Beyond Betrayal | The Making of 'The Crimes of Margo Freshwater'

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Beyond Betrayal | The Making of 'The Crimes of Margo Freshwater'"

Podcast: Betrayal, Season 5
Hosts: Dre & Cooper Moll
Episode Release: February 10, 2026
Duration (main content): 02:36–31:34
Production: iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts

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Overview: Main Theme and Purpose

This episode offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the making of "The Crimes of Margo Freshwater," a new podcast produced by Glass Podcasts. Host Dre interviews Cooper Moll, the show’s lead producer and writer, about the process of developing the series, the complexities of its main character Tanya/Margot, and the broader themes of justice, agency, womanhood, and survival. The conversation centers on challenging the “perfect victim” narrative, digging beyond the sensational headlines, and illuminating the humanity in true crime.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Draw to the Story & Margo’s Relatability

[04:02–06:41]

• Psychological Fascination:
  Cooper explains her longstanding interest in people with double lives, not always for malicious reasons but as a means of survival.
• Emotional Connection:
  Upon first seeing Margot’s photos, Cooper felt an immediate kinship, recognizing qualities of sensitivity and being misunderstood.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 04:44):
    "I instantly felt some sort of kinship to her or some sort of relatability to her. I...just knew she was misunderstood because I had felt that way, too."
• Humanizing Margot:
  Margot—later known as Tanya—emerges as a survivor, not just a “criminal on the run.”

2. Breaking the “Bonnie and Clyde” Stereotype

[06:41–08:03]

• Media Prejudice:
  Historical reporting cast Margot as solely the “woman behind the man,” a willful accomplice—an idea the podcast aims to complicate.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 06:41):
    “There’s just so much nuance to this story with regard to what does justice mean, what does rehabilitation mean, what does innocence mean?”

3. Margot’s Introduction to Glenn Nash

[08:03–09:57]

• Predatory Influence:
  Glenn Nash, the attorney, is likened to a shady Bob Odenkirk ("Better Call Saul" reference) with a fraught legal past.
• Margot’s Vulnerability:
  At 18, far from home and isolated, Margot is pressured by circumstance rather than pure choice.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 09:11):
    “When you’re an 18-year-old girl...who knows nothing about the legal system...you’re going to believe the adults in the room.”

4. Agency, Survival, and Decision-Making Under Duress

[09:57–12:37]

• The Myth of “Just Leaving”:
  Dre and Cooper discuss how victim-blaming questions (“why didn’t she leave?”) ignore survival instincts and lack of real options.
  • Quote (Dre, 10:54):
    “These decisions are being made in survival mode. She doesn’t really understand what her options are.”
• Humanizing True Crime:
  Genuine victim perspectives reveal layers of humanity, often lost in conventional crime storytelling.

5. Respecting the Victims & Ethical Storytelling

[12:37–14:12]

• Victims’ Stories Beyond Their Deaths:
  The team focused on honoring the victims’ lives, not just their deaths, consulting with someone on the team with personal loss experience.
• Writing With Empathy:
  Conscious effort was made to zoom out, avoid assigning blame, and remind listeners of the victims’ individuality.

6. Betrayal, Gender, and Systemic Injustice

[14:12–16:46]

• The Core Betrayal:
  Margot is left to “face justice” alone after Nash is deemed unfit for trial, reflecting gendered patterns of women punished for men’s crimes.
  • Quote (Dre, 15:16):
    “It very much felt like an example of a woman answering for a man’s crimes…and that, to me, I felt like was at the heart of it.”
• Justice as Retribution:
  Legal failures in other states led Tennessee authorities to make Margot the scapegoat, already pre-judged for guilt.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 16:41):
    “They’re out for blood. She’s guilty. We need someone to answer for these crimes. If it’s not going to be the insane lawyer, it’s going to be the young girl.”

7. Comparison to Modern Times

[17:34–17:59]

• Lack of Social Support in the 1960s:
  If Margot’s story unfolded today, there would be online activism, legal campaigns—tools unavailable in her time.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 17:34):
    “If this trial happened today...there’d be petitions, there’d be TikToks about it...there was no language for it then.”

8. What Makes This Story Unique in True Crime

[18:59–21:15]

• An Unconventional Fugitive:
  Unlike classic true crime fugitives, Tanya/Margot led a mostly quiet, “simple” life while on the run.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 19:51):
    “No, and we learn so much about the inner monologue of somebody in this unbelievable situation…what makes this story, this particular story, original.”
• First-Person Perspective:
  Firsthand access lets listeners live inside her secret-keeping, anxiety, and loss for decades.

9. Emotional Impact on the Creators

[22:36–26:02]

• Personal Growth:
  Working on the show profoundly affected Cooper’s worldview on womanhood, resilience, and forgiveness.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 22:45):
    “There are certain things in my life that just really aren’t that bad...there are a lot of gems in there to live by.”
• Theme of Forgiveness:
  Tanya demonstrates striking grace—even toward people who wronged her.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 24:44):
    “Another major theme of this story is forgiveness. And there are people along the way that Tanya views with so much grace and compassion and even love that, you know, I found myself being like, I do not know if I could do that.”

10. The Role of Trust and Authorial Connection

[27:47–31:34]

• Trust With Sources:
  Cooper describes the delicate line between remaining a neutral narrator and emotionally connecting with the subject.
  • Quote (Cooper Moll, 27:56):
    “While, of course, I’m...trying to toe the line between being a neutral reporter...I also found ways...to insert myself. And...I get more emotionally invested in the story as it goes.”
• Team Collaboration & Mutual Gratitude:
  Both hosts reflect on the privilege and joy of producing the story together, emphasizing the trust earned from all sides—sources, subjects, and production team.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Pressure of Secret-Keeping
  “[I think] about the anxiety that I deal with... just thinking about, like, waking up and thinking I didn’t finish this one assignment... I don’t know how I would manage holding something so big.”
  – Dre [21:15]

• On the Tenacity and Outlook of Tanya/Margot
  “She’s in incredible health... You’d think that carrying a secret with you... would kind of age you... but... if you walk around this world with loving kindness... that’s the longevity key right there.”
  – Cooper Moll [24:44]

• On the Podcast’s Broader Appeal
  “I really believe this is a... human story that, whether or not you’re a true crime fan, you can connect with at some level... There’s a genre-bending aspect to this podcast...”
  – Cooper Moll [29:42]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:02 – Cooper describes her emotional connection to the story and Margot Freshwater
• 06:41 – On the complexity of justice and public narratives about Margot
• 08:08 – The background and influence of Glenn Nash, and Margot's vulnerability
• 09:57 – Analysis of agency, survival, and the myth of “just leaving” dangerous situations
• 12:37 – Ethical storytelling and honoring the victims
• 14:12 – Feminist and systemic injustice themes; Margot left to face justice alone
• 17:34 – How Margot’s experience would differ in the era of social media
• 18:59 – What makes this fugitive story original in the true crime landscape
• 22:36 – How producing the show changed Cooper’s perspective and life
• 24:44 – Forgiveness and Tanya’s grace, even for those who wronged her
• 27:47 – The challenge and importance of personal investment as a storyteller
• 29:42 – The show’s universal resonance beyond true crime
• 30:43 – Preview of Margot’s fate and encouragement to listen to the series

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Tone & Language

• The hosts’ conversation is intimate, reflective, and emotionally resonant, frequently drawing personal parallels to the story.
• Dre’s questions probe both the mechanics of podcast production and the emotional stakes of the narrative.
• Cooper’s answers are candid, empathetic, and rich with both self-reflection and thoughtful analysis on social issues.

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Conclusion

This episode serves as both a meta-commentary on the making of “The Crimes of Margo Freshwater” and an invitation to examine the human complexities beneath true crime stories. It explores the blurred lines of guilt and innocence, survival and agency, and how both the creators and their subjects are transformed by the act of telling and listening. The episode is a must-listen for those seeking a nuanced, empathetic view of a woman’s decades-long secret—and the systems that let her become both fugitive and scapegoat.

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For further exploration, listeners are invited to follow the show’s Substack and community platforms for in-depth discussion and bonus content.

Transcript

[Cooper Moll]

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[Dre]

Incredible Cooper Moll here with me today to talk about the crimes of Margot Freshwater. Cooper, thank you for joining me today.

[Cooper Moll]

Thanks for having me. Dre.

[Dre]

I want to talk a little bit about your new project, Glass podcast. New project, the Crimes of Margot Freshwater. Because we both had our hand in it in one way or the other, but it's something that I feel like we've dedicated a lot of time to and I just am excited. Share a little bit about this story with the Betrayal audience. For people that don't know, this is a story about a set of circumstances that led a woman to go to Tennessee and meet somebody that resulted in a crime spree, a murder spree, and a number of people ended up dead. And so it's a complicated thing to approach because there are people that lost their lives. Walk me through. Because this story was something that at Glass, we were developing for like a few years. It was always percolating in the background. There was something gravitating me, my colleague Ben, my colleague Carrie, towards Tanya, AKA Margot. When you came onto it, you were meeting this material with, like, fresh eyes, like new, like you didn't know much about it. So tell me what it was like to interact with the story for the first time. And what stood out to you that made you think, I need to be part of this?

[Cooper Moll]

I think for me, I've always been interested in double lives or people who have to create another identity, and not always because they're being malicious or they're being deceitful, but out of necessity. And I've always been interested in the psychological toll of that. I mean, what is it like to keep up with all of the stories and lies and all of the different things you have to be able to carry with you in order to have that new identity be something solid. Right. And that, that, that you never, you know, how do you slip into a new skin like that? But this one was different. I felt somehow emotionally connected to it from the jump. Like, I'd seen these photos of Margot when she was a teenager and I'd seen her mug shot, and I'd seen the way she was talked about, and I think I instantly felt some sort of kinship to her or some sort of relatability to her. I. Growing up, I was maybe could have been characterized by other people as a wild child. However, I was a very, like, deeply sensitive, creative, kind of just a lot of feelings type of person. But I felt that I knew her. I just saw her, and I just. I knew she was misunderstood because I had felt that way, too. And there's just certain things about her that felt relatable to me, and I really just wanted to get to know her, and I wanted to get to know who she really, really was and who she is. Like, who she is, who she. Exactly. Exactly. And who she is. And while it's easy to look at this story and be like, wow, this person got away with living for three decades on the lam and, you know, be interested in, like, you know, how did she pull it off? And all of that, and the cat and mouse of it all, but I also saw a survivor. I mean, just saw somebody who was very steadfast in what they believed about themselves, which was, I am an innocent person, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get justice for myself. And there's something pretty badass about that. Anyhow, back to, you know, the original question, which is, what was that like? I mean, it just. Every day, it got more fascinating to me. And then. And that was. And that was before I met. Met Tanya, formerly known as Margot Freshwater. And then once I finally met her, I mean, that's when it was on, you know, it was just like, she is. It wasn't like I was like, you know, starstruck or anything, but you meet her and you just realize how much.

[Dre]

In a different way.

[Cooper Moll]

Yes. Yeah. How much deeper this story goes. The testimony to the human spirit that it is, the. There's just. There's so much. Much nuance to this story with regard to what does justice mean? What does rehabilitation mean? What does innocence mean? What. You know, just. There's so many different things that you can take away from this. And to be able to have her parse all of that out for me was just unbelievable. And then approaching it, you know, I think we've all had that moment with this story. When I say all of us, I'm thinking of, like, you and Carrie and Ben, who really kind of started the development process of this, but where we kind of had an idea in our heads of who Margo Freshwater was. And so much of that comes from. Sure. There had been a Lot of reporting on her crimes and her case and her trial. But it had always been from a singular point of view that she was this, the woman behind the man, that she was the Bonnie to this, you know, much older man's Clyde, that she was a willful accomplice in this crime spree and there's just was nothing in the record of her.

[Dre]

Tell us a little bit about what you know about Glenn Nash, Margot.

[Cooper Moll]

Paths crossed with him because a friend of hers had been caught up in an armed robbery in the Tennessee area. Glenn Nash was an attorney who I would liken to a Bob Odenkirk and Better Call Saul. This is a guy who's kind of hanging on by his fingernails. He had been. The Memphis Bar association was looking into him. He had been disbarred in one city. And this was back when you could be disbarred in one city and then go set up shop in another. He'd already been involved in multiple police investigations, FBI investigations for, you know, robbery, etc. Definitely characterize him as a bit of an ambulance chaser and definitely doing stuff below board. And what's crazy about this is the span of time this happens then. I mean within, within one month. I mean, she is completely living under his thumb. And you know, here's this 18 year old girl, she's never been away from home, she doesn't have any money, and all of a sudden she's responsible for, you know, legal fees for a friend. And it all happens so fast and it's easy to say something like, well, you know, why'd she do that? Right? Like she could have just stayed home. Yeah, she didn't have to do any of that. But I think when you're an 18 year old girl who's never been outside of your suburban Ohio home, really, who knows nothing about the legal system, who knows nothing about how trials work or defense attorneys work, et cetera, I mean, you're going to believe the adults in the room. There's going to be a level of urgency, there's going to be a level of fear, like what if my friend is, you know, locked up and nobody comes to help him and I'm the only one who can save him? And this guy's offering me an opportunity to do that. I can totally see my 18 year old self making the same decisions.

[Dre]

Right. And I think what the. We talk a lot about this on betrayal, about agency and decision making. And what I find so fascinating about this story, Cooper, is that it really explores the humanity in true crime because she had to she's making very intense decisions as a human being trying to navigate a really volatile situation. She gets embroiled. She gets in the mix with someone who's not just an alcoholic, but mentally unstable. Is. It has a tenuous grasp on reality at this point. And it is getting more intense by the day. And so I think it is easy for people with distance to take a look at that set of circumstances and say, why don't you just leave? But there's like you said that she felt indebted to a friend. She wanted to make sure her friend was okay. And then you start realizing that you've been put in a situation that you actually can't get out of. And when you come to that realization, it's sometimes. It's usually often too late. And that reality is something that I think gets glossed over. It's oftentimes something that we really explore. On betrayal, when people are saying, how did you not know? Or why did this person make that decision? People really come at the decision makings of these subjects. And I feel like what's more important is to understand that these decisions are being made in survival mode. She doesn't really understand what her options are. She feels like there's very little options. And so it's less about meeting making, but more about. It's in those moments of decisions that I think you can really see a human. And it feels like a human story as opposed to something that's like kind of watered down or distilled for the sake of like the audience. Right? Like, let's make this digestible for somebody else to understand. But the reality is, is that people decisions all the time that we don't understand. And unfortunately she got in a situation where she was with someone who was really mentally ill and then ended up taking people's lives. How did you hold space for both Margo's perspective, Tanya's perspective, and the victims and the victims families of this case? Because that must have been really hard.

[Cooper Moll]

This was especially tough because everybody connected to the victims in this story, I mean, we have to remember this all happened in 1966, right? To full grown adults. So many of the people connected to the victims, and I mean, I'm talking about like their grandchildren are deceased now. I think something that was very helpful for me in this process was I had somebody on my team who'd experienced being a victim of a family member being murdered. And I was able to lean on her for, okay, what would you want to hear? You know, if you're listening to this, what Feels most sensitive. What feels, you know, really checking in that I'm not missing something. And I think for me, holding space for both of those things was really taking time in the writing process and having asides and the scripts where we kind of zoom out and look at just bigger picture without assigning guilt or innocence to anyone who these people could have been by now, or reminding our listeners that, you know, these were real people this happened to, and this is the time they lost. And kind of reflecting on what it must be like to have your life kind of diluted to what ended it. Right. I mean, that's kind of all the information that's out on these people is sad.

[Dre]

Yeah, yeah. They just become a name in a newspaper article, and that's tragic. One of the things that feels really important to me when we were really exploring the story, and maybe this is just the feminist in me, but it became very clear very early on, based on the set of circumstances that Tanya was under and how sick Glenn Nash was, that this is actually like, it's not. Not a betrayal story. Cooper. In some ways, there are a lot.

[Cooper Moll]

Of mini betrayals along the way here. So many. Yeah.

[Dre]

And for me, what felt like the first one, the first big one. Right. Was when they both get arrested and Nash, you know, he gets. He's. It's decided that he's, you know, criminally insane. He can't. He can't stand trial. He goes to a mental institution, he's committed. And now Margot has to face justice. She has the justice system on behalf of something that he did. And for me, it very much felt like an example of a woman answering for a man's crimes. And that, to me, I felt like was at the heart of it. And what I think is very betrayal esque. How does that resonate with you?

[Cooper Moll]

I mean, I totally agree. And I think in this case, in particular, for two of the states where these crimes took place, they were not able. I mean, one of them, they didn't even bring about charges because they couldn't tell where she was it within relation to the crime. The second state, it was a hung jury twice. They couldn't place her at these crimes. So by the time we get to Tennessee bringing charges, I mean, they come to her with this almost like retribution for these other trials that didn't go as they maybe thought they should have. Right. With her getting. With her being convicted. So I feel almost like by the time she gets put on this Tennessee trial for the first murder in the spree, they're so locked and Loaded and have it. They already have in their heads who this person is. It's as if the decision is made before the. The trial date is even set. They. They're out for blood. She's guilty. We need someone to answer for these crimes. And if it's not going to be the insane lawyer, it's going to be the young girl.

[Dre]

Right.

[Cooper Moll]

To me, she could have been anyone. And I think that's the part of it that I can really start to, like, get my blood boiling. Right. It's almost like she could have been anyone. She's just kind of a. She's a vehicle for that. She's someone they can pin it on. Yeah, she could have been anyone. That's how it felt to me.

[Dre]

It's hard, but definitely when you're existing with it, with a case where there are people, victims that lost their lives, to really lean in to understand the story behind how they lost their lives. But, you know, the reality is, is that Margot was facing 99 years too. So she also was facing the fact that she lost her life. She was giving up. That was taken away from her. Her life was essentially taken too. And so it's hard, right?

[Cooper Moll]

I think about if this trial happened today, and we knew what we knew about it, that this was this young woman under duress. You would have tons of people online having, you know, there'd be petitions, there'd be tiktoks about it, there'd be funds to try to get her out of her situation. Debates, you know, that they're just. There was no language for it then.

[Dre]

Right. And people are consuming information from a very few amount of sources. Right. And these sources are really capitalizing on the story, painting her a picture, painting the picture of her as, you know, Bonnie to her Clyde. And so it was a very different time. People are only getting information from her, probably from one place and depending on what they're doing. And you and I know very well it's, you know, sensationalizing what the story is. It's, you know, these two people on a murder spree, and that kind of sealed her fate in a lot in. In a lot of ways. But what would you say, because, you know, without any major spoilers, would you say is like, you know, for true crime fans, what unique elements are part of this story? What differentiates Margot's story from other true crime shows to get people interested in the crimes of Margo Freshwater?

[Cooper Moll]

Well, I think what makes this a very different type of fugitive story, I want to still make sure. I mean, this is such an entertaining story. But there is something about Hanya who, you know, Margot becomes, that is. There's a simplicity about her. And I don't mean that in the fact that she isn't extremely bright and interesting and compelling. But this is not your typical kind of cat and mouse. There's this person leaving breadcrumbs. There's a, you know, the. Where the fugitive is leaving breadcrumbs or the fugitive. Fugitive is continuing to commit crimes and there's someone, you know on their tail. I think what's so fascinating about this story and that makes, you know, when I say simple, she's leaving, leading a simple life. She's living a very.

[Dre]

She's not a criminal mastermind.

[Cooper Moll]

No. And we learn so much about the inner monologue of somebody in this unbelievable situation. And I think that is really what makes this story, this particular story, original. Right. Typically, if you don't have access to the person at the center of the story, you're kind of imagining what this would have been like. And so if you are somebody who wants to know what it is like to be up in the head space of carrying this in secret with you for 30 years, kind of always having to be one step ahead. And what's fascinating about her is, although it is always in the back of her mind, there's this paradox where at the same time, it's almost like she had to stop thinking about it. It's like she almost knew that it would be weirder if she acted strange or did too much. We get inside of her head in this series, and that is in the firsthand account of what those 30 years were like is just so much of it surprised me. Right? I think most people would. I don't know how I'd be able to just keep going. Knowing that I think about Huge Secret.

[Dre]

I think about the anxiety that I deal with just thinking about, like, waking up and waking up and thinking I didn't finish this one assignment that's due for school. I haven't been in College for 16 years. Like, I still live with that residual anxiety. I don't know how I would manage holding something so big. And also the pain and the grief of having to walk away from your family because that's a necessity. Not being able to say goodbye to your loved ones or knowing that any connection to your home and your family means forever in prison, like, that is a very difficult, lonely, isolating feeling. But just having to keep persevering, it's really incredible. I feel like watching you report and write on this show Is was actually like, top five joys of my year last year of watching you really throw yourself into it, fall in love with the story, feel committed to the storytellers. In this case, it was really a joy to watch. How do you feel like the story changed you as a person, as a producer, as a writer?

[Cooper Moll]

The amount of perspective on life, womanhood that I gained in the process of getting to know Tanya, I just. There's so many moments along the way where I just. My mind felt blown or I felt so overwhelmed with emotion. You know, there are just certain things that the amount of grit and perseverance this person had just made me, you know, gave me perspective in the sense of there are certain things in my life that just really aren't that bad or. I don't want to say that she's this downtrodden person. It was more. Has more to do with her outlook on, like, when things get bad. I can't. I can't dwell on it. I just have. I just, you know, she says, I just had to keep going. And there's something about her code, her life code, that although you could say is, you know, shrouded in deceit or whatever, if you want, that really is like, there are a lot of gems in there to live by. And I think that I was really struck by that. But this, I think, story is also a reminder that, you know, it could be tomorrow, it could be five years, it could be 50 years. Like, the truth always comes out. And I think that is the patience this person gave. That process is fairly remarkable.

[Dre]

And what you can accomplish, for me, it was like, what you could accomplish when you have somebody in your corner or people in your corner. What she was able to. I'm sure she feels grateful for Stephen Ross Johnson, her attorney, her defense attorney, that is someone that never gave up on her. I mean, she had two people that never gave up on her in two very unique ways. One to bring her down and the other to help get her freedom. And it's a really interesting pursuit. What can happen when you just at least have one person that believes in your innocence, one person that believes. Believes in you. And for.

[Cooper Moll]

For.

[Dre]

For Tanya, it was Stephen.

[Cooper Moll]

Yes. That is so true. And I think, yeah. Another major theme of this story is forgiveness. And there are people along the way that Tanya views with so much grace and compassion and even love that, you know, I find. I found myself being like, I do not know if I could. I could do that. I don't know if I could do that. But it also, I mean, this is somebody who is 77 years old now. Not to make it about this, but, I mean, she. She's in incredible health. She looks amazing. You know, you'd think that carrying a secret with you and having to be on the move all the time, which is kind of like age you and keep. You'd have a chip on your shoulder, etc. And I almost feel like she's an example of, like, if you walk around this world with, like, loving kindness, and that's the longevity key right there. There's just something about her where I'm like, wow, I could probably approach people a little bit kinder.

[Dre]

Right. And make no mistake, she's tough as nails. She's tough as nails, but there is a lightness. There is a lightness to her. Like, she lets go what she needs to let go of.

[Cooper Moll]

Yeah. And I think that is something, you know, when we go back to, like, how did this change you? I really. That was, I think, a lesson I've personally needed. Right. It's just like, when to. When to let go, when to let other people have their story and just know who. Tanya has always known who she is. And I think that it. And. And. And what she did and all of these things. Right. And she has never wavered on that. Right. And despite what other people have said about her, she has never let that influence her opinion of herself. And I think that is tough to do. And then I think for me, you know, you'd ask, like, how it changed me as a storyteller or whatever. I definitely felt this was the first. I've always. I have struggled as a writer sometime when I think a story is. Even if I think a story is really amazing or crazy or whatever, it's not all the time that I get to feel so personally connected to my. The sources who are helping me tell a story or just kind of some of the themes in a story in general or the protagonist in the story. While, of course, I'm, you know, trying to toe the line between being, like, a neutral reporter in the story, I also found ways, I feel like, throughout my writing to insert myself. And I think that as you listen to, it's clear that I get more emotionally invested in the story as it goes. And I'm really grateful that Glass. Sony you, Ben, were game for that, because I don't know if there was a way I could have told this story without. Without the, you know, inserting my own human journey and telling it.

[Dre]

It's. It's true. Yeah. It's because there's Tension there when that happens. Like, when you feel that push, pull, it's. It's tense, and it actually is harmful to the writing. It makes it even harder, you know.

[Cooper Moll]

And you probably remember this, like, in the beginning, because obviously we're writing it knowing everything we know now, and you're writing the first episode, and I'm thinking to myself, like, God, like, it's so. It was so weird for me to access being, like, putting my. Like, I know nothing about this person, and I'm gonna cast suspicion on them or whatever. There were times where I was like, I know we. This is how you tell a good story. And I'm thinking about her feelings or everybody else's feelings while listening to it or whatever, but, I mean, those are things we all get over as we do this. And, you know, I knew. I was like, tanya's gonna listen to these, and the first three episodes are gonna be hard, but she's gonna know.

[Dre]

Like, some people don't give you the benefit. Yeah. Some people don't give you the benefit of making their way through it. There's. There are some people that you work with that will listen to one thing and then bail and then make their own decision about the trajectory of where you're gonna take the story in the season. And that's. That's their choice. But when there's real trust and there's real clarity when producing and. Which is clear that you. You cultivated trust on every side of the sources, like, every. I think it's a testament to how people perceived your commitment to the story and the trust there. So I absolutely enjoyed working with you, and top five joys of the. Of the year for me is working alongside you, looking at your work ethic, how you dedicated yourself to the story. Is there anything that I didn't ask you that you feel like is important to share with the betrayal audience? Because I. I think this is. This is a story for. This is a story for our betrayal listeners, for sure.

[Cooper Moll]

Well, the show is at its heart or at its core, and has been marketed as a true crime story. I think what's interesting and sets the crimes of Margot Freshwater apart from some other crude, other true crime narratives is I really believe this is a. This is a story. This is a human story that, whether or not you're a true crime fan, you can connect with at some level. You know, I didn't necessarily set out to do that when I was making it, but then looking back, you know, I. And listening to it back, I realized this is in some. There's There's a genre bending aspect to this podcast, and now I feel like we can all look back at it and be like, wow, okay, this is, this is true crime. And then some. I don't know what it, what that, that sum is, but I know it's different and I know people can connect with this, you know, whether or not, you know, like, that's your thing.

[Dre]

It's a ride, it's a rollercoaster ride of just really understanding, you know, this whole story. I don't want to spoil anything for our audience who are like that, are just interested in this story, but I will say, you know, your story really picks up. The trial happens. She gets sentenced 99 years, and Margot has a decision to make. And it's, I'm not, I'm not staying here. I'm not accepting this course of action. I'm not accepting this fate. And she takes her life in her own hands. And so you and I will leave the audience to go and figure out what happened and the years that follow. Well, thank you for everything. I think you did an incredible job. I can't wait to work with you again. And I hope that day comes sooner rather than later. I miss you.

[Cooper Moll]

Likewise. I know this was. I just, I look back and I, I mean, but not even looking back. I mean, while I was in it, it was so unreal to me that I was entrusted to do this. And it really couldn't have, really, really couldn't have been done at all or, and especially at the pace it was done in, without the incredible groundwork. By you, by Kerry Hartman, by Trey, by Ben. I am so grateful for that. It was awesome. I just, I will always. I will really, really cherish this experience.

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[Cooper Moll]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.