← Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
MURDERED: The Feeney Family
01:05:24
When the family of a beloved high school teacher is brutally killed, investigators race to make sense of a chaotic crime scene that defies simple explanation. They find themselves asking: was the whole thing staged? And if so, who staged it and why?
Loading summary
Transcript179 lines
- [00:01]
Ashley Flowers
Hi everyone, Ashley Flowers here. If you love the mystery twists and investigations you hear on this podcast, then you are going to absolutely love my new novel the Missing Half Set. Where I grew up in northern Indiana, two young women go missing within weeks of one another. The only trace of them left behind are their cars left abandoned on the side of the road, door open, key in the ignition and police are convinced that their cases have to be connected but they can't solve them and the cases go cold for years. That is until these girls sisters team up and do what police never could. But learning the truth sometimes has grave consequences and this book will have you questioning how far you would go for someone you love. The Missing half hit shelves May 6. Be the first to solve the mystery by pre ordering your copy now@ashleyflowers.com or or wherever books are sold. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC.
- [01:28]
Brit
Your kids can finally get the homework help they need with ixl, an online learning program with interactive practice problems for kids from Pre K to 12th grade. My kids educational needs are vastly different, but I love that IXL is truly a does it all program that supports both kids in how and what they're learning make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and Crime Junkie listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com crimejunkie Visit ixl.com crimejunKunkie to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
- [02:03]
Ashley Flowers
Today's episode of Crime Junkie is brought to you by State Farm. Life can throw curveballs when you least expect it. A surprise home repair or a life change that leaves you wondering, what now? That's when you need someone you can count on. With a State Farm agent, you know someone is there to help you choose the coverage you need. With so many coverage options, it feels good to know that you can find what fits for you, whether it's on the phone, online or on the award winning State Farm mobile app. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Hi Crime Junkies, I'm Ashley Flowers. And I'm Brit and back by popular Demand. We have Chuck in the studio today for our YouTube audience, who apparently he's their favorite. Like, of course it's a good thing he can't talk or we'd be out of a job. But the story I have for you today is one that honestly has me twisted up in knots. Because, like, one minute it's like, fetch me a pitchfork and like, rally the troops. This guy needs to be buried under the courthouse. But then, like, the very next minute I'm like, oh my God, maybe he's a victim too. And then I feel bad for ever thinking such a thing. So, pitchforks or no pitchforks, that will be for crime junkies to decide. This is the story of the Feeney family. So when John Feeney gets back to his room at Tantara Resort around 9am on the morning of Monday, February 27, 1995, he sees that he missed a call from the high school where he teaches science in Springfield, Missouri. Now, he's been up here at this Lake of the Ozarks resort for a teachers conference since Saturday.
- [04:09]
Brit
Wait, can we, as millennials, just real quick acknowledge that this is a teacher named Mr. Feeny?
- [04:16]
Ashley Flowers
Oh, like my, like Koi's World heart. Yeah, honestly, I didn't think about that. The whole time I was working on this story.
- [04:22]
Brit
That's all I can think about. I had to say something.
- [04:24]
Ashley Flowers
Mr. Feeny. Not that Mr. Feeny got it. Anyways, the school knows where he's at and why, so it's strange that they're calling so immediate. Bad vibes that just get worse when he calls them back and finds out that they called because they had gotten a call that morning from a medical center where his wife Cheryl works as an rn. She's the team lead for the gynecological surgical division, which is like an important role. But she just hadn't shown up for work that day. So by the time John's on the phone, people had already called over to the kid's babysitter, but they apparently never got dropped off there. And no matter how many times or who called the Feeney house, no one has picked up there either. John is rattled by this because he hadn't talked to Cheryl since Saturday night. Like, he had called a few times on Sunday, even left a couple of messages when he couldn't get through. Mostly like chalking that up to the craziness of like taking care of their 6 year old son, Tyler, their 18 month old daughter Jennifer, like she's doing this on her own. But now he's not so sure that Something isn't wrong. So he hangs up, calls the Greene County Sheriff's office, asking them to perform a welfare check. What John doesn't know is that he's not the only person raising the alarm. Around the same time that he calls, the sheriff's office is also fielding a call from a woman named Teresa. And she's calling from the Feenies house because she is a coworker of Cheryl's and she had volunteered to like, swing by, check things out. And she says that when she approached the house, she noticed that it's so strange. The pane of glass in the door on like the front, like, front door had been painted over from the inside, which is odd because Theresa and Cheryl are friends. Like she's been there before and that.
- [06:08]
Brit
Hasn'T been like that.
- [06:09]
Ashley Flowers
No. And even more concerning was the fact that the door was unlocked. So fearing something was wrong, she let herself in, only to find that the house had been totally ransacked. But, like, in the weirdest way imaginable. So, like example, on the first floor where she's at, the Feenies kitchen has this door that leads into the attached garage. Well, that door was like wide open, so she could see Cheryl's car in the garage. And the car hood was popped and there was all this like random stuff piled on top of it, including, like a tv. So stuff doesn't just feel taken, like run of the mill burglary. It also feels moved. I mean, it's weird. Like full body chills weird. So she's not gonna snoop around. She knows that police are en route, so she's just gonna like, wait for them. Now, season two of the podcast Ozark's True Crime is about this case. And Teresa actually tells journalist Ann Roderick Jones that It takes like 20 minutes for a solo cop to show up. Now, FYI, some reporting indicates that John's mom got there around the same time, but it's a little bit confusing because Theresa doesn't mention her at all. But either way, Teresa gives the officer a quick rundown and then follows him in, pointing out all the alarming things that she had noticed before. Items that aren't where they should be or are where they shouldn't be. Drawers and cabinets that have been left wide open. I mean, Cheryl's purse is on the kitchen table looking rifled through. And then in the living room, I didn't mention this, but there are shoe prints all over the carpet, seemingly like made from some kind of light colored liquid. So this cop, what he does is he pulls out his radio, he Knows that he's gonna need some backup. Like this is as weird as she thinks it is. And Teresa kind of hangs back a little while this officer heads to the primary bedroom. And when he turns on the bedroom light, she asks him a question, but he is just like, staring straight forward in stunned shock. Doesn't even hear her. So she has to repeat herself. She's dead, isn't she? And the best answer that this guy can muster is look and see. Not his finest moment, no question. But part of me feels sorry for the guy because what he sees is horrific. There's a woman, presumably Cheryl, lying face down on the bed, and her head and neck are just covered in wounds. Her face is aimed away from the door, kind of like almost hidden by her hair in a way that looks unnatural, maybe intentional, because to Teresa, she looks posed. And then it gets worse because in the next bedroom is a little boy laying in the bed on his back with a pillow covering his face and blood visible around him. And then in the third bedroom, there is a toddler in a crib, like, curled up tight, her face buried in the mattress and a cord wrapped tight around her neck. So within minutes, the house is crawling with officers from the sheriff's office. I mean, considering the magnitude of this crime, a multi agency task force called the South Central Missouri Major Case Squad steps in. But it's up to the sheriff's office to preserve the crime scene till they can get up to speed. And to do that, the Major Case Squad investigators converge at the Missouri State Highway Patrol outpost. And as they shuffle into the conference room, someone mentions that the victims are the family of a Springfield teacher. And there are well over a thousand teachers in Springfield. Okay, so like, no one mentions any names. It could be any of those families. But in that instant, an investigator named Rita turns to the person next to her and almost casually says, wasn't John Feeney's family, was it? Which, needless to say, the question practically knocks the wind out of the other investigator who's like, well, yeah, actually it was.
- [10:03]
Brit
Yeah, that feels like, weird. Like, wouldn't even believe it if it was a movie on the nose weird. Why are they dropping his name immediately?
- [10:13]
Ashley Flowers
Well, so Springfield may be the third largest city in Missouri, but it does have major small town vibes, like a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon kind of thing. And apparently Rita and John actually have a history, so they went to high school together. And then she took a chemistry night class that he taught at a local university. And that was like, just the prior fall. So it's Someone she knows when she goes and takes this class. It's not weird that they got to talking things even non chemistry related and somehow like the recent high profile crime became the topic of conversation during one of these classes or after or whatever. And probably because it happened like mid semester and Rita was working the investigation. You see, In September of 94, a 37 year old woman named Lisa Revelle was killed in her home south of Springfield. Now investigators, Rita included, quickly put Lisa's husband under the microscope as their prime suspect. A tale as old as time, right? Yeah, but Rita says that John was super interested in the investigation as it played out in real time. Maybe too interested. Because Rita tells Anne on her podcast that one particular question stands out in her mind, especially in hindsight. John was obsessed with knowing one thing. What was the husband's big mistake? What fatal misstep did he make that allowed police to zero in on him? What got him right, which like why do you ask, sir?
- [11:40]
Brit
Right.
- [11:40]
Ashley Flowers
But she gave him an answer. She said that he talked to police and he shouldn't have. No potential suspect or person of interest or whatever she said should ever talk to the police because that is how many of them wind up in prison. So that is what is at the back of her mind when she brings up the Feenies. And it probably stays on her mind after they get briefed and head to the Feeney house and walk. This bizarre scene. And truly, I mean bizarre, like on the surface it's strange, but when you drill in close and look at the details of this thing, it gets really, really weird. Like those shoe prints in the living room, what they find out is the liquid that those are in is beige paint. The prints themselves have dried, but they find a still wet puddle in the garage.
- [12:30]
Brit
Wait, like the same paint used to maybe paint the glass on the front door?
- [12:34]
Ashley Flowers
You know, I'm not sure that they ever that's ever verified or reported on. I couldn't find anything about that, but I think that's the working assumption. But again, that's not even like the strange part. These prints that they have, they don't make sense because they don't fade like you would expect them to. I mean like think about it. If you walk through a puddle of paint, like the first step should leave the clearest prints, right? And then like the more steps you.
- [12:56]
Brit
Take, the drier it gets.
- [12:57]
Ashley Flowers
Especially on carpet, right? Like they're going to start to fade. But the ones that they're seeing, like they don't fade. All of them are like equally saturated.
- [13:06]
Brit
Like Someone is painting the bottom of their shoes like every step or two.
- [13:12]
Ashley Flowers
Which just like why? Yeah, like that doesn't make sense for a crime if it happened this way. And these are the killer's prints. Yeah, but the paint was used for something else too. So investigators find a cryptic message painted on the wall of Cheryl and John's bedroom. And it's painted in the same beige paint. Pandora jewelry is crafted with meaning and love in addition to exquisite artistry. So find what speaks to your heart. From sparkling lab grown diamonds to vibrant enamels, personalized engravings and iconic charms, Pandora has got it all. Style your favorites with hand finished designs and playful cuts to reflect your individuality. It's always fun to mix, match and stack your way. Pandora is more than jewelry. It's a celebration of you. Shop in store or online@pandora.net this show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in person therapy can cost anywhere from 100 to $250 per session, which adds up fast. But with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save on average up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp you can pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and on time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense. Your mental health is worth it, and now it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient too. You can join a session with the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus switch therapists at any time. Your well being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com crimejunkie to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H-E-L-P.com crimejunkie the message says in all caps, bit die. Now everyone seems to agree that two letters are missing from the end of that first word. Like bit is what it says and they think that it's missing the ch. So die is what they think.
- [15:35]
Brit
But maybe they ran out of paint because they used it all on their freaking shoes.
- [15:40]
Ashley Flowers
Like my knee jerk reaction is no, because here's the thing. When you actually like see a photo of this, I saw a glimpse of it in like coverage from like the trial. Old, old coverage. Bit is written above the word die. So in my mind it's like the first word, right? So like running out doesn't make sense. Neither does the writer getting spooked mid message like, because then we shouldn't have the word die, right? I mean, it's possible that die was written first and then, like, maybe they had some paint left over and was like, oh, how can I add insult to injury here? Like, oh, I'll, like, call her names too, but. But then they only got through the first three letters, and I don't know why you would still write it above the word die. So this doesn't make sense to me. But again, so much of this crime scene defies explanation.
- [16:26]
Brit
So when I hear beige paint, I'm gonna be honest. It's not like the flashiest color around.
- [16:31]
Ashley Flowers
You would expect, like, red or something, right?
- [16:33]
Brit
Yeah. Like, would this even stand out on their walls? Like, what color are their walls?
- [16:37]
Ashley Flowers
Also a shade of beige. Like, you can see the words, but they definitely blend in. I don't even know if you can see them. Maybe because they're still wet or something. I have a feeling. I don't know this for a fact, but, like, knowing that they were in the garage, knowing we have that puddle in the garage, that maybe it was like some kind of touch up paint for the house that was, like, already there. So again, potentially not even something that the killer brought with them. We tried to verify all that, by the way, but, like, our records request was denied by law enforcement.
- [17:03]
Brit
Cool.
- [17:04]
Ashley Flowers
Now I could spend the entire episode discussing the paint because there is this other weird part. So the prints that are, like, saturated the whole way through, they follow a pretty clear path. So the house is one story, but has a basement with its own entrance. The prints start at that puddle in the garage. They go through the living room, lead to the primary bedroom, and then they just stop. Like, there's no return path. And again, it's not like they fade away. The ones in the bedroom are just as clear as the ones in the Raj.
- [17:32]
Brit
So whoever did this, like, took the shoes off in the bedroom maybe, like.
- [17:38]
Ashley Flowers
So were they wearing them? Were they holding them on their hands and not wearing them? Because they're, like, just making this path. However they had these shoes, what I do know is that they had to have taken those shoes with them when they left, because police don't find any shoes in the house that are covered in beige paint or that even match the size and tread patterns of these prints. So I'm guessing that they, like, took them off or, like, stopped using them in the bedroom, because again, we never see the prints fading the way they should have. We never see them going anywhere else. It's like almost like this arrow beacon, like it feels too simple. Like it's someone trying to say, hey, go from the garage to the bedroom. But it's not a big house. Like, people would have made it to the bedroom.
- [18:20]
Brit
Well, and I was gonna say maybe they ran out of paint with the wall art, but the print should be there and be faded. Like, all the freaking alarm bells are going off in my brain. This is 1000% staged.
- [18:32]
Ashley Flowers
It is. And no matter. Any way you cut it, this is staged. And the rest of the house is starting to give staged as well. So everywhere investigators turn, it is, like, torn apart. Right. Like, almost theatrically. So think less real life robbery and more like over the top hollywood movie. Even the cabinets under the kitchen are.
- [18:53]
Brit
Like, open, which, like, why even open those? There'd be nothing there to find but, like, cleaning supplies 100%.
- [18:59]
Ashley Flowers
Especially because there were actually some things to find that seemingly weren't found. Like, they weren't taken. So, for example, like, there was cash in a dresser drawer in the primary bedroom. I mean, not a ton, like 40 bucks. But how are you literally, like, rifling through dishwashing supplies while leaving behind cold, hard cash? Robert keys of the springfield news leader speaks to a source who basically says that someone or someone's went to great lengths to make it look like this was done by a group of criminals. But it's like they tried so hard that it backfired. Even what at first blush appears to be evidence of forced entry is a little sketch. So the front door is fine. I mean, minus the, like, painted window and the fact that it was unlocked. But it's not, like, damaged or anything. It is actually the walkout basement door that looks like it's been kicked in. Reporting at the time describes it as splintered. And there is even a visible shoe print. Not in paint. That might have been too obvious, but it's, like, kicked in. But even this kicked in door is sus. Because when a door is forced open, normally you find wood pulp on the screws from being forcibly dislodged.
- [20:11]
Brit
Right. They're being pulled out of the wood.
- [20:13]
Ashley Flowers
Right. But Rita tells Anne that there was no pulp. Pulp to be found. Not a ton of damage to the door frame either. Instead, it is almost like the door had been ever so carefully unscrewed from the hinges. And to do that, it would have had to have already been open for that to work.
- [20:32]
Brit
Yeah.
- [20:32]
Ashley Flowers
And are you ready for the actual full body chills moment of this story? So this house is chaos. But there is one thing that makes even the most hardened homicide investigators Shiver. A family might have inhabited this home just a day or two earlier, but you would never know it from the cold, barren walls, because every last family photo, every baby picture, every school picture, every wedding photo has been taken down and turned inward, hiding the smiling faces from sight.
- [21:08]
Brit
I'm sorry, what? Between this and all the victims faces either being covered or turned away, that feels really intentional and like, important. Like, whoever did this didn't actually want to see their faces, who they were doing this to.
- [21:25]
Ashley Flowers
Right. It's. It's personal. Yeah, it feels like someone they know. Which you can see why investigators are pretty eager to speak with John now. When he'd initially phoned that welfare check in, they didn't know yet what they had on their hands. They basically just told him, like, hold, please. Like, not literally, but they had to like, send someone out to the house, check things out, whatever. So John was left to his own devices for the next few hours. While the deputies made it to the scene, investigators tried to figure out what they were dealing with. And John later tells investigators that in that time, he was frantically calling and fielding calls from his and Cheryl's loved ones. But the bottom really fell out, he says, at noon, because that's when a friend of his, this fellow science teacher, showed up at his hotel door looking like all kinds of shook. And the guy said that, like, listen, I'm not sure, but I think I just saw your house on the news. And this guy offered to stay with John while he waited for more information. And before long, the phone rang and it was John's father with the worst news possible. Now, when John heard that his family was gone, he says he just fell to pieces. And he later tells reporters with the Springfield News Leader that he remembers reciting prayers. And the teacher friend tells Ann Roderick Jones that John kept saying over and over again, like, this can't be. This can't be. And another friend who joined them in the hotel room had to remind him to just like, take deep breaths, like, breathe. So once they find out, the men immediately hit the road for Springfield. And when they get to the local highway patrol outpost for John's first interview, his mom meets him outside for this, like, tear soaked hug and then walks him in where investigators question him about his weekend. Now, they know he was out of town, but they only have the broad strokes. They need details. So John says that Saturday, this is the last day he was with his family. It was uneventful. He didn't have to leave for the conference until later that day. So he hung out with the Kids in the morning while show like ran some errands. They had lunch together when she got home. And then he did yard work before hitting the road in his red Mustang convertible. Now when he got to town, he says that he and a fellow teacher that he sees at these conferences a lot named Pam grabbed dinner together just somewhere within like driving distance of the resort. Dinner was dinner, nothing wild. And after they were going to go to this like pre conference party at the resort. But on the way back he got into a little trouble as thirty something men who drive red Mustang convertibles are want to do. Seems that John had a little bit of a lead foot because he and Pam got pulled over and he got a ticket. Now because of weird laws that I'd actually never heard of before, the patrol officer actually confiscated his driver's license like the physical thing. And apparently it's something that they can do with drivers who live more than 50 miles away. So like point being you don't get your license back until you've paid your fine. So by the time they're done with this cop, John says he's got a headache. Plus he's gotta deal with this whole ticket thing now. So like no party for him. He parts ways with Pam, he heads back to his hotel room and when he got there he called Cheryl, which he says was their routine. He'll call home like the first day he gets anywhere to confirm, you know, he's arrived safely. Just like chat, see how the day was. And she even picked up. They spoke. Normal conversation, but that would be the last time he gets her on the phone. When they hung up, he left the resort again. He headed to the Osage beach police department to pay for the ticket. And according to the police, he was there around 10:30pm or so. So he forks over the money, gets his license back and then he went back for good this time to go to bed at his hotel room. And he says he was in his room all night, slept there, didn't leave until late Sunday morning when he played golf with some colleagues sometime before noon. After that there was a conference session followed by lunch, another session at 4. John actually led that one. He called home around 5 just to check in. No one answered again. Hadn't worried him too much. At the time, Cheryl was solo managing two kids. One of them was sick by the way. So like extra hands full. And John went to a conference social event Sunday night and then worked with some colleagues on a presentation that they were giving Monday morning. He tried to reach Cheryl again around 11pm Sunday again, no answer. Also very late. Knew Cheryl had work early the next morning. Everyone was probably in bed. And then Monday rolled around, and before he knew it, he was getting a call from his school. So investigators, like, know his timeline now, and they kind of shift their questioning and they ask about his and Cheryl's marriage, how it started, how is it now. Like that kind of thing. So they met in 1978 at a trauma center. Cheryl was in nursing school and worked there as a receptionist, and John worked there as an attendant on the weekends. And according to John, they kind of made eyes at each other for a while. But their romance really began when Cheryl asked him to dance at a coworker's party. And for John, this was a big deal, like the dancing part, because his dad was a preacher in the Church of Christ, which had a strict no dancing policy in those days.
- [26:28]
Brit
I mean, I've seen Footloose, right?
- [26:30]
Ashley Flowers
So, you know, feeling a little rebellious. John said yes, and the rest was history. They married in 1981. They had Tyler in 1988. In 1990, they bought their house. And according to the Springfield News leader, John was named Missouri's best science teacher of the year. And at the same time, Cheryl was working her way up the ladder at the medical center. And then Jennifer came in 1993. John tells investigators their marriage was strong. There was no infidelity, like, on either person's part, and he's adamant about that.
- [27:02]
Brit
And that's kind of what they all say though, right? Like, what about money problems?
- [27:07]
Ashley Flowers
None of those either. Like, they are one of those rare couples that had been financially responsible from the start. I mean, they built themselves a nice little nest egg. They don't have much debt. Like, you know, on paper, they've done everything right. And John can't think of a single person who would want to hurt his family. Like, this just makes no sense. There's no motive. And for what it's worth, John appears to be completely shocked and grief stricken. Like, if he is putting on an act right now, it is Oscar worthy. But as the husband, he is still firmly at the top of their list of persons of interest, even as they let him go. I mean, we're still day one here, but a lot can happen in one day, like the autopsies, for example. And the findings are awful, but they're also revealing. In 1932, one man opened a two room business school above a nondescript storefront in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. How did it become one of the largest universities in the country? Okay, this case isn't exactly a mystery. Southern New Hampshire University offers over 200 degrees you can earn from your couch. And with low online tuition, Southern New Hampshire University makes earning your degree affordable too. Find your degree at snhu. Edu crimejunkie That's S N H U edu crimejunkie.
- [28:35]
Brit
Vacation season is nearly upon us this year. Treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve with Quinta's high quality travel essentials at fair prices like lightweight European styles from $30, washable silk tops and comfy lounge sets. Pair it with premium luggage options and stylish tote bags to carry it all. The best part? All Quinn's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they partner directly with top factories, cutting out the cost of the middleman and passing the savings on to us. Vacation may be insight for you, but right now we are deep in tour mode and my Quince leather tote is working almost as hard as I am. Plus, I always have one of my Quince washable silk dresses in my bag ready to go if I need something to wear for a nice dinner out while we're in a new city. For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from quints. Go to quince.com crimejunkie for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.com crimejunkie to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com crimejunkie.
- [29:45]
Ashley Flowers
While baby Jennifer died from strangulation with a cord from the blinds in her bedroom, Cheryl and Tyler both died as a result of blunt force trauma to their heads.
- [29:55]
Brit
Is it just me or is it odd that the baby's cause of death is different?
- [29:59]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, I don't know because like, in my mind I feel like the way she died was worse. Like, the medical examiner notes that the way she was strangled would have taken minutes and she likely suffered.
- [30:09]
Brit
I would say it's like a longer process.
- [30:11]
Ashley Flowers
Like, who picks the worst way for a baby to go? Like, what kind of evil do you have to be most people? I mean, how many cases have we seen where like, the youngest one who won't recognize anyone is left alone? You know what I mean? Now, the medical examiner also confirms that all three were attacked in their sleep, like blitz style.
- [30:31]
Brit
Which to me is all the more reason to think that the door wasn't kicked in. I mean, you'd think that Cheryl would have heard that her husband's out of town. You know, like she might be feeling super aware, waking at every little sound, let alone the sound of her door being kicked in.
- [30:46]
Ashley Flowers
Right. And, like, again, I said this before, but this isn't a big house. You just have the main story in the basement. So, I mean, the thing I don't know is, like, how hard of a sleeper she was. I, like, I've got my, like, earplugs in my eye mask on. I don't know that I would wake up. But to your point, like, maybe she was more alert because she was alone. I don't know. But it does seem like she was asleep when someone came at her. Cheryl was struck in the head 10 times with what Ron Davis describes as some kind of metal pipe or a rod that would have been like, a half inch in diameter. And Tyler was struck seven times with the same object, including three blows to the head. Whatever they had been bludgeoned with, there was no sign of that at the scene. But according to Rita, that doesn't mean that there weren't any weapons found there, because I guess Cheryl had superficial puncture wounds to her face and a knife was found near her body. Now, the medical examiner determines that the murders took place in the overnight hours from Saturday into Sunday. Although there are signs that the killer maybe tried to confuse things, because I guess Cheryl and John, you know, there is nothing more 90s than a waterbed. And they had a waterbed where the heat had been turned all the way up to the highest possible temperature, which caused her body to decompose even faster than it would have otherwise.
- [32:06]
Brit
And I realized this was, like you said, the 90s. Basic forensics were probably a little less common knowledge back then, but this guy's a science teacher. Like, he might have had, like, a little deeper knowledge on all that stuff than a normal layperson. But what's confusing is the kids weren't messed with. So, like, why try to throw things off with the waterbed with her?
- [32:26]
Ashley Flowers
That's what I'm saying. Like, everyone talks about this waterbed as being something that, like, oh, the killer was trying to, like, like, speed up decomp. And I'm like, yeah, but just for Cheryl, like, it wouldn't.
- [32:35]
Brit
It doesn't change anything about, like, the. The decomp for the kids. I mean, again, the timeline.
- [32:40]
Ashley Flowers
If you're trying to confuse the scene, which everything in this. This house feels confusing. If you are trying to make it appear as though she died before the kids, I don't know what that would mean. Or, again, I'm just spiraling.
- [32:54]
Brit
Or you just have the other option that it just Got turned on accidentally. It means nothing. And it's just this additional weird thing in the crime scene.
- [33:04]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, there are some other small things that they find. So when they process the crime scene, they actually take samples of what looks like some semen on the comforter of the couple's waterbed. Although reporting never mentions evidence that Cheryl was sexually assaulted and we know that she was found in her nightgown. They also collect a hair from Cheryl's nightgown that they can tell was recently dyed reddish brown, as well as a couple of gray hairs from the garage, one of which was on the paintbrush used by the killer. And for what it's worth, John and Cheryl both have brown hair. Tyler was more of like a dark blonde. I haven't seen any pictures that showed Jennifer's hair color. Whatever it was, none of the family matched these hairs that are found. And as far as I can tell, there's never any mention of other biologics or hairs or anything being found in any of the kids bedrooms. But that's not to say that there aren't other clues. One clue they find is just disguised a little. You see a Scharnhorst reports for the Kansas City Star that during Tyler's autopsy, the medical examiner finds that he had liver damage. Which doesn't make sense in a healthy 6 year old kid. Like the me doesn't know what it means yet, won't know what it means for a while because he has to order some additional tests that are going to take time. But it's just like this thing that everyone's like, we've got another weird thing, right? And while they wait, over the next few days, investigators interview John's friends, family, co workers, and basically the consensus is like, there is no way that John did this. He would just never do something so heinous. John and Cheryl were happy. John's a good guy. Friends and colleagues from the conference say that he was his usual self all weekend long. Like heck. The guy teed up for a casual round of golf within hours of the murders. And not a hint of, of stress or distress or distraction or even a bad mood was anywhere to be found on him. Though to investigators, that doesn't mean a whole lot. I mean, I've told you about the scene. You gotta be a special kind of inhumane monster to do what this killer did. Whoever did this would probably act fine after. So if they're gonna rule John out, it's gotta be using cold hard facts, not feelings about how he acted. Osage Beach Police Department confirms For investigators that John was there paying the ticket, getting his license back at 10:30 Saturday night. So that part of his story checks out. But when they process John's car, they discover the first crack in his story. No incriminating forensics or anything like that. Like, in his car, they don't find any traces of blood. There's no weapons, there's no bloody clothing.
- [35:51]
Brit
Any beige paint.
- [35:52]
Ashley Flowers
There is no beige paint to be found. No shoes matching the prints from the scene either. Which, actually, speaking of the shoes, investigators had determined that those were men's size 11. But at least one source reports that John wears a men's size 12.
- [36:05]
Brit
For what it's worth, and depending on the store in the cut, I'm like seven different pant sizes. I feel like he could probably have squeezed his feet into size 11 shoes.
- [36:13]
Ashley Flowers
He also could have, like, not even been wearing shoes and just like. Right, we keep going back to this May the Prince. Anyways, back to the car. So nothing tying him to the crime scene physically, but what they find is something interesting. So there is a receipt from a McDonald's near the resort. Timestamped at 6:59am on Sunday.
- [36:33]
Brit
But John's story was that he didn't even leave the hotel until late that morning to go golfing.
- [36:39]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah. And McDonald's never played a leading role in his story. So when they bring him back in and question him about this, all he can say is like, oh, my God, I totally forgot that I left to get breakfast that morning. Like, just slipped my mind.
- [36:54]
Brit
If this was like months, even weeks ago, I'd be like, okay, little mix up. But we're not asking about a month ago, John. We're literally talking like 24 hours ago.
- [37:04]
Ashley Flowers
I know. I think about cereal when, like the way Serial season one starts where it's like, where was the teenager six weeks ago? Like, it's John. Like, where were you? This, like, yesterday, yesterday. Yeah, I know. So we've got this timeline now. And in this timeline, he is unaccounted for for eight, maybe eight and a half hours. Although unaccounted for maybe isn't the right phrase because, I mean, per his story, he's sleeping in his hotel room by himself like he should have been. But we know that the round trip home and back would have taken right around three hours, give or take. Like it's 90 minutes each way.
- [37:37]
Brit
Okay.
- [37:38]
Ashley Flowers
Which would leave him a minimum of five to five and a half hours during to theoretically wipe out his family, do some careful staging, and then get breakfast.
- [37:48]
Brit
Was it all truly staging? Though, I mean, the photos being turned around feel like a very real part.
- [37:54]
Ashley Flowers
That part feels real.
- [37:55]
Brit
Right. And it would take time to do, but it more makes me think it was someone, like you said, who knew the family, who couldn't bear to look at all these photos. Like, it's the only real thing that feels super.
- [38:08]
Ashley Flowers
And maybe it is the only real thing. Like, and especially when you think about the fact that Cheryl and Tyler's faces were covered and, like, Jennifer is, like, curled up in a ball, face down. All of this, to me, says that it's someone who was familiar with them, someone who felt some sort of way after they did what they did during. Yeah. And, like, couldn't bear to look at the faces of the people that they killed. But the question is, was that someone John? Because Even though the McDonald's receipt is definitely sketch, like, the fact that he left it out and it looks really bad for him, there was something else in the car that actually plays in his favor. John was known to keep a written travel log in his car where he records all of his mileage. I don't know why. I don't know if the school district, like, reimburses for travel or what or, like, I've truly also, my friend's dad does this for, like, no reason other.
- [39:01]
Brit
Than his own records for fun.
- [39:03]
Ashley Flowers
Cool. So he's got this, like, detailed log. And when investigators compare the mileage on the car to the travel log, it matches perfectly for him. Not making the extra drive home and back. Like, there's no unaccounted for miles for an extra trip home to kill your family. Per the log, there were just enough miles for him to have gone on the trip, but not to have made another trip home and back.
- [39:28]
Brit
Listen, I am admittedly not a math girly, but how hard would that be to fake, though? Especially if this was, like, planned well in advance. Just pad your mileage log here and there for days, weeks. So when it all comes down to it, those extra miles in your murder, your family road trip are already, quote, unquote, accounted for.
- [39:48]
Ashley Flowers
Totally possible. But, I mean, when you look at everything as a whole, we have no physical evidence. You have a matching mileage log no matter how you got there. So police don't have a lot to work with if they think that John's their guy. Now, for the first week following the murders, John and Cheryl's family present a really united front. They even go to the funeral home to pick out caskets together for the funeral, which is held the following Friday. But then the United front becomes a little less so. And it's because of what happens when John sits for another interview, which'll turn out to be his last interview. This is on Saturday, the day after the funeral and almost a week after the murders. By now, his family has caught on that investigators are looking at him closely, which, like, yes, duh, we said he's the husband. So they hire him this hotshot local defense lawyer to represent him, like, mid interview, quite literally.
- [40:42]
Brit
Which life rule number nine. Always get a lawyer, for sure.
- [40:45]
Ashley Flowers
So this attorney hightails it to this station and is like, knock, knock, knock. You're talking to my client there like, I need to speak with him. But investigators are like, sorry, sir, I can't let you in on account of John hasn't personally invoked his rights. So the lawyer asked them to pass along a message to his client, which.
- [41:02]
Brit
I can truly only imagine is just, do not talk. Shut the hell up.
- [41:06]
Ashley Flowers
Shut up. Yeah. Whatever it is, the investigators declined that request, too. So the interview continues. At some point, they ask him to take a polygraph, but he says, no, thank you, and they don't have anything to hold him on. So after a couple of hours, John skedaddles. And from that point forward, he declines further interview requests at the advice of his new lawyer.
- [41:26]
Brit
So is the hiring a lawyer or not taking a polygraph? What causes a rift between the families?
- [41:33]
Ashley Flowers
The polygraph is what plants the first seeds of doubt with Cheryl's family. And, I mean, investigators don't like it either. They tell the press that it'll be really hard to rule him out until he agrees to sit with. For one, John's lawyer points out that, like, listen, he's been super cooperative. He has turned over whatever financial documents they've asked for. He's given them samples of his blood, his hair. He let them hold onto his car. And he points out that, duh, polygraphs are bs, Right. Also, investigators wanted him to take the test with their polygrapher, like, not even, like, a third party or someone they pick. So, like, double no.
- [42:07]
Brit
Yeah.
- [42:07]
Ashley Flowers
But in the end, like, there's nothing investigators can do to, like, make him take it. Right. And so the show or the investigation must go on consistent with what John told them about Saturday night, which the Osage Beach PD Mostly already confirmed. Anyway, investigators are able to get footage from John's traffic stop.
- [42:28]
Brit
And this is what year exactly?
- [42:30]
Ashley Flowers
95. I was surprised.
- [42:32]
Brit
Yeah. And if we have footage of this traffic stop, do we have footage, like, other footage? Hotels, businesses?
- [42:39]
Ashley Flowers
I guess. None that makes a difference. None that John ends Up being on, like, there's footage from a few gas stations where they, like, there may or may not have been sightings of him, although, like, none that really pan out. To me, it's like the hotel footage that I spiral on. I'm, like, in this entire resort, there's nothing showing, like, was his car there? Did he leave? Like, I would say, even, like, an.
- [43:01]
Brit
Entrance, exit, camera showing, like, if he did or did not leave.
- [43:06]
Ashley Flowers
But, like, nobody talks about that. The police said they looked for footage, got footage, but, like, I'm, like, dying to know specifically about the hotel, and I've never seen anything about that. So the only relevant footage is from the traffic stop, which doesn't clear John by any means, but it puts him by the resort just like he said. So maybe they've got this all wrong. Maybe Rita was reading too much into his interest in the other case and, like, it never crossed his mind since, say, he's just a grieving husband. Except there's something in the one piece of footage they have that catches her eye. Rita swears that she has seen the belt that John is wearing in that footage before. Specifically, she thinks she's seen that belt at the crime scene. See, when the scene was processed, investigators had found a belt just like the one in the video rolled up on the counter in the house, which is, like, weird. Not a place for a belt, whatever. But again, what about the scene isn't weird, right? And at the time, they didn't know, like, what to make of that without context. Also, like, I leave, like, my shoes on the counter. So, like, yeah, whatever. But now, seeing this, Rita starts to think, what if John came in undressed completely so that you wouldn't get blood on you, rolled up his belt for, like, some unknown reason, whatever, took out his family, and then, like, when he got redressed, left the belt behind, which.
- [44:29]
Brit
Like you said, might explain why there wasn't any blood on John's clothes or in his car or anywhere on him.
- [44:36]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, it might. And, like, what's extra interesting is that as far as, like, anything that's been reported, we've seen, like, no belt was found in John's room at the resort.
- [44:46]
Brit
But it's on the footage of his traffic stop at 10:30.
- [44:49]
Ashley Flowers
Where'd the belt go?
- [44:50]
Brit
Right?
- [44:50]
Ashley Flowers
So Rita can't shake this feeling, right? Like, just when you're about to say, like, was it wrong? Like, am I reading into things? Like, you get these, like, little things. And what really seals the deal for her is this next thing. So John is posted up in A hotel room near Springfield while his house is sealed off as a crime scene. And there's this time or this point in time when investigators, Rita included, show up with a search warrant. And she talks about this on the Ozarks podcast that, you know, when they show up, John's a good sport about this. Like, not that he has a choice. And while investigators are doing their thing, one of them is like, man, John, like, I really wish that you would talk to us some more. And Rita says, at this point, this, like, smug smile takes over John's face, and he looks her dead in the eye and says, quote, well, you know, I once had a very wise person tell me that the best way to stay out of prison is to never talk to the police.
- [45:47]
Brit
I can't say he's wrong again. Always get a lawyer. But woof.
- [45:54]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah. In that moment, Rita says any doubt that she had about his guilt just evaporates. And she is hit with the realization that John may well had been plotting to kill his family, even back when she was in his night class and he had all those questions about the case that she was investigating. But you don't have to be a crime junkie to know that you can't arrest a guy based on a snarky comment. And whatever they were looking for when they issued that search warrant, it doesn't seem like they find it because John is still a free man who does something that, again, turns a lot of heads. When they finally do end up releasing his house back to him, John just, like, moves back in.
- [46:34]
Brit
What?
- [46:35]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, and, like, so many people have issue with this because they're like, this is where your entire family in all three bedrooms, like, your family was taken out. There's signs of this everywhere. And, sure, it gets cleaned up or whatever, but, like, you know, he said that that's just where he had the memories of his family. It's, like, where he remembers the good times, and that's what he's choosing to remember.
- [46:54]
Brit
I don't think I could.
- [46:55]
Ashley Flowers
I don't. I couldn't.
- [46:56]
Brit
I couldn't do it.
- [46:57]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, I couldn't sleep at night there. But, like, also, could you sleep at night if you were the one who did it? I mean, again, you have to be a true monster to have to. I don't know. It's just, like. It's something that everyone takes issue with. But he says, like, the other thing I'll say is, like, again, they weren't, like, in debt or anything, but, like, I don't know their financial situation. I don't know if he could afford.
- [47:15]
Brit
If he could have.
- [47:16]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, like just getting another house or like living in a hotel. Like that's not a financial option for like most of the world.
- [47:23]
Brit
Right.
- [47:24]
Ashley Flowers
So there's that. But while he moves back in and everyone's looking at him like, investigators are losing it because they feel like the truth is right in front of them. They just can't prove it. Again, they still don't even have a motive. They can't go to a jury with no what and how and no why. But sometime in March, investigators receive a bombshell report involving those additional tests that the medical examiner ordered on Tyler, and they think that this is the thing that is finally going to give them a why. Becoming the traveler you want to be is easier than you might think. In fact, all it takes is a South Dakota escape. In the Rushmore State, you'll find yourself fulfilled and transformed. Already thinking about planning your return. In South Dakota, you'll find 77,000 square miles of adventure in its purest form. From the otherworldly landscapes of the Badlands national park and the boundless expanse of the glacial lakes and prairie to sails set high on the Missouri River. There you'll take turns just to see where they might lead. You'll try new local flavors, travel back in time to the historic west and collect plenty of memories along the way. Because when you let wonder be your tour guide, there are no wrong choices when it comes to the places you'll go and the things you'll see. South Dakota is a simple escape that can't wait. So pack those bags, hit the road and make someday today and plan your south dakota escape@travelsoutdecota.com.
- [49:08]
Brit
Goldbelly is an incredible site that delivers iconic famous foods from top restaurants across the US Shipped free to any doorstep nationwide. Gold Belly will ship you iconic deep dish pizza from Lumalati's or New York's best, most famous cheesecake from Junior's. If you're craving barbecue, they ship the legendary Franklin's Barbecue straight from Texas to your door. And you have to try the one and only world renowned stone crab delivered from Joe's in Miami. Whether it's a dish from that one of a kind restaurant or meals from world famous chefs like Ina Garten, Daniel Boulud or Jose Andreas, Gold Belly has you covered. Gold Belly makes it so easy to order our faves from around the country and get it delivered straight to our door. I'm even planning to get a Martha Stewart ombre cake for my mom to celebrate with in a couple of weeks. So if you're looking for that perfect gift or want to impress your friends and family with an epic meal, next time you host, go to goldbelly.com and get free shipping and 20% off your first order with promo code CRIMEJUNKIE. That's goldbelly.com code CRIMEJUNKIE for free shipping and 20 percent off your first order.
- [50:11]
Ashley Flowers
The cause of Tyler's liver damage was hepatitis B.
- [50:17]
Brit
What? That is not at all what I was expecting. I thought, isn't hep B usually transmitted through, like, sexual activity or IV drug use? Like, it's kind of rare to see it in a kid, right?
- [50:29]
Ashley Flowers
It's very unusual to see in a kid, but it's not unheard of. So there are other ways for children to contract it. Like, it can be passed from mother to child. It's also spread through bodily fluids, which means, in theory, he could have picked it up at school or something like that, but it is unlikely. So this is when investigators start to form a theory. What if John had been sexually abusing his son and Cheryl found out and threatened to turn him in? Maybe this would be enough to make him do something desperate. So the next step, obviously, is to test both John and Cheryl for the disease. And they're, like, fully extended, expecting John's results to come back positive, but they don't, and neither do Cheryl's. Neither of them has ever had hepatitis B.
- [51:20]
Brit
Okay, so what does that even mean? Like, was someone else abusing Tyler?
- [51:28]
Ashley Flowers
Maybe. Probably. I mean, they don't know. All they do know is that Tyler's infection didn't come from either of his parents. And listen, police were right. This would be a strong motive to kill the family. But it's a motive that now points to it being someone other than John. Yeah, and as they get more test results from other stuff back, more and more continues to point away from John. So while the hairs found on Cheryl's nightgown and the garage and paintbrush don't yield a full DNA profile, the lab is able to confirm that they are not consistent with John or Cheryl's hair more than just, like, color, like, genetically.
- [52:06]
Brit
And when you say hair, like, what are we talking about? Like, strands, a clump? Like, what are we dealing with here?
- [52:12]
Ashley Flowers
You can count. You can count them on one hand. Like, the reddish brown hair, There was, like. I think there's one of them. On the nightgown, there was, like, a few of the gray ones, so barely any.
- [52:21]
Brit
Okay.
- [52:22]
Ashley Flowers
Now, they do end up getting a hit with the semen. On the bedspread that belongs to John, but, like, it's his bed, his semen. His bed. Yeah. It certainly doesn't prove anything. Investigators, though, would tell you context is everything. Because investigators say that they end up learning Cheryl had a habit of washing the comforter on Saturdays. So if she was killed Saturday night, they allege that this puts him in the house when he says he wasn't.
- [52:50]
Brit
Does it, though, if he was home Saturday, and all of this could have happened after she washed the comforter but before he left, like, that doesn't. It doesn't feel definitive to me.
- [52:59]
Ashley Flowers
It's. Well, them being, like, intimate or anything, like, that's never part of his story.
- [53:05]
Brit
And do we know for sure she even washed the comforter that week, though? Like, she's running errands. She has a sick kid, her husband's going out of town for a conference. Like, I could see that being something that doesn't happen this week.
- [53:15]
Ashley Flowers
No, I agree. We don't know. There's nobody that I've seen that's been able to confirm, like, she for sure washed it that day. No.
- [53:23]
Brit
And, like, another thing I'm having trouble wrapping my head around is, is the motive? Like, does one actually exist? I know murdering your wife and kids doesn't feel like a sexually motivated crime. So where does that play into this theory?
- [53:40]
Ashley Flowers
And it's strange. I mean, again, they've never said that she was sexually assaulted. I don't think she was. So it's more that, like, they're just saying, like, his semen is there. It shouldn't be there based on his story. So it puts him there, case closed. Even though, like, again, if they want to say context is everything, like, okay, what's the context of it being there? Like, it does not make sense. But I think the details matter less because they think they've got their guy. And, you know, this gets, like. I think this feeling gets bolstered a little bit when investigators start realizing that John Feeney, the teacher, dad, husband, may be more of a mask than an identity because he is a man with a lot of needs surrounding sex and female attention, almost, like, to a compulsive degree. And not always within his marriage, it turns out.
- [54:31]
Brit
Here we go.
- [54:32]
Ashley Flowers
Yes.
- [54:32]
Brit
Okay. I thought it was weird that he was driving around, going dinner with another woman solo while he's out of town and his wife and kids are back at home.
- [54:39]
Ashley Flowers
Dude, I was like, I don't know.
- [54:40]
Brit
Maybe it's me.
- [54:41]
Ashley Flowers
I know.
- [54:42]
Brit
No, that's kind of weird, right?
- [54:43]
Ashley Flowers
I thought so, too, And I was like, yes. Yeah, I thought so, too, actually. Believe it or not, though, Pam tells investigators, like, that dinner thing wasn't a date. And, like, again, remember, this whole time, John has been adamant to investigators that he was faithful to Cheryl, which, of course, is a big fat lie, because date or no date this time, like this night, it turns out Pam and John definitely had an affair. Like, she eventually admits to that, but she said it was very brief. Happened like, three or four times. They ended things the prior November. And when they were doing this, like, their rendezvous were always at, you guessed it, teachers conferences. And interestingly, Pam makes sure to clarify that it hadn't even involved sex. Sex. Just what she calls, like, intimate relations, which, like, I don't know, it sounds the same to me. Like, it sounds like when, like, super conservative people are like, well, it didn't go in there. And I'm like, my friend's like, a hole is a whole. Like, Jesus made our bodies a hole is a whole. You know, that's how I feel. Truly.
- [55:45]
Brit
Truly.
- [55:46]
Ashley Flowers
Anyways, so it's not just Pam that they find. Another one of the affairs that they find out about was with this woman who claims that John used, quote, unquote, mind control on her, which is, like, what? Your guess is as good as mine. I don't know if she means literally, figuratively or what. Like, there's no one else who's saying that John, like, does witchcraft, craft, or anything wild like that. Like, so I don't know. But she goes into detail about some of their encounters, including an especially racy one that took place on a boat involving John and her and two other men.
- [56:18]
Brit
And this was also at a teachers conference.
- [56:21]
Ashley Flowers
No, no, no, no. So it seems like teachers conferences are his, like, hunting grounds. But what happens at teachers conferences does not always stay at teachers conferences. So he takes that stuff right on home with him and, like, continues to act in some pretty objectionable ways. See, it turns out that John, who was put on administrative leave after the murders, has always tried really, really hard to seem cool to his students.
- [56:46]
Brit
No. Nope. No way. No, no, no, no, no.
- [56:50]
Ashley Flowers
Some of it was in the category of, like, gross but seemingly innocuous. Chris Bentley and Robert Keys report in the Springfield News Leader that, I guess he had a thing for Cindy Crawford, and he, like, made a point to joke around about it in class, especially with, like, the other male students, which, like, I know he said seemingly innocuous, but, like, this is not good. Red flag to anyone whose teachers is, like, having conversations with them like this. Like, A teacher should never be talking about who they have a thing for. Like, it is completely and totally inappropriate type of conversation for an adult and a minor to have, especially for an adult teacher and their minor students. Like, these are the little things that you do have to watch out for. Like the boundary testers. Like, if you write off the little ones, it makes room for more and more. Like, oh, you're not just like teacher and student, you're friends. Like, he gets you. So maybe it wasn't weird. It was just cool to the kids when there's this time when he buys them alcohol, which is a tip that does come in about him. Like, I guess he was at a bar in some students were there, like, who he would clearly know were underage. Like, duh, they're his students. Yeah. And he bought them some drinks. And when this came out, John actually tried to sue the investigators to get them to stop sharing further information to the press. But, like, all of it ends up getting dropped. And then there were other former students who had weird experiences with John that they, with the benefit of hindsight, feel like were John's attempts to put them in inappropriate situations, like to hang out socially, maybe even one on one, that kind of thing. Which takes me back to my point about like boundary testing, what you would call grooming. John was for sure testing his boundaries there. But there are no reports of him coming onto or doing anything physical with a student technically. So there is one super disturbing story from a former student and she actually tells Ann Roderick Jones about this in the podcast. So apparently there was this post graduation camping trip that John went on with some recent grads. Like, ostensibly, I would assume he's there as a chaperone. I. Otherwise I don't know why he would be there, but he apparently saw this as a prime opportunity to cozy up to one of the girls. And according to the former student, they eventually slept together. Now, to be clear, everyone involved was 18 at the time. Like this is after graduation, but she was a former student.
- [59:13]
Brit
Barely former.
- [59:15]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah. And it is wildly inappropriate and manipulative and abusive power dynamics. Like all the things.
- [59:20]
Brit
Yeah.
- [59:20]
Ashley Flowers
So all of that to say if there is a motive, police believe it's John's philandering. Did Cheryl know? Not know. We don't know. But whether she did or not, they think John just wanted to wipe the slate clean, start over, minus the wife and kids and plus a cool quarter of a million. Because guess what? They find out that John took out an additional life insurance policy on Cheryl for $250,000. Just months before the murders, which, like, well, of course he did. Like they always do. And though handwriting experts believe Cheryl filled out one part of the application, they're pretty sure that the final signature is not hers. They can't prove it's John's either, but probably not Cheryl's.
- [60:11]
Brit
So like that's, that's not. That's confusing, like everything.
- [60:16]
Ashley Flowers
Now, it's important to note there was some sort of promotion thing going on that the insurance company was doing for teachers in the area at the time when Cheryl's life insurance was up. And we know this because the podcaster, Ann Roderick Jones, she says her own aunt was a teacher in the area around this time, and she remembers it. So maybe that's the reason that the coverage got up at that time. Like a lot of teachers were doing the same thing.
- [60:41]
Brit
But all of this just has me even more upside down on what to think about this one. There is like a lot of not great stuff here, but like, nothing is flashing lights guilty to me. On the other hand, nothing is like, totally innocent.
- [60:58]
Ashley Flowers
I know either.
- [60:59]
Brit
I truly don't know where I stand.
- [61:01]
Ashley Flowers
It's all circumstantial, right? Which is why it is a huge deal when months into the investigation, investigators find a witness or maybe settle on a witness. It's this gas station worker from near Springfield who says that he remembers John stopping to get gas in the wee hours of that Sunday morning after the murders. And this guy's actually been on investigators radar for a while. But his original stories to police weren't super helpful timing wise, because they placed John in Springfield at a time that he couldn't have been there, which investigators knew because of the McDonald's receipt that they found in his car. But then the workers time changed by like a good three or four hours. And like, presto change, oh, we've got ourselves an eyewitness who's going to be like the star of the show.
- [61:49]
Brit
Cool, cool, cool. So he's kind of useless. A halfway decent defense attorney will rip his story to shreds.
- [61:56]
Ashley Flowers
They're willing to take the chance because In January of 1996, they put this case before a grand jury, which John pleaded the fifth before FYI. And by April, the grand jury has returned three indictments for first degree murder. So while there might be some holes to fill in their story and their theory and their case, clearly these grand jurors see what the police see. And the police are thinking that they're gonna have time to like, shore things up before the trial. They'll like you know, just take their time, push it out, maybe even years. Problem is, we have this little thing called a right to a speedy trial. And John's lawyers take full advantage. You want to charge him? Let's go. And let's go now. So all of a sudden, the prosecution finds itself scrambling. And it sure doesn't help that the one eyewitness they have doesn't just have a questionable story that's going to leave the jury wondering, you know, was it right the first time or the second time? The defense is not playing those games. They get their hands on the gas station attendant's time cards, and guess who wasn't even working the night that this went down.
- [63:03]
Brit
So his story is completely useless.
- [63:06]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah. It's not real. They cannot use him. So when they go to trial In September of 1996, it is without their key witness.
- [63:14]
Brit
Because they don't have one.
- [63:15]
Ashley Flowers
Nope. And that's just the beginning of the unraveling. Over time, they had found a few friends of Cheryl's who were prepared to testify that she had confided in them about wanting a divorce, even said maybe she was scared of John. But they end up being prohibited from testifying based on case law that, get this, actually stemmed from that case that Rita was investigating while she was in, like, John's night class. So the husband in that case was convicted. But actually, like, big twist, not long before John's trial, his conviction was vacated based on hearsay violations. He later got retried and acquitted, by the way. But the judge in John's case decides that this decision, the one about the hearsay violations, prevents him from allowing Cheryl's friends from testifying to things that she said about their marriage. And Cheryl possibly wanting a divorce is a big deal. Remember, John's dad is a minister in the ultra conservative Church of Christ, which at the time is like, oh, the shame about divorce. So if Cheryl divorced him, the thinking goes, it could have been super embarrassing to his family. And, like, it sounds wild, but we have seen this play out before. Like, oh, divorce is awful. So let me just like, go with the lesser crime of murder in the eyes of God.
- [64:34]
Brit
Right?
- [64:34]
Ashley Flowers
Like, obviously sarcasm, but, like, that's their argument. He wanted out. He wanted to be free. But, like, divorce was not an option. The thing is, this is what the defense argues is like, don't already free. He was out sowing his wild oats. He was living his best life. But this thing actually still goes to trial. And this did he, didn't he thing plays out in court. Now, up to A point I could see jurors leaning in either direction. But where the prosecution starts to lose them, I suspect, is when they bring up vampires.
- [65:07]
Brit
I'm sorry, Ashley, you have not brought up vampires.
- [65:11]
Ashley Flowers
I know.
- [65:12]
Brit
Why would the prosecutors. What?
- [65:15]
Ashley Flowers
So, okay, investigators had apparently learned that John maybe sometimes plays a role playing game called Vampires of the Masquerade. And I say maybe sometimes, by the way, because some of the reporting just says he knows about the game through his students. So it's like not even 100% that he plays this game at all. Either way, think like we talked about Dungeons and Dragons before, right? Like, it's that with vampires.
- [65:38]
Brit
Okay.
- [65:39]
Ashley Flowers
Per the prosecution, when John, a man with no history of violence, set out with the unenviable task of decimating his entire family, he just pretended he was a vampire and was killing them in his game. And I would love to say that I'm oversimplifying this, but I'm really not. Like, that's what they put forward.
- [65:59]
Brit
And I'm thinking all of this is happening while the US Is still, like, peak satanic panic era.
- [66:05]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah. So they're like. I mean, I don't know. I don't know what they thought that they were gonna gain by this or whatever, but, like, I think that they're. It's why we've seen the Dungeons and Dragons thing play out before, right? Where it's just like a game that's, like, a little weird.
- [66:17]
Brit
Like, and, like, if people don't understand it, they're afraid of it.
- [66:20]
Ashley Flowers
Sure. Yeah. So again, he's acting as a vampire. This is the prosecution story.
- [66:25]
Brit
Cool.
- [66:26]
Ashley Flowers
Meanwhile, the defense argues a much more believable theory than that one that someone had been abusing Tyler, had suddenly decided that they didn't want to risk anyone finding out. And in support of this theory, they point to the hairs that don't belong to Cheryl or John, found on Cheryl.
- [66:45]
Brit
And on a paintbrush used by, presumably, the killer.
- [66:49]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah. And it's very freaking possible that there might have been more physical evidence pointing to an outside intruder that just wasn't collected. So, come to find out, some super important crime scene surfaces. Like, I mean, we're talking Tyler's headboard, Jennifer's crib, for instance. Like, those were never dusted for prints. So, like, the lowest of the low hanging fruit that investigators just totally dismissed. Like, botched. And again, let's go to how did he contract hep B? Ann Roderick Jones notes in her podcast that the official who tracks infectious disease cases for the county was given, like, A list of 155 names of people who had potential contact with Tyler. And when they compared that to the people being tracked, like, none of those names were on the list.
- [67:38]
Brit
But does that mean it's someone they didn't know had contact with him or someone who wasn't being tracked? Like, there's still, like, a hole, I mean, potentially in that either.
- [67:49]
Ashley Flowers
It's very likely that it's the second, because hep B isn't something routinely tested for without a specific reason. But this is what's wild to me. Like, they do this, like, comparison with the list. And as far as I can tell, that's about where the efforts to figure out how he got hep B, like, stopped. So it's not like they went back and started testing people who had contact with Tyler. It's like, the second they found out it wasn't John, they're just like, oh, well, that doesn't fit our theory, so.
- [68:17]
Brit
Let'S not investigate anymore.
- [68:18]
Ashley Flowers
We don't need to find out how he got it. Like, no longer relevant. So when the jury goes to deliberate on October 5, 1996, they are sent to do so with no forensics, no witnesses, no murder weapon, no nothing other than vampires and a bad husband with an arguably predatory past and, like, this bad investigation to look at. So everyone is on pins and needles until the jurors come back less than five hours later with their verdict. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Which, to be clear, is not a vote of confidence in the innocence of John Feeney.
- [68:58]
Brit
Right.
- [68:58]
Ashley Flowers
Most of the town, jurors included, very much think he is guilty. Af no one is more disappointed in the verdict than Rita, who told Ann Roderick Jones that there was evidence that the prosecution just didn't introduce. Like, example would be the belt thing. So it's, like, doubly frustrating when jurors explain in interviews that they just weren't given the evidence to prove the case. Like there was reasonable doubt. And when Ann interviews the judge who presided over the case, even he says that he wasn't surprised by the verdict. In the weeks following John's acquittal, Cheryl's family sues to prevent him from collecting on her insurance policies, although the suit doesn't really go anywhere and it is eventually dropped. John gets the proceeds, but he pledges to dedicate $50,000 to funding a private investigation into who really did kill his family. If he did, though, I couldn't find any evidence for it. Now he sticks around in Springfield for a while, but at some point, he moves away, eventually landing in Ecuador where he resumes his career, he even remarries and builds a new family. And that's pretty much the end of the story until Anne released that season of her podcast on this case in 2022. Which by the way, I'm going to plug it again. Ozark's True Crime. It is a really great podcast by a team of like really great folks. I'll link to it in the show notes. Anyway, after it comes out, Anne hears from a kid who was a neighbor of John's at the time of the murders. And it turns out that this kid could have been the witness that the prosecution needed was just overlooked. Someone who placed John at his house in the wee hours of the morning the night of the murders. So this neighbor, I think she said she was like 9 or 10 at the time, tells Ann that she was up that night with a stomachache. She woke up her parents sometime between 2 and 4am and they told her just like go take some Pepto. And on her way back to bed, she looked out her window and saw John's bright red Mustang sitting in the frickin driveway. She even thought to herself like, oh, weird, Mr. Feeny never parks his bright red Mustang in his driveway. And then she went back to bed. Now, as soon as she heard about the murders a few days later, she told her dad what she'd seen. And her dad, who could corroborate that she'd been awake that night at that time, made sure she repeated the whole story to investigators. But somehow her sighting got like misplaced or overlooked or whatever. Because when Ann interviews the prosecutor, he says that that's the first time he's hearing anything of this. Same goes for Rita.
- [71:41]
Brit
And because of double jeopardy laws, John can't be tried again with this information or not.
- [71:47]
Ashley Flowers
No. And I mean like this is the part of the episode where I would normally say, like, if you have any tips or know anything, please call X, Y and Z agency at whatever number. But like, this officially at least, is a closed case. But in my opinion, it's a closed case with way too many unanswered questions. Like, have those hairs from the crime scene ever been analyzed with more advanced technology? Like, how did Tyler contract hep B? If I were law enforcement in Springfield, I don't know, I'd want to be sure. No, you can't try John Feeney again. But what if. What if it wasn't him? Police might not be listening anymore, but no, I guess I am. So if you're in Springfield and you know anything, the line's open. Send me an email. You can find all the source material for this episode on our website crimejunkiepodcast.com.
- [72:49]
Brit
And you can follow us on Instagram @crimejunkie podcast.
- [72:52]
Ashley Flowers
We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Crime Junkie is an Audio Chuck production. So what do you think Chuck? Do you approve? This is a message from sponsor Intuit. TurboTax Taxes was getting frustrated by your forms. Now Taxes is uploading your forms with a Snap and a TurboTax expert will do your taxes for you. One who's backed by the latest tech which cross checks millions of data points for absolute accuracy. All of which makes it easy for you to get the most money back guaranteed. Get an Expert now on TurboTax.com, only available with TurboTax Live full service. See guarantee details@turbotax.com guarantees this season, let your shoes do the talking. Designer Shoe Warehouse is packed with fresh styles that speak to your whole vibe without saying a word. From cool sneakers that look good with everything. The easy sandals you'll want to wear on repeat. ESW has you covered. Find a shoe for everywho from the brands you love like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas, New Balance and more. Head to your DSW store or visit dsw.com today.