Podcast Summary: The Crimes of Margo Freshwater | Ep. 5: Tables, Turned

Podcast: The Binge Crimes: The Crimes of Margo Freshwater
Host: Cooper Maul (Sony Music Entertainment)
Date: February 2, 2026
Episode Theme:
This episode, "Tables, Turned," marks a dramatic shift in the narrative about Margo Freshwater, who—after a three-week 1966 crime spree and 99-year sentence—escaped prison and built a new life as “Tonya.” For decades, official narratives painted her as a cold accomplice or mastermind. Here, for the first time, Margo’s own voice is given weight, exposing her version of events and the suppressed truths that may finally change her fate.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Arrest and Mindset (00:30–02:45)

• Tonya (Margo Freshwater) describes her resignation upon arrest after 32 years on the run:

  "I knew it was over. I knew it was over." (00:39–00:47, Tonya)

• During interrogation, Tonya denies her former identity as “Margo Freshwater,” asserting that version of herself "had to die" so she could survive:

  "That person in my mind died... My identity is who I am today." (01:25, Tonya)

2. Tonya’s Account: Guilt and Powerlessness (04:44–11:41)

• Tonya’s central regret surfaces for the first time:

  "If I hadn't tried to get out that door, that maybe he wouldn't have shot the lady." (04:44, Tonya)

• She recalls Nash’s control over her: preventing her from leaving, isolating her, and ultimately using violence and threats to ensure compliance:

  "I noticed Nash never seemed to let me out of his sight." (06:02, Tonya) "He grabbed my arm so tight... his entire handprint was on my arm." (06:46, Tonya)

• Describes desperate attempts to call family for rescue the night before the first murder, but without resources, she was trapped:

  "Is there any way you guys can come get me?" (07:20, Tonya)

• Vivid recollections of the liquor store murder: Nash as the violent instigator, Tonya as powerless and terrified, forced to comply under threat:

  "He was pointing the gun at us... I was terrified. I was shaking." (09:27–10:00, Tonya) "I bent down and I was trying to untie Mr. Robbins." (10:58, Tonya)

3. Life Under Threat and Repeated Escape Attempts (14:15–19:07)

• Tonya recalls repeated, often violent, attempts to escape Nash—a process missed by prosecutors and misunderstood by the public:

  "I kept inching towards the door, thinking, well, maybe now I can track to get away." (14:54, Tonya) "If I hadn't tried to get out that door, that maybe he wouldn't have shot the lady." (15:27, Tonya)

• Nash’s threatening behavior:

  "He had the gun aimed at me. And he said, I told you what I would do if you tried to get away." (16:17, Tonya)

4. The Aftermath: Arrest, Family Impact, and Shock (23:06–29:59)

• Arrest described from family’s perspective—a sudden, surreal shift:

  "Imagine that you're just like living your life and then all of the sudden, you wake up in a nightmare or a movie." (23:19, Casey Henry, daughter-in-law) "I don't think we've really talked about that with anybody. But when she gave me a hug, she just said it was true." (26:03, Tim, son)

• Family expresses disbelief but unconditional loyalty:

  "That's not my life. She's not that kind of person. She couldn't commit that kind of a crime." (27:30, Darryl McCarter, husband)

• In the chaos, authorities question the family’s involvement, but ultimately clear them:

  "After two hours of interrogation, they realized her family and me did not know percast and therefore we were not an accomplice in harboring a fugitive." (26:57, Darryl McCarter)

• The family campaigns desperately to support her legal battle despite public censure:

  "We did a car wash to raise legal funds... people were kind of berating us at those events, like, no, I would not support a murderer." (29:59, Casey Henry)

5. The Legal Fight: Decades-Old Evidence Uncovered (31:03–40:54)

• Introduction of Steven Ross Johnson, the attorney who spearheaded her post-extradition defense:

  "I'd already graduated from law school... but this case was with me from the outset of my career." (31:03, Steven Johnson)

• Johnson and his mentor revisit cold evidence, eventually discovering a critical, hidden document:

  "He found it, and he pulled out a file folder... I opened it up and there was a note card... 'Do not give this to the defense.'" (37:13–37:54, Johnson)

• The document: a jailhouse informant’s statement that Nash admitted Freshwater was not present for the murder:

  "Margot was not a shooter. And she wasn't there when he shot Hillman Robbins Sr." (38:42, Johnson)

• Judge Lafferty, the original prosecutor who suppressed exculpatory evidence, reacts with minimal remorse:

  "My supervisor told me not to turn something over, and I didn't turn it over. And I felt bad about it, but I didn't feel too bad after she escaped." (40:32, Lafferty via Johnson)

• Recognition of a major constitutional violation (Brady v. Maryland) and what it cost Tonya.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On condemning herself to survive:

  "She doesn't exist to me. That person in my mind died, had to die in order for myself to be born into who I am today." (01:25, Tonya)

• On guilt and consequences:

  "I've always lived with the guilt, and this is the first time I'm sharing it, that if I hadn't tried to get out that door, that maybe he wouldn't have shot the lady." (04:44, Tonya)

• On her family’s immediate support:

  "Here's a woman that they say was a convicted felon for first-degree murder. And I said, that's not my life. She's not that kind of person." (27:30, Darryl McCarter)

• On discovering suppressed evidence:

  "There was a note card stapled... 'Do not give this to the defense.' And it had the initials of a supervisor in the DA's office at the time." (37:54, Johnson) "Margot was not a shooter. And she wasn't there when he shot Hillman Robbins Sr." (38:42, Johnson)

• On hope:

  "I know I'm going home. No matter how long it takes, I know I'm going home." (41:21, Tonya)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:30–02:45: Tonya’s state of mind at arrest; her dissociation from her past.
• 04:44–11:41: Tonya’s firsthand account of her entrapment, the murders, and aftermath.
• 14:15–19:07: Attempts to escape Nash; revelations about the true dynamic during the crime spree.
• 23:06–29:59: The family’s world collapses upon arrest; support and campaign for her freedom.
• 31:03–40:54: Attorney Johnson’s involvement; discovery of exculpatory evidence; official acknowledgment of Brady violation.

Conclusion & Tone

“Tables, Turned” peels back half a century of myth, rumor, and silence around Margo Freshwater, revealing a story of survival under duress, repressed guilt, systemic failure, and the unrelenting efforts—both familial and legal—to set the record straight. The episode’s tone is intimate, urgent, and deeply human, with Cooper Maul guiding listeners through revelations that, finally, give Margo/Tonya her own voice.

End of summary.