Proof: A True Crime Podcast

Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 6 (Aired February 26, 2026)

Main Theme and Purpose

This sidebar episode features Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, Scott Baldwin, and Kevin discussing the tangled investigation into the murder at the bike shop, focusing particularly on the persistent alternate suspect, Alan Nutter. The conversation delves into why Nutter, despite extensive tips and confessions, was never fully investigated, the role of polygraphs in dismissing suspects, and the emotional challenges of wrongful conviction cases. Notably, the speakers examine the process and failings of the justice system while addressing the complex impact of memory, evidence suppression, and prosecutorial conduct.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Overwhelming Number of Tips Pointing to Alan Nutter

• Alan Nutter as the "Alt Suspect":
  • Nutter was identified repeatedly as a suspect from the earliest days of the investigation, receiving what the hosts call an "absurd" number of tips implicating him. (01:16-01:51)
  • Scott Baldwin: "I've truly never seen a case where there's a suspect who is this prominent. Like, not even the guilty ones are this prominent, which is maybe a sign too." (01:51)
• Suppression of Tips by Prosecution and the Court:
  • Scott Baldwin shares outrage and frustration that the prosecution withheld at least 12-14 tips about Nutter during appeals, despite claiming there was "no proof." (02:22-02:56)
  • Scott Baldwin: "They had access to the document showing that Scott was right. They were about Alan Nutter, and they just don't even say anything." (02:44)

2. Judicial Complicity and Evidentiary Withholding

• The judge in the case also saw the tips but only allowed a selection to be provided for the defense, rationalizing the decision because the tips were "anonymous." (04:01-04:38)
• Kevin: "Right, they're anonymous. So they'll remain anonymous even if you turn them over." (04:34)

3. The Depressing Reality of Wrongful Conviction

• The emotional toll of realizing evidence was withheld is discussed candidly by Jacinda and Susan.
• Jacinda: "There are these moments in these wrongful convictions that just sort of make you incredibly depressed and sort of zap your soul of humanity..." (02:56)
• Suppression of evidence not only hinders the defense but denies any chance of further, potentially exculpatory, investigation. (05:33)

4. The Polygraph Problem

• Nutter was cleared as a suspect after passing a polygraph in 1988. Much later, detectives told him the examiner was unqualified and misread results—this may have been a ruse to reopen dialogue. (06:36-07:11)
• Interviewer to Nutter: "The person that administered the polygraph to you...shouldn't have been allowed to administer polygraphs." (06:41)
• The team discusses how polygraphs in Kalamazoo often determined the trajectory of cases, sometimes being questioned or strategically undermined years later. (07:22-08:33)
• Scott Baldwin: "I just find the whole way polygraphs were treated in Kalamazoo was absurd. They really did just clear cases based on polygraphs." (08:33)

5. Witness Testimonies: The Complex Case of Nutter's Daughter

• Nutter’s daughter, Brooke, had a fraught relationship with her father and was emotionally conflicted about implicating him. She participated in in-depth interviews with both investigators and police. (09:47-10:26)
• Her statements reveal how traumatic memory operates—she struggles to separate two murders (the "bike shop" and the "Manny Cole" case) in her mind, filling in the gaps based on what she learns in interviews. (10:49-11:56)
• Scott Baldwin: "She just corrects her memories based on what she's hearing and doesn't realize she's doing it until she does realize it and starts freaking out a bit." (11:41)
• This case illustrates the problem of witness memory suggestibility and contamination, especially with overlapping traumatic events. (11:56-12:37)

6. Overlapping Murders and Alibi Confusion

• The hosts point out that Nutter was alibied for the bike shop murder (sometimes by people involved in the other murder), yet rumors of his confessions circulated widely.
• Multiple witness statements, including conflicting alibis and secondhand stories, complicated the investigation. (13:09-14:17)

7. DNA Evidence: Hope and Frustration

• Unknown male DNA was found under the victim's fingernails. It does not match Scott Baldwin (the man convicted) or Alan Nutter, intensifying the sense of injustice. (15:11-15:38)
• Scott Baldwin: "There was DNA found. Someone's DNA was under his nails, like their blood or their skin. He scratched someone with both hands. That DNA is there and it is not Scott and it still doesn't fucking matter." (16:36)

8. The Systemic Difficulty of Overturning Wrongful Convictions

• To exonerate someone, the defense must not only prove constitutional error, but usually must provide an alternative suspect and a tidy narrative for the prosecution.
• Jacinda: "You’ve got to give them an out, so to speak. And they couldn't give them an out because nobody knew who else the DNA matched." (17:13)

9. Teasing Future Episodes

• Next, the hosts promise to share more about Richard Vendeville’s involvement and their efforts to track down and interview Alan Nutter themselves. (17:19-18:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Scott Baldwin (on withheld tips):

  "I would have lost my mind if I went to the appellate court for Michigan and was told, you lose because you have no proof. There about Alan Nutter, and then find out that the prosecution knew the whole goddamn time. There were like 12 or 14 of them." (02:22)

• Jacinda (on judicial and prosecutorial conduct):

  "There are these moments in these wrongful convictions that just sort of make you incredibly depressed and sort of zap your soul of humanity..." (02:56)

• Scott Baldwin (on the justice system’s logic):

  "It takes a certain mindset as a prosecutor to be like, it is okay to not tell a defendant about this." (03:48)

• Kevin (on the polygraph tactic):

  "Police are allowed to lie to people during interrogations or whatever. I mean...it's not a horrible opening line to be like, hey, we got to talk to you, because the polygraph operator, you know, didn't do a good job." (07:41)

• Scott Baldwin (on defense being denied paths):

  "If the defense had this information figured out about Trudy Fields and the Bloody Wrench. Not a chance Scott gets convicted. I mean, just that is reasonable doubt." (05:13)

• Scott Baldwin (on DNA disappointment):

  "There was DNA found...and it is not Scott and it still doesn't fucking matter." (16:36)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:16-02:56] - Discussion of the massive quantity of tips implicating Alan Nutter and frustration with prosecutorial suppression.
• [04:01-04:38] - Judicial decision to withhold anonymous tips from the defense.
• [05:13-05:33] - Impact withheld evidence could have had on defense investigation.
• [06:36-07:41] - The original polygraph that helped clear Nutter; questions about its validity.
• [09:47-11:56] - Brooke Nutter’s emotional struggle and suggestibility in witness interviews.
• [15:11-16:36] - DNA evidence: discovery, hopes for exoneration, and crushing outcome.
• [17:19-18:12] - Preview of future efforts to track down Alan Nutter and further case developments.

Tone & Language

The conversation is candid, sometimes incredulous, with a focus on the emotional devastation wrought by wrongful convictions. The speakers use direct, sometimes coarse language (e.g., "the whole goddamn time," "it still doesn't fucking matter"), underscoring both the personal frustration and the systemic injustice at play. They balance detailed evidentiary analysis with empathetic storytelling, drawing listeners into both the investigative weeds and the human toll of the case.

Summary Takeaway

This Sidebar episode confronts the failures of the justice system in the "Murder at the Bike Shop" case, revealing how prosecutorial and judicial actions kept crucial evidence from the defense, allowing a wrongful conviction to stand. Through discussions of flawed polygraph procedures, conflicting witness memories, and ultimately the impotence of exculpatory DNA evidence, the hosts underline the persistent obstacles to justice in wrongful conviction cases—leaving listeners with a cliffhanger for future developments in the investigation.