kept knocking you know so

He was acting violent but he was acting very very strange yeah Have any of the neighbors told you about the family that lived there or anything that had happened? Yeah the neighbors told us plus we looked it up you know I looked it up online to see what was going on. It was very, very tragic. I'm a little worried that it might be even more tragic than it already is. We bought the place. We found out about it.

Because Beverly was arrested so soon after the murder, no officers, no detectives, no official anyone ever interacted with the new homeowners about the brutal murder that occurred next door less than a week before they moved in. Which is why they didn't think to contact anyone when just weeks later, on February 8th, 2021, a shirtless strung-out man matching the basic description Beverly gave of her alleged intruder

appeared on their porch and started pounding on their door. I know that, uh, that's a problem everywhere, but particularly around here. Yes, it is. It's killing people. Killing people. It's an epidemic. It's an absolute epidemic.

I so wish you still had that video, because that matches the description of the man that Julie Beverly says she encountered. That's a shorter man. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like you and I are tall men, but like five, five, five, five, six is a short man. Right.

You know? I really wish we knew something about it. This has been very helpful and I'm very thankful for you folks allowing us to intrude on Saturday. Absolutely, absolutely. We're happy that you were willing to talk to us. Yeah, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. And honestly, it can be very, very useful. As we continued to talk, the wife excused herself, going inside briefly before returning. When she did, she

was holding an iPad. And on that iPad was the video of the interaction and the man she just described. Oh my gosh, you have it. Hello? Wow. Oh my gosh, he has tattoos. He would be identifiable. Hello? Oh my gosh, he has tattoos. He would be identifiable. Hello? I have a question, he said.

Hello? Oh my god. I remembered I emailed it to him. I have just remembered it. Oh my gosh, may I give you my email? Could you forward that to me? Yeah. Wow. Oh my gosh. That's like, he doesn't even know. See, that's why we're knocking on all the doors.

In the video, a shirtless man clad in dark jeans and obviously under the influence of serious drugs and or mental illness, walks onto the porch speaking to himself as he appears to be working himself up to knock on the door. I have a question. Hello? Hello? knock on the door. He seems troubled, wrestling with an internal conflict he vocalizes as he paces. His right foot swivels out after each knock as if attached by some sort of invisible string

to his right fist as he knocks. Then he scratches his tattoo-covered upper left arm as he says this. He then raises both hands up as if responding to drawn weapons as he leaves the porch, exiting down the stairs and walking towards Beverly's former home as he mumbles. After exchanging emails and contact info, Bob and I returned to the car, our minds racing. Oh my God. Oh my God.

Wow. That was something. Okay. Holy moly. That was something else. That's huge. It was February 8th, she said, February 8th. But still, he said, I haven't been here for 30 years, is what he said. He has tattoos that are identifiable.

He's shirtless in February. Do we tell Renee? I think we tell Renee. I mean, that's incredible. Hold on, let me pull over, because I got you on speaker with voice. OK. Hold on, give me one sec. OK.

OK, so we did some knocking on doors. I spoke to Butch's sister. I left my information, but she didn't want to talk. Then we spoke to the backyard neighbor who suggested we go to the f***. We thought we were at the f*** house, but we were at the house to the right. And they answered the door, and the gentleman spoke to Bob.

Very nice, not very nice folks. And then, you know, I just started shooting the shit, telling them a little bit about what we're doing. And you know, it turns out that he bought right, right after five days after the thing happens. And you know, but I'm still plugging away, right? And then he tells me, oh, yeah, I heard it had something to do with meth.

And I'm like, oh my God. I'm like, okay, where'd you hear that? Yeah. He's like, oh, he's like, I don't know. I just heard it around. I'm like, well, I'm like, it's funny that you say that. You know, we're kind of looking into that angle a little bit. And so as we're progressing, his wife comes up to the door and they tell me a story. They bought the house the 9th of December, 2020.

So four days after this all happened. And they have a ring camera, and on February 8th, a man who matches the height and build of the gentleman that Julie says she encountered coming out of her house is banging on their door. And keep in mind, when we spoke to Julie, she said, no, this guy was like 5'6". Guess how tall this guy was?

5'6". Yep, and the same kind of build. But this time, he's not wearing a mask. He's obviously out of his mind and on drugs or both. And he's shirtless. He has identifiable tattoos. And he's banging and saying excuse me, excuse me, I have a question and then he says I haven't been here for 30 years but he is irrational,

he seems like potentially unhinged and guess what Renee? They still have the video. And guess what, Renee? They still have the video. Really? Really. Wow. And guess who now has the video? You. Yep.

On the next and for now, final episode of Murder on Songbird Road, final episode of Murder on Songbird Road. Our long investigation leads to shifting presumptions. I don't get why you can prosecute or have a prosecution without an autopsy report. And changing viewpoints. After listening to the podcast, I've definitely got a different perspective of reasonable doubt.

As Beverly's appeal finds its way to a panel of judges. It's just sad to kind of realize all these years later that, you know, we may have been misled. Murder on Songbird Road is a production of iHeart Podcasts. Our executive producers are Taylor Chocoin and Lauren Bright Pacheco. Research writing and hosting by Lauren Bright Pacheco. Investigative reporting by Bob Mata and Lauren Bright Pacheco. Editing, sound design, and original music by Evan Tyre and Taylor Chocoin. Additional music by Asher Kurtz.

Archival elements courtesy of WSIL News 3. Please like, subscribe, and leave us a review wherever you're listening. You can follow me on all platforms at Lauren Bright Pacheco and email the show with thoughts, suggestions, or tips at investigatingmurderatihartmedia.com. MUSIC For more iHeart podcasts, visit the I heart radio app Apple

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