Podcast Summary

Podcast: Real Life Real Crime
Episode: True Crime Time For December 5, 2025 | False Confessions, Police Corruption & The Chad Hughes Story
Hosts: Woody Overton & Cindy Overton
Release Date: December 5, 2025

Main Theme

This episode is a lively, candid exploration of recent true crime news, misconduct cases involving law enforcement, social controversies, and a deep dive into local Louisiana fraud—with Woody Overton’s signature no-nonsense storytelling and Cindy’s thoughtful counterpoints. The show offers unique personal insights and even first-hand experience, all while highlighting the flaws and gray areas in law enforcement, the justice system, and human nature.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Controversial Nativity Scene as Social Protest (Illinois)

[04:41–09:11]

• The episode opens with a provocative story from Evanston, Illinois: a church displayed a nativity scene where Jesus is zip-tied, watched by ICE agents, and Mary & Joseph wear respirators—meant to comment on immigration and forced family separation.
• Woody’s reaction: He’s incensed, calling it an overtly political statement disguised as religious art, and says he’d be "willing to go to jail" for tearing the scene down if he lived there.
• Quote:
  • “If I was in this town, I would go to jail for destroying this...There’s a church and they did a nativity scene. Baby Jesus has his hands zip-tied and is guarded by figures styled as ICE agents.” – Woody, [05:27]
• Cindy provides context from her life on the border and her father’s experience in border patrol, explaining the complexity and divisions among immigrants themselves.

2. Effed Up Professionals: Racist Deputy Fired in South Carolina

[10:17–14:56]

• Cindy presents the case of a Spartanburg deputy fired for a racist social media post made while on duty.
• The deputy, in ski mask, posted offensive text using coded language, was fired the next day. The sheriff vows zero tolerance for such misconduct.
• Quote:
  • “How can you expect to protect and serve? That’s everybody. Even when I tore up the display of sweet baby Jesus being zip-tied, I would have gone to jail. There are laws for a reason. You’re going to do a racist post like that and then expect to show up on scene and have some kind of respect?” – Woody, [13:38]
• Hosts discuss the broader impact on police reputation and the necessity to “weed out” such individuals.

3. Police Corruption and Murder in Memphis

[23:33–28:03]

• Woody shares the shocking case of Patrick Ferguson, a Memphis police officer who abducted and murdered a man while on duty.
• Ferguson was sentenced to 38 years after confessing. Another officer, Joshua Rogers, assisted in hiding the body and awaits sentencing.
• Quote:
  • “This defendant committed a premeditated murder while using his position as a police officer not to protect the Memphis community, but to perpetrate this horrendous crime…” – Woody quoting DOJ, [25:08]
• Woody reflects on the "no one is above the law" mantra and the importance of accountability at every level.

4. False Confessions: The Tony Haas Case

[32:28–36:44]

• Cindy covers the case of Tony Haas, recently acquitted of a 1992 double homicide in Wisconsin, despite a DNA match and a confession under questionable circumstances.
• Defense alleges the confession was coerced, pointing to another potential suspect and a history of false confessions by others.
• Woody contextualizes: Juries in civil cases have a much lower burden of proof, referencing OJ Simpson as precedent.

5. First-Hand: The Chad Hughes Fraud and Theft Story (Baton Rouge, LA)

[41:00–54:55]

• Woody shares a direct, personal account of Chad Hughes—a Baton Rouge restaurateur arrested for felony theft after writing a $20,000 bad check for equipment, refusing to return property, and his long history of financial misdeeds.
• Woody’s own father was victimized by Hughes’ bad checks; Woody describes how they pursued eviction and legal remedies, fighting false narratives Hughes spread in the press.
• Quote:
  • “He didn’t face just potential eviction. We got him evicted because my daddy owned the building… I personally took it over, and he kept writing bad checks. Ultimately, we just went ahead and had him evicted.” – Woody, [44:17]
• Key insight: Woody details the process for reporting bad checks in Louisiana and stresses not to “take a check from anybody,” explaining how scams work even with seemingly legitimate funds.

6. Musings on Law Enforcement, False Convictions, and Systemic Issues

[28:03–32:28] [36:17–40:41]

• Woody discusses personal experiences with being denied a prison interview for a documentary (potentially for his own safety, given his law enforcement background).
• Hosts touch on concepts like double jeopardy and the difference between criminal and civil court burdens of proof.
• Cindy asks Woody about his track record with confessions:
  • “How many times in trial did someone admit to the crime?”
  • “Fuckin’ never. What’s the point of going to trial unless they got into the first day of trial, jury selection, and they’re like, fuck that, I’ll take the plea deal.” – Woody, [32:59]

7. Ethical Commentary & Personal Reflections

• Both hosts are open about the challenge of dealing with repeat offenders and the importance of letting “the music” play when it comes to justice—meaning, the system eventually catches up, and trying to frame or rush justice is futile.
• Quote: “If you catch a dude and you don’t have him just right, let that go—because you’ll cross paths again, and maybe next time, the music will be playing your way.” – Woody, [52:15]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the controversial nativity scene:
  “Man, come on, bro, get the fuck out of here. I… look, I got a lot of Hispanic friends … the laws are the laws. Don’t zip tie sweet baby Jesus…” – Woody, [08:10]

• On policing and racism:
  “Hate of any kind is bad.” – Woody, [12:17]

• On wrongful conviction investigations:
  “If he’s innocent, he’s innocent. I don’t have enough knowledge to say one way or another. But I know I ain’t going to Angola… and I really didn’t want to, anyway.” – Woody, [31:08]

• Acknowledging his and Cindy’s marriage and past:
  "We're going on 18 years of marriage, say. How you felt, a little game." – Woody, [28:03]

• On giving people the benefit of the doubt:
  "You always give people the benefit of the doubt. You take them at face value until you can't." – Cindy, [54:11]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [04:41] – Nativity scene with political symbolism
• [10:17] – Racist deputy fired in South Carolina
• [23:33] – Police murder/kidnapping case in Memphis
• [32:28] – False confessions, Tony Haas case
• [36:44] – Civil vs. criminal cases, OJ example
• [41:00] – The Chad Hughes fraud story (personal account)
• [52:15] – Reflections on letting justice play out
• [54:11] – Closing thoughts on trust and consequences

Tone & Style

The tone is irreverent, honest, sometimes coarse but always direct. Woody weaves personal stories and law enforcement lore with off-the-cuff humor and local color, while Cindy acts as a balancing, probing presence. Both show a deep commitment to truth, justice, and empathy—even amid frustration at how “messy” the real world system can be.

For Listeners:

This episode brings a raft of true crime headlines to life with unique perspective, revealing how the personal and systemic can get tangled in the real world (not just in headlines). It’s a must-listen for anyone interested in the lived reality of criminal law, flawed investigators and officials, and the underbelly of small-town America—told by someone who’s been there themselves.