Investigation: Homicide

Episode # 51 - Back To Back Murders: Inside the Rapid-Fire Investigation with Rankin County’s Tyler Burnell

August 2025: Two front doors kicked in. Two men shot multiple times inside their own homes. One suspect who would ultimately confess to both killings.
Tonight on Investigation: Homicide, Therese Apel and Nicole Kral Woods sit down with Rankin County Investigator Tyler Burnell to walk through the chilling case that stunned Rankin and Madison counties and ended with a rare courtroom moment: a double guilty plea to murder and capital murder just two months after the crimes were committed.
Investigator Burnell gives listeners an inside look at how the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and the Brandon Police Department worked together with urgency and precision to build the case and ensure the families saw justice.
This episode is about coordination, confession, and swift closure. Join us as we take you inside the investigation.
This episode is brought to you by The Southern Connection Police Supplies
274 Commerce Park Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
www.thesouthernconnection.com
(601) 853-3106
 
#InvestigationHomicide #TrueCrimePodcast #MississippiCrime #RankinCounty #MadisonCountyMS #TrueCrimeCommunity #BehindTheInvestigation #LawEnforcement #JusticeServed #PodcastRelease
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions. 

Episode #50: Human Trafficking in Mississippi: Separating Fact from Fiction

Human trafficking is dominating headlines around the world — dramatic rescues, sweeping arrests, viral claims. But what does human trafficking actually look like here in Mississippi?
On tonight’s episode of Investigation: Homicide, hosts Therese Apel and Amanda Johansson sit down with Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Favian Jones, the supervisor of her Human Trafficking Task Force, for a grounded, no-nonsense conversation about the realities behind the rhetoric.
They break down how trafficking cases really begin, who is most at risk in the Magnolia State, and why some of the most popular narratives can distract from identifying and helping real victims. The discussion also puts large-scale national and international trafficking stories into context — showing where they align with local cases, where they don’t, and why that distinction matters.
If you’re looking to separate fact from fiction and understand what Mississippians should truly be paying attention to, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
 
This episode is brought to you by The Southern Connection Police Supplies at 274 Commerce Park Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157, Online at www.thesouthernconnection.com (http://www.thesouthernconnection.com/), or Call (601) 853-3106
#InvestigationHomicide #HumanTrafficking #Mississippi #LynnFitch #ThereseApel #AmandaJohansson #FavianJones #TrueCrimePodcast #CrimeAwareness #MagnoliaState #StopHumanTrafficking #PublicSafety #TrueCrimeCommunity
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Episode #49 - Vanished Before Thanksgiving: The Unanswered Death of Angela Shires Barrentine

Tonight on Investigation: Homicide, brought to you by The Southern Connection Police Supplies, we sit down with Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace to revisit a case that, more than two decades later, still weighs heavily on his mind — the death of Angela Shires Barrentine.
In November 2004, the 27-year-old Vicksburg mother left home the evening before Thanksgiving to pick up cigarettes. She never returned. When she failed to show up for holiday dinner the next day, her family reported her missing, launching a search that would stretch on for months.
Angela was last reportedly seen in Edwards on Thanksgiving Day. Investigators explored numerous leads, including questions surrounding her movements and the people she encountered in the hours before she disappeared. Nearly nine months later, as water levels dropped along the Big Black River, a grim discovery brought partial answers. Angela’s 1997 Ford F-150 was found submerged and overturned in a remote area near the Kansas City Southern Railroad Bridge. Her remains were inside.
One critical question has never been resolved: Was Angela’s death an accident — or a homicide?
Sheriff Pace joins us to discuss the investigation, the challenges posed by time and evidence, and why this case has never left him. What do investigators know? What remains unanswered? And could advances in forensic science finally bring clarity to a case that has haunted Warren County for more than 20 years?
Join us as we take a closer look at the enduring mystery of Angela Shires Barrentine.
 
Visit The Southern Connection Police Supplies at 274 Commerce Park Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157, Online at www.thesouthernconnection.com, or Call (601) 853-3106
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Episode #48: Light in The Dark - First Responders and Faith

Tonight’s episode of Investigation: Homicide steps away from case files, crime scenes, and criminals to focus on something many first responders quietly rely on every day: faith.
Tonight, Therese Apel and Amanda Johansson will host Clint Hatch, an investigator with the Rankin/Madison District Attorney’s Office, for an honest conversation about belief, resilience, and the importance of protecting mind and spirit.
Hatch will talk about how his reliance on Christ has helped him navigate the trauma, stress and despair that often accompany the life of a first responder. From scenes that linger long after the job is done to the emotional weight of seeking justice for victims, Hatch will tell us his stories about how faith has been an anchor when the work becomes overwhelming.
The episode will also highlight a project Hatch has been developing that centers on faith-based support for first responders — an effort aimed at helping others in the profession find hope, healing and purpose beyond the badge.
While Investigation: Homicide often focuses on the facts of a case, tonight’s episode looks inward, exploring how belief can sustain those who spend their careers walking alongside tragedy.
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Episode #47 Monsters online: Who is your child talking to?

Tonight on Investigation: Homicide, the focus turns to one of the most disturbing and complex fronts in modern law enforcement: Internet Crimes Against Children.
The episode features Jay Houston, a veteran investigator who spent more than two decades confronting online child exploitation in Mississippi and around the world. Houston now serves as director of training for the Child Rescue Coalition, but his expertise was earned in the field.
Houston served 24 years in law enforcement before retiring in 2021, spending more than half of his career with the Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, where he rose from investigator to commander and earned multiple commendations. Since 2009, he has trained child exploitation investigators internationally for agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, INTERPOL, Brazil’s Federal Police and Australia’s ARGOS task force, and has been qualified as an expert witness in child exploitation investigations and victim identification.
In this episode, Houston talks with Therese Apel and Amanda Johansson about  how investigators identify predators who hide behind screens, locate victims across borders, and manage the emotional toll of work few people ever see. It is a rare look at how the men and women fighting online child exploitation do their jobs—and why it matters.
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Episode 46, Tier 5 and the Future of Mississippi First Responders

Mississippi’s first responders are pushing back as lawmakers debate the future of public employee retirement during the current legislative session. In this episode of Investigation: Homicide, we sit down with Reservoir Fire Chief Josh Swales to break down what Tier 5 of the Public Employees’ Retirement System really means for those on the front lines.
Set to apply to new hires beginning March 1, 2026, Tier 5 requires 35 years of service for full retirement and replaces a traditional pension with a hybrid plan that includes a smaller guaranteed benefit and a market-based investment account. First responder organizations warn the changes could worsen recruitment and retention problems and ultimately impact public safety.
Swales also responds to recent remarks by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann suggesting first responders live longer because they “stay healthy,” a claim law enforcement and fire leaders say ignores the medical realities of high-risk professions.
This conversation explores the facts behind Tier 5, the concerns being raised by police and fire leadership across Mississippi, and what’s at stake as the Legislature considers the future of retirement benefits for those who protect and serve.
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Episode #45: ​​The Curse of the Jessica Chambers Case - a search for justice.

On this episode of Investigation: Homicide, host Therese Apel and Nicole Kral are joined by veteran Memphis-area journalist Ron Maxey to revisit one of the most haunting and high-profile cases in the Mid-South: the 2014 murder of Jessica Chambers.
 
Both Apel and Maxey covered the case from its earliest days, when the Panola County teenager was found burned alive on a remote rural road — a crime that drew national and international attention and stunned even seasoned investigators and reporters. The case went to trial twice, ending in hung juries both times, leaving Jessica’s murder officially unresolved.
 
Now, more than a decade later, the story has taken several chilling and devastating new turns. District Attorney John Champion, Investigator Tim Douglas, and now DOJ Analyst Paul Rowlett have all died in the years that have followed, in addition to other key figures in the case, and the man accused in the Chambers case is facing trial in Louisiana in another brutal homicide, raising new questions about whether justice delayed may still be justice pursued. 
 
In this episode, Apel and Maxey discuss with Kral what it was like reporting on the Chambers case as it unfolded, what the trials revealed and failed to resolve, and how the latest developments may reshape the public’s understanding of one of Mississippi’s most disturbing unsolved murders.
Investigation: Homicide examines the cases that leave lasting scars and the questions that refuse to go away.
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Investigation: Homicide. Episode #2: The Day Our Hearts Broke

It’s a day Mississippi will never forget. October 1, 1997, a nerdy teenager walked into a high school and changed everyone’s life forever. We talk with Greg Eklund, who was an investigator with the Rankin County Sheriffs Dept at the time. Eklund takes us through the events leading up to that day and what the ripple effect has been over time.
 
 
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Episode #1: Behind the Headlines: The Calculated Crime of Carly Gregg

In the inaugural episode of Investigation Homicide, Therese and Nicole explore the case of an intelligent and manipulative teenager who killed her mother in cold blood through the eyes of Assistant District Attorney Michael Smith, who was tasked with prosecuting her. The Investigation Homicide team examines this sensational case beyond the national headlines.
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Episode 21: Cold Case Cracked—The Arrest in Shondra May’s 40-Year Mystery

For nearly four decades, the murder of Shondra May has haunted central Mississippi—until now. In this powerful new episode of Investigation: Homicide, Sheriff Mike Lee and Chief Deputy Brad Ellis return to the studio to sit down with Therese Apel and walk us through the shocking arrest of Rubin Weeks, a former suspect who had vanished into the shadows… until justice came knocking. Weeks, found living in Madison, was previously imprisoned in Missouri for a crime eerily similar to Shondra’s case.
From early suspicions to groundbreaking developments, discover the behind-the-scenes strategies, gut instincts, and relentless pursuit that finally brought a suspect into custody.
Join us live at 5 and bring your questions—this is one case you don’t want to miss.
#ColdCaseSolved #ShondraMay #RubinWeeks #ScottCountySheriff #InvestigationHomicide #TrueCrimePodcast #JusticeForShondra #ColdCaseBreakthrough #ThereseApel #MississippiCrime #HomicideInvestigation
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.