The Atlanta Child Murders: A City Afraid, a Case Unsettled

Keith Warren was 19 when he was found hanging in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1986. Authorities ruled his death a suicide without performing an autopsy. His mother, Mary Couey, spent decades questioning that conclusion—and the investigation behind it.Steph examines the scene photographs, the clothing questions, the anonymous envelope delivered on Keith’s birthday, and the reported warning involving Mark Finley. She also follows Sherri Warren’s fight for answers. Keith’s cause and manner of death were reclassified as undetermined in 2024, and police reopened the investigation in 2025. Neither development establishes that he was killed.At the end of the episode, True Crime in Current News features an update on Nolan Wells. Steph reflects on why his case brought Keith’s story back to mind while keeping the facts of each case distinct.Content warning: Discussion of a hanging death, possible suicide, racial violence, and crime-scene photographs.In The Episode: Why Keith’s family challenged the original rulingThe missing autopsy and limits of later forensic testingQuestions about the rope, tree, body position, and clothingMary Couey’s advocacy and the photographs left at her homeWhat is—and is not—known about Mark FinleyThe 2024 reclassification and 2025 reopeningA True Crime in Current News update on Nolan WellsTimestamps:00:00 — The photographs delivered on Keith’s birthday02:34 — Facts, family accounts, and unanswered questions03:04 — Why the history of lynching matters06:58 — Keith’s life and his family’s doubts08:19 — Keith goes missing and is found10:55 — The approximately 21-minute scene response12:21 — No autopsy and the limits of later testing13:57 — Body position and the rope16:30 — The clothing questions17:25 — Mary’s search for answers19:52 — The anonymous envelope21:29 — The reported warning and Mark Finley23:48 — The official ruling and the family’s concerns25:38 — Race, trust, and the power to classify a death28:55 — Uprooted and Sherri’s advocacy30:07 — Reclassified as undetermined30:49 — The investigation reopens33:24 — What remains unknown36:03 — Mary’s persistence and accountabilityAt the end — True Crime in Current News: Nolan Wells updateWhat should justice look like when an original investigation may have made the truth harder to find?Instagram: @murderintheblackSteph’s Instagram: @stepher_Facebook: Murder in the Black PodcastEmail: [email protected] the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. For more coverage, join the paid subscription and try it free for three days.

Between 1979 and 1981, Black children, teenagers and young adults disappeared across Atlanta. As fear spread, grieving families organized searches, challenged city leaders and demanded that the cases be treated as a coordinated emergency.In this special episode, Steph examines the victims, the community’s fight for answers and the controversial case against Wayne Williams.Williams was convicted of murdering two adult men, Jimmy Ray Payne and Nathaniel Cater. He was never tried for the children’s murders, yet authorities attributed more than twenty additional deaths to him and closed those cases.We examine the Jackson Parkway bridge encounter, fiber and dog-hair evidence, disputed witnesses, Williams’s changing explanations, racial and political pressure, possible Klan involvement, and the differences among the victims that continue to raise questions.Was Wayne Williams responsible for every murder attributed to him, only some of them, or was one conviction used to provide Atlanta with an ending it desperately needed?Content warning: This episode discusses the murders of children and young adults, racial violence and disputed allegations.Remember the victims as individuals—not simply as evidence for or against Wayne Williams.

On the morning after Thanksgiving in 2014, firefighters responded to a blaze inside a Fort Worth apartment. There, they discovered 31-year-old Ashlea Harris bound and murdered.Ashlea was a hardworking store manager who had recently helped police identify two former employees suspected of robbing the American Eagle store where she worked. Months later, those same former employees—Carter Cervantez and Clarence “David” Mallory—were accused of entering Ashlea’s home and carrying out a brutal act of revenge.But what were they looking for inside her apartment—and why did they believe Ashlea had it?In this episode of Murder in the Black, Steph examines the events leading to Ashlea’s murder, the evidence connecting Cervantez and Mallory to the crime, and the investigation that uncovered what they came back for.Follow Murder in the Black:Instagram: @murderintheblackFacebook: Murder in the Black PodcastSteph’s Instagram: @stepher_Email: [email protected] the podcast wherever you listen, leave a five-star review, and share this episode with someone who loves true crime. You can also become a paid subscriber and start your three-day free trial for access to weekly bonus episodes.

On December 6, 1975, Wesley Diggs returned to his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, and discovered his wife, Jean, and their four children—Audrey, Allison, Wesley Jr., and five-year-old Roger—shot to death.There was no obvious forced entry. Nothing appeared to have been stolen. Neighbors reportedly heard nothing, despite more than twenty shots being fired.In this episode, Steph examines the crime scene, Wesley’s business connections, the Harlem leads, three potential suspects, an informant’s account, and the controversial theory that Jean may have killed the children. We also consider whether race affected the investigation and why, after fifty years, no one has been held responsible.Someone entered—or was allowed into—the Diggs home that night. The question is: who, and why?Content warning: This episode discusses the murder of children, family homicide, gun violence, and descriptions of a crime scene.Follow Murder in the Black, leave a five-star review, and share the episode. Paid subscribers receive additional cases and exclusive episodes, with a three-day free trial available. Follow the podcast on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

On December 3, 2003, federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna left his Baltimore office shortly before midnight—but he never made it home. Hours later, his car was discovered beside a rural Pennsylvania creek, with Jonathan lying facedown beneath it. He had suffered 36 stab wounds and cuts before ultimately drowning.The local coroner ruled Jonathan’s death a homicide. However, federal investigators reportedly considered a dramatically different possibility: that Jonathan inflicted the wounds himself while attempting to stage an attack or disappearance.In this episode, Steph traces Jonathan’s unexplained interstate drive, the blood found throughout his vehicle, the professional pressures surrounding him, and the competing theories that have divided investigators for more than two decades. The recently unsealed autopsy confirms important details about his injuries—but does it bring us any closer to understanding what really happened?Also, before you go, check your feed for Steph’s special video interview with MD discussing the outcome of the Karmelo Anthony evidentiary hearing.Case discussed: Jonathan LunaContent warning: This episode discusses suicide, drowning, and sharp-force injuries.Follow Murder in the Black, leave a five-star review, and share the episode. For exclusive content, join the paid subscription on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and begin with a three-day free trial.

Steph sits down with MD to break down the Karmelo Anthony evidentiary hearing and what Judge Chitty was actually being asked to decide.This was not a new determination of guilt or innocence. Anthony’s appellate team was requesting a new trial based on alleged errors and constitutional violations connected to the original proceedings.Steph and MD discuss the alleged “gentleman’s agreement,” whether the defense relied on it when making critical trial decisions, and why the defense needed to prove that this reliance affected the outcome. They also examine the due-process arguments, Anthony’s right to present a complete defense, and the Waller test involving the right to a public trial.MD explains why appellate relief is difficult to obtain and why the public-trial claim may be the defense’s strongest argument. The episode closes with Steph and MD discussing why the trial can still raise serious fairness concerns—particularly regarding venue, jury selection, and public access.Timestamps00:31 – Steph introduces MD02:22 – What Judge Chitty had to decide04:17 – The alleged gentleman’s agreement08:10 – Proving breach and prejudice09:10 – How the agreement may have shaped trial strategy17:54 – The constitutional arguments18:49 – Due process and fundamental fairness21:26 – The Waller test and public-trial issue28:28 – Why damaging information may be inadmissible33:14 – How appellate courts evaluate errors35:11 – The defense’s strongest appellate argument37:05 – Why MD believes the trial was unfair39:00 – Closing thoughts and listener feedback

In 1952, Ruby McCollum walked into the office of prominent white physician and politician Doctor C. Leroy Adams in Live Oak, Florida, and fatally shot him.Ruby never denied the shooting. What she attempted to explain was everything behind it—an alleged sexual assault, a child she said Adams fathered, another pregnancy, financial dealings and the racial power that shaped their relationship.But in a segregated Florida courtroom, Ruby was repeatedly prevented from telling that story in full.In this episode of Murder in the Black, we examine Ruby’s life before the shooting, the relationship between the McCollum and Adams households, the trial that sentenced her to death and the Florida Supreme Court decision that overturned her conviction. We also discuss why the new trial ordered by the court never happened and how Ruby instead spent nearly twenty years confined to a state hospital.The episode also considers the work of Zora Neale Hurston and journalist William Bradford Huie, the restrictions placed on their reporting and the importance of Black people being able to preserve and represent their own stories.Ruby had education, wealth and status, but none of those things separated her from a system capable of exercising its power over her. Her case remains a warning about what can happen when Black voices are discussed, interpreted and judged without being fully heard.TRUE CRIME IN CURRENT NEWSUpdated August 20, 2026Karmelo Anthony:Karmelo Anthony, now 19, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a 2025 high-school track meet.Anthony’s attorneys are seeking a new trial, arguing that courtroom-access restrictions, an off-the-record evidentiary agreement and the jury instructions affected his ability to receive a fair trial and fully present his self-defense claim.On August 19, Judge Sid Harle removed trial judge John Roach Jr. from the post-trial proceedings. Although Harle did not find that Roach had violated judicial rules, he determined that Roach’s public comments after the verdict could cause a reasonable observer to question his impartiality.Retired Judge Michael Chitty is now considering Anthony’s motion for a new trial. During the August 20 hearing, the defense challenged the courtroom restrictions and whether the findings required under Waller v. Georgia were properly made. Prosecutors defended the proceedings and disclosed that both sides had agreed to keep certain information about Anthony and Metcalf from the jury. A ruling must be issued by August 24 or the motion will be denied automatically.Tupac Shakur Murder Trial:The trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis is underway in Las Vegas. Davis is accused of helping organize the retaliatory 1996 shooting that killed Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors do not allege that Davis pulled the trigger. They argue that he obtained the gun, provided it to the men inside the Cadillac and helped arrange the shooting after Tupac’s entourage attacked Davis’s nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand.The prosecution is relying heavily on Davis’s interviews and memoir, in which he placed himself inside the Cadillac and described his involvement.The defense argues that Davis exaggerated or invented those accounts to gain attention and sell books. His attorney is asking jurors not to believe his client’s own words while emphasizing the absence of physical evidence connecting Davis to the weapon. The trial is expected to last several weeks.CONTENT WARNING:This episode discusses homicide, alleged sexual violence, reproductive coercion, racism, capital punishment and psychiatric confinement.

On November 7, 2013, 28-year-old physical therapist Alfred Wright experienced car trouble along a rural highway near Hemphill, Texas. While waiting for his parents to pick him up, Alfred suddenly ran from the area. During his final phone call, his wife said he sounded distressed.His clothing and personal belongings were later discovered scattered across the surrounding countryside—but the official search ended without finding him. Eighteen days after Alfred disappeared, his family organized another search and found his body in the same general area authorities had already searched.The official autopsy concluded that Alfred died accidentally from combined drug intoxication. Investigators uncovered toxicology evidence and messages connecting him to a cocaine supplier. Alfred’s family, however, questioned the search, the condition of his body, and whether the official conclusion explained everything that happened.In this episode of Murder in the Black, Steph examines the documented evidence, the Wright family’s concerns, the region’s racial history, and the rumors that have complicated Alfred’s story.What happened between the moment Alfred ran from that store and the moment he died in the East Texas woods?Follow Murder in the Black and join the conversation.Content warning: This episode discusses drug use, decomposition, postmortem injuries, racism, and disturbing descriptions of human remains.

During the early 2000s, Black women began turning up dead across Missouri and Illinois. Their bodies were discovered in different jurisdictions, and for months, the connection between them remained unclear.Then, a St. Louis newspaper published a story about one of the women, Teresa Wilson. The article caught the attention of someone who claimed to be her killer—and he responded with a chilling letter, a challenge to the reporter, and a computer-generated map leading investigators to another victim.That map would eventually take authorities to Maury Travis and expose what had been happening inside an otherwise ordinary-looking home in Ferguson, Missouri.In this episode of Murder in the Black, Steph walks through the investigation from the discovery of the women through the digital trail that led police directly to Travis. We also discuss the victims whose names are known, the women who remained unidentified for decades, and how three of those women finally regained their names in 2025.This story is not simply about how investigators caught a suspected serial killer. It is also about whose disappearances receive urgency, whose deaths are connected, and how vulnerable Black women were overlooked until their killer demanded attention.Content warning: This episode discusses murder, sexual violence, torture, substance-use disorder, and violence against women.Follow Murder in the Black on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Subscribe to the paid edition on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and exclusive content. New listeners can begin with a three-day free trial.Until next time, this is Murder in the Black.

Emani Gabrielle Moss was ten years old. Her family called her “Angelface.” She loved reading, dancing, and cooking, and her fourth-grade teacher remembered a child with a beautiful smile who always wanted to help people.But behind that smile, Emani was trying to survive. She went to school bruised and afraid. She disclosed abuse. She ran away. Teachers, relatives, police, and child-protection workers encountered pieces of her story—and still, she was returned to the home where she was being harmed.In this deeply difficult episode of Murder in the Black, Steph examines the warnings that came before Emani’s death, the adults and systems that had opportunities to intervene, and the family members who fought to protect her. Most importantly, this episode remembers Emani as a child: bright, helpful, loved, and deserving of the chance to grow up.CONTENT WARNINGThis episode discusses prolonged child abuse, neglect, starvation, domestic violence, the death of a child, and an attempt to conceal and destroy a child’s remains. The material is deeply distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and pause or skip this episode if needed.LISTENER CALL TO ACTIONIf this episode moved you, follow Murder in the Black on whatever podcast platform you use and leave a five-star review. Share Emani’s story—not because of how she died, but because of who she was. And if you know or suspect that a child is being harmed, do not assume someone else will act. Report the concern to the appropriate child-protection agency and contact emergency services if the danger is immediate.