Proof: A True Crime Podcast

Proof: A True Crime Podcast is a serialized investigation into cases of potential wrongful conviction. Hosted by Susan Simpson of the Undisclosed Podcast and Jacinda Davis of TV’s Evil Lives Here, Proof unravels the tangled and competing demands of the legal system, police practices, truth, guilt and innocence.

Season 2: The second season of Proof: Murder at the Warehouse takes Susan Simpson and Jacinda Davis to Manteca, CA where they reinvestigate the murder of 18-year-old Renee Ramos. On June 5, 2000, Ramos’ body was found buried under a pile of debris inside the shell of a new Home Depot building. Despite tips hinting at alternate suspects - tips that were ignored until now - Renee’s boyfriend, 18-year-old skateboarder Jake Silva, and Ty Lopes, the 33-year-old uncle of one of Jake's close friends were arrested for her murder. The questionable testimony of a 14-year-old boy was the key evidence used to convict them both to life in prison.

Twenty-three years after Renee Ramos was murdered, Jake Silva remains in prison and maintains he is innocent. In season two of Proof: MURDER AT THE WAREHOUSE, Susan and Jacinda travel the streets of Manteca, reinvestigating the case against Jake and Ty – and in the process uncover long-overlooked evidence about what really happened to Renee

Season 1: In season one of Proof: RUSSIAN ROULETTE Susan Simpson and Jacinda Davis reinvestigate the murder of Brian Bowling.

On an October night in 1996, a gunshot rattles the walls of a double-wide trailer on the outskirts of Rome, Georgia. 15-year-old Brian Bowling is laying on the floor of his room, head bleeding from a gunshot wound. By the next morning, Brian is dead. Investigators quickly conclude that Brian’s wound was self-inflicted, the tragic result of teenage bravado. And yet within six months, two friends are arrested and accused of plotting to kill Brian. Cain Joshua Story and Darrell Lee Clark are convicted and sentenced to life in prison. An evil teenage plot? A horrible tragic accident? Or, a blatant miscarriage of justice? In this first season of PROOF, Susan and Jacinda drive the back roads of Rome, searching for the truth.

Visit our website for episode transcripts, case files, behind the scene photos and more. 

Follow us on social media. On Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we are @proofcrimepod.

Listener questions or tips about any of the cases we cover are welcome @proofcrimepod@gmail.com. 

True Crime
Society & Culture
1
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 13
When Scott Baldwin was re-sentenced, Michigan exonerees traveled to Kalamazoo to support him. On this week’s Sidebar, hear LaVone Hill’s story—one of those exonerees, and someone who knew Scott from prison.
31 min
2
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 12
Hush Hush — In the final episode of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop, the team uncovers how a key witness in the Polderman triple homicide was kept from testifying. On this week’s Sidebar, Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin reflect on the findings, the season, and what comes next.
24 min
3
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 12 – Hush Hush
For nearly two decades, letters between a Cold Case informant and Kalamazoo’s former police chief and prosecutor had been tucked away for safe keeping. Now uncovered, they point to a possible conspiracy to silence a key eyewitness in the Polderman murder trials.
58 min
4
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 11
Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick break down Episode 11—and why the evidence they uncovered, pointing at someone else, makes more sense than the case against Scott Baldwin ever did.
20 min
5
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 11 – 8,948 Days
Scott Baldwin is back in court for a resentencing hearing—one that could determine whether he dies in prison. Two overlooked tips may finally reveal what happened to Earl O’Byrne, and uncovered paperwork points to a conspiracy bigger than anyone imagined.
48 min
6
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 10
Not everyone would talk—but some did. On this week’s SIDEBAR, hear more about Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin’s interview with alternate suspect Allen Nutter—and how decades of focus on him may have derailed Scott’s fight for justice.
26 min
7
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 10 – The Wrong Fish
Back in Kalamazoo, the Proof team pursues long time alternate suspect Allen Nutter. A crucial informant may be coming forward—and they hope talking to original investigators in Earl O’Byrne’s case could provide answers.
51 min
8
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar Q&A
On this week’s SIDEBAR, Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick answer listener questions from throughout the season of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop.
15 min
9
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 9
Why would someone confess to a crime they didn’t commit—especially a brutal triple homicide? On this week’s SIDEBAR, we talk with false confession expert Dr. Tina Zottoli about the psychology behind false confessions.
23 min
10
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 9 – The Dilemma
Scott Baldwin said there were others like him—innocent people convicted by the Kalamazoo Cold Case Team. The Polderman murders could be the most troubling.
65 min
11
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 8
Not even a big, scary snake can stop the PROOF team from chasing the truth.
22 min
12
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 8 – Watch Out for...
New leads send Jacinda and Kevin back to Alabama to re-interview Scott Baldwin’s ex-girlfriend and track down James Long, a former bike shop employee who investigators never fully questioned.
52 min
13
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 7
The PROOF team looks back on their first trip back to Kalamazoo in the investigation of Earl O’Byrne’s murder — and checks in with Jeff Titus, three years after his exoneration.
18 min
14
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 7 – In Cold Blood
The PROOF team heads to Kalamazoo to investigate a potentially overlooked alternative suspect — someone Earl O’Bryne knew and trusted — while uncovering new details about the Polderman murders.
58 min
15
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 6
Suppressed evidence. An alternate suspect. And one person who knows too much. The PROOF team breaks down Episode 6 of Murder at the Bike Shop.
16 min
16
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 6 – The Boogeyman
In 2009, new evidence prompts Kalamazoo police to reopen the murder of Earl O'Byrne. As Scott Baldwin fights to clear his name, he’s approached by a fellow inmate who claims to have inside knowledge about multiple cold cases — including the infamous Polderman murders.
57 min
17
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 5
The “stolen” bank bags — supposedly the PROOF Scott Baldwin killed Earl O’Byrne — were never stolen. In this week’s SIDEAR Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick unpack what may have happened, plus Susan’s conversation with Heather Thompson from Tapping the Vein.
26 min
18
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 5 – SAFARI SAFARI
Investigations are built on details. But in the case against Scott Baldwin, a critical one may have been overlooked.
60 min
19
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 4
What’s the real story? Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick break down Scott Baldwin’s side of the story and weigh in on questions surrounding Roberto D’Avanzo’s perplexing case.
19 min
20
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 4 – Bondo Beast
Scott Baldwin is brought in by Kalamazoo Cold Case detectives for questioning, but his answers fail to convince them he didn’t kill Earl O’Byrne. Meanwhile, Roberto D’Avanzo is convicted of murdering his 21-year-old girlfriend, Patty Lang—despite an airtight alibi.
53 min
21
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 3
Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick are back to break down the third episode of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop - Memories Awake.
20 min
22
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 3 – Memories Awake
Stacey told police that her ex-boyfriend, Scott Baldwin, confessed to killing Earl O-Byrne. They didn’t believe her. But, twelve years later, the Kalamazoo Cold Case Team did.
50 min
23
Murder at the Bike Shop | Sidebar 1 -2
Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick share their candid thoughts on the first two episodes of this season of Proof.
17 min
24
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 2 – Kalamazoo Cycle
How was Scott Baldwin convicted? To answer that question the Proof team learns everything they can about 83-year-old Earl O’Byrne and the circumstances of his murder.
50 min
25
Murder at the Bike Shop | Ep. 1 – Toes First
PROOF: Murder at the Bike Shop takes Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis and Kevin Fitzpatrick to Kalamazoo, Michigan where they reinvestigate the devastating June 1988 murder of 83-year-old Earl O’Byrne.
49 min