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In 1994, wealthy Newport Beach businessman Bill McLaughlin is shot and killed in his own kitchen. His girlfriend Nanette Johnston and her secret boyfriend, ex-NFL player Eric Naposki, are immediately suspicious…but the stories don't hold and prosecutors can't make charges stick. The case goes cold, leaving Bill's family without justice for over a decade. Fifteen years later, Orange County DA Matt Murphy picks it up, determined to finally prove what really happened and who arranged it. Matt Murphy is a legal analyst for ABC News and an attorney in private practice in Southern California.  He was a Senior Deputy District Attorney in Orange County California. Matt Murphy spent 21 years assigned to the sexual assault and homicide units where he prosecuted some of the most notorious murder cases in the state of California.  He completed 132 jury trials in his career as a prosecutor, including 52 while he was assigned to the homicide unit.  He worked as an adjunct professor of law for 7 years.  In addition to his work for ABC news, Mr. Murphy is in private practice representing victims of sexual abuse and some select criminal defense cases. He's also been regularly appearing on NewsNation with Elizabeth Vargas, Chris Cuomo and Ashleigh Banfield providing analysis on Criminal cases in the news. He also one of the co-hosts on MK True Crime with Megyn Kelly and is kicking off a brand-new podcast In the Well with his longtime friend and colleague Mark Geragos. Matt published his first book, The Book of Murder - A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death, in 2024, which was an instant Best Seller, and he is currently drafting his second book.

We'll be back very soon with a brand new season of Small Town Dicks. Want to hear the first FOUR episodes of Season 18 RIGHT NOW?  Visit smalltowndicks.com/superfam and join at the Super Duper Fam level for access to the latest BINGE drop.

This is part two of a two-part episode. As Detective Robert keeps digging into the case against Darren, more information comes to light and a disturbing picture begins to form. Darren isn’t just a womanizer with power. He’s a predator operating within the justice system. To stop him, Robert must take on not just the suspect, but the system protecting him.Sergeant Robert has been in law enforcement for over 20 years. Prior to becoming a detective, he spent nine years on patrol, where he served as a Field Training Officer (FTO) and an FBI-trained hostage negotiator. As a detective, he worked in a unit that investigated crimes against children, including sex crimes, serious physical abuse and child homicides. He was later re-assigned to the violent crimes unit, where he investigated homicides, robberies and other serious felonies. He was an active member of his county’s major crimes team, which investigated homicides and officer-involved shootings. After 10 years in investigations, Robert was promoted to sergeant.

Hey Small Town Fam! It's Thanksgiving in America so, as is tradition, we're taking a break from our usual episodes this week. Instead of an episode, please enjoy two ad-free bonus episodes that aired on our Super Fam feed; Fight Like Hell and AI Strikes Again.If you like what you hear, become a Super Fam member at smalltowndicks.com/superfam , and use the promo code FREEMONTH for the first month on us! There, you'll find over 250 bonus episodes, with new bonus episodes every week (even between Small Town Dicks seasons!). You'll also get main episodes a day early. Also, everything on the Super Fam feed is ad-free!

When Detective Robert opens an investigation into a fellow officer, he doesn’t yet realize the scope of what he’s about to uncover. The suspect, Darren, is a well-connected cop, and the woman accusing him is terrified to speak out. When she bravely comes forward, the race to stop Darren from continuing to offend is on. This is part one of a two-part episode about police misconduct, ending on a nail-biting cliffhanger.Sergeant Robert has been in law enforcement for over 20 years. Prior to becoming a detective, he spent nine years on patrol, where he served as a Field Training Officer (FTO) and an FBI-trained hostage negotiator. As a detective, he worked in a unit that investigated crimes against children, including sex crimes, serious physical abuse and child homicides. He was later re-assigned to the violent crimes unit, where he investigated homicides, robberies and other serious felonies. He was an active member of his county’s major crimes team, which investigated homicides and officer-involved shootings. After 10 years in investigations, Robert was promoted to sergeant.

When Detective Constable Simon becomes the sole detective on the remote island of Rothesay, he sets his sights on cleaning up the town’s growing drug problem. But just months into his new role, his investigations begin to unravel. That’s when Simon starts to suspect someone inside the department is tipping off suspects.His search for the source turns up nothing, and he’s left to face a chilling possibility: the leak might be coming from above.Detective Constable Simon joined the force in 1978 and retired in 2006. During his tenure, Simon worked in the drugs and major crimes unit, in the Serious Crime Squad, did surveillance and undercover work, and worked in anti-terrorism, organized crime and corruption. After his retirement, he ran his own investigation business for a number of years. Simon is the founder of LEAP Scotland, part of a global campaign to change laws to end the ‘war on drugs.’ He has own community radio show and YouTube Channel, and is co-host of the Crime Time Inc. podcast with Small Town Dicks’s favorite Tom Woods.

Detective Lindsey is assigned a stack of cold cases, but one file stops her in her tracks: the brutal assault of a woman whose attacker was never caught. A DNA match points to a previously convicted offender.As Det. Lindsey digs deeper, a pattern begins to emerge. The investigation leads to a disturbing possibility — there are more victims out there, still waiting for justice.Lindsey served as a Tacoma Police Officer for twenty-one years. During her fourteen years as a detective, she investigated sexual assaults, child abuse, missing persons, and homicides. In 2010, Lindsey discovered serial killer Ted Bundy’s DNA was not in CODIS. She worked with authorities in Florida to track down a sample of Bundy’s DNA and finally entered it into the national database in 2011. Lindsey retired in 2018 as the Tacoma Police Department’s cold case detective and joined the Washington State Attorney General’s Office as a senior investigator assigned for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. She is a former member of the FBI ViCAP National Advisory Board and teaches child abduction response and cold case investigations for the National Criminal Justice Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College. Lindsey has been a speaker at numerous law enforcement conferences around the country, lecturing on cold cases, sex crimes, DNA, and child abduction response. She recently published a true crime memoir titled, “In My DNA: My Career Investigating Your Worst Nightmares."

It’s Deputy Alia’s day off, but instead of relaxing, she’s called in to negotiate with a barricaded suspect who has murdered his loved one. What follows is a tense and tragic police negotiation, as Alia uses her training and instincts to calm a panicked suspect and bring control to a chaotic barricade standoff. Deputy Alia has served with her agency for just over 10 years. She spent about 8 years on patrol, five of those as a field training deputy. The last two years she has spent in the training division where she is responsible for cadet training in the academy and agency training as a whole. Alia has also been a negotiator for the last four years, and is on call 24/7 for hostage/barricaded subject calls.

A man’s body is found face down with his hands zip-tied behind his back, launching Detective Aaron into a months-long homicide investigation to uncover the victim’s identity and the truth behind his death. This intense real crime case would become Detective Aaron’s final investigation before medical retirement, a case he calls “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”Detective Aaron (Retired) started his law enforcement career as an Explorer in Alaska at 13 years old. He then spent 21 years as a sworn police officer in Alaska and Oregon. During his career he was assigned to patrol, Field Training, was a police instructor, spent time assigned to a drug enforcement team and spent his final 11 years assigned to his agency’s Major Crimes Team as a homicide and child abuse detective. Detective Aaron retired from law enforcement in 2023.

In a quiet desert town, a well-loved schoolteacher vanishes without a trace. Lieutenant Matt joins the search. The teacher’s husband has little to say, but the investigation goes on, eventually leading to a chilling discovery. What began as a missing person report quickly spirals into a haunting story about betrayal, loss, and the quiet instincts that crack a case wide open.Lieutenant Matt was born and raised in a small town in New Mexico. After high school, he attended the police academy at Western New Mexico University. Lt. Matt started his law enforcement career at the Hidalgo County Sheriff Department (Lordsburg, NM) in 1994. In 2000, he transfered to the Deming Police Department (Deming, NM) where he held the ranks of patrol officer, Detective Sergeant and Patrol Lieutenant. Lt. Matt retired in in 2020. 

What starts as a carjacking by three suspects escalates into a tense hostage situation inside a fast food restaurant. On his very first call as a police negotiator, Lieutenant Ryan works to pull off a high-stakes hostage rescue, making sure every employee trapped inside gets out safely while dealing with an unexpected and frustrating distraction.Lieutenant Ryan has worked in law enforcement for nearly 15 years. He started his career as a patrol deputy and later moved into investigations as a detective, working in a unit that handled Crimes Against Children, including complex and sensitive cases involving abuse and exploitation.After promoting through the ranks, Ryan has served in leadership roles in patrol services, special investigations, and spent several years in the Training Division, where he helped build his agency’s training academy and shape the next generation of officers. He also served for six years on his agency’s Crisis Negotiations Team, eventually becoming the team leader. Ryan comes from a law enforcement family—his father and uncle both wore the badge before him, with his father serving over 40 years in law enforcement. He’s currently a shift commander on patrol and continues to oversee the field training program in his district.

Disturbing photos of an employee’s young family member are found stored on his work computer, launching a police investigation led by Detective Carrie. As the case unfolds, she uncovers a startling pattern of predatory behavior and repeated crimes against minors. One of his victims, once young and powerless, has grown up and is ready to fight back. Together she and Carrie work to bring this real crime story to a close and ensure justice is finally served. Detective Carrie's law enforcement career has spanned over 21 years, with the last seven as a Detective. Most of her career was spent on patrol on the midnight shift, including some time in the street crimes unit. Now, she is part of the Special Victims Unit, where she investigates cases of child abuse and sexual abuse. Detective Carrie says she finds her current assignment both challenging and deeply meaningful.

Before he was Deputy Chief, D.C. Dan was a patrol officer in a quiet small town. When he’s called to a violent stabbing, he’s confronted by disturbing details. What unfolds is a troubling case that ultimately sets DC Dan on the path to becoming a detective. Deputy Chief Dan started in Public Safety in 1996. He worked in the fire service, EMS, and 911 dispatch until he moved into law enforcement in 2007. Since then, D.C. Dan has worked as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, narcotics detective, major crimes detective, patrol supervisor, patrol Lieutenant and currently as Deputy Police Chief.

In 1980, officers respond to reports of a body found on the grounds of a community college. For 35 years, the murder of Barbara Mae Tucker remains unsolved. Almost to the day of the anniversary, the cold case lands on Detective Aaron’s desk. To uncover the truth, Aaron must wade through boxes of aging evidence, track down hundreds of potential suspects, and harness cutting-edge DNA technology in a race to finally bring Barbara’s killer to justice.Detective Aaron (Retired) started his law enforcement career as an Explorer in Alaska at 13 years old. He then spent 21 years as a sworn police officer in Alaska and Oregon. During his career he was assigned to patrol, Field Training, was a police instructor, spent time assigned to a drug enforcement team and spent his final 11 years assigned to his agency’s Major Crimes Team as a homicide and child abuse detective. Detective Aaron retired from law enforcement in 2023.

Detective Bre first meets Anthony during a heartbreaking case involving a young victim. When a second, eerily similar case with Anthony surfaces, Bre realizes this isn’t a one-time offense…It’s a pattern.Determined to stop Anthony for good, Bre joins forces with Detective Brian in a high-stakes undercover operation to protect vulnerable young people before it's too late.Detective Bre has been in law enforcement for nearly two decades as both a detective and a member of the Special Victims squad, investigating crimes against children, adult sex crimes and child death investigations. She is currently assigned to the Homicide Squad working cold cases. Bre grew up in a law enforcement family and shares the profession with her sister, Alia, and dad, who retired after 33 years.