Creators of Darkhorse Press launch crime podcast “Investigation: Homicide”

When Therese Apel and Nicole Kral started Darkhorse Press, the point was to tell stories that people wanted to hear, and to tell them free of speculation or bias.

The publication speaks for itself, but from Day One, other business professionals and consultants had almost a singular piece of advice: Start a podcast!

So even though Kral doesn’t work for Darkhorse Press full time anymore and Apel has taken on additional responsibilities within DigioStrategies, Darkhorse Press’s new parent company, the two combined forces again and at the beginning of October, they launched “Investigation: Homicide,” which provides a forum for those on the front lines of some of Mississippi’s biggest investigations to tell the behind-the-scenes stories of the cases. The goal of the podcast is to allow the voices of the actual investigators, attorneys, and others intricately involved in the cases have the floor to fill in the gaps of what is known and what is not where they can.

On Halloween night at 5 p.m., the fifth episode of their new crime podcast will feature former Vicksburg and Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong and Vicksburg journalist Keith Phillips talking about the case of Rafael McCloud, 34, who was arrested in the summer of 2015 after the body of Sharen Wilson, 69, was found by ghost hunters at the abandoned Kuhn Memorial State Hospital.

The podcast, which airs weekly, can be seen live on several Facebook channels, and can be heard on almost any podcast platform. During the live Facebook broadcasts, questions can be taken from commenters who are watching it in real time on social media.

If you want to catch up before Thursday’s episode, you may be interested in one of these topics:

Episode 1, “Behind the Headlines: The Calculated Crime of Carly Gregg,” delved into the case of the 14-year-old arrested for fatally shooting her mother in Rankin County earlier this year. Assistant District Attorney Michael Smith walks Apel and Kral through the investigation and the court case that captivated the country.

Episode 2 is “The Day Our Hearts Broke,” an in-depth look into the Pearl High School shooting in 1997. Lead Investigator Greg Eklund, who had officially put the story away forever, takes it out of the box one more time to walk through that day that changed the lives of not just Pearl and Mississippi residents, but the country.

Episode 3 faces one of Mississippi’s most notorious cold cases. “No Death Date on Her Tombstone – The Shondra May Case Revisited” features Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee, discussing the case that is now 38 years old and counting. Are there new developments? Are we close to an answer? Lee talks about the possibilities and the possible suspects.

Episode 4: “Annie Laurie Never Came Home” takes on another ice cold case: That of Annie Laurie Hearin, a 72-year-old socialite who disappeared into thin air, with nothing but a smear of blood and a ransom letter left behind. A suspect was arrested and convicted of conspiracy to kidnap her, but she was never found and her husband died without ever knowing where she was. Jackson Police Department Sgt. Charlie Smith worked the crime scene, and joins Apel and Kral to talk about the facts of the still-open case.

If you’d like to be a sponsor for Investigation: Homicide or there’s a case you’d like to hear more about, email Apel for more information.

If you find you love the podcast and you want to represent, you can also buy the Investigation: Homicide merch from spring.com.