True Crime Bullsh**

Episode 0701 | The Death & Life of Israel Keyes
Release Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Josh Hallmark / Studio BOTH/AND

Episode Overview

The season seven premiere of True Crime Bullsh** takes listeners deep into newly-uncovered FBI files related to serial killer Israel Keyes, focusing on the chilling juxtaposition of his death and his continued influence on the host’s life and the ongoing investigation. Host Josh Hallmark reflects on the emotional impact of seeing posthumous photographs of Keyes, explores fresh evidence, scrutinizes maps and possessions taken from Keyes at his arrest, and analyzes interviews and documents that provide new perspectives on Keyes’ activities, victims, and mindset. The episode underscores how Keyes remains an enigmatic, persistent presence—"as much alive as dead"—in the study of his crimes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Emotional Impact of Revisiting Keyes’ Death

• Josh shares the experience of viewing crime scene photos of Keyes’ dead body for the first time, describing a sense of both sobriety and surrealism after spending nearly a decade obsessively researching the case.
  • Memorable quote:
    “He’s been as much alive to me as he has been dead... So seeing his lifeless body was incredibly sobering. In one second he went from this powerful omnipresent presence to just dead.” (07:29)
• The moment serves as a pivot, reframing Hallmark’s understanding of Israel Keyes as both powerful and mortal, and reinforcing his motivation to dive even deeper into the investigation.

2. New Documents: Contradictory FBI Assertions

• A newly reviewed FBI report from July 2013 cast doubt on some established beliefs about Keyes.
  • Detective Bell’s notation: Keyes killed “at least 11 people” over 14 years, beginning in 1998 (not 2001 as previously believed).
  • This clearly contrasts statements from Agent Halla who previously relayed 11 was likely the upper limit and his murders started in 2001.
  • Hallmark highlights the importance of parsing these official narratives as they can shift the scope of potential victims and investigation timelines.

3. Artifacts from Keyes’ Arrest and Car

• Over 240 photos were taken at Keyes’ arrest; Josh examines several overlooked or contextually misunderstood items.
• Notable items:
  • An empty Diet Dr. Pepper bottle
  • Maps: Detailed Avis map of Las Vegas metro area and US West Coast.
  • DVDs (mostly horror): Including The Strangers, Gothika, Dreamcatcher, Wrong Turn trilogy, Queen of the Damned, Ghost Ship, etc.
  • Book: Bones by Jonathan Kellerman (“the most boring book I have ever tried to read”) (09:06)
• A location in Los Angeles mentioned in the book and highlighted areas on the map tie directly to investigation theories on possible burial or crime sites.

4. Sarah Keyes’ Journal – Personal and Investigative Insight

• Sarah’s journal, found in the car, does not reveal direct evidence but gives context and new leads.
  • An October 2011 entry, for instance, fills in Keyes’ whereabouts during days previously unaccounted for—potentially narrowing windows for unsolved cases. (17:38)
  • Reveals ordinary aspects of their relationship, but accidental gaps that could be crucial when synced with known travel or crime dates.
  • Memorable moment: Police returning a sentimental poem to Keyes: "You can't just... kid can't have a day like that anywhere except Alaska." (16:32)

5. Physical Evidence and Trip Artifacts

• Items such as clothing (ski mask, gloves, sunglasses), a drill, police scanner, 12 memory cards, and a support brace (SI belt) found in the vehicle.
• A Walmart receipt documenting a shopping trip with his daughter Sarah, where he purchased a folding shovel, air freshener, and industrial lube (not personal—clarified as “Super Tech lubricant”) at a critical time in Texas during the disappearance of Jimmy Tidwell.
• Analysis of these items helps tie Keyes to specific crimes or suspicious activities, especially when integrated with known case timelines.

6. Analysis of Keyes’ Porn Collection and Escort-Driven Planning

• New context for two porn DVDs and a printed photo found in his car:
  • The photo depicts a young black trans woman in lingerie, with phone numbers and “ratings” written on the back.
  • FBI analysis confirmed the photo was downloaded from Keyes’ email and points to an overt interest in black trans escorts.
• Interview Excerpt: Keyes describes his process for contacting escorts:
  • Quote:
    “I would use the Internet or phone books to get lists of phone numbers and I would rate the phone numbers and then I would just...call down the list of numbers until I got a hit on one.” (25:00)
  • The phone numbers tracked were from central Tennessee (Nashville), northern Louisiana (Shreveport), and Houston TX—areas significant due to local missing person cases fitting Keyes’ supposed methods.
  • Hallmark highlights that Keyes’ search for black trans sex workers aligns with known unsolved cases and evidentiary “caches” stashed in some of these locations.

7. Mapped Movements and Keyes' Route Planning

• A AAA Western States and Provinces map, found in the car, reveals highlighted routes from Port Angeles to Los Angeles, and from Salt Lake City to Rock Springs—routes tied to known or suspected Keyes trips and missing persons cases.
• Keyes claims he didn’t do the highlighting, but evidence points otherwise.
  • Highlighted locations also include Eugene, Medford, Riverside (CA), and Las Vegas—arising repeatedly in the investigation’s “cache” and missing persons findings.
  • “All four of these highlighted areas have come up in our investigation into Keyes…” (36:59)
  • Hallmark investigates the edition of the map to discern original vs. added marks, deepening understanding of Keyes' mobility and possible hunting grounds.

8. New Confirmations on Keyes' Military Activity

• Confirmed via documents: Keyes trained at Fort Hood (TX) and Fort Irwin (CA), supporting previous suspicions about travel routes and periods out of sight for military training.
  • Direct quote from Keyes:
    “I was stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington. I did training missions down here in Fort Hood and Fort Irwin in California. Six months in Egypt. That was pretty much it.” (41:04)

9. Keyes’ Online Activities and Dark Web Comments

• Keyes told the FBI he used the screen name “Is it” to argue politics and comment on disappearances he was responsible for—though Hallmark notes these comments remain unfound so far. (41:35)

10. Israel Keyes’ Family and the Ongoing Haunting

• Sarah’s presence during Keyes’ crime spree is confirmed (she was asleep in the backseat as he used a victim’s ATM card).
• Hallmark reiterates the emotional toll of the ongoing investigation—Keyes’ presence remains, "just outside the door," no matter how long he has been dead.
  • Memorable closing thought:
    “No matter how long nor how dead he was, he will always be just outside the door.” (47:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He’s been as much alive to me as he has been dead... So seeing his lifeless body was incredibly sobering. In one second he went from this powerful omnipresent presence to just dead." – Josh Hallmark (07:29)
• "I'd rather read chaotic nonsense than absolute lifeless tedium." – Josh Hallmark, on the Kellerman book (09:06)
• "You can't just... kid can’t have a day like that anywhere except Alaska." – From Sarah Keyes' journal, read by Law Enforcement (16:32)
• "I would use the Internet or phone books to get lists of phone numbers and I would rate the phone numbers and then I would just, you know, when I got to whatever area that I was going to do it in, I just call down the list of numbers until I got a hit on one." – Israel Keyes on his process for contacting escorts (25:00)
• "I go like a year obsessed with one thing and then completely drop it. And then the next year it’s something else." – Israel Keyes, on shifting criminal interests (23:09)
• "All four of these highlighted areas have come up in our investigation into Keyes." – Josh Hallmark, on the map highlights (36:59)
• "No matter how long nor how dead he was, he will always be just outside the door." – Josh Hallmark (47:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:46 | Opening reflections: seeing Keyes’ body, personal impact of nine years investigating | | 07:29 | Emotional resonance of seeing Keyes’ death photos, transitioning to detailed evidence | | 08:40 | Introduction of previously unseen items and FBI evidence from Keyes’ arrest | | 13:29 | Detailed discussion of car artifacts: tools, digital memory cards, clothing | | 14:40 | Law enforcement interview and analysis of Sarah Keyes’ journal | | 17:38 | Insights from Sarah’s entries, filling gaps in Keyes' known activities | | 18:58 | Keyes’ Walmart trip and cash purchases, tying artifacts to potential crimes | | 21:52 | Extended interview with Keyes about escort processes, shifting obsessions | | 25:00 | Keyes outlines system for contacting and rating escorts (key process insight) | | 33:04 | Map discovery: highlighted routes, implications for investigation | | 36:59 | Analysis of specific highlighted areas and correlation with cold case locations | | 40:19 | Confirmation of Keyes’ military stints and implied travel windows | | 41:35 | Revelation of Keyes’ online comment activities | | 44:55 | Reflection on reviewing Keyes’ prison time and death investigation files | | 47:08 | Concluding thoughts on Keyes’ persistent, haunting presence in the investigation |

Summary Takeaways

• The new FBI files and physical evidence challenge previous timelines and victim counts, underscoring the vast and still-uncertain scope of Keyes’ crimes.
• Keyes’ planning was meticulous and wide-ranging, with compelling connections to missing person cases in multiple states, revealed by tangible artifacts such as maps and receipts.
• Despite his death, Israel Keyes remains a psychologically pervasive and confounding figure for those who continue to investigate him.
• The episode sets up deeper explorations for the remainder of the season, promising further revelations as documents are scrutinized and new evidence is unearthed.

Listen for:

• Deep-dive narrative and personal reflections from host Josh Hallmark.
• Chilling audio from Keyes and investigators, revealing both method and mindset.
• Contextual documentation analysis often overlooked in standard true crime narratives.

For more in-depth exploration and to support the investigation, visit patreon.com/studiobothand.