Goodbye Uncle Jack (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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How did a pawnshop owner become involved in a murder case?
Late one afternoon in the summer of 2014, a pawn shop owner was updating his inventory logs when the bell above the front door jingled. A young couple walked inside and approached the counter, and the young man said he had a few items to sell. But then he proceeded to open a drawstring bag and dump the contents onto the counter. There was a collection of gold chains, rings, and watches, and many of the pieces were twisted and mangled. Instantly, the hair on the pawnshop owner's neck stood up, because everything about this interaction, from the large quantity of damaged jewelry to the careless way the pieces had been thrown in a bag together, told him that these items were stolen. And this made the owner extremely nervous because he had cash in the register and didn't know what these thieves might be capable of. He needed to get them out of the store quickly without revealing that he was onto them. So he told the couple he didn't have enough cash to buy the jewelry right now, but he would send some pictures of the jewelry to his broker to see if maybe they were interested.
The couple agreed and let him take the photos. And then after the photos were taken and the couple had left, the owner called the police and it soon became clear his gut instincts were right. However, he'd stumbled onto something much bigger than just theft because it would turn out this jewelry was linked to a murder case. But before we get into that story, if you're a fan of the Strange, Dark and Mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right podcast because that's all we do and we upload twice a week, once on Monday and once on Thursday. So if that's of interest to you, please change all the hot key commands on the follow buttons computer so that every single command just restarts the computer. Okay, let's get into today's story.
Redacted Declassified Mysteries is a new podcast hosted by me, Luke LaManna. Each week, I dive into the hidden truths behind the world's most powerful institutions, from covert government experiments to bizarre assassination attempts. Follow Redacted on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
What is the background of Jack Parks and Carol LaPaya?
One afternoon in mid-July 2014, 59-year-old Jack Parks and his fiancee, Carol LaPaya, walked through their neighborhood of Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania. Jack sported a black fedora, wire-framed glasses, and a lopsided grin beneath a graying mustache. Carol hung on his arm, smiling at how her engagement ring sparkled in the sunlight. As they walked, they passed by several neighbors who were outside doing yard work or talking. Jack and Carol waved to each person as they passed, and everyone waved back. Their neighborhood was a close-knit, working-class community 10 miles outside of Pittsburgh, and everybody seemed to know each other. In fact, Jack even had family on this street. One of his nephews, Bradley Johnson, lived nearby. As Jack and Carol passed by Bradley's house, Jack slowed down, trying to see if Bradley was home. His nephew had mentioned wanting to talk to him in person about something serious and urgent, but Jack could see that the house was empty, so that conversation would have to wait. Which was fine, because today, Jack and Carol were on a mission.
Inside of Carol's purse was a large stack of wedding invitations, and they were on their way to drop these invitations in the mail, which was huge for them, because their wedding had been an unusually long time coming. So Jack and Carol had met at a bar 25 years ago. They'd fallen for each other quickly, but Jack had dragged his feet on proposing. And then when he had felt ready, Carol was swamped at work. Then Jack was busy. The timing was just always bad. And the longer they put marriage off, the less important it seemed. And anyways, they were in love and totally committed to each other. They didn't need a marriage license to prove that. But last February, Jack's mother had passed away. Her death had made him realize that he wasn't getting any younger, and he really wanted to marry the woman he'd loved for decades. So a few months ago, he'd finally proposed. And ever since, their days had been consumed with wedding preparations. They had the venue, the dress, and the rings, and now it was finally time to send out the invitations.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
How did a pawnshop owner become involved in a murder case?
0:00–2:41
2
What is the background of Jack Parks and Carol LaPaya?
2:41–8:06
3
What events led to the discovery of Jack Parks' murder?
8:06–13:37
4
How did Detective McKeel investigate Jack Parks' murder?
13:37–19:37
5
What are MrBallen's podcast recommendations?
19:37–39:20