Podcast Summary: The Deck — Andrew Moore (6 of Clubs, California)

Podcast: The Deck
Host: Ashley Flowers (audiochuck)
Episode: Andrew Moore (6 of Clubs, California)
Date: September 10, 2025

Overview

This episode of The Deck investigates the unsolved 2000 murder of Andrew "Andy" Moore, a 26-year-old college student and cook in San Diego. Host Ashley Flowers dives into the intricate and perplexing details of Andy's death, emphasizing both the baffling crime scene and the web of possible suspects. Through in-depth interviews with detectives, building residents, and Andy’s surviving family, the episode aims to uncover hidden truths in hopes of breaking wide open this cold case.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Andy Moore: Who He Was (02:30–04:50)

• Andy was a likable, social young man who moved from Pennsylvania to San Diego for college and a new life.
• Maintained close ties with his adoptive family and his uncle, Paul, who lived nearby.
• Known for hosting friends in his small studio apartment and adored his motorcycle.

Discovery of the Body and Crime Scene Oddities (04:50–09:50)

• Timeline: Andy went missing between Friday and the following Tuesday when his uncle Paul, prompted by friends, checked his apartment.
• The apartment was locked from the inside; only Andy and Paul had keys, and Paul’s didn’t work for the deadbolt—which Andy rarely used.
• Andy was found naked on his bed, brutally bludgeoned and stabbed, but there were no signs of a struggle or sexual assault.
  • Quote – Laurie Adams, Retired Detective (07:44):
    "When you're looking at the crime scene, you're trying to understand, you know, the why, right? ... because the why is a really critical piece to get into the who did it."
• The murder weapon(s) were missing, believed to be Andy’s own chef knives. His keys and beloved motorcycle were also gone.

Witness Testimonies and the Timeline (12:04–17:10)

• Friends and neighbors last saw Andy alive late Thursday (September 7, 2000) or possibly Friday morning.

• Phone and answering machine were found unplugged and stored in the building’s bizarre central airshaft/crawl space, meticulously stacked—a behavior unlike Andy.

  • Quote – Beth Storey, neighbor (20:21):
    "Notebooks started showing up, and the phone recorder was there, the answering machine. And everything was so meticulously stacked and so neatly, and the cord was wrapped around the phone. ... For some reason, Andy never did that before."

The Building's Strange Layout and Security Flaws (17:10–21:30)

• Each apartment’s bathroom had windows leading into a common shaft, making it possible (though difficult) for someone to move between floors.
• Accessible crawl spaces from outside provided potential entry points for intruders, raising the possibility that a stranger could have entered.

Early Suspects and Theories

Vanessa (25:18–28:58)

• Former neighbor, described as unstable and frequently at odds with residents.
• Had a brief and rocky relationship with Andy; left harassing notes and reportedly entered his apartment via the crawl space.
• Interviewed and polygraphed; passed and was not charged.
  • Quote – Detective Laurie Adams (27:59):
    "She would leave messages on his answering machine that were really nasty and negative... she was really explored extensively. And again, it's an open case. It's unsolved. Anything is possible."
  • Quote – Beth Storey (29:13):
    "She would crawl through that crawl space into Andy's apartment and kind of mess with him a little bit, move his things around."

Outside Intruder Theory (31:30–33:06)

• Building’s crawl space entries were unsecured, allowing access from outside.

• The area was known for transient activity and could have allowed someone unknown to enter Andy’s home.

  • Quote – Don Sullivan, former resident (31:57):
    "It was downtown San Diego... there was lots of cop action, there was lots of homeless people, there was lots of drugs."

Motorcycle Motive and Discovery (33:06–34:10)

• Andy’s motorcycle was seen leaving quickly around the estimated time of death, accompanied by a scream.
• The bike was found parked a mile away, unused, with prints that didn’t belong to Andy.
• Residents in the area had seen strangers using it, but no identifications were made.

Possible Serial Connection: Samuel Dixon (36:53–38:21)

• Gary Booth, another nude male murder victim, was killed in the same apartment complex where Andy’s motorcycle was found.

• Samuel Dixon, convicted for Booth’s and other murders, denied knowing Andy and was cleared by DNA and MO distinctions.

  • Quote – Laurie Adams (37:12):
    "So the two cases had similarities... And I thought, oh, well, that's interesting. ... but nothing's matching."

The Mysterious "Sam" (40:13–43:22)

• Only met Andy twice (at Sam Goody store, then bowling) but became unusually obsessed, contacting Andy persistently before and after the murder.

• Passed a polygraph; no forensic evidence tied him to the scene, but his behavior raised red flags with investigators.

  • Quote – Laurie Adams (40:47):
    "His statements were very concerning, even to myself... he was emotionally exceedingly attached to Andy for someone who didn't really even know him."

Forensic Evidence and Hopes for a Breakthrough (43:22–46:30)

• A mixed male DNA profile was found on Andy's bedspread—doesn’t match Andy, Vanessa, her boyfriend, or Sam; no database match yet.

• Investigative techniques are improving, with hope that advanced DNA analysis may eventually yield answers.

  • Quote – Laurie Adams (43:22):
    "Now, the sample... was good enough to be entered into codis, but there have been no hits. ... Investigative genetic genealogy still can't work with mixed profiles. But the labs tell Detective Barr that the science is getting better every day."

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Ashley Flowers (33:06):
  “I’ll be the first to admit... this crime doesn’t give random assailant off the street. The attack on Andy and the circumstances around it scream personal.”
• Laurie Adams (43:10):
  “When we go back to the crime scene, a lot of what I see in there feels like passion, feels like anger, not opportunity.”
• Beth Storey (20:21):
  “Everything was so meticulously stacked and so neatly, and the cord was wrapped around the phone. ... For some reason, Andy never did that before.”
• Rita Moore (Andy's mother, 48:18):
  “When we would go to kindergarten and we went down the main street of town, we had this saying that we would say ‘I love you because...’ ...there were so many reasons why I loved him.”
• Laurie Adams (43:47):
  “...in the meantime, Detective Barr is gonna do some old fashioned boots on the ground work, starting with revisiting as many people connected to this case as possible... Perhaps putting this out in the world, the first in-depth story of Andy's murder on the 25th anniversary of it will lead to a solve before his unsolved case gets older than he ever got to be.”

Call to Action and Family Remembrance

• Andy’s mother, Rita, keeps his childhood room as a memorial and honors him with family traditions.
• A $56,000 reward is available for information leading to the resolution of the case.
• Listeners are urged to call San Diego County Crimestoppers at 888-580-8477 or Detective Barr at 619-430-0134 with any information.
  • Quote – Ashley Flowers (49:04):
    “Do you know anything about the murder of Andrew Andy Moore in San Diego, California, shortly before September 12, 2000? It's time to come forward.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:30 – Introduction to Andy Moore's life
• 04:50–06:17 – Discovery of Andy's body, initial emotional impact
• 07:18–09:50 – Crime scene examination and complexities
• 12:04–14:15 – Timeline reconstruction from friends' and neighbors' accounts
• 17:10–20:21 – Airshaft discovery and its weirdness
• 25:18–29:13 – Suspect Vanessa, her background and police investigation
• 31:30–34:10 – The open crawl spaces and the motorcycle angle
• 36:53–38:21 – Serial killer Samuel Dixon as a suspect, debunked
• 40:13–43:22 – The obsessed “Sam” and detective’s hunch
• 43:22–46:30 – The DNA evidence and hopes for new testing
• 47:50–49:04 – Family remembrance, call for information

Tone & Style

The episode is investigative yet deeply compassionate, blending forensic detail and architectural oddities with intimate stories from Andy's loved ones. The host’s delivery interweaves direct testimony from detectives and witnesses, staying focused on keeping Andy’s story alive in hopes of justice.

Conclusion

Through meticulously reconstructed timelines, diverse suspects, and persistent questions, the episode leaves listeners with a portrait of a beloved young man taken too soon, a case full of rabbit holes, and real hope that renewed public attention—and new science—might finally solve Andy Moore’s murder.

If you have information about Andrew Moore’s death, please contact San Diego County Crimestoppers at 888-580-8477 or Detective Barr at 619-430-0134.