Talking Dateline: The Bluegrass Mystery

Summary

Dateline NBC: Talking Dateline – "The Bluegrass Mystery" (July 15, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this episode of "Talking Dateline," Andrea Canning and Blaine Alexander delve deep into the case explored in Blaine's Dateline episode "The Bluegrass Mystery." The story unfolds around the disappearance and murder of Ella Jackson, a devoted Kentucky mother, and the complicated web of relationships and suspicions that surrounded her case. The conversation is a blend of investigative breakdown, personal reflection, and heartfelt tribute to Ella’s character, concluding with rare moments of hope for her surviving son, Alex.

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Episode Breakdown

1. Case Recap & Context

[02:03]

• Blaine Alexander provides a summary:
  • The story takes place in Kentucky, centered on Ella Jackson, a cherished mother of two—adult son Philip and six-year-old Alex.
  • Ella's husband, Glenn Jackson, reports her missing with an oddly calm 911 call. Police initially take little action.
  • Alarm is raised a day later when Ella’s adult son, Philip, contacts police: “This is not like my mom. This doesn’t seem good. Please investigate.”
  • Three men in Ella’s life emerge as persons of interest: Glenn (current husband), Jason (ex-husband), and Philip.
  • Through twists and turns, suspicion lands firmly on Glenn, who is found to have murdered Ella and disposed of her body.

2. The 911 Calls & Early Red Flags

[02:48–04:19]

• Andrea highlights the “bizarre” nature of Glenn’s 911 call, noting its flat affect and absence of genuine concern.

  “It was the oddest thing that I have ever heard.” – Blaine Alexander [03:13]

• Blaine emphasizes the critical role Philip played in pushing police to take the case seriously.

3. Suspicions Around the Ex-Husband, Jason

[06:08–08:11]

• Andrea discusses initial suspicion on Jason, Ella’s ex-husband, especially as another of his wives (his first, Irina Hans) was murdered decades prior and the case remains unsolved.
• Blaine explains Jason’s attitude:

  “He drew a distinction… the fact that she was killed by somebody with whom she was supposed to have been the safest, her spouse, that is the one that really angers him… that’s more of a cruel crime in his mind.” [07:08]

4. The Unsolved Murder of Irina Hans

[08:49–10:42]

• The show explores the unsolved 2002 case of Irina Hans, Jason’s first wife, killed near a metro station during the DC Sniper panic.

  “She was found with a can of mace in her hand. And… they didn’t see that there was any sign of a struggle or anything.” – Blaine Alexander [09:41]

• Blaine encourages listeners with any information to contact Prince George’s County Police at 1-866-411-TIPS.

5. The Guardianship of Alex and Family Resilience

[12:37–14:18]

• Ella’s ex-husband, Jason, and his wife Natalia, adopt Alex following Ella’s murder.

  “Their love didn’t work in, in a marriage setting, but it really did, really did work…” – Blaine Alexander [13:54]

• Natalia’s openness and role as adoptive mother is celebrated:

  “What a beautiful show of love on her part to just say… okay, come on in. We’re gonna adopt on, become a full time mom.” – Andrea Canning [13:54]

6. Who Was Ella Jackson?

[14:18–17:09]

• Blaine plays a moving clip from Ella's friend and neighbor, Jolynn Stevenson, illustrating Ella’s devotion as a mom:

  “Very seriously. It was her primary focus in life… She was all in.” – Jolynn Stevenson [14:41; 14:50] “I never heard her speak negatively about them… She never used those moments to burden someone else with that frustration.” [15:31; 15:50]

7. Ella’s Secret Precautions & Awareness of Danger

[18:03–19:01]

• Ella made close to 70 recordings of interactions with Glenn out of fear for Alex’s safety:

  “She was very clear she was in danger… she was recording. She wrote in her journal… and she even told her adult son, hey, if something happens to me, here’s where you need to look.” – Blaine Alexander [18:03]

8. Glenn Jackson’s Personality and Police Interactions

[19:01–20:40]

• Glenn’s odd behaviors are highlighted, such as inappropriate encounters at a dog park:

  “He squats down, keeps getting back up. I mean, all of it together just paints a picture of a very strange individual… somebody who always wanted to be the smartest person in the room.” – Blaine Alexander [20:01; 20:24]

• Observed by both friends and Detective Friend as arrogant and socially awkward.

9. The “Confession” That Wasn’t Reported

[20:43–21:52]

• Glenn confessed to a friend, but the friend hesitated to report it.

  “He confesses… I was like, why not take this to police? He eventually did, but he said… I didn’t know if it was real. Really wasn’t sure.” – Blaine Alexander [21:34]

10. The Sentence and Community Response

[22:16–23:01]

• Glenn received an Alford plea, serving house arrest for five years and potentially released by 2034.
• There’s widespread frustration with the light sentence and nature of the plea.

  “It just incensed a lot of people. It really did.” – Blaine Alexander [22:21]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Glenn’s lack of visible worry:

  “[Glenn] has no concern in his voice, doesn’t seem worried. In fact, he basically says, this isn’t a big deal.” – Blaine Alexander [03:39]

• On the odds around Jason:

  “It is really unbelievable…that she would be somebody whose wife is murdered in cold blood…and then decades later, almost essentially the same thing happens.” – Blaine Alexander [06:49]

• On the resilience of family:

  “He is the person that kind of took over. So he said, you know, I know what Alex meant to her. Like, I love him simply because loved him. And so that’s really what started.” – Blaine Alexander [13:54]

• On Ella’s mothering:

  “She never used those moments to burden someone else with that frustration…It sounds like she was just really mindful of the energy she put out to everybody around her.” – Jolynn Stevenson and Blaine Alexander [15:50; 16:01]

• On victim premonition:

  “She made close to 70 kind of secret recordings…she was very clear that she was in danger.” – Blaine Alexander [18:03]

• On community impact:

  “Jolynn talks about the fact that… she still lives nearby, and so she sees the guy walk into the mailbox… That’s just got to be terrifying.” – Blaine Alexander [22:21]

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Audience Comments & Social Media

[24:44–29:32]

• Listeners who had Glenn as a professor at EKU recall him "acting weird" around the time of Ella’s disappearance.

  “He was my professor at the time of the murder.” – Christian Geheart [25:09]

• Viewers often pick up on case details during episodes, sometimes spotting things producers miss.
• Many use the podcast as a comfort or bedtime listen, sparking anecdotes about being recognized by voice alone.

---

Case Motive – Listener Q&A

[29:32]

• Jude Marie Goudreau and Carol Colleen McDonald ask about Glenn’s motive.
  • Blaine: “He didn’t confess, he didn’t admit anything… but they do believe that perhaps the tipping point… was Ella finally being about to leave and him getting upset and flying into a rage…”

---

Conclusion

The conversation closes reflecting on the rare "happy ending": the adoption of Alex into a loving family, Ella's forward-thinking protection of her children, and the enduring strength of her legacy. Audience engagement is encouraged for future episodes.

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Timestamps for Reference

• Introduction & Episode Recap — [02:03]
• 911 Calls & Red Flags — [02:48–04:19]
• Suspicion on Ex-Husband — [06:08–08:11]
• Irina Hans Unsolved Case — [08:49–10:42]
• Alex’s Adoption/Family — [12:37–14:18]
• Ella’s Character (JoLynn's Interview) — [14:18–17:09]
• Ella’s Precautions — [18:03–19:01]
• Insight into Glenn’s Behavior — [19:01–20:40]
• Non-reported Confession — [20:43–21:52]
• Sentence and Community Reaction — [22:16–23:01]
• Listener Experiences & Comments — [24:44–29:32]
• Listener Q&A: Motive — [29:32]

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For further details or to provide tips regarding the Irina Hans case, call Prince George’s County Police Department at 1-866-411-TIPS.

---

Transcript

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[Jolynn Stevenson]

Hi, everyone.

[Andrea Canning]

I'm Andrea Canning and we are talking Dateline. And today we're joined by Blaine Alexander to talk about her episode the Bluegrass Mystery. And if you haven't seen it, you can watch the episode on Peacock or listen to it in the Dateline podcast feed and then come right back here later. We'll have an extra clip from Blaine's interview with one of Ella Jackson's friends about the two words she'd used to describe Ella as a mom. But first, let's talk Dateline. Hey, Blaine, how are you?

[Blaine Alexander]

Let's do it. Andrea, I'm so glad to see you.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

How are you?

[Grainger Spokesperson]

Good.

[Andrea Canning]

And I hope that you had a wonderful birthday because.

[Blaine Alexander]

I know. Thank you so much.

[Andrea Canning]

It was a big one. Congratulations.

[Blaine Alexander]

40 years, which is wild.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, I'm sorry, I was gonna say 30. I thought you were 30.

[Blaine Alexander]

That's so sweet.

[Andrea Canning]

Like, you look 30.

[Blaine Alexander]

Thank you, Milo. I'll take it. I'll take all of that energy as I enter my 40s.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, okay.

[Interviewer/Host]

So.

[Andrea Canning]

All right, so let's, let's. Right to this episode. Blaine, first, just give us a little recap of the Bluegrass mystery and what it was about.

[Blaine Alexander]

So this is a story that takes place in Kentucky. As the name might tell you, this centered around Ella Jackson. She is somebody who was a fantastic mom by all accounts. She had an adult son, Philip, and a younger son who's about 6 years old named Alex. But one day, her husband called 911 to say that she'd gone missing. Police don't do anything until about 24 hours later, when her adult son calls and says, you know what? This is not like my mom. This doesn't seem good. Please investigate. Investigators look at three men in her life. Her current husband, Glenn, her ex husband Jason, to whom she's still very close and friendly, and her adult son Philip. And so, through a number of different twists and turns, they ultimately settle on Glenn Jackson, her current husband, who had killed her and disposed of her body.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, I mean, let's start from the beginning. That 911 call, that was one of the most bizarre 911 calls I think I've ever heard where, you know, he's saying, you know, I heard on a show you don't wait to report someone missing. And then he's talking about how everything is great, like, with him or I just. What is happening in this nine call?

[Blaine Alexander]

It was the oddest thing that I have ever heard.

[Interviewer/Host]

Can I just watch? How can I help you? Hi, my name is Glenn Jackson. This is not an emergency. I haven't heard from my wife in over 24 hours. Okay. Is the child with you? Yes, yes. And he's. He's fine. Everything's great. I don't personally think anything is wrong, but I heard on the show a while back that you don't wait three or four days to report somebody missing. Right.

[Blaine Alexander]

And I kept. I kind of refer to this as like the tale of 2911 calls, because you have these two calls that come in in about 24 hours apart. But, yes, the first one is from Glenn Jackson, her husband, who has no concern in his voice, doesn't seem worried. In fact, he basically says, this isn't a big deal. My son and I are good. It's just that my wife is gone and I don't know where she is. And so most people list to that would say, oh, that's. That's an odd reason to call 91 1. But when I spoke with the investigator who led this entire thing, he told me that he really gives so much credit to Philip, Ella's adult son, for making that second 911 calling, saying, Please check into this. This is not my mom's normal. Normal behavior. Yeah, you need to look further into this.

[Interviewer/Host]

It.

[Andrea Canning]

It reminded me of when I was a local news anchor reporter in Cincinnati. I was working the Nightbeat, you know, and I had been sent to the police station to cover some story and came in to the little waiting area where I was waiting to do my interview. He comes in and he tells them at the window that his wife is missing, and he's very calm. Like, doesn't seem really too concerned. I'm sitting right there listening to the whole thing. And I said to him, I was like, do you, like, do you want help from the news? Like, I'm a news reporter. Would you like? And he's like, no, no, no, no, it's fine. We're not there. And I was like, all right, you know, I guess it's probably fine. She'll turn up. And sure enough, her body was found behind a motel. And it went unsolved for a really long time until I looked it up not too long ago, like, whatever happened to that woman? And he pled guilty to her murder. So I was there the moment he reported her missing in the police department. I just happened to be sitting there on a bench listening to the whole thing and thinking, this guy's a little too calm.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah. You know, I mean, that's kind of how it is, right? Like, we say this a billion times whenever we do these stories. There is no guidebook or playbook of how you should react when something like this should unfortunately befall your family. But if your wife has gone missing, if someone you love is just gone and you don't know where they are, yes, you would expect a certain level of, you know, fervor, concern.

[Andrea Canning]

Something. I have to be honest. I also think as. As uncomfortable as that situation would be to be in, I think I would probably go down to the police station and say, hey, is there somebody I can talk to? But I digress. Blaine Featherson.

[Blaine Alexander]

That's so funny.

[Andrea Canning]

So let's talk about Jason, who you mentioned was the. The ex husband. This was unbelievable to me. So as much as I thought, based on that opening 911 call, that Glenn had done this, then I hear about Jason and the fact that he has a wife who was murdered and it was unsolved. I was like, okay, Jason. Wow, Jason must have done this. You know, I was really. It really threw me for a loop because what are the odds? And now your second ex wife has been murdered, and you're still close to that ex wife. I thought maybe he's not over her. And, you know, he did this.

[Blaine Alexander]

It is really unbelievable that there's somebody who essentially, lightning would strike twice, right? Like, that she would be somebody whose wife is murdered in cold blood. I mean, he's young. They're just starting their lives together, and then decades later, almost essentially the same thing happens. Right. He was still very emotional when he spoke about his first wife, Arena.

[Andrea Canning]

Like, he.

[Blaine Alexander]

He started tearing up, and I think it even caught him by surprise. Right. Because this is 20 plus years removed from this. This crime, and it still chokes him up. It's interesting, though, he drew a distinction, because I asked him, I said, how. How does one get through something like that, have another tragedy happen and then get through that again? And he said he sees them so very differently. He says his first wife, he's like, this is like the product of a system. What whoever would go up to someone and just kill them in cold blood. There was some sort of societal something that made this person the way they were. Right. That was kind of his rationale of it. But he said, but when he talks about Ella, the fact that she was killed by somebody with whom she was supposed to have been the safest, her spouse, that is the one that really angers him because that's the place where you're supposed to be safe. That is a cruel. Like that. That's more of a cruel crime in his mind. But to your question, though, Andrea, about. Certainly it makes him look suspicious. And that's exactly what detective friend told me. That's what the chief told me. Even if they were very suspicious of Glenn, there's no way that you cannot take a second and third look at Jason when you hear that.

[Andrea Canning]

It sounds like he struggled a little bit with the interview. Even though he's an open book, he had nothing to hide. But it sounds like it was very hard for him to sit down and talk about all this.

[Blaine Alexander]

I think it was hard for him to talk about his first wife to a degree, because that is. That is still so raw. I think his. His in talking about Ella, his focus was very much, I want to get justice for her. And so he channeled it. There's grief, but also there's, like I said, anger. And there was a lot of just like, no, we're going to nail this guy.

[Andrea Canning]

I mean, it must be really unsettling to know that Irina, his first wife, that that crime is still unsolved to this day. How many years has it been?

[Blaine Alexander]

More than 20 years, easily. Well, here's what's strange about this, Andrea. This happened right in the midst of the DC Sniper.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, my gosh. I remember that like it was yesterday.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah.

[Grainger Spokesperson]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

I mean, it's something that all of us remember. We remember just the terror. And so when we went to Prince George's county and I spoke with the detectives there, I mean, they just kind of talked about, remember the fear, like everybody. They were hanging, remember tarps over gas stations so people could pump their gas and it was just terrifying. And so initially, when they found her just shot dead, nothing taken, no robbery, they thought, oh, my God, is this another sniper victim? And so they investigated it like that for. For a little bit, but then they realized it doesn't fit the pattern.

[Andrea Canning]

So. Yeah, I mean, is there anything. Blaine, I was just thinking, since it's unsolved Irina's case, are there any details that you can give to people listening if there's any tips to be called in?

[Blaine Alexander]

This is something that the Prince George's county executive wanted to speak about because it is. I mean, at the end of the day, it's a cold case, and they were very eager to have the opportunity to speak about this case. It happened off the green line. She was walking from the metro station to her apartment and she was shot point blank, blank range. Nothing was taken. No cards, no credit cards, no money, no anything. She was found with a can of mace in her hand. And that's it. They didn't see that there was any sign of a struggle or anything?

[Interviewer/Host]

No.

[Blaine Alexander]

No assault. Part of the reason why they thought sniper initially, because there seemed to be no reason. No rhyme, no reason, no anything like that. I asked the detective, I said it was almost like somebody was laying in wait, waiting for her. He said, yes, that's what it seemed like. So somebody who would have known that she lived there, that she takes the metro, that she kind of walks that path. But, yes, they are looking for any tips. And so they said, hey, if it jogs any memories, if anybody remembers anything, to please call Prince George's.

[Andrea Canning]

Do you know her last name?

[Blaine Alexander]

Hans.

[Andrea Canning]

Hans.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

Okay.

[Andrea Canning]

Yep.

[Blaine Alexander]

Arena Hans.

[Andrea Canning]

Who should people call if they have a tip?

[Blaine Alexander]

They should call Prince George's County Police Department. Okay, and that's 1 866-411-TIPS. And her name was Irina Hans. So they're looking for any information.

[Andrea Canning]

Well, I'm sure she has a family who would love to get more answers, including Jason. So.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jason.

[Andrea Canning]

Absolutely, Blaine. When we get back, we are going to play a little bit more of your interview with Ella's friend Jolynn, who is going to talk to us about what an incredible mother Ella was.

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[Andrea Canning]

You know, what a, what a wonderful twist in a really horrible story that Jason and his wife are adopting Ella's son Alex. I mean, that was really amazing.

[Blaine Alexander]

You know, it's one of those things where you never know kind of how a story will end. And happy endings are so very rare when we, when we do these types of stories. But that really was just a beautiful, a beautiful wrap up of all of this. I think the whole thing, the relationship between Jason and Ella is just a beautiful reminder that love can take so many different forms. They didn't work as husband and wife, but they still really had love for each other and wanted to remain in each other's lives to the point that Ella, I mean, it was clear that Jason was the person she trusted when she was trying to get away from Glenn. She would call Jason when she was trying to figure out, how do I, you know, I'm not in a good marriage, I'm not in a good situation, what should I do? That was the person that she kind of went to for advice. And so their love didn't work in, in a marriage setting, but it really did, really did work. I mean, he is the person that kind of took over. So he said, you know, I know what Alex meant to her. Like, I love him simply because loved him. And so that's really what started. And I have to give a shout out to Natalia as well, because that's Jason Hans current wife.

[Andrea Canning]

His wife.

[Blaine Alexander]

And what a beautiful show of love on her part to just say, gosh, we don't have kids, but okay, come on in. We're gonna, we're Gonna adopt on, become a full time mom. I mean, that is.

[Andrea Canning]

That is what good people.

[Blaine Alexander]

Something Elle.

[Andrea Canning]

And, you know, Ella, by all accounts, it sounds like she was an incredible mom. And I know we have an extra clip from one of Ella's friends talking about Ella as a mom.

[Interviewer/Host]

Who.

[Andrea Canning]

Who are we going to hear from, Blaine?

[Blaine Alexander]

In this clip, we're gonna hear from Jolynn Stevenson. She is a neighbor of Ella's, lived nearby and basically watched Ella raise Alex and got to know her very well. They go from, you know, just being, oh, neighbors we wave. To becoming really, really good friends. And so she speaks beautifully about the kind of mother that Ella was. Ella took motherhood very seriously.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

Very seriously. It was her primary focus in life.

[Blaine Alexander]

What did that look like? Just kind of describe that for me.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

All in. All in. It was. That was her main focus. She felt, or at least it seemed that she felt if she could throw as much love and joy and, you know, a real wonderness of childhood into her children, that maybe what she had been through wouldn't be forced onto them.

[Blaine Alexander]

Her sons really were at the center

[Jolynn Stevenson]

of her world all the time. Absolutely.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

How would she. Whatever a parent talks about their child, there's typically this kind of sound of pride in their voice. I mean, you can feel the love. You can feel the pride. How would Ella talk about her sons

[Jolynn Stevenson]

exactly as she said, with pride being the center of her world? I never heard her speak negatively about them. I never heard her be frustrated with them. I'm sure she was. I'm sure she was.

[Blaine Alexander]

I'm a mother.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

I know you're a mother, you know,

[Blaine Alexander]

but she never said, oh, my gosh, driving me crazy. He's driving. He's doing all this stuff.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

She never used those moments to burden someone else with that frustration.

[Blaine Alexander]

It sounds like she was just really mindful of the energy she put out to everybody around her.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

Yes. And I to this day, do not know how she did it.

[Blaine Alexander]

It's a skill.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

It's an incredible skill.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

It's an incredible skill.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Jolynn Stevenson]

I don't know how she did it.

[Blaine Alexander]

So that was Jolynn. I mean, you could just hear Andrea when she talks about her friend. She just admired her. I mean, she was kind of a mom role model for her. She talks about just the many ways that Ella would pour into Alex. And we keep talking about Alex, of course, because he was the younger one, but it was the very same with Philip. But by this time, Philip was an adult. He's grown. I mean, they had a close relationship, but it was very different. But I mean, would read to him constantly. I mean, just filling his mind with science. And it's interesting because when I met Alex, you know, and we said he didn't want to show his face current day, but he really wanted to be there to honor his mom. He is a brilliant child. I mean, worldly. It's clear that he travels a lot now with Jason and Natalia, but he traveled a lot with his mom. You know, when you come across kids and you're like, oh, you're gonna do well, like he is. He is one of those children. And so you can see just the nurturing that his mom poured into him, even at an early age. And so JoLynn really captured that, I think.

[Andrea Canning]

I love that. I love that. I mean, that that is one of the best endings, you know, that I've seen in a while, where the son runs into the arms of two loving people who really want him and are going to, you know, keep him hopefully on the right track, which it sounds like he's doing great. So.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

And who actually knew his mom, like, Jason actually knew his mom and can really speak about his mom. So it really is such a beautiful situation for him.

[Andrea Canning]

One of the things that really struck me from this story that we see so often is victims speaking through their own words from before they died. And this was a really good example of a victim who had big concerns and kind of knew that something might happen.

[Blaine Alexander]

I mean, she made close to 70 kind of secret recordings. Yeah. Of these interactions that she had with Glenn. The reason that she was trying to get all of her ducks in a row, according to Jason, was that she was fearful of what would happen to Alex if she were to leave, because she said, this is, according to Jason, to the investigators, that she feared that Glenn had connections, he had money, he had means, and that were she to leave, that he would be able to take custody of Alex. And so she was trying to work with an attorney, she was trying to work with advocates to kind of figure out what she could do to get out of the situation, but also make sure that she kept custody of her young son. And so that was, by all accounts, kind of the delay in getting out. But in the meantime, she was very clear that she was in danger. And so she was recording. She wrote in her journal to say, basically, this. This about her husband. And then, as you heard from Philip in one of the police interviews, she even told her adult son, hey, if something happens to me, here's where you need to look.

[Andrea Canning]

All the red flags were there, and he is just an odd guy, Glenn, he drops to his knees at the park when he's been annoying women. And then the officer sees him, and he drops to his knees and says, this is how I talk to students. And you're like, yeah, these are not kindergarten students. These are college students.

[Blaine Alexander]

Basically adults. Yes. I'm so glad that we got that. That body camera video, because it really had nothing to do with the story, but it. It gave a very good window into the type of person that Glenn wasn't just as. Just his oddities. I mean, I think Detective Friend did a very good job of describing it in our interview. And I should mention that was our. That was the first time Detective Friend had ever sat down, ever done an interview. That was the first time he'd spoken about this. But he really talked about in those long interviews that he would have with Glenn just how strange it was. I mean, this is somebody who's just.

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Would be.

[Blaine Alexander]

I guess the word filibuster comes to mind. I mean, he would sit in filibuster and just have these kind of meandering explanations. But then, yes, the.

[Andrea Canning]

The.

[Blaine Alexander]

The body camera video. He's out there at a dog park talking to women, but obviously they're very uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough to call police. He squats down, keeps getting back up. I mean, all of it together just paints a picture of a very strange individual. But the detective was very clear. But he was like, you know, this is somebody who always wanted to be the smartest person in the room.

[Grainger Spokesperson]

Right?

[Blaine Alexander]

And that's the same thing that JoLynn said about him. That's the same thing that Dana, another one of Ella's friends, said about him. All of them were like, he is this person who wanted to be the smartest person in the room and kind of had this way of talking down to people in a sense.

[Andrea Canning]

Meanwhile, he was like, the weirdest guy in the room.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah, strangest for sure.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, so I do. I'm. I'm. I never want to be judgy. However, I will say this.

[Blaine Alexander]

I love this intro, by the way.

[Andrea Canning]

I'm sure this man is very nice. But the friend who did not tell the police when Glenn basically confessed to killing Ella. And then he was like, I didn't know if it was a real confession. I'm like, how about you err on the side of caution?

[Blaine Alexander]

I mean, the confession itself was wild, right? That Glenn called him over under the guise of, hey, let's get our kids together. Let's have a play date. And he takes his phones. He describes how Glenn took both of their phones and put them in the car, like, away from them.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, my gosh.

[Blaine Alexander]

And then comes back and kind of, you know, the way that we were standing leaning against the car, that's kind of how the conversation went. Essentially, according to him, this is not

[Andrea Canning]

enough for this man.

[Blaine Alexander]

And he confesses. And he confesses.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

That this might be real.

[Blaine Alexander]

And, you know, and I, you heard me ask him, I was like, why not take this to police? He eventually did, but he said, yeah, she hadn't been found. I didn't know if it was real. Really wasn't sure. There are some questions I know that some folks have over that, but that's. Yes.

[Andrea Canning]

Well, you were very nice to him, but I was like, come on, let's just use some common sense here. A lot was made of the sentence that Glenn received. And I'm sorry, but, like, he could be out by 2034. First of all, he's on house arrest. Then they give him time served for his house arrest, and then it's this short.

[Blaine Alexander]

So let's talk about the house arrest. To make bond on murder charges first is.

[Andrea Canning]

Is wild.

[Blaine Alexander]

But to come out and to be able to be on house arrest for five years, I mean, that is an incredibly long time. And Jolin talks about the fact that, I mean, remember, she still lives nearby, and so she sees the guy walk into the mailbox. Like, she sees him knowing that he's been arrested for allegedly killing her friend. That's just got to be terrifying in and of itself. But then move on to that and then he. Or move on past that. And it's the Alford plea that he takes. And just. Yeah, for Alford plea, for anybody who's listening, it's basically acknowledging that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict you without actually pleading guilty to it or taking responsibility. And that just incensed a lot of people. It really did.

[Andrea Canning]

And then. Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah, yeah. And then that sentence is short, like you said.

[Andrea Canning]

All right, Blaine. Coming up next, we are going to highlight some of the questions and comments people have.

[Blaine Alexander]

Love it.

[Andrea Canning]

Come on.

[Blaine Alexander]

All right.

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[Blaine Alexander]

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[Andrea Canning]

Okay, welcome back. We have your questions and comments from social media and we actually heard Blaine from people who had Glenn as a professor at Eastern Kentucky.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh wow. Interesting. Oh, okay, let's hear these. Can you imagine looking back and saying I was actually in his lectures while this was going on?

[Interviewer/Host]

No. No.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay.

[Andrea Canning]

So Mackenzie Combs wrote, I was a student in his class at Eastern while all this was occurring. Very interesting watch for sure. Christian Geheart, he was my professor at the time of the murder. Becca Townsend. I had Glenn Jackson at EKU shortly after she disappeared. He seemed off and acting weird.

[Blaine Alexander]

Wow.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

Well, first off, to all, all three of those students are former students who wrote in. Thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. What an unbelievable intersection. I mean, I think that we've gotten a lot of different comments of people who maybe knew about cases, but I can't imagine one where there were actually students who were in there while this whole thing was going on after this man was. Now we know the timeline had actually killed his wife. That is a. That's astonishing that that's a story for you. My goodness.

[Andrea Canning]

We, we got another comment from Daniel, Daniel Kramer on Facebook. Daniel said here with my notepad, keenly picking up body language and listening to every word of every interview of everyone involved because you just never.

[Blaine Alexander]

No, I appreciate you.

[Andrea Canning]

So true.

[Blaine Alexander]

I appreciate you. You're a very thorough view viewer and we appreciate that. You know, I have, I've got to say that there have been a couple of times when we've had comments or I'll just kind of sift through Our comments on social media during an episode and a couple of times viewers have picked up on things that I didn't see or there will be like a small detail or oh, did you notice that? Or something that is just like most people with the naked eye would not see or, or raise some sort of question. And so shout out to Daniel and our other eagle eyed viewers.

[Andrea Canning]

Don't we have the best viewers and listeners ever on Dateline when they are

[Blaine Alexander]

the best without question. Half of you guys actually could go into investigative work yourselves if you wanted to. So if you need a second career out there, look at, look into that. It's so true.

[Andrea Canning]

And they come up to us everywhere. You know, when we're out, when we're in airports, when we're like, you know, shooting stories, they, they. I don't know about you, but I love engaging with them when I'm out in the field or out in the wild, the world, because it's so great to hear their perspectives and what they're interested in. I find it to be very interactive, whether it's in person or on social media.

[Blaine Alexander]

I think it's so much fun. And I also think that you kind of get the different reasons as to why people watch, right? Or why people are drawn in or want to solve or wanna protect themselves or whatever it is. So. And I also always get that people say we put them to sleep at night, they'll turn on the podcast and our voices hear that.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh my gosh. I got this, I got this message from a woman who was on a girls weekend and she woke up in the middle of the night and she heard my V and she was like, what is happening? And so she like left. She went out of her bedroom and followed the voice, followed my voice to another bedroom. She opened the door and her friend on this girl's weekend was fast asleep

[Blaine Alexander]

with her phone or her laptop or

[Andrea Canning]

something right next to her because she falls asleep to Dateline.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh my gosh.

[Andrea Canning]

And she hadn't shut it off.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh my gosh.

[Andrea Canning]

So she heard my voice coming from the bedroom.

[Blaine Alexander]

That is hilarious. That is. You were just kind of floating in the house right there in the vacation home, right? Well, the thing is though, the power of the voice, right? So many people know us only through podcasts. I went to a few weeks ago, I was at Kale Me Crazy ordering some lunch. And the gentleman who was behind the counter was like looking down, he was typing my order. So I'm saying my order. And then he goes, blaine, are you Blaine from Daylight? He hadn't even looked at my face, but he was just like, I recognized your voice as I'm talking about my, like, quinoa salad. And he said, I listened to that podcast through rush hour traffic all the time. So shout out to. I forget his name, but. But kill me crazy. He listens to all the time.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And also Blaine, too. You have a unique name, too.

[Blaine Alexander]

True.

[Andrea Canning]

Blaine. Like, I feel like it's a very memorable name.

[Blaine Alexander]

That is true. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, I'm like, Andrea, right? I got like the boring. The boring Andrea name. But that's okay.

[Blaine Alexander]

It's a beautiful name.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. I was named after a downhill skier, Andrea Mead Lawrence.

[Blaine Alexander]

Really?

[Andrea Canning]

So my mom was a downhill skier and she named me after this. This skier that she looked up to.

[Blaine Alexander]

You know, it makes a lot of sense because you are so adventurous. I could imagine you having some downhill skier like, energy in your name and in your blood. That makes all the sense in the world. That actually answered a lot of questions for me. So thank you.

[Andrea Canning]

There you go.

[Taboola Advertiser]

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[Andrea Canning]

Okay. It's all in the name, right? Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay.

[Andrea Canning]

We got a clarifying question from Jude Marie Goudreau about motive. Dateline NBC. You didn't say why he did it. Was it because she was going to divorce him? And then Carol Colleen McDonald responded to Jude Marie and said, I was wondering this as well, but he didn't admit anything. So only he knows, I guess. But do we know?

[Blaine Alexander]

Well, Jude, Jude, thank you so much for that great question. So again, he didn't confess, he didn't admit anything. And so this was all kind of left for detectives to piece together. But they do believe that perhaps the tipping point or what set him off was Ella finally being about to leave and him getting upset and flying into a rage and killing her. Or she said something to the effect of, I'm leaving you, I'm divorcing you. Or he found that out in some way and that's what sent him over the edge.

[Andrea Canning]

So that is it. Blaine, for this edition of Talking Dateline, always a pleasure to see your face and to discuss all of these interesting

[Blaine Alexander]

things that we cover.

[Andrea Canning]

Absolutely.

[Blaine Alexander]

It's like a reunion and a conversation all in one. I love it is.

[Andrea Canning]

Thank you. All right, remember, if you have any questions about our stories, you can DM us your audio or video on our socials aightlinenbc. Or you can leave us a voicemail at 212-413-5252 for a chance to be featured right here. And you can watch the video version of talking Dateline on Peacock or YouTube, or subscribe to the NBC News app. And with that, we will see you Fridays on Dateline on NBC.

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