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The Montana Teacher of the Year was known for his words of wisdom, volunteering his time, coaching, mentoring, helping students in need, and leaving lasting impact on everyone he taught. So when he was gunned down in the early morning hours of September 30th, 1996 the community was shook. Within days, focus shifted on two former students of his. But between an acquittal and lack of evidence, nobody has ever been found guilty in the case. Small town rumors say that everyone knows who did it and its an open secret, but everyone has been too scared to talk. Cold case investigators are taking another shot at the case, and they hope the passage of time might motivate those who know something to come forward.

TIPS: Missoula County Tip line at (406) 258-3302.

Case suggestions: simplertimecrimepod@gmail.com
IG: @simplertimecrimepod
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@simplertimecrimepod?si=OlCWQ2Ky8qFaof02
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplertimecrimep?_t=8s31x9iCrNv&_r=1
Music By Universfield: https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dramatic-atmosphere-with-piano-and-violin-143149/

Sources (more at newspapers.com username asimplertimetruecrimepod) All cannot be listed due to character limitations:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57687597/clifford_lee-nelson
https://www.khq.com/regional/montana-murder-mysteries-uncovering-the-cliff-nelson-cold-case/article_a064ca31-1bbf-5343-86eb-e7244ee7fa49.html
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-cliff-nelson-shooting-10/171135200/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-mentor-and-friend/171135401/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-inter-lake-teacher-killed/171138047/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montana-standard-award-will-honor-cl/171138142/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-students-reactions/171167408/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-two-questioned/171174185/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-inter-lake-suspcts/171174317/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-suspects-issues-with-clif/171174432/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-more-of-suspect-timeline/171175159/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-arrest-made/171175321/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-independent-record-suspects-arrested/171176292/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-independent-record-suspects-arrested/171176292/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-1-year-memorial/171179703/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-hooser-not-guilty/171179865/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-trial-details/171191997/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-kids-recreate-class-theat/171192044/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-beginning-of-trial/171192075/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-seeley-lake-murder/171192330/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-cellmate/171192428/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-car-sounds-similar/171192550/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/great-falls-tribune-acquittal/171193052/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-debrief-of-trial-and-impa/171193321/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-gun-arrest/171194721/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-musical-tribute/171194354/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missoulian-tip-hooser-assault/171194290/

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Its summer of 1990, a thirteen-year-old Texas girl named Deanna is doing her best, living in a difficult situation but also trying to just be a regular teenage girl. One night, she sneaks out of the house to visit her twin sister, who is staying with a relative. They chat for a bit before the relative wakes up and tells her to head back home. But Deanna would never make it back home that night. Her case has a lot of problems – including that its had various times where it hasn’t been investigated at all. Its also had a lot of red herrings – distractions that remain prevalent in the narrative that the public hears. In this episode, I’m joined by Deanna’s younger sister Melissa, the person who is working so hard to push her case forward – and she wants to set the record straight so that people are focusing on the right things moving forward. The pieces that could help bring her and her family long awaited answers.

A HUGE thank you to Melissa for joining me for this episode and sharing her sister's story.

TIPS: 254-501-8885 or nholtzclaw@killeentexas.gov

Case suggestions: simplertimecrimepod@gmail.com
IG: @simplertimecrimepod
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@simplertimecrimepod?si=OlCWQ2Ky8qFaof02
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplertimecrimep?_t=8s31x9iCrNv&_r=1
Music By Universfield: https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dramatic-atmosphere-with-piano-and-violin-143149/

Podcast to check out: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsolved-couple/id1765628508

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6353559/#:~:text=That%20is%2C%20the%20rate%20of,)%20%3D%204.32%2C%20p%20%3D%20.

https://gould.usc.edu/news/law-school-study-finds-abused-children-often-recant-claims/

https://charleyproject.org/case/deanna-michelle-merryfield

https://www.kcentv.com/video/news/crime/500-33d492bb-4029-4bf0-b4c2-cdf403901137

https://www.instagram.com/simplertimecrimepod/?hl=en

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July 1986 - Silver Spring, Maryland. – A nineteen-year-old black man named Keith Warren heads out for an evening and never returns home. Two days later, he is found hanging from a tree in a wooded area behind a townhome complex. From the moment law enforcement arrived at the scene, everything was egregiously mishandled, and Keith’s case was abruptly ruled as a suicide and closed. As time went on more and more things surfaced that made Keith’s loved ones suspicious of those he was hanging around as well as with and the people in uniform in Montgomery County. Everything came to a head nearly six years after Keith’s death, on what would have been his 25th birthday. An envelope was left on Keith’s mother’s doorstep, and its contents would shake up everything in the case. In it were photos of Keith on that tree and nothing matched the narrative that had been shared by law enforcement. Paired with the photos was an ominous warning about another local man tied to the case, who would die in suspicious fashion not long after. Keith’s mother spent the rest of her life searching for answers and accountability in Keith’s case, and after her death, Keith’s sister Sherri picked up the torch and has carried it ever since. Sherri graciously joined me for an interview in today’s episode to discuss where things stand today and what she still hopes to be done.

A huge thank you to Sherri Warren!! I couldn't have done this episode without your interview and your availability for my follow-up questions. I still want to grab that drink next time I'm in town!

Uprooted Docuseries: https://www.discoveryplus.com/shows/uprooted/b97b3b66-cad3-4af0-9760-3a84e1ed6063?reason=anonymous&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.discoveryplus.com%2Fshow%2Fb97b3b66-cad3-4af0-9760-3a84e1ed6063

Sherri's Book: https://a.co/d/fXCVqma

The Keith Warren Justice Foundation: https://thekeithwarrenjusticefoundation.org/

The Keith Warren Justice Site: https://www.thekeithwarrenjusticesite.com/

Sherri's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justice4keith?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Case suggestions: simplertimecrimepod@gmail.com
IG: @simplertimecrimepod
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@simplertimecrimepod?si=OlCWQ2Ky8qFaof02
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplertimecrimep?_t=8s31x9iCrNv&_r=1
Music By Universfield: https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dramatic-atmosphere-with-piano-and-violin-143149/

https://www.instagram.com/simplertimecrimepod/?hl=en