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November 3, 2025 29 mins

One name that you will almost certainly find while researching the 1980 murders of Rose Burkert, Roger Atkison, and William Kyle, and the 1970 murder of Jack McDonald is Raymundo Esparza. 

In this episode, we talk about how he is connected to the case, the evidence (or lack of evidence) against him, and the status of the investigation into his connections to the case. 

We then explore the theory that all of these murders were sexually motivated homicides, and committed by one serial killer, and wrap up our coverage by going over what I have received back in my records requests. 

Let me know if you enjoyed this multi-part series or if you prefer one case per episode. Thank you all for listening to this series, and let me know your thoughts and theories! 

Most importantly, though, if you have any information on of these cases, please contact the Iowa Cold Case unit at the email below, the Galesburg Police Department at 309.343.9151, and the Meridian Police Department at 601.485.1859.

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If you have any information on any of the cold cases covered, you can submit a tip here: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form

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Theme Song: Shrouded Lament by james.lfo, William Claeson

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