Introducing - Crying Wolf

Summary

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The Burden – Introducing: Crying Wolf

Host: Orbit Media (Steve Fishman & Dax Devlin Ross)
Release Date: February 3, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode serves as an introduction to the new true crime podcast series, Crying Wolf, hosted by Dax Devlin Ross. Orbit Media’s Steve Fishman welcomes Dax back to discuss the series before airing its premiere episode. Crying Wolf explores a decades-long friendship formed in prison and the wrongful conviction of Lee Harris, diving into criminal justice failures, police misconduct, and the human complexities behind notorious Chicago crimes from the late 1980s. The story centers not just on Lee’s case, but on the relationship between Lee and Robert Chatler, whose years-long quest for the truth is chronicled through their recorded phone calls.
Tone: Introspective, personal, investigative, with a mix of raw emotion and streetwise candor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Host Reunion & Context (00:56–05:18)

• Steve Fishman introduces Dax Devlin Ross, trumpeting their partnership on the original Burden podcast and highlighting Dax’s multifaceted background (author, lawyer, journalist).
• Banter touches on Dax's elusive, mysterious tendencies and his relentless pursuit of righting societal wrongs.
  • Notable Quote (04:16):
    Dax: "Calorie free, right? That's called black coffee from a Keurig. That's what that is."
• Steve reminisces about the emotional weight and lasting impact of working on The Burden together.

2. Premise of Crying Wolf (05:18–06:51)

• Dax summarizes the heart of Crying Wolf:
  • Lee Harris, a black career scammer in Chicago’s projects, is convicted of murder.
  • In jail, he crosses paths with Robert Chatler, a younger, white Jewish man in for a drug offense. They bond deeply during their brief time as cellmates.
  • After release, Robert dedicates the next 20 years to investigating Lee’s case, ultimately uncovering that the key witness against Lee was a government informant—evidence hidden from the jury.
  • Tragically, Lee is exonerated but dies shortly after release in 2023; however, two decades of their recorded conversations form the emotional backbone of the series.
  • Notable Quote (05:18): Dax: "It's a story about two friends who meet in prison…becoming cellmates for less than a year. One guy, Robert, is a young Jewish guy who’s in prison because he has a drug problem...he meets this character...Lee Harris, who's...never ever swayed from the expression of his innocence."

3. Crying Wolf, Episode 1 – The Right Guy

(Begins around 07:19)

a. Lee Harris’s Origins & Personality (07:19–16:04)

• Opening scene set in Joliet Penitentiary, 2001. Lee, expecting his new cellmate Robert, is skeptical but their relationship unexpectedly becomes pivotal.
• Lee’s background:
  • Charismatic, resourceful, and a survivor in Cabrini Green, one of Chicago’s most notorious housing projects.
  • Known to both cops and media, straddling the line between con artist and community fixture.
  • Police and journalists recall Lee as talkative and savvy, but prone to “recklessness.”
  • Quote (11:53):
    Bob Jordan (news reporter): “[Lee] was probably smarter than the average kid he ran around with because he knew how to work the system...But he was unpolished. He was vulnerable to his own recklessness.”
• The realities of Cabrini Green’s gang-dominated, high-poverty environment are detailed through the voices of beat cops and journalists.

b. Dana Feitler’s Murder: Crime & Context (20:08–24:44)

• Crime flashpoint: June 18, 1989, Dana Feitler—a smart, wealthy, 24-year-old—returns from a night out and is murdered execution-style in an alley off the affluent Gold Coast.
• The rarity and racial tension of such a crime in Chicago’s wealthiest district trigger a massive media and police response.
  • Quote (21:45):
    Patrol cop Mary Cywak: “She was from a wealthy family down in the Gold Coast...where all the concentration of money is. So it was a heater case.”
• The city’s anxiety is palpable; the new technology of ATMs even becomes suspect.

c. The Investigation & Lee’s Involvement (24:44–32:12)

• Dog-walking eyewitness claims to have seen “three black men” with Dana.
• The police, under immense pressure (“heater case,” see 24:44), put up a large reward and pit detectives against one another in a race to find leads—“dog eat dog” competition per Mary Cywak (25:41).
• Lee, motivated by money and opportunity, steps forward as an “informant” after the reward is announced, coached by friendly detectives Ward and McHugh.
• Lee’s role evolves—from witness to suspect:
  • Gives 22 statements, each time getting closer to implicating himself, as police encourage him to “remember” new details.
  • Eventually, Lee is convinced (by police) to claim he was present with the real suspects, then a part of the crime, and then the actual trigger man.
• Quote (29:14):
  Mary Cywak: “Those detectives used to be called Area 6. They were all primadonnas. I have to admit, he hurt my feelings a little bit...I thought...we had a rapport...because it was a heater case and he would have liked to have been the one that, you know, solved it, because there is an elation to solving a case, getting the right guy.”
• The manipulation by law enforcement is laid bare. Once Lee is implicated, the “friendlier” cops withdraw.

d. Aftermath—The Perp Walk (35:07–38:14)

• Lee is eventually arrested, to the shock of media members who had seen him as a local “character,” not a killer.
• Quote (37:31):
  Bob Jordan: “I remember the look on his face. It was a look of shock and amazement...it was like he wanted to say something but couldn’t or was too afraid or was too in awe of the moment, but he ducked his head and then was escorted away.”
• The press circus is described in detail: rapid camera flashes, shouted questions, Lee’s stunned appearance.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------------|---------| | 05:18 | "It's a story about two friends who meet in prison…One guy, Robert...he meets this character...Lee Harris, who's...never ever swayed from the expression of his innocence." | Dax Devlin Ross | | 11:53 | "He was probably smarter than the average kid...he knew how to work the system. But he was unpolished. He was vulnerable to his own recklessness." | Bob Jordan | | 24:44 | "When the mayor is getting static from his constituents, then he calls the police chief...That pressure all the way to the patrolman is: find somebody, make some arrests." | Bob Jordan | | 25:41 | "It was very dog eat dog...If you wanna be the police and get the bad guys, then you've gotta do battle. You've gotta compete." | Mary Cywak | | 29:14 | "Those detectives used to be called Area 6. They were all primadonnas. I have to admit, he hurt my feelings a little bit...because it was a heater case and he would have liked to have been the one that, you know, solved it..." | Mary Cywak | | 35:07 | "When they arrested Lee, I remember saying to my cameraman, 'Hey, you know this guy they arrested? We've interviewed him. We've seen him around. He was always around.'" | Bob Jordan | | 37:31 | "I remember the look on his face. It was a look of shock and amazement...it was like he wanted to say something but couldn’t..." | Bob Jordan |

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Timeline of Key Segments

• 00:56–06:51 – Orbit Media hosts introduction, Dax Ross’s background, synopsis of Crying Wolf’s premise
• 07:19–16:04 – Episode 1 begins: Lee Harris in Joliet, background on Lee’s life and Cabrini Green
• 20:08–24:44 – Summer of 1989: Dana Feitler’s murder, media and public reaction
• 24:44–32:12 – Police investigation, witness statements, Lee’s shifting involvement, pressure on cops
• 35:07–38:14 – Lee’s arrest, press conference, emotional aftermath

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Takeaway

Crying Wolf launches with an exploration of ambition, injustice, and the blurring lines between victim, suspect, and system. The first episode paints Lee Harris as both product and pawn of the intense socioeconomic and political forces of 1980s-90s Chicago. Through first-person recollections, police procedure, and the emerging voice of Robert Chatler, listeners are guided into a narrative that exposes the “heater case” mentality and raises questions about the incentives, ethics, and errors behind “getting the right guy.”

As an origin episode, it promises both the emotional punch of long-term friendship and the slow detangling of a justice system gone astray—signaling that Crying Wolf will not be a typical wrongful conviction story.

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Transcript

[A]

Peace to the planet. Charlamagne Tha God here. And listen, we are back. The Black Effect Podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard. Yes, and the full lineup is nuts. We got the Grits and Eggs podcast, Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Kat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague and the gang. Don't call Me White Girl Mona will be there. Keep it Positive Sweetie with Crystal Renee. We got Reality with the King with Carlos King. And yes, Drink champs will be in the building. Ok. Plus you know we gonna have a lot of gu. You need to join us. And we got the Black Effect Marketplace, the picture podcast and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast Festival. Tickets are on sale right now. Go get [e-mail] podcast festival. Don't play yourself. Okay, pull up.

[B]

When segregation was a law, one mysterious black club owner Charlie Fitzgerald had his own rules.

[C]

Segregation in the day, integration at night. It was like stepping on another world.

[B]

Was he a businessman, A criminal, A hero?

[D]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[B]

Charlie's Place from Atlas Obscura and visit Myrtle Beach. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[E]

This woman's History Month. The podcast Keep It Positive Sweetie celebrates the power of women, choosing healing, purpose and faith. Even when life gets messy, love is not a destination.

[C]

You have to work on it every day.

[E]

Keep It Positive Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth and navigating life with grace and grit, led by women who uplift, inspire and tell the truth out loud.

[C]

I have several conversations with God and I know why it took 20 years

[E]

to hear this and more. Listen to Keep It Positive sweetie on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[F]

Hi there, I'm Steve Fishman with Orbit Media and we're here today with Dax Devlin Ross. Today we're dropping the first episode of Dax's new true crime series, Crying Wolf. But before we get to that, some of you will remember Dax. He's the co founder, a co founder of Orbit Media, also author, lawyer, journalist and recently I hear, a writer of science fiction. Dax and I worked together co hosting the Burden which was Orbit's first splash in the true crime universe. I like to think I discovered Dax for podcasts.

[D]

Thanks for having me on the show. Steve may or may not be familiar with me from the work I've done with the one and only toast of the town himself, Steve Fishman. So it's great to be here.

[F]

So the band is back together. Unbelievable, right?

[D]

You know, 20, 26. It's what should happen. It's, it's, you know, it's how it should be.

[F]

A few interesting tidbits about Dax before we get to the episode. All right, so see now this is, this is Dax. He's always traveling. It's like mysterious, man. I can't keep up with him. I don't know what he's doing.

[D]

I really can't tell you where I was this week. This was like, I was in like a room. I will tell you. I was at a, I was in a convening where there was like security all over the floor. Like, it was secure. It was a secure, like you couldn't tell. You had to like give your badges when you got there, take them. They had to give, take your badge when you couldn't leave with your badge.

[F]

See, Dax is making this sound like it's a one off, but this is how Dax leads his life. And he won't tell you what he does. You know, he says like, well, I just work for the department, so I got, I got no idea. I'm sure, I'm sure he's outrighting wrongs,

[D]

but trying to, man, that's it. You know, it's a lot of wrongs to right in this world right now.

[F]

And you know, as I, I do like to point out, Dax is also on the pathway to perfection. You know, he, he's almost erased sleep as one need, pops out of bed at, you know, like a quarter past midnight and does 100 fingertip push ups. And then of course, he's lucky he has a live in chef who makes him a calorie free breakfast.

[D]

Oh, that great, right? Calorie free, right? That's called black coffee from a Keurig. That's what that is.

[F]

So Dax and I were last partners on our flagship podcast the Burden, which took I think six, eight months to make.

[D]

That's all.

[F]

That's all took about four years to make and it actually was really good, especially the showdown in the final episode.

[D]

I still wake up thinking about it, although people have given me flack over the couple of years and everybody has their opinions about how that should have

[F]

gone down, went on to host, solo host a pretty brilliant podcast called Crying Wolf. I will say I think has gotten not enough attention. It's a kind of brilliant rollout of a situation that we're sadly familiar with the wrongful conviction. But in this instance, there's this amazing Friendship at the center of it. Is that right, Dax?

[D]

Yeah. It is a story about two friends who meet in prison. And they meet and the meeting is fortuitous insofar as it's somewhat short lived. They only are in actual cellmates for less than a year, but becoming selfmates for less than a year. One guy, Robert, is a young Jewish guy who's in prison because he has a drug problem. And he meets this character who has been accused of and convicted of murder, heinous murder named Lee Harris, who's convinced and is never ever swayed from the expression of his innocence. And Robert listens. And when Robert gets out, he says, I'm gonna look into this. And looking into this becomes the next 20 years of his life. And he finds the witness that was used against Lee that was basically the one who sealed the deal. He finds this gu and he talks to this guy and he finds out that this guy was a government snitch. And he discovers that Illinois, the Cook county knew it, they knew he was a snitch and that they never revealed that to the jury, to the court. And so unfortunately, Lee dies shortly after he gets out. He gets out in 2023. But what's left behind is like 20 years of tape because they've recorded the phone calls for years and that becomes like the spine is like. You hear this relationship between these two guys on the phone over the years.

[F]

Today we're dropping the first episode of the series to listen to the rest of Crying Wolf. Look for Crying Wolf wherever you get your podcasts. And if you don't like the many ads they stuff into every episode, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple Podcasts and listen ad free. Enjoy.

[D]

It's 2001, 50 miles southwest of Chicago. Joliet Penitentiary. Ring a bell? It should. It's the prison from the opening scene of Blues brothers prisoner number N81717. Lee Harris is tense. He's waiting on a new celly. Lee's had his share over the past decade, and it's always a crapshoot. A space 7ft by 4ft with a bunk bed and an open toilet intimately shared with another convict. There's a few ways this could go. As far as Lee's concerned, ain't none of them good. You can be sure Lee did not expect someone like Robert Chatler to walk in. On the outside, these men would have never crossed paths. Lee, a black man and career scammer, raised in Chicago's most notorious projects. Now pushing 50, Robert, a white Jewish kid from the suburbs, half his age, an oddball who sought solace rescuing insects and animals. How was this gonna work? In short order, Robert would drive Lee to his wit's end. He'd chain smoke from sunup to sundown, all while playing radio dubbed Beatles cassettes on repeat. Lee hated smoking, and let's just say the Beatles weren't exactly his flavor. But all that would fade away because on that day, Lee Harris was about to meet his future best friend, brother from another and the key to his freedom. From iheart podcasts. I'm dax devlin ross and this is crying wolf.

[C]

White victim, female pretty wealthy, black defendant. I mean, as soon as I saw it, I'm like, me, this is gonna be bad. He says the police are his friends and then that's it. They turn on him.

[D]

I got 90 years for killing somebody I have never seen.

[C]

They got the wrong guy. Lee's mouth was Lee's downfall. Along with dirty cops, there's a list of police officers who deserve a special place in hell. As I walked down the hall said

[B]

my home address out loud Never came

[D]

from the world of corrupt police interrogated the techniques.

[C]

Why didn't they arrest Ronald Grant?

[G]

Why not? How do you say, don't you fear God?

[D]

I realized that I was doomed from the beginning.

[C]

Someone killed Dana Feler and that person's still out there.

[D]

Episode 1 the right guy. It's the late 80s. Paula Abdul and Public Enemy are in heavy rotation on mtv. Michael Jordan has yet to win a title. Some think he never will. Oprah is still on her way to becoming an afternoon icon. Lee Harris is 30 something, living in Chicago's near North side. He's got a little boy who he can't wait to teach the intricacies of softball. His own prospects aren't so bright. By his own admission, he's a petty crook running out of hustles. The one thing Lee does have going for him besides his son, the thing that sets him apart, is his charm. He could and would talk to anyone.

[H]

I remember him walking up to us. He'd see a crew and he'd say, hey, how you doing? Or hey, Mr. Jordan. What you guys doing here?

[D]

That's Bob Jordan, and if you're from Chicago, you might recognize his commanding voice. Bob's a news veteran with a career spanning six decades. Back in the 80s, he was a general assignment reporter for the TV station WG in Chicago. Every day he'd gather his film crew and head to cover the city's biggest story of the day.

[H]

Lee was not afraid to step out and be seen Be recognized, be known. If we're out doing a story, we'd want to find someone whom we could interview and say, you know, what's the problem of the day? People are many times afraid of a camera crew. But Lee wasn't.

[D]

Living in the projects meant the media was usually there for 12 reasons. Drugs or violence. And often both meant they were looking for a good sound bite. For some residents, the sight of reporters prompted a beeline in the opposite direction. Being so amenable made Lee stand out. He stood out for other reasons too.

[H]

I've been trying to think of words to describe him. Impetuous is kind of a word. Because he was outside the norm. He was probably smarter than the average kid he ran around with because he knew how to work the system. And if I do this or do that, I can game the system. I might be able to use it to my advantage. But he was unpolished. He was vulnerable to his own recklessness.

[D]

The same unabashed approach Lee took with journalists like Bob Jordan extended to local beat cops, too.

[C]

He was very affable. Yeah, he was very friendly. He was very, you know, he respected us. We were the police, but we respected, you know, we had different lifestyles.

[D]

This is Mary Cywak and her partner, Joseph Roberts Signoretti, but he also goes by Bob. Back in the day, Lee was a recurring character on their beat.

[C]

He's a scam artist. There's an alley off of Rush Street. They call it drug alley. Lee, he would sell fake drugs, burn

[D]

bags, you know the number. Dried herbs instead of weed, oregano, mint, whatever a hustler can entice some thrill seeking inner city tourist with.

[C]

And all these suburbanites would go across and walk, you know, so a black guy coming up and telling, you know, saying, hey, do you want anything?

[D]

And more often than not, they'd fall for it. But once the sale was made, real drugs or not, Bob would have to step in.

[C]

I go, sorry, Lee, you're gonna have

[D]

to go to jail.

[C]

Or sometimes I just shag them out of there. And you tell them, get out of here, because you don't want to hassle with them and bring them in and stuff like that.

[D]

Don't want to touch him, you know. So it was a funny kind of dance back then between Lee and the police. Sometimes after a sale, Lee would hang around to get arrested on purpose. A trip to the precinct with his cop pals could be more pleasant than the wrath of a returning customer.

[C]

But if he didn't do what he did, then we wouldn't do what we did, right?

[D]

He was job security. This love hate triangle between locals, the press and the police could have typified daily life in any project. But Lee didn't live in just any project. He lived in one of the most infamous of them all, Cabrini Green. You've likely heard of Cabrini, even if you couldn't point to it on a map. I certainly couldn't. It's where the cult hood horror Candyman was set. It's had countless mentions in Chicago rap and it was the backdrop for the classic black sitcom Good times from the 70s. The title, it was ironic. In case you're wondering when the first Cabrini row houses and towers went up in the 1940s and 50s, they represented optimism, the potential of public housing to provide quality homes for all. It was certainly a step up from the slum land it replaced. Little Hell, the locals used to call it, who at the time were a mix of Irish, Swedish and Italian immigrants. But by the 1980s, when Lee lived there, things had changed a lot. The projects had become a new kind of poverty, poverty of gangs, drugs and violence. And Cabrini's buildings were now exclusively housing black residents.

[C]

Most of the police officers didn't want nothing to do with Cabrini. It was wild. It was a different world.

[D]

Crack cocaine was rife, controlled and fought over by the Mickey Cobras or the Gangsta Disciples, some of Cabrini's most notorious gangs. Oddly enough, none of that phased Bob or Mary.

[C]

We got along with all the gangs, the ones that hated and shot at each other. We were like their aunties or something. So it was an unusual relationship we had. And Lee was one of those people.

[D]

To be clear, Lee was not in a gang, a gangbanger, as they used to call it. What's interesting though, is that he somehow managed to get along with them all. He wasn't afraid of being seen. He also knew how to disappear into the crowd, make himself invisible, or if nothing else, non threatening. More than anything, Lee was a survivor, which meant being both nothing in particular and a bit of everything. This showed up in his various occupations. Being that Cabrini was right next door to some of Chicago's most affluent neighborhoods, Lee would sometimes dabble in more legitimate pursuits, like window cleaning for the luxury high rises. And when window washing and burn bags didn't cut it, there was always a quick buck to be made sharing information with the cops.

[C]

We would talk to him about things. Hey Lee, do you know about this or that? Or we'd say, hey Lee, if you hear about anything. Yeah, let us know.

[D]

But an inexplicable tragedy a mere few blocks from Corbini was about to shake up the natural order of things and send chills throughout the whole of Chicago.

[G]

This episode is brought to you by Spreaker, the platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere. People listen. Apple podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones. Start your show [e-mail] spreaker because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it.

[C]

Segregation in the day, integration at night

[B]

when segregation was the law, one mysterious black club owner had his own rules.

[C]

We didn't worry about what went on outside. It was like stepping in another world.

[B]

Inside Charlie's Place, black and white people dance together. But not everyone was happy about it.

[C]

You saw the kkk. Yeah, they was dressed up in their uniform. The KKK set out to raid Charlie, take him away from here.

[D]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[B]

From Atlas Obscura Rococo Punch and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie special place, A story that was nearly lost to time. Until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[C]

Segregation in the day, integration at night

[B]

when segregation was the law, One mysterious black club owner had his own rules.

[C]

We didn't worry about what on the outside, it was like stepping in another world.

[B]

Inside Charlie's Place, black and white people danced together. But not everyone was happy about it.

[C]

You saw the kkk. Yeah, they was dressed up in their uniform. The KKK set out to raid Charlie, take him away from here.

[D]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[B]

From Atlas Obscura Rococo Punch and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie's place, A story that was nearly lost to time. Until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[D]

How people endure Chicago winters has never made sense to me. A place that hovers between Bone cold and brick for months on end. Then you experience the summer and suddenly it all makes sense. Chicagoans live for the summer. It's when the city exhales, when the frozen shoreline of Lake Michigan thaw into tanning meccas dotted with beach bums and fitness die hards and by night become stages for music, fireworks and joy. Summer in Chicago isn't just a season, it's a resurrection. Summer 1989 was no different. Then came the night of June 18th. A 24 year old woman lies in a coma tonight, the victim of an execution style shooting, apparently near her home on the Gold Coast. Dana Fightler was smart, attractive, from money, as promising as they make him in America. She had just completed an internship at one of America's top banks and was about to begin graduate studies. Moments after returning home from a night out celebrating with friends, she's forced into a nearby alley, shot in the back of the head and left for dead. The motive is unclear, although police find two ATM receipts in Dana's wallet. The timestamps indicate the withdrawals happened after she had returned home. Patrol cop Mary Cywak remembers it well.

[C]

She was from a wealthy family down in the Gold coast, right by Astor street, which is the biggest money street where the governor lives, you know, Right, where all the concentration of money is. So it was a heater case.

[D]

It was an instant heater. And yes, it's exactly what you think it is. The heat was on. This kind of thing just didn't happen on the Gold coast to a white woman. Not only was it one of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago, it was one of the richest neighborhoods in the entire country. Reporter Bob Jordan lived there around that time. He could attest to its bona fides.

[H]

There was a air of security and you never felt ill at ease. So when Dana is discovered in this alley, it was a tremendous story because it broke the calm.

[D]

The Dana Fightler case becomes a real life horror story that everyone is following. The media descend daily on Northwestern Memorial Hospital to get updates from Dana's neurosurgeon. And alongside fears for Dana, Chicago's residents have worked themselves into a kind of moral panic. ATMs are still a weird new invention in the 80s. Was this new technology safe? What was being compromised in the name of convenience? We found some TV footage from the time where a police superintendent, no less, tells a reporter armed police won't use them. What in the devil are you guys doing standing in an atm? And to top it all, tongues are wagging about the perpetrator. Surely this crime had been committed by a black man. And was it only money he was after? First days, then weeks pass. Dana holds on. The city holds its breath. The police chase down Leeds to feed up the chain of command. The media scrambled for tidbits to satiate its audiences. Bob Jordan had a front row seat to it all.

[H]

As news crews, we were in the area doing that story daily, trying to do updates, trying to find ways to work the story with new angles and that sort of thing.

[D]

Then out of nowhere, a woman who was out walking her dog the night of the incident comes forward. She has some vital new information. Moments before the attack, she saw Dana being led down a street by three men. Three black men. After weeks of waiting for a break, the CPD finally has something. And then, just as news from the witness becomes known, Dana's family makes an unusual move. They put up a sizable reward. Might the promise of hard cash shake loose some new leads? Jog a few memories? The feitlers want answers. So does the city.

[H]

When the mayor is getting static from his constituents, Then he calls the police chief and says, what the hell's going on with this Fightler story? How close are you in getting this wrapped up? And then the police chief calls, Calls his neighborhood commander and says, how soon are you getting it wrapped up? That pressure all the way to the patrolman is find somebody, make some arrests.

[D]

Armed with this new information from the dog walker, the CPD puts every cop in the vicinity on high alert. Even beat cops like Mary and Bob get drafted. They're summoned to an emergency briefing and their orders find any scrap of information they possibly can about that night. And this is not gonna be a collaboration effort across the force. This is cop against cop. Whoever brings home the biggest scraps gets the biggest prize.

[C]

It was very dog eat dog. Yeah. And if you wanna be the police and get the bad guys, then you've gotta do battle. You've gotta compete.

[D]

As Mary and Bob step out of the precinct, they know exactly where to head first. The streets.

[C]

There'd be thousands of people out there, you know, in the summertime. Everybody'd be out there. Everybody. And there's always somebody that saw all those people all day long. You know what I mean? Somebody always would see what happened.

[D]

Someone perhaps like Lee Harris.

[C]

He could have been there. Yeah, he could have been there. He was a contender. You know what I mean?

[D]

Turns out finding Lee doesn't require much effort at all. Mary and Bob bump into him almost immediately. They fill him in about the crime, but also the reward. 25 large for anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest.

[C]

We're the ones that totally about it. And back then, there was a lot of money, and he was a money guy. He was a, you know, kind guy. $10,000.

[D]

Okay.

[C]

You know, I mean, there was a motive for him to want to find out about it, because in his situation, you know, there was good money. Right.

[D]

Always a man to work numerous angles. Lee has also been talking to some other cops who worked the Cabrini beat. Old friends, in fact. Partners James ward and John McHugh. These guys went way back. They used to help Lee out when he got in trouble with the law. They'd loan him money. Sometimes they even attended Lee's wedding back in the day. Ward and McHugh are much closer to the case than Bob and Mary. They're working directly for the lead on the Feitler case. Detective Richard Zulli, a tough talking cop known for making cases and making them stick. They tell Lee some enticing insider information. They've got three suspects in the case. Well known criminals from the area. The trigger man went by the street name Cheese. But with no witnesses placing them there, there's no chance of making any arrests. Lee gets thinking. A $25,000 reward. That's a whole lot of burn bags and cleaning windows. He could start a new life, Move his son out of Cabrini. His mind starts whirring. Cabrini Green and the Gold coast are just around the corner from each other. We're talking less than a mile walking distance. And the three suspects are also from the projects. It will be believable that Lee knew them. He thinks, maybe I was there the night Dana was attacked. Maybe I did see something or someone. Lee decides he does know something about the night of the crime, and he knows who he needs to speak to about it. He heads straight to Area 6 to find Ward, McHugh and their boss, Detective Richard Zulli. Mary was unimpressed.

[C]

Those detectives used to be called Ariat6. They were all primadonnas. I have to admit, he hurt my feelings a little bit because I thought that we had a rapport and I thought, you know, because it was a heater case and he would have liked to been the one that, you know, solved it, because there is an elation to solving a case, getting the right guy, you know, solving it.

[D]

And that was the last time that Mary and Bob ever spoke to Lee.

[C]

See, once he got involved like that, we disengaged because why would we be involved with him?

[D]

Ward and McHugh are all ears. Dana is still in A coma, fighting for her life. They want to nail this case before anyone else does. And now it looks like they might have a reliable witness putting their suspects in the frame. It's a win win. Lee is a shoo in for the reward money. And the police get their suspects and maybe some promotions as well. Ward and McHugh are at the ready to help Lee prepare his words ahead of making his formal statement to Detective Zulli. I was having a coffee and Dunkin Donuts when I saw 3 black guys run out of the alley. Quick as 25k Lee would ever make. But a few days later, his friends Ward and McHugh ask if he wouldn't mind coming back for another statement. A little more detail would be really helpful, Lee thinks. Sure, why not? What starts out as just one statement soon becomes 2. Then 3, 4, 5, 6. Each time Ward and McHugh reminding Lee of some helpful details from the night Dana was shot, the exact alley she was shot in. A black garage door, an ivy covered wall. Before long, Lee is not just offering peripheral scraps of information about the night of the crime, he's the key to it all. The state's star witness. So much so he's moved out of Cabrini for his own safety. All on the taxpayer's dollar. Win win. Right. But Ward and McHugh are hungry for even more information. They need Lee to be closer to the action. Maybe he was part of the gang that attacked Dana. They assure Lee not to worry. This is all just so they can nail Cheese and the other members of the gang. Detective Zulli gives Lee his word. And so, in yet another statement, Lee tells Zullie he was the fourth member of the gang. The police are getting closer and closer to closing the case. And those statements from Lee keep on coming. In total, he gives 22. And then on the 10th of July, three weeks after the attack,

[C]

after lingering in a coma for 21 days, Dana Fightler was taken off life support systems and died.

[D]

Police are giving out very little information.

[C]

They're being very tight lipped. This is a high priority case and they're being very careful.

[D]

It's a tragedy for the Feitler family and for the cpd. The pressure is really on. They are now on the hunt for a murderer. And thanks to Lee, they finally have the evidence that they need to make that arrest.

[G]

This episode is brought to you by Spreaker, the platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives, and saying things like Sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere. People listen. Apple podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones. Start your show [e-mail] spreaker because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it.

[C]

Segregation in the day, integration at night.

[B]

When segregation was the law, one mysterious black club owner had his own rules.

[C]

We didn't worry about what went on outside. It was like stepping in another world.

[B]

Inside Charlie's Place, black and white people danced together. But not everyone was happy about it.

[C]

You saw the kkk?

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

They was dressed up in their uniform. The KKK set out to raid Charlie, take him away from here.

[D]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[B]

From Atlas Obscura, Rococo Punch and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie's Place, a story that was nearly lost to time until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

Segregation in the day, integration at night.

[B]

When segregation was the law, one mysterious black club owner had his own rules.

[C]

We didn't worry about what went on outside. It was like stepping in another world.

[B]

Inside Charlie's Place, black and white people danced together. But not everyone was happy about it.

[C]

You saw the kkk? Yeah. They was dressed up in their uniform. The KKK set out to raid Charlie, take him away from here.

[D]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[B]

From Atlas Obscura, Rococo Punch and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie's Place, a story that was nearly lost to time. Until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[D]

Bob Jordan is at work one morning, waiting on his assignment for the day. When the news breaks, Dana Fightler's murderer has been found. But when he hears the name, it comes as a big shock. Turns out it's someone he already knows. Lee Harris.

[H]

When they arrested Lee, I remember saying to my cameraman, hey, you know this guy they arrested? We've interviewed him. We've seen him around. He was always around.

[D]

The switch around is baffling. The CPD's star witness has become their prime suspect. But in the end, what choice did they have? All those statements Lee was giving, all 22 of them. With each one, he was clearly incriminating himself. And then to top it all, the dog walker that saw Dana moments before the attack, she has identified Lee, not Cheese or any other members of the gang in the lineup. Solving a heater case is like winning a championship. But instead of a parade, you get a press conference. A really big one. After weeks of waiting, wondering, and wild speculation, the entire press corps is summoned. Cameras ready. Mike's hot.

[H]

Every TV station was there. All the newspapers, everyone.

[D]

Bob Jordan and his cameraman Mike elbow their way to the front. Everyone is thirsty for the money shot, the perp walk. That moment when the cuffed perpetrator, flanked by police officers, is finally revealed to the public.

[H]

I can only imagine what that must be like, to come through a door and face a whole wall of probably 10 or 12 TV cameras and lights. That's how big a story it was. Just the sound alone of the flashbulbs going off and the cameras rolling. And these were noisy cameras back in those days. And, you know, there was a cacophony of sound in that room and lights flashing and. And reporters were screaming, Lee, did you do it? Did you kill her? Did you shoot her? You know, where were you?

[D]

Bob manages to hold his position at the front. It's enough to get Lee an eye shot.

[H]

I remember the look on his face. It was a look of shock and amazement, and it was like he had seen something unreal. I don't know if he saw me. I think he did. His eyes bulged and it was like he wanted to say something but couldn't or was too afraid or was too in awe of the moment, but he ducked his head and then was escorted away.

[D]

Crying Wolf is an IHEART and Clockwork Films podcast in association with Chalk and Blade. I'm your host, Dax Devlin Ross. The series producer is Sarah Stolarts. The senior producer is Laura Hyde. The series script is written by me and by Sarah Stolaerts. Bonus episodes are written and produced by me, Dax Devlin Ross. Our executive producers are Christina Everett for iHeart Podcasts, Naomi Harvey and Jamie Cohen for Clockwork Films, and Ruth Barnes and Jason Phipps for Chalk and Blade. Sound design is by Kenny Kuziak and George Drabing Hicks. Our theme music is by Kenny Kuziak. Additional production support from Stephen Pate.

[A]

Peace to the Planet Charlamagne. Tha God here. And listen. We are back. The Black Effect podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard in place. The first full lineup is nuts. We got the Grips and Age podcast, Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Cat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague and the gang. Don't call Me White Girl Mona will be there. Keep It Positive, Sweetie with Crystal Renee. We got Reality with the King with Carlos King. And yes, drink champs will be in the building. Okay. Plus, you know we going to have a lot of guests, so you need to join us. And we got the Black Effect Marketplace, the picture podcast and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast festival. Tickets are on sale right now. Go get [e-mail] podcast festival. Don't play yourself. Okay, pull up.

[B]

When segregation was a law, one mysterious black club owner, Charlie Fitzgerald had his own rules.

[C]

Segregation in the day, integration at night. It was like stepping in another world.

[B]

Was he a businessman, a criminal, A hero?

[D]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[B]

Charlie's Place from Atlas Obscura and visit Myrtle Beach. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[E]

This women's History month. The podcast Keep It Positive, Sweetie celebrates the power of women, choosing healing, purpose and faith. Even when life gets messy, love is not a destination.

[C]

You have to work on it every day.

[E]

Keep It Positive Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth and navigating life with grace and grit, led by women who uplift, inspire and tell the truth out loud.

[C]

I have several conversations with God and I know why it took 20 years

[E]

to hear this and more. Listen to Keep It Positive, sweetie on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.