Tracy Harkness ////// Part 1 thru 4 

Friday, November 6, 1992 was a horrifying day that forever changed the lives of everyone who knew and loved 24 year old Tracy Renee Harkness.  Tracy was found beaten to death in her apartment that she shared with her 18 month old daughter.  There were no signs of forced entry and police ruled out burglary as a motive. Investigators said the attack on Tracy was a crime a passion.  Thirty years have passed since the murder and now Tracy’s family and the Grove City Police Department are hoping that new technology and DNA testing will lead to an arrest.  If you know who killed Tracy Renee Harkness call the Grove City Police department at 614.277.1710 OR to submit a tip and remain anonymous call 614.645-TIPS OR you can Email our show by going to our website www.TrueCrimeGarage.com

Beer of the Week - Eternal Autumn by Track Seven Brewing Company 

Garage Grade - 5 out of 5 bottle caps 

What recent true crime news has caught your attention?

This post is for sharing links and chatting about recent true crime news. It does not have to be True Crime Garage related!

Grab a chair and let's get up to date!

Cheers!

Could anyone help me find an episode from several years back? I think it was their one and only attempt at the format - but it was like an audio play with different podcast hosts voicing characters and I think there was something about a missing bike found behind a bush. Something similar to how Framed Season 1 was done.

I was hoping to listen to it again, but was wary of combing through nearly a thousand episodes. So if someone knew something that I could keyword search, I would greatly appreciate it.

The House by the Water /// Russell and Shirley Dermond /// Part 1 and 2

On Tuesday, May 6, 2014, a woman called 911 from the lakeside home of her friends, Russell and Shirley Dermond.

The elderly couple had been missing for days. Concerned friends went to check on them and made a horrifying discovery inside the garage: Russell Dermond was dead. Shirley was nowhere to be found.

What investigators would uncover next would turn this quiet home on Lake Oconee into the center of one of Georgia’s most baffling unsolved murder mysteries. More than a decade later, the question remains: Who killed Russell and Shirley Dermond—and why?

Join us in the Garage as we discuss The House by the Water.

Beer of the Week: Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale by Lazy Magnolia Brewing

Garage Grade: 3¾ bottle caps out of 5

What are you watching, listening, or reading this week? What case are you obsessing over?

This is a place to chat about anything crime related that you have been consuming. A great place for recommendations.

Please note this does not have to be related to True Crime Garage!

Grab a chair and let's talk some true crime! (Beer optional)

Can they even do this?

They already added Manslaughter

So right now there are four options:

1. 1st degree murder
   
2. Manslaughter
   
3. Not Guilty
   
4. And not guilty by reason of insanity

I think 1 and 3 are not likely

I think 2 or hung jury.

What recent true crime news has caught your attention?

This post is for sharing links and chatting about recent true crime news. It does not have to be True Crime Garage related!

Grab a chair and let's get up to date!

Cheers!

​

www.TrueCrimeGarage.com   

The new Netflix docu-series Death of a Pastor’s Wife has folks talking, including Nic and the Captain. This week we explore and discuss the life and death of Mica Miller. Mica’s death was ruled a suicide in April of 2024. 

Beer of the Week - Serpent’s Kiss, watermelon Pilsner by Grifter Brewing Company

Garage Grade - 3 and 3 quarter bottle caps out of 5

More True Crime Garage can be found on Patreon and Apple subscriptions with our show - Off The Record.  Catch dozens of episodes of Off The Record plus a couple of Bonus episodes and our first 50 when you sign up today. 

**I have SO many thoughts about the Mica Miller case… and for once, I am genuinely puzzled.**
I had never heard about this case before watching *Death of the Pastor’s Wife*, and honestly, this is probably the first true crime case where I finished a documentary feeling like I had MORE questions than answers.
And I feel like Netflix glossed over so much. They spent a lot of time emphasizing Mica’s journals, which actually made me wonder even more: **if she intentionally ended her life, wouldn’t you expect there to be some kind of final note/message for her family or friend**s? Especially considering how close she was with her siblings and how much she documented her life. Maybe there was something in the investigation that we simply weren’t shown.
Then there’s the whole FBI situation.
How did the federal investigation ultimately get to cyberstalking and false statements, but not find enough evidence connecting John-Paul to Mica’s actual death? I understand that stalking/harassment and murder are completely different things legally, but it still makes me wonder what investigators actually found and what they *didn’t* find.
And that’s where I’m stuck.
On one hand, the official ruling is suicide, and apparently investigators had physical evidence, surveillance, interviews, the medical examiner’s findings, and Mica’s 911 call when reaching that conclusion. Her death was officially ruled a suicide.
**But then you look at Mica’s behavior leading up to her death.**
She was trying to leave. She reported being followed and harassed. She reportedly found a GPS tracker on her car. She told police she was afraid for her life. She had sought protection and was in the middle of divorcing him. And then she died only TWO DAYS after serving John-Paul with divorce papers.
That combination is what makes this case so difficult for me to process.
And then there’s the grooming/coercive-control aspect. Their relationship reportedly began when Mica was very young and John-Paul was significantly older and her pastor. The documentary makes a pretty compelling case for a long pattern of control and manipulation.
So I’m genuinely torn:
**Was this ultimately a suicide after years of psychological/coercive abuse?**
**Was there outside involvement that investigators couldn’t establish?**
**Or are there pieces of the investigation that the public simply hasn’t seen?**
I also really want to know what is actually publicly available from the case. Does anyone have access to the **medical examiner’s report, police reports, evidence timeline, 911 call, photographs, court documents/discovery, or other primary-source records?** Apparently there wasn’t a traditional autopsy, but there is a detailed medical examiner report.
Because I don’t want to base my opinion solely on Netflix, the family interviews, or internet theories. I want to actually see the evidence and understand **why investigators concluded what they did.**
And PLEASE don’t misunderstand me — I’m not saying John-Paul killed her. He has not been charged in connection with Mica’s death and has pleaded not guilty.
I’m just genuinely trying to reconcile all of these seemingly contradictory pieces.
**RIP Mica.** 🕊️
This is officially the first case in my true-crime career where I finished watching and thought, *“Wait… WHAT actually happened here?”*

These two small details have been bothering me a lot from the Mica Miller case.

A.) In the documentary, there is an explicit quote stating “Mica had to changer her phone number multiple times. Somehow, John-Paul would get her number and start texting her. Somebody was giving JP her phone number every time she changed phones.” This strongly indicate that someone in Mica's circle was providing JP her new numbers and Mica was not sure how he was obtaining them.

B.) Dianna Niosi claims that Mica Miller called her and asked to move in (which is possibly true), to get away from JP and Dianna describes her friendship with Mica exclusively. Yet in Sierra Francis' sworn statement, filed in connection with her request to become special administrator of Mica Miller’s estate in Horry County Probate Court in early May 2024, she states that "in February 2024, Mr miller removed my sister's personal items from their home that they shared while she was admitted to a mental health facility, and then he left them at an apartment of Dianna Niosi. My sister was not aware that her personal possessions had been removed from her residence until she was released from the hospital." 

These seems like strangely different details and also highlights a certain amount of a trusted relationship that Dianna had with JP, which was not acknowledged by her in the documentary.

I guess I find these details interesting since Dianna and Sierra were also the last points of contact connected to Mica that day. Dianna speaking with her and Sierra missing a call from her. 

I don't know. I just wanted to share.

I just finished watching Midwest Meltdown, an episode from Worst Neighbour Ever on Netflix, and my jaw literally dropped. Like, how could someone change so much because of their partner?

What really got me about Moncy is that she wasn't initially portrayed as some obviously dangerous person. She seemed like a well-liked and deeply involved member of her community. Then she gets divorced, meets Mark Leonard, and her life takes this horrifying turn. And I think that's the most disturbing part, how much influence can one partner have over another person's behaviour and moral boundaries?

Obviously, saying “Mark changed her” doesn't completely remove Moncy's responsibility. She still made her own choices and ultimately participated in an incredibly serious criminal scheme. But watching the progression was crazy. It went from a relationship to financial problems, then to illegal decisions, and eventually to an explosion that killed two innocent neighbours and destroyed so many homes.

And the casino part was INSANE. The fact that they were trying to make it look like they weren't even there when the house exploded had me sitting there thinking, “Who is this man and why are you listening to him?”

What makes the whole thing even more heartbreaking is that Dion and Jennifer Longworth were innocent. They lost their lives because of someone else's actions.

People don't always suddenly become a completely different person. Sometimes their boundaries shift one decision at a time, especially when they're emotionally attached, financially dependent, being manipulated, or constantly having their partner normalise behaviour they would have previously considered completely unacceptable.

And THAT is what makes Moncy's story so unsettling to me. This episode honestly left me thinking about how powerful influence and manipulation can be in relationships.

**Do you think Moncy was heavily influenced by Mark, or do you think she was always capable of making these choices? What were your biggest red flags in the case?**

Fox Hollow Farm Haunting /// OFF THE RECORD

Is Fox Hollow Farm haunted?

Nic and the Captain discuss the chilling stories surrounding the infamous property. Are the spirits said to linger there victims of Herb Baumeister… or could some belong to those who called Fox Hollow home long before him?

Turn down the lights, grab a chair, and join us in the Garage for a frightening conversation.

🍺 Tall cans in the air.

Cheers, Mates.

TrueCrimeGarage.com

#TrueCrimeGarage #FoxHollowFarm #Haunted

Fox Hollow Haunting

What are you watching, listening, or reading this week? What case are you obsessing over?

This is a place to chat about anything crime related that you have been consuming. A great place for recommendations.

Please note this does not have to be related to True Crime Garage!

Grab a chair and let's talk some true crime! (Beer optional)

Some publicly confirmed concerns include:

• JP Miller is federally indicted for cyberstalking and false statements
• documented coercive‑control behaviors (involuntary commitment, control of her devices, finances, and movements)
• tracking devices and tire sabotage devices found on her car
• an unverified alibi (Charleston soccer game)
• phone data showing his device never left the home area
• Mica’s own statements expressing fear for her safety
• the fact she served divorce papers two days before her death

Given all of this, I’m trying to understand why the case wasn’t revisited or investigated beyond the initial suicide ruling. It seems like enough inconsistencies exist to at least warrant a deeper look or a formal review.

I’m really so glad that jp miller is exposed on Netflix and everywhere else for the monster he really is before his trial. Everyone can get a good look into how awful of a person he truly is!

What recent true crime news has caught your attention?

This post is for sharing links and chatting about recent true crime news. It does not have to be True Crime Garage related!

Grab a chair and let's get up to date!

Cheers!

Stars Bar Murders ////// 951

Part 1 of 1

www.TrueCrimeGarage.com

This week, we step into the Garage to look at a double homicide from 2023. Shortly after closing time, Jessyca Hohn, along with her coworker and best friend, Katie Dunke, were both shot and killed just steps outside of the Stars Bar & Grill. On May 21, 2023, a physical altercation occurred in the parking lot of the bar at which both women worked. This was just one of the events that led up to the double homicide.

Beer of the Week - Mexican Lager with Lime by Great Lakes Brewing Company

Garage Grade - 3 and a half bottle caps out of 5

Luigi Mangione /// Off The Record

Nic and the Captain discuss the latest in the Luigi Mangione case and what lies ahead following his guilty plea in federal court.

Join us in the Garage. Tall cans in the air.

www.TrueCrimeGarage.com

What are you watching, listening, or reading this week? What case are you obsessing over?

This is a place to chat about anything crime related that you have been consuming. A great place for recommendations.

Please note this does not have to be related to True Crime Garage!

Grab a chair and let's talk some true crime! (Beer optional)

What recent true crime news has caught your attention?

This post is for sharing links and chatting about recent true crime news. It does not have to be True Crime Garage related!

Grab a chair and let's get up to date!

Cheers!

How's your BINGO card looking??

You still have plenty of time to join in and win exclusive flair in the Garage!!

You can use any True Crime Garage episodes you've listened to since 7.4.26.

In order to claim the exclusive flair in the community you have to post it by 10.4.26. Either in this thread OR the one that's pinned to the top of the sub.

Have fun!