Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County

Episode Title: The Receipts
Release Date: October 8, 2025
Host: Maggie Freleng (Lava for Good Podcasts)

Episode Overview

In "The Receipts," the fifth chapter of Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County, host Maggie Freleng digs into the heart of the prosecution's case against Quincy Cross, Tamara Caldwell, and Jeff Burton in the murder of Jessica Curran. This episode exposes deep cracks in the case—most notably, a pattern of witness coercion, financial incentives, and perjury among Kentucky law enforcement and prosecutors. Through first-hand witness recantations, legal analysis, and newly uncovered financial records (“the receipts”), Maggie and her sources present a story of manipulation, shattered families, and a justice system potentially built on lies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recanting Star Witnesses & Coercion

• Venetia Stubblefield Recants (02:46, 04:19):
  • Once a primary prosecution witness, Venetia now says her testimony implicating Quincy Cross was coerced:
    • "They literally made me say that I was there at Jessica Kearns, at the crime scene when Jessica was being killed... They made me say that I poured gas on her. They made me say that I took part in having sexual contact with her when she was already dead and everything." (04:19, Venetia)
  • She describes threats from KBI agents:
    • "They had told me that if I did not come forward and tell the truth on who killed Jessica, that they would make sure that I spent the rest of my life in prison." (04:51, Venetia)
• Rosie Kreiss’s Recantation (07:34):
  • Rosie's earlier testimony was also coerced; she was paid $100 by law enforcement to make incriminating phone calls about Quincy Cross:
    • "They paid me a hundred dollar bill to call people..." (07:48, Rosie)
  • Rosie admits her drug addiction made her vulnerable:
    • "Yeah, I was on crack cocaine back then. Sure was." (09:15, Rosie)
• Victoria Caldwell’s Claims (06:03, 26:47):
  • Victoria, another key witness, claims to have been paid for her testimony and coached by law enforcement on what to say, including about Quincy, whom she never met:
    • "Victoria told me she got paid to make up a whole story just to get rid of this case." (06:03, Venetia)
    • "I was never there. I never witnessed anything." (26:47, Victoria)
    • "They gave it to me...They showed me [Quincy's face]." (27:40, Victoria)

2. Financial Incentives to Witnesses (“The Receipts”)

• Direct Compensation for Testimony (14:57 – 18:52):
  • Miranda Hellman, the Kentucky Innocence Project attorney, discovers law enforcement provided substantial financial support to witnesses—beyond reasonable necessity:
    • “I stumbled across this set of maybe 200 pages of receipts.” (16:08, Miranda)
    • Expenses included: housing, utilities, groceries, clothing, phone cards, new tires, and even a vibrator from a sex shop (18:10).
    • "In total, the Kentucky Innocence Project found that Victoria Caldwell was paid at least $17,000 in one year." (18:52, Miranda)
• Witness Protection or Coercion?
  • Victoria was relocated cross-country, provided a condo, and her life expenses were covered, while other witnesses were threatened or jailed.
  • "She collected all of her receipts...and then the Attorney General's office would issue an authorization to pay funds to her." (17:15, Miranda)
  • "She was living on the state dime pretty freely and really nicely for an extended period of time...It just really looks to me that this is just purely paying your witness to come in and testify in the way that you want her to testify." (18:52, Miranda)

3. Concealment & Perjury by Law Enforcement and Prosecutors

• Defense Questions Unanswered (15:04):
  • During trial, defense attorneys questioned witnesses and KBI agents about payments, but answers under oath denied significant compensation.
  • The receipts, never presented to the defense, reveal the payments were real and extensive.
    • "A lot of the answers...were no." (15:47, Miranda)
  • According to Miranda Hellman, this constitutes perjury and a due process violation.
    • "We have law enforcement officers and special prosecutors...coming into a trial saying we absolutely didn't do anything that would put this case in jeopardy. But the proof was sitting there the whole time." (19:50, Miranda)
• Impact on Wrongful Conviction Claims:
  • The Kentucky Innocence Project argues this is grounds to vacate Quincy's conviction. Multiple attempts to reach the Attorney General’s office or the lead prosecutor have been ignored. (20:14)

4. Family Dynamics, Trauma, and Law Enforcement Manipulation

• Profiled & Exploited Witnesses (09:27, 35:05):
  • Law enforcement targeted witnesses “on the periphery” of society—young, vulnerable, and financially desperate, often with histories of trauma and instability.
    • "They really tapped into people who had a lot to lose, but also a lot to gain.” (09:27, Miranda)
    • Rosie and Victoria recount being abused and trafficked as children, creating additional vulnerability to law enforcement pressure (36:11, 36:45).
• Family Fallout and Fractures (34:32 – 35:16):
  • Stories emerge of close-knit cousin relationships that devolved due to the investigation and subsequent betrayals, lies, and recantations.
    • "Close, close. Yeah, I'm talking about mud pie close..." (34:32, Tamara)
    • Brenda Jackson, Tamara’s mom: "To lie on my daughter like that...it's best that I not see either one of them because I will be in prison." (37:46, Brenda)

5. Media Involvement and Doubts About the Original Narrative

• Susan Galbraith’s Motivations (13:40, 14:46):
  • The citizen investigator who steered the early investigation is accused of seeking money and fame, beyond pursuing justice.
    • "Susan Gabbard did it for the fame and for the money." (13:40, Venetia)
• Tom Mangold & The BBC (43:29 – 45:06):
  • Prominent journalist Tom Mangold eventually expressed doubts in private correspondence about the veracity of the story he reported—yet publicly continued to back the original narrative and Susan’s heroism even after learning of witness recantations.
    • "This is but a tiny worm of an idea...that there is a teeny weeny, itsy bitsy chance that we've got this whole fucking murder story wrong." (43:29, Tom, email excerpt)

6. Concluding Questions and Theories

• Private Investigators’ Role (40:12 – 42:49):
  • Noble Faulkner, a seasoned private investigator, concludes the defendants were framed, echoing attorney suspicions.
    • "They framed Quincy Cross. They framed Tamara Caldwell, they framed Jeffrey Burton. And they know they did." (42:42, Noble)
• Why Did No One Intervene? (43:15):
  • Lawyers and journalists alike puzzle over how this case could have proceeded despite obvious flaws.
    • “When I look at this case, I go, no way. Like, this couldn't have happened…Why didn't the Attorney General see it? Why didn’t the judge see it?" (43:15, Miranda)
    • "Why didn’t a seasoned reporter like Tom Mangold see it?" (43:29, Maggie)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On witness coercion:
  "They literally made me say that I took part in it... They made me say that I poured gas on her." (04:19, Venetia)

• On financial incentives:
  "They paid me a hundred dollar bill to call people." (07:48, Rosie)

• On state payments:
  "In total, the Kentucky Innocence Project found Victoria Caldwell was paid at least $17,000 in one year." (18:52, Miranda)

• On fabricating evidence:
  "I wrote that in the same day they came." — regarding the supposed diary used as evidence (28:06, Victoria)

• On law enforcement’s involvement:
  "They gave it to me [Quincy's name]...They showed me [his face]." (27:40, Victoria)

• On trauma and manipulation:
  "They tapped into young girls who had nothing to lose and a lot to gain, who would lie on their own cousin out of fear or for money or simply out of spite. Lies that shattered numerous lives and an entire family." (37:22, Maggie)

• On media accountability:
  "I’m just beginning to wonder... that there is a teeny weeny, itsy bitsy chance that we've got this whole fucking murder story wrong." (43:29, Tom Mangold's email)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:46] Venetia begins recanting her testimony
• [04:19] Details of confession alleged to be coerced by police
• [07:34] Rosie’s paid phone call; witness manipulation
• [09:27] Analysis of witness vulnerability (Miranda Hellman)
• [14:57]–[18:52] “The receipts”—financial support to witnesses revealed
• [26:47] Victoria admits to fabricating her story under legal threats
• [28:06] Victoria admits the diary was fabricated
• [35:05]–[36:45] Testimonies about childhood trauma exploited by police
• [40:12]–[42:49] Private investigator Faulkner: “They framed Quincy, Tamara, Jeff”
• [43:15] Attorney Miranda on systemic failures and disbelief

Episode Tone & Style

• The tone remains urgent, skeptical, and sorrowful—rooted in justice and human complexity. Maggie’s narration is empathetic, fact-driven, and probes with open-ended questions, allowing listeners to absorb the injustice and systemic failures at play.
• Throughout, the episode relies on firsthand testimony, legal perspective, and personal anecdotes from family members, all woven together for a gripping and sometimes heart-wrenching listen.

For Listeners Unfamiliar with the Case

• This episode stands as a damning indictment of the prosecution and police conduct in the Jessica Curran case, raising serious doubts about the convictions and showcasing the profound human cost of false testimony and institutional betrayal.
• The “receipts”—literal financial records—become the symbol of a larger rot: a justice system incentivizing cooperation through money, threats, and manipulation rather than truth.

Next episode tease: The story continues into its final chapter, hinting at further revelations regarding corruption and possible planted evidence within the Mayfield Police Department. (46:34)

For a full list of characters, reference the show notes.