Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska

Episode 6: "Legion of Lies"
Podcast by ABC News
Released: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, "Legion of Lies," the investigative team and listeners are take through the final stages of the murder investigation and trial of Jordan Joplin, accused of killing Dr. Eric Garcia in Ketchikan, Alaska. What originally looked like a tragic accident or suicide was unraveled through persistent police work, revealing a tangled web of lies, theft, and a relationship clouded by secrets, betrayal, and greed. The episode covers the informant’s breakthrough, the prosecution’s “smoking gun,” the high-stakes trial, Jordan’s revealing (and unreliable) testimony, the emotional sentencing, and the community’s ongoing efforts to remember Dr. Garcia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Break in the Case

[00:30–08:15]

• After Jordan Joplin's arrest and extradition, police were still stymied by a crucial question: Where did the morphine that killed Dr. Garcia come from?
• Years later, a frightened tipster linked Amanda Pulreich to Jordan, claiming she provided him with morphine.
  • Caller: "She goes, because I gave him the dope. I'm like, what?" [02:25]
• Under a "glass warrant," police recorded a conversation between Amanda and the informant, but she withheld direct admission.
• Police then interviewed Amanda in person; she revealed Jordan asked for morphine months before the killing, framing it as for "off[ing] myself one day," but she never imagined anything sinister.
  • Amanda: "He was his sugar daddy. He was his financial everything. Everything he owns is from the doctor." [04:26]
• Amanda admitted selling Jordan morphine for a few hundred dollars but insisted she wanted nothing to do with the case out of fear for her own safety and for being implicated.
• Investigators considered her a credible, forthcoming witness.
  • Officer Devin Miller: "Well, we had the smoking gun. We had the gun that killed Dr. Garcia, and we had that in Jordan's hands." [08:05]

2. The Trial Begins

[08:47–14:53]

• Defense argued for a change of venue due to Dr. Garcia’s fame and public knowledge of Jordan's record; trial moved to Anchorage.
• Prosecutor Mark Clark outlined the case:
  • Jordan killed Dr. Garcia to steal from him, presenting evidence such as an 8-second video recorded by Jordan of Dr. Garcia dying, found in the exact position he was later discovered in.
    • Clark: "The defendant, Jordan Joplin... took a video of Dr. Eric Garcia unconscious, gasping for air and close to death." [10:16]
  • Details of Jordan's actions: deleting alarms, moving valuables, transferring money, misreporting Dr. Garcia's name in the welfare call.
• Defense countered that Dr. Garcia was a man with secrets and internal struggles, implying he used morphine to self-medicate for pain/depression.

3. Testimonies and Evidence

[14:53–20:31]

• Key prosecution witnesses included Dr. Garcia’s family, friends, and medical colleagues, who described him as emotionally stable and looking forward to family events.
• Defense attempted to undermine the narrative, highlighting isolated mentions of depression in Garcia's texts to Jordan.
• Focused on doubts about Amanda's morphine account and raised the possibility that Dr. Garcia could have stolen morphine himself—an assertion challenged by hospital witnesses.

4. Jordan Joplin Takes the Stand

[20:31–34:42]

• Jordan, once "gorgeous," now aged by six years in jail, calmly described his life: dancer, porn actor, massage therapist.

• Details emerged of a complex, transactional, but (according to Jordan) mutually affectionate relationship with Dr. Garcia.

  • Jordan: "Eric was family ... Did you love him? Yes." [22:28]

• Testified that Dr. Garcia often gave him thousands of dollars for gifts and personal projects such as marijuana growing.

• Jordan’s account of events in March 2017 diverged from other witnesses'. He claimed he was there to help Dr. Garcia move to Washington, not Portugal as Dr. Garcia’s brother testified.

• Jordan denied any intent to kill, denied involvement with morphine, denied stealing, and gave alternative explanations for suspicious actions (e.g., putting phone in a Faraday bag because it was "making noises").

• His story was inconsistent, especially around "the epic nap" Dr. Garcia took while dying, and his failure to call 911 despite seeing Garcia in distress.

  • Jordan:
    • Q: "Why would you say [you had cancer]?"
      • A: "To get sympathy from him." [29:12]

• Under cross-examination, prosecutor Mark Clark highlighted these inconsistencies and Jordan’s history of lying:

  • Clark: "You've testified over the last couple of days that you lied to ... Eric Garcia. ... You lie to get sympathy, correct? I have lied to get sympathy. That's correct." [33:29]

5. The Verdict

[38:17–39:16]

• After three days of jury deliberation, Jordan was found guilty on all counts: theft, first-degree murder, and second-degree murder.
• The convictions brought some sense of closure to Dr. Garcia's family and community, although the loss was still deeply felt.
  • Brother Saul Garcia: "Some of the things he gambled on were that there would be no investigation, that Eric was lonely and had no friends. He gambled that he could get possession of Eric's home by mentioning he had a power of attorney..." [41:30]

6. Sentencing and Aftermath

[39:16–45:24]

• Sentenced in Ketchikan to 99 years with none suspended—the maximum in Alaska.
  • Judge: "In 40 years of doing this, this case simply stands out... by how brazen and how craven the action was." [44:18]
• Dr. Garcia’s family described the lasting pain of losing him and the emotional cost to their mother, who passed away before the verdict.
• Jordan did not speak at his sentencing, but his attorney noted that he maintains his innocence.
• Dr. Garcia's life and legacy now honored in Alaska and Puerto Rico—a tree planted in his memory, gatherings by friends and loved ones to celebrate a man who changed many lives.
  • Don Hink: "...it helps me kind of cope with the fact that it's not him sitting there next to the fire with us, but it can represent the life he lived and show the growth of the forest..." [46:25]
  • Carlos Gonzalez: "Life is short, Carlos. You have to enjoy life. The Days Now." [47:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Informant’s Bombshell:

  • "She goes, because I gave him the dope. I'm like, what?" — Anonymous caller [02:25]

• Financial Motive:

  • "He was his sugar daddy. He was his financial everything. Everything he owns is from the doctor." — Amanda Pulreich [04:26]

• The Smoking Gun:

  • "We had the smoking gun. We had the gun that killed Dr. Garcia, and we had that in Jordan's hands." — Officer Devin Miller [08:05]

• Video Evidence:

  • "The defendant, Jordan Joplin, took out his cell phone, and he took a video of Dr. Eric Garcia unconscious, gasping for air, and close to death." — Prosecutor Mark Clark [10:16]

• Power of Lies:

  • "You lie to get sympathy, correct? I have lied to get sympathy. That's correct." — Prosecutor Mark Clark and Jordan Joplin [33:29]

• Family’s Response:

  • "Some of the things he gambled on were that there would be no investigation, that Eric was lonely and had no friends. ... Let's do a favor to society. Let's not gamble that he can be rehabilitated." — Saul Garcia [41:30, 43:29]

• Judicial Outrage:

  • "In 40 years of doing this, this case simply stands out... by how brazen and how craven the action was." — The Judge [44:18]

• Legacy and Grief:

  • "Life is short, Carlos. You have to enjoy life. The Days Now." — Dr. Garcia, remembered by friend Carlos Gonzalez [47:25]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Informant’s Call & Breakthrough: 00:30–08:15
• Trial Moves to Anchorage / Opening Arguments: 08:47–14:53
• Testimonies & Witnesses: 14:53–20:31
• Jordan Joplin's Testimony: 20:31–34:42
• Cross-Examination & Contradictions: 30:10–34:42
• Closings & Verdict: 34:56–39:16
• Sentencing & Family Reflections: 39:16–46:25
• Dr. Garcia’s Legacy: 46:25–47:56

Episode Tone

The episode is sober and detailed, marked by emotional testimonies, methodical breakdowns of evidence, and moments of raw grief and anger. The narrative is tinged with sadness but also with a sense of justice ultimately served, despite the irreparable loss.

Conclusion

"Legion of Lies" brings long-awaited closure to a complex, tragic case, showcasing the persistence of investigators, the destructive power of deception, and the enduring bonds of a small Alaskan community. Despite the darkness that shrouded Dr. Garcia’s last days, the episode ultimately honors his memory and the strength of those determined to see justice done.