Nightwatch Files

#32: The Wallace Case - Britain's Impossible Murder

On a cold January night in 1931, William Herbert Wallace returned to his Liverpool home to find his wife Julia brutally murdered in their parlor. The investigation seemed straightforward at first—a mysterious phone call had lured Wallace across town while the killer struck. But as police dug deeper, they uncovered a web of contradictions that would make this case one of the most controversial in British legal history. Was Wallace a devoted husband caught in an elaborate trap, or a calculating killer who orchestrated the perfect alibi? The evidence pointed in both directions. Witnesses saw Julia alive when Wallace claimed to be miles away. Medical experts disagreed on the time of death. And the mysterious caller who set everything in motion vanished without a trace. The trial captivated a nation and ended with a verdict that shocked everyone—including the judge. But the courtroom drama was only the beginning. Fifty years later, a man in a hospital bed would finally break his silence about what he witnessed the night of the murder. His testimony revealed a truth that had been hiding in plain sight all along—if only someone had been willing to listen. SUPPORT THE SHOW & LISTEN AD-FREE Join our Patreon and unlock ad-free episodes directly in Apple Podcasts or Spotify after you connect your Patreon account. Patreon: patreon.com/NightwatchFiles Apple (after joining): bit.ly/4i7XcNW Spotify (after joining): bit.ly/4oVVEsT  www.nightwatchfiles.com [http://www.nightwatchfiles.com]

#31: The Many Lives of Lori Erica Kennedy

On Christmas Eve morning, 2010, a family in East Texas makes a devastating discovery in their driveway. But the tragedy is only the beginning. When relatives search the deceased woman's home days later, they find a locked strongbox hidden at the bottom of a craft supplies container. Inside are documents, photographs, and cryptic scraps of paper. What follows is a years-long investigation involving a determined federal agent, cutting-edge forensic science, and thousands of amateur detectives on the internet, all trying to answer a seemingly simple question: Who was she? The trail leads through stolen identities, falsified documents, and a woman who went to extraordinary lengths to erase every trace of her past. But the deeper question remains: Why would someone work so hard to become a ghost? SUPPORT THE SHOW & LISTEN AD-FREE Join our Patreon and unlock ad-free episodes directly in Apple Podcasts or Spotify after you connect your Patreon account. Patreon: patreon.com/NightwatchFiles Apple (after joining): bit.ly/4i7XcNW Spotify (after joining): bit.ly/4oVVEsT  www.nightwatchfiles.com [http://www.nightwatchfiles.com]

#30: Justice For Bonnie 17 Years Later

On September 28, 1994, eighteen-year-old Bonnie Craig disappeared while walking to catch the bus to her classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage. That afternoon, her body was discovered floating in the water at McHugh Creek. Alaska State Troopers initially ruled her death a hiking accident, but her mother Karen knew immediately—this was murder. When Karen received the devastating phone call at 3 AM while on a boat in Florida, more than 3,000 miles from home, she demanded answers. Despite evidence of sexual assault, defensive wounds, and eleven blunt force trauma injuries to Bonnie's head, the case went cold. For seventeen years, Karen fought for justice, transforming from a reserve police officer into a relentless advocate who would change DNA legislation across the United States. In 2007, a breakthrough finally came. A DNA match through the CODIS database. This is the story of Bonnie Craig—a dedicated student, loyal girlfriend, and protective older sister who carried pepper spray on her keychain. It's also the story of her mother's extraordinary mission to ensure no other family would wait as long for justice. Keywords: Bonnie Craig murder, Alaska cold case, CODIS DNA database, McHugh Creek, Karen Foster advocacy, DNA on arrest legislation, Alaska State Troopers cold case, 1994 unsolved murder solved, true crime podcast, cold case solved by DNA Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, violence, and murder. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been affected by similar crimes, support is available through RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) at 1-800-656-4673 or online at rainn.org [https://rainn.org/] SUPPORT THE SHOW & LISTEN AD-FREE Join our Patreon and unlock ad-free episodes directly in Apple Podcasts or Spotify after you connect your Patreon account. Patreon: patreon.com/NightwatchFiles Apple (after joining): bit.ly/4i7XcNW Spotify (after joining): bit.ly/4oVVEsT  www.nightwatchfiles.com [http://www.nightwatchfiles.com]

#29: The Man Named John

Security cameras capture a silver vehicle following a woman from a church parking lot, maintaining a careful distance. Seventeen seconds after she leaves, the car pulls out behind her. When she arrives home and opens her garage door, what unfolds in those next moments will nearly cost her everything. What investigators will later uncover is a plot involving multiple criminals, millions in embezzled money, and someone determined to make her death look like an accident. But as detectives trace prepaid phones and cash transactions back through time, they discover the conspiracy didn't start recently—it began while she was on a mission trip halfway around the world, and continued even as she attended church services and learned to dance with her spouse. The question that will haunt everyone who learns the details is devastating: how long had someone been planning her murder, and who stood to gain from her death? SUPPORT THE SHOW & LISTEN AD-FREE Join our Patreon and unlock ad-free episodes directly in Apple Podcasts or Spotify after you connect your Patreon account. Patreon: patreon.com/NightwatchFiles Apple (after joining): bit.ly/4i7XcNW Spotify (after joining): bit.ly/4oVVEsT  www.nightwatchfiles.com [http://www.nightwatchfiles.com]

#28: The Woman They Could Not Silence

A brilliant young woman becomes the principal of a prestigious school by age nineteen. Her crime? Using her mind too well. When she dares to challenge her husband's authority in public, voicing opinions that contradict his teachings, he finds a legal solution to silence her permanently. In 1860s America, disagreeing with your husband could be diagnosed as insanity. No trial was required. No defense was permitted. A signature was all it took. Locked away in an asylum, she discovers she's far from alone. Hundreds of women have been committed for similar "symptoms"—reading novels, expressing political opinions, or simply refusing to obey. The superintendent offers her freedom, but only if she returns home as an obedient wife and recants everything she believes. She refuses. How do you fight for your freedom when the law says you don't exist? How do you prove your sanity when disagreement itself is considered madness? And what becomes of the children left behind when their mother disappears? Some battles change everything. SUPPORT THE SHOW & LISTEN AD-FREE Join our Patreon and unlock ad-free episodes directly in Apple Podcasts or Spotify after you connect your Patreon account. Patreon: patreon.com/NightwatchFiles Apple (after joining): bit.ly/4i7XcNW Spotify (after joining): bit.ly/4oVVEsT  www.nightwatchfiles.com [http://www.nightwatchfiles.com]