🎙️ Welcome, listeners! Before we dive into today’s episode, I have an important update for you. This is our final episode of the year, but don’t worry—we’ll be back in 2026 with brand-new episodes of Criminology Chats! We’ve got some incredible content lined up for next year. Our first episode of 2026 will drop on January 22nd at 7:00 PM EST, and after that, you can expect new episodes every two weeks. In the meantime, please keep listening, share the show with your friends on social media, and help us grow this amazing community. And as always, remember: BE SAFE OUT THERE! Now, let’s get into today’s topic—the Reindeer Case. This one’s full of mystery, a touch of magic, and a whole lot of belief.

In this episode, hosts JR and Grace will engage in a conversation with Detective McDonald from the Aurora Colorado Police Department. Detective McDonald will talk about investigating cold cases. He will explain some of the difficulties and triumphs in working on them. He will elaborate on three cold cases that were resolved using modern DNA techniques alongside fundamental detective practices. We hope you enjoy it. "STAY SAFE OUT THERE!"

In this episode JR is doing a live taping at Red Rocks Community College (RRCC), Lakewood, CO as part of the Mental Health Academy. This is a collaboration between The Chicago School and RRCC. The guests are Jack Storti and brain injury survivor who turned into a Treatment Court Program Manager and Sarah Covey the Director of Denver Reentry Services of the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. Her spouse is a brain injury survivor. We hope you enjoy this episode and the valuable information Jack and Sarah discuss about this topic. 

In this episode Hosts JR and Ashley chat with two police cadets in training at a police academy in Colorado. They are about half-way through their training and Ashley, and I wanted to get their perspective at this time in their training. We chatted with them on the same day but at different times based on their schedule.

We expect goblins, ghosts, and ghouls to roam the streets on All Hallows Eve; what we do not expect is murder. In this episode JR and Ashley discuss two murder cases that happen on or around Halloween. The first case is that of Shauna Howe. In 1992, Halloween was cancelled in Oil City, Pennsylvania. However, around 8:00 PM on 27 October 1992, Shauna was walking home from a Girl Scout Halloween party when she was abducted and killed. m home. The second case is a case from October 31, 1957, called The Trick-or-Treat Murder.    

This is the case of Jessica Reeves-Burrola doing Life Without Parole (LWOP). One night high on drugs and alcohol changed her life forever. Was it self-defense or revenge murder. “Jes” has been in email correspondence with us, and we are providing our listeners with information she provided.

In this episode JR and co-host Carley chat with Brandon Hall. Brandon is a native of Nashville, Tennessee.  For about 25 years he has been an emergency 911 dispatcher with the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications. 

Elderly crimes and scams are serious issues. Scammers often target seniors because they might be lonely or not familiar with technology. These scams can take many forms, like phone calls where someone pretends to be from a government agency or a charity. They may ask for money or personal information, like bank details. Other's use the hope of love and romance to steal. Some scams even use fake emails to trick elderly people into clicking on bad links. By being aware and informed, older people can help themselves from falling victim to crime and scams. This is what today’s guest focuses on.

The San Luis Valley is in Southern Colorado and is one of the largest high desert valleys in the world. It is situated between the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range on the east and the San Juan Mountain range on the west. Between August-October 2020, in the heart of COVID Adre "Psycho" Baroz killed five people the authorities could prove but were there more?

The Men in Black are a figure of popular culture, often depicted as shadowy figures in black suits who intimidate or silence those who have witnessed UFOs or have information about them. Dr. Josh Goodwin, a retired special agent from The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) for the Air Force, chats about Project Blue Book, an Air Force study that ran from 1952 to 1969 to study UFOs.

In this episode hosts JR and Ashley chat with retired FBI agent Jonny Grusing. Jonny will talk about the case of Harold Henthorn. He worked the Henthorn case with many other FBI agents and a retired National Parks Special Agent Beth Scott. Jonny provides details on how he and the other agents were able to determine that Henthorn killed his second with Tori.

In this episode of Criminology Chats, host J.R. and co-host Grace engage in a discussion with two faculty members from the Chicago School regarding Megan’s Law and the Jesse Timmendequas case.

In this episode, Dr. Paul Boxer, from Rutgers University, Newark, NJ talks about violent media, the impact on youth aggressiveness and later violent behavior.

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Marissa A. Harrison from Penn State University (PSU) Harrisburg, PA who has studied female serial killers and written a book about them.

This is part 2 of the tragic case of Army Sergeant James T. Murphy. In this episode we start with Murphy arriving in West Germany and we will quote from his on emails to us about his actions leading to the death of three people. Listeners will hear from Rich Vitaris one of Murphy’s military defense attorneys at his original trial.

Murphy was convicted by a military court-martial in December 1987 for the premeditated murder of his wife, Petra Murphy, his 5-year-old stepson, and his one-year-old biological son, all of which occurred in August 1987 in West Germany.

In this episode we will be speaking with Police Chief Randal Moody of the Harrisonville Missouri Police Department.

In this episode, the leadership team from the Cold Case Foundation will engage in a discussion with students at the Chicago School.

Welcome to this episode of Criminology Chats. Today, we have the honor of speaking with Tyler Allen, the esteemed host of the popular true crime podcast, Minds of Madness.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Denise C. Vargas, PsyD, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, who provides valuable insights into the mental health challenges faced by incarcerated individuals.