Hillbilly Holler

Summary

Fear Thy Neighbor: Episode Summary – "Hillbilly Holler"

Released on June 2, 2025

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Introduction to the Story

In this gripping episode of Fear Thy Neighbor, host Jordan Brown delves into a tale of escalating tensions and eventual tragedy in the quiet countryside of rural Appalachia. Unlike the typical narratives of serial killers or high-profile crimes, this story centers around everyday neighbors whose seemingly minor disputes spiral into a living nightmare with devastating consequences.

"How can you sleep at night when the person you fear or hate the most lives right next door?" ([01:30]), Jordan Brown poses this chilling question as he sets the stage for the unfolding drama on Ridgeview Road.

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The Arrival of Jed Elshant

The tranquil setting of Ridgeview Road is introduced through the experiences of the Massengill family—Cody Massengill, his wife Amanda, and their adopted son Cadence. Describing their neighborhood as "a lot of older people, which I love. It's quiet, it's peaceful," (Cody Massengill, [04:14]) Cody paints a picture of a close-knit, serene community.

The arrival of Jed Elshant, an out-of-state truck driver seeking a peaceful rural life, initially appears harmonious. Jed shares a common bond with the area through his past as a truck driver, and his neighbors, including the Hill family—Charlie and Robin Hill—welcome him warmly.

"When I first met my neighbors, the Hills, they were pleasant, offered their help. They were very kind to me, very nice," (Jed Elshant, [05:38]) Jed recounts his initial interactions, highlighting a promising start to his new life on Ridgeview Road.

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Property Line Dispute Begins

The peace begins to unravel as Jed's vision of rural living clashes with longstanding community norms, particularly concerning property lines. A seemingly trivial issue ignites the first sparks of conflict.

Jed discovers discrepancies in the property lines, leading him to confront the Hills:

"The survey doesn't say squat," (Jed Elshant, [09:23]) Jed asserts his claim over disputed land, sparking a heated exchange.

Cody and Amanda Massengill support the Hills' perspective, dismissing Jed's claims:

"You're reading that wrong. I own this side of the driveway. You cut down those trees, my family won't have any privacy. He wanted to holler. Oh, I got the deed. I got the deed which clearly stated showed that I had more property on there and it kindly come out on the driveway," (Cody Massengill, [10:47]).

The confrontation over property lines marks the beginning of a downward spiral, as both families become entrenched in their stances.

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Escalation of Tensions

Unresolved disputes lead to increasing hostility. Jed's attempts to assert his property rights result in aggressive actions:

"I was looking for some peace," (Jed Elshant, [11:16]) Jed voices his frustration when negotiations fail, pushing him towards measures to control the situation.

To protect his perceived rights, Jed invests in a comprehensive security system, encompassing eight cameras to monitor every angle of his property:

"I had bought a surveillance system that had eight cameras and it covered all angles of the house and the yard," (Jed Elshant, [16:32]) he explains, indicating his deepening obsession with surveillance.

The Massengills, particularly Amanda, begin to experience the oppressive presence of Jed's constant monitoring:

"He would just watch us all. He was some kind of creepy control freak," (Amanda Massengill, [25:50]).

As tensions heighten, both families take retaliatory actions. Cody responds by creating an eyesore on his property:

"I put up this line of blue tarps across my property as if it were a wall," (Cody Massengill, [27:05]) intended to block Jed's view and provoke him.

Jed's retaliation is swift and aggressive:

"I got angry at that point and completely lost character," (Jed Elshant, [27:44]).

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Attempts at Resolution

With emotions running high, the families attempt mediation in hopes of restoring peace. Jed proposes:

"I asked for mediation. I said, look, I just feel like this is too much," (Jed Elshant, [33:27]), seeking a neutral ground to resolve the conflicts.

However, the mediation proves ineffective. Cody dismisses the possibility of reconciliation:

"Like, nope, mediation ain't going to work. I'm done. Take it to jail," (Cody Massengill, [34:02]), signaling a breakdown in any hope for amicable resolution.

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Final Confrontation and Aftermath

The culmination of mounting tensions leads to a brutal confrontation. On May 18, 2021, Jed's frustration reaches a boiling point when Cody confronts him with a baseball bat:

"So I grabbed a bat and I just ran through the yard because by this time I done flipped manic and I run through the yard and I went to hit him with the bat and he retrieved like a cat with his tail run over," (Cody Massengill, [30:24]).

The altercation is captured on Jed's phone, revealing:

"You got it, bitch," (Cody Massengill, [30:50]).

Cody sustains severe injuries from the attack, including a "hole in the side of [his] cheek" (Amanda Massengill, [37:26]), necessitating hospitalization. Jed is subsequently arrested for attempted murder but maintains his innocence:

"I did not hit Cody with a mattock. That never happened," (Jed Elshant, [38:29]).

In a controversial legal move, the prosecution offers a deal to dismiss the charges in exchange for Jed selling his property and moving away—a solution met with skepticism and disappointment by the Massengills.

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Conclusion

The Hillbilly Holler episode of Fear Thy Neighbor serves as a stark reminder of how ordinary neighborhood disputes can escalate into irreversible tragedies. The Massengill and Hill families suffer profound losses, both emotional and physical, highlighting the fragile nature of community harmony.

Amanda Massengill reflects poignantly:

"Every single time I look at Cody's face, I'm reminded of Jed," (Amanda Massengill, [41:00]) underscoring the lasting impact of the feud.

The episode concludes with the community left to grapple with the aftermath, illustrating the enduring scars left by neighborly fear turned fatal.

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Notable Quotes

• Jordan Brown: "How can you sleep at night when the person you fear or hate the most lives right next door?" ([01:30])

• Cody Massengill: "You're reading that wrong. I own this side of the driveway. You cut down those trees, my family won't have any privacy." ([10:47])

• Amanda Massengill: "He would just watch us all. He was some kind of creepy control freak." ([25:50])

• Cody Massengill: "I put up this line of blue tarps across my property as if it were a wall." ([27:05])

• Jed Elshant: "I did not hit Cody with a mattock. That never happened." ([38:29])

• Amanda Massengill: "Every single time I look at Cody's face, I'm reminded of Jed." ([41:00])

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Reflections and Insights

"Hillbilly Holler" poignantly explores the psychological and social dynamics of neighborly disputes. It underscores how miscommunication, perceived threats, and pride can transform ordinary disagreements into catastrophic conflicts. The episode also touches on themes of isolation, trust, and the importance of community support in preventing such tragedies.

Listeners are left contemplating the fine line between maintaining personal boundaries and fostering community harmony, and the dire consequences that can ensue when that balance is disrupted.

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Fear Thy Neighbor continues to unravel bizarre and horrifying real-life stories, reminding us that danger often lurks close to home.

Transcript

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[Jordan Brown]

Most violent crimes that capture the public's imagination are about serial killers, mass shootings, shooters, crimes of passion or clashes among underworld figures. Yet some of the most shocking and deadly conflicts we encounter are between everyday neighbors. In ordinary neighborhoods, their seemingly minor quibbles escalate until violence erupts and it impacts an entire community. What makes a good neighbor go bad? We may never truly know, but heed this warning about the terrible things that can happen when even the pettiest disagreements pass the point of no return and good neighbors become worst enemies. How can you sleep at night when the person you fear or hate the most lives right next door? Today's story takes us to the quiet countryside of rural Appalachia. It's where two tight knit families are joined by a new neighbor, an out of state truck driver hoping to settle into his own little slice of paradise. But the newcomer's idea of a peaceful rural life doesn't align with those of his neighbors. Their southern hospitality quickly turns to ire as the trucker continually questions the property lines they've lived by for decades. All privacy vanishes as the neighbors film one another's Every move. With everyone on edge and no end in sight, it's only a matter of time before their war paths meet in a bloody battle of retribution. This is fear thy neighbor, Hillbilly Haller.

[Local Resident]

Knoxville, Tennessee, is a family friendly area. It's a great place to raise a family, build a family. It's a great college town. If you like football, that's the place.

[Jordan Brown]

You want to be. That's Jordan Brown, a journalist previously based out of Knoxville. But today's episode takes us out of the city proper and into the countryside around it.

[Local Resident]

The rural area of Knoxville is very quiet. There's a lot of open land. It's kind of like what you would see in a movie for a typical Southern town. You can hear cicadas in the air. You can see lots of grass, fields of wheat, houses with lots of land in between them.

[Jordan Brown]

Nestled in these green rolling hills live the residents of Ridgeview Road. Here's Cody Massengill and his wife Amanda.

[Cody Massengill]

It's a little, small community. The neighborhood I'm in, it's a lot of older people, which I love. It's quiet, it's peaceful.

[Amanda Massengill]

We live in a very quiet, relaxed neighborhood. A lot of older people, a lot of young families. Just people live and work and trying to make their, you know, just trying to make their life better.

[Cody Massengill]

I consider it awesome to raise a family and grow up. It's a great place and a new.

[Jordan Brown]

Addition to the neighborhood. Hopes to join their ranks and make a quiet rural life for himself on Ridgeview Road. Jed Elshant is new to the area, but his line of work has introduced him to the area's Southern charm.

[Jed Elshant]

I was a single man working full time. I saved money up. I worked really hard for the years prior, and this was really my dream.

[Jordan Brown]

And in true Southern fashion, Jed is met with a warm welcome by his elderly neighbors, Charlie and Robin Hill.

[Cody Massengill]

Oh, man, the Hills are awesome people. Charlie, he's like the best.

[Amanda Massengill]

She would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.

[Cody Massengill]

Charlie, he was a get to know everybody kind of guy. He liked to mingle with everybody.

[Jordan Brown]

The Hill family have lived peacefully in the area for many years. Robin works in retail, while Charlie is a former truck driver, giving him and Jed something in common. Initially, the new neighbors seem to strike up the perfect cordial relationship.

[Jed Elshant]

When I first met my neighbors, the Hills, they were pleasant, offered their help. They were very kind to me, very nice.

[Jordan Brown]

The Hill family aren't the only ones to offer Jed a hearty welcome. Cody and Amanda, who we met earlier, are also eager to meet the new neighbor.

[Cody Massengill]

When Jeb first moved in, he seemed like he was going to be a nice guy. Everybody got along.

[Jordan Brown]

Cody Massengill, a factory worker, has lived here with his adopted son Cadence, and his new wife, Amanda, since 2013.

[Cody Massengill]

Me, cadence, which is my biological nephew, I have custody of him and Amanda, my wife.

[Jordan Brown]

After just a few short weeks, Jed is finally settled in his new digs. As he recalls, the neighborhood initially seems like the perfect place to settle down.

[Jed Elshant]

It was always my dream to own a home and just live my life in peace.

[Jordan Brown]

The layout of the properties between Jed, Robin, and Charlie Hill and Cody and Amanda is like this. A shared gravel driveway splits Jed's property from Cody and Amanda's, and the Hill's land is located at the top of the driveway. Think of the property split like a capital T, with Jed on the left, the Massengills on the right, and the hills on top. But where there's a shared driveway, there's often a host of problems. And according to Jed, it doesn't take long for a neighborly faux pas to rub him the wrong way.

[Jed Elshant]

The Hill's friends were parking on my property.

[Local Resident]

I think Jed was well within his right to be bothered that other people may have been harking on his property.

[Amanda Massengill]

Jed claimed that where their cars had been parked at was his property. The hills never parked their cars on Jed's property.

[Jed Elshant]

I bought this property knowing that discrepancy in the property line, and I knew beforehand that they've already been approached about the property line from the previous owner that used to own my property.

[Jordan Brown]

And the parking issue is only the tip of the iceberg of Jed's issue with Robin and Charlie Hill's property.

[Jed Elshant]

It was just so bad. It was a junkyard with garbage everywhere. Literally garbage everywhere. Streaks and oil. It looks like a rainbow.

[Amanda Massengill]

What the hills have on their property never meant anything to me because that's their property.

[Jed Elshant]

Then I come to realize that one of the junk cars and garbage was actually on my side of the property when I researched my property lines.

[Jordan Brown]

Despite his request, Jed claims the Hill's friends continue to park on what he claims to be his land.

[Jed Elshant]

It's every day, every single day. That's what they've been doing for years now. Property lines. You can do the research online. You can go back as far as the town was discovered to the 1800s and 1700s.

[Jordan Brown]

Desperate to reclaim what he perceives as his parking spot and tidy up the land, Jed arms himself with a land survey he finds online.

[Jed Elshant]

It was the hills that I Approached.

[Amanda Massengill]

First, he started trying to encroach the hills and their property almost immediately.

[Jordan Brown]

Jed's encroachment comes as a surprise to the Hills, who believe they know the property lines better than anybody. As in many parts of Appalachia, Robin's family roots are deeply embedded in this land.

[Jed Elshant]

Let me stop you right there. My wife's family used to own all this and they split it up a long time ago.

[Local Resident]

The Hills have a long history of living on this piece of land. They've been there for decades.

[Cody Massengill]

Ms. Robbins, she's born and raised there. She been there all her life. Her family owned all of that property.

[Amanda Massengill]

The paper that he had didn't mean anything without an actual surveyor and stakes.

[Jordan Brown]

And the dispute soon escalates into a full on yelling match right there in the middle of the shared drive.

[Grainger Advertiser]

This survey says.

[Jed Elshant]

The survey doesn't say squat.

[Cody Massengill]

And don't call me a liar. Now get out of here.

[Local Resident]

The last thing they want is a new neighbor telling them where their property starts and begins.

[Jed Elshant]

There's no reasoning in the conversation. You couldn't get through to them. They felt as though they were being attacked.

[Amanda Massengill]

Stupid hillbilly.

[Jed Elshant]

They probably slipped up and maybe said some things to these people. What an ass.

[Local Resident]

If you almost immediately start having issues with your neighbors, that's typically not a good sign.

[Amanda Massengill]

It was almost like Jed's plan from the beginning was just to come in and cause a lot of drama.

[Jordan Brown]

Having failed to convince the hills with the land survey he found online, Jed turns his attention to his other neighbors, the Massengills.

[Jed Elshant]

I bought this property, I own it and that's it, I'm going to claim it.

[Jordan Brown]

According to Jed, his survey says he also owns a strip of land on Cody Massengill's side of the driveway.

[Grainger Advertiser]

Afternoon, Cody.

[Cody Massengill]

Jed. How are ya?

[Grainger Advertiser]

Can I, can I show you something?

[Jed Elshant]

I was under the impression that he was a good person and a good neighbor.

[Grainger Advertiser]

As you can see, this strip of property is my land. And I was thinking of clearing out a bit, maybe trimming these trees back. I'd be grateful for the help. We could get to know each other.

[Jordan Brown]

But that's not how Cody interprets the land survey.

[Cody Massengill]

You're reading that wrong. I own this side of the driveway. You cut down those trees, my family won't have any privacy. He wanted to holler. Oh, I got the deed. I got the deed which clearly stated showed that I had more property on there and it kindly come out on the driveway.

[Grainger Advertiser]

But this is correct.

[Cody Massengill]

You're just being what you think I'M stupid. Jed, you touch those trees, there's gonna be hell to pay.

[Jed Elshant]

At that point, I was like, I'm not dealing with rational people.

[Jordan Brown]

Defeated, Jed tries to put the awkward interactions behind him.

[Jed Elshant]

After that, I was looking for some peace.

[Jordan Brown]

But some things aren't so easy to ignore.

[Amanda Massengill]

Cadence was outside riding his four wheeler. You know, just having a good old time riding on our yard. He was 12 years old. He didn't have a lot of friends his age close by, and that was his favorite thing to do.

[Jed Elshant]

It got so bad to the point where it's like, I have to do something about this.

[Amanda Massengill]

And he comes out there and he reaches over and he turns that four wheeler off. And I felt nothing but pure rage go through my body. Because who are you to tell him anything?

[Grainger Advertiser]

Don't you have any friends you can hang out with?

[Amanda Massengill]

Hey.

[Jordan Brown]

What the hell do you think you're doing? Jed, he's just a kid.

[Cody Massengill]

Oh, you done woke up a mama bear. Don't go there.

[Grainger Advertiser]

I did not come here to listen to this racket.

[Jordan Brown]

Then go home and leave my son alone. Amanda begins to suspect that there may be more at play than just a typical noise complaint.

[Amanda Massengill]

You could tell that Jed doesn't like being confronted by females. It was almost like he just felt like he was better than me and he didn't want to speak to someone below him.

[Jordan Brown]

The sweet tea in this Tennessee neighborhood is rapidly turning sour.

[Grainger Advertiser]

Location the lab. Quinton only has 24 hours to sell his car.

[Jordan Brown]

Is that even possible? He goes to Carvana.com. what is this, a movie trailer?

[Grainger Advertiser]

He ignores the doubters, enters his license plate. Wow, that's a great offer.

[Jordan Brown]

The car is sold, but will Carvana.

[Grainger Advertiser]

Pick it up in time for it?

[Jordan Brown]

They'll literally pick it up tomorrow morning. Done with the dramatics. Car selling in record time. Save your time. Go to Carvana.com and sell your car today.

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[Jordan Brown]

Though he's still relatively new to the neighborhood, Jed Elchant has found himself up against it with just about everyone he lives beside.

[Jed Elshant]

It happened simultaneously with both neighbors, and I was public enemy number one to them.

[Jordan Brown]

Shaken by recent encounters, Cody and Amanda Massengill don't want Jed talking to their son Cadence.

[Amanda Massengill]

Jed didn't waste any time stepping on toes and causing a ruckus. Definitely ruined our rural location. It's the country, you know, there's no boundaries with that. You should be outside every day.

[Jordan Brown]

Since things have turned bitter with his neighbors, Jed is eager to firmly designate what he believes to be the true property lines.

[Jed Elshant]

I wanted to improve the driveway, put a fence up, have privacy.

[Jordan Brown]

But first he wants to clear clean up what he views as a mess on his property. A mess he blames the hills for.

[Jed Elshant]

And a lot of garbage. But that was how they lived.

[Jordan Brown]

When Jed goes to clean it up, his presence doesn't go unnoticed by Charlie and Robin. Jed records his side of the confrontation on his phone. You're about to hear the actual audio of his argument with Charlie.

[Cody Massengill]

Went from that fucking tree down to that trees down there to the left.

[Jed Elshant]

This is county. I can do what I want.

[Cody Massengill]

Well, good, do what you want. Not on our property and I'll bury your ass.

[Local Resident]

Whether you're wrong or right, people don't like it when you touch their stuff. And I think that's what was happening there. Charlie did not like Jed touching his stuff.

[Jordan Brown]

With threats on the table, Jed feels he needs to step up his security.

[Jed Elshant]

So, you know, after the first aggressive episode I guess that I received from Mr. Hill, after that I decide to spend $1,000 or $500 on a nice, somewhat decent security system.

[Amanda Massengill]

Jed put cameras on Every corner of his house.

[Jed Elshant]

And I had bought a surveillance system that had eight cameras and it covered all angles of the house and the yard.

[Jordan Brown]

As journalist Jordan Brown explains, Jed's actions aren't totally unreasonable.

[Local Resident]

If someone threatene I would get security cameras too.

[Jordan Brown]

Feeling protected by his new cameras, Jed gets to work on cleaning up the area.

[Jed Elshant]

I had gotten a chainsaw and I was like, you know, I'm going to cut that down. I want that piece of land.

[Jordan Brown]

Amanda Massengill, home from work at that time, hears the commotion outside. But her pleas for Jed to stop fall on deaf ears.

[Amanda Massengill]

It made me nervous. It made me scared. Scared.

[Jed Elshant]

There's a brand new chainsaw and it worked pretty well.

[Jordan Brown]

Once Jed is done with the trees by the Massengills, he moves to the tree line on the Hills property.

[Cody Massengill]

Jed just cut it down just to be a butthole.

[Jordan Brown]

Jed having cut down not just one but both of his neighbors tree lines changes Cody's attitude. He's irate and begins thinking about how best to deal with his new neighbor.

[Cody Massengill]

When he first got down the trees, it made me real mad and I thought, ooh, I gotta get revenge on this.

[Amanda Massengill]

We were being looked down on.

[Jordan Brown]

Jed's new security cameras soon notify him of his neighbor's rebuttal.

[Amanda Massengill]

Since he wanted to claim that they were his and cut them down. We dragged those trees right back to Jed's property.

[Jordan Brown]

The tension is especially hard on the elderly Charlie and Robin Hill. Their decades of tranquility are now turning into war.

[Amanda Massengill]

The Hills have never had problems with anyone before. Jed, we've got to do something, hon.

[Cody Massengill]

So it was. It was hard for her, I know.

[Amanda Massengill]

Should we call the police?

[Grainger Advertiser]

No, we can handle this, really, can't we?

[Jordan Brown]

Charlie Hill uses his phone to record one of Jed's outbursts regarding the property lines. Here's audio from that confrontation.

[Cody Massengill]

That's not my property. Not your property.

[Jed Elshant]

My property.

[Jordan Brown]

The Hills decide to hire a land surveyor. They're desperate to return to the peace and quiet they've grown accustomed to and believe that if a third party comes in to confirm the property lines to Jed, he'll finally let it go.

[Cody Massengill]

If Ms. Robin had had her land surveyed.

[Jed Elshant]

They hired a surveyor. It's not like it's Charlie and Robin coming onto my property trying to do something they called a professional. You know, this third party, you know, I didn't know how to deal with that, you know, so it's not like someone you can tell to get off your property, you know, if they have the right to be there.

[Cody Massengill]

The Surveyor put up the stakes, which proved that the property Jed was trying to claim was Ms. Robbins.

[Jordan Brown]

After the surveyor's visit, the Hills believe peace will finally be restored to the area and everyone can move on with their lives. But they're dead wrong.

[Jed Elshant]

This is their biggest effort to try and establish their own property line encroaching onto mine. They already know what my position is. This is my property.

[Jordan Brown]

Though it's registered with the county, Jed is scornful of the Hill's new land survey, so he takes matters into his own hands.

[Amanda Massengill]

Jed comes up with his truck, wraps it around the stake, pulls it right out of the ground.

[Jordan Brown]

And Jed takes things another step further.

[Jed Elshant]

They had a junk car that needed to come off my property, so I contacted codes enforcement.

[Cody Massengill]

He called the county and had them to have the cars removed because they wasn't registered or something.

[Jordan Brown]

But these vehicles have sentimental value to the Hill family, and they're not running at the moment for a somber reason.

[Cody Massengill]

The Hill's son had just passed away.

[Amanda Massengill]

So they were going to keep those vehicles safe for their grandson until he was old enough to start learning how to fix them.

[Cody Massengill]

He was a minor at the time, you know, and it angered me for Charlie because there he was losing his son's stuff, you know, like, it wasn't fair.

[Amanda Massengill]

Robin was hurt and sad because that was her baby stuff, you know, I mean, that was her baby, and he's gone, and she can never get that back again.

[Cody Massengill]

That made the Hill's grandson. Oh, it just broke his little heart.

[Jordan Brown]

But to Jed, they're an eyesore.

[Jed Elshant]

Just junk cars.

[Amanda Massengill]

Jed was not going to give up, and he was not going to stop bothering us, the Hills, or anyone else that got in his way.

[Jordan Brown]

Things are heating up quickly, and these neighbors are gearing up to cross more than just property lines.

[Amanda Massengill]

I never saw an end in sight with Jed.

[Local Resident]

I think there was so much disdain for his neighbors. I think Jed would do things to antagonize them.

[Cody Massengill]

This man did some mental work on Ms. Robin's head. She was scared.

[Jordan Brown]

The stress of living next to Jed has driven Robin Hill to carry a firearm with her at all times.

[Cody Massengill]

Ms. Robbins got a Dirty Harry that was like this big dude. It's a.357. She don't play.

[Jordan Brown]

Though it seems to be common knowledge that Robin Hill is armed, it doesn't take long for Jed to appear once again. This time, he has a new idea of how to claim what he still perceives to be his land.

[Cody Massengill]

Jed really thought that he was a lawyer and had rights to do anything that he wanted to. So he went up about 10ft on Robin's property and painted lines all the way across the driveway, stating that her and her storage container and all that was on his property. When that was bull crap, it never was.

[Jordan Brown]

Even with her gun, Robin feels vulnerable in Jed's presence. At a certain point in their confrontation on the day Jed is spray painting, he pulls out his phone and starts recording Robin, who has come out of her house. Give it a listen.

[Cody Massengill]

I'm scared of you.

[Amanda Massengill]

Get away from me.

[Jed Elshant]

No, you're not.

[Jordan Brown]

Luckily for Robin, she has other neighbors she can rely on to undo Jed's latest handiwork.

[Cody Massengill]

I got rid of the gravels he painted on and dug up the lines that he painted into grass.

[Amanda Massengill]

He knew exactly where his property ended. It was just for show. He wanted to bully and he wanted to strong army people's property.

[Jordan Brown]

While the painted lines are easily erased, Jed's constant filming of everyone's activity is growing tiresome.

[Cody Massengill]

It was weird. He knew every move we made, especially.

[Jordan Brown]

Since several of Jed's videos are recorded with rather strategic timing.

[Amanda Massengill]

As soon as he got you angry and pissed off, he would grab his phone and start recording your reaction. He never recorded what he said, but he always had his phone out to record your reaction to what he said.

[Cody Massengill]

You couldn't come out of your house without having to argue with Jed every single day, every minute of day. It was like this man had bails or something. Got your supersonic ear on and knew when you was coming out of the house.

[Jed Elshant]

You start getting too much hatred or anger and disagreements. You don't know how to deal with it. You start to lose yourself and your character starts to change.

[Cody Massengill]

That's the only way to describe Jed is weird. The way he looked at you, it was like the man looked through you.

[Jed Elshant]

There's really nothing you can do when someone's already made their mind up about you and whatever the situation is.

[Amanda Massengill]

There was always a fight. There was always a problem. So I got to where I didn't want to go outside. I didn't want Cody to go outside. I didn't want Cadence to go outside because I just didn't want to deal with it.

[Jordan Brown]

Despite his wife's fear of Jed, Cody refuses to live in fear of the other man.

[Cody Massengill]

Me, I started to love it because you know what I mean? He done made it a war battle thing. So I'm like, I'll get you, old boy. I'd talk shit way out loud in the yard. He'd fire me up, and then My adrenaline would get into it and I was ready to fight with him. He literally lightened a matchstick.

[Jed Elshant]

You spend a year arguing with your neighbors and going through an emotional rollercoaster and you've exhausted all your social tactics. This is something that you're thinking about 24 7.

[Jordan Brown]

While Cody succeeds at getting under his skin, it only increases Jed's surveillance of his neighbors. Living under Jed's watchful eye, Robin Hill determines to fight fire with fire. Now everyone is watching each other all the time.

[Jed Elshant]

There's no privacy, there's no border, there's no fences, there's no security.

[Jordan Brown]

One day, Jed arrives outside with his phone recording Charlie. As the old man puts the surveyor's stakes back up. What you're about to hear is audio from Jed's recording. The pair are engaged in a sort of tug of war. Charlie puts the stakes in while Jed wraps chains and straps around to jerk them out of the ground.

[Amanda Massengill]

I think he wanted to bully and he wanted to strong arm people's property.

[Cody Massengill]

So finally Charlie just quit putting them back in there.

[Jed Elshant]

That was like kind of a small win for me.

[Local Resident]

I'm sure it was exhausting to continuously go back and forth with your neighbor, someone you literally can't get away from. That's his home. This is your home. You're kind of stuck together.

[Jordan Brown]

As tempers rise, and with their back and forth seemingly having no end in sight, Jed continues to keep a constant eye on the Hill and massengill families.

[Jed Elshant]

I actually became obsessed with watching video surveillance.

[Amanda Massengill]

He would just watch us all. He was some kind of creepy control freak.

[Jed Elshant]

You're watching videos all day, just watching security cameras, and you become obsessed with it. It just became this toxic, unhealthy lifestyle. What can I find to get them arrested?

[Jordan Brown]

And to make matters worse, he begins hurling targeted and demeaning insults to Cadence. Cody and Amanda's adoption, 12 year old son.

[Cody Massengill]

Jeff would literally stop and tell him, oh, you got on Goodwill clothes and you're this and you're that.

[Amanda Massengill]

And it made Cadence nervous. It made him uncomfortable.

[Cody Massengill]

He considered everybody broke trailer park trash.

[Jed Elshant]

I got to the point where it was just. I was getting. I was getting very frustrated.

[Cody Massengill]

Also, he called me toothless. Look, I am not toothless, man. He called me a toothless trader park hillbilly. We don't even live in a trailer park. He had a very vulgar mount for such a person like it. You wouldn't believe how vulgar this man could be. Just disgusting.

[Jordan Brown]

The Massengills are in it for the long haul, refusing to uproot and let Jed win. But Cody determines that if Jed is so obsessed with keeping a watchful eye, he'll give him something to look at.

[Cody Massengill]

I called everybody. Got any tarps over here? Let me get them. Like, I want them as raggedy as you got.

[Jordan Brown]

Cody hangs a line of blue tarps across his property as if it were a wall.

[Cody Massengill]

Ugly clothesline like. I had all intentions of looking like a hillbilly trailer park trash.

[Jordan Brown]

It blocks Jed's view of their yard while also serving as an eyesore for him to look at.

[Amanda Massengill]

They were awful looking, they were raggedy, they were ratty. And I thought, you know what? You want to see some hillbillies? Here you go.

[Local Resident]

I think that kind of poke the bear a little bit. Cody knew that putting up tarps would get under Jed's skin.

[Jordan Brown]

Cody's plan succeeds.

[Cody Massengill]

Jed had a cow. Man, he went nuts.

[Jed Elshant]

I got angry at that point and completely lost character.

[Cody Massengill]

Oh yeah, I loved it when I did that. Like, that was my masterpiece right there.

[Jordan Brown]

Jed successfully removes the eyesore, but that's not what sets Cody off to levels of anger previously unseen.

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[Amanda Massengill]

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[Jordan Brown]

One day, Cody sees Jed talking to Cadence after explicitly telling him to stay away from his son.

[Cody Massengill]

So I had enough dude. So I grabbed a bat and I just ran through the yard because by this time I done flipped manic and I run through the yard and I went to hit him with the bat and he retrieved like a cat with his tail run over.

[Jordan Brown]

Jed retreats to his porch, recording Cody's rabid outburst on his phone. In the video, an irate Cody approaches Jed with a baseball bat.

[Jed Elshant]

Put the bat in my face. Threaten me with violence.

[Jordan Brown]

You wanted a reaction?

[Amanda Massengill]

You got it, bitch.

[Cody Massengill]

You got it, bitch.

[Amanda Massengill]

You got a reaction. Now what's up?

[Jordan Brown]

Amanda Massengill has also reached her breaking point. She backs her husband up in confronting their neighbor. At one point in the recording, Kody picks up a handful of gravel and throws it towards toward Jed. Jed explains, he's throwing rocks at me.

[Jed Elshant]

Every single one of them missed. I don't know if it's the Matrix or something, but I was dodging all of them, so just not worth it.

[Cody Massengill]

Best thing you can do is stay.

[Amanda Massengill]

The away from our kid. Definitely woke up a mama bear inside of me when he started messing with Cadence. Put a lot of anger in me, man.

[Cody Massengill]

You woke up mad. You went to bed mad. How are we going to get this dude to just stop and leave us alone?

[Jed Elshant]

Cody threatened my life, so the police were called.

[Jordan Brown]

When the police arrive, Jed shows him his video of the Massengills threatening him.

[Cody Massengill]

He cried about me chasing him with the bat.

[Amanda Massengill]

Cody never hit him with the baseball bat.

[Jordan Brown]

Aggravated assault charges are laid against Cody for his blow up at Jed. The Massengill family is left devastated, and it only exacerbates their growing feud with Jedi.

[Amanda Massengill]

Jed made him look like a violent criminal, even though he wasn't.

[Jordan Brown]

While Kody awaits bail, Amanda and Cadence live in Fear without their protector.

[Cody Massengill]

Cadence was scared to death. Amanda was scared.

[Jordan Brown]

And on the other side of Jed's house, the hills also live in constant dread. The whole encounter has left Charlie unable to contain his frustration.

[Cody Massengill]

You want to act like a man? Why don't you come on up and talk like a man?

[Jordan Brown]

The tension can be cut with a knife.

[Jed Elshant]

Charlie was irate, unreasonable, couldn't talk to him, yelled at me, screamed at me.

[Cody Massengill]

Charlie was an elder man, you know what I mean? Man was healthy up until Jed moved in. Then he started having all kinds of health problems.

[Jordan Brown]

But Charlie is too proud not to confront Jed whenever the two cross paths. Robin, however, is now filled with rage and reaching the end of her rope.

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[Amanda Massengill]

In my fucking face.

[Cody Massengill]

Ms. Robin's a hardcore country girl and she don't play. She literally almost pulled her 357 on Jed one day and was like, I'm done with this crap.

[Amanda Massengill]

And I don't blame her. I don't want to sound like a bitch. I think that if Jed had forced Robin to pull the trigger that day, everyone's life would have been a little more peaceful. I feel like shooting Jed would have been the only way to stop him.

[Jed Elshant]

It was toxic and I got freaked out.

[Jordan Brown]

Feeling attacked on all sides, Jed attempts to barter for peace through a third party.

[Jed Elshant]

I asked for mediation. I said, look, I just feel like this is too much.

[Jordan Brown]

Kody returns home awaiting trial. But Jed has gone too far, and the Massengills are in no mood to bargain with their devil next door.

[Amanda Massengill]

The mediation was a joke. Jed went into mediation thinking that he was going to be in control and that he was going to have everything done the way he wanted.

[Local Resident]

I think the intention with the mediation was to end all of this once and for all.

[Jordan Brown]

But unfortunately, things may have reached the point of no return.

[Cody Massengill]

Like, nope, mediation ain't going to work. I'm done. Take it to jail.

[Jordan Brown]

Assault charges against Cody remain in place. There will be no peace.

[Jed Elshant]

We're not seeing eye to eye or anything.

[Jordan Brown]

The constant back and forth is barreling Jed to his breaking point. He tries once more to designate what he contends as the true property line.

[Cody Massengill]

Jed went as far as to get this ugly orange, bright orange netting and had literally put up this fence.

[Amanda Massengill]

The plastic orange fencing was just stupid. It was absolutely just to piss Cody off, just to push his buttons. And he knew how to do it really well. He got really good at pushing Cody's buttons.

[Jed Elshant]

Made really tough and difficult to tear down.

[Cody Massengill]

I knew immediately I was Going to tear it down.

[Jordan Brown]

As expected, Jed records Cody.

[Jed Elshant]

If it stays up, I'm good to go. But if it gets torn down, then I have some evidence and I can take this to court.

[Jordan Brown]

At one point in Jed's video, you can see he is holding a claw hammer. It's unclear if this is just the tool he used to build the fence or a potential weapon he armed himself with when confronting Cody.

[Cody Massengill]

You want to hit me with that hammer?

[Jordan Brown]

With a pending trial, Kody doesn't want any more charges laid at his feet. But Jed's insults cut deep.

[Cody Massengill]

He wants hillbilly, and he wants to call me that. All right, then, I'll give you hillbilly.

[Jordan Brown]

On May 18, 2021, Jed returns home and is immediately confronted by a piece of Cody's handiwork.

[Jed Elshant]

I came home and the sign was facing my property. It was a 4 by 8 piece of plywood nailed up on a tree, and it was spray painted in pink or orange. Hillbilly Holler.

[Cody Massengill]

We painted that sign in the pinkest spray paint I could find.

[Jordan Brown]

After erecting their Hillbilly Holler sign, Cody is doing yard work with his son Cadence.

[Cody Massengill]

I was using the mattock, clearing the land basically to build my chicken coop.

[Local Resident]

A mattock is a tool very similar to a pickaxe in size and shape.

[Jordan Brown]

When Jed sees Kody's sign, he blows a gasket. According to Kody, the sign sends Jed into a full on rage.

[Cody Massengill]

Stay behind me, Cadence.

[Jordan Brown]

With potentially deadly consequences.

[Cody Massengill]

He said, bro, I'm gonna kill you.

[Jordan Brown]

M effort journalist Jordan Brown explains just how shocking the next few moments were for residents on Ridgeview Road.

[Local Resident]

This report was like nothing I had ever done before.

[Jordan Brown]

The Massengill family claims Jed's next move escalates their feud to frightening new heights. According to Cody, Jed pushes him to.

[Cody Massengill]

The ground and bam. It happened that fast. When he cheap shotted me from behind, he grabbed the mattock. Jed. Jed, no.

[Jordan Brown]

And according to Cody, Jed swings the Mattock into the side of Cody's face. Dad, what did you do?

[Amanda Massengill]

What did you do? I think that once he hit him and he realized what he did, he scared himself. Jed took off like. Like a thief in the night. He was just gone.

[Jordan Brown]

Arriving home, she finds her husband dazed and bloody, but thankfully still alive.

[Amanda Massengill]

Cody had blood running down his face. There was so much blood. Cody had a hole in the side of his, like a hole. And I was like, he tried to kill you. Like Jed honestly tried to kill you.

[Jordan Brown]

But emergency services have yet to arrive at the scene of the attack.

[Amanda Massengill]

Where's the ambulance? My husband's bleeding like he's hurt.

[Cody Massengill]

And it hurt. It hurt bad. I couldn't open my mouth. I couldn't talk. It was a pain I've never felt before, that's for sure.

[Amanda Massengill]

Cadence was a wreck. Cadence had his head down for hours. He literally just stared at his feet and the blood on his boots for hours.

[Jordan Brown]

That night, while Kody remains in hospital, one question remains. Where is Jed? Here's Jed to explain my girlfriend's house at the time.

[Jed Elshant]

I stayed the night over there.

[Cody Massengill]

He was cocky enough to go to work the next day.

[Jordan Brown]

And when he clocks in, the police are there waiting for him.

[Amanda Massengill]

They surrounded his truck and they had their guns on him, and they arrested him right there for attempted murder.

[Local Resident]

To get arrested in such a dramatic fashion in front of all of your co workers, that's gotta be embarrassing.

[Jordan Brown]

Yet Jed claims that events unfolded in a different manner than his neighbors contend.

[Jed Elshant]

I did not hit Cody with a mattock. That never happened. As soon as I tore it down, it made this plume of dust.

[Jordan Brown]

Jed claims that Cody was the instigator and swung the mattock at him first.

[Jed Elshant]

He lunged after me with a mattock and I got freaked out.

[Jordan Brown]

According to Jed, his altercation with Cody ended with a single shove.

[Jed Elshant]

And I remember him dropping the pickaxe. And I'm just like, freaked out at this time. He's over there yelling and screaming at his minor child, saying, did you see this? Did you see that? I'm gonna call the police. My trailer is so high. And I'm just like, I gotta get out of here. The matic never happened, and I'll maintain that for the rest of my life.

[Jordan Brown]

Jordan Brown, the journalist who covered the story of the alleged assault, met Kody the day he was discharged from the hospital.

[Local Resident]

I was there the day Cody got out of the hospital. His face was swollen. He had a huge bandage on the side of his face.

[Jordan Brown]

Our producers were provided a photo of Cody's face following the alleged attack. It depicts Cody sitting up with a bloody hole pierced through his cheek.

[Amanda Massengill]

It was actually a miracle that he wasn't hurt nearly as bad as we thought he could have been. He could have died. Cody literally could have died that day.

[Jordan Brown]

Despite Jed's claims of innocence, he is charged with attempted murder. The neighbors believe they're finally rid of Jed Elshant, but the charges don't stick. Jed explains the unique offer that was made to him in court.

[Jed Elshant]

The prosecution, they made a suggestion to me. What is that property worth to you?

[Local Resident]

Just sell it Move out like kids on a playground. They needed to be separated.

[Jed Elshant]

We'll get this dismissed and just move on. And I immediately agreed with it.

[Jordan Brown]

If the Massengills also agree with the charges against Jed being dropped, Cody's will be dismissed as well.

[Amanda Massengill]

If Kody hadn't had that aggravated assault charge, then we would have fought to have Jed locked up.

[Cody Massengill]

I was very disappointed at first, but I was like, yeah, whatever. I'm sick of this crap. Let's just let it go. So I agreed to it.

[Local Resident]

It's absolutely a bizarre outcome. I've never heard of a court doing anything like that before.

[Jordan Brown]

Jed does as the court orders. He sells his home and moves away.

[Jed Elshant]

We eventually got it sold for less than what it was worth, but, I mean, I got my freedom.

[Jordan Brown]

Meanwhile, Cody and his family still live with the repercussions of that day.

[Amanda Massengill]

Every single time I look at Cody's face, I'm reminded of Jed.

[Jordan Brown]

Despite the final confrontation occurring between Jed and Cody, the Hill family doesn't escape the conflict unscathed.

[Amanda Massengill]

Charlie passed away from a heart attack. He was stressed out up until the time he died. And a lot of that had to do with Jedi Ms. Robin.

[Cody Massengill]

Every time she sees a white truck, she thinks it's Jed.

[Amanda Massengill]

She's thinking about everything that Jed's done and, you know, not knowing if he may ever try to do it again. I don't think he's that dumb, but you never know.

[Jordan Brown]

Despite suffering horrific loss, Robyn has no plans to leave.

[Cody Massengill]

I don't know how she's still standing like a soldier, but she is. That woman is tough. I love Ms. Robin. She planted in her roots. She ain't going nowhere.

[Amanda Massengill]

I would never accept an apology from Jed. I would never accept anything from Jed.

[Cody Massengill]

I just want to let Jed know I told you I wasn't going nowhere.

[Jordan Brown]

This podcast is produced by Cream Productions in association with Fremantle Media and id. You can check out Fear Thy Neighbor on Max Discovery and id.

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[Cody Massengill]

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