Bone Valley: "Introducing - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance" (Preview)

Podcast: Bone Valley
Host: Maggie Freleng (for Lava for Good Podcasts)
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This special preview introduces the new podcast series The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance, investigating the brutal 1999 murder of Yvonne Lane in Alliance, Ohio. The episode sets the stage for a real-time, in-depth examination of the conviction of David Thorne and Joseph Wilkes, scrutinizing the official narrative and exploring overlooked evidence and alternative suspects. Host Maggie Freleng, pulling from years of investigative journalism, questions whether justice was truly served or if critical mistakes and missed leads led to a wrongful conviction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Confession and Initial Narrative

• The episode begins with audio from the police interrogation of 19-year-old Joseph Wilkes, confessing to the murder of Yvonne Lane. Detectives guide Wilkes through a narrative implicating David Thorne as the person who "told him to do it."

  • [02:21] Detective Bud Samson: “Can you tell us your part in this?”
  • [04:01] Maggie Freleng (on Wilkes's confession): “Joe just said David told me to. David, as in David Thorne?”

• Case Details:

  • Yvonne Lane, mother of five, was found murdered in her home (throat slashed) while her children slept ([04:13]-[04:32]).
  • David Thorne, Lane’s ex-boyfriend and father of one child, was recently ordered to pay child support—proposed as motive ([04:53]).

Evidence and Investigation Scrutiny

• At first glance, the case seems straightforward: confession and motive. But Maggie Freleng quickly establishes that, upon deeper investigation, inconsistencies and alternate motives abound.

  • [05:16] Maggie Freleng: “But when you start digging… the more complicated things get… everyone around Yvonne also had a motive to kill her.”

• Crime Scene Mismanagement:

  • The episode underscores severe mistakes by police, compromising evidence:
    • Covering the body with a blanket from the scene ([07:34])
    • No gloves or shoe coverings; evidence contamination
    • Detectives stepping over the body, leaving their own footprints
      • [08:01] Maggie Freleng: “A bloody footprint between her legs apparently came from a detective, not the killer.”
    • Presence of a civilian in the crime scene
  • Some evidence was never tested; what was tested did not match David or Joe

The Conviction: No Physical Evidence, Heavily Reliant on Testimony

• The prosecution's case rests almost entirely on Joe’s confession and testimony from witness Rose Moore, who claimed Joe told her he was going to kill someone ([09:48]).
• There was no physical evidence linking either David or Joe to the murder: no fingerprints, no shoe prints, no DNA, and no blood on the allegedly worn pants ([10:43]).
• A neighbor reported seeing a man leaving the house who was "not David or Joe"—but this witness was not called at trial ([11:34]).
  • [11:45] Neighbor Witness: “I was shown a photo of Joseph Wilkes. ...It was not the man I saw leaving.”

The Aftermath: Conviction, Doubt, and Ongoing Struggle

• After only three hours of deliberation, David was convicted; Joe pleaded guilty in exchange for a deal. Both received life sentences ([11:56]-[12:26]).

• [12:26] Maggie Freleng: “The entire conviction of David Thorne was [based] on Joe's testimony. But was Joe telling the truth? And if he was lying, why?”

• Maggie scrutinizes the alleged motives:

  • The theory that David ordered the murder to avoid $351/month in child support seems implausible, particularly since David was employed and this was not an extraordinary sum ([12:59]).
  • Maggie raises the possibility of alternate perpetrators, including other men in Yvonne’s life, or even law enforcement, as well as the unknown man seen leaving the house after Yvonne’s death ([13:26]).

David Thorne’s Voice and Current Situation

• The preview features David Thorne himself, who maintains his innocence after over 21 years in prison—with little hope left and no legal representation ([14:02]-[14:16]).
  • [14:16] David Thorne: “Pretty much dead in the water. We need new evidence.”
  • [14:34] David Thorne: “That’s why we’ve been pushing so hard is to find a private investigator that would... almost start the case anew.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:01] Maggie Freleng (on interrogation): “Joe just said David told me to. David, as in David Thorne?”
• [07:34] Maggie Freleng (on crime scene): “The living room where her body was found looks like someone took buckets of blood and threw it around the room. ...This looked personal.”
• [08:01] Maggie Freleng: “A bloody footprint between her legs apparently came from a detective, not the killer. And the chief even brought a woman, a civilian, into the crime scene. It was an absolute disaster.”
• [11:45] Neighbor Witness: “I was shown a photo of Joseph Wilkes...It was not the man I saw leaving [the house].”
• [12:26] Maggie Freleng: “The entire conviction of David Thorne was [based] on Joe's testimony. But was Joe telling the truth? … Hiring a hitman to kill your ex over $351 a month seems like more risk than it’s worth.”
• [14:16] David Thorne: “Pretty much dead in the water. We need new evidence.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:19-02:50]: Opening of Wilkes's confession and police interview
• [04:13-04:47]: Details of the murder, victims, and initial suspect narratives
• [05:16-05:52]: Maggie dives into the complexity of motives and the unreliability of the apparent solution
• [07:34-08:01]: Crime scene mismanagement
• [09:48-11:34]: The prosecution's case and the pivotal but uncorroborated testimony
• [11:45-12:26]: Introduction of exculpatory witness who was never heard by the jury
• [12:26-13:41]: Examination of weaknesses in David's alleged motive and alternate suspects
• [14:02-14:45]: Conversation with a now-desperate David Thorne, highlighting his plight

Tone and Style

Maggie Freleng maintains a probing, empathetic, and skeptical tone throughout—carefully unraveling the surface-level facts to reveal a complex, flawed investigation and unresolved questions about the integrity of the conviction. She blends narrative, firsthand interviews, and critical review of the police process, directly addressing listeners' natural doubts and questions as the story unfolds.

Summary

This preview episode of The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance lays out the tangled web surrounding the murder of Yvonne Lane, making the case that “open and shut” is a myth when justice gets tangled in botched investigations, questionable confessions, and ignored exculpatory evidence. Central to the narrative is David Thorne's ongoing assertion of innocence and the haunting question: Did the system convict the wrong men?

New episodes, promising a deep-dive investigation, are set to follow this preview and deliver further revelations about the case and the frailties of small-town justice.