REOPENED: The Widow and the Wolf

Summary

Cold Case Files: "REOPENED: The Widow and the Wolf"

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "REOPENED: The Widow and the Wolf" from the Cold Case Files podcast, host Paula Barros delves deep into a haunting unsolved murder that remained a cold case for over a decade. Released on April 3, 2025, this episode meticulously unpacks the tragic story of Jane Alexander, her manipulative partner Tom O'Donnell, and the murder of Jane's elderly aunt, Gertrude McCabe. Through a combination of thorough investigation, breakthroughs in forensic technology, and relentless determination, this case exemplifies the rare success in solving cold cases.

Background

Jane Alexander, a 58-year-old widow in July 1980, found solace in companionship after the loss of her spouse. Her loneliness was alleviated when she met Tom O'Donnell, a charming and comforting individual who seemed to promise a bright future together.

Jane Alexander [01:20]: "He was very charming and he was very comforting and really a great companion and we fell in love and planned to spend the rest of our lives together."

Tom shared tales of his adventurous past, including mining for precious metals in Africa, which purportedly earned him a small fortune. However, Tom revealed that his assets were tied up in a Swiss trust fund, expected to mature in two to three years, entailing a $1.2 million payout.

Jane Alexander [01:49]: "He told me that he had put his assets into a trust fund in Switzerland. It was going to take about two or three years for the trust to mature, and when it did, he would get $1.2 million."

Tom swiftly integrated himself into Jane's affluent lifestyle by moving into her home and persuading her to secure a mortgage to cover their expenses. This arrangement allowed them to live comfortably, with Jane content in her newfound love, unaware of Tom's ulterior motives.

The Crime

On October 23, 1983, three years into their relationship, Jane received devastating news from the San Jose police: her 88-year-old aunt, Gertrude McCabe, had been murdered. Gertrude had been a reclusive resident, and her sudden disappearance alarmed neighbors, prompting a police investigation.

Jane Alexander [02:50]: "Has she been shot?"
Police [02:50]: "No."

Sergeant Jo Brockman led the investigation, discovering Gertrude's body in her den, brutally stabbed and strangled with a bicycle lock. The house exhibited signs of a ransacking, suggesting a possible burglary motive. However, the absence of stolen items and forced entry led Sergeant Brockman to suspect a setup aimed at concealing the true motive: murder.

Sergeant Jo Brockman [03:48]: "It appeared that the place had been ransacked by a murder."

Investigation

Brockman initiated interviews with Gertrude's acquaintances, including handymen, gardeners, and household helpers. Despite thorough vetting, all external suspects were eliminated, directing suspicion toward Gertrude's immediate family, particularly Jane and her elderly cousin in San Francisco, who stood to benefit financially from Gertrude's demise.

A critical breakthrough occurred when investigators uncovered Jane and Tom's financial strain, highlighted by a missed mortgage payment just before Gertrude's death. This financial distress, combined with the proximity of Jane to the victim, positioned her as a primary suspect.

Sergeant Jo Brockman [05:50]: "You're not jumping to conclusions... it was time to begin looking at friends and family."

When police questioned Jane and Tom, Tom perpetuated his fabricated story about the Swiss trust, which Jane willingly accepted without skepticism.

Jane Alexander [07:08]: "I never in any way thought my house was in jeopardy or that I was in jeopardy because we had this million trust sitting out there. It was just a question of time."

Despite initial suspicion, Jane and Tom were only revisited a month later for fingerprints and identification of a lipstick-stained tissue found at the crime scene. Unbeknownst to Jane, the tissue was pivotal evidence linking her directly to the murder.

Jane Alexander [08:07]: "Oh, that's not Gertrude's lipstick. That's my lipstick. That's the color of my lipstick."

Unraveling the Truth

Suspicion intensified when Sergeant Jeff Wimette highlighted Tom's history of similar manipulations—establishing relationships with vulnerable individuals to exploit them financially.

Sergeant Jeff Wimette [10:54]: "They were under the impression that Gertrude McCabe was going to leave Jane Alexander a lot of money and that would get them out of debt."

Tom's disappearance following his supposed involvement in a fraudulent diamond transaction raised further red flags. His letter to Jane, filled with fabricated threats of danger, mirrored tactics typical of con artists attempting to disappear after their schemes unravel.

Jane Alexander [11:41]: "My dearest love... they know our routines and habits."

Despite accumulating evidence, direct proof of Tom's involvement in Gertrude's murder remained elusive, keeping the case cold. It wasn't until 1995 that investigator Joyce Allegro revisited the case, uncovering overlooked phone records that provided the missing link.

Jane Alexander [22:05]: "There were loan documents, bank records, things like that that were in the records."

These records revealed Tom's call to his nephew on the day before Gertrude's body was discovered and another call to Jane's son detailing the murder with specific knowledge of Gertrude's method of strangulation.

Jane Alexander [23:22]: "Tom came on the phone and described for us, the murder of my mom's aunt in some detail... he used the term that she was garrotted during the murder."

Trial and Aftermath

Armed with substantial circumstantial evidence, including reliable alibi discrepancies and exclusive knowledge of the murder method, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Tom O'Donnell in December 1995. The prolonged legal battle culminated in a 25-year-to-life sentence after a two-decade-long pursuit of justice.

Jane Alexander [24:58]: "Guilty, first degree murder. ... Justice was served."

Jane's relentless quest for truth transformed her into an advocate for other families affected by violent crimes. She co-founded Citizens Against Homicide, a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting families of murder victims and ensuring persistent police efforts in cold cases. Her dedication was recognized in 2006 when she received the Minerva Award for her extraordinary achievements.

Conclusion

"REOPENED: The Widow and the Wolf" serves as a testament to the enduring power of determination and the advancements in forensic investigation. Jane Alexander's journey from victim to advocate highlights the profound impact one individual can have on seeking justice and aiding others in similar circumstances. The episode underscores the intricate interplay between personal tragedy and systemic perseverance in solving cold cases, offering listeners both a compelling narrative and a beacon of hope for unresolved mysteries.

Key Takeaways:

• Manipulation and Trust: Tom O'Donnell's deceit underscores the vulnerability of individuals seeking companionship after loss.

• Forensic Advancements: Revisiting cold cases with new technology can uncover pivotal evidence previously overlooked.

• Advocacy and Support: Jane Alexander's transformation into an advocate highlights the importance of support systems for victims' families.

Notable Quotes:

• Sergeant Jeff Wimette [14:44]: "He'd done this kind of thing before. He basically would try to establish a relationship with a single woman or a widowed woman or something along those lines and use her to live on."

• Jane Alexander [16:43]: "And not only had he killed her, I mean, he killed part of me when he killed her."

• Sergeant Jeff Wimette [20:05]: "You're sure?"
  Jane Alexander [20:06]: "Absolutely."

These quotes encapsulate the core of the investigation and Jane's emotional turmoil, providing depth to the narrative and illustrating the multifaceted nature of cold case resolutions.

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Narrator]

And fees extra fee full [e-mail] high hi everyone. If you go to the episode description you can check out our sponsor deals. Our sponsors make it possible for you to download Cold Case Files each week for free. So check out the promo code deals. You might just find something you like, something you need or a great gift for your friends and family onto the show. This episode contains descriptions of violence. Use your best judgment. Jane Alexander was 58 in July of 1980. She'd recently been widowed and was trying to adjust to life on her own. Naturally, she felt lonely. That was until she met Tom O'Donnell. The couple seemed to hit it off right away. This is Jane.

[Jane Alexander]

He was very charming and he was very comforting and really a great companion and we fell in love and planned to spend the rest of our lives together.

[Narrator]

Tom shared the stories of his world travels with Jane, discovering gold in Rhodesia and mining for precious metals in South Africa. All of his adventures had earned Tom a small fortune, but unfortunately he wasn't able to access it.

[Jane Alexander]

He told me that he had put his assets into a trust fund in Switzerland. It was going to take about two or three years for the trust to mature, and when it did, he would get $1.2 million.

[Narrator]

Tom moved into Jane's expensive house and convinced her to take out a mortgage for the couple's expenses. The couple settled into their new lives. Jane felt happy that she had found love again. Tom felt happy as well because his plan to steal Jane's money was working from AE. This is Cold Case Files. On October 23, 1983, three years after Jane and Tom had started their lives together, the San Jose police called with unfortunate news. This is Jane again.

[Jane Alexander]

And he said, well, I'm terribly sorry to have to inform her. Your aunt's been the victim of a homicide. End of a chapter in my life forever. And I said, has she been shot? And he said, no.

[Narrator]

Gertrude McCabe, Jane's aunt, was 88 years old. She had lived in the same apartment in san Jose for 15 years. Her neighbors became concerned. No one had seen Gertrude for days, so they shared their concerns with the police. Sergeant Jo Brockman was the first to respond.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

She was lying on the floor to one side. There was a good amount of blood to the area in the carpet just below where her head was.

[Narrator]

The elderly woman had been stabbed and beaten to death. A bicycle lock was wrapped around her neck. Sergeant Brockman started his investigation of the scene.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

It appeared that the place had been ransacked by a murder. So when you process a crime scene, you're looking for evidence that will disclose who was at the crime scene and committed it. And so you're literally looking for anything.

[Narrator]

Sergeant Brockman notified Gertrude's next of kin, her niece Jane, about the homicide. He, however, wouldn't share any further information over the phone. So Jane, accompanied by Tom, made the trip to her aunt Gertrude's home to try and make sense of things. Here's Jane again.

[Jane Alexander]

When I first walked in the house, I looked to the left, which was the den where they had found her body, and I saw these huge blood stains still on the carpet.

[Narrator]

The investigators were puzzled. Several rooms in the house had been ransacked, which pointed to burglary as the likely motive. But there was no evidence of forced entry and nothing had been stolen. Sergeant Brockman believed that the scene could be a setup, meaning that someone ransacked the rooms to hide their true intention to murder Gertrude. If the sergeant's theory was correct, that made it likely that the killer was someone Gertrude knew. Brockman began to interview the people who spent the most time with the victim.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

She had a habit of hiring occasional help to come into the home to either repair things or do odd jobs around the house. Many times she hired them literally off the street.

[Narrator]

Brockman interviewed every handyman, gardener, and housekeeper that Gertrude had hired. Here's Jane.

[Jane Alexander]

They checked everyone. They checked workmen she had around the house. They checked the gardener. They checked the paper boy. They checked the cab driver that used to drive her back from the grocery store. They checked everybody.

[Narrator]

And one by one, everybody was eliminated as a suspect. The detectives then turned to Gertrude's family. Here's sergeant Brockman.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

You're not jumping to conclusions. You're not trying to look at somebody and get so focused that you become blind. So it's just a really methodical process of eliminating people and continuing to learn as much as you can about the victim, people that were close to the victim, and it was time to begin looking at friends and family.

[Narrator]

Gertrude didn't have a lot of family. And only two of her family members would benefit financially from her death. Jane Alexander and Gertrude's 80 year old cousin who was living in San Francisco. Logically, the detectives focused in on Jane. During their investigation, the detectives discovered that there was a large mortgage payment past due on Jane's home. The payment was due just before Gertrude's death, and Jane and Tom had no money in their checking account to pay it. The investigators decided to visit Jane and Tom's home. Here's Jane again.

[Jane Alexander]

He said he'd like to ask me a few questions. And I said, certainly. And the first question he asked, which I'll never Forget, he said, Mrs. Alexander, what is your income? And Tom, of course, was sitting there. I said, oh, well, Tom handles all the finances in the house. So then I just threw the ball to Tom.

[Narrator]

Tom told the detectives the same story that he'd been telling Jane for three years. He planned to cash in his Swiss Trust for over $2 million. Jane didn't have any doubts or concerns about her or Tom's finances.

[Jane Alexander]

I never in any way thought my house was in jeopardy or that I was in jeopardy because we had this million tooths sitting out there. It was just a question of time.

[Narrator]

Jane and Tom weren't contacted again by investigators until a month later.

[Jane Alexander]

He wanted to know if we'd come down, get our fingerprints taken. And I was really insulted when he asked me that why hadn't they taken our fingerprints six months, eight months ago? Weren't they working the case? I mean, I was indignant.

[Narrator]

The couple eventually agreed to be fingerprinted. While they were at the police station. The detectives asked Jane if she could identify a sample of lipstick found on a tissue at the crime scene. Jane was surprised when she saw the tissue.

[Jane Alexander]

And I looked at the lipstick and said, oh, that's not a Gert's lipstick. That's my lipstick. That's the color of my lipstick.

[Narrator]

The police collected a sample of Jane's lipstick and determined that it was the same type as the sample on the tissue. What they didn't tell Jane was that the tissue had been found next to the victim's body. The police believed that they had found their suspect.

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[Narrator]

The creators of Cold Case Files, comes your next true crime podcast Obsession PD Stories Every week, law enforcement professionals join host Tom Morris Jr. From America's Most Wanted and Live PD to share their experiences, insights, and perspective on policing. You're not going to want to miss this show. Be sure to subscribe on Podcast one, Apple Podcasts and many other podcast apps so you can get new episodes every week. Eight months after Gertrude McCabe was murdered, detectives focused their investigation on her niece, Jane Alexander, who would financially benefit from her aunt's death. Jane and her partner Tom were in serious debt. The detectives believe the timing of the murder wasn't a coincidence. This is sergeant Jeff Wimette from the San Jose Police Department.

[Sergeant Jeff Wimette]

They were under the impression that Gertrude McCabe was going to leave Jane Alexander a lot of money and that would get them out of debt.

[Narrator]

The investigators became even more suspicious when they found a tissue next to the victim with Jane's lipstick on it. They continued to search for evidence connecting Jane and Tom to the murder. Meanwhile, the couple, believing the inheritance would pay off their debts, planned a vacation. Jane went to her bank and received a loan for $10,000, which she handed over to Tom so he could book the trip. Tom definitely surprised Jane with his Travel plans. Because the day after she gave him the money, Tom was gone. Two days later, Jane received a letter in the mail.

[Jane Alexander]

My dearest love, you are undoubtedly the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. And 12 pages handwritten on a yellow legal pad. And his pastor caught up with him, and he was involved in some kind of a diamond transaction in south Africa. And these people went to jail, and they blamed him.

[Narrator]

Tom went on to tell Jane that both of their lives were in danger. He wrote, they've been watching us for some time. They know our routines and habits. Then he said that he had to leave the United States and go back to Europe with his former associates. He ended by telling Jane that even if he were able to escape, Tom would never be able to come back to her because they would be watching her. Jane was devastated.

[Jane Alexander]

I cried. And of course, his life was also in jeopardy, so he had to go with them. That was the only way he could keep the wolf from my door.

[Narrator]

Even though tom asked her not to in his letter, Jane immediately called the police. Sergeant wimette ran a background check on the missing man and learned the only person after Jane was Tom O'Donnell. This is Sergeant Womet.

[Sergeant Jeff Wimette]

He'd done this kind of thing before. He basically would try to establish a relationship with a single woman or a widowed woman or something along those lines and use her to live on.

[Narrator]

It turned out that while tom lived with Jane without her knowledge, he had burned through $200,000. He'd borrowed the money against the mortgage she had convinced Jane to take out on her house. The investigators theorize that that when he was unable to make the payments, he decided to search for another source of income and might have turned to murder. This is investigator Grant Cunningham from the Santa Clara district attorney's office.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

Due to this financial pressure, Tom centers in on the estate of Gertrude mccabe and begins to plot her murder so that Jane would benefit. And who's controlling jane? And in Jane's checkbook, Tom o'donnell.

[Narrator]

Tom o'donnell was definitely a con artist who had defrauded a lonely widow. But it was also possible that he was a murderer. The police needed to find him and hoped to use the fraud charge to bring him in. The problem was that Jane refused to file charges against Tom.

[Jane Alexander]

The furthest thing from my mind was the fact that that Tom would ever have committed a murder. I love this man.

[Narrator]

The detectives were understandably frustrated by the situation. They were able to look at the situation objectively, But Jane's decision had been clouded by her emotions. Here's Sergeant Womet just was so far.

[Sergeant Jeff Wimette]

Fetched it was unbelievable. And in fact, this thing was just completely made up. The reason he left is because he knew the police were starting to zero in on him as being a suspect in a murder case. It had nothing to do with being afraid of diamond smugglers.

[Narrator]

For five months, the investigators tried to convince Jane that Tom had manipulated her and stolen her money so she would file charges of fraud against him. Jane couldn't be convinced, so the detectives tried a different tactic. A tissue that had lipstick matching Jane's had been discovered next to Gertrude's body. Jane had identified the lipstick. Even though the investigators never told her where the sample had been found, they decided it was time to confront her with it. Here's Jane again.

[Jane Alexander]

He said, well, I just thought maybe you'd think about it. And you explained to me how that lipstick on that Kleenex could have gotten beside your aunt's body, you know, at the crime scene.

[Narrator]

Jane was confused as to how the tissue had ended up at the crime scene. At first. However, the next evening she went to a Christmas party. And while she was greeting a friend, she had a realization.

[Jane Alexander]

And I walked up and I kissed him on the cheek and said merry Christmas. And I took a Kleenex out of my pocket and wiped the lipstick off his face and showed him Kleenex.

[Narrator]

Jane had the habit of kissing Tom on the cheek. He would then wipe her lipstick off with a tissue and put it in his pocket.

[Jane Alexander]

I had finally figured out that was the only way that my lipstick could have gotten into the house, which meant that Tom was there, that Tom did it. How else could the lipstick get on the cleaning as it was found with.

[Narrator]

The body, Jane was finally able to see how the pieces fit together. Tom had conned her out of her money, broken her heart, and likely killed her aunt Gertrude.

[Jane Alexander]

Well, that's when the word rage enters into the whole scenario. Because if I was upset before, it was nothing like I was when I finally had to admit to myself that I was. That I had been totally conned by this man. And not only had he killed her, I mean, he killed part of me when he killed her.

[Narrator]

The investigators didn't have enough evidence to charge Tom with murder, but with Jane's cooperation, they had a strong case for fraud and embezzlement. Here's Sergeant Womette again.

[Sergeant Jeff Wimette]

He's taken her for basically all of her money. She loses her house. He supposedly was in love with her, and then he left her without anything. So besides the financial aspect, you know, he killed her aunt so she was very motivated to see him be put in prison.

[Narrator]

The investigators and Jane had to wait for Tom to show himself. They believed that it wouldn't take long for him to find another target to con. The investigation led the detectives to Las Vegas where they arrested Tom O'Donnell and brought him back to California to face charges of fraud. Jane was relieved that he'd been arrested. She laid eyes on him for the first time at his arraignment.

[Jane Alexander]

That was wonderful to see them bring him in in shackles at the hearing. And then for the trial.

[Narrator]

Tom was found guilty of four counts of fraud against Jane Alexander in a 10 day trial. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Jane was glad that Tom was being held accountable for fraud, but she still wanted justice for her aunt Gertrude.

[Jane Alexander]

It's just a stepping stone to the real problem. The real problem is the homicide. I wanted him for the murder. The murder was the big thing.

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[Narrator]

In the two years following her aunt's death, Jane had lost so much.

[Jane Alexander]

He took everything. I lost the house because of the mortgage. He took all the money. I had to file bankruptcy. I had to go out and get a job, which I had never worked in my life, really, and support myself. It was kind of a cultural shock.

[Narrator]

Sergeant Wimette visited the Los Angeles parole office and interviewed Tom O'Donnell about his whereabouts on the day Gertrude was murdered.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

He mistakenly believes that Jane is the sole heir of Gertrude McCabe's estate and then goes about creating a plan because of financial pressure and losses in the stock market to murder Gertrude McCabe.

[Narrator]

Here's a clip from the recorded interview.

[Jane Alexander]

Where were you on that weekend?

[Narrator]

Were you on a Royal Drive event.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

In your street that we can't.

[Sergeant Jeff Wimette]

You're sure?

[Jane Alexander]

Absolutely.

[Narrator]

Absolutely.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

I didn't.

[Narrator]

There's nothing there.

[Sergeant Jo Brockman]

You people are so far wrong.

[Jane Alexander]

I know things look bad, but I. I'm going to tell you it's not true.

[Narrator]

Tom claimed to drive from Burbank to Los Angeles and back. So Sergeant Womet tracked down the receipts from the rental car Tom had used, paying special attention to the mileage. Then the sergeant drove the route that his suspect claimed to have used the night Gertrude was murdered. The Sergeant's mileage was 124 miles less than that of Tom's rental car. Womet then decided to compare the mileage of Tom's rental car to a different route from Burbank to Gertrude's house and back here. Sergeant Wilmette again, we basically drove the.

[Sergeant Jeff Wimette]

Exact same route, the quickest route to get from burbank to Gertrude McCabe's house in San Jose and back to Harry Carmichael's apartment and back to the Burbank airport. And the mileage was exact as the same mileage on the rental car.

[Narrator]

The evidence still didn't feel like enough to build a solid case against Tom. According to the prosecutor, the case of Gertrude's murder went cold. Circumstantial evidence requires a person to make some sort of inference. For example, if a person is in financial trouble, someone could reason that that was a motive to commit a crime. Direct evidence is proof of something. For example, if someone testified that they saw the suspect at the crime scene, that would be considered direct. Direct evidence that they were at that location. The evidence against Tom O'Donnell for Gertrude's murder had all been considered circumstantial by the prosecutor in 1990. However, in 1995, Joyce Allegro took another look at the case.

[Jane Alexander]

There were loan documents, bank records, things like that that were in the records. We had phone bills and. And there was just all sorts of pieces of paper.

[Narrator]

Two of the pieces of paper in the file were phone records of the calls that Tom had placed in 1983. The records hadn't been used in the original investigation, but Da Allegro believed they could be a potential lead. One of the phone calls Tom O'Donnell had made was to his nephew, a man who Tom owed $15,000.

[Jane Alexander]

He talked to the nephew's wife and he told her that they would be getting money soon because Jane's aunt had died and left her some money.

[Narrator]

Da Allegro noted that the call to Tom's nephew had been made on October 22, which was the day before Gertrude McCabe's body was discovered by the police. No one knew she was dead at that point except for the killer. The second call that Tom had made was to Jane's son Bill and his wife Roxanna. Jane had broken the news about her aunt's death and then put Tom on the phone. Here's Jane's son Bill.

[Jane Alexander]

Tom came on the phone and described for us, the murder of my mom's aunt in some detail. And my wife upstairs was jotting down notes as, as he was speaking because it was basically a shocking call to the family telling them that there was a murder committed. And during the course of that conversation, Tom used the term that she was garrotted during the murder.

[Narrator]

During an investigation, there are pieces of information that aren't shared with the public. Details that only the killer would know. In this case it was the fact that Gertrude had a bicycle lock wrapped around her neck and that she had been garrotted, better known as strangled. The fact that Tom knew an unreleased detail helped tie the prosecution's case together. On December 20, 1995, a warrant was issued charging Tom with Gertrude's murder. Sergeant Womet called and shared the news with Jane.

[Jane Alexander]

It was on 20th of December and he called me and he said, jane, I have a million dollar warrant in my hand for Tom O'Donnell's arrest. Merry Christmas. Never forget that till I die.

[Narrator]

After five years and 26 courtroom delays, Tom O'Donnell finally stood trial for Gertrude's murder. The jury found him guilty and imposed a sentence of 25 years to life. Jane was satisfied with the verdict.

[Jane Alexander]

Guilty, first degree murder. Just what can I say, 13 years. I just felt that anchor could rest in peace because I just wasn't going to let that bastard get over Once I was convinced that he did it. Justice was served.

[Narrator]

Jane learned a lot about the justice system and forged a new life using that knowledge. She co founded a volunteer organization for the families of murder victims called Citizens Against Homicide.

[Jane Alexander]

We always try to tell the victims that the bottom line is the police department. So we try very hard to keep them happy and to be friendly with them. One of the main things we do is talk to the victims and the victims listen to us because we've been there.

[Narrator]

In 2006, Jane received the Minerva Award which honors women who have achieved extraordinary things. Her organization was credited with helping to solve crimes and lobbying local police departments to stay on top of cold murder cases. Tom O'Donnell's first parole hearing was scheduled for 2007 and 85 year old Jane Alexander planned to attend.

[Jane Alexander]

I work in the system now and I certainly know what to do and I know how to do it and I know who to talk to and I certainly will exert all of the influence I have to keep him behind bars.

[Narrator]

Jane Alexander died in December of 2008 at the age of 86 from cancer. Tom O'Donnell was denied parole at his 2007 hearing. He died in prison in January of 2010. He was 81 years old. Cold Case Files the podcast is hosted by Brooke giddings, produced by McKamey Lin and Steve Delamater. Our associate producer is Julie McGruder. Our executive producer is Ted Butler. 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. You can find me Brooke Giddings on Twitter and rookthepodcaster on Instagram. I'm also active in the Facebook group Podcast for Justice. Check out more Cold case [e-mail] or learn more about cases like this one by visiting the AE Real Crime blog at aetv.com realcrime.