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Nancy Glass
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Country superstar Keith Urban is performing live on the Top Shelf country cruise, sailing February 2026 aboard the luxury Celebrity Reflection with stops in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Martin. Enjoy seven days of non stop entertainment, all brought to you by signature cruise experiences. Don't wait. Guests who join the pre sale are already booking their staterooms and you can get in line right behind them. Visit topshelfcountrycruise.com to join the pre sale for free. No deposit required. Hi all. We have some exciting news to share. Paramount plus has turned Burden of Guilt into a docuseries. You will get to meet the people involved. You'll hear from the people who have never spoken before, and you get to see where the story took place. We are so proud and excited to share it with you. You can stream it right now on Paramount Plus. He had this twinkle in his eye. I got the sense that he thought he was smarter than everybody. He would smile. He smiled into the camera. He would smile at witnesses. He tried to smile at Tracy. He tried to stare down Kathy. In a way I thought he found this was sort of a game. That's lead Assistant District Attorney Jeff Brickman talking about the demeanor of the defendant. I'm Nancy Glass and this is Burden of guilt. Episode 6 Battlefield Tracy Raquel told the prosecution that she had seen some of her mother's testimony on television. And since witnesses weren't allowed to watch the court proceedings due to sequestration orders, the judge was left with no choice but to declare a mistrial. It was a heavy blow to the prosecution, and District Attorney J. Tom Morgan had to decide if it was worth the Time and money to take the decades old cold case to trial once again. Assistant District Attorney Leanne Mangone. Jeff and I felt pretty deflated by the fact that the mistrial had been declared. When Judge Fuller declared the mistrial, he did make that ruling in a way that allowed us to make a decision about whether we wanted to retry the case. We are in the dumps. I mean, don't get me wrong, but you know, you look at each other and go, this guy killed a 4 month old district attorney, J. Tom Morgan. I was furious. I mean, all the work that Leanne and Jeff had put into it. And so my job as a district attorney was to get my two assistants in there and say, take a deep breath, let's do this again. After all of this had happened, I came into work to a voicemail message from Tracy saying, please don't give up. I basically just called the prosecution and said, look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mess everything up. Could you do this again? After going in and talking about it with J. Tom and looking at each other and realizing, you know, this doesn't change what happened. It doesn't change the facts. And as I told Leanne, you know what, last time I checked, there's no such thing as the one free murder rule in Georgia. And we were back at it within a month. Supercharged up. The prosecution once again set out to prove that Jan Barry Sandlin killed four month old Matthew. We didn't really change the theory of the case at all. The theory. A man was left alone with a baby. By the time the baby's mother came home and found him, he was near death. The child was a victim of the man's abuse. That man was Tracy Raquel's father, Jan Barry Sandlin, a person with a history of cruel and abusive behavior towards his children. And as we told you, Tracey Racquel has spent a lifetime dealing with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. He would just show up in the middle of the night and throw us on the street. We spent lots of time just sleeping on a park bench. He put that Camel cigarette out on me. I was in the car with Kathy and she said, day after tomorrow is Matthew's birthday. And I just had this childlike remark of if you don't take me to the cemetery, I'm never going to speak. She told Jan, and he beat me terribly. He really enjoyed the belt, the wrong end of the belt. We shared how he fed her roaches on toast as a form of punishment and how Tracy Raquel spent much of her childhood navigating the emotional and physical abuse between Kathy and Jan. We told you how he beat Kathy and locked her in closets. For Tracy Raquel, those memories were like a bad dream. Nightmares are an ongoing thing for me. I never have nightmares about Matthew. I have a lot of nightmares that revolve around events in my childhood and just always being terrified and never feeling safe. And that comes from not being stable and getting thrown out of your house in the middle of the night and people getting beat up and abuse. Like all of these things don't go away. Lead ADA Jeff Brickman imagined how the series of events unfolded between Jan and the baby, who was not his son. Leann and I were recent parents of 2 year olds. We had learned in the last couple of years what it's like to have a baby at home who can't speak, who cries a lot. They're crying, they're upset, they won't shut up. You want to sleep. You're not real jazzed up about the fact that you're being left at home with this four month old that's not even yours, and you just want it to be quiet, just like that. You'll get your quiet. Be dead, but you'll get the quiet. So we knew that one of the things we wanted to impress upon the jury was that this can happen just like that. And he had every reason to do that. And given the nature of the injuries, he decided just like that that he was going to shut him up. And as horrific as that is to imagine, that's exactly what happened. Jeff Brickman knew if the prosecution was going to win this trial, the jury had to believe that's what happened. As for the defense, they learned something from the first trial and this time honed in on a single strategy. This time the defense was none too subtle. And we knew, Corrine, it was not going to be a. Well, they just can't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. It was one person did it. It was Kathy Allman. There was more of a focus on Kathy Allman as someone who may have had something to do with Matthew's murder. I distinctly remember talking to Kathy going, let me tell you what the defense is. You killed your four month old, you get it. Now it's up to you. I can't get up and testify. You need to be convincing. ADA Jeff Brickman was saying Kathy could make or break this second trial, and he was worried about her state of mind and her lack of self assurance on the stand. Kathy was kind of damaged over the years, and she was very vulnerable. She was easy to pick on. And Corrine was great at finding weaknesses. They were introducing a suggestion that perhaps there's not enough evidence to demonstrate that Jan Sandlin was solely responsible. On day one of the trial, Tracey Racquel was the second witness to be called. Assistant District Attorney Lee Ann Mangone asked Traci Racquel about the time she contacted her father in prison. When you were younger, did you make a telephone call to the defendant? Yes, I did. Did you ask him for an explanation for Matt's death? Yes, I did. And in that telephone call, what was his response? Ask your mother. She couldn't get a straight answer from Jan, and her mother, Kathy wouldn't provide any clarity either. Do you, Ms. Rame, have any information which would indicate that your mother is responsible for Matt's death? No. Can you tell the members of the jury why it is you have worked so hard to find out what happened to Matthew? Well, I always knew that he had died, and it was always a very evasive subject with everyone in my family. And I guess that just sparked me to think that something was wrong. And I thought if there was something wrong, you needed to fix it. I had no idea that it was because they thought that I had done this. That was obviously very emotional for Tracy Raquel. She regained her composure, and Leanne continued her questioning. She asked Tracey Raquel what happened when she asked her mother to have Matt's death investigated. What generally was your mother's response when you were talking about that issue? That she didn't want to deal with the pain. She was not treating of dealing with the pain. She didn't have the support that she needed. Kathy Allman's mother, Tracey Raquel's grandmother, Ann Davidson, took the stand. She testified about an incident that occurred when she came home with Kathy after Jan was alone with baby Matthew. We went in and Matt was screaming, and Kathy said, what's wrong with the baby? And he said, oh, I was playing with him here on the table, and he picked up the pepper shaker, and I guess he got it in his eyes. Could you tell what the appearance was of this child? Boy was crying. His eyes were red. What did Kathy do, if anything? She took the baby and she got a washcloth and washed his eyes out, gave him a bottle, and pretty soon he stopped crying. Was there any further discussion that day, as far as you remember, about what happened? No. Never was mentioned again. Then the questioning turned to the night Matthew died. At any point once you got to the hospital. Did you make any effort or attempt to talk to Kathy? Yes, I did. I just went straight to her and said, kathy, what happened? And Jan just came forward and said that Tracy threw little Matt from the crib and he was hurt real bad and that's why they were there. ADA Jeff Brickman asked Kathy's mother, Ann Davidson, those questions to establish a history of abuse by Jan. On the other hand, defense attorney Corrine Mull seemed to say, if the Pepper incident was so bad, if there was abuse, why didn't anyone call the police? Ms. Davison, what was the name of the police officer you spoke to and told about this Pepper incident after Matt died? I didn't speak. You didn't? No. You didn't happen to say, good God, this man not only has he killed my child, let me tell you about the Pepper incident. No. Didn't say that to anybody, did you? No. First time you ever mention it is July 1997 to these folks. Defense attorney Corrine Mall pointed out that Kathy's mother didn't share that information with anybody until the second trial. Did you hear a single soul besides your daughter say Jan Mary Sandlin told them that this child was thrown out of the bed by his sister? No, I didn't. Okay. And your daughter also said she didn't know if he did or not, didn't she? That's right. Neither do I. Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford and I'm the founder of meaningful beauty. When Dr. Saba and I decided to do a skincare line together, he said to me, we are going to give women meaningful beauty. And I said, that's exactly right. 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You have told her and you have told us that besides your initial different stories that, that you told her the crib death, the banging, the head on them, throwing out, crushing the baby shoes, besides those different stories, you have always, you said, maintained what happened that day to everyone, haven't you? Yes, I am. And you maintained to everyone that you believed she'd thrown the baby out of there. That's what I thought. For many, many years. The defense wanted to make the point that even while Jan was out of their lives and in prison, Kathy continued to communicate with him. It seemed like she still wanted them to have a relationship. Ms. Almond, you wrote a letter to your ex husband, correct? You've written to him? Yes. And you wrote to him about Tracy making accusations, right? I don't really recall what I wrote in those letters. Isn't it true, Ms. Allman, that you told in your letters, don't worry about Tracy? You know my parents, they've just been saying some ugly things about you, right? I don't recall what was in those letters, so I can't say. I was very depressed when I wrote him. I know that I thought something was wrong with me. I don't know. In those letters, in the last letter that you wrote to Mr. Sandlin, do you recall telling him in there not to be concerned about Tracy because she just resented him not being there? I may have. I don't know. In another letter, Kathy had expressed frustration about Tracey Raquel's younger brother, Jason. He was the second child Kathy had with Jan. Didn't you tell Jason that? You told Mr. Sandlin, he's bothering me. I'm going to beat him with a baseball bat. I Don't recall that. Yes, that's what she wrote, that she was going to beat her son with a baseball bat. Let me show you something and see if that refreshes your recollection. Ha ha. Yes, I did say it in a joking way. And you did say in a joking way, I'm going to beat him with a baseball bat. Yes. The prosecution came back one last time with Kathy to put the focus back on, on Matthew's death. And on that day, when you did leave Matt for the second time with that man over there, was this child who was depicted in stage five, just two days before his death in this picture, was he healthy? Yes, he was healthy. Was he as alive as could be? As alive as could be, Happy as could be, and a very good, wonderful baby. When the prosecution finished, the defense left the jury with this. Isn't it true that the accident, and it was an accident, was caused by egoism? No. There was no more suggesting or circling around it. There it was. The defense put it on the line. It was your fault, Kathy. The defense never called a single witness and Jan never took the stand. Jeff Brickman remembers observing Jan's behavior as he watched the testimony. He had this twinkle in his eye. I got the sense that he thought he was smarter than everybody. He would smile, he smiled into the camera. He would smile at witnesses. He tried to smile at Tracy. He tried to stare down Kathy. He would stare back at us. And he just kind of stared through you in a way. I thought he found this was sort of a game. I really do think he found pleasure in making everybody who came in there to testify against him pay. The last person to testify was the medical examiner who performed the second autopsy, Dr. Burton. The prosecution strategically saved him for the end. He was their key witness. The prosecution's case was straightforward. Matthew's death was from unspeakable abuse. Do you have an opinion, Dr. Burden, as to whether these injuries could have been inflicted by a two year old child throwing the baby out of a crib? Well, first of all, a two year old child couldn't throw the baby out. It's a squirming 10 pound weight and so to throw it out would be virtually impossible to say that a 2 year old could get in the bed and somehow tug it up over the edge of the rail and let the baby tip over the edge of the rail and fall is possible, but even that is not likely. In the last episode, you heard defense attorney Corrine Mull question Kathy about Tracy Racquel's heavy baby shoes. Because Kathy had said she thought Tracy Raquel had stepped on Matthew's head with her heavy baby shoes and that led to his death. Ada leanne Mangone showed Dr. Burton a pair of those shoes. These shoes have leather soles and rubber heels on them. The soles and heels have edges on them. There's nothing in any of the records to describe any type of a pattern of bruise or abrasion to Matthew's head. This tells us that the impact happened on a surface smooth with no protuberances on it. There's not enough mass in the foot and leg of a two year old to cause fractures on both sides of this baby's head. To compress the head against the floor. It would be almost impossible for all the circumstances to exist for a shoe not to leave a mark on Matthew's head. Further emphasizing it was no accident, the prosecution asked how a child would sustain the injuries found on Matthew so that the jury better understands the force which must have been used in this case. Under what non abusive circumstances would you expect to see these types of injuries, fractures like this that are bilateral complex fractures you see in automobile wrecks, you see them in children or people who fall Heights like 15, 20ft. Do you, Dr. Burton, have an opinion based on a reasonable degree of medical certainty as to the manner of death of Matthew Stephen Golder on December 27th of 1971? I do. The injuries that resulted in Matthew's death were inflicted or caused by another person. Corrine Mull did not mince words during the cross examination. The scenario that you were given was mainly to disprove that this child had not been thrown out by a two year old onto the floor from a bed, from a crib. Yes. I was trying to decide whether this was an accidental death or some other type of death. And it is true, Dr. Burton, that this injury could have been inflicted several different ways. And you have shown some of them correct, and there may be others, but bottom line is that this child was not thrown out of a bed by a two year old. This child died as a result of abuse from an adult, correct? I think that's the probability, yes, ma'am. So which adult was it? Would the jury believe it was Jan? Or did the defense raise enough doubt by presenting Kathy as the culprit? Ada Leanne Mangone went first in closing arguments. Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford and I'm the founder of meaningful beauty. When Dr. Sabah and I decided to do a skincare line together, he said to me, we, we are going to give women meaningful beauty. And I said, that's exactly right. We want to give women meaningful beauty, which means each and every product is meaningful. It has a reason to exist. It's efficacious. You're going to get results, and then you just go out and live your life. Meaningful beauty Confidence is beautiful. Learn more@meaningbeauty.com Every day, our world gets a little more connected, but a little further, further apart. But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling Amica Insurance. Hey, I was just in an accident. Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human. Amica empathy is our best policy. Get ready for the ultimate country music getaway. Country superstar Keith Urban is performing live on the Top Shelf country cruise, sailing February 2026 aboard the luxury Celebrity Reflection with stops in St. Kitts and Nevis and St Martin. Enjoy seven days of non stop entertainment, all brought to you by signature cruise experiences. Don't wait. Guests who join the pre sale are already booking their staterooms and you can get in line right behind them. Visit topshelfcountrycruise.com to join the free sale for free. No deposit required. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a case about murder. This is a case about the murder of a four month old little boy. About the murder of a child who lived on this earth for less than 20 weeks. This is the case about a murder which could have been committed by only one person. And that person is sitting right there. Jan Barry Sandlin is guilty of murder. Leanne held up a photo of Matthew. Matt Golder is speaking to you, ladies and gentlemen. He's saying, my name is Matthew Stephen Golder. I died when I was four months old. I was robbed of my opportunity to run, to jump, to laugh. My innocence was taken from me. It was taken from me by that man. Ladies and gentlemen, Matt Golder is crying out to you today as he must have cried in December of 1971. But today he's crying very differently. He's crying for justice. Ladies and gentlemen. He is asking that you send the loudest and clearest message that you can. He wants you to tell this man what you did was wrong. What you did was murder. Thank you. Defense attorney Corrine Mull gave her summation. While it is true that there's nothing worse than the death of a child, and those of us who have suffered it know how poignant that is and know how debilitating that is, but second to that is to convict an innocent man. Corrine Mull then focused on Kathie's strange behavior, specifically towards Tracey Raquel. Kathy told the same story over and over again, even to Tracey Raquel's doctor when she was just a teenager. You're giving information to your child's doctor that you so badly wanted. You don't lie to that doctor. You tell them everything. You especially would not tell your child's doctor that your child had thrown the baby out of the bed when any fool could have seen that didn't happen. And you certainly wouldn't blame it on a child from 1982 to 1997, when your child is in your face telling you, how could you do this to me? January 1997, what does Ms. Ullman do? She brings the baby shoes. Still trying to blame Tracey Rain. She knows what happened. She's the only one that knows what what happened. Ms. Allman is responsible not for killing her child, but for the death of her child. There was no more to say. Arguments were finished. The trial concluded. And now the waiting began. I always knew that it was up to those 12 citizens we slept. With the jury out, we went home one night and came back the next morning. I don't remember them deliberating a long time, but I remember the call that we got being that there was a verdict. We, the jury, find the defendant, Jan Barry Sandlin. This case takes yet another turn and it was a shocker. My stomach dropped. That's next time on Burden of Guilt. Stay tuned for Burden of Guilt, the documentary coming in 2024 and airing only on Paramount Plus. If you would like to reach out to the Burden of Guilt team, email us@burdenofguiltpodmail.com that's burdenofguiltpodmail.com if you or someone you know is worried about maltreatment or suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, call the Child Help National Child Abuse Hotline. You can call or text 1-800-4-A CHILD. That's 1-800-422-4453. One way to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts. And don't forget to rate and review Burden of Guilt. Five star reviews go a long way. A big thank you for listening and also be be sure to check us out and follow us on Instagram lasspodcasts. Burden of Guilt is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is hosted and executive produced by me Nancy Glass, written and produced by Andrea Gunning and Carrie Hartman. Also produced by Ben Fetterman and Associate producer Kristin Melchiori. Our iHeart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krynczyk. Special thanks to Tracy, Raquel Burns and her husband Bart. Audio editing and mixing by Matt D'Alvecchio Burden of Guilt's theme composed by Oliver Baines Music Library provided by Mob Music and For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast guests. Get ready for the ultimate country music getaway. Country superstar Keith Urban is performing live on the Top Shelf country cruise sailing February 2026 aboard the luxury Celebrity Reflection with stops in St. Kitts and Nevis and St Martin. Enjoy seven days of non stop entertainment, all brought to you by St. Signature Cruise Experiences. Don't wait. 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