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Jockey to get the most effective

1:01

learning program out there at the

1:03

best price. Hi,

1:06

Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley

1:08

Flowers. And I'm Britt. And

1:10

the story I have for you today

1:12

is not as cut and dry as

1:14

certain city officials would have you believe.

1:17

In fact, the deeper I dove into

1:19

the story, the more confused and a

1:21

little shocked and angry I became because

1:24

I mean, this case could be a simple

1:27

mishandling of an investigation or

1:29

it could be a corruption

1:31

coverup. And only

1:33

time will tell. This

1:35

is the story of Joyce and

1:37

John Sheridan. Thank

1:53

you. Around

2:01

6.13 in the morning on

2:03

Sunday, September 28, 2014,

2:05

a resident of Meadow Run

2:07

Drive, this

2:17

tight-knit neighborhood in New Jersey, hears

2:19

the distant chirping of a fire

2:21

alarm. Now he knows

2:23

it's not coming from his own house,

2:25

but he's pretty sure that the sound

2:28

and distinguishable smell of smoke is coming

2:30

from his neighbor's place. So

2:32

even though he can't see any flames, he does what

2:34

any good neighbor would do and calls 911. And

2:37

the neighbor makes his way over to

2:39

the house while telling the operator about

2:41

the three people who lived there, Joyce

2:43

and John Sheridan and their adult son

2:45

Matt. By the time he's made

2:48

it to their front door, he tells them that

2:50

he can see a little bit of smoke coming

2:52

from the second floor, but the whole thing isn't

2:54

like engulfed in flames or anything. So he

2:56

tries the door knob, but the door's locked,

2:58

so he bangs his fist against the door

3:00

to see if anyone's inside. And

3:03

that's when he hears kind of

3:05

like a knocking or a tapping sound

3:07

coming from within the house. According

3:10

to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the man

3:12

tells operators it really sounds like

3:14

someone's trying to get out. First

3:17

responders arrive within four minutes of the

3:19

call, and they see the smoke coming

3:21

from the second floor too, but it's

3:23

more intense now than when the neighbor

3:25

first called. So wasting no time,

3:27

they bust their way inside, clear the

3:29

first floor, clear the basement, all while

3:32

yelling for anyone in the house, but

3:34

no one is calling back. So

3:36

once they know the lower floors are stable

3:38

and fire free, they head upstairs to

3:40

find the source of the fire, which turns

3:43

out to be in the primary bedroom. Or

3:45

at least, they're pretty sure it is. The

3:48

door to the bedroom is actually closed and it

3:50

won't budge, almost like there's something pushed up against

3:52

it. But With enough force,

3:54

they're able to push the door open enough

3:56

for them to squeeze in and see what

3:58

it is that was blocking. That these large

4:01

arm was pushed against the door.

4:03

And it is what is on

4:05

fire. But. The burning are

4:07

more is the least of their concerns

4:09

when they see a man laying face

4:12

up in his underwear in t shirt

4:14

underneath the large piece of furniture. So.

4:16

They extinguish the fire. Get him out.

4:19

But. It's too late. He is pronounced

4:21

dead shortly after removing him from

4:23

the home. So. All they can

4:26

do at that point is go back in

4:28

and look for anyone else who might still

4:30

be inside. And. Right away they

4:32

signed a second patty In that same

4:35

bedroom close to where the man was

4:37

found. Time they see this body

4:39

when they found the man though. I.

4:41

Think it's because so the man was underneath. the

4:43

are more where they end up finding who say

4:46

no is a woman sees on the floor on

4:48

the left side of the bad. He's.

4:50

On the ground on the foot of the bed.

4:52

So much superstore of the layer of this room.

4:54

but I think when they came through they see

4:57

the fantasy the man they tend to him immediately.

4:59

she nodded and blocked by the bad. A little

5:01

bit gotcha. so yeah. third seen her when they

5:03

go back. So. They get

5:05

her out and then go back and

5:07

looking for a potential third victim. By.

5:10

Now a crowd is gathering outside and

5:12

word spreads throughout the neighborhood that something

5:14

is going on at Sheraton's. And

5:17

the new starts reaching their sons. And

5:19

that's when one of their sons,

5:21

Mark, gets a call from his

5:24

twin Matt. So mats alive. He

5:26

is. So. That means

5:28

it's choice and John in the house

5:30

corrects? Now. Matt is currently about

5:32

four hours away on a fishing trip and

5:34

he's getting word from a neighbor about the

5:36

fire and easily calling his brother to pass

5:39

on the info. According. To

5:41

New York Times article by Michael Sokolov. Both

5:43

Mark and Map pack up book it to

5:45

their parents' house in New Jersey. But.

5:47

Marked doesn't even get out of

5:49

Manhattan before Matt calls him that,

5:52

telling him that their parents are

5:54

dead. And Mark is almost

5:56

feeling numb to all of this new

5:58

site. i mean this is happening so fast

6:00

it doesn't make sense. All he

6:02

wants is to talk to the head of major

6:05

crimes because that's the department that should be investigating

6:07

his parents death. So he

6:09

calls the chief counsel to Governor Chris Christie

6:11

and asks him to have the Somerset County

6:13

prosecutor call him directly to tell him what

6:15

the heck is happening. Oh, hold up. How

6:17

does he just call up the governor's office

6:20

and demand a call from the prosecutor? Yet,

6:22

not everyone can do this. He's actually a lawyer for

6:25

New Jersey Governor Christie's election campaign.

6:27

So he's like pretty well connected. He's on

6:29

the inside. Got it. Yeah. And

6:31

he's determined to use those connections to call

6:33

anyone and everyone that might be able to

6:35

tell him what the heck is going on.

6:38

Now on his way to his parents home, he picks up

6:40

their other brother, Tim, and when they

6:42

pull in, they see that their fourth brother, Dan,

6:44

is out in front of the house with just

6:47

a swarm of people. But before

6:49

he even gets out of the car to

6:51

talk to him, that's when he gets a

6:53

call from Somerset County prosecutor Jeffrey Soriano. Soriano

6:56

is calling with condolences, but

6:58

also a little insider info.

7:01

He tells Mark that as firefighters were

7:03

going through the house, they saw that

7:06

the fire did look intentionally set and

7:08

it was likely in an attempt to

7:10

cover up a crime because that's

7:12

when he tells him that his parents had

7:14

been stabbed. Now Mark's mind is

7:17

racing at this point. He has no idea

7:19

why this happened. And as much as he

7:21

wants to be side by side with investigators

7:23

as they're figuring this out, I mean, like

7:25

literally he wants to walk through the house.

7:27

He's obviously not allowed to. So

7:30

instead detectives bring the Sheridan brothers down

7:32

to the station, less to give them

7:34

information, but more to like get it

7:36

from them. According to

7:38

the podcast dead end, a New

7:41

Jersey political murder mystery from WNYC

7:43

studios, most of the questioning

7:45

just blurs past Mark. But

7:48

what jolts him out of this stupor is

7:50

when his brother Matt finally arrived and

7:52

out of nowhere, The officers or

7:54

the detectives, whoever is like talking to him,

7:57

they asked to search Matt's car with like

7:59

zero extra. Then he said. The

8:01

market like no idea what's going on,

8:03

but when they searched his brother's car,

8:05

they find apparently cocaine and scale that

8:07

make it look like Matt might be

8:10

dealing. So police. Arrest him

8:12

Right then. the damage is done because

8:14

rumors start flying that the Sheraton's were

8:16

murdered because of some kind of drug

8:18

deal gone wrong. Though. Mark

8:20

knows that's completely absurd. He's posited

8:22

that his parents. Weren't murdered by

8:24

someone looking for more. I

8:27

mean. And that live there

8:29

tumor cells, so it's not too far

8:31

fetched, not completely, but like his car

8:33

wasn't even there that day and he's

8:36

typically always gone on the weekends. So.

8:38

You're. Right? Not impossible, but it's just not feeling

8:40

like the right. The to mark. So.

8:43

In spite of all this drama, Mad

8:45

is released and charges were not pursued.

8:48

According to multiple outlets, the search was he

8:50

legal that they did city have to just

8:52

drop it for now at least with a

8:54

kind of threatened him by telling him that

8:56

you know we have five years to file

8:59

charges of basically watch out Matt is I

9:01

guess what they're saying. Now

9:03

this point, the certain brothers. Are too

9:05

sure about the Somerset County Detectives

9:07

bookmark police in the system and

9:09

he's is going to wait for

9:11

more information before he makes. Any

9:13

determination about how he feels about them? And

9:16

finally he gets a call from

9:18

a prosecutor Soriano on Tuesday, September,

9:20

thirtieth after Joyce and John's autopsies

9:22

are done. He. And his brothers

9:24

are asked to come down to the prosecutor's

9:27

office to that he can talk to them

9:29

about everything in person. And when

9:31

they get their they hear something that

9:33

the didn't expect. Marks Here's

9:35

the prosecutor essentially say that.

9:38

Listen, there was an autopsy

9:40

performed by. You. Might want

9:42

to get your own zone because like. The

9:45

officer did you autopsies is like not very

9:47

good. Oh. That's certainly not

9:49

what you want to from the people in

9:52

charge rights. Is. He like specifically

9:54

saying that the heating say that bad

9:56

job on this line or he thinks

9:58

like every case that passes. Off at

10:00

a botched. I'm not super

10:02

sure. I mean either option feels terrible.

10:04

Re that. Out of the what

10:06

the implication is there to your point it could

10:08

be either. But. Anyway, so they tell them you

10:11

might want to your own dead but they do go on

10:13

to tell them what was. Found in their autopsy.

10:15

And. The prosecutor and assistant medical examiner

10:17

tell them that there were two kitchen

10:20

knives recovered from the scene and the

10:22

assistant any says that Joyce's cause of

10:24

death was a stab wound to her

10:26

chest. She was stabbed he finds to

10:29

her head with the one stab wound

10:31

to her chest. hit her a order

10:33

and killed her quickly. They.

10:35

Also say that most of her stab

10:37

wounds are deep and they're thinking that

10:39

heard death was specifically a crime of

10:42

passion of homicide and they're feeling pretty

10:44

sure of it because of the defensive

10:46

wounds that they say they found on

10:48

her arms and her hands. So

10:50

the two knives some by her are what killed

10:52

her. The thing says yes, We're both

10:55

choice and John dead before the fire

10:57

started. Well. According to the autopsy

10:59

Joyce was that. John.

11:01

He actually had certain his airway and

11:03

high levels of carbon monoxide in his.

11:06

meaning he was alive when the fire

11:08

was start as right. And

11:10

the assistant I'm He starts to

11:12

kind of hesitate when telling them

11:14

this next part. They say that

11:16

and Sean's wounds are superficial to

11:18

are shallow and three are a

11:20

little. Deeper. All. Of

11:23

them are around his torso and his

11:25

neck. With there's one stab wound that

11:27

doesn't sound so superficial to the shirt

11:29

and brothers, one that actually caught John's

11:31

right and circular, vain and is what

11:34

is partially responsible for killing him. For.

11:36

The other thing that they had to take

11:38

note of is the assistant Any also says

11:40

there's no sign of defensive wounds on john

11:43

body, but he does have five broken ribs

11:45

to on the left side, three on the

11:47

right. Which. They say is

11:49

consistent with that. Are more fallen on

11:51

top of them? So. all

11:53

in all basically they're telling them that

11:56

their fathers causes dad is sharp force

11:58

injuries a and smoke inhalation And

12:01

they're saying that all of

12:03

it looks self-inflicted, so

12:05

they classify his manner of death

12:07

as a suicide. Okay,

12:09

so most of his wounds

12:12

are superficial. He has some broken ribs from

12:14

the armoire. He inhaled

12:16

smoke, but also has this

12:18

cut to his jugular. I

12:21

mean like, they're saying somewhere shallow. A

12:23

cut to your jugular that's like partially responsible for your

12:25

death is like significant. Not

12:27

shallow. Yeah. So, okay,

12:31

investigators are thinking murder is suicide

12:33

then? I mean, Mark

12:35

says they're not coming right out in

12:37

saying that, but I mean it's

12:39

like clearly what they're heavily implying at that

12:41

point, right? They're saying Joyce was murdered at

12:43

a crime of passion. And also all

12:46

your dad's injuries are self-inflicted. Yeah, yeah.

12:49

Was there another knife by John though? Like

12:51

what caused his wounds? Well they

12:53

don't know yet, or at least they're not saying

12:55

yet, but they're not even making mention

12:58

of any other weapons found. Just the two

13:00

knives that were next to Joyce in the

13:02

room. Now the prosecutor also

13:04

tells them that the crime scene is pretty

13:06

much confined to the second floor

13:08

primary bedroom. Again, Joyce had

13:11

defensive wounds, John didn't, Joyce was dead

13:13

before the fire, John wasn't. Okay, but

13:15

couldn't it have been an intruder? Someone

13:17

known to them, one of their sons? Media

13:20

robbery gone wrong? Or what if John

13:22

was just caught off guard and didn't

13:24

have time to defend himself? This

13:27

doesn't seem so straightforward to me. I mean

13:29

not to me, but like they don't seem

13:31

to give much thought to a random person

13:33

coming in and committing the crime. Even though

13:35

all of the doors in the house were

13:37

actually unlocked, the only one that was locked

13:40

was the front door. And

13:42

as for a robbery gone wrong, I guess

13:44

there's nothing there to support that. I

13:46

will give them that. Like they found

13:48

about $950 in cash in the primary

13:50

bedroom. They also found John's wallet, a

13:52

watch, a cell phone, Joyce's iPad was

13:54

untouched, along with the jewelry on her

13:56

body. So robbery just, That

13:59

piece doesn't really.. the pain. But

14:02

that doesn't mean that Mark and

14:04

his brothers are accepting that they're

14:06

putting forward as complete fat. So.

14:09

They decide to take Soriano

14:11

advice and bring in their

14:13

own medical examiner. Who

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Bahamas and Panama. On.

15:16

Saturday October fourth Doctor Michael

15:18

Body performs his own autopsy.

15:21

And this second look finds

15:23

some pretty serious discrepancies. He

15:26

finds that John actually has a

15:28

chipped tooth and long thin bruises

15:30

along his chest with is broken

15:32

ribs which to him indicate that

15:34

he was beaten with some height

15:36

of long object rather than getting

15:38

the broken ribs from that are

15:40

more does falling on him. That

15:43

your body believe his injuries appear to

15:45

be caused by a third person and

15:47

are not self inflicted. There's.

15:49

Also, he says no telling if

15:51

he actually has defensive wounds because

15:53

his right arm is so badly

15:55

burned from the fire. He

15:58

and he notes that Joyce's blood. is

16:01

not at all on John's body.

16:03

What? Yeah, which, how

16:06

is that possible? If he stabbed

16:08

Joyce eight times, how does he

16:11

not have any blood transfer on

16:13

him at all? Is

16:15

that something that just wasn't accounted for in

16:17

the first autopsy, or did he specifically say

16:19

he didn't have blood on him? No,

16:22

I'm pretty sure it's something that the Somerset

16:24

assistant, Emmy, just doesn't even

16:26

acknowledge. He doesn't even mention

16:29

that there's not blood transfer on John, even

16:31

though it's something that makes zero sense. I

16:33

think mentioning it would ruin a

16:35

theory that they already seem to have had.

16:38

Now, Dr. Boden also finds that John's

16:40

stab wounds were not from either of

16:43

the two knives recovered from the scene.

16:45

So John dies from a self-inflicted knife

16:47

wound, but the knife used wasn't found?

16:50

I'm sorry, make it make sense. Yeah,

16:52

explain it to me. And

16:54

by the way, what is extra great

16:56

about all of this is that Dr.

16:59

Boden is doing this second autopsy in

17:01

front of the assistant medical examiner who

17:03

performed the first one. Oh. Yeah. And

17:05

listen, to the first guy's credit, he

17:07

seems to be able to admit that

17:09

he's wrong because he goes against what

17:11

he wrote in his initial report, and

17:13

this first guy agrees that the fatal

17:15

stab wound to John's neck was not

17:18

caused by either knife found at the

17:20

scene. Now, Dr. Boden believes

17:22

that John's fatal wound was caused by

17:25

a stiletto-type knife, which is kind of

17:27

like a switchblade. It's not anything you

17:29

would see in a normal kitchen knife

17:31

or kitchen set. So when all

17:33

is said and done with the second autopsy, the

17:35

Sheridan brothers are rightfully pissed.

17:38

They make sure that this information is

17:40

shared with the prosecutor, and once the

17:43

prosecutor sees this, detectives are sent back

17:45

to the crime scene to look for

17:47

this potential third knife. Now,

17:49

unfortunately, detectives don't find another knife

17:51

anywhere, but they do find a

17:54

piece of metal that looks like

17:56

it's been melted and then re-solidified

17:58

near where John's body was. was found. So

18:01

detectives think that, you know, maybe this

18:03

could be their third murder weapon, it just

18:05

got melted during the fire. So they decide to

18:07

send that off for testing. It makes

18:09

you wonder what else they missed if that medal

18:11

wasn't even considered to be important the first time

18:13

around. Exactly, which is why

18:15

in addition to the second autopsy, the

18:18

Sheridan brothers also want Dr. Baden to

18:20

review all of the evidence as it

18:22

becomes available. So the first

18:24

thing he gets access to actually is the

18:26

crime scene photographs. And as he starts reviewing

18:29

these, he sees photos

18:31

of what look like blood

18:33

spatter on a wall near

18:35

the stairwell, which is outside

18:37

of the primary bedroom. Right. There's

18:40

also blood on the hallway floor to

18:42

the primary dressing room that he notes

18:44

has access to an unlocked exit and

18:47

he questions if any of this is

18:49

getting tested. Wait, did first responders or

18:51

investigators see any of this? I

18:54

mean, I'm assuming yes, right. They've got pictures

18:56

of it. But the prosecutor told

18:58

them that detectives didn't collect any evidence

19:00

outside of the primary bedroom because it

19:03

looks like to them the whole crime

19:05

was contained to that one room, which

19:07

I don't know when there's blood in

19:09

the hallway. I know. There's pictures of

19:11

it clearly. But is he seeing that

19:13

just like, because they were taking pictures of something

19:15

bigger, broader, and he's like, Wait, what is this? Or

19:17

did they take pictures and they're like, No, let's just

19:19

ignore that. I don't know. But

19:22

now Mark and his brothers are

19:24

unsure what has been collected for

19:26

testing, what's been ignored. And so

19:28

as soon as the brothers are cleared to

19:30

enter their parents home, they are the ones

19:32

who go in and look at things more

19:34

critically. So they know that

19:37

the two knives found in the bedroom apparently look

19:39

like they came from the knife block in

19:41

the kitchen. That's something that was a part

19:43

of the prosecutor's theory and story, whatever. But

19:46

what nobody even like mentions is that

19:48

when they go and look at this

19:50

knife block, they see that there is

19:52

a third one missing. And they

19:54

can't seem to find this third knife anywhere

19:56

in the house. What kind of

19:58

knife like something that could result a switchblade,

20:00

like a small paring knife or... No, like

20:02

I said, I think it was, I don't

20:04

think it was anything that you would see

20:06

in a kitchen set. It was like a

20:08

stiletto type used to kill John. So they're

20:11

not saying that like, oh, this is the

20:13

missing murder weapon that killed our dad. It

20:16

goes to the point of like, why are

20:18

you not even acknowledging that this is here?

20:20

Is it because it didn't fit into your

20:22

theory? Is it because you just truly are

20:24

acting negligently? I don't know. And

20:26

the real question they have is like, if it's not in the

20:28

house, where is it? Did someone

20:30

else come in and take three knives to

20:33

murder the Sheridan's? They leave two behind, take

20:35

the third with them. Was

20:37

there any indication that this knife

20:39

is important or is it just

20:41

possibly irrelevant? I mean, I know

20:43

I've lost knives from my knife block before. Very

20:45

true. I don't know. It just

20:47

basically seems to Mark and his brother

20:50

that the initial investigation missed so many

20:52

things or if detectives did see all

20:54

of these things, they're not being forthcoming

20:56

with the brothers. And

20:58

this is where the relationship or what little

21:01

relationship he had with prosecutor Soriano

21:03

starts to sour. Mark

21:05

and his brother start questioning the integrity

21:07

of the investigation and the prosecutor's office

21:09

just goes silent on them. But

21:12

the brothers have other things to focus on,

21:14

like organizing their parents' funeral.

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22:45

Joyce and John's decks really shake up

22:47

the community, and it quickly captured the

22:49

attention of the media. You

22:51

see, Mark isn't the only politically active

22:54

member of the Sheridan household. John was

22:56

also a major player in the New

22:58

Jersey Republican political landscape. Now,

23:01

he'd never been an elected official, but he

23:03

had been appointed to some pretty high-level positions.

23:05

Like, he got his start as a lawyer,

23:07

and in the 70s and 80s, he

23:09

served under two Republican governors. He

23:12

was also responsible for helping drastically

23:14

improve New Jersey's transit system. And

23:17

since 2008, he's served as president and

23:19

CEO for Cooper Health System in Camden,

23:22

New Jersey. And

23:24

was the board chairman for a nonprofit in

23:26

Camden, New Jersey called Cooper's Very Partnership at

23:28

the time of his death. So

23:30

the community comes together the following

23:32

Tuesday to honor the Sheridan legacy.

23:35

Governor Christie and former governors

23:37

Thomas Keene and Christine Whitman give

23:40

eulogies for Joyce and John. According

23:42

to The New York Times, around 1,000 mourners join

23:44

them. Now,

23:47

meanwhile, the prosecutor's office is

23:49

staying very silent. All

23:52

they will say is that the Sheridan's died

23:54

in their home, a fire

23:56

was intentionally set, there is no threat

23:58

to the public, Oh, and

24:01

their four sons have been cleared of

24:03

any suspicion. According to

24:05

reporting by the Philadelphia Inquirer, investigators tell the

24:07

public that they determined that those tapping sounds

24:09

of someone, you know, that neighbor said, sounds

24:11

like someone was trying to get out. And

24:15

it wasn't just the neighbor. Like first responders actually heard

24:17

that too. But they also say the

24:19

one thing that they won't stay silent on is they

24:21

tell everyone that those were just sounds from the fire.

24:24

The fire that was on the second floor

24:26

contained to an armoire that had been signed

24:28

on fire. It seems really bizarre to

24:30

me. I know. And especially because the neighbor who

24:32

came to the door, like the

24:34

tapping sounds weren't just happening. It was like after

24:36

he was like banging on the door and knocking,

24:39

right? It was like a response. That's what it

24:41

felt like to him. So it just

24:43

doesn't totally add up. You're quiet about everything else.

24:45

But you're like, oh, that weird thing, like nothing

24:48

to see here. We can explain that away. Don't

24:50

worry about that. Now,

24:52

the next thing that happens is that Mark and

24:54

his brothers find out that an insurance investigator caught

24:57

something that they missed when they were going through

24:59

the house. Apparently upstairs

25:01

in the primary bedroom where all of this happened,

25:03

I mean, the police say everything took place

25:05

here. This is the only scene we processed. Well,

25:09

like basically just thrown in a heap

25:11

of trash or linens or something was

25:13

a wrought iron fire poker, like underneath

25:16

all of the debris. A

25:19

fire poker, meaning a long object

25:21

that easily could have broken some

25:23

ribs. And here's the

25:25

thing. Detectives for Somerset

25:27

County weren't even going to collect

25:30

the fire poker as evidence until

25:32

the Sheridan brothers literally closed

25:35

them. I know, which I

25:37

mean, in one breath, like I said earlier, in

25:39

one breath, they're like, everything is contained

25:41

here. We're only collecting evidence from here. This room

25:43

is the important room. But we're also not going

25:45

to collect everything. What? Now,

25:48

at the beginning of November, the media is

25:50

getting more and more antsy about

25:52

the lack of public information. The

25:55

Courier Post publishes an article asking

25:57

why everything is so hush. People

26:00

are starting to speculate. On

26:03

November 25, 2014, a little over eight weeks after the

26:05

fire, investigators

26:08

finally reveal Joyce's death

26:10

certificate to the public.

26:13

Her manner of death is listed

26:15

as homicide, and then John's death

26:17

certificate remains undetermined pending

26:20

investigation, which kind

26:22

of gives publications their first

26:25

insight into the possibility that

26:27

police might be considering a

26:29

murder-suicide theory. And the

26:31

press kind of runs wild with this for

26:33

a while, filling in the

26:35

information void with theories from experts who

26:38

have no connection to the case but

26:40

like weigh in anyways. But

26:42

finally, in March 2015, the Somerset

26:44

County Prosecutor's Office fills that information

26:47

void a little bit when they

26:49

release their official report on John

26:51

and Joyce Sheridan's death. In

26:54

it, they recount what first responders saw when

26:56

they arrived, and they also lay out the

26:59

forensic evidence found in the home. Which

27:01

is this? Near where

27:04

John was found, investigators discovered

27:06

matches, they say, and a

27:08

gas can belonging to the

27:10

Sheridan's. They identified a poor

27:12

pattern of gasoline all over the floor

27:14

of the bedroom, and they say they

27:17

found DNA on the handle of that

27:19

can that belonged to John. Okay,

27:22

but if it was their can, I would expect

27:24

his DNA to be on it. I agree, but

27:26

I think the point they're making is that everything

27:28

used in the crime seems to have come from

27:30

the house. Like, even the matches they found are

27:32

similar to other ones found by the

27:34

fireplace on the first floor. And

27:37

then they say that the two knives in

27:39

the room, the large carving type of knife,

27:41

and then the large serrated bread knife, are

27:43

from the knife block downstairs in the kitchen.

27:45

So, I mean, they're pointing out

27:47

everything is from the house. Nothing was brought

27:49

in, which wouldn't totally line up with an

27:52

outside person coming in with the intention of

27:54

killing them, you know? Okay,

27:56

except for the fact that they don't have the

27:58

knives that killed John. Well, they... They acknowledged that

28:00

Dr. Boden's autopsy prompted them to go

28:02

search for another murder weapon and they

28:04

talk about that melted metal piece, but

28:07

they say that they got the results

28:09

back and essentially they couldn't tell what

28:12

its original shape was or purpose was.

28:15

The New York Times article speculates

28:17

that this piece of metal could

28:19

be like a metal handle from

28:21

an armoire or something. The

28:23

thinking being that the other two knives

28:25

we know were touch and knife. Those

28:28

are typically made of metal alloys that

28:30

can only melt at really high temperatures.

28:33

But the third kitchen knife and the switch blade

28:35

aren't the same. Could the melted

28:37

piece of metal be the blade that killed John?

28:40

I still don't think so. Again, it just didn't

28:42

get hot enough for the knives like that to

28:44

melt. Even if it wasn't the same kind of

28:46

kitchen knife, like I don't think any

28:48

kind of knife would have gotten hot enough to melt is

28:50

what they're trying to say. Okay. But they

28:53

did test the knives that they do have

28:55

and the report says that the DNA found

28:57

on the large carving knife is predominantly joist's.

28:59

It was her blood on it. But

29:01

there is a small amount of male DNA

29:03

on the handle. Unfortunately it

29:05

was so small that they can't confirm

29:07

if it's John's or not. And then

29:10

they don't specifically say what it is.

29:13

What type of DNA? Was it touch DNA? Was it

29:15

blood? Was it something else entirely? I don't know.

29:18

But again, these are knives from their block. If

29:21

it did come back as his, they're

29:23

his knives. I agree. That's why I

29:25

was like trying to specify like if it was like

29:27

his blood on the knife, is that different? Is it

29:29

like, because I agree. We assume he

29:31

touched his own kitchen knives. I don't know. Now

29:34

there's more DNA evidence that they point out throughout this

29:37

report. So let me get to that. There

29:39

was a single drop of blood

29:42

on John's underwear that came back

29:44

as having a mixed DNA sample

29:46

and both John and Joyce couldn't

29:49

be excluded as contributors. But

29:51

it also isn't definitively theirs

29:53

either. So did one or

29:55

more of those profiles belong to a third person? We

29:58

don't know. So it's not. particularly

30:00

helpful. Now since Joyce

30:02

did have defensive wounds, they were able

30:04

to get scrapings from under her fingernails,

30:07

and they said that they found a male DNA

30:09

profile. Problem is,

30:11

investigators just can't determine if it's

30:13

John's or if it's someone else's.

30:17

So we have all this DNA evidence,

30:19

but it's not actually giving us any answers. Why

30:21

can't they tell us any of its John's? Because

30:23

there's just not enough there, they say, which to

30:26

me I find so strange because we're not talking

30:28

about like 1994, 2001. I mean, this is like

30:33

fairly recent history. Yeah, I'm

30:35

shocked at how much they

30:37

have, but then like actually

30:39

have nothing at all. I

30:42

don't know, but there's something else that feels like

30:44

a gut punch to mark. The

30:47

report says that investigators

30:49

decided not to dust

30:51

for fingerprints. According

30:53

to the report, quote, fingerprints

30:56

would not be revealed by

30:58

dusting and nothing of further

31:01

evidentiary value was observed, end

31:03

quote. And that's apparently on

31:05

like anything. They didn't find it important

31:08

to gather evidence from the rest of the house.

31:11

What about all that splatter outside the

31:13

room that Biden pointed out? Yeah, I

31:15

mean, if you're getting frustrated or like

31:17

confused, imagine how the Sheridan sons are

31:19

feeling as they're reading this. But

31:21

that's not even like the end of this thing. So

31:23

another important part of the report is what

31:25

detectives say they found when they

31:27

were piecing together John and Joyce's lives

31:30

leading up to their deaths. Apparently,

31:32

they use data collected from their

31:34

phones and computers, financial records, pretty

31:36

much everything in between. They also

31:38

conducted a ton of interviews like talk to

31:40

their four sons, friends, neighbors, co workers. Basically,

31:43

by the end of it, they

31:45

say it is obvious that something

31:47

was very wrong in the Sheridan

31:50

household. According to the

31:52

Somerset report, family and colleagues

31:54

say that John was acting completely unlike

31:56

himself in the days leading up to

31:58

his death. They say he was

32:01

upset and withdrawn, and he seemed

32:03

to be really bogged down by

32:05

stressors at his job. Detectives

32:08

say that this change in attitude was leading

32:10

to a scheduled work meeting that was set

32:12

for the afternoon of Sunday, September 28, which

32:15

was the same day that he was found dead.

32:18

Now, this report also says that in

32:20

interviews, people said that Joyce was

32:22

acting worried and very concerned for

32:24

her husband, too. It seems that

32:26

the people that knew them best,

32:28

that released the ones that talked

32:30

to the police, believed that John's

32:32

usual calm, deliberate demeanor was completely

32:35

gone that weekend. Who

32:37

is this coming from, though? I feel like their

32:39

sons haven't seen or said that. I mean,

32:41

they'd probably be more accepting of some of these

32:43

findings. Yeah, I mean, Mark knows

32:45

that that wasn't his perception, and it's

32:48

not at all how his brother Matt described his

32:50

parents before he left for that weekend of fishing.

32:54

I mean, again, Matt's like living with them. So

32:57

your question is Mark's question, like who

32:59

is saying this? But I don't

33:01

even want to get into that. I want to keep talking about

33:03

what's in this report because there's still more information. The

33:06

prosecutor's report continues with what

33:08

they believe happened. They say

33:10

that all of the evidence

33:12

in this case is leading them to

33:14

the conclusion that John first stabbed Joyce,

33:17

then he set the fire, and then he

33:19

died by suicide. So the

33:22

Sheridan brothers are furious

33:24

and ready to tell the public how wrong

33:27

the prosecutor's report is. So,

33:29

Brett, I want you to read the statement

33:31

that they put out after this report was

33:33

released. Okay. It says,

33:35

quote, to be clear, we do

33:38

not have answers to what happened to our parents.

33:41

Based on the evidence, neither do the

33:43

investigators. They cannot explain that

33:45

the weapon used to stab our father

33:47

was never recovered. They cannot

33:50

explain his broken ribs, chipped tooth, or

33:52

why he was found under an armoire.

33:55

They cannot explain the numerous weapons found at the

33:57

scene or why they failed to take custody of

33:59

all the men. Weapons. They

34:01

can I explain their failure to the

34:03

for fingerprints or examine of blood evidence

34:06

outside the bedroom. They. Cannot explain

34:08

the lack of a motive for suicide,

34:10

let alone murder. They. Could not

34:12

explain the absolute absence of forensic

34:14

evidence tying our father to our

34:17

mothers. does? Indeed, Even

34:19

Prosecutors Soriano seat. it's the family.

34:21

Their lawyers and their expert During a recent

34:23

meeting that he quote. Has no

34:26

idea what happened in that room.

34:28

Unquote. The. Conclusion announced today

34:30

is also at odds with the

34:32

conclusion of the renowned pathologists Doctor

34:34

Michael Biden who found quote. The

34:37

absence of any mental depression, have any

34:39

motive of any note and have any

34:41

weapon that could have caused the cut

34:43

wound of the neck and juggler vein

34:45

of John Sheridan. All. Speak

34:47

against suicide. And. Quote

34:50

Scathing. But they

34:52

don't stop there. According to reporting

34:54

from the Observer, in conjunction with

34:56

their statement, the brothers have a

34:58

list of questions or demands depending

35:00

on who you ask. Regarding the

35:03

information, They warn about their parents'

35:05

deaths, the first being. Where.

35:07

The hell is the weapon that caused

35:09

John's injuries? They don't believe it melted

35:12

on the floor beside him. Their.

35:14

Thing detected. Search the house multiple times.

35:16

How did he just vanished? If he

35:18

is the one using it. Well,

35:20

and how about the fact that they didn't even

35:22

know about a different nice until Doctor Button did

35:24

his autopsy? Yes, The. Second question

35:27

they had is why did they

35:29

not dust for prints. For.

35:31

Doors to the house for completely unlocked. I'm

35:33

pretty sure it's. Like I said, the

35:35

only one that was locked was that front

35:37

door. so I understand They think that everything

35:39

happened in the primary bedroom. But. Like

35:42

I must go in, try to prove your

35:44

own theory like you don't know what happens.

35:46

You know the me my when you're processing

35:48

the seen. It just seems

35:50

like such confirmation bias. like how do you know.

35:53

If you don't let that. right? You're really

35:55

just shows the tunnel vision they had. They

35:57

had a theory they just focused on what

35:59

prove this. The sheer fact

36:01

alone that there was blood outside of the

36:03

room should have prompted them to process the

36:05

rest of the house, including looking

36:08

for Prince. But that didn't happen. That

36:10

didn't fit their theory. Yeah. Now,

36:13

the third thing they want answers on is

36:15

how could their mother have so many defensive

36:18

wounds on her hands and her arms? But

36:20

they say their dad didn't have a single

36:22

scratch on him. Like if she's fighting against

36:24

her attacker, they're like, wouldn't her

36:27

attacker, presumably John. And he's the attacker.

36:29

Right. They're saying wouldn't he have marks

36:31

on him? Maybe, but

36:34

also whoever attacked her had a knife.

36:36

So I don't know how much they're

36:38

going to get hurt. And say it

36:40

was John. If there was an injury on him,

36:43

it might have been covered by those burns. Right.

36:47

So defensive wounds aside then, with

36:49

all of her stab wounds, how was

36:51

there not a single transfer of her

36:53

blood to his clothes? Right? Right. The

36:56

fourth thing they ask is they're like,

36:58

OK, this insurance investigator came in and

37:00

found a three foot wrought iron fire

37:03

poker in the bedroom. Again,

37:05

where there's, by the way, no fireplace

37:07

in the bedroom that you say is

37:09

the primary crime scene. And this has

37:11

sounded an entire month after their deaths.

37:14

Why did they just ignore

37:16

this potential weapon and its

37:18

suspicious placement, especially when it

37:20

could have been used to

37:22

break their father's ribs? And

37:25

then fifth, how did John end

37:27

up under an extremely heavy armoire

37:30

after he had multiple stab wounds

37:32

and supposedly took his own life?

37:35

I mean, I keep thinking that he could

37:37

have pulled it on top

37:39

of himself, but that jugular cut is

37:41

just really, really throwing everything off

37:43

for me. Well, and what's I mean, it's not

37:45

having a weapon that's throwing everything off for me.

37:47

I mean, I guess, OK, fine.

37:50

Say it melted. Say it's a mystery.

37:52

Say it disappeared. I guess

37:54

I'm thinking like, OK, if he pulled it down and

37:56

then stabbed himself, but then, OK, we'd find the knife

37:58

right there. Find the knife. be there,

38:00

right? So if that's not what happened, like,

38:02

okay, he stabbed himself, and then maybe he's

38:04

like stumbling around the room and like goes

38:07

to lean on that and then it's pulled down

38:09

on top of him. And what pitches the knife

38:11

out the window? Like, well, again, like I so

38:13

I can maybe explain the armoire, but then I

38:15

can't explain why there isn't a knife there. But

38:18

finally, there's something else. So the brothers want

38:20

to know how they came to this idea

38:24

that John was so depressed that

38:26

he killed their mother and himself.

38:29

Because even though their report says that they looked at

38:31

all of his electronic evidence, like I love the way

38:33

that it was kind of stories. It was like, you

38:35

know, we collected everything we talked to people here is

38:37

the conclusion we came to. Well, yeah,

38:40

they collected everything. But apparently of everything

38:42

that they collected, there was actually nothing

38:45

there. The report says that in all

38:47

of those records, there's no definitive link

38:49

to the proximate cause of death. So

38:52

nothing in their emails in their text

38:54

personal files, nothing that they did, all

38:57

they have are these supposed

39:00

interviews. So again, he asks,

39:02

Who told you this? Because Marx

39:05

like listen, the day before they died, john

39:07

had face timed his grandson, he was preparing

39:09

for a meeting at the hospital the next

39:11

day, like, everything seemed

39:13

fine to the sons who knew them

39:15

best. So okay, if you're telling me

39:17

friends and family, which ones

39:20

I'd love to talk to them, right? Right.

39:23

Now in an article by intelligence, sir,

39:25

after these questions are published, Mark and

39:27

his brothers file a lawsuit to have

39:29

their father's manner of death changed back

39:31

to undetermined like it was in the

39:34

very beginning before they decided it was

39:36

a suicide with seemingly little to no

39:38

evidence. The brothers are told to

39:40

talk to the state emmys office, which

39:43

they do in a formal letter, including

39:45

Dr. Boden's written report from his autopsy.

39:47

And the state immediately answers back

39:49

with a request to dismiss the appeal

39:51

due to a lack of jurisdiction and

39:54

quote, no legal basis exists to

39:56

compel them to change their opinion

39:58

and quote, That's pretty

40:00

much all the time they give to the

40:02

brothers' requests. But in

40:05

all of this, Soriano isn't

40:07

completely quiet. The

40:09

New York Times reports that in his

40:11

single interview after releasing his report, when

40:13

asked about the melted metal on the

40:16

floor, he says, quote, I

40:18

don't know what it is. It could have

40:20

been anything, end quote. And

40:23

then when pressed on John's motive for murdering his

40:25

wife and then taking his own life, the prosecutor

40:27

says, quote, what we tried

40:29

to do was gather all the relevant evidence.

40:32

I don't know what else was going on in

40:34

his life, end quote. So he

40:36

doesn't know much, but he knows enough to call

40:38

it a murder, suicide and wipe his hands clean

40:40

at the investigation pretty much. But

40:42

like I said before, Mark's not giving up.

40:45

He's a lawyer for the Republican state committee. But

40:47

in April 2015, he decides to

40:50

step down from that to fully focus on

40:52

getting justice for his parents. In

40:54

fact, to kick off this pursuit for information,

40:56

he offers a $250,000 reward for information about

41:01

their deaths. And in

41:03

the meantime, Matt accompanies two

41:05

independent investigators hired by the

41:08

Philadelphia Inquirer to pore over

41:10

every little detail inside his

41:12

parents' home, which has

41:14

been pretty much left untouched after

41:16

the state's investigation ended. And

41:19

when they go, something that sticks out

41:21

to them is all of that blood

41:23

spatter and a reddish brown smudge on

41:25

the inside of the home's front door.

41:28

Like when they're looking at this, they question if it could

41:30

be a print, maybe. And

41:33

they're wondering if the initial investigators even took

41:36

note of this because they sure didn't collect

41:38

it. And then another thing that stands

41:40

out to the independent investigators is the depth

41:43

of char around where John's body

41:45

was. Like some parts are severely

41:48

burned, but then in other areas,

41:50

there's only surface damage. And

41:52

to them, it looks like the armoire

41:55

fell first, then went up

41:57

in a blaze because the ceiling

41:59

burns. aren't consistent with how close

42:01

the armoire would have been if it was

42:03

on fire before it fell, which then throws

42:05

even my theory of, like, oh, he went to

42:08

the armoire and then pulled it down. That doesn't

42:10

work anymore. Right. But I want

42:12

to back up a little bit. I've never

42:14

heard of a publication hiring two independent investigators

42:16

for a case. Is that normal?

42:19

I don't know. I haven't specifically heard of

42:21

this. I don't know if it was part

42:24

of their investigative reporting, because

42:26

it doesn't seem like these investigators actually

42:28

collect anything or test any DNA or

42:30

anything left in the house. They just

42:32

kind of, like, went in, observed, and

42:34

then, like, published their findings. But

42:37

even with their findings published, the

42:39

Somerset Prosecutor's Office refuses to do

42:41

much of anything, and they definitely

42:44

don't change their ruling. But

42:46

the Sheridan brothers catch a break

42:48

when Prosecutor Soriano actually gets removed

42:51

from office in 2016. Did

42:54

they remove him solely because of the Sheridan case, or was

42:56

something else going on? Apparently,

42:58

in a press statement, Governor Christie

43:00

says he's, quote, lost confidence in

43:03

Soriano. But then when pressed about

43:05

Joyce and John, he says he doesn't, quote,

43:07

have any opinion on the Sheridan matter. End

43:10

quote. But that's not the only shakeup happening.

43:13

Attorney General John Hoffman resigns. He gets

43:15

replaced by Robert Logie. And

43:17

a new state medical examiner was appointed

43:19

the year prior. So in

43:22

February 2016, reporting from nj.com shows

43:25

that 200 New Jersey residents made

43:27

up of three former governors and

43:30

other powerful individuals actually sign a

43:32

letter calling for the reinvestigation of

43:35

Joyce and John's deaths. So

43:37

by March, when a new prosecutor comes on

43:39

board, Michael Robertson, he

43:41

says he's determined to avoid the mistakes

43:43

his predecessor made. So right away, he

43:46

takes a look at the Sheridan case

43:48

and realizes there's definitely more here that

43:50

needs to be uncovered. But

43:53

he's not moving quickly. He doesn't

43:55

reopen the investigation just yet. And

43:57

as the prosecutor is kind of

43:59

revealing. everything, something

44:01

else happens. There is

44:04

this whistleblower lawsuit that comes

44:06

out from a Somerset detective.

44:09

According to reporting by New Jersey 101.5, the

44:11

detective says that inexperienced

44:14

officials were put in charge of

44:16

the forensics unit and he says

44:19

it's common knowledge that the Sheridan

44:21

evidence wasn't collected correctly, it wasn't

44:24

preserved well and some pieces of

44:26

evidence were even destroyed. Does

44:29

the whistleblower say what specifically was

44:31

destroyed or compromised? Bet you he

44:33

does. He says that

44:36

the bedding from the Sheridan's primary

44:38

bedroom was just left like laying

44:40

exposed on the floor, blood collection

44:42

swabs weren't even packaged properly, evidence

44:44

envelopes were poorly taped and

44:47

remember how they didn't dust for fingerprints, my

44:49

favorite thing? Well apparently the

44:51

investigators at the time did

44:54

look for fingerprints using

44:56

a flashlight technique. A

44:58

flashlight technique? I've never heard of

45:00

that. You shouldn't have because it's

45:02

not a real thing. Okay. There

45:04

is a technique that uses light

45:06

but I'm pretty sure they're saying

45:08

that what they did here is

45:11

they took a flashlight, they looked

45:13

at the surface of like doorknobs or something

45:15

or whatever and then just by looking at

45:17

it with their flashlight they didn't think they'd

45:19

get any prints so they didn't dust for

45:21

any. That's not a flashlight

45:24

technique that's using a flashlight. No. So

45:27

that was basically their excuse for not getting

45:29

fingerprints during the investigation and then

45:32

the shocking part as if all of this

45:34

isn't already shocking is that

45:36

the detective filing this lawsuit says

45:38

that he saw the captain in

45:41

early 2015 throw the bedroom

45:43

evidence in a dumpster outside

45:46

of the fingerprint lab. You've

45:48

got to be kidding me. I wish I

45:51

was. Now following this lawsuit

45:53

in May 2016, Dr.

45:55

Baden releases his 15 page

45:57

affidavit in June explaining why he

45:59

believes A third person with involved

46:01

in the murders. The affidavit

46:03

doesn't immediately change all of the

46:06

ruins, but it starts getting things

46:08

in motion because in January twenty

46:10

seventh, he escaped medical examiner makes

46:12

a huge decision to change john

46:15

manner of death back to inconclusive.

46:17

And this is great news for Mark

46:20

and his brothers. But the

46:22

new report still does. It say

46:24

that the couples deaths were. A double

46:26

homicide. It just leaves

46:28

room for a reinvestigation with what

46:30

little if any evidence that they

46:32

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46:37

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48:36

Things remain silent while the new

48:39

officials get settled into office. But

48:41

something major happens in

48:43

January 2022. According

48:46

to the intelligence, sir, Mark hears

48:48

about a New Jersey political consultant,

48:51

a guy named Sean Cattle, who

48:53

pleads guilty to hiring two men

48:55

to kill an associate involved in

48:57

the New Jersey political scene. And

49:00

the most alarming part to him is

49:02

the similarities that this crime shares with

49:04

his parents' case. So here's

49:06

the scoop. In 2014, two

49:09

men stabbed Sean Cattle's friend

49:11

and colleague, Michael Galdieri. He

49:14

was stabbed to death in his apartment

49:16

and then they set his place on

49:19

fire and left. Sean admits

49:21

to meeting up with one of the

49:23

men and paying them thousands of dollars

49:25

afterwards, which sounds

49:27

pretty familiar, doesn't it? Well,

49:30

here's something else. Remember that

49:32

mysterious missing kitchen knife that just like

49:34

disappeared from the Sheridan's house? Yeah,

49:37

obviously. Well, during this trial,

49:39

Sean's trial, Mark learns that

49:41

one of the hit men

49:43

were arrested the day after

49:45

the Sheridan's were murdered. And

49:47

he's arrested like in connection to a bank robbery. But

49:50

in one of their cars,

49:52

police found a long bladed

49:54

kitchen knife. And

49:57

as I would totally do, he is

49:59

calling for a... immediate DNA testing to see

50:01

if that could be the knife missing from

50:03

his parents' knife block. Right, which

50:05

would totally prove that a third person

50:07

came into the Sheridan house and murdered

50:09

John and Joyce. Exactly. So when

50:11

this happens, it kind of opens Mark's eyes

50:13

even more to the possibility not only

50:16

that his parents were murdered, but like, murder for

50:18

hire. Now, I'm gonna

50:20

be intentionally vague with a lot of

50:22

this, because nothing has been proven as

50:24

it relates to John and Joyce's death.

50:27

So if you want all the dirty

50:29

deeds, you gotta go listen to Nancy

50:31

Solomon's podcast, Dead End. That

50:34

being said, let me give

50:36

you some backstory that makes this

50:38

potentially more believable. John

50:40

dedicated his life to the political scene

50:42

in New Jersey, and because of

50:44

this involvement, he was connected

50:46

to some potentially shady characters.

50:49

Characters that Mark can't help

50:51

but look at a little differently once the

50:53

cattle case comes to light. What's

50:56

more, as that case is

50:58

playing out, another investigation that's looking

51:00

into potential tax fraud in real

51:02

estate deals in New Jersey

51:05

is happening simultaneously. Basically, it

51:07

turns out that the New Jersey government might

51:09

have been offering fraudulent tax breaks

51:11

to companies who come in and revitalize

51:13

certain areas, but like big corporations were

51:15

taking advantage of it. And

51:17

we're talking property deals that could have meant like

51:19

billions in tax breaks by manipulating the system.

51:22

Like, there was a lot of corruption on

51:24

both sides of the aisle, and these players

51:26

had a lot to gain and a lot

51:28

to lose. Now, John's connected

51:30

to all of this property stuff because

51:32

of his position in the hospital and

51:34

the nonprofit, so it's not that

51:36

much of a stretch to think that John

51:38

might have gotten caught up in the mess.

51:41

Basically, if John wasn't aligning with

51:44

what political powerhouses wanted him to

51:46

do, then maybe that could

51:48

have caused even more tensions, which might

51:50

have led to someone wanting him out

51:52

of the picture. But I'm

51:54

just speculating on what Nancy Solomon lays

51:57

out pretty compellingly in Dead

51:59

End. And what's more

52:01

is knowing that in the Dead End

52:03

podcast, Nancy says Mark had actually found

52:05

a piece of paper months after his

52:08

parents' death that was in his dad's

52:10

handwriting. And it said, quote, I

52:12

have a duty of loyalty and

52:15

good faith and I need to

52:17

act in a way consistent with

52:19

that responsibility. So

52:23

maybe everything was just happened. Maybe

52:25

it was a bad investigation or

52:28

maybe they purposely overlooked crucial evidence

52:30

to hide something bigger at

52:32

play. I don't know. It's

52:34

all speculation. So

52:37

Mark decides to write an open

52:39

letter to the attorney general and

52:41

prosecutor laying out why they should

52:43

reinvestigate his parents' murder. He

52:46

publishes that in The New York Times.

52:48

And, Bert, I'm going to have you read this

52:50

one, too. It is just so powerful. OK,

52:52

he writes, quote, as you

52:55

may be aware, those facts are eerily similar

52:57

to the circumstances surrounding the death of my

52:59

parents. Your office is all

53:01

but laughed at my family's suggestion that

53:03

my parents' deaths were anything other than a

53:05

murder-suicide. Indeed, both offices

53:08

openly mocked the idea of a killing

53:10

for hire involving a stabbing with a

53:12

fire set to destroy evidence. Yet

53:15

the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office inquired of

53:17

my brothers' of me multiple times regarding

53:19

a knife that was missing from the

53:21

knife block in the kitchen. And

53:24

then he basically ends with a plea for detectives

53:26

to see if the hitman in Sean's case could

53:28

be connected to his parents' deaths. Right.

53:31

So with this knowledge, the Sheridan

53:33

brothers make sure that they have

53:35

any bloodstain drywall removed and stored

53:38

for future evidence. Yeah,

53:40

it's been five years, but they're hoping something

53:42

is maybe still salvageable. They

53:45

put it all in a private crime scene investigation

53:47

lab that's not connected to the state. They

53:50

don't have it tested. It's more just like being

53:52

stored there. They also do this because

53:54

they decide after all these years to finally sell

53:56

the family home, and they hope that what's preserved

53:58

will be good enough for a future investigation. And

54:01

just like a quick follow up side note

54:03

on Sean Cattle's case, he was released to

54:06

home confinement and made to wear an ankle

54:08

monitor after confessing to hiring the hitmen, but

54:10

in June of last year, he was sentenced

54:13

to 24 years in prison. So

54:15

thanks to that case, after eight

54:17

years, the new attorney general finally

54:19

does what the Sheridan brothers have

54:22

been hoping and pleading for all

54:24

along. They reopen the

54:26

investigation into the depths of Joyce

54:28

and John. And it

54:30

seems like the new investigators might be

54:32

aligned with the brothers now in thinking

54:34

about this murder for hire plot. The

54:37

New York Times says a former

54:39

state and federal prosecutor who specializes

54:42

in public corruption cases absolutely believes

54:44

that hitmen often use both knives

54:46

and fires to commit their crimes.

54:49

He says, quote, somebody can be

54:51

murdered precisely the way the Sheridan's

54:53

were by hired killers. End quote.

54:55

I mean, it just

54:57

doesn't make sense that there were two

54:59

murders relatively close to each other, both

55:02

involving stab wounds and a fire. And

55:04

the investigators don't even think to question

55:06

if a third person was involved. I

55:08

mean, no, one's a clear cut murder,

55:10

suicide, and the other is definitely murder

55:13

for hire. I'm sorry, they're too similar.

55:15

I mean, that's literally what Nancy from

55:17

the Dead End podcast points out, too,

55:19

because these case happened about four months

55:21

apart. They're both politically connected individuals. I

55:23

get that Joyce and John happened first. So you might have

55:25

had a theory, but when the second one happened, like you

55:27

don't go back and ask any questions. Right.

55:30

Unless it all was a cover up for a

55:33

murder for hire plot. It could be. But

55:35

as of right now, we don't have any

55:38

definitive proof of that. The

55:40

new county prosecutor has opened the

55:42

investigation once again, and that's definitely

55:44

a good thing. But so many

55:46

things were done wrong in the

55:48

beginning that I'm just not sure they'll ever

55:51

fully charge any third party with the

55:53

murders because of the way stuff was

55:55

handled. But that doesn't mean there

55:57

still can't be answers. Because with John's

55:59

manner of death still undetermined and what

56:01

forensic evidence the Sheridan brothers were able

56:03

to preserve from their parents' house, maybe

56:06

that will lead to those answers,

56:08

sooner rather than later. Until

56:10

then, with the potential corruption also being

56:13

investigated now thanks to the new prosecutor

56:15

in AG, maybe this is

56:17

New Jersey's season of justice. For

56:20

now, only time will tell. I

56:22

do want to end this episode on

56:24

a positive note because I think it's

56:26

encouraging that the investigation is open once

56:28

again and Mark and his brothers are

56:31

still such huge advocates for their parents

56:33

as they have been from the very

56:35

beginning. They were able to collect their

56:37

own evidence and create theories separate from

56:39

the old corrupt prosecutor's office. And

56:42

that might just help them get the answers

56:44

that they've been searching for this whole time.

56:46

And real quick, I just want to end with

56:49

an important PSA since we did discuss suicide in

56:51

this episode. It's important for you or

56:53

anyone that you know who is thinking

56:55

about suicide to be aware that emotional

56:57

support can be reached by calling or

56:59

texting the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at

57:02

988 or by calling the National Suicide

57:04

Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-2. You

57:21

can find all the source material

57:23

for this episode on our website,

57:25

crimejunkiepodcast.com. And you can follow

57:28

us on Instagram at crimejunkiepodcast. We'll be back

57:30

next week with a brand new episode. Thank

57:56

you. Crime

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