Season One Bonus: Embracing Grief

KSL Podcasts, the team that brought you The Letter also had a hand in making Ransom, a story of greif and loss and how those emotions are amplified when the person who caused them is a trusted person. Ransom is the story of the kidnapping of 12 year old McKay Everett for a demand of $500,000. It's also a story of greed and betrayal and how red flags, when ignored, serve no one. Link to the show: https://kslpodcasts.com/podcast/ransom/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you haven’t had the chance to subscribe to our bonus content, we wanted to give you a sample of what we have been doing each week. Children exposed to trauma face challenges that often continue well into adulthood. In this Bonus episode, Amy talks with Jordan Rasmussen’s son, Dave, and a child psychologist, Dr. Matt Woolley, about some of the unresolved emotions that have come up this season. And we get some ideas for how to face the lingering impacts of trauma and how to help those struggling with loss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the season finale of The Letter, Michael Moore learns if he will get a parole date. But the families who forgave him and advocated for his release never expected what he did next. They are left to ask themselves if they misjudged him.For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown. With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Michael Moore murdered Jordan Rasmussen and Buddy Booth, he left five children without fathers. When they were young, the adults in their lives made decisions about whether they would oppose or support Michael’s release from prison. But as Michael approaches his fourth parole hearing those children will be old enough to speak for themselves. Is forgiveness something they inherit, or will they come to their own conclusions? For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this holiday week, we are giving you a sample of one of our premium bonus episodes. Episode 7 will be released next week.Does everyone in our criminal justice system deserve defending? Ed Brass was on Michael Moore’s defense team. Ed is also Amy’s husband (but she didn’t realize the connection until after she started researching the case). Ed and Amy share some remarkable stories from Ed’s career, including even more unlikely tales of forgiveness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feelings of rage and retribution were melting away as Leslie Rasmussen drafted a letter to the man who murdered her brother, Jordan. She wrote the letter without talking to any of the family members, who nearly simultaneously came to their own conclusion. Michael Moore writes back.For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A decade passes since the brutal murders of Buddy Booth and Jordan Rasmussen. As their families wrestle with loss and rage, the man who killed them, Michael Patrick Moore, readies another plea for his parole. But as the Rasmussens prepare for war, they are caught off guard by what Moore does next. For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The families of Jordan Rasmussen and Buddy Booth realize the end of a trial doesn’t mean the end of their struggles. And only a year after Michael Moore is handed two life sentences, he makes a case for early release. But is the killer ready to take responsibility for the damage he caused?For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown. With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As lawyers prepare for trial, no one can make sense of Michael Moore’s motives. In the courtroom, the double murder suspect tells a paranoid story of assassins and organized crime. The widows of his victims testify at the trial, which will determine if Moore will face a firing squad.For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A delivery man making his rounds finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Buddy Booth discovers the body of Jordan Rasmussen at a stop on his delivery route and is shot in the back, forcing a second young widow to raise children without their father. For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.