Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

Episode 8 of The Mandan Murders provides a preview of upcoming episodes in Season 9 of Dakota Spotlight. Host James Wolner also shares a Thanksgiving greeting with listeners, reflecting on the importance of community, support, and remembrance while investigating the 2019 RJR murders in Mandan, North Dakota. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Ge...

Episode 7 focuses on Adam Fuehrer and Robert Fakler, two of the four victims murdered at RJR Maintenance in Mandan, North Dakota. Adam’s wife, sister, brother-in-law, and stepmother reflect on his life, while Robert Fakler’s wife and daughter share their memories of him as a husband and father. This episode honors their legacies, showing how the RJR murders left families and a community grappling...

Who were Bill and Lois Cobb, two of the four people murdered at RJR Maintenance in Mandan, North Dakota? Episode 6 honors their lives through the voices of friends and loved ones who recall their childhoods, personalities, and passions. Bill and Lois’ daughters also share the challenges of coping with the murders and offer advice for others navigating similar grief. This episode shifts the focus f...

Episode 5 takes listeners inside the investigation of the 2019 RJR murders in Mandan, North Dakota, with the full audio from Special Agent Joe Arens’ first interview and interrogation of Chad Isaak. Witnesses also describe Isaak’s odd behavior around the time of the killings, offering chilling insights into the man later convicted of murdering four people at RJR Maintenance. This rare audio-driven...

A grainy security camera in Center, North Dakota, captured the white Ford F-150 linked to the Mandan murders. Episode 4 recounts how investigators circulated the image statewide until detective Justin Krohmer realized the truck resembled one owned by his chiropractor. This critical lead brought law enforcement closer to the man behind the RJR killings. Check out the full catalog and everything Dak...

To catch the masked man in orange who carried out the RJR murders, investigators turned to surveillance video across North Dakota. Episode 3 follows law enforcement as they piece together the killer’s movements from local businesses, only to have the trail suddenly go cold. This episode also remembers victim Adam Fuehrer, adding humanity to a case defined by chilling evidence. Check out the full c...

The morning of April 1, 2019, unfolded in chaos as the bodies of four RJR Maintenance employees were discovered in Mandan, North Dakota. Episode 2 takes listeners minute by minute through Bockheim’s discovery, the 911 call, and the arrival of first responders. Host James Wolner interviews paramedics, law enforcement, and grieving families, capturing the shock of a community devastated by violence....

On April 1, 2019, four people were killed inside RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, North Dakota. Episode 1 recalls the shocking discovery of Robert Fakler, William Cobb, Lois Cobb, and Adam Fuehrer, and host James Wolner shares his perspective from attending the first police press conference that morning. This episode marks Wolner’s first step into true crime podcasting as he begins to re-...

A short announcement and teaser about season 9 starting October 4, 2023. Homepage - https://inforum.com/dakotaspotlight Check out The Vault - https://inforum.com/news/the-vault Email - jwolner@forumcomm.com Facebook - facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm still between Dakota Spotlight seasons, so today I am rebroadcasting for you one of my earliest pieces of audio work - an episode of a show I created to basically learn how to podcast in the first place - before Dakota Spotlight even existed. In fact, what follows was only the 5th podcast episode I ever put together – back when I was still figuring out how to work a microphone. This is not a t...

It's summer 2023. Finally! Dakota Spotlight is in between seasons and in research mode.  Meanwhile here is a story by Trisha Taurinskas at The Vault.  Check out The Vault podcast  email - James at jwolner@forumcomm.comFacebook: facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 7, 15 Years Later, reflects on the unresolved 2007 murder of Joel Lovelien outside the Broken Drum Bar in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Host James Wolner interviews Travis Stay’s defense attorney, Peter Wold, and speaks with Heather (Holter) Keena, who was on the party bus that night and later married Jon “The Clown.” Sgt. Suby of the Grand Forks Police Department also shares the current stat...

Episode 6, Travis on Trial, takes a close look at the 2008 trial of Travis Stay, who was accused of murdering Joel Lovelien outside the Broken Drum Bar in Grand Forks, North Dakota. After 14 days of testimony, Stay was found not guilty. Host James Wolner speaks with Archie Ingersoll, the reporter who covered the trial, and Nancy Yon, the lead prosecutor, to explore how the case was presented in co...

Episode 5, The Evidence Against Travis Stay, examines what investigators and prosecutors believed tied Travis Stay to the 2007 murder of Joel Lovelien outside the Broken Drum Bar in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Through interviews with detectives and the legal team, host James Wolner asks: What was the evidence against Stay, and why did a jury later acquit him? This episode unpacks the state’s case,...

Episode 4, A Portrait of Joel, steps away from the investigation to focus on the man at the center of this story: Joel Lovelien. Family and friends recall his humor, generosity, and the way he brought smiles to everyone who knew him. Their stories paint a vivid picture of Joel’s life, ensuring he is remembered not just as a victim of a 2007 Grand Forks homicide, but as a beloved son, partner, and...

Hey Everyone, I'm working hard on the next episode of Season 8, Unresolved, the murder of Joel Lovelien. Meanwhile, here is part 3 of my colleauge Trisha Taurinska's investigation into the death of Refugio Rodriguez in Montevideo, Minnesota. https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/national-expert-weighs-in-on-refugio-rodriguezs-death-investigation-as-new-image-of-body-surfaces Episode 4 of Dakota S...

Episode 3, Travis Stay, the Man in Yellow, examines the movements and actions of Travis Stay and his friends during the weekend of Joel Lovelien’s murder in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Stay, who was seen in a lion costume that night, became the central suspect in the case and was later tried for Joel’s murder. In December 2008, a jury found him not guilty. This episode traces his timeline, explores...

This is not a full episode, but rather just a quick little update and request for some assistance. Also a quick chat with Wowza in Kalamazoo. Today is March 13th, 2023 and episode 3 of Season 8 will be out in two days–that's season 8, Unresolved the Murder of Joel Lovelien.  Which brings me to my request. I'm looking for any of you who were friends with Joel Lovelien, maybe you worked with him at...

In the second episode of Unresolved, The Murder of Joel Lovelien, investigators begin piecing together the first hours after Joel was found beaten outside the Broken Drum Bar in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Episode 2, The Clown, the Cowboy, and the Hunter, unpacks the chaos of witness statements and the many reasons the investigation got off to a confusing start. With costumed figures swirling aroun...

On October 27, 2007, Joel Lovelien was beaten to death outside the Broken Drum Bar in Grand Forks, North Dakota, during a night of Halloween costumes and heavy drinking. Episode 1, Halloween at The Broken Drum, revisits that chaotic night, when Joel was discovered unconscious in the parking lot and later died despite fast medical response. This episode begins Dakota Spotlight’s reexamination of th...

A sneak peak at Season 8 coming March 1st and titled Unresolved - The Murder of Joel Lovelien. Also part 2 of Trisha Taurinska's investigation into the death of Refugio Rodriguez in Montevideo, Minnesota. https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/investigator-into-refugio-rodriguezs-death-had-other-case-thrown-out-due-to-bad-police-work See a video trailer of season 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Hello Dakota Spotlight followers: I have a bit of a holiday treat for you today, which I am very excited to share with you. A few weeks ago, I traveled to the town of Montevideo, Minnesota. I was there to take part in a meeting with three of my colleagues to plan and discuss work for The Vault - which is Forum Communication’s online catalog of great stories about Midwest history, mysteries and, of...

Episode 9, Follow the Red Dirt Road, asks whether the unusual red dirt on Shelly Julson’s car is a key clue in her 1994 disappearance. By connecting details in her cold case file to this overlooked evidence, host James Wolner questions if investigators missed a lead that could shed light on The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson. Archival audio provided by The State Historical Society of N...

Episode 8, Frightened, Followed, Harassed, digs into the harassment Shelly Julson faced before her disappearance in 1994 Bismarck. She reported being followed, receiving hang-up calls, and named Bismarck police officer Donald Schaffer as a harasser. This episode examines Schaffer’s past and addresses listener questions in The Mysterious Disappearance of Michele Julson. Archival audio provided by T...

In this stand-alone episode we do a follow up interview with Alison Sandy, journalist and producer of the Australian podcast The Lady Vanishes about the fascinating and captivating news being uncovered in the investigation into Marion Barter's disappearance. To date The Lady Vanishes podcast has had 13 million downloads and has helped bring many answers into whatever happened to Marion Barter who...