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Midday Missing - Gerald Michael Holmes & Shelton John Sanders · True Crime and Wine Time

0:48
Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome back and happy Monday. I hope
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Speaker 1: and membership options. Now today's case, Oh boy, sorry, guys,
3:42
Speaker 1: allergies are getting me again. This first case today is
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Speaker 1: the perplexing case of Gerald Michael Holmes, who vanished from
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Speaker 1: Richland County, South Carolina in nineteen ninety six. But let's
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Speaker 1: first start with the last place Gerald was seen. Wade's
4:01
Speaker 1: pool Hall. Now, it was a small town establishment full
4:05
Speaker 1: of chatter, que's breaking on the table and drinks being
4:10
Speaker 1: passed around. Now, on the evening of July twenty first,
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Speaker 1: nineteen ninety six, twenty five year old Gerald Holmes, who
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Speaker 1: is known to friends as Little Mike, visited Wade's pool
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Speaker 1: Hall with companions. Now, witnesses recall him leaving alone sometime
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Speaker 1: around midnight, and that is the last confirmed sighting. And guys,
4:31
Speaker 1: here's the thing. Leaving alone isn't inherently suspicious. I mean,
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Speaker 1: let's think about it, and let's be real. How many
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Speaker 1: of us have left a pool hall, above a bar,
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Speaker 1: a restaurant alone around midnight. But guys, the difference here
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Speaker 1: is that Gerald was never heard from again. Now, the
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Speaker 1: following morning, at around eight thirty am, authorities discovered gerald
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Speaker 1: car and it was found burned on Pickle Hill. It
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Speaker 1: was just a couple of miles from his aunt's house. Guys, burned. Okay,
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Speaker 1: that's a deliberate act. Okay, that is somebody who's wanting
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Speaker 1: to get rid of evidence, in my opinion, because I
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Speaker 1: have never heard of a car just spontaneously combusting. Now
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Speaker 1: I am a girl not into cars, so maybe I
5:26
Speaker 1: am naive, but to the best of my knowledge, that
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Speaker 1: doesn't happen except for in TV shows. So now here's
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Speaker 1: the kicker. Gerald was using a rental car because this
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Speaker 1: personal vehicle was in the shop, and I think that
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Speaker 1: adds a little bit more intrigue in layers to this
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Speaker 1: case because that leads me to think someone was targeting
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Speaker 1: him specifically, or makes me wonder did he witness something
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Speaker 1: that put him in danger? Like I said, he wasn't
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Speaker 1: driving his own car. Now, two days later, on July
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Speaker 1: twenty third, yes, my birthday, Charlet's girlfriend reported him missing. Okay, seriously,
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Speaker 1: I want to know why the police didn't talk to
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Speaker 1: the rental car company, because if they found his car
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Speaker 1: burning or the rental car burning the next day, shouldn't
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Speaker 1: they have contacted the rental car company, got the name
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Speaker 1: who was renting that car, went to the home, reached
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Speaker 1: out to family, done something, because why did nothing happen
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Speaker 1: until his girlfriend reported him two days later? Because two
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Speaker 1: days in a missing person case. Is two days too long? Okay.
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Speaker 1: Now the police, you know, his girlfriend called reported a
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Speaker 1: missing went to his apartment, okay, where they found signs
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Speaker 1: of a break in. So once again, if police, when
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Speaker 1: they found the car Arburn would have went to his
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Speaker 1: house to talk to him, they would have found the
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Speaker 1: evidence that his house had been broken into. Okay, So
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Speaker 1: two days once again ball got dropped. But oddly nothing
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Speaker 1: was stolen from Gerald's apartment. Now his personal belongings remained
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Speaker 1: untouched and there were dishes left in the sink. Guys,
7:24
Speaker 1: not shaming anyone for leaving their dishes in the sink,
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Speaker 1: because if it was my house, the dishes would be
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Speaker 1: in the sink because I unload the dishwasherh loads the dishwasher. Anyway,
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Speaker 1: different story. But to me, it's almost like someone was
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Speaker 1: searching for something or trying to send a message. By
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Speaker 1: the way they described that his apartment was and scene
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Speaker 1: breis is another question. Was Gerald targeted at home first
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Speaker 1: or did something happen after he left the pool hall
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Speaker 1: because the last confirmed sighting was leaving the pool hall.
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Speaker 1: Did he go back to his place? Did he leave again?
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Speaker 1: I mean back in ninety six, cameras were not as
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Speaker 1: around as they are today. To be honest, I'm not
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Speaker 1: sure when cameras became the thing, but they are now.
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Speaker 1: But Gerald was described as a devoted father with a
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Speaker 1: strong relationship with his son and his son's mother. Okay, guys,
8:24
Speaker 1: this detail really hits home because it's one thing to disappear,
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Speaker 1: but to leave behind a child you love, that's not
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Speaker 1: something someone like Gerald or most of us would do willingly.
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Speaker 1: Because as a mom, I could tell you I wouldn't
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Speaker 1: just walk away from my kids even when they drive
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Speaker 1: me insane, and their adults and they still drive me insane.
8:48
Speaker 1: But I want to fast forward to twenty nineteen, which
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Speaker 1: is over twenty years later the case was reopened. Okay,
8:56
Speaker 1: The Richland County Sheriff's departments Cold Case Unit hope that
9:00
Speaker 1: time and technology might help uncover new leads. Sadly, nothing
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Speaker 1: has been developed. Gerald's family is still seeking answers and
9:11
Speaker 1: holding on to hope that one day Gerald will be found.
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Speaker 1: So I want to ask you if you have any
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Speaker 1: information about Gerald Michael Holmes, no matter how small or
9:24
Speaker 1: insignificant it may seem, please contact the Richland County Sheriff's Department,
9:29
Speaker 1: at eight oh three, five, seven, six, three thousand, because guys,
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Speaker 1: just that one call could bring his family the justice
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Speaker 1: they deserve and give his son answers. Now, this next
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Speaker 1: case is justice heartbreaking. But I'm going to tell you you're
9:52
Speaker 1: right off the bat Terry's going to try to hold
9:56
Speaker 1: her rage. Okay, I'm going to try to hold my
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Speaker 1: rage because this case has left a family and a
10:02
Speaker 1: community searching for answers for over two decades. It's the
10:07
Speaker 1: story of Shelton Sanders, a young man who disappeared from Columbia,
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Speaker 1: South Carolina, in June two thousand and one. Guys, we
10:18
Speaker 1: did not intentionally pick South Carolina for both cases, but
10:21
Speaker 1: here we are. We're in the South. This case is
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Speaker 1: filled with mystery, heartbreak, and ongoing hope for justice. Now
10:32
Speaker 1: I'm gonn warn y'all. I told you I was gonna
10:34
Speaker 1: get a little on a rampage, little rant, but I
10:37
Speaker 1: guarantee you those who follow us in are deeply interested
10:43
Speaker 1: in true crime. You're going to have a lot of
10:44
Speaker 1: thoughts on this one. Shelton Sanders was a twenty five
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Speaker 1: year old man living in Rumbert, South Carolina, in two
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Speaker 1: thousand and one. He was a vibrant young man with
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Speaker 1: a promising future and guys, he was described by his
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Speaker 1: loved ones as extremely hard working, intelligent, and a deeply
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Speaker 1: caring person. Shelton was a student and worked as a
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Speaker 1: computer analyst at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Now,
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Speaker 1: June nineteenth, two thousand and one, was just another day,
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Speaker 1: or so it seemed. He attended classes as he did
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Speaker 1: any other day. Then, he and his college roommate Mark
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Speaker 1: Anthony Richardson or planning a bachelor party for a friend,
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Speaker 1: and they were out scouting hotel rooms in Columbia to
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Speaker 1: reserve for this fun event. That evening, at around eight
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Speaker 1: thirty PM, Shelton called his mother to us to let
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Speaker 1: her know he would be going back to Rimbert that night.
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Speaker 1: But guys, he never made it, and his family knew
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Speaker 1: something was wrong when he didn't show up for work
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Speaker 1: the next day or answer his phone, because this was
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Speaker 1: unlike him. Shelton always had his phone with them, and
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Speaker 1: he picked up the phone when it rang. It's not
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Speaker 1: like me who leaves my phone laying around everywhere. Okay. Now,
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Speaker 1: Shelton's parents made a missing person's report and police conducted
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Speaker 1: a search, but they found no real evidence and the
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Speaker 1: case became cold. Now, a couple of years later, Shelton's
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Speaker 1: nineteen eighty eight Oldsmobile Regency was found backed into a
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Speaker 1: parking spot at Greenbrier apartment complex in Colombia. Okay, how
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Speaker 1: was it not found for a couple of years? Did
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Speaker 1: they not put out a bulow on his car? I mean,
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Speaker 1: there was so many questions. There wasn't as much to
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Speaker 1: find when I looked, But how two years? I don't
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Speaker 1: get it. Now. Shelton's friend and roommate, Mark Anthony Richardson,
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Speaker 1: who had been with him the night he disappeared, a
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Speaker 1: person of interest, which is normal if you're the last
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Speaker 1: person seen with somebody, or if you find somebody's body,
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Speaker 1: guess what you're going to be a person of interest? Okay? Now,
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Speaker 1: Richardson was questioned and guys, sit down and hold on. Okay.
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Speaker 1: In the interview, he said, let me ask you a
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Speaker 1: hypothetical question. Is there such a thing as an accidental
13:30
Speaker 1: death in the state of South Carolina? Hypothetically? Really? Then, guys,
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Speaker 1: Then he put his hands in his face like that
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Speaker 1: and said, how can I explain getting rid of a body? Okay?
13:52
Speaker 1: He then refused to say anything else. Guys, please tell
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Speaker 1: me I'm not the only one that says, what the
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Speaker 1: f If that doesn't move you up from a person
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Speaker 1: of interest to a full blown suspect, I don't know
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Speaker 1: what the hell would Okay, like I said, he refused it,
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Speaker 1: didn't say anything else. Now, authorities were able to use
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Speaker 1: cell phone records to prove that his cell phone was
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Speaker 1: right where Shelton's car was found. Now. In addition, Shelton
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Speaker 1: and Richardson were seen at three hotels that evening between
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Speaker 1: nine thirty and a little after ten, and then they
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Speaker 1: returned to Richardson's apartment between eleven and eleven thirty. Guys.
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Speaker 1: A neighbor reported hearing three gunshots from the apartment. I mean,
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Speaker 1: and when he went to check it out, when the
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Speaker 1: police went to check it out, Richardson told him it
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Speaker 1: was just my car backfiring. It wasn't anything. So not
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Speaker 1: only do does he tell his neighbor who heard it
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Speaker 1: that it was just my car, but he tells the
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Speaker 1: police that later okay now. Mark Richardson was arrested in
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Speaker 1: October two thousand and five and being charged with murder
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Speaker 1: in connection to Shelton's disappearance. Now, despite being charged with
15:17
Speaker 1: Shelton's murder, Richardson has consistently maintained his innocence. Guys, in
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Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, he stood trial, but the jury
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Speaker 1: was unable to reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared.
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Speaker 1: And without Shelton's body and only circumstantial evidence the cases
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Speaker 1: in limbo, they decided not to retry the case. Now
15:47
Speaker 1: online you can find a lot of information and one
15:52
Speaker 1: of the comments that struck me was from one of
15:56
Speaker 1: the investigators who investigated this case when he said a
16:00
Speaker 1: jury was racially divided and that's why there was a mistrial. Okay,
16:08
Speaker 1: racially divided. A jury is not there to make a
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Speaker 1: decision based on race. A jury is there to make
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Speaker 1: a decision and a verdict based on evidence, even circumstantial evidence,
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Speaker 1: not race. Nowhere does it say when you become a juror, hey,
16:30
Speaker 1: you need to decide a case based on race and
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Speaker 1: decide race. That is not a key. That pissed me off. Okay,
16:38
Speaker 1: and I saw that comment so many times and it
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Speaker 1: infuriated me to think that this man is walking free
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Speaker 1: because jurors couldn't come to a decision based on race.
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Speaker 1: Race doesn't have a damn thing to do with it. Okay,
16:57
Speaker 1: let's stop and look at this. Three gunshots are heard, okay,
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Speaker 1: and then the suspect says, oh, it was my car backfiring. Well,
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Speaker 1: you're in your apartment and the gunshot was in your apartment.
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Speaker 1: I don't think your car's in your apartment. Okay. Then
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Speaker 1: when police talk to you, you ask a hypothetical question,
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Speaker 1: is there accidental murder? To the best of my knowledge,
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Speaker 1: three gunshots is not accidental. Accidental is when a gun
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Speaker 1: goes off once, not three times. Then for the suspect
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Speaker 1: to drop his head in his hands and say, how
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Speaker 1: do I explain getting rid of a body? Okay? I
17:42
Speaker 1: haven't read all of the court documents. I haven't read everything,
17:45
Speaker 1: but I'm here to tell you. Unless the defense put
17:50
Speaker 1: up a great case and made me think that I
17:56
Speaker 1: couldn't with beyond reasonable doubt say this man was guilty,
18:00
Speaker 1: I would have found him guilty on those three things. So,
18:03
Speaker 1: and I don't care what color is. He could have
18:05
Speaker 1: been a purple people leader for all I care, but
18:11
Speaker 1: I would have found him guilty. Now, the only plus
18:14
Speaker 1: side to this is that because they haven't retried him,
18:18
Speaker 1: if and when Shelton's body is found, hopefully they will
18:22
Speaker 1: have more evidence and they can try this case again. Now,
18:27
Speaker 1: Shelton's family has been relentless in the pursuit of answers.
18:31
Speaker 1: His father and siblings have worked tirely to keep his
18:34
Speaker 1: memory alive and advocate for justice. They have organized visuals,
18:40
Speaker 1: They've raised awareness in the media. They've even offered a
18:43
Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars reward for information leading to Shelton's wearabouts.
18:51
Speaker 1: I mean, they assume he's deceased, so they want his body.
18:55
Speaker 1: But the message is clear they will not rest until
18:59
Speaker 1: they know the truth, and without resolution, the family continues
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Speaker 1: to grapple with an agonizing void in their life. They've
19:08
Speaker 1: lost a son, a brother, and a beloved member of
19:12
Speaker 1: their family, and for over twenty years they've carried the
19:16
Speaker 1: weight of unanswered questions. Now, just last year, Shelton's sister
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Speaker 1: had a booth at Crime con in Nashville, where she
19:25
Speaker 1: told her brother's story and wanted to send a message
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Speaker 1: that the family is not giving up until they get
19:32
Speaker 1: justice for Shelton. So I applaud her because that cannot
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Speaker 1: be easy. In cases like Shelton's are a harsh reminder
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Speaker 1: of how quickly someone can vanish and how difficult it
19:49
Speaker 1: can be to piece together the truth. Okay, this young
19:53
Speaker 1: man had so much potential, and his family's dedication to
19:58
Speaker 1: keeping his story alive is a testament to their love
20:02
Speaker 1: and resilience. And I can't help but wonder what else
20:06
Speaker 1: might be out there. Maybe someone remembers a detail from
20:10
Speaker 1: that night, and it doesn't matter how small. Maybe someone
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Speaker 1: who's afraid to come forward before is ready to talk now.
20:19
Speaker 1: Maybe his roommate, Mark Richardson talked to somebody. Maybe he
20:26
Speaker 1: got drunken, shared his dark secret. Maybe he told a
20:29
Speaker 1: new love interest. Now, maybe, just maybe Mark Anthony Richardson
20:37
Speaker 1: will be a man, step up and tells what he knows. Okay,
20:43
Speaker 1: I mean, let's be honest here, guys, you do not
20:45
Speaker 1: say to the police how do I explain getting rid
20:48
Speaker 1: of a body if you had nothing to do with
20:51
Speaker 1: the disappearance of your roommate. And I'm going to use
20:54
Speaker 1: my little air quotes friend, because that's not a friend
20:59
Speaker 1: to me. But guys, I want you to remember, every
21:03
Speaker 1: piece of information matters, no matter how little it is.
21:07
Speaker 1: So if you have any information about Shelton xanders disappearance,
21:13
Speaker 1: please contact the Richland County Sheriff's Department at eight zero
21:18
Speaker 1: three five seven six three thousand, or Crime Stoppers at
21:24
Speaker 1: one eight eight eight cr im SC. Tips can also
21:31
Speaker 1: be submitted anonymously. Shelton's family deserves answers and your information
21:38
Speaker 1: could be the key mark. You could step up and
21:42
Speaker 1: do the right thing. You've had twenty more years to live.
21:46
Speaker 1: Let this family have peace now. I want to thank
21:51
Speaker 1: you all for joining me today. I hope to see
21:54
Speaker 1: you again on Wednesday for another episode of Midday Missing.
21:57
Speaker 1: It feels great to be back. There was a lot
22:00
Speaker 1: of work going on while we were off air, but
22:05
Speaker 1: definitely happy to be back now. Don't forget. You can
22:09
Speaker 1: also join our Facebook group and follow us on all
22:12
Speaker 1: social media channels. I am going to ask you to
22:14
Speaker 1: please share Gerald and Shelton's posters, which will be posted
22:19
Speaker 1: on our social media after this ends. Also coming this
22:24
Speaker 1: week is a new Facebook page for Midday Missing. It
22:29
Speaker 1: will be a page just for missing person flyers and
22:33
Speaker 1: case information. We decided we did not want to flood
22:37
Speaker 1: True Crime and Wine Time's podcast page with all the
22:40
Speaker 1: missing person flyers. We will still post there, but we
22:45
Speaker 1: will put every missing person flyer on Midday Missing Facebook page,
22:50
Speaker 1: and any other cases that we are sent, tagged in
22:54
Speaker 1: or told about, we will also post there. Now we
22:58
Speaker 1: will check and make sure they are legitimate. As I've
23:01
Speaker 1: said before, there's a lot of people out there trying
23:04
Speaker 1: to scam people, and I see missing person flyers all
23:09
Speaker 1: the time that I'm like, wait, I've seen that face
23:12
Speaker 1: before with a different name, and when I go check
23:14
Speaker 1: it out, find out it's a scam. So Midday Missing
23:19
Speaker 1: will be the channel that you can find everything. So
23:23
Speaker 1: what I want to ask all of you, if on
23:25
Speaker 1: your social media pages you see a missing person case,
23:29
Speaker 1: please let's build the Midday Missing Facebook page to make
23:34
Speaker 1: it a platform and a safe space for all missing
23:38
Speaker 1: person flyers to go, not just the cases that we're
23:41
Speaker 1: able to cover here on Midday Missing. Like I said,
23:44
Speaker 1: I will not be posting any funnies there. You will
23:47
Speaker 1: not be seeing chitter chatter. It will truly be Midday
23:52
Speaker 1: Missing and Missing Person Flyers only. So and as always,
23:57
Speaker 1: you can catch all of our shows right here on
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Speaker 1: more people who find us, the more chances and opportunities
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Speaker 1: we have to help one of these families get a
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Speaker 1: tip to help find their loved ones. So guys, until
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Speaker 1: next time, stay safe, watch out for crime, and as always,
24:46
Speaker 1: enjoy your wine time. Guys, I will see you on Wednesday.
24:49
Speaker 1: Take care, the the the t