UNMARKED: Scott Kimball — A Serial Killer Under FBI Protection

Podcast: UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast
Host: James Buddy Day (Pyramid Productions)
Date: February 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode investigates the chilling story of Scott Kimball, a con man turned FBI informant who committed multiple murders while being protected and paid by federal law enforcement. Host and filmmaker James Buddy Day pieces together Kimball’s complex double life through rare interviews, prison recordings, and archival audio — most notably, extensive conversations with Kimball himself. The episode lays bare not only Kimball’s psyche and crimes but also the systemic failures that provided him cover, at the expense of multiple victims.

Key Discussion Points

1. Introduction to Scott Kimball's Case

• Scott Kimball, responsible for at least four homicides and suspected of many more (possibly 21+), operated under the protection of the FBI as a paid informant from 2003–2006 ([00:41], [01:07]).
• The episode is framed by a live prison call from Kimball and Buddy Day's on-the-ground reporting in Colorado, near sites where the victims’ bodies were abandoned ([00:01–00:27]).

2. Kimball’s Early Life and Psychological Profile

• Kimball grew up in rural Colorado, then Montana; his parents’ bitter divorce left him emotionally unanchored ([04:12–04:46]).
• He was sexually abused by a neighbor, Theodore Payton, for years — trauma that Buddy Day suggests catalyzed Kimball’s psychopathy ([04:59], [05:54]).

  “I've had some effed up things happen to me...” — Kimball via letter ([05:54])

• Early signs of antisocial behavior: check fraud, theft, manipulation, and a suicide attempt as a teenager ([06:50], [07:23]).

3. Lifelong Pattern of Fraud and Escalation to Violence

• Kimball exploits systemic loopholes in the financial and legal system from the late 1980s on ([07:56]).

  “It was so easy to just take advantage of the system – they didn't have the right security in place.” — Kimball ([07:56])

• Repeatedly violates parole and receives short sentences, quickly reoffending ([08:26]).
• First documented physical violence emerges in the mid-90s with his then-wife, Larisa — including breaking in and threatening her at gunpoint during their divorce ([10:37]).

4. Manipulation of the Legal System and Becoming an Informant

• After an arrest in Alaska, Kimball reads about an unsolved federal case (the murder of Thomas Wales) and falsely claims to have information, successfully getting federal attention ([13:33–14:10]).

  “I read an article... His name was Thomas Wales. So then I told them I had information. I didn't have any squat except for what I read in the newspaper.” — Kimball ([14:10])

• FBI moves Kimball to Colorado at his request, overlooking his pending violent charges ([15:20]).

5. Exploiting the Informant Role: The Perfect Cover for Murder

• Kimball ingratiates himself with the FBI and fellow inmates, pretending to help solve their cases while feeding the Bureau a mix of truth and lies ([16:55], [17:32]).
• The FBI releases Kimball to serve as an informant, providing him substantial cash, hotel stays, and even a $500 VIP strip club membership ([18:14–19:19]).

6. Targeting Victims Under FBI Protection

• Kimball uses his informant status to get close to others’ vulnerable girlfriends, specifically those of two inmates, Steve Hawley (“Ponytail Bandit”) and Steve Ennis ([20:08]).
• He fixates on bondage and violent sexual imagery as his fantasies escalate ([20:20]).

Main Murders (Chronology & Details)

• Leann Emry: Hawley's girlfriend, a 24-year-old dancer, lured by Kimball under the guise of a financial scam. He murders her and abandons her car in Utah ([21:32–21:54]).
• Jennifer Marcum: Ennis’s girlfriend, 25, lured into a false “coffee shop business” scheme. Disappears after meeting Kimball; body never found. Kimball blames others but evidence suggests he is solely responsible ([22:50–23:53], [25:52]).
• Casey McLeod: Daughter of Kimball’s girlfriend; murdered during a hunting trip, body discovered by hunters years later ([28:32]).
• Terry Kimball: Kimball’s uncle; murdered for financial gain, body disposed of in a mountain pass, followed by months of fraudulent money scams ([32:38]).

7. Attempts to Control the Narrative

• Kimball is obsessed with how he’s portrayed in media, routinely trying to shift blame or rationalize his crimes ([02:20], [11:31], [27:08]).

  “I'm just trying to build trust with you. I'm trying to build a rapport with you.” — Kimball ([04:08])

8. Systemic Law Enforcement Failures

• FBI repeatedly ignores or dismisses warning signs and credible accusations, allowing Kimball to continue offending ([26:08], [28:18]).

  “...and I’d call out to tell a cop, you can’t bust me. I’m an informant for the FBI... [They] would say, let him go. He’s working for me.” — Kimball ([28:18])

9. Kimball’s Downfall, Arrest, and Aftermath

• Eventually exposed after a major financial fraud is detected by local police ([34:30]).
• FBI realizes Kimball was not just a problematic informant but a serial killer operating with their support ([35:30]).
• In 2009, Kimball pleads guilty to two counts of second-degree murder (covering multiple deaths) and is sentenced to 70 additional years in prison, on top of a prior 53-year sentence ([36:43–37:13]).
• He continues to manipulate, even in statements of remorse ([37:13], [37:35]), insisting he “did not act alone.”
• Final parole eligibility date: 2056 at age 89 ([39:47]).

10. Kimball’s Ongoing Manipulation and Pathology

• Even while incarcerated, Kimball reaches out insincerely to Buddy Day, attempting to cultivate a sense of forced intimacy and control the narrative for future media attention ([40:45]).

  “I need you to counsel me on how to deal with these other producers contacting me...”— Kimball via letter ([40:45])

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On motives:

  “I didn't kill anybody for the thrill of. I didn't kill anybody for the sport of. I didn't kill anybody for like a sexual sadist type thing. I kill people for every reason.” — Kimball ([00:56], echoed [32:00])

• On his psychopathy:

  "I was a bad kid who grew to be a worse adult." — Kimball via letter ([05:54])
  "They let me out... I just basically thumbed my nose at probation." — Kimball ([08:26])
  "He wrote that book after he told me he wasn't gonna write it..." — Kimball ([02:36])

• On manipulating the FBI:

  "And I just told them, if you want my help, you’re gonna have to do what I want..." — Kimball ([15:20])
  "They just believed me. It was just that I could tell by their body language..." — Kimball ([14:43])

• On the FBI’s failures:

  "The murders don’t happen despite the system. They happen because of it." — James Buddy Day ([18:27]) “I mean, they flew me around, put me up in the nice hotels, got me rental cars, gave me money, bought me memberships to strip clubs...” — Kimball ([18:14])

• On erasing victims:

  “Scott Kimball isn’t just killing. He’s erasing people. Then stepping into the space they left behind.” — James Buddy Day ([33:57])

• On the system’s complicity:

  “Their voices don’t carry enough weight. The two young women are gone. The last person to see them alive remains free. Free. Protected by his lies and the FBI.” — James Buddy Day ([27:24]) “We read them, and they shape where this show goes next. If you're new here, welcome. And if you've been here since the early episodes, thank you...” — James Buddy Day ([41:32])

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:01–01:37 — Opening, introduction to Kimball’s crimes; phone call from prison
• 04:08–09:47 — Kimball’s background: early pathology, fraud, escalation
• 13:33–15:20 — Kimball’s recruitment as a federal informant; manipulation of the FBI
• 16:55–19:32 — The informant scam: using FBI resources for personal gain
• 21:32–26:08 — The major murders (Leann Emry and Jennifer Marcum); how Kimball targets, manipulates, and disposes of victims
• 28:32–34:30 — Later murder of Casey McLeod; attempted murder of Kimball’s own son; murder of uncle Terry Kimball
• 36:43–37:49 — Plea deal and statements; Kimball’s refusal to accept full responsibility
• 39:47–41:24 — Sentencing, psychological summation, Kimball’s continued bids for relevance

Summary Tone & Analysis

James Buddy Day adopts a tone that is at once methodical, forensic, and skeptical. His direct narration contrasts sharply with Kimball’s evasiveness and grandiosity. The episode avoids sensationalism, focusing instead on systemic failures, the banality of evil, and the suffering endured by the victims and their families. Day continually exposes Kimball’s manipulations, calling out attempts to reframe his actions in self-serving ways.

Conclusion

This powerful episode lays bare the vulnerabilities of both individuals and institutions — showing how a manipulative, intelligent psychopath slipped the safeguards of the FBI and law enforcement, killing with impunity while agency officials failed to look deeper. Scott Kimball’s story is a devastating indictment of systems too eager for easy answers and too slow to heed the warnings of those most at risk.