Heroes Live Forever Podcast

McLean, VA (July 7, 2026) - On January 12, 1990 , Alabama Correctional Officer William E. “Bill” Donaldson entered a segregation unit at the West Jefferson Correctional Institute to escort a nurse to dispense medication to an inmate — a routine act of care and duty that correctional officers perform countless times a day. In that moment, a prisoner attacked him, stabbing him to death. It was a sud...

McLean, VA (June 30, 2026) - Elko County (NV)Deputy Sheriff Denny Van Lawrence responded to what seemed like a minor crash on Highway 93 on June 26, 1982 — unaware the driver had murdered two people hours earlier. As Denny ran the man’s license, the suspect shot him in the forehead, leaving him unable to speak and partially paralyzed for the next 30 years. As Denny’s assailant attempted to steal a...

McLean, VA (June 23, 2026) - On the night of November 7, 2010, Riverside (CA) Police Officer Ryan Patrick Bonaminio was doing what he had always done — serving his community with quiet professionalism and a warrior’s heart. At just 28 years old, Ryan had already lived a life defined by service. He spent four years as a military policeman in the United States Army, completing two tours in support o...

McLean, VA (June 16, 2026) - In the early morning hours of June 12, 2002, Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Deputy Shane R. Bennett responded to a call no officer ever forgets — a frantic teenage girl reporting that masked gunmen had forced their way into her family’s home. It was 1:30 a.m. when Shane and two other deputies arrived at the residence in northeast Harris County. Inside, the situation w...

McLean, VA (June 10, 2026) - On August 16, 2012, the St. John the Baptist Parish (LA) Sheriff’s Office endured one of the most devastating days in its history — a day defined by courage, sacrifice, and the deadly threat posed by violent extremism. Deputies Brandon Joseph Nielsen , age 34, and Jeremy Michael Triche , age 27, were murdered in LaPlace, Louisiana, by members of the Sovereign Citizens,...

McLean, VA (June 2, 2026) - On the morning of January 14, 1998, around 11 a.m., Kansas City (MO) Police Officer Thomas R. Meyers responded to a traffic crash. He was doing what he had done countless times before — stepping into danger so that others could be safe. While speaking with the stranded motorist, a vehicle approached the scene at 80 miles per hour, driving erratically. It slammed into th...

McLean, VA (May 19, 2026) - This week’s Heroes Live Forever podcast honors Officer Trey Michael Hutchison of the Bossier City (LA) Police Department, who was ambushed and killed on August 11, 2004, while responding to a 911 hang‑up call from a woman in danger. Trey had served just under one year in Bossier City after five and a half years with the Lufkin (TX) Police Department, and at only 27 year...

McLean, VA (May 12, 2026) - On June 10, 2001, Metro Transit Police Officer Marlon Morales confronted a fare evader leaving a Metro Station in Washington, D.C. It was the kind of routine encounter that officers handle countless times in their careers. But this one turned deadly in an instant. During the confrontation, the suspect suddenly pulled out a handgun and shot Officer Morales in the face. M...

McLean, VA (May 6, 2026) - Police Officer Wayne A. Leon of the Cleveland Division of Police, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on June 25, 2000. He was just 32 years old, a six‑year veteran of the department, a husband, a father, and a man whose impact on his family and his city continues to echo more than two decades later. Officer Leon was conducting what appeared to be a routine traffic...

McLean, VA (April 29, 2026) - On the night of June 3, 1987, Denver Patrolman James E. Wier, responded to a disturbance call. He and his partner were met with an ambush attack. Their assailant was a man who had long hated police. He even posted signs on his porch expressing his anger. The gunman began shooting at the two officers and when Patrolman Wier stood to return fire he was hit in the face a...

McLean, VA (April 21, 2026) - On April 16, 1998, Brandon H. Thacker of the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control was shot and killed. While traveling along the Western Kentucky Parkway, heading to an undercover assignment, Brandon encountered a driver whose erratic and hazardous behavior demanded intervention. When Brandon attempted to pull him over, the man opened fire before Brandon...

McLean, VA (April 14, 2026) - Their names are Vicky Armel and Michael Garbarino, two Fairfax County police officers whose courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty will forever stand as one of the most painful and defining moments in the history of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department. They were killed in the same violent attack — an ambush that unfolded in the back parking lot of the Su...

McLean, VA (April 7, 2026) - On May 14, 1966, Rossford (OH) Patrolman Clifton T. Miller, 30, died in an automobile crash while in “hot pursuit” of a traffic violator. In what many considered a terrible injustice, the suspect he was pursuing was acquitted of charges in connection with Officer Miller’s death in two separate trials. Survivors included an expectant wife and five young children. His el...

McLean, VA (March 30, 2026) - On October 7, 2008, Richmond (CA) Police Officer Bradley Moody died from injuries suffered three days earlier in an auto crash while responding to a call for backup from another officer who was dealing with a violent assault in progress. It was raining. The roads were slick and visibility was low. His patrol car lost traction, slid off the roadway and struck a light p...

McLean, VA (March 24, 2026) - Noah Leotta was just 24 years old and had served nearly three years with the Montgomery County (MD) Police Department. On the night of December 3, 2015, Noah was working a specialized assignment he believed in deeply — the Holiday Alcohol Task Force, a team dedicated to stopping impaired drivers during the most dangerous season of the year. Noah had volunteered for th...

McLean, VA (March 17, 2026) - On May 26, 1978, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol suffered the loss of three courageous state troopers. It’s become known as the “Darkest Day” in Oklahoma Highway Patrol History. They were killed in the line of duty during a desperate, statewide manhunt for two escaped Oklahoma State Prison convicts. The officers’ names were Lieutenant James “Pat” Grimes , 36, Trooper Hous...

McLean, VA (March 3, 2026) - In the quiet early morning hours of July 5, 1988—around 2:00 a.m.—Claremont, Minnesota Chief of Police Gregory Lange was awakened by a neighbor reporting a domestic disturbance nearby. Chief Lange responded immediately. When he arrived and began assisting the female victim, the two brothers involved in the disturbance suddenly turned on him. In the chaos, one of them m...

McLean, VA (February 24, 2026) - On October 6, 1982, Eau Claire (WI) Police Officer Robert “Bob” Bolton was shot and killed responding to a domestic violence call at the Refuge House women’s shelter. Officer Bolton was just 28 years old and was survived by his wife, Lynn, and two young children. But Bob Bolton’s story did not end with tragedy. His story has guided survivors to safety. His memory h...

McLean, VA (February 17, 2026) - On August 29, 2002, Deputies Elizabeth “Liz” Magruder, 30, and James “Jimmy” Arnaud, 53, were attempting to serve an emergency psychiatric petition on a 23-year-old man whose family feared he was a danger to himself and others. But when they entered the home, the man opened fire with a handgun. Multiple shots were fired and both deputies were killed. The murders of...

McLean, VA (February 10, 2026) - On January 2, 1998 , Motorcycle Officer Douglas Knutson of the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) was doing what he had always done: working to keep our roadways safe. While standing and waiting for a tow truck to remove an abandoned vehicle, he was struck from behind by a small pickup truck that had veered onto the shoulder. He suffered multiple injuries an...

McLean, VA (February 3, 2026) - William Patrick “Mickey” Conboy Jr., was a United States Marine Corps veteran. He was also a young Montgomery County, Maryland, police officer whose life, promise, and courage were cut short during an undercover drug operation in Silver Spring more than 50 years ago. On December 29, 1973, Mickey and his supervisor, Sergeant James Elkins, arrived at a hotel posing as...

McLean, VA (January 20, 2026) - Joseph P. McCormack, a 15-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, was a devoted husband, father, and a decorated officer who served in the NYPD’s elite Emergency Service Unit (ESU). Tragically, he was shot and killed on September 29, 1983, by an emotionally disturbed man who had barricaded himself inside a home after being denied access to his young son...

McLean, VA (January 13, 2026) - On December 5, 1997, the Cincinnati Police Department endured one of the most devastating days in its history. Two officers—Police Specialist Ronald D. Jeter, age 34, and Police Officer Daniel J. Pope, age 35—were shot and killed while attempting to arrest a domestic‑violence suspect. Their murderer was a repeat felon who had fired a shot through the door of his gir...

McLean, VA (January 6, 2026) - Police Officer John B. “Jack” Maguire served for 34 years with the Woburn (MA) Police Department. He spent more than three decades protecting the same streets and neighborhoods where he grew up. On December 26, 2010, Officer Maguire responded to a robbery in progress at a local department store. Three men had targeted the jewelry counter just as employees were prepar...

McLean, VA (December 30, 2025) - Frank “Jelly” Nash was a convicted murderer and one of the most notorious bank robbers of the 1920s. While serving a 25-year prison sentence, he managed to escape from the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth. He remained a fugitive for nearly three years until he was finally captured in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1933. A few days later he was on his way back to Leavenwo...