"UPDATE OCT. '25"

Welcome back to our every-other-month update! Here, we talk about updates to our cases, share true crime news in general, and discuss true crime stuff you might be into. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

I know we don’t often get political. HaHa! I mean, we don’t usually talk about things happening in the world; we talk about the politics surrounding a case or how politics are related to failure. But we just want to say real quick, as a Portland-based show, we are not in a war zone. Portland is safe, beautiful, and our home.

Ice is not welcome. The National Guard is not welcome. So inspired by Hannah Einbinder-

Go Mariners, Fuck ICE and Free Palestine. And now, on with the show.

www.newspapers.com

Get the ultimate true crime tool

Uncover true crime stories from 1690 to the present with Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com is the largest online newspaper archive, with over 1 billion searchable newspaper pages from across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and beyond.

To get started on your own newspapers.com journey, click the link above!

When you sign up, use discount code MurderInTheRain to get 20% off!

www.seattletimes.com

Names of Seattle police officers at Jan. 6 rally released

The names were released roughly one week after the officers dropped their lawsuit to prevent the release of their names.

While we’re on this political moment, I’ll also share this news out of Washington. It took years of court battles, but finally, the four names of the Seattle police officers who participated in the January 6th insurrection against our country have been named. 

Married officers Alexander Everett and Caitlin Rochelle Everett were identified earlier and were fired.

Sgt. Jacob Briskey remains on the force and in 2020 made over 175k. Sgt. Scotty Bach doesn’t appear to be on the Seattle PD. In 2020, he made nearly 225k. 

Detective Michael Settle who appears to be on the force but may be in an HR capacity? He was paid 145k

And Officer Jason Marchione who also appears to still be on the force, and was paid 146k in 2020. 

www.spokesman.com

Spokane 'South Hill rapist' Coe is released as victims relive their trauma

At the same time the sobs of a woman attacked by the “South Hill rapist” more than 45 years ago echoed through the Spokane County Courthouse, her attacker was getting ready to embrace freedom.

Speaking of looking out while you’re in Washington, we have an update to Josh’s episode “This Little Piece of the Devil”, which told the story of how horrendous the crimes of South Hill Rapist, Kevin Coe were. 

Here’s a very brief recap. It’s hard to know where to start as his crimes warranted a 2 part episode. 

In 1978, a rapist began a string of attacks that would last nearly 3 years and involve dozens of victims. With a city of potential victims in the dark about the monster lurking among them, what would it take for authorities to finally take the victims’ cases seriously? 

From 1978-1981, The South Hill Rapist, who disguised himself as a jogger, raped, assaulted, groped, and flashed dozens of women across one posh Spokane, Washington neighborhood. After a car belonging to his father, Gordon, was spotted illegally parked at a junior high running track at the time one of the rapes took place, it was traced back to his son, Frederick Harlan Coe. This connection, along with strong identifications of Coe from many of those attacked, resulted in his arrest for the South Hill Rapes, and though it seemed to be an open-and-shut case, the crimes of Fred Coe would later be brought back to court again, and again and again.

As a reminder of just how horrible his crimes were, it was believed he was responsible for up to 40 rapes. His M.O. included smelling like pungent soap, asking personal questions about their lives and of sexual nature, threatening to kill them, beating victims nearly to death and shoving his gloved hand down their throats. 

******************************************************************

Last March, I released the two-part episode “The Murder of Barbara Jean Hagedorn Parts 1 & 2”. It was a highlight of my work with the show as Barbra’s son, Patrick, had reached out to us, asking to cover the story of his mother’s murder. He had never told the story and was ready to share it, not only for his on healing, but to help others who may have felt similarly. 

He reached out to me over the last few weeks with not only updates to his personal life but to a case within the episode. First, the episode update. Within the episode, we discussed the murder of Nicholas Valison.

The update- In early September of this year, now 39-year-old Andrew Baim was found guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree arson, and possession of a stolen vehicle in connection with the death of Nick Valison. He was found not guilty of intentional murder. Basically, the verdict meant it wasn’t believed Andrew went out of his way to kill Nick, but accidentally did while committing another felony. The defense’s argument that this was an ‘unfortunate accident’ didn’t work. 

Now for the personal update from Patrick!First of all, Patrick’s mother’s best friend, who took care of him after her murder, heard the show and found Patrick on Facebook! She even sent a photo of him with his mother that was taken just a few days before she was killed, which he hadn’t seen before. 

On the anniversary of his mother’s death, Patrick went to Longview and saw that friend after many years. They discussed memories and details that neither had heard before. He’s also been connected to other people in his life from when he was younger. 

Patrick said: “Words can’t explain how this meeting has made us feel and the amount of healing is has caused. And it's because of you all.” 

This meant and means so very much to us, Patrick. In the 6.5 years of doing this show, helping survivors and those affected by loss has always been the goal. To know that we had even the smallest part of him reconnecting with these people and seeing a photo of his mother- it means the world. We are so honored to have had any part of this and hope nothing but the best for Patrick and his loved ones. 

******************************************************************

nbc16.com

Partial remains of missing Blue River man Shane Sprenger discovered; foul play not ruled out yet

We're learning new details about the death of Shane Sprenger, the Blue River man who went missing in November of 2021.The Lane County Sheriff’s Office announced

Back in 2022, we aired a special episode about missing Blue River man, Shane Sprenger. Here’s a little backstory before the update- 

47-year-old Shane Sprenger was last seen at work in Vida, Oregon- an unincorporated area of Lane County, Oregon. Around 10 am on  November 2nd, 2021, Shane left the construction site where he was working, his power tools plugged in and ready to go upon his presumably swift return, but he never came back. Three days later, his truck was located near the Blue River Reservoir.Shane’s family was certain Shane was not distraught or that he would have left without informing anyone.  Shane was excitedly working on rebuilding his home, which had been destroyed in the Holiday Farm Fire in September of 2020. 

At the time of his disappearance, Shane was a 47-years-old white male, 6’1, 175 pounds with brown, receding hair. He had hazel eyes and a short beard, and used reading glasses. When he went missing, he was wearing a camo jacket and dark work pants. 

The news broke this year, but the bone fragments that were recovered from the McKenzie River were found in 2023. The major backlog and understaffing at the Oregon Crime Lab led to a non-profit stepping in to fund the testing of the fragments at a private lab. The results came back as a DNA match for Shane.

My heart goes out to the family for so many reasons. Shane missing for so long, hearing that bones were found, then having to wait 2 years to get confirmation. What a horrible situation.

To support Shane’s family and stay up to date on case information, you can join the Missing In Blue River Oregon Area: Find Shane Sprenger facebook group. If you have any information about Shane’s disappearance, no matter how trivial you think it may be, you are asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541.682.4150, and reference case number 21-6268. You can always leave an anonymous tip at crimestoppersoforegon.com. 

www.seattletimes.com

Oregon safari park owner indicted on more than 300 animal neglect charges

A grand jury indicted the owner of an Oregon zoo on more than 300 counts of animal neglect and other charges after police said they found drugs and guns at the facility.

I’m hoping this next story gets to Tiger King and Chimp Crazy director Eric Goode- it could probably make for a good documentary. 

Among the 371!! Charges Brian Tenney faces are unlawful possession of wildlife, failure to meet requirements of care of wildlife held in captivity, first- and second-degree animal neglect, racketeering, possession and delivery of drugs, possession of a machine gun, and reckless endangerment. Part of the reason there are over 300 charges is that each animal was represented. Some of those animals include nine porcupines, five camels, four lions, and over 100 sheep. The other reason, a lot of drugs and firearms- including 44 guns, almost 90 grams of meth, 8 grams of cocaine, $1.6 million in cash, bonds, proof of manufacturing and distributing drugs.  

310 animals were rescued from the park and relocated; three had to be euthanized. 

So the good news is that this monster, Brian Tenney, will no longer be able to hurt any animals. This is why it is so important to check into the history or reviews of places that have animals. Maybe you feel strongly like myself and don’t think animals should be kept in these kind of places at all, or maybe you like to go to places like this, and that’s okay. Just do a little bit of homework to make sure your money isn’t actually going to the drug trade and that the animals are being cared for properly. We’ll keep you updated on any trial, pleas or sorry to not be ‘innocent until proven guilty’ but sentencing for Brian.

******************************************************************Let’s lighten the mood with a little tease of what we’ve been doing over on Patreon, which includes "Hot Streamers"- some true crime/crime adjacent programming we've enjoyed:

******************************************************************

Josh’s library corner- My Heart is a Chainsaw

www.thriftbooks.com

My Heart Is a Chainsaw book by Stephen Graham Jones

Buy a cheap copy of My Heart Is a Chainsaw book by Stephen Graham Jones. Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films... Free Shipping on all orders over $15.

******************************************************************

komonews.com

Serial rapist pub owner sentenced to 109 years in prison for crimes against customers

A former Everett pub owner was sentenced to 109 years in prison after being convicted of multiple counts of rape and indecent liberties, including spiking the d

******************************************************************

www.oregonlive.com

Portland man accused of tampering with witness in pending domestic violence case

Police said Patrick A. Sparks, 56, made 52 calls to the his alleged victim between April 6 and June 3.

And now for something completly petty...

His name is Patrick Allen Sparks. He’s 61 years old and lives in Portland. 

******************************************************************

So that's it for our update! To get a leg up on our next episode, you can read 'Kristin Can You Hear Me?" to learn all about the bizarre disappearance of Kristin Tomlin.

www.thriftbooks.com

KRISTIN Can You Hear Me? book by Teresa Letcher

Buy a cheap copy of KRISTIN Can You Hear Me? book by Teresa Letcher. Kristin Tomlin, a twenty-year-old Portland Oregon native boarded a yacht in northern California on November 12, 1981, and was never seen again. She set sail with... Free Shipping on all orders over $15.