Cold Case Files: REOPENED – The Final Fare

Podcast aired October 9, 2025
Host: Brooke Giddings (A&E / PodcastOne)
Focus: The 1961 murder of cab driver John Orner, the decades-long investigation, and the eventual resolution through faith, persistence, and forensic science.

Episode Overview

This episode examines the tragic murder of John Orner, an elderly cab driver in South Carolina whose case went unsolved for over 40 years. Through first-hand accounts, investigators’ insights, and family testimony, listeners are guided through the original investigation, its dead ends, and the remarkable twists that reignited hope—eventually identifying Orner’s killer using advancements in forensic science and a touch of what many involved considered “divine intervention.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Night of the Crime

• Victim: John Orner, a cab driver in his 60s, went missing March 1, 1961 after accepting a late-night fare (00:03).
• Immediate Family Response:
  • Tom Joyner (Orner’s son-in-law) recalls the panic when Orner didn’t return home as expected (00:56).

    “He usually finished up around 11 o’clock...everyone knew that something had to be wrong for him not to come in.” —Tom Joyner [00:56]

• Discovery of Evidence:
  • Orner’s abandoned taxi found with blood spots and his wallet scattered—indicators of foul play (01:25).
  • Sand under the car’s fender traced to the Carolina Sandhills (01:34).
  • Orner’s body found three days later, gunshot to the head, pockets emptied, and dumped in the sandhills (02:35).

    “It was a sad sight. I wouldn’t have done a dog that way...” —Detective Harmon [02:35]

2. Early Investigation & Frustrations

• Ballistics & Pawn Shop Lead:
  • Ballistics identified copper-coated lead ammunition, likely from a .32 caliber Harrington & Richardson revolver (03:14).
  • Pawn shop records tracked sale of matching weapon to Army Private Edward Freiberger, who went AWOL the night of the murder (03:25-04:09).

    “Don’t have to be a Scotland Yard detective to put two and two together here.” —Investigator Carl Craig [04:09]

• Freiberger Apprehended:
  • Trooper Don Meredith recounts stopping Freiberger hitchhiking, discovering a loaded gun (04:53).

    “I encountered this hitchhiker...he said he was in the army...and he was AWOL.” —Trooper Don Meredith [04:53]

• Critical Ballistic Analysis:
  • The gun could not be conclusively matched to the bullet fragments, so the DA declined prosecution (06:27).

    “They had the gun and they had the man. Should have been prosecuted. That’s all I’ll say.” —Detective Harmon [06:54]

3. Decades Later: Faith, Serendipity, and Cold Case Persistence

• Family’s Faith & New Attention:
  • Tom Joyner credits a divine nudge during church to seek renewed action (10:33).

    “It came to me while I was in church to do something...gave me a feeling that something is going to happen.” —Tom Joyner [10:33]

• Reopening the File:
  • Captain Bill Brown from the sheriff’s department joins forces with cold case investigators Carl Craig and Brian Metz (11:07).
  • All original major players dead, and no immediate trace of key evidence, notably the murder weapon (12:29).
  • Amazingly, SLED’s firearms lab (Ira Parnell) still has both murder weapon candidates and the original bullet fragments (12:57).

4. Forensic Breakthrough

• Modern Ballistics Testing:
  • Two in-house forensic tests are still inconclusive (13:54).

    “It was very close. If I had anything else to support it...I might well have gone with a positive.” —Ira Parnell [13:54]

• Independent Review with New Technique:
  • Gun and bullets sent to seasoned examiner John Caton, who uses a novel cleaning process on bullet fragments (15:13).

    “There was still some blood and tissue on the bullets and I cleaned that.” —John Caton [15:13]

  • After cleaning, Caton finds reproducible matching patterns—finally a forensic match to Freiberger’s gun (15:55).

    “There was sufficient, identifiable, predictable, reproducible pattern...matching it to the test bullet that I’d fired.” —John Caton [15:55] “He called my chief and says, ‘You have the murder weapon.’” —Investigator Carl Craig [16:19]

• Conviction:
  • In August 2002, 41 years after the crime, Edward Freiberger is convicted of murder (16:56).

5. Reflections on Faith and Justice

• Divine Intervention:
  • Both investigators and family reflect on powerful roles played by persistence and faith.

    “I call it a divine intervention case...because it happened in church.” —Investigator Carl Craig [17:25] “Oh yes, definitely. Divine intervention. I definitely believe so.” —Tom Joyner [17:36]

Memorable Quotes

• Tom Joyner on the Family’s Immediate Suspicion

  “Everyone knew that something had to be wrong for him not to come in.” [00:56]

• Detective Harmon on Finding the Body

  “I wouldn’t have done a dog that way, but...just throw him out there on the side of that road.” [02:35]

• Investigator Carl Craig on Obvious Evidence

  “Don’t have to be a Scotland Yard detective to put two and two together here.” [04:09]

• Detective Harmon’s Frustration at Inaction

  “They had the gun and they had the man. Should have been prosecuted. That’s all I’ll say.” [06:54]

• Carl Craig on Divine Intervention

  “I call it a divine intervention case...” [17:25]

• Tom Joyner on the Role of Faith

  “Definitely divine intervention...Carl, you are right on the money.” [17:36]

Important Timestamps

• 00:56: Family describes realization something was wrong
• 01:25: Discovery of the cab and first forensic clues
• 02:35: Detective recounts finding John Orner’s body
• 03:25: Pawn shop records lead to suspect Edward Freiberger
• 04:53: Trooper Don Meredith apprehends AWOL Freiberger
• 06:27: Ballistic evidence inconclusive; case goes cold
• 10:33: Tom Joyner’s faith triggers a new push for justice
• 12:57: Remarkable rediscovery of preserved evidence
• 13:54: Second forensic reexamination yields no match
• 15:13: John Caton cleans bullet fragments for improved analysis
• 15:55: Forensic breakthrough—bullets matched to murder weapon
• 16:56: 41 years later, Freiberger convicted
• 17:25-17:36: Reflections on faith, fate, and closure

Summary & Takeaways

This episode paints a moving portrait of the dogged pursuit for justice and the hope carried by victims’ families. Despite early frustrations, lost evidence, and dismissals, the persistence of investigators and a family’s unwavering faith ultimately close the book on a decades-old murder. The blend of personal narrative, forensic innovation, and the unexpected recovery of evidence provides a compelling conclusion—reminding listeners that answers can emerge even decades after a case has gone cold.

For more details, join the discussion on the Cold Case Files Facebook group or explore bonus material at aetv.com/realcrime.