Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry

Oct 07 2024 8 ep. 164
Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry Podcast artwork

Smoke Screen is an investigative documentary series on people with complex motives and morals. Follow characters on the fringes of society — con artists, cult leaders, corrupt politicians — as they seduce their marks and bend communities to their will. Join us as we unravel their stories and bring justice to the people they’ve deceived. In season six, Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry, we examine Texas Ranger James Holland. Holland is celebrated as the "serial killer whisperer," solving dozens of murders through his legendary interrogation skills. But how far does he go to get confessions? And has he put innocent people in prison along the way? Just Say You're Sorry uses shocking police tapes to reveal the psychological drama behind one murder case, and uncovers something rotten at the heart of the justice system. Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free. Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Somethin’ Else, The Marshall Project & Sony Music Entertainment production. Want to hear more seasons of Smoke Screen? Just search for "Smoke Screen" wherever you get your podcasts. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

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Denise Didn't Come Home - One Woman's Search For Her Sister's Killer

Oct 07 2024 4 mins  
Karen Falasca last saw her 15 year old sister Denise on July 14, 1969, when they parted ways not far from their Bergen County home. The next day, Denise’s body was found strangled next to a cemetery. For almost 50 years, Karen searched for her sister's killer. In Denise Didn’t Come Home, host Anthony Scalia joins her in her search and discovers an shocking and unexpected truth.

4. Memory, Taste and Odor

Aug 15 2023 54 mins  
Driskill is in jail ahead of a potential court case when an informant comes forward with information that seems to blow a hole in his claims of innocence. Meanwhile James Holland moves on to his next case. It’s a story with eerie similarities to Driskill’s. Another veteran, Christopher Ax, is being investigated for the murder of a woman. But this time, things turn out very d

6. Closure Doesn't Exist

Jun 05 2023 48 mins  
Driskill’s lawyers discover that he is theoretically eligible for parole after serving seven years of his sentence. But this is a long shot — it's notoriously difficult to get released whilst still maintaining your innocence. Chammah talks to a leading cold case prosecutor to ask how interrogations like Holland’s can be justified. And he seeks to understand the pain that B

5. The Serial Killer Whisperer

May 29 2023 54 mins  
A young law student called Ashely is the first to read Driskill’s letter and becomes obsessed with his story. The Innocence Project of Texas take his case and begin working to find evidence that could clear his name. Chammah hunts down crucial leads throwing serious doubt on the informant’s story and on the forensic sketch that led Holland to Driskill in the first place.

3. The Grand Canyon

May 15 2023 53 mins  
It's Day 2 of Holland’s interrogation of Driskill. Over the course of several hours Holland uses a variety of extreme but legal tactics as he chases a confession. He lies to Driskill about the evidence they have against him and feeds the veteran a story to explain how he might have come to murder Bobbie Sue Hill. Holland is relentless and the interrogation stretches on, with no l

2. The Word of God

May 08 2023 47 mins  
Chammah investigates the cop at the centre of the story — James Holland is so celebrated as an interrogator that he’s known in the media as "the serial killer whisperer." He’s a leading member of that legendary and storied police force, the Texas Rangers. Chammah traces Holland’s steps as he starts trying to close a cold case which has gone unsolved for more than a decade:

1. Not That I Recall

May 01 2023 36 mins  
Texas Ranger James Holland approaches Air Force veteran Larry Driskill and asks him for help with a murder case. These are the first moments in a psychological battle that will end in Driskill confessing to a brutal killing. All while swearing he doesn’t remember the crime. Incredibly, the whole thing is caught on tape. Through Holland's recordings, journalist Maurice Chammah

Introducing... Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry

Apr 24 2023 2 mins  
Texas Ranger James Holland is celebrated as the ‘serial killer whisperer’, solving dozens of murders through his legendary interrogation skills. But how far does he go to get confessions? And has he put innocent people in prison along the way? Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry uses shocking police tapes to reveal the psychological drama behind one murder case, and uncovers so