Investigating A Four-decade Murder Mystery Here

My name is Brad Willis and I'm the producer and host of Murder, etc., a realtime re-investigation of a 1975 double-murder in Greenville, SC. On January 31 of that year, the county's top drug cop and that cop's father were both shot and killed in their garage. A jury convicted the alleged killer and sent him to Death Row. More than four decades later the podcast and its listeners are re-examining the case and finding new evidence that prosecutors tried the wrong man and that powerful organized crime figures may have played a role in the murders.

The listener base has proven to be a vital resource in uncovering new information as each episode comes out, and many listeners believe the show could change the the accepted history of the city.

I spent a decade as an investigative journalist. The work I did on the story in 2001 turned out to be only half of the story. As a result, I spent nearly two decades working on the investigation. I believed a podcast was the correct medium to reveal what I knew while continuing to investigate the case in realtime. I conceived the podcast in the summer of 2018 and released the first episode on February 26, 2019.

I spend 40 hours a week working a fulltime job and 40-50 hours a week producing the podcast. I release a new episode on average every ten days. I have financed the entire operation myself, and in the last couple of months have accepted listener donations to defray costs. I also produced all of my own music so I wouldn't have to pay to license music.

I have very little revenue and am still seeking regular sponsors. I have sold a few adds and accepted some listener donations. I currently get around 40,000 downloads per month. While it isn't financially rewarding at all, the satisfaction of a story well-told is very gratifying. I've also really enjoyed getting to know my community of listeners.

I use Shure mics, Adobe Audition, Garage Band (for music) and a Marantz field recorder. I spend hours each week on the phone speaking to people and interview the vast majority of them in person.

I maintain active communities on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I also developed a full interactive website. I email a newsletter to subscribers, as well. Nearly half of my listeners listen through Apple Podcasts.

I underestimated the amount of time each episode would take to produce. I'd encourage anyone who produces a podcast to do all they can to connect with their listeners and if possible form a community.

You can learn more about the show at 

Website: murderetcpodcast.com

Twitter: twitter.com/murderetc

Facebook: facebook.com/DeputyFrankLooperInvestigation

Instagram: instagram.com/murderetc

The story: bittersoutherner.com/the-hard-half-of-the-story-looper-murder-etc-podcast