Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by retired Police Chief Frank Frederickson and Michelle Linn for a case that began with a violent 1988 Cape Cod assault and, years later, became something neither of them could have imagined. Frederickson, then a newly assigned detective, recalls a summer of escalating attacks across Hyannis and Barnstable, Massachusetts, and the unconventional decision to bring Michelle along into the nightclubs to search for the man who attacked her. Michelle shares what finally convinced her to report the assault, how she knew her attacker the instant she saw him, and how one of the most traumatic experiences of her life led to justice, healing, and an unexpected love story.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl McCollum introduces retired Police Chief Frank Frederickson and details his decades of law enforcement service
(1:00) Frank describes the 1988 Cape Cod case and “sets the stage” before cell phones, DNA testing, cameras, and modern investigative tools
(2:00) A young woman is attacked while trying to retrieve a motel key; a passerby intervenes as the attacker tries to drag her across the road
(3:45) Similar assaults begin happening weekly in Barnstable and Hyannis, Massachusetts, growing more violent as the summer goes on
(4:45) Michelle tells Frank she believes she will know the assailant if she sees him again
(7:15) Michelle spots the man outside a Hyannis nightclub
(8:00) Frank describes following the suspect until a liquor store stop gives police a reason to approach him
(11:15) Michelle joins the conversation and shares how she recognized her attacker and what she remembered from the attack
(15:30) Michelle recalls not wanting to report the assault, and the moment her friend convinced her that staying silent could put someone else at risk
(21:30) Frank and Michelle share the unexpected turn their lives took years later

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Frank Frederickson is a retired chief of police with more than 45 years in law enforcement, beginning with the Yarmouth Police Department in 1977 and retiring in 2022. He has served as director of government affairs for the Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police and as executive director of the New England Association of Chiefs of Police.
Michelle Linn is a survivor whose courage helped investigators identify and arrest the man responsible for a series of sexual assaults on Cape Cod in 1988. Her decision to report, stay involved, and trust what she recognized helped bring justice for multiple victims.

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 Louisiana judge faces intense scrutiny and recusal demands after her son's conviction as a rapist surfaces alongside damming text messages from a suspect in the gang-rape of LSU student Madison Brooks. In Missouri, new emergency audio details how a teen hid in a closet while a neighbor executed a mother and her daughter before turning the gun on himself. A Washington man accused of setting the catastrophic Old Trails Fire sees his bail raised to two million dollars after admitting to igniting dozens of blazes across the region. Sydney Silvagni reports.

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Sandra Rzucek, murder victim Shanann Watts' mother, hasn't minced word on her opinion of her killer former son-in-law. She has used the term "the devil" and "the work of the devil" following the 2018 murders of her pregnant daughter and young granddaughters. In an interview Rzucek spoke about the stated, “ The devil comes to you in any shape, size and form and can be transformed into anything.” Sandra openly referred to Chris as the Antichrist, pointing to the cold, calculated way he discarded his family.

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Five people were arrested in the death of actor Mathew Perry. Federal Prosecutors alleged Perry first obtains ketamine from an unscrupulous doctor aiming to take advantage of the actor’s addiction issues. Dr. Salvador Plasencia teaches Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa how to administer the drug, and provides ketamine to both Perry and Iwamasa at exorbitant prices. When the drugs become too expensive, Perry and Iwamasa turn to street dealers Assistant Kenneth Iwamasa reaches out to several street dealers. Eric Fleming agrees to a deal, and turns to his supplier Jasveen Sangha, dubbed “The Ketamine Queen.” Fleming pays Sangha for the drugs with cash from Iwamasa.
In two weeks, Sangha provides Fleming and Iwamasa 50 vials of ketamine to distribute to Perry for $11,000. When news of Perry’s death begins to circulate, Sangha texts Fleming, “Delete all of our messages.”
Now, Matthew Perry’s sisters, Caitlin and Madeline Morrison, speak out accusing assistant, Kenneth “Kenny” Iwamasa, accusing him of directly causing his death. The sisters described Iwamasa as someone Perry trusted and considered family. Madeline Morrison wrote that Iwamasa “had injected my brother with a lethal dose of ketamine and left him in a hot tub to die”, calling the betrayal “something I never could have conceived.” Caitlin Morrison echoed the sentiments, stating she could not determine if the lethal ketamine dose was accidental, but she knew Iwamasa was either “escaping from something he knew he had done” or “willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation” when he left Perry.
Kenneth “Kenny” Iwamasa was sentenced on May 27, 2026 to 3 years and 5 months in federal prison and received a $10,000 fine. He was ordered to serve two years of supervised release after his prison term.
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What happens when the children of serial killers get together? The book, "The Death Row Club," hits bookstores. This dark, psychological thriller by V.A. Vazquez mixes the mystery, horror and true crime genres.
The story follows Nicola Fischer, daughter of a man convicted of murdering five women, including Nicoa's best friend. Nicola's life changes overnight. One day, she receives a cryptic invitation a secret annual retreat for the adult children of serial killers, the Death Row Club. When a death happens within the club, the question rises. Is one of the members taking after their serial killer sire?
JOINING NANCY GRACE TONIGHT:
Victoria Vazquez also known as V.A. Vazquez - Author: "The Death Row Club"
Dr. Rachel Toles - Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Author of upcoming book “Inventing the Psychopath: How a Convenient Myth Makes the World More Dangerous,” website: DrRachelToles.com, Instagram / YouTube: TolzHaus, Facebook: DrRachelToles,
Chris McDonough - Director at the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective, & Host of YouTube channel, "The Interview Room”, www.coldcasefoundation.org/chris-mcdonough
Francine Bardole - Her son and Ted's girlfriend's son were best friends, Cold Case Solutions and Resources / DNA Expert / Crime Scene Investigator and Forensic Specialist
Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'
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