True-Crime "Paper Ghosts" & Through The Flames About NFL's Reggie White

 The recent release of these two podcasts (one new and one in its fourth season) reveals the diversity inherent in the true-crime genre. We have one classic true-crime podcast about two missing young people in the Ozarks. Then we have the firebombing of a church run by a famous NFL player, the late Reggie White. 

What we learn from both podcasts is that crime can have disparate motivations, ranging from hate to psychopathy, and racism to arson.

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First up, is a returning podcast from an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of 40-plus true-Crime books and chart-topping podcaster M. William Phelps. In this new season, Phelps confronts a new suspect in two unsolved Ozarks missing persons/murder cases. 

 The investigative true-crime iHeartPodcast “Paper Ghosts,” is back for its fourth season. Executive-produced, written and hosted by M. William Phelps, “Paper Ghosts” is known for uncovering new, breaking information in cold cases and bringing victims’ families answers in investigations otherwise long stalled out. Phelps is known for getting new and primary sources, and victim family members, who have not generally opened-up about the nuances of the cases, to reveal long-held secrets and exclusive information, sending dormant cases toward resolution with new suspects. The 8-part series will also include several special bonus episodes.

Season four of “Paper Ghosts” will take listeners deep into the heart of the Ozarks: Bella Vista, Arkansas and Pineville, Missouri. Phelps will put boots on the ground, investigating 18-year-old Dana Stidham’s 1989 murder and 22-year-old Shauna “Grace Doe” Garber’s 1990 murder. He will bring listeners authentic, jaw-dropping moments, with never-before-heard archival law enforcement audio, revealing previously unknown information about these 30-plus-year-old cold cases. Culled from over 50 hours of interviews, aside from Phelps’s regular cast of sources—friends and family members of the victims; law enforcement; cleared suspects; prosecutors and attorneys; journalists; and more—Phelps will unearth a potential new suspect and will confront the man with the evidence he’s gathered against him.

“I’ve been a victims’ advocate my entire career, and crime victims’ stories are at the forefront of what I do,” says host M. William Phelps. “In ‘Paper Ghosts,’ I’ve always strived to tell the underlying story of what happened and who is responsible. The unexpected always comes up. I spend years on these cases, developing sources, digging for new information, with the goal of finding answers for family members. This season, I made it a priority not to settle for the long-held beliefs that these cases are unsolvable—which includes a direct connection to Dennis ‘BTK’ Rader, and a confrontation with a man I believe could be a prolific serial killer responsible for many additional murders.”

New episodes will be released Wednesdays for the next seven weeks.

Listen now HERE
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This next podcast is part true-crime, part-sports, part-primer on racial hate podcast.

ESPN’s 30 for 30 and Andscape have partnered on a new podcast, Through The Flames: Reggie's Church, highlighting the NFL Hall of Famer, Reggie White. 

The podcast follows ESPN’s 30 for 30 installments on White, THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE, directed by Ken Rodgers (Bullies of Baltimore, The Tuck Rule, The Two Bills) and Courtland Bragg (Hard Knocks: Training Camp, Hard Knocks: In-Season, All or Nothing), chronicling the extraordinary career, complicated life, and profound spiritual journey of NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion Reggie White now streaming on ESPN+.

NFL Films producer Courtland Bragg investigates the mysterious 1996 burning of Reggie White’s church in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in the process, shines a light on the greater legacy of the NFL Hall of Famer.

In the midst of a rash of mid-1990s church burnings across the United States, White’s Inner City Church boasts a growing interracial congregation, and after the building is firebombed and reduced to ashes, White believes the attack is the work of racists.

The NFL legend and pastor uses his platform to maintain public pressure on the investigation, even as the sensitive nature of the crime causes government officials to tread carefully. As the story unfolds, questions are raised about the church’s financial status, along with the possibility of arson.

Bragg says, “I am excited to continue shedding light on the broader legacy of Reggie White. This podcast is personal to me and is more than just exploring a crime, it is a journey that reveals the deeper challenges our nation continues to grapple with today.”

The podcast brings the story to life through the voices of those involved with the church and the investigation – and in the process, draws a powerful parallel between these ugly incidents and the deeper challenges the nation still faces.

Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.