Origin Story: From the Murdaugh Murders to the Mic — A Conversation with Stephanie & Mark Tinsley

Summary

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Everything They Missed — BONUS: Origin Story: From the Murdaugh Murders to the Mic — A Conversation with Stephanie & Mark Tinsley

Podcast: Everything They Missed
Host: Stephanie Tinsley (with Mark Tinsley and Elizabeth Bolling)
Release Date: September 15, 2025

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this candid bonus episode, host Stephanie Tinsley sits down with her husband, attorney Mark Tinsley (central to the Murdaugh/Mallory Beach litigation), and longtime friend Elizabeth Bolling. Departing from the usual documentary narrative, the trio openly discuss Stephanie's personal and professional “origin story”—her journey from the sidelines of the Murdaugh media circus to launching her own true crime podcast investigating the 2007 murder of Danny Harris. They explore the complex intersection of personal tragedy, national scandal, and the often messy reality of digging into a story everyone else missed, revealing not only the genesis of the show, but how personal lives and obsessions intertwine with true crime.

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KEY DISCUSSION POINTS / INSIGHTS

1. Introducing the Voices Behind the Mic

• Stephanie frames the episode as a “raw, unfiltered” conversation with the people closest to her obsession with the Danny Harris case—Mark, her husband and an attorney, and Elizabeth, a lifelong friend and indispensable sounding board.
  [01:40] Stephanie Tinsley: “Who better to talk than the two people who’ve probably heard me obsess over it the most?”

2. Stephanie and Mark Tinsley: Origin Stories Collide

• The conversation weaves personal history (how Stephanie and Mark met in 2020 and quickly bonded over litigation and a shared worldview) with the burgeoning Murdaugh story in South Carolina.
• Mark recounts how he became a key player in the Mallory Beach case (Paul Murdaugh-driven boat crash) and how it snowballed into national tragedy.
  [06:37] Mark Tinsley: “That really started, I guess, everything coming down this road.”
• Stephanie details her instant attraction to Mark’s character and commitment to his clients:
  [07:24] Stephanie: “The way he talked about his clients...I just knew he was a different kind of man and a different kind of lawyer.”

3. Love, Cancer, and Living With a Public Catastrophe

• The early days of their relationship were shaped by Mark’s fight with cancer—adding depth and urgency to their connection.
  [10:35] Stephanie: “Mark was such a superman in all of it…There was nothing at all, like, I would forget that we were there for cancer treatment. It just felt like a vacation.”
• Elizabeth poignantly notes how this experience forged their bond:
  [12:11] Mark: “Cancer is not the best way to get a relationship or perspective…I don’t really recommend it to anyone, but we made the most of it.”

4. The Murdaugh Case Blows Up—and Envelops Their Lives

• Mark outlines how his push for Alex Murdaugh’s financials in civil court was a catalyst for the tragedy to follow.
  [14:46] Mark: “He didn’t want me to have [his financials], so I was pushing…the judge to compel him…which I think most people believe was one of the precipitating events that led this sociopath to think the only way out was to murder his wife and son.”
• As the murder trial explodes into the national spotlight, the family’s life is upended; Stephanie describes both the fear and the morbid “excitement” of having a front-row seat at the biggest case in America:
  [21:34] Stephanie: “It was exciting because the world was watching…now all of a sudden, I’m in the most high-profile international murder…of the decade.”

5. Power and Perils of Media:

• The pair pull back the curtain on the chaos, inaccuracies, and shallowness of much media coverage—even from major networks.
• Mark laments reporters who miss the real story:
  [25:12] Mark: “You can’t tell this story in three minutes or less…If you didn’t know the story and you were asking me stupid questions…you get stuck in the fluff without understanding the significance.”
• Stephanie reflects:
  [23:19] Stephanie: “Every show that we watch as true crime fans was in our house calling for interviews…when the stories would come out, they would either be flat wrong or just interested in headlines for clickbait.”

6. Becoming a Storyteller: The Birth of “Everything They Missed”

• Stephanie shares step-by-step how years of “bystander” fascination, her insider seat, and disappointment with existing coverage led her to consider making her own podcast. She wanted to go deeper, hear untold voices, and avoid exploitation.
• Her podcast journey included secret voice lessons, self-imposed challenges, and a search for a story “with purpose”:
  [32:05] Mark (joking): “She needs her money back from the voice lesson because she sounds no different now…” [32:16] Stephanie: “She told me I didn’t need to change anything.”
• A serendipitous introduction to Jason Gishner and the Danny Harris case provided that untold story.
• Stephanie only realized she could write (“I didn’t know that I could write”) once she started, recognizing the influence of her mother, an English teacher, and her father, an attorney.
  [34:40] Elizabeth: “It was just a perfect combination of your parents...how proud your mom would be of your journalistic aptitude.”

7. Reporting Philosophy and Method

• Stephanie emphasizes exhaustive research, compassion, and elevating the voices historically missed—conducting every interview herself.
  [28:04] Stephanie: “The way I told this story was only gonna be an in-depth look at not only the story… but how it affected everybody and who it affected and who was involved.”
• Her approach is shaped by both inspirational and disappointing encounters with media professionals:
  [27:13] Stephanie: “That was the difference… producers and journalists who had done their homework…those were the same people who treated everybody involved as people versus as something to be consumed as entertainment.”

8. Mark’s Take on the Podcast—and the Power of Details

• Mark was initially skeptical of both Stephanie’s podcast and the Danny Harris case but admits he was proved wrong by her tenacity and attention to detail:
  [37:18] Mark: “You like to run and gun and plow through it and, you know, you’re getting too far in the weeds and the weeds are where stuff matters. But I was wrong.”
• He draws a parallel: Both the Murdaugh case and Harris’s death required “someone to notice what everyone else missed.”
  [39:38] Mark: “If you aren’t paying attention, you’ll miss things, huge things…It’s only when everything you missed is brought into a clear focus that you get the right result.”

9. Obsession, Family, and the Personal Toll

• Stephanie confesses the emotional cost and obsession of her investigation, and how her family’s support (and Mark’s role model as an underdog advocate) sustained her.
  [42:24] Stephanie: “It may sound silly, but…what gave me the confidence to do it was…Mark was very inspiring…[he] fights for justice and is not afraid to say the names and keep going.”
• She also reflects on how the search for justice filled a personal void after retiring and becoming a newlywed.
• Both agree that impatience, stubbornness, and “forcing doors to open” are necessary traits for exposing hidden truths.
  [46:15] Stephanie: “You have to force doors to open. I had to hire my own investigator because I wasn’t getting the answers I wanted.”

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NOTABLE QUOTES

• On why this story:
  [36:06] Stephanie: “People always ask me, why this story? Why Danny Harris? Well, we’ll get into all of that and the parts you haven’t heard yet…”

• On the importance of details:
  [39:38] Mark: “It’s only when everything you missed is brought into a clear Focus that you get the right result.”

• On family and teamwork:
  [34:40] Elizabeth: “It was just a perfect combination of your parents…how proud your mom would be of your journalistic aptitude.”

• On personal growth:
  [42:24] Stephanie: “I was miserable…other than being a wife and a mom, I didn’t really have a purpose…And it wasn’t until I put all that into [this project]…that I was happy.”

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TIMESTAMPS FOR MAJOR SEGMENTS

• Relationship Origin & Early Days — 05:21 to 09:38
• Cancer Diagnosis & Impact — 10:13 to 12:11
• Mark’s Role in the Murdaugh Scandal — 14:34 to 16:04
• Media Storm & Insider Perspective — 21:34 to 23:19
• Disappointment with True Crime Media — 23:19 to 29:30
• Inspiration for Creating the Podcast — 29:30 to 36:06
• Making the Leap from Fan to Reporter — 34:40 to 36:00
• Mark’s Initial Skepticism & the Value of Details — 37:13 to 39:38
• The Need for Doggedness in Investigation — 46:03 to 47:24
• Stephanie’s Reflection on Obsession and Purpose — 45:41 to 47:37

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CONCLUSION

This bonus episode lifts the curtain on Everything They Missed—not just in terms of the Danny Harris case, but also everything missed behind the scenes: the personal risks, emotional journey, and intertwined lives that shaped the show’s approach. Stephanie’s origin story is as much about overcoming doubt and following an obsession as it is about crime and justice; the influence of Mark’s diligence, their life upheavals during the Murdaugh case, and their circle of friends all color the unique podcast voice they’ve created. It’s an earnest, at times vulnerable examination of what it means to chase a story no one else cared to tell—and what it takes to make the world pay attention.

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Transcript

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[Stephanie Tinsley]

So, have a list of questions that I think you can just go from. And I think the good thing, of course, right?

[Mark Tinsley]

Like, of course what?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

You're sideways. You're sideways.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Well, yeah, fix it.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Okay.

[Mark Tinsley]

Y' all are sideways. Well, it's porn. Down, rained, and storming like a son of a bitch. And I had to download the app.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Oh, my God. You couldn't just download the app. You open up the website and type in.

[Mark Tinsley]

Riverside wouldn't allow me to do that.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Oh, God bless America.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Yeah, it works better when I follow a link.

[Narrator/Host (Stephanie Tinsley)]

Okay, so this one's different. This is the first bonus episode of Everything They Missed. And it's the raw, unfiltered version of how I've been living with this case. And I thought to myself, who better to talk than the two people who've probably heard me obsess over it the most? The first is my husband, Mark Tinsley. This guy has sat through more dinner table theories than he ever signed up for. Lucky for me, he's also an attorney, so half the time I can't tell if he's humoring me or actually working the case in his head.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

But.

[Narrator/Host (Stephanie Tinsley)]

But the truth is, he understands crime. One of the most notorious cases he's worked on is the Mallory beach lawsuit. If that name doesn't ring a bell, Mallory was a young woman who died in a South Carolina boat crash back in 2019. The boat was driven by Paul Murdaugh, and the lawsuit targeted both the Murdaugh family and the convenience store that sold the kids alcohol. That case dragged on for years, and many believe the pressure from it is what pushed Paul's father, Alex Murdaugh, toward the unthinkable, the murders of his wife and son. It's the story we'll get into deeper in this episode and the One that pulled hbo, Hulu, Netflix, basically every true crime network straight into our living rooms. The second person is my friend Elizabeth Bolling. You heard her voice in the first two episodes, but what you didn't hear is how much she's been my go to sounding board. Every late night call, every half baked theory, every moment. I swore I was done digging, but couldn't stop. She's been there. So today it's the three of us with Elizabeth acting as moderator. But it's their take from the sidelines. My story of how I got pulled into all of this and a little hint at where it's all going from here. And just a heads up, it's just us talking the way that we do when the mics aren't on.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah. So we are going to work very hard in this bonus episode to not spoil a storyline. As a reminder, episode two ends in Andrew confessing to the murder, and we don't know who the fingerprints belong to. Okay, Elizabeth, so you are one of my oldest friends. We've known each other for decades. We've known each other since elementary school. You are a surprising contribution to the show, and I could not have.

[Mark Tinsley]

I'm not surprised.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

You're not surprised?

[Mark Tinsley]

I'm not surprised.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Oh, how come?

[Mark Tinsley]

Well, I mean, she's been a great asset to me when she's helped me. She's. She's smart and she's diligent. Digs in and she pays attention to details, and I'm not surprised at all.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Thanks, Mark. This might be a mutual admiration society meeting.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Hello. Wonderful. It's just like our girlfriend trips. Exactly.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

So, you know, I think we could talk about when you started digging into this.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

No, no, no, we gotta go. Origin story. We gotta go.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

How did.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Oh, okay.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Yeah. I mean, I think we could start this when you started digging into this story, when you found out about it and decided to do it. But I think to really give a full picture, we need to go back further. We need to go back, way back to when you and Mark Tinsley met. Tell me about that. Mark, let's hear your story on how you met.

[Mark Tinsley]

We met a couple weeks.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Not in person.

[Mark Tinsley]

Yeah, a couple weeks after we met, I was driving across country and I stopped in Nashville, where my sister lives. She said, doesn't this look like somebody you would date? And I said, we should call her. And my sister said, oh, no, we're not doing that. And I said, well, why'd you show me? And so I took action myself, and I reached out and next thing I know is we FaceTime, which was the first time I'd ever FaceTimed as I drove across country and we continued to talk and eventually I left Washington state and drove back to Nashville to see her and been in love since most of the time. But.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

The majority of the time.

[Mark Tinsley]

The majority of the time.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Were you going on your two week camping hunting trip?

[Mark Tinsley]

I was going. I was going hunting in Washington state, and I didn't have to be back until September 10th. And I had a mediation in the Mallory beach case involving the boat crash. That really sort of started, I guess, everything coming down this road.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

And so what year was that that y' all met?

[Mark Tinsley]

That would have been in 2020. So the, you know, Alec Murdoch murders his wife and son the following year in July.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Before we get to that, though, I would like to tell my version of how we met. I thought I would convince him to move to Nashville. I thought that he would move.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

This was early on in your knowing Mark Tinsley?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah, I thought. I thought I could.

[Mark Tinsley]

Not. Not knowing Mark Tinsley?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Not knowing Mark Tinsley? No, no. But in the two weeks that we had talked, I had googled him to death and had discovered that he was working on the beach trial. And I had worked for law firms before. I'd worked in litigation before. I'd worked from one of the largest litigation firms in Tennessee. And so I was interested in trials. I was interested in litigation. And so the fact that Mark was a litigator, a trial attorn, I thought it was very interesting. And then when I read about the beach trial, it was a fascinating case. But I also got a sense that even through news articles, that this was more than just a case to Mark. And the more we started talking about it, I don't know, it just. There was something about that. And I just knew he was a different lawyer. I don't know how else to say it. I knew he was a different kind of man and a different kind of lawyer. The two things that stood out to me, why I knew I'd fall in love with him. He moved his parents across the street from him and the way he talked about his clients. And when he arrived at my house at 11pm after driving for two days straight, when we met for the first time in person, we slept that night and then woke up and went on a beautiful long walk in. In Nashville and one of the parks here.

[Mark Tinsley]

And you left out the part that I drove 30 hours to get there by 11pm without stopping.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Without stopping. He didn't sleep anywhere 30 hours straight. Because you wanted to spend some time with me that weekend. Because you knew you had to leave that Monday.

[Mark Tinsley]

I had to be back on the 10th.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Yeah.

[Mark Tinsley]

And I got there on the 6th.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah. So I was just impressed on our first date, because we spent hours and hours. Mark, it was a forestry major, so we spent half of the walk him pointing out trees, and then half of it him just talking about what he could about the beach case. So.

[Mark Tinsley]

Well, I was headed to the mediation, so all of the details of it were sort of on the forefront in terms of the what happened and what was going on and all of the things. I mean, we, you know, then we didn't know about all of the financial crimes. We didn't know ultimately they were going to be these two murders. We didn't know a lot of things. A lot of things had happened, but we didn't know all of the details.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

It was already a big case.

[Mark Tinsley]

It was a big case locally. And I say locally, like in the state.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Right.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

And before we get to the Murdoch, though, I do want to bring up one thing, because it's also a really important part. Mark and I met in August of 2020, and we found out he had stage four cancer.

[Mark Tinsley]

That's right. It wasn't until November that I found out exactly what was going on.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

And that was really difficult because my father died of cancer. And, you know, it was difficult to hear that because I had already fallen in love with Mark. I had already decided this was going to be the man I was going to marry. And hearing that was a blow. But never once did I think that cancer was going to influence our lives or marriage. So Mark was diagnosed with prostate cancer. We moved to Sarasota, Florida, for about three or four months while he went through treatment. And Mark was such a superman in all of it. You know, he would go get his cancer treatments in the morning, and then we would go to hot yoga, and then we would go fish or walk on the beach. And it was just such a testament to who he is as a person. There was nothing at all, like, I would forget that he had that we were there for cancer treatment. It just felt like a vacation.

[Mark Tinsley]

And she did that, that's for sure.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah. But, you know, I mean, it was a difficult time, but the way that you handled it was just such an inspiration and was just very telling of who you are as a man and as a person.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Well, and I'm sure that it just gave, like, such a great. Sorry, Mark. A great start to your relationship because you got to spend so much time together and you know, if you had not been forced to slow down and to focus on you and Stephanie. Be there with you.

[Mark Tinsley]

I was gonna say, and I've said this publicly before about it giving you perspective. Cancer is not the best way to get a relationship or perspective. I don't really recommend it to anyone, but we made the most of it.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

There you go. And I can remember early on in y' all meeting, Stephanie calling and us talking about you and her saying, you've gotta meet this guy that I'm talking to, because he's like, we are like, the way that we grew up. And just, you know, she's like, he's one of us. Which is a huge compliment, Mark Tinsley. A huge compliment.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

That's a huge.

[Mark Tinsley]

Now that I know y' all are.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Yeah. In case you need to be reminded, that's a huge compliment.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

But we got engaged in Sarasota. I mean, we got engaged right in.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Where were you?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Oh, my goodness, Mark, you can tell.

[Mark Tinsley]

So I needed to do it in a way that's. I wanted to do it in a way that surprised her. And so, you know, so we were at the Wicked Cantina Mexican Grill in Sarasota with my daughter and her friend and Nathan and Stephanie and my good friend John Nicholson, his wife Michelle. And so, you know, they were all people who meant something to me, and it just wasn't a good way to do it other than this way. And so we did it. And it was surprising to Stephanie and certainly to Michelle, who I think gasped and screamed out loud, you're doing it here. But that's what the waitress said, too, by the waitress.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Everyone was surprised, but it was a surprise. And we had talked about it at length before. So I knew that we were gonna get engaged that summer, but I didn't know now the mer. He. So when did the murders happen? Okay, so that's a good segue, because we were in Florida.

[Mark Tinsley]

The murders had already happened. So I. I finished my first round in April. I actually finished on tax day, April 15th. And I came home, and we were going to have a hearing in the beach case for. To compel Ellick to produce his financials. That got moved. It was moved to June 10th. And so the murders happened June the seventh.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

And so, just so we can frame it all up, who is Alex Murdaugh? And what was all that?

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Why were you asking for his financials? Why was he tied to the Mallory Beach?

[Mark Tinsley]

So Alec Murdoch was a lawyer that practiced law, doing the same sorts of things that I do in the county. That's Adjacent to where I live, who I'd known for at that point in time, 20 years. His son, Paul Murdoch, was driving the boat under the influence in February of 2019 when he crashed the boat into a bridge that ended up in taking Mallory's life. So I sued Ellick and the gas station that sold him the alcohol. And why did I need his financials? I just wanted his financials because he didn't want me to have them. At the time, Alec was claiming he was broke, but Ellick was a very successful trial lawyer by any standards and was making lots of money. He was actively making money, so he couldn't be broke. He didn't want me to have them, so I was pushing the judge to compel him to get them, which I think most people believe was one of the precipitating events that led this sociopath to think that the only way out was to murder his wife and son.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

So when you talk about the murders happening, you're talking about Paul and Maggie being killed, right? That happened prior to y' all getting engaged?

[Mark Tinsley]

That's right, yeah. Ultimately, Paul gets arrested for voting under the influence, and he's booked in the hallway in the courtroom wearing his polo shirt. And people were incensed by that, that he was treated differently. And in fact, that day, there's a black lady wearing an orange jumpsuit on the front page of the paper who had been sentenced, I think it was like 11 years for DUI, resulting in a death or seriously bodily injury or something. And so it was, you know, on that same paper, the two cases were contrasted, and people really had a sense of outrage in terms of the way that Paul was being treated. And there was a whole lot of venom, especially online, towards Paul. And, I mean, I can remember the day of the murders, it was a Monday, and I got a call about 3 o'. Clock. And this is before to your point, I mean, when the murders happened, the world set on fire in terms of murder.

[Narrator/Host (Stephanie Tinsley)]

The world didn't just explode. Our world exploded, too. And what followed in our lives, the Murdaugh murders and the way it all ties back to Danny Harris, it's more tangled, more shocking than I ever imagined. And we'll get into all of that after this quick break.

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[Elizabeth Bolling]

Are you.

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Are you playing me?

[Mark Tinsley]

Off.

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[Stephanie Tinsley]

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[Elizabeth Bolling]

Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.

[Mark Tinsley]

See mintmobile.com it's the biggest story in the world. Everybody's focused on it from Japan to Australia to Switzerland and Iceland. And, I mean, I got messages from everywhere. That Monday, I got a call and the receptionist says, somebody calling about beach case. So I pick up the phone and I didn't know who it was. And it's a guy who sees Paul that weekend driving a boat. And he thinks he's drunk and he's incensed by it because Paul didn't have an ankle monitor monitoring for alcohol. He didn't have anything. And in the end I just said, look, that's not really what I do. If you see him again, take a video of it. I'm happy to give you my cell number. You can text me, call the Sheriff's department, call DNR, call the solicitor's office, or call the AG's office. And then that night, it's like 11 o' clock, and my phone rings, which is unusual because my phone's on silence and my phone rings and I'm into bed. I don't know what time it is. 11, 11:30. And it's TABOR Vox, who was helping me with the boat crash case and said, did you hear that Paul and Maggie had been murdered? And my first thought was that this crazy person that called me that day had done something. And then the next morning, to your point, it's every morning talk show, all the national media, I mean, the world just sort of seizes upon Hampton and this case and Ellick and everything else.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

And so I would think, Stephanie, that when that happens, the initial reaction, if I'm remembering correctly, was thinking like Mark just said, that it was some vigilante, like some person who was mad at the disparate treatment that Paul was receiving compared to other people in his situation committing the same types of crimes. And then fairly quickly, it seemed like the suspension suspicion went to Alec.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

So my immediate thought was, it's the husband. You know, that that was my immediate thought. I know Mark and I know a lot of people that were there that knew Alec, never thought that it could have been him. So for a very long time, when I would come down to South Carolina, we didn't know who had killed him. And there were times that I was afraid for Mark. I didn't know, you know, are people just out killing people associated with this case? So there was a long time that I didn't know if we were safe. And, you know, I don't know if it's for the show or not, but I know that there were plenty of loaded guns around our home because we didn't know what would happen or when anything would happen.

[Mark Tinsley]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, I didn't. I don't make no bones about it. I told law enforcement officers and depositions, if you come to my house, I assume you're coming with some ill intent, and I will kill you. I told Alex lawyer, he better not come to my house. If I see him coming, this is what's gonna happen. And so, no, I mean, there were times and I wasn't afraid. I was more vigilant than afraid, but, I mean, she certainly was.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

So there was a lot in that first six months of y' all being engaged that happened and a lot. And that's what really started the. This media firestorm. And so, Stephanie, you're watching all this, and from one standpoint, it's like, oh, I'm all of a sudden in this true crime episode that I've always been interested in.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah. So from, you know, a bystander, it was, you know, for lack of a better word, and this sounds like such a crass word, it was exciting because the world was watching, and I've been watching true crime since the 90s, and now all of a sudden, I'm in the most high profile international murder, you know, the. The. Of the year, of the decade of. And it was exciting because I had a front row seat. I mean, every phone call was in real time to Mark. I would know things before it would hit the news. And, you know, the. The fear sets in. Like we were talking about. Of. It's, you know, it's happening to us. It's happening to our community. It's happening to Mark's clients. It's happening because of Mark's clients.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

At the time, did you realize that it was inspiring you or not at all?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

No. I mean, I had a long career in finance in Nashville, and when Mark and I got married, I decided that I would retire in air quotes. I would retire from my career, really, to be by Mark's side throughout the trial. And, you know, I was having to travel a lot, and it just made. For practical matters, it just made a lot of sense for me to retire from my job and be by his side. And so I was not getting inspired at that time I was still like, being Mark's wife, being incredibly interested in what was happening and just being a bystander to all of the press that Mark was getting, all of the press that the Murdaugh trial was getting.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

You were getting an inside look at all of the stuff that you had always enjoyed.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah. And, you know, anybody in true crime has seen Dateline in 48 hours and Inside Edition and Court TV and Law and Crime. And so every show that we watch as true crime fans was in our house calling for interviews. And when the folks that were doing the Netflix documentary had contacted Mark to be involved in it, that was the first time that I had really gotten a look at what behind the scenes is. And maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves, but, you know, when we found out that Mark was going to be part of this documentary and they were camping out at our house at Mark's office, you know, it was just really interesting to learn. Oh, that's what a producer does. That's what a director does. That's how these shows are made. You know, you film hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours and then it's cut down to minutes. When I started to get inspired, maybe is is the word, or if it's just interested or let down at times, there were a lot of journalists that called Mark and I would listen in on some of the interviews that he was giving. And when the stories would come out, they would either be flat wrong. I could tell that they, you know, were just interested in headlines for clickbait. And that became, you know, really disappointing to me. But then we'd have Dateline at the house and in 2020, in 48 hours, and you watch all these top tier producers and that. So that became super inspiring. And then the trial started and that became, you know, just a. That was our life.

[Mark Tinsley]

The same as to, to her point about. I remember giving an interview to NBC Nightly News or ABC Nightly, I don't remember which one it was, but. And it was clear the reducer didn't know. She didn't know who I was. She didn't know I what I was. She didn't know anything about the story. And much to Stephanie's chagrin, you can't tell this story in three minutes or less. And so it is all details because it's all connected. And I was involved in every aspect of it. All the cases, all the financial cases, all of the. I mean, the civil case, the financial cases, the murder investigation, the players and people. And so no, I knew it all. And there's no way for me to communicate to you how connected everything is in three seconds. And so if you didn't know the story and you were asking me stupid questions, well, you didn't get the same thing that someone who knew the details of the story might get, because you've got to. You get stuck in the fluff without understanding the significance of some of it.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

I mean, I think just from my involvement and listening to the Murdoch part and then what you're doing with this story, it's very similar. And you could do a podcast on this story that you're doing now, and you could do interviews and you could write something, but if you don't dig into and know all the details, then it's just not going to be the same and it's not going to give the people. And so, you know, you're now in this position of the investigative reporter. And so if you haven't done your research, then, you know, when you're calling people, when you're calling attorneys involved or investigators or police, then, you know, it would be really easy to ask dumb questions. So did you. Do you feel like that's something you learn from listening to the people and all the interviews that Mark gave?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, and that was the difference in. Like you said, there would be producers and reporters and journalists who had done their homework and would ask good questions. But also those were the same people who treated everybody involved as people versus as something that was gonna be consumed as entertainment. So, you know, I saw when the beaches were interviewed and the people that spoke to them with care. Like, Eva Pilgrim is an example and we consider her a friend. She, she would interview and she would know the whole backstory. And. But then you.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

And it was a lot like, to Mark's point, like, it's very involved. Yeah, it does take more than three minutes to explain it all well.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

And I think it was just the difference in people who also enjoy what they're doing and who are genuinely interested in people. And we may be jumping ahead, but that was a big part of what inspired me to take something like this on is I wanted to get to know everybody in the story, you know, everybody that is involved in everything they missed in this particular story, everybody has a deep, rich story behind it and there's a lot of depth and you can't tell it in a 42 minute, one hour episode. So that was when I was taking this project on. That was never gonna be an option for me. The way I told this story was only gonna be an in depth look at not only the story and what happened here, but how it affected everybody and who it affected and who was involved and it. For me to not hand anything off, any part of this off. You know, all of the interviews I did, and I was extremely interested in every interview, whether it was a family member or it was an attorney or an investigator. I wanted to talk to everybody, and I wanted everybody's perspective, and I was genuinely interested in it.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Well, then let's take two steps back and just say, tell us how the idea for your own podcast came about. I mean, I know when you shared it with us, I would say on our annual girls trip, but I don't know if you had talked about it with Mark yet or if you were just. We were talking about what we wanted to accomplish. And I know, Stephanie, that one of the things that you are a huge believer in is, you know, when you say something and then it's, you know, you're going to be accountable for it, and then you're going to follow through and you're going to make it happen. And so was that the first time that you had said it out loud? That.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

So how did it really come up? Because I really want to be honest about this, but when did I actually think, oh, that's something that I could do? I'm on an airplane almost every week, and so I would listen to true crime podcasts as I'm traveling back and forth. And really, I hadn't consumed true crime podcasts before 2020, before we met. I hadn't. And because I was on a plane back and forth every week, that's all I would listen to. Well, I had the idea. I knew that I wanted to say it out loud to somebody in March of 24. So not that long ago. And we had our girls trip April of 24. And I knew if I said it out loud, that, right, I would have you all as girlfriends. That would hold me accountable. But also it would just be the starting point. And I had a couple of conditions that I put on myself that I wasn't going to tell anybody. I wanted to take a voice lesson. I wanted to find a story, and I wanted to find a writer. And if I could do all of all three of those, then I would go for it. And Nashville has the world's best voice coaches here. It's Music City. And I found an extraordinary voice coach and went and saw her one day in secret. Didn't tell anybody. Didn't tell Mark, didn't tell you all, didn't tell my son. I Was mortified to go. I was very nervous. I wasn't going to tell anybody if it didn't work. And I. And I really. I had put that condition on myself. If she told me I have a terrible voice, I will not. And she didn't. I mean, it was. It was. I recorded the. The lesson, and it was very interesting. And so that was the first step I took, a voice lesson check.

[Mark Tinsley]

So if anybody's listening to this part, if this makes it in there, and I think. I think Elizabeth will agree, she needs your money back from the voice lesson because she sounds no different now than she did before she took the voice lesson.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

She didn't tell. She told me I didn't need to change anything.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

That's right.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

That was the beauty of it.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

He said, you are perfect as you are, Stephanie.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah, I mean, that's what she said. She said, you know, I mean, she taught me some breathing techniques, which I do use. And I think when you're listening to, you know, you have a true crime voice. I mean, I know when you guys listen to the episodes, that's not how I talk all the time. So I have developed my true crime voice. But, no, I mean, she. She said, go for it. And so that was the confidence that I needed from a professional. And then the second was finding a story that had some meat to it, that had a purpose, that wasn't just exploiting victims. And I didn't know how I was going to do that. Nathan comes home one day. We all do not believe in coincidences. I think this story is in episode one that he comes home and says his friend Lucy got up at lunch and talked about her dad, Jason. And no spoilers here of who Jason is. Keep listening to find out who Jason Gishner really is. He really is a lawyer, but he has much more significance than that. But when I met Jason and he told me about this story, then I knew I have a story. And then the third was, I need to find a writer. And, you know, unbeknownst to me, long story short, I didn't know I was a writer. I didn't know that I could write. And that was something that has been a surprise to me in all of this.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Well, and I'm gonna say there because I, you know, you've lost both your parents. And I remember when you realized that you could write it. And to me, it was just a perfect combination of your parents because your dad was an attorney and your mom was an English teacher who impacted many, many lives. And, you know, I just thought how proud your parents would be and how proud your mom would be of, you know, this endeavor that you. You were undertaking that really showed their influence in your life and, you know, both of their influences and how especially proud your mom would be of. Of your journalistic aptitude.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Thank you. And, you know, I wanted to create a podcast that I would listen to, and I like the long narrative. And I think that podcasts today are getting into more weekly, more one hour, you know, weeklies, and I didn't want that. I wanted to create an in depth. I also, you know, I do write this. I also have a co writer, Alex Vespasid, who I could not do all of this with. So. So I will take credit is the wrong word, but I. That I have done a lot of the heavy lifting. I have done all of the interviews, I have done all of the investigation. I have fumbled around trying to figure out how to create a show. But I also knew when I realized what this story is, the depth of it, the injustice of it all, it was such a big story that I had to find teammates that could hold my hand through the process. And Donald and Alex have been. I don't know if they'll add that, but, I mean, I don't want it just to be like, I have done all of it on my own. I've done a lot of it on my own. But, you know, and that's where you two have also come in as unlikely contributors in all of this.

[Mark Tinsley]

I've enjoyed listening to the story and reading the story, and I think people will, too.

[Narrator/Host (Stephanie Tinsley)]

This is a good point to bring up, that people always ask me, why this story? Why Danny Harris? Well, we'll get into all of that and the parts you haven't heard yet. But coming up after this quick break.

[Mark Tinsley]

Limu Emu and Doug. Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need at Liberty Mutual. Mutual.com Savings Fairy Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company affiliates excludes Massachusetts.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

So when. When you found the case and when Stephanie first told you about the case, what did you think about. About it, Mark. Just as what she was doing. What did you think about it? As a husband, but also as an attorney.

[Mark Tinsley]

The podcast or the case?

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Well, let's do both.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

What did you think when I said I was gonna do a podcast?

[Mark Tinsley]

Me yeah. Honestly, I think that what I said, which probably caused a fight, was, I mean, that the, you know, the devil's in the details. You like to run and gun and plow through it and, you know, you're getting too far into weeds and the weeds are where stuff matters. But I was wrong.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

And without giving away the story and the case, and when you heard about.

[Mark Tinsley]

This story, I'm a very skeptical person. And so I think that all the stories, and then this was not the first story you looked at. You looked at a couple other stories. And so, you know, just in terms of is it or isn't it or what going on here, I mean that, you know, I. I think that you just have to sort of figure your way through it to come to your own conclusion about what it is. And it's hard for me to answer that question without.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah. Without giving it.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Giving it away.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah. I do want to make some comparisons to Murdoch. I want to keep going back to Murdoch versus this.

[Mark Tinsley]

Well, I mean that in the sense that everything they missed is because you're not in the weeds, focused on all the details. I mean, that was. That's why I was involved in everything related to Alec. Nobody knew the behind the scenes aspect of what was happening, whether it's the criminal investigation into the boat crash and what law enforcement was doing and his connections with law enforcement. Nobody knew that that would step up and take a position other than me. I mean, nobody in the world that could do that, that could do everything.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

You know, like to draw that line between you and Stephanie, because here she is, she's taken this case that really received no media attention when it happened, you know, very little media attention. And yet I feel like she's really digging in and she's trying to go back and, you know, and be willing to. To make a stand or to stand up or to at least put out there some of the things that she feels like were missed. What gave you the fortitude when you were doing, you know, what do you think that is? And is that something that attracts y' all to one another?

[Mark Tinsley]

You know, I. This is probably not the answer to your question, but, I mean, Ellic was stealing under the noses of some of the best trial lawyers that I know for. For more than a decade. And so if you aren't paying attention, you'll miss things, huge things, you know, I mean, is it a parallel between this and. And the story that she's telling it? I think it is, because it's only when everything you missed is brought into a clear Focus that you get the right result. Otherwise, you end up with what we had, which was Alec Murdoch. I mean, he wasn't created in a vacuum. It was a process. And so there was a lot of things that were missed and a lot of opportunities to have stopped whatever he was for a long time, but nobody's paying attention to the details. And if they were, they didn't care. And that's the other part of it. You got. You got to care. You know, if people don't care, big deal. It's not me.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Mark absolutely was a huge inspiration to me doing this. You know, Mark fights for those that don't have a voice. Mark fights for the underdog. But. But no, Mark. Mark was a big inspiration in fighting for something and uncovering the truth and not stopping. Stopping until the truth is out there. And I never had that. I've never done that. I haven't had that passion. And. And so it was an inspiration to see him fight and to. Yeah, I was inspired by the true crime stories that were happening around me, but then I was really inspired by this man who fights for justice and who is not afraid to say the names and to keep going. And, you know, it. It may sound silly, but that 100% was what gave me the confidence to do it. Was. You know, I. I heard this story. Jason told me this story. As you continue to listen throughout the season, the injustices are slapped in your face, and you can do something about it. One person can do something about it. You can create an army. And Mark was very inspiring through all that. The Murdaugh trial was very inspiring, and it was the shows that I watched, but it was also Mark and his clients. And so, yeah, and I think Mark and I will both agree, and we can have a vulnerable moment here. I was miserable. I was a newlywed. I had retired from my job, and I was miserable. I mean, I was a wife, and I was a mom, but other than that, I didn't really have a purpose in anything that I was doing. And, you know, I think that my personality kind of reflected that, and it wasn't until I took everything that I had been inspired by and, you know, the people that I looked up to and then found this story and put all of that into it, and then was blessed that now you all, as my friends and family, also think it's equally as interesting and are also supportive and in the show and in the weeds and in the documents and as attorneys are breaking things down and, you know, Mark's not getting pissed that I leave a Day early so I can go to a court hearing, you know, and Nathan's not mad that he's not getting back to school shopping because I'm going to Memphis to do something. I mean, everybody has been so interested in this and the, the fight that, you know, it's been a lot of time away from family and I'm happy, I'm very grateful that you guys have been involved in it.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Is there anything that surprised you in Stephanie or have you seen any changes in Stephanie or anything you didn't know about her that has come out during this process?

[Mark Tinsley]

I probably realize more now than maybe before how impatient she is. I'm not saying necessarily in a bad way. I mean, I just, it's an intense amount of focus and I don't understand. I sent that email yesterday, which was Sunday, and why they haven't responded to me. It's nine o'clock Monday morning. And you know, but, but, but she's been obviously very passionate about it. And I think the closer that we get to seeing the picture of the story, the more impatient she becomes and she wants to, she wants to get it done and, and get this and get it right. And no, I mean, I think she's been incredibly focused on telling the story she wants to tell and tell it in the way that. Because, I mean, all those stories are big, sprawling stories and this is, I mean, she's left details out trying to give you an accurate picture of what's happened and what's happening. But she's done a good job, I think.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Well, and I think that that's what these bonus episodes will be really good for because, you know, there is, there are things that can't be in the main podcast for a sense of time because, I mean, talk about some rabbit holes that you could go down in this and I mean, there's lots more interesting twists and turns to come, but even, you know, it does become where, you know, this has been a long time. So there's been a lot that's happened.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Well, and, you know, I don't know if I would call, say that this has become an obsession, but. No, for the last year, it's all I've done every single day. It's all I've done every single, every single day. And whether it's, you know, me being impatient, I think when you're on the quest to find out the truth, you.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Want everybody to be as passionate as you are.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Well, and, and there's just nobody who.

[Mark Tinsley]

Works with me will say anything other than I am incredibly impatient. I Mean, I. So. So it's not. It's. It's not a criticism.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

You have to force doors to open. You know, I had to hire my own investigator because I wasn't getting the answers that I wanted. You know, the answers that I wanted were not in the documents that I. I was saying the people I wanted to talk to had not been talked to before. The people, especially in episode four, that I hired an investigator to hunt down, I had to do things because I wanted answers that weren't there. If it's.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

You wanted information that wasn't there. You wanted information.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

I wanted answers. I wanted information. I wanted clarity.

[Mark Tinsley]

I'm not sure that some of those people you. I think you hunted a lot of people down because I was in the car beside you when you were sending messages to strangers saying, I'm contacting you about this. That wasn't a private investigator. That was finding some of those people. That was. That was you.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

But that's true. That's true.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

I mean, that's what I'm saying. Like, you. You found a lot of those people. And then, you know, maybe the private investigator has helped gain access because he can be places that you can't or that, you know, but. But you're there with them.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

The truth is, I saw how these stories got made, and I realized that I could do it. Even though my background wasn't in journalism or investigation, it was in people.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Yeah.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Everything I've always done has involved people and stories, and I think that's why it was so easy for me to make that leap and be confident about it, because, you know, it's just interesting. People are just interesting. And also, you know, I mean, just a little secret. If it didn't work, no one was gonna know anyway. I was just gonna try it. So there you go. We've lost Mark. And that is part of the origin story, too. It's been an hour and a half, so. All right, we'll go hunting. And is there anything else that.

[Mark Tinsley]

I mean, summer's dark.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

No, I'm saying get ready to go hunting. Go pack and do all your stuff. And I appreciate you taking an hour and a half to do this right before your busy two weeks that I won't see you.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Well, I think this probably has given a lot of insight into it, so hope so.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Hopefully this is what they want. And if not, then they'll just scrap it. Thank you, guys. Thanks.

[Elizabeth Bolling]

Have fun, Mark.

[Mark Tinsley]

All right, bye.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

All right, bye.

[Narrator/Host (Stephanie Tinsley)]

Thanks for hanging out with us for this bonus episode of everything they missed. We'll keep dropping bonuses alongside regular episodes, so make sure you're following so you don't, no pun intended, miss anything. And while I've got you, here's how the show's going to work. Our first five episodes will come out weekly. After that, our team will take a short break to keep report recording, capturing new interviews, tracking down leads, and following the story as it unfolds in real time. Then later this year, we'll be back with five more brand new episodes. In the meantime, if you've got questions or want to reach out, head over to the website www.everythingtheymissed.com. and if you're enjoying everything they missed, a quick rate and review helps us more than you know. I'm Stephanie Tinsley. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you on the next one.

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