Proof: A True Crime Podcast

On today’s Sidebar, we talk to Eric Anderson, who was a college freshman when he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree armed robbery, assault and illegal use of a weapon. Despite having an alibi—and video showing he was elsewhere at the time of the robbery—Eric was found guilty and sentenced to 15 to 22 years in prison. He fought to prove his innocence, and with the help of the...

LaVone Hill spent 22 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit. While incarcerated, he met Scott Baldwin, and the two bonded over walks in the yard, sharing case law. In October 2024, LaVone was exonerated—his conviction vacated, and his freedom restored. On this week’s Sidebar, LaVone shares his story, reflects on his friendship with Scott, and describes what it meant to stand in the...

Scott Baldwin knew he wasn’t alone—he believed there were others like him who had been wrongfully convicted. In this third season of Proof, we heard many of those stories, along with a shocking revelation about why a key witness never testified in one of Kalamazoo’s most horrific murder cases. Now, as the season comes to a close, where does that leave the investigation—and what happens next? On th...

In the final episode of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop, the team uncovers letters and documents suggesting a conspiracy that may have reached the highest levels of Kalamazoo’s legal system—one aimed at preventing a key eyewitness from testifying in one of the county's most horrific murder trials. Nearly two decades later, what does this mean for the five Polderman defendants? Scott Baldwin is gone...

Two tips that were never investigated could have changed everything in Scott Baldwin’s case. It’s too late for Scott—but not for the truth. Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin reflect on his final days—and the frustration of knowing the evidence that could have proven his innocence was there all along. In searching for answers, the team may have uncovered evidence that could help other Cold Case defendants....

Two overlooked tips could hold the answer to what actually happened to Earl O’Byrne—answers that, 25 years ago, would have spared Scott from a wrongful conviction. It’s too late to undo what happened to Scott Baldwin, but if a judge grants resentencing, he may at least be able to die at home, with his family by his side. By chance, the PROOF team uncovers paperwork suggesting a conspiracy far bigg...

In Episode 10 of PROOF: Murder at the Bike Shop the team finally tracks down Allen Nutter. After multiple trips to Kalamazoo and countless hours of searching, it pays off—he confirms what the PROOF team had suspected all along, and more. On this week’s SIDEBAR, hear more about that interview—and what it was like to finally meet Richard Vendeville, a name that surfaces again and again in the Cold C...

Silence can make it nearly impossible to prove innocence. For people like Scott Baldwin, it can mean the difference between justice and none at all. The Proof team finally tracks down longtime alternate suspect Allen Nutter—but will he talk? As they wait to see if a Cold Case informant will agree to meet, they also turn to the original investigators in Earl O’Byrne’s murder for answers. Will anyon...

From what happened to the bike shop after Earl’s murder to the mystery of the money bags and more, Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick answer listener questions from throughout this season of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop on this week’s SIDEBAR.   Visit our website at proofcrimepod.com.  Follow us on social media. On Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we are @proofcrimepod. Listener...

In episode 9 of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop, we explored a critical question: why would someone confess to a crime they didn’t commit? You heard it in the story of the Polderman defendants, where multiple confessions raised serious doubts about what really happened. On this week’s SIDEBAR, we go deeper with Dr. Tina Zottoli—a NYS licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Dep...

Scott Baldwin told us to keep digging. So we went back to the murders of Marinus and Sary Polderman and their daughter, Anna Lewis, who were brutally killed in their Michigan home in August 2000. The case went cold until eight years later, when five people were convicted. But what if the Kalamazoo Cold Case Team got it wrong? What we uncovered raises serious questions about a web of false confessi...

In this week’s SIDEBAR, Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick break down Murder at the Bike Shop: Episode 8 — including why they couldn’t let a big snake stop them from collecting a bag of clothes that may contain critical DNA evidence. They talk about what it was like re interviewing Scott Baldwin’s ex-girlfriend, a key witness in his case, and explain how even well-intentioned conv...

With more information in hand, Jacinda and Kevin return to Alabama to re -interview Scott Baldwin’s ex-girlfriend and search for James Long, a former bike shop employee who should have been investigated. Finding out who received Silent Observer reward money—and who saw the bloody stick could bring the team closer to solving the case. And could a garbage bag of clothes hold the answer to who killed...

In this episode, Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin talk about their first investigative trip back to Kalamazoo since the Jeff Titus case — what they found, what still doesn’t add up, and how frustrating (and heartbreaking) it can be to dig into wrongful conviction cases where “key” leads may have been left behind. Visit our website at proofcrimepod.com.  Follow us on social media. On Instagram, Twitter, a...

Over the years, Scott Baldwin’s appeals focused on one alternate suspect. But what if investigators overlooked someone else — a person who, by all accounts, should have been investigated? The PROOF team travels to Kalamazoo to uncover information about a potentially missed suspect in the murder of Earl O’Bryne. While there, they begin looking more closely at the Polderman murders and the five peop...

The PROOF team returns for Sidebar to break down Episode 6 of Murder at the Bike Shop — “The Boogeyman.” Suppressed evidence. An alternate suspect. And one person who seems to know too much. Evidence that may have changed Scott Baldwin’s fate. Wrongful conviction investigations are often defined by the leads that were missed — or never shared. Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick ex...

For decades, an alternate suspect has been the center of scrutiny in the murder of Earl O’Byrne. The PROOF team uncovers a connection between this suspect and a key piece of evidence that was never fully investigated. Meanwhile, Scott Baldwin is approached by a fellow inmate who begins asking too many questions not only about his case, but other cold cases as well — including one of Kalamazoo’s mo...

At trial, the prosecutor claimed Scott Baldwin must be guilty because he “stole” the bank bags — and because he liked the song “Butterfly” by Tapping the Vein. But the bank bags were never stolen, and songwriter Heather Thompson explains the song’s real meaning to Susan. In this week’s SIDEBAR, Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin revisit the State’s case against Scott. They also take a closer look at the ca...

Song lyrics. Alleged confessions. Stolen bank bags and a box of coins. This was the evidence that led a jury to convict Scott Baldwin. But what if one overlooked detail could have unraveled the State’s case? And in 1995, when Hyland Sterling was convicted of killing his best friend and business partner, Rob O'Keefe, were critical details ignored there, too?   Visit our website at proofcrimepod.com...

The fourth episode of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop raised more questions about the case against Scott Baldwin — blood or bondo, confession or no confession? In this week’s SIDEBAR, Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin dig into what makes sense, what doesn’t, and why the state’s theory doesn’t add up. They also discuss the perplexing case of Roberto D’Avanzo: How was he convicted of hiring someone to kill 2...

Kalamazoo Cold Case detectives question Scott Baldwin about the night Earl O’Byrne was killed—but they don’t think he’s telling the truth. Scott shares his side of the story with Susan and Jacinda. Plus, the Proof team speaks with a current Kalamazoo Circuit Court judge about another troubling case: his former client, Roberto D’Avanzo, who was convicted 24 years after his girlfriend’s murder—despi...

In the third episode of PROOF: Murder at the Bike Shop, Jacinda and Kevin sit down with the key witness against Scott Bladwin. In this week’s Sidebar, hear their impressions of that interview. The team also discusses the case against Patrick Mishall, who was convicted of the 1991 murder of 27-year-old Christine Dimmick. Visit our website at proofcrimepod.com. Follow us on social media. On Instagra...

Stacey told police that her ex-boyfriend, Scott Baldwin, killed Earl O-Byrne, but they didn’t believe her. So why, 12-years later, did the Kalamazoo Cold Case Team decide she was telling the truth? What will she say 25 years later when the PROOF team talks to her? The team also looks at another Kalamazoo cold case with similarities to Baldwin's: the 1991 murder of 27-year-old Christine Dimmick, an...

In the first Sidebar episode of their new season of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop, Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin come together to discuss episodes one and two offering behind the scenes insights and sharing their thoughts on the case against Scott Baldwin. Visit our website at proofcrimepod.com.  Follow us on social media. On Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we are @proofcrimepod. Listener questions...

To understand how Scott Baldwin was convicted, the Proof team unearths everything they can about 83-year-old Earl O’Byrne and the circumstances of his murder.   Visit our website at proofcrimepod.com.  Follow us on social media. On Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we are @proofcrimepod. Listener questions or tips about any of the cases we cover are welcome @proofcrimepod@gmail.com.    Sponsor Deal...