Escaped Tennessee murderer Jacob Allen Morley is back behind bars after leading multiple state and federal agencies on an intensive multi-state manhunt into Missouri. In Colorado, eighteen-year-old Omar Perez faces first-degree murder charges following a deadly weekend shooting near the University of Colorado-Boulder campus that left nineteen-year-old student Luca Hanlon dead and another hospitalized. In Oregon, thirty-five-year-old Vince Edgar Chavez is held without bail on ten felony charges after violently invading a Canby home, assaulting a twelve-year-old girl with a hammer, and abducting her ten-year-old sister before tactical teams executed a dramatic raid. Sydney Silvagni reports.

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Laken Snelling, 22-year-old former University of Kentucky cheerleader, now serving a 10 year prison sentence in the death of her newborn son. Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant Snelling received 415 days of credit for time spent on house arrest. Prison records indicate a potential parole date of February 21, 2034. Snelling must serve 85% of her sentence

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• David Otunga - Attorney, YouTube and socials: @DavidOtunga, website: davidotunga.com, legal commentary platform: Otunga Law, Former WWE Superstar and commentator
• Caryn Stark - Forensic Psychologist, renowned TV and Radio trauma expert and consultant, www.carynstark.com, Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice
• Dr. DeWayne Hendrix - Former Senior Warden with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Author of "Who Are You? See It, Say It, and Seize It" (IG) @drdewaynehendrix (LinkedIn) @anewdaylight (X-Twitter)
• Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue”, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
• Vanessa Walsh - Host of the podcast, Unmasked True Crime, Facebook and YouTube: UnmaskedTrueCrime, X: CrimeUnmasked
• Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'

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A college Halloween party in Illinois ends in tragedy when a mass shooting leaves a 19-year-old cheerleader dead and eight others wounded. In Oklahoma, a mother receives seven life sentences after her 11-year-old daughter gives birth to her stepfather's child in a home without running water. Finally, a missing Utah teenager is found safe in Oregon after more than 500 days, ending a nationwide search connected to online exploitation networks. Sydney Silvagni reports.

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Christa Pike remains on death row as her legal team fights for clemency while the state considers another execution attempt.

She has been moved into a high‑security pod, but her attorneys have filed an emergency motion requesting she be transferred to general population due to safety concerns. In her declaration, Pike alleges she has witnessed multiple assaults in her unit, is in “debilitating pain.

Pike’s received two doses of pentobarbital, but the drugs went into her arms instead of her veins. The execution doctor, Dr. Mark Fowler, admitted the misplaced IV and said the team should have stopped when she complained of severe arm pain.

Pike’s death sentence has not been overturned, and Tennessee has not yet scheduled a new execution.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Mike Jaafar - Trial Attorney
• Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, featured on the hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock and "The Valley, Persian Style" on Bravo. Host of "The Dr. Bethany Marshall Podcast"," Website: drbethanymarshall.com, Instagram FB & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter:@DrBethanyLive
• Phil Keith - Former Chief of Police for Knoxville Police Dept.
• Dr William Morrone - Medical Examiner, Toxicologist, Pathologist, opioid treatment expert, Author: “American Narcan”
• Tori Gessner, Reporter WKRN, Witnessed Botched Execution
• Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'

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Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike files an emergency court declaration detailing squalid conditions and isolation following her botched lethal injection. Atlanta authorities arrest two women on murder charges after four-year-old Cobee Cooks is discovered beaten to death beneath a pile of laundry. A former West Point cadet faces a civil lawsuit after confessing in federal court to poisoning his pregnant classmate with abortion medication. Sydney Silvagni reports.

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There will be a retrial for Lindsay Clancy in the murder of her three children. What it will look like isn't yet known. Another hearing is set for November 16, 2026. In court today, attorney Kevin Reddington took the offensive, lasting out at the holdout juror, calling him by name. Judge William Sullivan interjected to stop Reddington, who declared the judge would not stop him. In raised voices, the two spoke over each other as Reddington pushed back.

Reddington also wants clarity on charges before proceeding and has urged the trial to be held under Judge Sullivan before his retirement. He also seeks to dismiss the case on double jeopardy grounds. The court is also addressing a gag order request and other procedural motions

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Randy Kessler - Trial Lawyer, Emory Law School Professor, Past Chair ABA Family Law Section, Author: "Divorce, Protect Yourself, Your Kids and Your Future", www.KSFamilyLaw.com, Instagram: @rkessler23, Twitter: @GADivorce
• Dr. Janie Lacy - Licensed Psychotherapist and CEO of Life Counseling Solutions, Author of "How To Heal From A Toxic Relationship: A Guide To Reclaiming Your Mental Health and Happiness", Host of "Let's Talk About It with Janie Lacy” Podcast on YouTube, janielacy.com, Instagram & Facebook: @JanieLacy
• Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue”, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
• Robbie Harvey - Journalist, Host of 'The Robbie Harvey' show on Youtube.Website: THEROBBIEHARVEY.COM FB/Insta/TikTock: @TheRobbieHarvey, Robbie@TheRobbieHarvey.com
• Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'
• Lauren Conlin - Reporter, Los Angeles Magazine , Podcaster/Reporter/Host- Co-Host of "PopCrimeTV" on YouTube, Website: www.popcrime.tv and primetimecrimeshow.com, X- @Conlin_Lauren, Instagram: @LaurenEmilyConlin, YouTube: @PopCrimeTV

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An Arizona woman narrowly survives after her fiancé allegedly stabs her in the neck and claims to be a divine prophet just weeks before their wedding. In Florida, a mother and family photographer faces felony child neglect charges after allegedly leaving her four young children unattended to take a work trip to Las Vegas amid a contentious divorce. A historic DNA breakthrough in Utah officially closes the fifty-two-year-old murder of a former police chief's teenage daughter, definitively tying the cold case to notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. Sydney Silvagni reports.

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High-profile cases don’t stay behind the scenes anymore. Lawyers are hired before investigations are complete, advocates and private experts release their own findings, witnesses speak on podcasts, and online accusations spread long before anyone is charged with a crime.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer to discuss how that shift is changing the criminal justice system and putting new pressure on prosecutors, investigations, witnesses, families, and potential jurors. Using the Nolan Wells investigation as an example, Sheryl and Joshua talk about outside experts, secondary autopsies, media coverage, death threats, doxing, and what can happen when people outside an investigation become involved before law enforcement has finished its work. They also explain how public statements, podcasts, and social media posts can complicate a case and potentially create reasonable doubt if it eventually reaches court.

Highlights:

(0:00) “Crazy town”: the troubling trend in high-profile cases that brings Joshua Schiffer back to Zone7

(1:00) How lawyers, GoFundMe campaigns, protests, and public pressure can begin before an investigation is complete

(6:00) The personal toll of high-profile cases on prosecutors, public defenders, investigators, and their families

(8:30) From theories accusing Lindsay Clancy’s husband to lawsuits against influencers: where true crime interest crosses into harassment and civil liability

(12:15) The Nolan Wells investigation and the outside force already influencing the case before any criminal charges are filed

(14:30) Private reports, outside experts, nonprofits, and public advocacy: when well-meaning help complicates an active investigation

(18:15) Why following police procedures matters when a defense attorney begins challenging an investigation

(20:00) Hiring a lawyer or remaining silent is a constitutional right, not an admission of guilt

(22:15) No blunt force trauma or signs of a fight: what the secondary autopsy does and does not show

(27:30) Death threats, doxing, disputed audio, and why Sheryl and Joshua question the theory of a violent death

(34:30) How podcasts, books, interviews, and social media posts can introduce reasonable doubt before a case ever reaches trial

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

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Joshua Schiffer is an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney and longtime Zone 7 contributor. He represents clients in criminal matters and frequently provides legal analysis on high-profile cases, courtroom strategy, constitutional rights, and the realities of the criminal justice system.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

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