REOPENED: The Monster

Summary

Cold Case Files Podcast Summary: “REOPENED: The Monster”

Title: REOPENED: The Monster
Host/Author: A&E / PodcastOne
Release Date: December 12, 2024
Duration: [Summary based on provided transcript]

---

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled “REOPENED: The Monster,” hosted by Brooke Giddings and featuring insights from Bill Curtis, Cold Case Files delves into one of Arkansas's most haunting unsolved murders. This case not only baffled investigators for years but also led to the wrongful accusation of an innocent man before the true perpetrator was uncovered through relentless detective work and advancements in forensic technology.

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The Crime: Murder of Juanita Wofford

The episode opens with the tragic murder of 58-year-old Juanita Wofford on a quiet Sunday morning in a close-knit Fort Smith community.

• Initial Discovery:

  • Timestamp [01:37]
    Brooke Giddings: "10 AM on a Sunday morning and church begins to fill. J.W. McAlpin is a regular at the Phoenix Village Baptist Church and notices an empty pew, one usually occupied by 58-year-old Juanita Wofford."

• Crime Scene Details:

  • Timestamp [02:10]
    Bill Curtis: "Living room doors were partially opened so we opened the storm door so we could kind of see. All we could see was a trail of blood going through the house."

Detective Randy Cook arrives first on the scene, joined by Homicide Captain J.C. Ryder. The home showed signs of forced entry, violent assault, and sexual predation, with no valuables taken by the perpetrator.

---

Linking to Previous Crimes: Lily Jones' Assault

Shortly after Wofford's murder, Detective Cook revisits a similar unsolved case involving 89-year-old Lily Jones, who survived a brutal assault two months earlier.

• Survivor's Account:

  • Timestamp [05:05]
    Brooke Giddings: "Then Detective Cook shares details on a similar assault that took place two months earlier. In this case, the victim, an 89-year-old woman named Lily Jones, survived."

• Crime Scene Parallels:

  • Timestamp [05:30]
    Bill Curtis: "The residence looks almost identical from the road to Ms. Walford's residence. It's got the bushes, it's an older house, probably built in the same era as Ms. Walford's house. The method of entry was the same way. The screen door was cut. Front door was kicked open."

Detectives noticed a pattern of increasingly violent and brazen attacks, raising concerns about a serial attacker in the community.

---

Wrongful Accusation: Danny Bennett

As investigators sifted through unsolved cases, a break came when Detective Fran Hall was contacted by Marlene, who suspected her brother, Danny Bennett, of being Wofford's murderer due to his disturbing behavior.

• Marlene's Revelation:

  • Timestamp [07:48]
    Brooke Giddings: "According to Marlene, her brother Danny's odd habits included sexual abuse towards women he was dating."

• Link to Evidence:

  • Timestamp [12:11]
    Bill Curtis: "We discovered several bottles of urine. Urine was found in empty Dr. Pepper bottles inside the refrigerator... We've got our guy."

Bennett was swiftly arrested and confessed to the crimes, seemingly securing a resolution to the case.

• Confession Details:
  • Timestamp [12:42]
    Bill Curtis: "He admitted to killing Ms. Walford. He went into some detail. He described the pool of blood in the living room floor... It fit the crime scene exactly."

However, DNA testing revealed a devastating truth.

• Exoneration:
  • Timestamp [14:42]
    Bill Curtis: "They come back and say that our semen sample could be from two different contributors, but Danny Bennett's not one of them."

Despite Bennett's innocence, prosecuting attorney Ron Fields and Captain Ryder hesitated to release him, especially after a third similar murder occurred, affirming that the real killer was still at large.

---

Breakthrough: Charles Ray Vines

The case took a significant turn with the involvement of Bubba Qualls, who discovered his daughter being assaulted and upped his efforts to find the true murderer.

• Discovery of Charles Ray Vines:
  • Timestamp [21:28]
    Brooke Giddings: "On March 28, Bubba Qualls and his wife Sheila find a truck belonging to one of the neighbors in their driveway. The neighbor's name, Charles Ray Vines."

Qualls witnessed Vines attacking his daughter, leading to Vines' immediate arrest. However, early DNA tests did not match him to the Wofford case.

• Initial DNA Findings:
  • Timestamp [14:35]
    Brooke Giddings: "In 10 months, before Bennett is to stand trial, DNA test results are returned from the FBI."

Persistent investigators did not relent. Sergeant Luther Lountree recognized similarities between Vines' crime and the murders of Ruth Henderson and Juanita Wofford.

• Detective Phillips' Realization:
  • Timestamp [23:36]
    Bill Curtis: "Clicked on my mind that we had had a murder back in '95 of an elderly lady who was attacked the same way. ... I think my first statement to Ron was we got the wrong guy. Our killer's still on the loose."

Advanced DNA analysis confirmed Vines as the true perpetrator, linking him conclusively to multiple crimes.

• DNA Match Confirmation:
  • Timestamp [24:54]
    Bill Curtis: "We're able to immediately see that a DNA profile from Charles Ray Vines was a direct match to the DNA profile from the rectal swabs and also from the oral swabs."

---

Confession and Conviction

After months of investigative diligence, Charles Ray Vines confessed to his heinous crimes during a detailed interrogation.

• Vines' Admission:
  • Timestamp [26:37]
    Bill Curtis: "With Ms. Jones, he would come and take her to church. ... Except whenever he started drinking and smoking marijuana, then it was a switch that just flipped."

Vines described his violent urges and the mechanics of his assaults, further cementing his guilt.

• Details of Crimes:
  • Timestamp [28:31]
    Bill Curtis: "I knocked on the door. As soon as the door opened, I barged in and the fight was on... He raped her, killed her, and then raped her and then left."

Ultimately, Vines pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder and rape, receiving three consecutive life sentences.

• Sentencing:
  • Timestamp [29:07]
    Brooke Giddings: "Charles Ray Vines pleads guilty to two counts of murder and a single count of rape and attempted murder. He is sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison."

---

Conclusion: Reflections on Humanity and Justice

The episode underscores the complexities and challenges of cold case investigations, highlighting how technological advancements and unwavering determination can ultimately deliver justice. Bill Curtis reflects on the nature of "monsters," emphasizing that such individuals are often exceedingly human, making their heinous actions all the more chilling.

• Final Thoughts:
  • Timestamp [29:24]
    Bill Curtis: "I think this is really one of the first cases that we saw here in Arkansas that linked a potential serial killer to different crimes. He's facing capital murder charges. He's going to be put to death."

The community, initially plagued by fear and uncertainty, found closure through the resolution of this dark chapter, reinforcing the vital role of dedicated law enforcement in safeguarding society.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Bill Curtis on the Pattern of Crimes:

  • Timestamp [05:30]
    "The residence looks almost identical... method of entry was the same way."

• Bill Curtis on Wrongful Accusation:

  • Timestamp [14:35]
    "They come back and say that our semen sample could be from two different contributors, but Danny Bennett's not one of them."

• Bill Curtis on Charles Ray Vines’ Confession:

  • Timestamp [26:37]
    "Except whenever he started drinking and smoking marijuana, then it was a switch that just flipped."

• Closing Reflection:

  • Timestamp [29:07]
    "Charles Ray Vines pleads guilty to two counts of murder and a single count of rape and attempted murder. He is sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison."

---

This episode of Cold Case Files masterfully illustrates the painstaking process of solving long-forgotten crimes, the human stories intertwined within, and the relentless pursuit of truth that ultimately brings justice to light.

Transcript

[Brooke Giddings]

Lights are going up.

[Bill Curtis]

Snow is falling down. There's a feeling of goodwill around town.

[Ted Butler]

It could only mean one thing.

[Bill Curtis]

McRib is here.

[Brooke Giddings]

People throwing parties, ugly sweaters everywhere, stockings hung up by the chimney with care.

[Ted Butler]

It could only mean one thing.

[Brooke Giddings]

McRib is here at participating McDonald's for a limited time.

[Ted Butler]

A monster by definition is an imaginary creature. But so many times people refer to rapists and murderers as monsters. I think we do that because we're scared. We don't want to believe that a human is capable of such horrific acts. No one wants to believe that one of our friends or family members could become one of society's most hated. The reality is though, murderers and rapists are simply humans whose life experiences warp their sense of right and wrong. In many cases, it's a cycle that goes unnoticed until it's too late. In this case, a sexual predator, Charles Ray Vines, has been labeled as a monster. From ae, this is Cold Case Files. I'm Brooke and here's the iconic Bill Curtis with the classic case the monster.

[Brooke Giddings]

10Am on a Sunday morning and church begins to fill. J.W. mcAlpin is a regular at the Phoenix Village Baptist Church and notices an empty pew, one usually occupied by 58 year old Juanita Wofford.

[Bill Curtis]

If she could get here, she was here anytime them church doors open.

[Brooke Giddings]

She was here after church. McAlpin and a friend pay Woff her to visit and immediately realize something is amiss.

[Bill Curtis]

Living room door were partially opened so we opened the storm door so we could kind of see. All we could see was trail of blood going through the house.

[Brooke Giddings]

A call is made to police Fort Smith. Detective Randy Cook is the first to arrive.

[Bill Curtis]

And when we entered the residence, there was forced entry to the front door. There was obvious signs of violence and Ms. Wofford was in her bed and had been obviously assaulted and murdered.

[Brooke Giddings]

Joining Cook at the scene, Homicide Captain J.C. reidler.

[Bill Curtis]

Sexual predators made an attack here. The perpetrator didn't take anything from the house. They came, he killed her, they raped her and he left.

[Brooke Giddings]

Captain Rider releases the crime scene to technician Luther Lundtree, who quickly realizes he has his hands full.

[Bill Curtis]

I knew it was going to be a very difficult scene to process. She was not a tidy housekeeper.

[Brooke Giddings]

Using an ultraviolet light, Laundrie starts in the victim's bedroom, focusing on a nightgown found near the body.

[Bill Curtis]

We did look at it with UV light and it did appear to be a stain that could have been either a semen stain or a saliva stain or a urine stain.

[Brooke Giddings]

The nightshirt Is sent to the crime lab, where a semen stain is detected and a DNA profile developed. Londri also scans the walls of the bedroom and discovers something unusual, Perhaps the calling card of a killer.

[Bill Curtis]

When we were looking with oblique lighting and under UV light, we were able to see where the hands were placed on the walls. And you could see what appeared to be urine stains on the walls. We felt at the time that the attacker probably had a fetish called golden showers. He was really, really into golden showers. Fascination with urine.

[Brooke Giddings]

Investigators next turn their attention to Wofford's living room, where they detect more traces of blood.

[Bill Curtis]

We were able to see footprints on the furniture where the suspect climbed up on the furniture to walk out of the residence.

[Brooke Giddings]

Detectives believe the killer made good his escape along railroad tracks running behind the victim's home. In the weeks that follow, Fran hall works the neighborhood, hoping someone might remember a face.

[Bill Curtis]

We really didn't glean any useful information. The people we talked to, a lot of them had already moved from the area. There was a lot of rental property, so people were in and out a lot. So we really didn't get any good information.

[Brooke Giddings]

The murder of Juanita Wofford seems to be turning cold even before it gets started. Then Detective Cook shares details on a similar assault that took place two months earlier. In this case, the victim, an 89 year old woman named Lily Jones, survived.

[Bill Curtis]

You know, this house looks just like Juanita, right?

[Brooke Giddings]

Cook begins with a visit to the Jones crime scene.

[Bill Curtis]

Well, originally, the screen was cut. He cut the screen this way. The residence looks almost identical from the road to Ms. Walford's residence. It's got the bushes, it's an older house, probably built in the same era as Ms. Walford's house. The method of entry was the same way. The screen door was cut. Front door was kicked open. There was a vicious attack that night. Ms. Jones was here on the couch sleeping. She was woke up by a knocking at the door. She asked who it is, and the individual at the door asked to come in and use the phone. And she told the individual that he needed to go away. The individual was able to force the door completely open and he attacked her. And as he was trying to drag her back to the bedroom, she began to scream. And prior to reaching the bedroom, there was a small gas heater. And Mrs. Jones tripped over the heater, knocking her to the ground along with him on top of her. And so this is where the assault took place, on the floor of the bedroom. And after he assaulted her, he got up and left the residence through the front door. If it was the same suspect, then he was becoming more brazen and more violent each time. And it would. It was. It was a concern that we were going to have some more problems before we caught anybody.

[Brooke Giddings]

Investigators begin to sift through unsolved rape cases and police disturbance reports looking for similar attacks and perhaps the first hint of a lead. What they happen upon is a man who is either an eyewitness to Juanita Wofford's murder or perhaps the killer himself.

[Bill Curtis]

This man was there. He was there, and he knows all about this crime scene. This community is very close community. I've lived in this community all my life, and when something like this happens, a very brutal homicide, it affects the entire community.

[Brooke Giddings]

Detective Fran hall is an investigator with the Fort Smith. On January 12th, she gets a call from a woman named Marlene who believes her brother Danny Bennett might be Juanita Wofford's killer.

[Bill Curtis]

He lived in the neighborhood, which is very close to Juanita Wofford's house, and because of his odd habits, she felt like he might be a suspect in this.

[Brooke Giddings]

According to Marlene, her brother Danny's odd habits included sexual abuse towards women he was dating.

[Bill Curtis]

He was very sexually aggressive, and he would sodomize them sometimes, and sometimes he would use violence toward them and urinate on them.

[Brooke Giddings]

At the Wofford crime scene, investigators discovered urine all over the walls. Detective hall shares the possible connection with Homicide Captain J.C. ryder, who obtains a search warrant to search Bennett's home.

[Ted Butler]

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[Bill Curtis]

We discovered several bottles of urine. Urine was found in empty Dr. Pepper bottles inside the refrigerator. Hey, this has got to be our guy. We've got urine all over the crime scene, all over the walls. I mean, what's the chances of somebody with a fascination of urine out in this neighborhood? I mean, just. Bells went off. We've got our guy.

[Brooke Giddings]

On January 27th, detectives sit down with Bennett.

[Bill Curtis]

In no time at all, he had told us what had happened. He admitted to killing Ms. Walford. He went into some detail. He described the pool of blood in the living room floor. He went like this with his hand. And I said, what is that? He says, the drag marks through the blood, and you can really see those in the crime scene photos. And he went on to say what made the drag marks was her buttocks. We asked him how he left the crime scene and he said that he had jumped up on the couch and out the front door. And that fit the crime scene exactly.

[Brooke Giddings]

The next day, investigators sit down with Bennett again. This time they want to talk about the rape of 89 year old Lily Jones. A case so similar to Wofford, detectives are sure the two must be linked. Almost immediately, Bennett begins to confess.

[Bill Curtis]

I've already taken a typewritten statement from Mr. Bennett. I'm going to read that statement and then ask Mr. Bennett if that's the correct statement that he gave me. I then forced my way into the residence and slapped her around. I went room to room and couldn't find anything, so I slapped her around again and put her in the bedroom. I pissed on the bed and on the floor. I then forced sex on her. Okay.

[Brooke Giddings]

With the single word okay, Bennett appears to put a seal on the Lily Jones rape investigation. He is charged for that crime, as well as the Wofford homicide. Samples of Bennett's hair and blood are sent to the FBI crime lab for DNA analysis. And the community breathes a rather large exhale.

[Bill Curtis]

It was like, thank God that's behind us. The department felt like we had the right guy. I knew we had the right guy. Then the evidence starts coming back.

[Brooke Giddings]

In 10 months, before Bennett is to stand trial, DNA test results are returned from the FBI.

[Bill Curtis]

They come back and say that our semen sample could be from two different contributors, but Danny Bennett's not one of them. They're also saying that the Lily Jones and the Juanita Wofford case are not related. This just blows everything out of the water.

[Brooke Giddings]

Genetic testing appears to exonerate Bennett completely on the Jones rape. As for the Wofford homicide, however, Captain Ryder and prosecuting attorney Ron Fields are not yet ready to let go.

[Bill Curtis]

Well, we had a confession, the police had done a good job. They had the interview where he'd been in the vicinity, we had the location. I still feel that we've got the right man because the description he give or the crime scene was so detailed to the point of describing how he had left the crime scene, he had to have been there.

[Brooke Giddings]

Theorizing that semen found at the Wofford crime scene might be entirely unrelated to the murder, the prosecutor refuses to drop the charges and Danny Ray Bennett remains in custody. That is until a year and a half later when a third crime occurs. One that convinces detectives they've arrested an innocent man.

[Bill Curtis]

I was notified by Detective Pittman and he asked that we come and assist him with processing their death investigation.

[Brooke Giddings]

On August 10th, Sergeant Luther Lountree responds to a crime scene in Crawford County, Arkansas. Inside a farmhouse, he finds 74 year old Ruth Henderson laying dead on her bed. Laundrie worked Juanita Wofford's murder two years earlier and immediately recognizes the pattern of attack.

[Bill Curtis]

The victim once again had defense wounds, was damaged to the head like Juanita Wofford was, and she appeared to have been the sexually assaulted also. So in that sense, yes, they were. That's the first thing that struck my mind was they were very similar.

[Brooke Giddings]

Also called to the homicide prosecuting attorney ron Fields and Captain J.C. reider, both of whom see the same parallels between Henderson and Wofford.

[Bill Curtis]

There was a blood trail in both houses back toward the beds. The women were put on the beds. They were laying in virtually the same positions. It was really spooky just to walk into that crime scene. It was almost like walking into the Wofford house. I think my first statement to Ron was we got the wrong guy. Our killer's still on the loose.

[Brooke Giddings]

Despite his detailed confessions, all charges against Danny Bennett are dropped and the investigation begins anew. Five years later, however, no arrests have been made.

[Bill Curtis]

You get frustrated sometimes, but you can't get upset because you're not coming up with the right guy. It's a process of elimination. It's 99% hard work. But what really catches the killer is the 1% of luck.

[Brooke Giddings]

That lucky 1% comes to the fore in the most difficult of circumstances. As a young woman fights for her life and comes out a winner.

[Ted Butler]

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[Bill Curtis]

We'd left here and went up to see a neighbor of ours, stay up there and visit them for a while and came home, seen his truck in the driveway.

[Brooke Giddings]

On March 28, Bubba qualls and his wife Sheila find a truck belonging to one of the neighbors in their driveway. The neighbor's name, Charles Ray Vines.

[Bill Curtis]

Thought it was kind of odd why it was in the driveway and I went around him, pulled up here and went in the house and that's when I caught him in the house with my daughter.

[Brooke Giddings]

What Bubba Qualls catches is Vines raping and stabbing his 16 year old daughter. Bubba's wife and daughter called police.

[Bill Curtis]

I grab him, start beating on him. Then I tell my wife, go get my pistol. When I cocked it to shoot him with, it didn't fire. I cocked it again, pulled the trigger and I missed him. So then I pistol whooped him with it and hit him right here. But this hit him so hard I broke it right there and I beat him for 20 minutes. That pistol, I beat him nonstop.

[Brooke Giddings]

Crawford County Sheriff's deputy Jerry Martin responds to the Qualls home.

[Bill Curtis]

When I arrived here, I could see through a window when I pulled in the driveway and saw what looked to me like a disturbance or a fight going on in the living room. And when I approached the front door, I saw two men standing there and one stepped out of the way and the other was the victim's father standing there and he had a pistol in his hand.

[Brooke Giddings]

Bubba fills Martin in on what has happened. Martin cuffs Vines, calls for backup and then checks on Bubba's daughter.

[Bill Curtis]

She was conscious and could talk to me and you know, she, she had Some injuries, you know, where she had a cut on the side of her head that I saw.

[Brooke Giddings]

Crawford Cuddy. Sheriff's investigator Danny Phillips joins Martin at the scene. Almost immediately he senses something familiar.

[Bill Curtis]

Clicked on my mind that we had had a murder back in 95 of an elderly lady who was attacked the same way. She had stabs on her head and around her neck. And then also I knew of another murder which was in Fort Smith of the same manner.

[Brooke Giddings]

What Danny Phillips remembers is the 1995 unsolved murder of 74 year old Ruth Henderson and the 1993 rape and murder of 58 year old Juanita Wofford. These two crimes together with an assault on 89 year old Lily Jones sit in the cold files. Now. Phillips wonders if Charles Vines might not be the man detectives have been looking for.

[Bill Curtis]

I told him that I had a subpoena to get blood.

[Brooke Giddings]

On March 29, Danny Phillips begins to build a case for murder against Charles Ray Vines.

[Bill Curtis]

And his response was, you know, is this for DNA? And that they sent up another clue for me that he knew that we were on his trail.

[Brooke Giddings]

The samples are sent to Arkansas's state crime lab. DNA analyst Kermit Channel compares Vine's genetic signature against semen recovered from the Ruth Henderson case.

[Bill Curtis]

We're able to immediately see that a DNA profile from Charles Ray Vines, you know, was a direct match to the DNA profile from the rectal swabs and also from the oral swabs.

[Brooke Giddings]

In that case, Chettle next moves to the murder of Juanita Wofford and the rape of Lily Jones in 1995. FBI testing seemed to indicate that these two samples came from different donors. Using more sophisticated methods of analysis, Channel discovers the two samples to be identical and in fact a full genetic match to Vines.

[Bill Curtis]

I think this is really one of the first cases that we saw here in Arkansas that linked a potential serial killer to different crimes. He's facing capital murder charges. He's going to be put to death. He was asked if he wanted to talk and he said no, he wanted to speak to his lawyer first. I told Charlie at that time that eventually, someplace down the road, he was going to have to talk to us or he was going to be put to death. And with that, he was taken back to the jail.

[Brooke Giddings]

Captain J.C. ryder has lived with these crimes for the better part of a decade and is willing to wait a bit longer for a full confession. In March of 2001, Vines contacts Ryder and is ready to talk.

[Bill Curtis]

Today's date is March 14, 2001. Fort Smith Police Department.

[Brooke Giddings]

Inside a small interrogation room, vine sits face to face with investigators and details the past. He begins with the rape of a woman he'd known his entire life, 89 year old Lily Jones.

[Bill Curtis]

With Ms. Jones, he would come and take her to church. He just, you know, all around good guy. Except whenever he started drinking and smoking marijuana, then it was a switch that just flipped. I remember going up to the door. I don't remember whether she let me in or I went and just busted in and then I proceeded to have sex with her. Even though you're sitting there interviewing a monster, you know he was still being pleasant. That was just the outward appearance of him. That's what had so many people fooled. Charlie, you beat her pretty bad that night. Do you just lose control when you do something like that? I guess I do. I mean, it's like when I get in fights. I mean, something just snaps. I don't know when to stop.

[Brooke Giddings]

An hour into the interrogation, investigators moved to the Wofford crime. Vine's first homicide.

[Bill Curtis]

He said that he'd been out drinking and he was in the mood for sex. And he knew Ms. Wofford lived by herself. She would represent no problem if he wanted to have sex. I remember walking up to her door. I guess I cut the screen to get entry to there. Then finding the door locked. I don't know, I guess I just busted down the door and went in. Then I remember her facing me. I mean, I was just. All I remember is hitting her and just kept hitting her. I don't remember dragging her to the bedroom. I remember taking her clothes off. I remember start having sex with her. But she did when you had the sex? Yes.

[Brooke Giddings]

Investigators then questioned Vines about the Henderson crime. The story is a familiar one.

[Bill Curtis]

Knocked on the door. As soon as the door opened, he barged in and the fight was on. Beat her all the way to the bed there. He raped her, killed her, and then raped her and then left. I asked him if he was to compare how good it felt on a scale of 1 to 10, where would the sex be at with you and a dead woman that you just killed? And he said about a 14 would make your eyes roll back in your head. He said it's the greatest outstanding sex he's ever had in his life. The guy's a monster.

[Brooke Giddings]

Charles Ray Vines pleads guilty to two counts of murder and a single count of rape and attempted murder. He is sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison.

[Ted Butler]

Charles vine is currently incarcerated in Arkansas and will be for the rest of his life. He's 56 years old. I saw a picture of him taken in 2016. He looks human to me. But I guess maybe monsters don't always look like monsters. Cold Case Files the podcast is hosted by Brooke giddings, produced by McKamey, Lynn and Steve Delamater. Our associate producer is Julie Magruder. Our executive producer is Ted Butler. Our Our music was created by Blake Maples. This podcast is distributed by Podcast one. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and is hosted by Bill Curtis. Check out more Cold case [e-mail] or learn more about cases like this one by visiting the A and E Real crime [e-mail] RealCrime.

[Bill Curtis]

Did you know you.

[Brooke Giddings]

Can watch all your favorite crime shows.

[Ted Butler]

For free on Pluto tv?

[Brooke Giddings]

Totally free. Totally free. They've got csi, New York, ncis, Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods, Tracker, FBI, swat. All for free.

[Ted Butler]

There's something suspicious going on here.

[Brooke Giddings]

Nothing suspicious, just hundreds of free crime shows on Pluto tv. Crime never pays. And neither do I. Pluto TV Stream now pay Never.

[Ted Butler]

For years, Tim Ballard has been championed as a modern day superhero.

[Bill Curtis]

The first time I saw one of the kids from the video and it.

[Ted Butler]

Like, changed my life. He was the face of Operation Underground Railroad, a movement that inspired hope around the world by rescuing children from human traffickers. However, Ballard's crusade to save innocent lives has always hidden a darker secret.

[Bill Curtis]

Oh, I think he's a pathological liar.

[Ted Butler]

Beneath the accolades and the applause, a dark storm has been brewing.

[Bill Curtis]

I mean, I can't find a time.

[Brooke Giddings]

That he's told the truth about anything.

[Ted Butler]

Shocking allegations of sexual misconduct have surfaced, casting a shadow over his once unquestioned reputation. I am Host Sarah James McLaughlin and in this new season of the Opportunist, we explore the rise and the fall of Tim Ballard. Join us this October for Ballard Unmasking a Hero. Subscribe to a new season of the Opportunist Now. Wherever you get your podcasts.