Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike files an emergency court declaration detailing squalid conditions and isolation following her botched lethal injection. Atlanta authorities arrest two women on murder charges after four-year-old Cobee Cooks is discovered beaten to death beneath a pile of laundry. A former West Point cadet faces a civil lawsuit after confessing in federal court to poisoning his pregnant classmate with abortion medication. Sydney Silvagni reports.
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There will be a retrial for Lindsay Clancy in the murder of her three children. What it will look like isn't yet known. Another hearing is set for November 16, 2026. In court today, attorney Kevin Reddington took the offensive, lasting out at the holdout juror, calling him by name. Judge William Sullivan interjected to stop Reddington, who declared the judge would not stop him. In raised voices, the two spoke over each other as Reddington pushed back.
Reddington also wants clarity on charges before proceeding and has urged the trial to be held under Judge Sullivan before his retirement. He also seeks to dismiss the case on double jeopardy grounds. The court is also addressing a gag order request and other procedural motions
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Randy Kessler - Trial Lawyer, Emory Law School Professor, Past Chair ABA Family Law Section, Author: "Divorce, Protect Yourself, Your Kids and Your Future", www.KSFamilyLaw.com, Instagram: @rkessler23, Twitter: @GADivorce
Dr. Janie Lacy - Licensed Psychotherapist and CEO of Life Counseling Solutions, Author of "How To Heal From A Toxic Relationship: A Guide To Reclaiming Your Mental Health and Happiness", Host of "Let's Talk About It with Janie Lacy” Podcast on YouTube, janielacy.com, Instagram & Facebook: @JanieLacy
Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue”, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
Robbie Harvey - Journalist, Host of 'The Robbie Harvey' show on Youtube.Website: THEROBBIEHARVEY.COM FB/Insta/TikTock: @TheRobbieHarvey, Robbie@TheRobbieHarvey.com
Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'
Lauren Conlin - Reporter, Los Angeles Magazine , Podcaster/Reporter/Host- Co-Host of "PopCrimeTV" on YouTube, Website: www.popcrime.tv and primetimecrimeshow.com, X- @Conlin_Lauren, Instagram: @LaurenEmilyConlin, YouTube: @PopCrimeTV
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An Arizona woman narrowly survives after her fiancé allegedly stabs her in the neck and claims to be a divine prophet just weeks before their wedding. In Florida, a mother and family photographer faces felony child neglect charges after allegedly leaving her four young children unattended to take a work trip to Las Vegas amid a contentious divorce. A historic DNA breakthrough in Utah officially closes the fifty-two-year-old murder of a former police chief's teenage daughter, definitively tying the cold case to notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. Sydney Silvagni reports.
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High-profile cases don’t stay behind the scenes anymore. Lawyers are hired before investigations are complete, advocates and private experts release their own findings, witnesses speak on podcasts, and online accusations spread long before anyone is charged with a crime.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer to discuss how that shift is changing the criminal justice system and putting new pressure on prosecutors, investigations, witnesses, families, and potential jurors. Using the Nolan Wells investigation as an example, Sheryl and Joshua talk about outside experts, secondary autopsies, media coverage, death threats, doxing, and what can happen when people outside an investigation become involved before law enforcement has finished its work. They also explain how public statements, podcasts, and social media posts can complicate a case and potentially create reasonable doubt if it eventually reaches court.

Highlights:
(0:00) “Crazy town”: the troubling trend in high-profile cases that brings Joshua Schiffer back to Zone7
(1:00) How lawyers, GoFundMe campaigns, protests, and public pressure can begin before an investigation is complete
(6:00) The personal toll of high-profile cases on prosecutors, public defenders, investigators, and their families
(8:30) From theories accusing Lindsay Clancy’s husband to lawsuits against influencers: where true crime interest crosses into harassment and civil liability
(12:15) The Nolan Wells investigation and the outside force already influencing the case before any criminal charges are filed
(14:30) Private reports, outside experts, nonprofits, and public advocacy: when well-meaning help complicates an active investigation
(18:15) Why following police procedures matters when a defense attorney begins challenging an investigation
(20:00) Hiring a lawyer or remaining silent is a constitutional right, not an admission of guilt
(22:15) No blunt force trauma or signs of a fight: what the secondary autopsy does and does not show
(27:30) Death threats, doxing, disputed audio, and why Sheryl and Joshua question the theory of a violent death
(34:30) How podcasts, books, interviews, and social media posts can introduce reasonable doubt before a case ever reaches trial

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Joshua Schiffer is an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney and longtime Zone 7 contributor. He represents clients in criminal matters and frequently provides legal analysis on high-profile cases, courtroom strategy, constitutional rights, and the realities of the criminal justice system.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
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A 10-year-old Oregon girl is safe after being abducted from her bed and discovered bound inside a duffel bag, leading to the arrest of a suspect who assaulted her older sister with a hammer. In Oklahoma and Texas, authorities confirm four-year-old Andres "Harry" Furley was fatally shot in the head by his father in a tragic murder-suicide following a missed custody exchange. An Idaho man accused of violently sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in his Tesla avoids immediate prison time after a judge sentences him to a one-year rider rehabilitation program. Sydney Silvagni reports.
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