S1: E22 – Bodies on the Bayou, Part 1

Summary

American Homicide: S1E22 – Bodies on the Bayou, Part 1

Host/Author: Sloane Glass
Released: March 20, 2025
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts

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Overview

American Homicide delves into the enigmatic and haunting murder cases scattered across America, intertwining each crime with its unique geographical and cultural backdrop. In Season 1, Episode 22, titled “Bodies on the Bayou, Part 1,” host Sloane Glass explores a chilling sequence of murders in New Orleans, Louisiana, set against the tumultuous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This episode uncovers the tragic fate of two men connected through a web of betrayal, ambition, and deceit, ultimately revealing a complex investigation led by dedicated law enforcement.

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1. Setting the Scene: New Orleans Post-Katrina

Timestamp: [02:42] - [05:57]

Sloane Glass introduces listeners to the vibrant yet fragile city of New Orleans, emphasizing its rich cultural tapestry and the profound impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The hurricane’s devastation left nearly 80% of the city underwater, displacing over half of its population and severely straining law enforcement resources.

Sloane Glass [04:31]: "Where else in the world can you walk down the street eating a po' boy in one hand with a cocktail in the other, while a jazz player strikes up a song on the corner?"

Laura Rodrigue, a prosecutor with the New Orleans District Attorney's office, provides insights into the city's resilient yet deeply affected community.

Laura Rodrigue [05:14]: "There is a certain sense of camaraderie among the community. They rally together, they support one another, and they take a lot of pride in saying that they're from New Orleans."

2. The Murder of Ernest Smith

Timestamp: [06:58] - [14:35]

Ernest Smith, a 38-year-old aspiring preacher, becomes the first victim in this saga. Just days before relocating to Atlanta to assume a prestigious pastoral role, Ernest is brutally murdered in his New Orleans home.

• Background:
  • Ernest, a beloved preacher, struggled financially despite his passion for ministry.
  • He was divorced and later married Emma Raine, a dynamic and ambitious woman who balanced multiple jobs to support their family.

Apostle Jackson [07:56]: "He was truly a man of God."

• The Crime:
  • On April 12, 2006, after discussing a new pastor position in Atlanta, Ernest takes a motorcycle ride and is subsequently ambushed and shot twice in the chest.
  • Emma returns home to find Ernest dead, with no witnesses and no clear motive, leaving the case cold.

Emma Raine [13:19]: "She thought it was a car backfiring when she heard the shots."

3. Emma Raine’s Turbulent Life

Timestamp: [14:35] - [26:00]

Following Ernest's death, Emma relocates to Poplarville, Mississippi, seeking a fresh start. She marries James Raine, a former military buddy of Ernest, who shares similar backgrounds and aspirations. Their marriage appears idyllic but soon reveals underlying tensions.

• Suspicious Activities:
  • Emma and James's marriage quickly sours, culminating in James's mysterious murder five years later in 2011.
  • Before his death, an envelope containing incriminating documents surfaces, linking James to Ernest’s murder through a life insurance policy.

Laura Rodrigue [30:16]: "James Raines involvement in Ernest Smith's murder was extremely suspicious."

4. Unraveling the Mystery: Alfred Everett’s Confession

Timestamp: [29:21] - [35:24]

The investigation takes a pivotal turn when James Raine’s brother, Alfred Everett, receives a mysterious call leading him to the incriminating documents. Under pressure, Alfred confesses that Emma and James orchestrated Ernest’s murder for the life insurance payout.

Alfred Everett: "Emma and James had paid me to shoot Ernest Smith."

Despite promising to come forward, Alfred disappears, leaving the case shrouded in uncertainty and fear of additional victims.

5. Reopening the Case: Detective Descenda Barnes

Timestamp: [35:32] - [38:02]

Desperate for answers, the family contacts Detective Descenda Barnes after seeing her successful handling of another cold case on television. Barnes, alongside Prosecutor Laura Rodrigue, reopens the investigation into Ernest and James's murders.

• Findings:
  • The shift in the insurance policy beneficiary to James Raine indicates premeditation.
  • The lack of immediate evidence and witnesses complicates the case, but Alfred’s confession provides a crucial lead.

Detective Descenda Barnes: "We can put ourselves in that family's shoes, which allows for a better understanding of what happened."

6. Escalating Threats and Ongoing Investigations

Timestamp: [38:02] - [38:12]

As the investigation progresses, another victim emerges, heightening fears of a serial perpetrator targeting men connected to Emma Raine. The police’s focus intensifies on locating Alfred Everett, whose role is critical in unraveling the conspiracy.

Laura Rodrigue [37:51]: "We had a murder for hire. Somebody killing husbands to make a living."

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Notable Quotes

• Sloane Glass [13:06]: "Ernest Smith, the gifted preacher who was just days away from being installed at a church in Atlanta, was now a casualty of the post-Katrina crime wave in New Orleans."
• Emma Raine [09:31]: "She sold wigs and all those other things that make you look girly. I guess you would say she was a jack of all trades."
• Apostle Jackson [11:38]: "This would have been the first time in his ministry that he'd have had a ready made family ready for him. I mean, if you ever wanted a pastor, he would have been the one. He was just that gifted."

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Conclusion and Teaser for Part 2

As the investigation delves deeper, the interconnectedness of the murders and the motives behind them become increasingly complex. Detective Barnes and Prosecutor Rodrigue must navigate the murky waters of deceit, uncovering the dark secrets that link Emma Raine to the tragic deaths of her husbands. The episode concludes with mounting tension and unresolved questions, setting the stage for the next installment where the full extent of the conspiracy is expected to be unveiled.

Sloane Glass [38:02]: "In the surprising conclusion of Bodies on the Bayou, we'll uncover all the secrets behind the murders of Ernest Smith and James Rain."

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Production Credits

• Host: Sloane Glass
• Producers: Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeartPodcasts
• Executive Producers: Nancy Glass and Todd Ganz
• Writers: Todd Ganz, Ben Fetterman, Andrea Gunning
• Associate Producer: Kristen Melchuri
• I Heart Team: Ally Perry and Jessica Krynczak
• Audio Editing: Nico Aruka
• Theme Music: Oliver Baines of Noiser Music Library

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Connect with American Homicide

For more information, follow American Homicide on Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review to help others discover the series.

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Disclaimer: This episode contains graphic content that may be distressing to some listeners. Please take care while engaging with this material.

Transcript

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[Sloane Glass]

Your pals like your graduation gifters. Who's paying for the mattress topper?

[Emma Raine]

You mean the beanbag chair?

[Sloane Glass]

Aren't we getting a mini fridge? Can we create a pool on PayPal? It lets us colle like the money before we buy.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Ooh yes, that's smart. Glad we can agree on something easily. Pool split and Send Money with PayPal.

[Sloane Glass]

Get started in the PayPal app, a PayPal account is required to send and receive money. A balance account is required to create a pool. A talented New Orleans preacher got the job of a lifetime. A week later, he was dead.

[Laura Rodrigue]

This case was one that immediately drew my attention because it was not a typical murder case.

[Sloane Glass]

It happened in the trying months following.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Hurricane Katrina, absent any eyewitness. And given the circumstances and the resources in the city, it simply just became a cold case.

[Sloane Glass]

But the killer would strike again.

[Emma Raine]

Oh, my God. Another one.

[Sloane Glass]

One person had information that could stop the killer from striking a third time.

[Laura Rodrigue]

He was sort of the last man standing who could bring it to the authorities.

[Sloane Glass]

But could the police get to him before it was too late?

[Emma Raine]

This is only something you hear about on the TV show. You know, like, you never think this was something that would happen in real life.

[Sloane Glass]

Today, we're in New Orleans, Louisiana, for the tragic story of an aspiring preacher named Ernest Smith. I'm Sloane Glass, and this is part one of Bodies on the Bayou on American Homicide. And just a warning that this episode contains some graphic content. Please take care while listening. I don't know if you've ever been to New Orleans, but it's a very special place. The historic French Quarter dates back to the 1700s. Today, the city's oldest neighborhood is famous for its vibrant nightlife.

[Laura Rodrigue]

That is where you find Bourbon street and many of our most famous bars.

[Sloane Glass]

That's Laura Rodrigue. She worked with the New Orleans District Attorney's office.

[Laura Rodrigue]

We like to eat. We like to drink. There are constantly events going on or carnivals or parades. We are a city that simply likes to party.

[Sloane Glass]

It's a city that lives by the motto, let the good times roll. And Bourbon street plays host to many of those parties.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Whether it's the cuisine or the arts, there's so many different opportunities here to explore so many different things.

[Sloane Glass]

Where else in the world can you walk down the street eating a po boy in one hand with a cocktail in the other, while a jazz player strikes up a song on the corner?

[Laura Rodrigue]

Having been somebody who has traveled elsewhere, I can say that there really is no place like New Orleans today.

[Sloane Glass]

Well over a million people from all different walks of life make their home in the Big Easy.

[Laura Rodrigue]

There is a certain sense of camaraderie among the community. They rally together, they support one another, and they take a lot of pride in saying that they're from New Orleans.

[Sloane Glass]

Let's look back at the summer of 2005 as a test of that camaraderie. That's when Hurricane Katrina made landfall and left nearly 80% of New Orleans underwater. Katrina slams into the Gulf Coast.

[Unknown Advertiser]

Wind gusts up to 120 miles.

[Unknown Host]

Projectiles that can kill you.

[Unknown Advertiser]

Stucco literally ripped off the side of.

[Laura Rodrigue]

The building, part of the roof covering.

[Unknown Advertiser]

The Superdome where some 10,000 people had sought.

Jet gas station, which is basically where we've sought safety. It is slowly being ripped apart before our eyes.

[Sloane Glass]

The city lost more than 850,000 homes, 300,000 vehicles and 1800 lives, making Katrina one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit.

[Laura Rodrigue]

The U.S. it truly did devastate the city of New Orleans to a large.

[Sloane Glass]

Extent at the time. Over half of its population relocated to.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Other cities after Katrina. There were simply problems for everyone in the city in terms of getting back into their homes, what was left of the neighborhoods. So you might be living in a home and you might be the only person on your block. And that's scary.

[Sloane Glass]

It was scary, especially when things went wrong.

[Laura Rodrigue]

It really made law enforcement's job a lot more difficult. It wasn't like patrolling the street normally and knowing that there were people also looking out for each other. You know, it's pitch black in some of these neighborhoods where power hasn't been turned on to some of the homes if the people haven't returned.

[Sloane Glass]

Like all city services in New Orleans after Katrina, the police department struggled to.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Keep up in certain neighborhoods. You didn't know how long it would take and whether it was even worth it to get the police involved.

[Sloane Glass]

And that's when violent crime soared. Hurricane Katrina chased away More than 200,000 people in New Orleans. But criminals are coming back. Police department figures show the number of murders has gone up every month since the storm. So now here is our story. In April of 2006, 38 year old Ernest Smith was a preacher who had just moved back to his home in New Orleans. Let's talk about Ernest's life before that move.

[Emma Raine]

Ernest was always whenever you saw him, he can walk into a room and the first thing he has on his face is a smile.

[Sloane Glass]

Carolyn Jackson and her husband, Apostle Jackson, were ministers who mentored Ernest.

[Apostle Jackson]

Ernest was special. He was the real deal. Ministry was his heartbeat. Ministry was what he was about.

[Emma Raine]

He loved to preach. I think he woke up with a Bible and a microphone. Be born with one.

[Apostle Jackson]

He was truly a man of God.

[Sloane Glass]

Life was a tough climb for Ernest, who lost both of his parents at a very young age. Although he was later adopted, he was always plagued by that desire to fit in and belong to us.

[Emma Raine]

He was a son. I think he felt like we went on a parents.

[Sloane Glass]

He had the Church became that place where Ernest felt like he belonged. But the downside of being a preacher was it didn't pay his bills. So Ernest supplemented his income by working as a truck driver. The money was good, but he was often on the road and away from his wife and daughter. To no one's surprise, his marriage ended up in a divorce. And not long after that, a single mom named Emma walked into his life.

[Apostle Jackson]

She met him by going to his ministry when he was preaching that song, when a man loves a woman. That was Ernest's song. He really loved this woman.

[Sloane Glass]

Emma and Ernest married in 1995.

[Apostle Jackson]

Emma was the perfect pastor's wife. She did everything to help the church. She did whatever was necessary to make sure his ministry was functioning and running.

[Sloane Glass]

Emma was also busy outside of church. She prepared taxes, dabbled in real estate. She even sold beauty supplies.

[Emma Raine]

She sold wigs and all those other things that make you look girly. I guess you would say she was a jack of all trades.

[Sloane Glass]

More than that, Emma was a go getter. She grew up poor and always dreamed of living the glamorous life.

[Emma Raine]

She wanted to have nice things, so she went out to the business world.

[Sloane Glass]

She was busy and it paid off. Every year or so, Ernest and Emma would upgrade homes and move into a place that was a little bigger and nicer. But when hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, it forced Ernest and Emma to temporarily relocate to Arlington, Texas.

[Emma Raine]

Emma came back to New Orleans. She came back because she needed to get back to her business. So Ernest stayed. After she moved back here, they didn't come back together.

[Sloane Glass]

Ernest liked Arlington. He wanted to stay because he had plans to build a church there.

[Emma Raine]

She wanted him to come back, but he was saying that he didn't want to come back.

[Sloane Glass]

The battle over where to live put a strain on their marriage.

[Apostle Jackson]

He called us up and he wanted to talk to us about the marriage. I think that's when we found out that something was really going on.

[Sloane Glass]

Apostle wondered whether there was more to the story. But he did what any preacher would do.

[Apostle Jackson]

I convinced him that he needed to give this marriage another chance.

[Sloane Glass]

Ernest took that advice and he took Emma on a cruise to help rekindle their relationship and put their marriage back on track. And he started looking for a full time pastor job so he could spend more time at home. Then came a miracle. An opening at a megachurch in Atlanta. Ernest interviewed and landed the job.

[Apostle Jackson]

Him and her was going to move to Atlanta. She was going to be first lady and he was going to be pastor.

[Sloane Glass]

On the evening of April 12, 2006, Ernest called Apostle with the good news.

[Apostle Jackson]

He was already excited, like he had found a treasure.

[Sloane Glass]

It was a much needed step forward for Ernest and Emma's marriage and a huge boost for his career.

[Apostle Jackson]

This would have been the first time in his ministry that he'd have had a ready made family ready for him. I mean, if you ever wanted a pastor, he would have been the one. He was just that gifted.

[Sloane Glass]

So they have that conversation on April 12th. And that night Ernest and Emma took a break from packing up for their big move. Emma wasn't feeling well, so Ernest planned to go out for a ride on his motorcycle.

[Apostle Jackson]

I said, y'all be careful out there. Then I hung up. Then five hours later, we get the news that he's dead. We were asleep and we have get a phone call from Emma and she tells me, she says, Ernest is gone. Gone where? And she said, he's dead. That just tore my heart up.

[Sloane Glass]

Emma was a mess. In between crying, she explained that Ernest took his motorcycle for a ride and returned around 11pm that's when someone ambushed him.

[Emma Raine]

She said, well, I heard three bang, bang, bang. She said, but I thought it was a car backfiring.

[Sloane Glass]

Emma said she was in bed with a bad toothache and had taken some pain medication to help her sleep. She woke up to the sound of her husband's cries from downstairs.

[Emma Raine]

He woke her up out of her sleep. He said, bae, that I've been shot.

[Sloane Glass]

When Emma came downstairs, she found Ernest collapsed on the front steps of their home. His red shirt was completely covered in blood.

[Emma Raine]

She tells us, she said, well, somebody was trying to rob Ernest, steal his motorcycle. Somebody was trying to take his bike from him. She called the police, called the ambulance, said, well, y'all know we living in New Orleans. You know how long they take to get here. So by the time they got here, he was already gone.

[Sloane Glass]

Ernest Smith, the gifted preacher who was just days away from being installed at a church in Atlanta, was now a casualty of the post Katrina crime wave in New Orleans.

[Laura Rodrigue]

At the time of Ernest Smith's death, the city was still very much suffering after Hurricane Katrina.

[Sloane Glass]

Laura Rodrigue worked with the New Orleans District Attorney's office.

[Laura Rodrigue]

The place where they were living was largely abandoned. In fact, they were the only people living in that apartment complex. It was almost a scary place to live because you had nobody around you. There weren't lights on anywhere.

[Sloane Glass]

Ernest was shot twice in the chest with a 9 millimeter weapon. There were no witnesses and no known motive.

[Laura Rodrigue]

His motorcycle was right there on the scene next to him. The keys to the motorcycle were found in the grass right nearby. Absent any eyewitness and given the circumstances and the resources in the city, it's simply just became a cold case.

[Sloane Glass]

It seemed like a senseless crime that would go unsolved. Then five years later, another murder in a neighboring state brought this case back to life. Let's be honest, don't we all deserve a little romance? Even if it's just in our headphones? Dipsea is an audio app made for for romance lovers with short, spicy stories that immerse you in the fantasies you've been craving. Whether you're longing for a rugged cowboy, a mysterious Scottish sailor, or a brooding Mr. Darcy like you've never heard him before, Dipsea has the perfect character to sweep you off your feet. Their easy to explore app lets you search by your favorite romance genres, and with new chapters released every week, there's always something fresh to discover. Download Dipsea and indulge in stories that are made to be heard and felt. Right now, listeners of this show can get an extended 30 day free trial. Just go to dipseastories.comhomicide to start your free trial. That's D I P s e a stories.com homicide for 30 days of full access. For free, visit dipseastories.com homicide hey, it's.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Sloane Glass]

In 2006, Ernest Smith was about to begin his dream job as a pastor of an Atlanta church. But a few days before he and his wife Emma moved there, he was gunned down in front of his New Orleans home. His mentor, Apostle Jackson, performed his eulogy.

[Apostle Jackson]

The funeral was wall to wall, people even standing up.

[Sloane Glass]

At the request of his devastated widow, Apostle did something at the funeral he had never done before. He used his eulogy to urge anyone who knew what happened to Ernest to come forward.

[Apostle Jackson]

I was trying to convince them that somebody needed to go to the police and try to find out what happened.

[Sloane Glass]

It was heartbreaking for everyone, including Emma, who struggled to afford the proper funeral she felt her husband deserved.

[Apostle Jackson]

She was grieving. She had to borrow the money from me to bury him. When she got the insurance money, she did give me my money back.

[Sloane Glass]

Even with Apostle's plea at Ernest funeral, no new leads came in and his murder remained unsolved. A year later, Emma started over. She moved to the tiny city of Poplarville, Mississippi, which is about an hour north of New Orleans, and built a home in the rural countryside.

[Apostle Jackson]

That's one of the most beautiful houses I ever seen in my life. There was a TV in every room. I'm talking about big screen TV in the bathroom. It was just beautiful.

[Sloane Glass]

It is a lot less expensive to live in Poplarville than it is to live in New Orleans. But when Apostle and Carolyn visited Emma in her new home, they were in awe. The house had a swimming pool, a pond and a boat. Even a state of the art security system. It was the perfect home on a street called Emma Lane. But even with the new house, they could still sense a lot of pain. With Emma. Grief can do many things to a person. An apostle's wife, Carolyn, was concerned with how things thin Emma Looked, this is.

[Emma Raine]

Our first time seeing her at the funeral, been a while. And we look at her and say, wow, you know, she had lost a lot, a lot of weight.

[Sloane Glass]

There was also something else different about her. Emma Smith proudly announced she was now Emma Raine. A few months earlier, she had quietly married James Raine, a former military buddy of her late husband. Much like Ernest, James Raine was adopted, drove a truck, and was a few years younger than Emma. James said he looked up to Ernest almost like a big brother. And with Ernest gone, James seemed like the perfect person for Emma.

[Emma Raine]

She and I had an opportunity to just sit out on the front porch. And I told her, I said, well, this is it. This is what Ernest always dreamed of. This is what he wanted. They had a boat, the house and the big pond. You had the big elaborate house on the inside, you know, so you got everything. She said, yeah. And she told me how she missed him. You know, she wished that he was there to enjoy all of that. I said, I wish he was here, too.

[Sloane Glass]

Emma finally had the life she'd always hoped to have with Ernest, but it would only last a short time. Five years later, in 2011, Carolyn and Apostle turned on the nightly news and were left speechless.

[Apostle Jackson]

James had got killed.

[Emma Raine]

Emma called. She said she was out of town on the business trip, and then that's when they found him deceased. I'm like, oh, my God, you know, another one. It's too much. It was just too much to deal with.

[Sloane Glass]

It was unbelievable. One week before James Rain's 38th birthday, someone broke in and shot him while he was in bed.

[Emma Raine]

So this is like, whoa, this is, like, way too much. And it's way crazy that all these husbands are dying.

[Sloane Glass]

How could someone lose their husband not just once, but twice in such a cruel manner?

[Apostle Jackson]

That's crazy. That's crazy. Lord have mercy.

[Sloane Glass]

Laura Rodrigue worked for the New Orleans District Attorney's office.

[Laura Rodrigue]

The police come out and essentially start trying to piece together what happened.

[Sloane Glass]

They learned Emma was away on a business trip in Arkansas, and the last she heard from her husband James was sometime around midnight. By 11am she was worried.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Emma Raine calls James mother and says, I can't get ahold of James. Can you go check on him? So James mother goes to the home. She goes upstairs, finds him shot in the head and in the neck in the bed. She calls the police.

[Sloane Glass]

There was nothing missing from the house. It appeared to be a targeted shooting. But why?

[Laura Rodrigue]

It was a vacant area. There were no eyewitnesses to the murder. There wasn't a motive that was clear.

[Sloane Glass]

The police department in the quaint town of Poplarville canvassed the neighborhood to find a lead.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Poplarville is sort of a small town where everybody kind of knows everybody through a relative, a cousin, a friend, somebody you work with. They were getting a lot of statements, trying to navigate and piece together what could have happened here.

[Sloane Glass]

If there's one thing about small towns, it's that people usually know everyone else's business. And the people of Poplarville knew some dirt about James Rain.

[Laura Rodrigue]

The detective learned that there had been issues of infidelity with James Rain. The two of them had engaged in a physical relationship for some time before Ernest Smith had been killed.

[Sloane Glass]

Keep in mind, they were military buddies and they stayed friends. The police learned James used to socialize with Ernest and Emma.

[Laura Rodrigue]

James Rain and him had become friends during the military, and that's how they knew each other. In fact, James almost looked up to Ernest Smith like a mentor, Somebody who he respected and would go to for advice.

[Sloane Glass]

But that friendship ended when Ernest learned what they were doing behind his back.

[Laura Rodrigue]

He had confronted James Raine in the past and was just determined to really fight for his marriage and to make it work.

[Sloane Glass]

Ernest had been trying for a pastor job in Atlanta, and he knew no church would hire him if his marriage was on the rocks. So up until his death, he was trying to fix things with Emma.

[Laura Rodrigue]

He was fiercely loyal to Emma Raine. He. He just did not want to give up on their marriage. In fact, he had just gotten her a dozen roses right before the murder.

[Sloane Glass]

So let's break this down. Emma was fooling around with James while she was married to Ernest. Ernest knew about the affair and confronted James. Then Ernest mysteriously got killed. A year later, Emma marries James. And then five years later, James was also mysteriously killed.

[Laura Rodrigue]

It was certainly a strange set of facts.

[Sloane Glass]

And while detectives tried to make sense of what was happening, the estate that James and Emma had built in poplarville, Mississippi, burned to the ground. Luckily, no one was injured, but investigators rule that that fire was arson. What was going on?

[Laura Rodrigue]

So that, again, is very suspicious. Very, very strange. This is a whole different ball game.

[Sloane Glass]

With two dead husbands and one burned down house, Emma Rains life hit rock bottom in search of another clean start. She left Poplarville and headed to Missouri, where her luck was about to change.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan seacrest for albertsons and safeway. It's stock up savings time now through March 25th. Spring in for storewide deals and earn four times the points look for in store tags. To earn on eligible snacks like Pepperidge Farms, Goldfish and Kettle Chips, or sweet treats like Keebler Cookies, Hostess Snack cakes, M&MS. And Ben and Jerry's, plus many more. Then clip the offer in our app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Unknown Advertiser]

People choose Morton Buildings to build a variety of buildings for their property any time of year because they know Morton Buildings are built strong, last longer and look better. If you need a garage, a stall barn or a storage building for an rv, boat or other vehicles, a shop for your farm hobbies or car restoration projects or anything in between, Morton can create a building for you that's attractive, easy to maintain and dependable enough to stand the test of time. Just visit MortonBuildings.com today to find out more. They use quality materials and expert craftsmen with a industry leading warranty to ensure your structure is enjoyed by generations to come. Morton buildings is 100% employee owned with thousands of satisfied customers. That means they're the industry leader you can trust. To get started on your next building project. Visit MortonBuildings.com don't delay. Construction schedules are filling up fast, so now's the time to start planning your building project with Morton. That's MortonBuildings.com you ever get the feeling.

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[Sloane Glass]

By 2012, Emma Rain had buried two husbands and even lost her home to a fire. Police couldn't make sense of it across the two homicides. There were no suspects, no arrests, not even so much as a lead prosecutor Laura Rodrigue investigated.

[Laura Rodrigue]

This case was one that immediately drew my attention because it was not a typical murder case. There were no eyewitnesses to either murder. Nothing was adding up. There wasn't a motive that was clear other than the fact that we knew this woman's last two husbands were also found dead in sort of mysterious circumstances.

[Sloane Glass]

The first case had gone cold, and investigators did not want James Raine's murder to reach a similar fate.

[Laura Rodrigue]

If they aren't able to develop a suspect or get a lead within the first couple of weeks, it's almost never going to be easy to find one quickly after that.

[Sloane Glass]

But shortly after James Rain's murder, things would take a turn. Late one night, James brother received a mysterious phone call. A woman's voice he did not recognize told him to walk outside and check his mailbox. As cryptic as that sounded, he wanted answers. James brother went to the mailbox and found a thick envelope filled with documents. These documents contained information about a lawsuit Ernest Smith life insurance company had filed to prevent Emma from obtaining the insurance proceeds from Ernest's policy.

[Laura Rodrigue]

She had the insurance policy on Ernest Smith, and It started at 100,000, the money increasing from year to year from 100 to 250, all the way up to 800,000.

[Sloane Glass]

But a closer look showed that just before Ernest's death, the amount was increased to 800,000, and the beneficiary changed to.

[Laura Rodrigue]

James Rain, which was extremely suspicious because everybody knew that was her boyfriend while she was married. So it didn't make any sense why Ernest Smith would allow James Rain to be his beneficiary, since he had clearly had heated arguments asking James to stay away from his wife and, you know, really just did not get along with James in that. That time period in his life.

[Sloane Glass]

And there was more. These documents also indicated that James Raine had been involved in Ernest Smith's murder. How is it possible that an insurance company could put two and two together, but detectives couldn't?

[Laura Rodrigue]

If this is actually true, if they actually prove this, this is shocking.

[Sloane Glass]

All right, so this is getting really weird, especially for James Rain's brother. He's just found out that the insurance company blamed his brother James for the death of Ernest Smith. So he shares this with a couple of his trusted relatives, including his other brother, Alfred Everett.

[Laura Rodrigue]

James Raine's murder leads to what we learn is sort of an uneasy feeling that Alfred Everett is going through. He was nervous. He has a moment where he feels like he needs to talk to somebody and that he has to get this off of his chest.

[Sloane Glass]

Obviously, Alfred's strange behavior concerned the group, so they did something weird too. They drove him out to the middle of nowhere so they could talk.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Candidly during that conversation, Alfred Everett admits that Emma and James had paid him to shoot Ernest Smith. That there was a life insurance policy. He was supposed to get $100,000 from it, and that's why he shot Ernest Smith.

[Sloane Glass]

After keeping this secret for five years, Albert's conscience finally got the best of him and he shared what happened. On April 12, 2006, Alfred Everett parked.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Down the street again. During this time, it would have been too dark for anybody to sort of locate what would be considered a suspicious car or something out of the ordinary.

[Sloane Glass]

Alfred revealed he sat and waited that night for Ernest to return from riding his motorcycle.

[Laura Rodrigue]

He runs up, he shoots and exits the scene as quickly as possible to jump in the car to head back toward Mississippi.

[Sloane Glass]

On the way back, Alfred said he threw the gun in Lake Pontchartrain, which borders New Orleans. The bridge over Lake Pontchartrain is also known as the causeway, which is the world's longest continuous bridge over water.

[Laura Rodrigue]

Lake Pontchartrain is a very, very large lake. So there was really very little to no chance that we would ever recover that weapon. You know, it's often speculated how many weapons could possibly be at the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain, Just to give you an idea of how massive the lake is.

[Sloane Glass]

So let's sort through this. Alfred, James Raines brother, said he was hired by James and Emma to murder Emma's first husband, Ernest Smith. And he did it for a cut of Ernest's life insurance money. However, Alfred claimed he had absolutely nothing to do with his brother James Raine's murder.

[Laura Rodrigue]

The group knows they're all going to sort of make a decision what to do with this information and how to sort of protect Alfred to whatever extent they can, but also have him acknowledge what he has done. You know, he was sort of the last man standing who could bring it to the authorities.

[Sloane Glass]

They certainly wanted Alfred to do the right thing, but they also wanted to somehow protect him.

[Laura Rodrigue]

And so they offer to help him get an attorney. They advise him that he should report this to the authorities. And Alfred says that he will. He promises that he's going to tell the police, he's going to come clean, and he's going to accept responsibility for what happens.

[Sloane Glass]

But Alfred never went to the police. He just disappeared. Leaving his relatives even more conflicted. They wondered, was Alfred hiding out? Was he being honest when he said he wasn't involved in James murder? Or worse, was he killed?

[Laura Rodrigue]

There were so many moving parts. There were dead bodies, life insurance policies. They were left with very little options.

[Sloane Glass]

So the family's caught between a rock and a hard place. So what did they do? They decided to call a detective. They saw on tv.

[Laura Rodrigue]

They see Descenda Barnes on a televised episode of a case that she had handled, a cold case in New Orleans, and decide to randomly reach out to her in the New Orleans Police Department.

[Detective Descenda Barnes]

Relatives of James Rain came to police headquarters after seeing me on a Channel 6 news.

[Sloane Glass]

James brother and uncle were impressed by how Detective Barnes cracked an unrelated cold case, and they felt she was the person to help them.

[Detective Descenda Barnes]

They'd recently learned about the brother being involved, Alfred Everett. And as soon as they tried to give him the opportunity to come forward and to speak to the authorities, and when he refused, they had to, I guess, take matters in their own hand, and they had to advise the authorities of what they were able to learn.

[Sloane Glass]

They handed over the insurance documents that mysteriously wound up in the mailbox of James Rain's brother. Think about that. How did that happen? And then they shared Alfred Everett's confession with Detective Barnes. That could not have been easy.

[Detective Descenda Barnes]

A lot of witnesses after their family members are murdered, and I guess they feel for that family, and now they can put their self in that family's shoes. So that allows them to, I guess, have a come to Jesus moment.

[Sloane Glass]

Prosecutor Laura Rodrigue worked with Detective Barnes.

[Laura Rodrigue]

I remember Descenda and I kind of sitting down and being like, whoa, you know, it was just not your typical case.

[Sloane Glass]

No, it wasn't. And now the New Orleans PD reopened the murder investigation of Emma Raine's first husband, Everett Smith.

[Laura Rodrigue]

As soon as she sat down with them and they gave her the information and she was able to pull the cold case file, it was very obvious to her that this was making sense.

[Sloane Glass]

And wait for this. Once everything came into focus, the police would find another victim.

[Laura Rodrigue]

He was tragically hit by a vehicle.

[Sloane Glass]

And there was a growing fear that there were more.

[Laura Rodrigue]

This was somebody who had no regard for human life at all.

[Sloane Glass]

And it will all hinge on finding Alfred Everett.

[Laura Rodrigue]

We had a murder for hire. You know, somebody killing husbands to make a living.

[Sloane Glass]

I'm Sloane Glass. In the surprising conclusion of Bodies on the Bayou, we'll uncover all the secrets behind the murders of Ernest Smith and James Rain.

[Laura Rodrigue]

She gets the phone call. She learns that James is dead, popped some champagne, and had sex to celebrate.

[Sloane Glass]

That's next time on American Homicide. You can contact the American homicide team by emailing [e-mail] that's AmericanHomicidePodmail.com American Homicide is hosted and written by me Sloan Glass and is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with I Heart Podcast. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Todd Ganz. The series is also written and produced by Todd Ganz with additional writing by Ben Fetterman and Andrea Gunning. Our Associate producer is Kristen Melchuri. Our I Heart team is Ally Perry and Jessica Krynczak. Audio editing, mixing and mastering by Nico Aruka. American Homicide's theme song was composed by Oliver Baines of Noiser Music Library provided by MyMusic. Follow American Homicide on Apple Podcasts and please rate and review American Homicide. Your five star review goes a long way towards helping others find this show. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's Stock up Savings time now through March 25th. Spring in for storewide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible snacks like Pepperidge Farms, Goldfish and Kettle Chips or sweet treats like Keebler Cookies, Hostess Snack cakes, M&Ms. And Ben and Jerry's plus many more. Then clip the offer in our app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Unknown Advertiser]

People choose Morton Buildings to build a variety of buildings for their property any time of year because they know Morton buildings are built stronger, last longer and look better. If you need a garage, a stall barn or a storage building for an rv, boat or other vehicles, a shop for your farm hobbies or car restoration projects or anything in between, Morton can create a better building for you that's attractive, easy to maintain and dependable enough to stand the test of time. Just visit MortonBuildings.com today to find out more. They use quality materials and expert craftsmen with an industry leading warranty to ensure your structure is enjoyed by generations to come. Morton buildings is 100% employee owned with thousands of satisfied customers. That means they're the industry leader you can trust to get started on your next building project. Visit mortonbuildings.com don't delay. Construction schedules are filling up fast, so now's the time to start planning your building project with Morton. That's MortonBuildings.com you ever get the feeling.

The city walls closing in the concrete jungle suffocating your soul? You crave wide open spaces, the chance to connect with nature. Maybe chase some elk, fish a private stream. Well, listen up. There's a whole world out there, and finding your own piece of it just got easier. Head over to Land Dot. They've got ranches, forest, mountains, you name it. Search by acreage, location, the kind of hunting or fishing you dream of. Land.com it's where the adventure begins.

[Detective Descenda Barnes]

For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more.

[Sloane Glass]

Thrivent where money means more Connect with [e-mail].