True Sunlight

In Part Two of Two, Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell go officer by officer through the allegations contained in the Spivey family's federal complaint against Horry County police. And through every level of the investigation, the alleged conspiracy comes sharply into focus. 

According to the lawsuit, the conspiracy to protect Weldon Boyd and Bradley Williams started immediately after they shot and killed Scott Spivey on Sept. 9, 2023, on an Horry County, SC, highway. And it continued through the power and influence of the now former Deputy Chief of Police Brandon Strickland, a close friend of Weldon, who...

Part One of Two

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On the eve of the third anniversary of Scott Spivey's killing, his family filed a bombshell federal lawsuit against Horry County and 13 current and former police officers — including former Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland, former Chief Joseph Hill, and "act like a victim" Officer Damon Vescovi. 

The complaint alleges a coordinated conspiracy to steer the investigation toward exonerating Weldon Boyd and Bra...

Turns out the internet is disgusted by ‘Pastor’ JP Miller as a three-part documentary titled Death of a Pastor's Wife about Mica Francis Miller’s case premiered on Netflix last Wednesday.   

Beyond the documentary and the additional reporting in this episode, you can get the whole story on COERCED, LUNASHARK’s new Drop Feed about the devotion and death of Mica Francis… Follow and Rate 5 Stars on Apple to amplify our mission giving voice to victims.

The documentary brings new attention to the intense abuse that Mica accused JP of in their m...

Follow The DROP FEED on Apple, Spotify or ⁠Ad-Free from LUNASHARK Premium on Patreon or Supercast⁠⁠

COERCED: The Devotion & Death of Mica Francis Miller is a⁠ ⁠LUNASHARK® ⁠⁠DROP-FEED from the award-winning team behind the Murdaugh Murders Podcast — investigative journalists Mandy Matney, Liz Farrell and Beth Braden — along with producers Kate Thomas, Grace Hills and David Moses. It’s a remastered, chronological retelling of more than 2 years of original reporting from the⁠ ⁠True Sunlight Podcast⁠⁠, built for listeners who want to follow one case.

On April 27, 2024, 30-year-old Mica Miller — wife of Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul Miller — walke...

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell take a break from the Alex Murdaugh retrial drama this week to revisit one of the most devastating cases they’ve covered in their careers: the 2015 death of 38-year-old Sara Lynn Moore Colucci. 

Nine years after Sarah Lynn Colucci's mother Barbara Moore filed a wrongful death lawsuit, accused killer Michael Colucci finally sat for his deposition — after skipping two of them — and pleaded the Fifth roughly 100 times, refusing to answer everything from the color of his tie to his own birthday. 

We break down...

Investigative journalists⁠ Mandy Matney⁠ and⁠ ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ take a break from the Alex Murdaugh retrial drama this week to revisit one of the most devastating cases they’ve covered in their careers: the 2015 death of 38-year-old Sara Lynn Moore Colucci. 

Nine years after Sarah Lynn Colucci's mother Barbara Moore filed a wrongful death lawsuit, accused killer Michael Colucci finally sat for his deposition — after skipping two of them — and pleaded the Fifth roughly 100 times, refusing to answer everything from the color of his tie to his own birthday. 

We break down the dev...

Part Two of Two

There's a new Creighton Waters in town… In Part 2 of Episode 161, Investigative journalists⁠ Mandy Matney⁠ and⁠ ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ break down the stunning filing in which the lead prosecutor formally corrected Dick Harpootlian's false claim that Alex Murdaugh passed a polygraph "with flying colors" — complete with a savage citation noting defense co-counsel's incredulous reactions in real time. 

Then, Joe McCullough pushes himself into the spotlight while pushing to unseal the Egg Lady records — conveniently trying to pull the in-camera transcripts from view that tell the real story. 

Part Two of Two

There's a new Creighton Waters in town… In Part 2 of Episode 161, Investigative journalists⁠⁠ Mandy Matney⁠⁠ and⁠⁠ ⁠Liz Farrell⁠⁠ break down the stunning filing in which the lead prosecutor formally corrected Dick Harpootlian's false claim that Alex Murdaugh passed a polygraph "with flying colors" — complete with a savage citation noting defense co-counsel's incredulous reactions in real time. 

Then, Joe McCullough pushes himself into the spotlight while pushing to unseal the Egg Lady records — conveniently trying to pull the in-camera transcripts from view that tell the real story. 

Part One of Two
Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell break down everything that happened at Alex Murdaugh’s most recent hearing.
Team Murdaugh came to Friday's retrial hearing armed with a "bombshell" that turned out to be a dud… a rumor from fitsnews claiming Murdaugh murder weapons were tied to a recent Allendale County killing. However, no article existed, prosecutor Creighton Waters had never heard of it, and SLED debunked the claim within minutes.
Mandy and Liz break down how the fumble unraveled in real time — and why so much of the media ran with it anyw...

Alex Murdaugh is due back in court for another hearing this week and investigative journalist Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell are more ready than ever. In today’s episode Mandy and Liz share the highlights from the stack of filings made by Team Murdaugh and the prosecution ahead of the Aug. 14th hearing in front of Judge Debra McCaslin.

Team Murdaugh's surprisingly polished 26-page motion to move the second murder trial of the century out of the 14th Circuit, and the state's pointed response asking what's so special about the Holy City top the list...

Part Two of Two

Some good news first: Judge Richard Gergel dismissed Alex Murdaugh's federal lawsuit demanding $600,000 from former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, pointing to the "fatal flaw" sitting at the center of it.
Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell explain why agreeing with the ruling isn't the same as defending Becky Hill — and why they always believed the suit was less about money than about spectacle, subpoena power, and keeping everyone's eyes off the double homicide case.
Then, Gregg Roman. The Middle East Forum executive director hired by billionaire gas stat...

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Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell walk through the motion to reconsider filed by Mandy’s attorneys to combat the unprecedented and arguably unconstitutional $176,500 civil contempt sanction.  

Mandy and Liz lay out how the process went sideways from the start: a rule to show cause with no verified petition, a hearing where her own compelled testimony was used to supply the missing foundation, and an order that cites her podcast and social media commentary as evidence against her — while conceding that speech was protected  — it's a farce.

<...

Part Two of Two 

South Carolina fined journalist Mandy Matney $5,000 to “deter similar conduct in the future and promote respect for the law.” It fined Cory Fleming, $0. Becky Hill, $0. Alex Murdaugh — who stole more than $12 million from grieving clients — $0. 

Mandy opens Part Two of Episode 158 by laying that math out plainly, and asking what message it sends to every whistleblower in the state trying to change its broken systems.

Then journalists⁠ Mandy Matney⁠ and⁠ ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ turn to Murdaugh v. Hill, the federal suit in which Alex demands at least $60...

Part One of Two

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell have some questions about a Spartanburg County Police report… made by none other than Debbie Barbier…

When Greg Parker’s attorney Deborah Barbier told Spartanburg police she'd been “harassed” in a hotel lobby the morning of Mandy's contempt hearing on June 22, 2026, the department did something our team has never seen done so thoroughly for a harassment complaint made by a woman: it investigated. 

Multiple officers. Multiple weeks. Untold public monies. Search warrants signed by magistrate judges with no expla...

Ten days after an unprecedented contempt order shook South Carolina to its core, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell are still standing — and they've got a lot of ground to cover. 

First, Mandy updates listeners on jaw-dropping injustice as we dig our foxholes and announce a new addition to her growing legal team intent on defending the first amendment and due process. 

Then, things get a little... cinematic… because the Lee Gilley saga has officially crossed into foreign territory. Lee is still in Italy. The extradition fight is stalling...

[Part Two of Two]

In Part Two, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell break down exactly how Parker's attorneys weaponized a judge's old-fashioned notions of what a scared woman looks like — and why South Carolina's appointed judiciary has no reason to care what you think about it… Demand better!

Attorneys for a billionaire gas station owner allegedly billed $310,000 (allegedly because the invoices are secret) — the cost of approximately two murder defenses — in secret billings – to punish a journalist for wanting to feel safe at her own deposition. A deposition that was attempted in...

[Part One of Two]

Investigative journalists⁠ Mandy Matney⁠ and⁠ ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ react to a stunning contempt ruling ordering Mandy to pay a $5,000 fine and $171,500 for billionaire Greg Parker's legal fees — a sum greater than what many murder defendants pay for their entire defense, and a penalty whose line-item breakdown has been sealed from Mandy and the public. 

Mandy argues the ruling has nothing to do with a missed deposition and everything to do with punishing a journalist who refused to stay quiet. David Moses reads directly from South Carolina contempt law to expose how the order may exc...

[Part One of Two]

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell react to a stunning contempt ruling ordering Mandy to pay a $5,000 fine and $171,500 for billionaire Greg Parker's legal fees — a sum greater than what many murder defendants pay for their entire defense, and a penalty whose line-item breakdown has been sealed from Mandy and the public. 

Mandy argues the ruling has nothing to do with a missed deposition and everything to do with punishing a journalist who refused to stay quiet. David Moses reads directly from South Carolina contempt law to expose how the order...

We're taking a break from True Sunlight this week, but we hope you enjoy this episode of 'Wherever It Leads... Milan'

Follow the show at staypes.ky/wherever

Tourists sprint to Rome and Florence while one of Europe’s most alive cities hums quietly in the north — and that’s exactly what makes Milan extraordinary. 

This week, writer, author, and Milanese insider Marta Mondelli pulls back the curtain on a city of hidden courtyards, wooden streetcars, world-class aperitivo, and jasmine-soaked springs. 

She...

[Part Two of Two] Investigative journalist Mandy Matney is still processing — but she’s not shrinking.

In Part Two, Mandy begins the episode reflecting on how Greg Parker’s scorched-earth legal campaign was supposed to scare her into silence and instead flipped a switch.

Then David delivers a blistering First Amendment Moses Moment, calling out Parker’s attorneys for using the court as a weapon against a non-party journalist — asking what she was wearing, how many Instagram followers she has, and why she dared to eat dinner in public.

<...

[Part One of Two] The first hearing in Alex Murdaugh's retrial was supposed to signal a new era for Team Murdaugh. Dick Harpootlian promised bigger, bolder, different. What we got instead? Old Dick. Old Trick.

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ break down every move from the June 29 scheduling hearing before Judge Debra McCaslin — the no-nonsense judge who called the warden herself, set a firm April 5, 2027 trial date, and wasn't about to let Dick charm, delay, or bully his way through her courtroom. 

From the shackle saga to the lap...

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ dig into the spectacular self-destruction of Weldon Boyd's case against attorney Mark "the Tiger" Tinsley—the wannabe blueberry farmer who sued the lawyer representing the family of the man he killed. 

Spoiler: Judge Hyman tossed it. We walk through the June 10 hearing, Desa Ballard's baffling "declaratory judgment" demand, and the question nobody could answer: what exactly are we trying to remedy here?
Then there's Ken Moss's bizarre motion to recuse Judge Eugene Bubba Griffith, built on a mysterious affidavit he refuses to produce—and a subpoena aimed straight at LUNASHARK®...

[Part Two of Two]

Before we return to the Horry County internal affairs files, we have to talk about the civil contempt hearing on Monday June 22 at 9am in Spartanburg - see y’all there!

In our opinion, team Greg Parker’s last-minute attempt to bar LUNASHARK® from filming a public courtroom tells you everything about who fears the sunlight. 

Then investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ dig into CSI investigator Shellneil Tamasi, a by-the-books officer whose IA interview cuts through the spin. She didn't...

[Part One of Two]

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ dig into the Horry County Police Department's internal affairs investigation of the Scott Spivey case and the looming presence of former Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland throughout it. 

Strickland insists he "stayed out of it" and "distanced" himself — yet there he is on recorded calls with Weldon Boyd admitting he was "working in the shadows," and — according to his own colleagues — sitting in on a meeting about Weldon Boyd’s phone, and walking into the evidence room to say "just give Wel...

Today, we’re sharing a preview of The Final Hours, a true crime podcast from Crime House, powered by PAVE Studios.

Hosted by Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole, The Final Hours examines the moments just before a person disappears. The routines. The timelines. And the small details that often get overlooked, until it’s too late.

Sarah is an advocate for missing and murdered victims whose sister disappeared in 2001. Kourtney is a true crime storyteller and investigator who witnessed firsthand how crime can change a family forever. Together, they brin...

[Part Two of Two]

In Part Two of this two-part episode, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ share some big news that SLED teams searched the home, business and possibly farm of one of Scott’s shooters, Weldon Boyd. 

Also in the civil wrongful death case against Weldon Boyd and Bradley Williams, Weldon filed a motion on Tuesday asking that Judge Eugene “Bubba” Griffith — who denied Stand Your Ground immunity to Weldon and Williams — recuse himself from the Spivey case altogether, claiming that Judge Griffith tried to get Bradley to lie...

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In Part One of this two-part episode, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ put it all on the table as the Beach family civil conspiracy case against billionaire gas station owner Greg Parker gets EVEN MORE CHAOTIC.

Through motions filed Friday, the Beaches accuse Parker, his bank and his counsel of lying, hiding or not producing relevant records and telling a research company to willfully disobey a lawful subpoena. 

According to the filing, Greg Parker wired $383,000 to an Israeli defense c...

Part Two of Two

Break out the tin foil hats, movie theater popcorn, and lots of pins — this one's a doozy.

In Part Two, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ break down one of the strangest lawsuits they've ever seen: Weldon Boyd, the man who shot and killed Scott Spivey, is suing attorney Mark Tinsley. 

The claim? That Tinsley manufactured a "false narrative" and chased media attention for his own "celebrity status" and "self-aggrandizement" (a phrase used nine times, for the record). 

With a Jun...

[Part One of Two]

In Part One of this two-part episode, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ begin sharing their reporting on the Horry County Police Department’s internal affairs investigation into the what went down during the (shockingly corrupt) Scott Spivey case. 

In September 2023, 33-year-old Scott Spivey was shot to death on Camp Swamp Road in Loris, South Carolina, by North Myrtle Beach business owner Weldon Boyd and Weldon’s friend Bradley Williams. After calling his mama and his lawyer from the scene, Weldon made another call before po...

[Part Two of Two]

How does a pro–Alex Murdaugh troll theory end up in The New Yorker?  In Part Two of Episode #150, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ trace exactly that. 

James Lasdun's May 26 New Yorker story leaned into a years-old lie: that LUNASHARK®, Clerk Becky Hill, and attorney Mark Tinsley conspired to plant an "anonymous" email and get the “Egg Lady” booted from Murdaugh's jury. None of it is true — and this week, the receipts come out.

For the first time, Mandy and Liz reveal the full...

[Part One of Two]

In Part One of this two-part episode, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ break down James Lasdun's Becky Hill piece and explain why it reads less like journalism and more like the latest brick in Team Murdaugh's three-year 'narrative-laundering' project. 

From the recycled "pizza conspiracy" to the false claim that Mark Tinsley has known Christine Avery since 2020, this is what happens when a writer for the New Yorker wanders onto a Murdaugh chessboard perhaps without realizing he's a playing piece. 

Mandy and Liz co...

[Part Two of Two] 

Read this with a Film Noir voice in your head (Think Maltese Falcon or China Town) 🙂

It all came down at ten a.m. on the thirteenth of May. Five to nothing. A murder conviction, vanished like smoke through a cracked window. 

And just like that, the Murdaugh circus rolled back into town led by capital city Dick and bow-tie Jim, hitting every television set in America, peddling the same tired song: no motive, no weapon, holes like Swiss cheese. 

Then they filed a curiou...

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As Houston, Texas accused murderer Lee Gilley awaits word on his fate after fleeing to Milan, Italy, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ are on the case. Will Italy grant him asylum, or treat him as a criminal to be extradited back to the United States?

New details have emerged about Lee's plan to escape his Houston trial for allegedly killing his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in October 2024. Lee's brother, Matt Gilley, testified that he didn't help Lee flee on May...

It happened on a Wednesday…

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ break down the 27-page Alex Murdaugh murder conviction reversal that essentially boils down to two words: Blame Becky. They wrestle with the uncomfortable truth that money seems to help a defendant's chances at the state's highest court — while sticking to their belief that the evidence still points to one person who went down to the kennels and lied about it.

In a unanimous 5-0 decision, the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed Alex Murdaugh's double-murder conviction, ruling that Colleton County Clerk Becky Hi...

[Part Two]

Join us May 15 at 10am in York, SC for Mandy’s Beach v. Parker non-party contempt hearing — wear pink. 

And we start with wild BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS about Lee Gilley’s flight to and detention in Turin, Italy as Texas Judge Peebles orders he forfeit his $1M bond.

Then on On Part Two of #147, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠⁠ dig into a stunning new lawsuit filed by former Horry County Police Captain Danny Furr — yes, that Danny Furr, the detective who arrested JP Miller's pastor daddy Reginald Wayne Miller back in 200...

[Part One]

Lee Gilley — the Houston man accused of murdering his wife Christa Bauer Gilley and their unborn baby — has fled the country… to Milan, Italy!

On today's episode, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠⁠ break down how a capital murder defendant out on $1 million bond cut off his ankle monitor on a Friday night, flew to Canada, then to Milan on fake documents under the alias "LeJeune Jean Luc Olivier," and is now begging Italy for asylum to dodge a death penalty Texas wasn't even seeking.

How did Har...

On today's episode, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ share their latest reporting on the Charity Beallis case out of Bonanza, Arkansas.

In December — just a day after her final divorce hearing from Dr. Randy Beallis — Charity was found dead in her home next to her two 6-year-old twins, Maverick and Eliana. Dr. Beallis denied any involvement in the deaths of his soon-to-be ex-wife. And information about the investigation has not only been sparse … It's bizarre.

Today — as they continue to seek answers in Charity’s case — Mandy and Liz look at...

On today's episode, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠⁠ have to share a little warning first: What you’re about to hear today is NOT for kids’ ears. Which is sad to say because it’s about law enforcement officers and what they do at the workplace. 

In October 2020, an Horry County Police Officer, applying to work for Highway Patrol, was given a polygraph test as part of a pre-employment screening at South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The results of the test turned out to be so shocking that officials there reached out to the Horry County P...

In Part Two of Episode 145, investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ dig into two stories about power, accountability, and the systems that protect the wrong people. 

First, they take you inside the April 21 Horry County Council meeting, where former officer Kevin Suggs and Jennifer Spivey Foley asked council members to return law enforcement authority to a sheriff who answers to voters — and where Chairman Johnny Gardner compared a historically corrupt police department to… litter on Highway 501…?

Then (21:00), they unpack the bombshell Harris County prosecutors dropped in the Christa Bauer Gilley case: alleged affairs, an alleged Red...

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ are hopeful that South Carolina will pass a law criminalizing coercive control abuse … eventually … maybe. Ugh. 

After the tragic death of Mica Francis in April 2024, we all got a crash course in the horrors of coercive control abuse because of what Mica’s estranged “Pastor” JP Miller is accused of doing to her during the final 18 months of her life. Mica repeatedly sought help from the Horry County and Myrtle Beach Police Departments in JP’s alleged stalking and harassment of her, but over and again the police told her t...