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When the news broke that Alec Murdoch's double murder convictions were overturned, my phone did not stop ringing or dinging. People wanted to know what I thought about the state Supreme Court unanimous decision. But the one person I wanted to hear from, Blanca Trubiate Simpson. Most people know her as the Murdoch family housekeeper, but she was also one of Maggie's closest friends and the last one to be at their home before the martyrs.
B
After I got done talking to my husband, I said, hey, I have to run to the store. I used that excuse, and he said, okay. He said, I'm a rest for a little while. So I grabbed my keys and I left, and I went straight to the graveyard. It's like I could hear her telling me, like, girl, you got to come by and see me now. I just kind of sat there in silence for a little bit, like, subscribe
A
and turn on your notifications. I don't want you to miss any of the updates. Don't miss to the Murdoch story. Blanca knew everything, everything about this family.
B
Saw them in what I call, you know, their. Their intimate life right there within the house.
A
And she shared a lot of it with me over the past six months. And I asked her again about the cleaners. When do you think they got there? Let's get into it. Thank you so much for joining me today. Bl. So good to see you again.
B
It's good to see you, too. Thank you for having me.
A
Blanket. Tell me, where were you? What were you doing when you heard that Alec Murdoch's double murder convictions were overturned?
B
Sitting at the kitchen table. We were getting ready to have lunch, my husband and I. You just had a minor procedure and he was hungry, so I had fixed him something to eat. We sat down at the table and not even two minutes had gone by. And Ms. Fran called me.
A
That's your co author.
B
And she said, he's getting a new trial.
A
That kind of ruined your lunch.
B
Yes, it did.
A
Tell me, what did you do? Where'd you go?
B
I. I took it in for a minute. My husband was, you know, kept encouraging me and talking to me and. And I kind of already knew because he kept telling me to. To prepare myself. But you can prepare. You can prepare yourself so much that when things happen, you're really not prepared at all for how you're going to react. You think, you know, but you really don't. And it was very emotional.
A
It was.
B
It was emotional. There was a lot of feelings coming today. I'm doing, you know, much better, but I. I really was not that great yesterday. I I just. I didn't know how to react. I really did not know what I was going to feel or how I was feeling. I can't even explain how I was feeling.
A
Was it. Was it sadness or disappointment?
B
It was disappointment. The sadness came after I had a chance to kind of process everything, because here we go again, you know, the headline, you know. You know, is him. And I don't like the fact that people are leaving Maggie and Paul behind. You know, it's. They're going to get left behind again. And it bothers me.
A
Tell me if this is too personal, but did you. Did you go see Maggie and Paul when you heard this?
B
After I got done talking to my husband, I said, hey, I have to run to the store. I use that excuse. And he said, okay. He said, I'm a rest for a little while. So I grabbed my keys and I left and I went straight to the graveyard. I don't know why I. I felt like I told the. I told my husband. It's almost like she was telling me in her own way. It's like I could hear her telling me, like, girl, you gotta come by and see me now. You know, with that emphasis on the girl. I left here, I went to the grave sites and I. I just kind of sat there in silence for a little bit. And then when I got in my car, kind of made a little recording, you know, let him. I was gonna let, you know, kind of let people hear it, but it was just. It was more emotional than I thought it was going to be. And basically just saying, you know, for people out there, it might just be a story, but, you know, for. For me, it's not. You know, it's on a different level. It's. It's not just a story. You know, Maggie and Paul were here. They live, they breathe. They were part of this community, you know, they were. They have family and it affects everybody here. So it's not just a story, it's not just a headline, you know, it's. It's life. You know, these people were here. They existed. It's not just a storyline.
A
Did. Did Bubba go with you?
B
No, he was asleep in the. He went in the room and he fell asleep right there at the foot of the bed with my husband.
A
I remember when we were doing our interview that. That Bubba would literally come up to you when you were talking about Maggie. Did you notice any behavior from him yesterday?
B
He gets clingy. He just gets really clingy. He knocked down all my husband's power cords and everything. Next to the nightstand before he got comfortable. But that's just. That's just how he is. You know, he wants that attention at that point. He can sense it. But he's getting old, so, you know, he'll sense it, and then he'll go right back to sleep. He'll drop down and go to sleep.
A
When you were sitting at the grave site talking to Maggie, how would she feel about this right now, do you think?
B
For the most part, I believe she doesn't want to be just another statistic, you know, forgotten, because that's not her personality. You know, I. I think she would want people to know about who she was, you know, that. Her personality and. And for people to get to know her that way, not the way. Not the way other. You know, some. Some media has portrayed her because it's not fair to her.
A
Do you think she would understand why they had to do a trial again? Do you think she'd understand why this had to be retried?
B
Most definitely, yes.
A
I wonder if she knew Becky.
B
I don't believe she did. I believe a lot of people that claim to. Oh, yeah, I knew them. Claim to say that they knew them. They really didn't know them. They knew of them.
A
Right.
B
And they heard who they were through third parties, But I don't. There's very few that actually got a chance to. To really know them.
A
Blanca, how old would they be to now? Do you know how old Maggie and Paul would be?
B
She would be 57. She would be turning 58 this year. Paul was born in 99, so he was. You would have just turned 27.
A
Yeah. What do you think their lives would be like now?
B
Right around this time of the year? It was almost like she was excited about spring because spending that time on the beach, you know, their weekends on the beach and just hanging out with friends and the boys, enjoying their time, you know, back and forth and with their friends. She looked forward to that. It's kind of weird, but when I go to, like, the beach, I don't know if you. When you sit down sometimes you get that little. That little breeze, but it brings. It kind of like sprinkles a little bit of that salt water on you and all that. The. You know, it makes me think a lot about her because she. She enjoyed that. She enjoyed that. Yeah.
A
She would be living her best life on Edisto. I. That's the way I like to think about it.
B
Most definitely, yes.
A
Edisto Beach. It's such a beautiful beach, too. Bubba and Cash, the dog that was in the Kennel video that they played such star roles in the first trial. And when I say star witnesses, I mean, because they're these dogs and the videos and the sound of them barking and of Alec and Maggie talking, I mean, it turned the whole trial on its head. But the information, Blanca, I keep on thinking about, like, the information that you came out with in your book. I mean, are you prepared to be that possibly be asked to be sort of that level of a star witness for. For this new trial?
B
I stand by what I say. I. I stand by what I say. I'm not gonna. I'm. I'm not gonna back down. Just the same way as they said, they need to have. They needed to have proof. You know, it still hasn't stopped anybody else from making their own conspiracy theories, you know, about the story. Mine is not conspiracy. I'm basing mine simply on the hat. Their habits, their routines, what I knew, how I saw them, you know, interact during the. You know, while I was there. I. I haven't stated anything that wasn't true. It's just my experience around the family. I stand. I stand by what I say. I knew their habits.
A
You knew them better. I mean, as a. As a person who was in the house working with Maggie, cleaning up after all that was going on in the Murdoch house, you probably knew him. One of the best of all. Right?
B
I had a pretty good understanding of each one of them, their personalities. You know, I've said it before. A lot of people have said that Paul was just all over the place, basically, with his ADHD or whatever they want. But he had a heart. You know, he. He had a heart, and he would cry at the drop of a dime, and I wanted people to know that he did have a heart. He was. He was not heartless. All kids have that arrogance in them at one time or another, especially, you know, when I. I see it in my grandchildren. You know, if one knows more than the other one, or one gets something better than the other one, you know, they brag about it and stuff. All. All of us have it to a certain extent. And then I've said it before. They. It's not their fault what family they were born into. It's not their fault. They didn't. They didn't have a choice in that. And for people to say that they were spoiled and we all spoil our kids the best we can. It just so happened they had money, you know, to give them more. But it still doesn't stop the fact that we all spoil our kids. We want our Kids to have, you know, things that perhaps we didn't have.
A
Their married life. I'm talking about Maggie and Alec. You know, their married life was. Has been put through an enormous amount of speculation. It's been put under a microscope. Do you believe they had marital issues before the murders?
B
No. No.
A
So that's basically the same opinion you had before. That hasn't changed. Because of all the stuff out there?
B
No, because of speculation. I saw them together. I saw how they acted. I saw them in what I call, you know, their. Their intimate life right there within the house.
A
Right.
B
So I had. I got a chance to see their interactions, right. Even the months before leading up to the murders, I. I never saw any changes in the way they. They were with each other.
A
He did some weird stuff, right? Like he started kind of not taking care of himself and that sort of thing. But his relationship with Maggie, in your opinion, that was.
B
They were always on the phone. It didn't matter whether she was there or not. They were on the phone with each other. You know, he knew where she was. She knew where he was. She knew where the boys were at all times. She tracked all of them on her phone. She did.
A
No, I believe you. I do the same thing. Don't tell my kids. And they're in their 20s. I get it. We do that.
B
She tracked every. Every one of their moves. She knew where they were at. She knew when they were coming home. She knew all of that. She had it all on her phone.
A
She was just being a mom.
B
Exactly. Not because of mistrust. It was because she worried, and she wanted to make sure everybody was okay.
A
You know, we're closing in on. On. Five year. Five years. It's been five years, Blanka. How much of. Has your life really changed since because of Alec Murdoch?
B
I'm. People recognize me now. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter whether I wear my hair up in a ponytail, disguise it with a ball cap, or. It doesn't matter who you are. They know who I am.
A
In order to get Maggie and Paul's story out there, you really had to put yourself out there.
B
I did. I wasn't gonna do it at first, but I figured that that would give people an insight as to how she got to know me and the fact that I felt safe, you know, secure. You know, I trusted the family. They. They took care of me, and I felt safe, which is something I hadn't felt in a long time. And she kept my secret, so, you know, she took care of me, and. And that meant a Lot to me.
A
Blanca, what do you think as far as the most important fact or. Or piece of information you have that investigators overlooked when they interviewed you, the put you on the stand last time?
B
What.
A
What is that that that needs to be examined this time?
B
There's a lot of things I wish I could say that I might not ever be able to say. There were some things that I didn't quite explain, you know, because when they ask you questions on the stand, you know, you respond to whatever they ask you and you don't. You don't really get a chance to go into more. And I. And I know people had questions about that with regard to. Did you wash his clothes? You know, Yes, I did wash the clothes, but they never asked me, when did you wash the clothes?
A
Can you tell me?
B
I. The clothes sat in that laundry room.
A
That's right.
B
I picked all the clothes that I picked up that morning to try to get the house ready for her parents and all the guests that were going to be coming to the house. I put. Placed everything in the laundry room. I didn't wash anything. I washed it later, weeks later, and. But they never asked me for any of it. And the style of the shirt, it was not quite explained as far as the collar on his shirt, it was a different. When they were trying to say, was he wearing the shirt that he. The one that he was wearing when he was standing by the tree?
A
Yeah, in the Snapchat with Paul.
B
That was not the shirt he left with. I, I am, I am positive about that. He did not leave with that shirt. And they were making it sound like I didn't know what I was talking about. I know what I'm talking about. I fixed that collar before he walked out the house.
A
And he was trying to make you feel that way. The prosecutors or the defense?
B
The defense, of course. Yeah. The fishing style shirt, you know, all of those type shirt. The shirt he was wearing by the tree, the shirts he had hanging that, you know, the Columbia, the whatever Vinnie Vines, whatever he wants to call them. You know, it's the fishing style shirt with a button up like the one he's wearing. And I think I should have explained it a little bit better, but I, you know, like I said, they ask you questions and you answer as best you can while you're on the stand. And I think people that have been on the witness stand, you know, understand what I'm talking about. You know, you. You answer the questions and then you think, oh, my gosh, should I have said something else or should I Have not. Oh, of course.
A
I mean, there's hindsight's 20 20, right, Blanca? I mean, every time. And, you know, you've talked. You've talked generally to me about who you would term the cleaners. Right. Have you told me how many you think were there at the mergers and when I talk about the cleaners, I talk about people that you have expressed could have helped Alec Murdoch pull this off. How many do you think were there? And. And exactly what did they do the night of the murders? Can you explain any of that to me?
B
I believe there was two, and I believe they were the ones that removed the weapons from the. From the site. For Alex to retrieve later on and get rid of or, you know, but I believe they got there after because the dogs. I. And I will con. Continue to insist the dogs were not alerting. Even when Paul was at the kennel video. The dogs were calm, but they were not alerting. They knew. They knew Maggie was there, they knew Paul was there, and they knew Alec was there. There was nobody else there. Had there been somebody else there with them, that the dogs would have been, you know, a little restless and barking and. And they weren't. And then when he removed. Even when he was removing the chicken, you know, a lot of times the dogs will sit there and make noises and, and bark, and they weren't barking. They were familiar with it. They were familiar with them.
A
And so it would have been Alec, Maggie and Paul. Is there anybody else that would have kept the dogs from alerting?
B
No, because any vehicle that would have come up the driveway or been right up the driveway, you know, as people try to say that somebody else must have come on the property and. And did it? I don't believe so. You don't hear the dogs. The dogs would have alerted. That hound on the end of the kennels would have alerted that somebody was coming or somebody was at the end of that driveway.
A
When do you think they got there?
B
The cleaners? Yeah, when he's on the phone with 911 right before.
A
Okay.
B
Because you can hear the dogs at that point. You can hear the water running. So there was some kind to me that tells me there was some kind of cleanup going on. And then he said it himself here, even though they tried to scramble it up and say he was talking to the dispatcher? I don't believe so.
A
Did they know ahead of time to come?
B
I. I don't believe that they knew what they were coming out there for. I don't.
A
Why do you think they're keeping quiet?
B
I. I don't know.
A
Fear?
B
No, I don't think it's fear. I think there's other possibilities. Maybe fear, maybe other possibilities, you know, financial. I don't know.
A
Do you think they'll ever come forward
B
and. And risk going to prison? No. No.
A
Do you think they'll be found out?
B
I think at this point in time, too much time has gone by for. For any kind of evidence.
A
Can you tell me if you think that it's. Can you. And I'm not going to put. I mean, blankie. You tell me exactly what you want to tell me about this, but can you tell me whether it's family or friends of Alex that. That you suspect? Were the cleaners.
B
No.
A
Or were they hired?
B
I don't believe they were hired, but that's the full extent that I'm gonna say. I know people want me to say exactly who I think.
A
Right.
B
But you. You can't. You can't accuse people without any kind of evidence. And I would be getting in different territory if I said something like that, so.
A
Yeah, no, I understand, Blanca, and I respect that tremendously. Do you have any idea, like, as you've thought about this, the guns could be that were used, the murder weapons?
B
I have no idea. I have no idea.
A
I mean, there have been wild theories out there, and I'm sure you've seen them.
B
I've. I've heard one, that they were buried. And. And if that was the case, I can guarantee you that that grave site would have been dug up already. So. So, no, that's. That. I don't believe that one. You know, there's other people say it's at the bottom of the ocean somewhere. I do not believe they were disposed to tell you the truth. I. I do not believe they were disposed for the simple fact that they were valuable, very valuable.
A
So they're still out there somewhere.
B
I believe they're still out there somewhere, but I don't. I do not believe they were disposed of because they were very valuable.
A
So, like, how valuable?
B
The. The rifle and the. The guns, you know, they. They were valuable. They were, you know, in upwards of thousands of dollars.
A
So somebody. Somebody kept them.
B
I. I really do believe.
A
Are you still, Blanca, are you still getting threats out there for. For writing your book or. You know, last time we talked to you, you were dealing with some threatening behavior.
B
I'm at peace with everything. I stand by what I. What I wrote, and I'm at peace. I. People are going to have their opinions. You have people, for some reason that want you to Be miserable right along with them. You have other people that want you to succeed and then you have the ones that don't want you to succeed. And so they will say and do whatever they can to make you look bad in front of others, to try to discredit you or to try to make you look like you're a bad person. I, I pray every day with a humble heart. I don't feel the need to be fearful of, of anybody because I spoke the truth. Whether they like it or not, it's something that they have to deal with, not me. I spoke about a friendship that I had that some find it hard to believe, but obviously they didn't really know her, so they don't know what she was truly like. Do we all, sure we all, you know, do we all have our faults? Of course we do. All of us, all of us have, you know, our good and our bad. And I'm not, I have never said that she was perfect. All I've, all I've tried to say is she was human, she loved life, she full of laughter. And the same thing with Paul. He was villainized, but yet he, what he did have a good heart and I wanted that to come out as well because what the portrayal that they had. And then even Anthony Cook, you know, despite what happened and the hurt and the pain and everything that, that he caused, Anthony still spoke, said he would give you the shirt off his back.
A
Yeah.
B
And regardless, I, I know that if he would have it, it hurt Paul, you know, especially that Anthony wasn't around as much. Right. And, and I feel the same way. You know, Anthony is a good man. He's a good young man, hard working young man. And for him to say that, I know it took a lot out of him and if he was able to do speak out, you know, against the ones that were saying bad things about Paul, then shouldn't that matter to people that here he was, you know, he heard him but yet he did speak out and said that's not who he truly was. And I wanted people to see that. It meant a lot to me what he said. It really did.
A
I mean, are you expecting that the police in the or the AG's office is going to re interview you?
B
I don't know whether they are or whether they're not. I, I really don't.
A
Are you expecting them to find Alec Murdoch guilty again?
B
I, I do. I, I hope he gets a fair trial because we all deserve a fair trial. I stand by Maggie and Paul though. I don't want them Forgotten. It's not about him anymore. It's about the two individuals that lost their lives. And that's my main focus, is to make sure that Maggie and Paul are not forgotten in the whole process. People go on with their lives. And I know a lot of people gonna say, well, you need to go on with your life. I have gone on with my life. I. I have, and I'm doing the best I can, but she was my friend, and friends do for other friends. Despite the fact that I can't. She can't answer me back when I speak to her or when I go to the grave site. It still does not stop the fact that she was my friend and he was my friend. That was my bonus friend, as I call him in. As long as I'm able, I'm going to continue to take care of, you know, their graves and, and speak out about them because they were, you know, they. They were. They weren't perfect, but they. They were my friends.
A
Blanca, do you, you know, as far as the people that are involved, you know, I think about how this feels kind for the, for the victims in this, like Buster, Maggie's sister, the other, you know, Alex brothers. I think of all of them as victims in this as well. As far as having to go through a trial again. Do you, Are you. Do you stay in touch with the family? Did you know them well?
B
The only family members that I knew well was Maggie, Alex, you know, and Paul. Buster was a little more reserved. And I'm not saying it in a bad way, it's just the type of person that he was. He spoke, he was very, you know, very respectful, but that's just who he was. They have two totally different personalities.
A
Did you know anything about Curtis Eddy Smith?
B
I've met him. I met him twice. I met him on the property probably. I believe it was around July 2021.
A
Okay.
B
After the murders, he came on the property with two other individuals to pick up. They. Alec called it a high boy. It was like a bulldozer. And they loaded it up on the back of a 18 wheeler and that was it. He notified me that they were coming on the property. I. That's the first time I met him there. I do have a photo of another individual that had come on the property prior to. Because I. I put cameras out and it did pick up a vehicle out there with one of the gentlemen. I, I saw it later on where the gentleman that was actually driving the high boy from the back of the property to load it up was the gentleman that was in The. In the truck that was out there prior to them picking it up.
A
The same day?
B
No, it was a different day.
A
Who was that picking up? The high boy.
B
The Mr. Eddie Smith was one of them. I don't know who the truck driver was, and I don't know the other gentleman that was there.
A
Okay. Why were they picking it up? To just load it, haul it off.
B
Alex. According to the message Alex sent me, they were gonna fix it. Okay. There was something wrong with it, so I. Did that make sense to you? Well, I, I never. I didn't doubt him for one minute when he would tell me that, you know, certain people were, you know, fixing equipment or coming to pick up. I didn't doubt him for one minute. I just, you know, I went along with what he was telling me and, and just made sure that they picked up the equipment and, you know, left the property. But other than that, I don't. I, I never questioned it.
A
Is it suspicious to you now?
B
Oh, of course, of course. You know, you go back and you, you look at things and you're like, oh, wow, why didn't. I would. Nobody suspected. It was. Nobody suspected Alex. So there was no reason for me to, to doubt anything he said.
A
What do you think they were doing?
B
Personally, I think he sold it to try to get money. Yeah,
A
but nothing to do with the murders necessarily.
B
No, not at all. I do not believe that that was the reason that they were there. You know, they had anything to do with it. No, not at all.
A
Well, back to why we. We wanted to talk to you today, too, Blanca. I mean,
B
you're.
A
You're going to be back in the center of this to some degree, just by nature of who you are and how close you are to, To Maggie and Paul. Do you think enough new information has. Has come out that will, that will end up helping the defense or helping the prosecution in all of this?
B
Other than, you know, Ms. Becky Hill having something to do with tampering, you know, with a jury, I have no idea what new evidence they have. I haven't spoken to either side of it, so I don't know.
A
Do you think that. Do you think Carleton county, in this whole area, is ready for another trial with Alec Murdoch?
B
I would say that they would be better prepared this time around if it was to happen. Do I believe it's going to happen in Colleton County? I do not. No, you don't. I, I, I believe they would probably change venues because of the publicity, but then again, you know, this would give him the opportunity at redemption, you know, for whatever it was that people looked at him.
A
You know, I'm going to be talking to Dick Harpootlian in a. In a little bit. I've got an interview with him later today. Blanca, is there anything that you would ask him?
B
I know he has a job to do. It's. And I know a lot of people like to. Like to hate on them. I don't hate anybody, first of all. I don't. It's not with me. Everybody has different job description. That is his job and I respect his job. I might disagree with certain things, but that is his job and I respect that. Just like I expect for people to respect my job, you know, or my position. I think people need to give him a chance to explain because I think there was so much, so much criticism that went on. And I. I think, like I said, it's just a regular job to him.
A
Right. Well, he's gonna try and convince us that Alec Murdoch didn't do this. So I guess here comes part two. We'll see what happens. It is his job, though, as you said.
B
If they really want to exonerate him, then they have to go into more detail in explaining. Certain things. You know, the car. Why was the car parked over there?
A
Why.
B
You know, why. Why did you really slow down where her phone was found when you never drove like that? He always drove. When he pulled out of that driveway and got on the road, it didn't matter where he was going. He was going to put his foot in that gas and go. So that does not. I don't care how they spin it, he sped everywhere he went, and all of a sudden you're going to slow down and then next thing you know, you find the phone right there. Explain that to me. And there's. There's a lot of little things that. And who are you really talking to? When you said here at the kennels when you were on the phone with a dispatcher, Those are things that I, That I would like explained.
A
The AG's office has 15 days to file an appeal to the State Supreme Court's decision, but the AG says he fully plans to retry this case. It'll be so interesting to see if there's any new witnesses called or any new evidence presented. You can guarantee I'm going to be there. And at the end of this month, Blanca and I will be at CrimeCon Vegas. And if you want to see us in person at our live panel on May 29, and I'm going to give you 10% off with the promo code crimly obsessed. One word. I can't wait to see you there.
Host: Anne Emerson
Guest: Blanca Trubiate Simpson, former Murdaugh housekeeper and close friend of Maggie Murdaugh
Date: May 15, 2026
This episode delves into the emotional aftermath of the South Carolina Supreme Court's decision to overturn Alec Murdoch's double murder conviction. Anne Emerson talks at length with Blanca Trubiate Simpson, who served as the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper and was also Maggie’s close confidante. Through personal memories, legal insights, and first-hand observations, the episode explores overlooked details in the case, examines the enduring impact on those closest to the victims, and uncovers new questions as the possibility of a new trial looms.
Blanca’s Initial Response: Blanca describes how she heard about the news while at home preparing lunch for her husband, recounting a wave of disbelief and disappointment upon hearing from her co-author, Ms. Fran.
Overwhelmed by Emotion: Blanca admits to being deeply unsettled and emotionally affected, grappling with both disappointment and sadness.
Theory of Assistance: Blanca doubles down on her assertion that two individuals (the “cleaners”) may have helped Alec Murdoch after the murders, particularly in removing weapons.
Dogs’ Behavior as Evidence: She argues that the dogs’ calmness in video/audio supports her conclusion that no unknown persons were present during the murders.
Timing of Cleaners’ Arrival: She speculates that these individuals arrived just before Alec called 911, possibly during clean-up.
Limits of Her Accusations: Blanca refuses to publicly name suspects—“I know people want me to say exactly who I think… but you can't accuse people without any kind of evidence.” (22:44 – B)
Throughout, Anne Emerson maintains a compassionate, investigative tone. Blanca is heartfelt, candid, and unwavering in her commitment to speaking her truth and honoring her friends’ memories, occasionally reflecting with gentle humor or sorrow.
This episode provides a deeply personal look at the impact of the Murdoch case beyond the courtroom. For listeners, it frames the legal developments within the lived reality of those closest to the victims, highlighting the importance of remembering Maggie and Paul as people—not merely as names in a sensational headline.