True Crime Bullsh**: The Israel Keyes Investigation

Episode 0713 | Houston
Original Air Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Josh Hallmark (with significant investigation by Jordan Taylor)

Episode Overview

This episode marks a pivotal shift in the True Crime Bullsh** investigation, moving from a season-long focus on Israel Keyes’ activities in Washington State to a deep exploration of a mysterious March 2012 Houston house fire death. The host dives meticulously into the circumstances surrounding Nicholas (“Nicky”) Simon’s death—an event that occurred days before Keyes’ arrest and shares a haunting number of parallels with Keyes’ established profile and modus operandi. The episode critically analyzes gaps and failures in Houston law enforcement’s investigation and raises new, unsettling questions about the possible number of Keyes’ victims and his activities after Samantha Koenig’s abduction.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Background: Refocusing to Houston (03:00–05:30)

• After considerable Washington State progress, the team shifts its active investigation back to Texas due to new files and leads.
• Focus on East Texas, especially the Houston area, stemming from longstanding questions about Keyes’ timeline and “lost time” in the region.
• Jordan Taylor has spent years investigating Keyes’ movements and potential crimes in Houston and its outskirts.

2. Discovery of the Simon Case (05:30–09:30)

• July 2022: Jordan discovers a Click2Houston.com article—"Body found in abandoned house fire," dated March 10, 2012.
• The victim was found after an explosion and fire in a long-abandoned house on Dismuke St.
• Initial speculation: Could the remains be that of James Lamar Tidwell? (It was not; the decedent was identified as Nicholas “Nicky” O’Neill Simon through dental records.)
• Simon’s life was difficult: crack cocaine user, likely unhoused at the time, with little to no digital footprint. Notably, he did not even have a death certificate on file.

3. Suspicious Circumstances & Investigation Flaws (09:30–14:00)

• Discovery details:

  • Body found against the front door—the area most damaged by fire.
  • Witnesses reported a “small explosion” just before the fire.
  • Autopsy found burns over 95% of Simon’s body; smoke inhalation listed as the cause of death, but “manner of death” left open.
  • Arson and homicide investigators circled blame: neither department would label the case definitively arson or homicide, causing an investigatory impasse.
  • Official narrative: Simon, influenced by drugs, set a fire to keep warm and succumbed to smoke while attempting to exit.

• Host’s rebuttal: The weather was not especially cold, Simon’s mother insisted he wouldn't be careless with fire, and police rationale contradicts forensic findings.

Quote:

“All this seems to contradict the facts that are placed in the fire department’s report.” – Host (14:45)

4. Keyes and Arson: Parallels and Possibilities (09:49–11:38 & 25:43–27:47)

• Audio segment with an expert (interpreted as Keyes or someone channeling his statements) discusses using arson for cover-ups:

  • “Not so much ‘why’, but ‘why not’ with the arson… It’s a pretty good way to cover up a burglary, too. If there’s not a house, they usually don’t take a very good inventory.” (09:55–10:15)
  • Detailed explanation about igniting a house using gasoline and fabric trails to ensure it burns (11:01).

• On making a murder via fire hard to investigate:

  • “Whoever’s in the fire has to still be breathing when the fire is going on or it doesn’t work.” (26:45)
  • “I wasn’t planning on going back and getting rid of it. I just was hoping it would be enough time they wouldn’t be able to figure out that it wasn’t natural causes.” (27:26)
  • The interview boasts a disturbingly clinical understanding of fire-related forensics and how to confuse investigators—chillingly consistent with what happened to Simon.

5. Keyes’ Activities & Timeline (20:59–32:51)

• Keyes was provably in Texas, in striking proximity and timeframe to the Dismuke St. fire:

  • March 8, 2012: Keyes arrives at Heidi's home near Lufkin, TX (north of Houston).
  • March 10, 2012: Surveillance places Keyes using Samantha Koenig’s debit card at a Humble, TX ATM—27 miles and a direct drive from Dismuke St.
  • The burning house was only 10 minutes from Houston’s Hobby Airport, where Keyes had stashed robbery cash nearby.
  • The distance and timing between the fire and the ATM withdrawal mirrors routes and patterns established during Keyes’ other crimes.

• Forensic data:

  • Police found a “small lump of silver-colored metal” melted to Simon’s neck, which could be a melted .22 caliber bullet (Keyes was found with a .22 revolver and corresponding lost rounds).
  • Witnesses described a small explosion before the fire—possible gunshot?

6. Possible Connection with Simon as Accomplice (41:19–44:55)

• Newly scrutinized police files from a February 2012 Azle bank robbery (known Keyes crime) have an odd detail: two eyewitnesses report seeing a man matching Simon’s physical description acting as a lookout or talking to someone in Keyes’ car prior to the robbery.
  • “Was Nick involved somehow in the bank robbery as a getaway driver? Does this explain the arson? Was Keyes just covering his trail?” (43:00)
  • Simon was found with a Walmart prepaid card—a method Keyes often used to launder stolen cash.

7. Failures of Houston PD & The “Chasing Ghosts” Problem (44:55–48:45)

• The Simon case remained uninvestigated as a potential homicide; bureaucratic quagmires between homicide and arson units led to case closure as an accidental death, despite extensive contrary evidence.
• Keyes was never considered a suspect by Houston PD in this case; the FBI did not connect Simon to their missing persons queries.
• Recent attempts to revive official interest have been rebuffed with variations of “Keyes is dead, so why bother?”
  • “If there’s no living suspect, there’s no reason to continue to look into things… Unfortunately, that seems to extend to the victim’s families. They…still deserve an answer regardless the circumstances of their loved one’s life or the ability to prosecute.” (47:20)

8. Concluding Thoughts & Advocacy (48:45–50:18)

• Despite overwhelming circumstantial evidence connecting Keyes to Simon’s death, and even leading homicide detective J.J. Wilson agreeing Keyes should be considered the most likely suspect, law enforcement in Texas remains uninterested.
• The episode’s final message is a passionate plea for justice for families—closure and truth matter, even if prosecution cannot occur.
• The host and team thank those who cooperated in the investigation—and openly criticize Texas’s failure to release long-closed records.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On arson as cover-up (Keyes or Interviewee/Expert):

  • “It’s a pretty good way to cover up a burglary, too. If there’s not a house, then they don’t usually take a very good inventory.” (10:06)

• On the investigative deadlock:

  • “The fire department could not rule the fire arson until homicide…said it was homicide. But homicide could not rule Nick’s death homicide unless fire ruled arson.” (13:45)

• On the logic behind using fire to mask a homicide:

  • “Whoever's in the fire has to still be breathing when the fire is going on or else it doesn’t work.” (26:49)

• On investigative failures:

  • “Jordan made contact with Detective Sergeant J.J. Wilson…He believes with all the information that Keyes should be looked at for this incident and that based on all the information he has, Keyes would be the most likely suspect.” (46:30)

• On law enforcement’s inertia:

  • “We’re not in the business of chasing ghosts.” – Russ County Sheriff’s Office, quoted by host (47:40)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• 03:00–05:30 — Transition to Houston, Texas & episode context.
• 06:30–09:30 — Jordan’s discovery of the Simon fire case.
• 09:49–11:38 — Discussion of arson as a cover-up; interview with expert (parallels Keyes’ methods).
• 14:00–18:00 — Host deconstructs flaws in official narrative and weather at time of fire.
• 20:59–32:51 — Reconstruction of Keyes’ Texas timeline and movements; links between fire, ATM withdrawal, and his known tactics.
• 41:19–43:16 — Potential link of Simon as a Keyes accomplice; evidence from bank robbery eyewitnesses.
• 44:55–48:45 — Homicide and arson investigation failures; law enforcement inertia and refusal to pursue closed-case leads.

Summary Flow

This episode weaves together ground-level investigation, forensic analysis, first-hand interview snippets, and a candid critique of Texas law enforcement, challenging listeners to reconsider what constitutes a provable link in serial cases. It underscores the many institutional and psychological barriers to justice for marginalized victims. The host and Jordan’s research presents a chilling but methodically built case that Nicky Simon’s death aligns with Keyes’ known behaviors—and calls for the official recognition that the families of all victims, regardless of lifestyle or circumstance, deserve answers.

Listeners come away with a nuanced portrait of how patterns, bureaucracy, and inertia can mask horrific truths—and how persistent, detail-driven private investigation can, if not solve, at least illuminate, the dark spaces left behind.