Moonshine, Murder, & Mayhem

Episode 13: Questioning Everything

James Logan Molloy, 58, special investigator of the Alcohol Tax Division of the Treasury Department, died in a local hospital Tuesday night at 10 o'clock as a result of injuries incurred in an automobile wreck on the morning of December 30. 

The wreck occurred as the car in which Mr. Molloy and Sandy Holmes of Shelbyville were riding overturned after crossing Hurrican Bridge near Smithville. ...

Episode 12: Two Years Later

 I thought this investigation was coming to an end. I felt like I had figured out just about all I could find out. Then I received a message that led to a phone conversation with someone I’ve been waiting to speak with for a long time now. Then, shortly after that, I received an anonymous lead to someone who provided me information that made me question everything. I thought I was narrowing the sear...

Episode 11: One Hell of a Ride

You guessed it. Uncle Dave Macon knew where the best was made. Even Portner Wagnor knew. And Al Capone. They all wanted what Cooper Melton was supplying. My investigation keeps leading me back to Short Mountain. This location is offering me more answers and information than anywhere else. Answers flowing just like the spring not too far from the Distillery’s property. 

In this episode, I sit down...

Episode 10: Declassified: The State vs . Molloy

Dear Patron: We regret that the enclosed photocopies are the best we were able to obtain using our normal reproduction process. This is caused primarily by the age and faded conditions of some of the documents from which these copies were made. Sept 30 1935. Department of Justice. Division of Records. File Number 23-70. Sub-File 134. Material must not be removed from nor added to this...

Episode 9: Rally Around The Family

So, the question remains, who is Slim’s killer?

Slim was potentially dealing with some massive players in the illegal liquor game. Involved enough to put a high price on his head, or so I believe. I mean why else would someone feel the need to murder a father of 3? Slim had to be involved beyond a local level. Maybe he got in the way of someone else’s involvement. Maybe whoever killed him did so t...

Episode 8: Cold Springs and Cold Cases

The interview at Short Mountain Distillery brought me to the Great-Grandaughter of Cooper Melton, Melanie Nistad. She is the author of the book, “Mechanicsville”, which is a community located not far from the distillery. I got back on that same road, Short Mountain Rd, took a right down a gravel road a mile or so from Short Mountain. Located to my left was a log cabin and suddenly it was like ...

Episode 7: History Makes for Hallowed Ground

Short Mountain Distillery is located on Short Mountain Rd. A road I’m very familiar with. I drive it every time I go to band practice, but as I drove it for my interview,  it seemed different.  The distillery sits right in the middle of nature,  nestled right at the foot of Short Mountain. The view from the parking lot is breathtaking. But, even with all the beauty, there’...

Episode 6: Al Capone and the Magical Mystery Tour

A good story is best left to the imagination.

Throughout the years, the Chicago-based Margie’s Candy store gained notoriety thanks to visitations from various pop culture icons. Al Capone would tame his sweet tooth sitting in their booth blocked by a cement wall. He signed a photo for the owners instructing them to “watch the register.” 40 years later, The Beatles would also indulge...

Episode 5 - By Blood We Are Connected

This episode we're with one of my best friends, Brandon Hillis, whose family produced moonshine in Warren County around the same time as Slim. 

Let’s recap the big pieces of information. Slim was shot in 1937. Shortly after, his taxi and family car were confiscated by law enforcement. Next, their house mysteriously caught fire. Lillian, my Great-Grandmother took off and left her 3 young so...

Episode 4 - After the Fire

Last episode, my Dad left us with a story that contained information I believe could be one of the most important pieces to solving this. After Slim’s death, the two vehicles were confiscated, the house caught fire, and my Great-Grandmother Lilian left her 3 young boys with their grandparents. I still have no idea why a mother would just abandon her children, which makes me wonder if she had a choice in i...

Episode 3 - The Rest of the Story

“Thunder Road” was loosely based in reality, the story of a moonshine runner in 1952 who crashed to a deathly end on Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tn. Evidently, the incident was either witnessed or passed on to Mitchum, inspiring the movie.

Slim Merritt, my great grandfather, cab operator, and moonshine runner, predates “Thunder Road” by 20 years. I believe that Slim was the Lucas Doolin sort of cha...

Bonus Episode 2: McMinnville, John High, and the Death Certificate

Patricia tells what it was like growing up in McMinnville. She tells a story about John High. We both sit down and discuss Slim's death certificate.

Interview with Patricia Merritt.

Voiceovers: Micheal Licciardi / Jinny Ryan / Bryanna Licciardi

Music: The Whole Other - Beyond the Lows / Chris Haugen - Castleshire / Sextile - Crimson

Mixing / Mastering: Nyquist Audio

Episode 2: The Death Code

The year is 1937. In the Nashville Tennessean Newspaper, Slim’s obituary reads: Cab Operator Dies, McMinnville, Tennessee, Sept 19, Odus “Slim” Merritt, 34, died at his residence four miles from McMinnville on the Smithville Road at 3 o'clock this morning. He had been ill for several months.

Interview with Cody Prince.

Voiceovers: Micheal Licciardi / Jinny Ryan / Bryanna Licciardi

Music: The Whole Other - ...

Episode 1: “I Tell Crazy Stories”

Nestled in the back corner of Mt. Zion Cemetery in Warren County Tennessee sits a tombstone that reads…

Odus “Slim” Merritt

June 26 1903

Sept 19 1937

“He is not Dead, But Asleep.”

Interview with Patricia Merritt.

Voiceovers: Micheal Licciardi / Jinny Ryan / Bryanna Licciardi

Music: The Whole Other - Beyond the Lows / pATCHES - Because For Everything There Is Someone / Ashley Shadow - Peace Cre...

Upcoming True Crime Podcast Trailer for Moonshine, Murder, and Mayhem.

CAUSE OF DEATH: UNKNOWN. In this series, we will look back to the 1930s, diving into the mysterious death of a cab operator who braved selling moonshine in the dry county of McMinnville, Tennessee. Did he die of natural causes? Or are the rumors true about police involvement?

Voiceovers: Micheal Licciardi / Jinny Ryan 

Music: Beyond the Lows - The Whole Oth...

Upcoming True Crime Podcast Teaser for Moonshine, Murder, and Mayhem.

CAUSE OF DEATH: UNKNOWN. In this series, we will look back to the 1930s, diving into the mysterious death of a cab operator who braved selling moonshine in the dry county of McMinnville, Tennessee. Did he die of natural causes? Or are the rumors true about police involvement?

Music: Beyond the Lows - The Whole Other

Mixing / Mastering : Julio Silva Iacobelli

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