I often think of how bad this was because no new evidence was uncovered and no mystery was solved. All that for nothing.

Loved the lens of a reporter going home, excellent use of historic primary source materials and empathetic interviewing to show how loose ends don’t always tie up how we wish, condolences to Shelly’s family on their loss

An excruciatingly boring reminder that not every story needs a podcast.

I think the reporter leaned too heavily into finding doubt and raising dubious questions in a quest to make this case seem more complicated than it is. The blood evidence and Fred’s confession point overwhelmingly to one highly probable conclusion and yet Kim seemed determined to make his guilt look improbable. I found myself yelling at her in my car - “why on earth are you helping a guilty man go free?”

I’m a pro-vaxxer, pro-masker, pro-believe-science, etc. etc. but my god, why am I only 3 episodes into this story and I’ve already heard mention of the pandemic 4 times now. if the story were about the pandemic, then yes of course I can understand why that topic is being repeatedly brought to life in this series. but it’s not, and each mention kind of just weighs it down. we all lived (and lost!) during that period of time, and it doesn’t need to be mentioned upon staging every scene. it takes away from what is an otherwise riveting story. deducting two stars for overwhelming and unnecessary mention of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Based on the evidence presented I’m in agreement with Officer Terry and I think they had their man. The crime lab tech who said the blood spray evidence didn’t match Fred’s story. Fred admitting to parking on the street where they found the bloody card. Too much to ignore.

It may have been a great series, except for the authors hyperbole surrounding Larymie and its attributes, undermine her credibility . I unfortunate enough to know Larymie not only during this time. I continually sent both as a student visitor and landowner, and nothing of the grime and grit that the author discusses it’s not present in any town in America. Pretty disparaging remarks about Larymie, minimize the impact of the storytelling of the unsolved murder due to their inaccuracies there’s hardly a small town or large one in the US. It doesn’t have an unsolved murder with coverups from law enforcement. The story is pretty presented amateurly, and really is the worst. I’ve listened to on this channel.

Unnecessary pandemic mentions. We do not care that you’re on your way to get a vaccine. Stick with the subject matter

Great story telling Great investigative research You found your calling! Thank you for this

What a sad story this is! It’s a story that should be told. Listening to how everyone talked in the 80’s was crazy. They do a good job showing racial tendencies by the police but that’s where they also do a disservice to the victim. Non-stop racial attacks on thousands and thousands of hours of evidence is clearly bias on their part. The narrator clearly wanted Jake to say something negative about the detectives but he wouldn’t and she tried to mislead him. She should write the family a letter apologizing for making this about race and not the death of Shelly. What losers!

Narrator commits the cardinal sin of journalism and makes the entire first episode about themself and their experiences with the town rather than telling the story itself. Long-winded generalizations and exaggerations abound to the point that I personally could not make it through the first episode. If a podcast is only as good as the host telling its story then this one fails on all fronts.

i think there's plenty more that could of been done, i feel it was bare minimum done for the podcast. i truly think that the card was sent and switched out, why is that not an option....i think there's so much more that could of been done to figure out answers.

I found this murder case very interesting due to local ties to Laramie. The town Kim described did not match up with the quaint friendly town I visited for long periods. Honestly feel this did not clear Fred. For the detective to hold onto this case for so long tells me there is something more! I also was blindsided by Kim calling out the 2 witnesses Pat and Michelle as having false memories. It’s very possible that the recorded interview of the 1st guy on site was incomplete or not entirely recorded! And as well with the card that Michelle recorded. Kim said herself in the beginning that Laramie police were protecting their own. The story how Freds blood got on Shelley’s door is laughable…All my opinion

I have lived in Laramie and was born in Wyoming. I can understand some of Barker’s issues with Laramie but it was too much to compare it to Kabul? Like really? She comes off very privileged and does little to recognize her bias. She seemed more concerned with her personal connections to the story than the victim and her family. No plausible explanation as to why Shelli was murdered, no motive. few details about the crime scene were explained. Barker went totally soft on the main suspect when given the chance to interview him and his wife, despite their stories changing. Did he and Shelli ever interact prior to the murder? Why did he spend so much time away from his wife at his friends apartment? Why did you lie about killing people? Lots of questions could have been asked and she just,,,didnt?? It almost felt like she wanted to prove him innocent. Barker also acted very sketchy and cold in interviews with witnesses and others, especially Michelle. She even kind of makes fun of her at one point. She also basically tells her that her memory is wrong. The nerve!!! You weren’t there!! You’re telling me to believe shadily obtained police “evidence” over Michelle’s decades of fear and grief?? And then she tries to make a point about memory and infallibility when she cannot even prove that her memory is incorrect. The racism was handled carelessly as well. The case is still unsolved and all Barker managed to do was try to embarrass and discredit witnesses while generalizing an entire town because of high school angst. Also i dont trust Laramie PD for a second. They have had numerous scandals and i would not be at all surprised to hear of a coverup. Why Barker doesn’t consider this more strongly is beyond me, especially since she’s such a hater. Like why wouldn’t you go after the police department of the town you describe as “mean?”

It’s a well done podcast, the story is interesting, the investigating is top notch. But what left the biggest impressions were the mundane take-always which I suspect are more the reality of unsolved murders. I think the field of podcasting is becoming too sensationalized. Juicy police and justice system corruption, gory murder details, obvious salacious evidence that isn’t as compelling when you see the full picture. It doesn’t do justice to the victims. This one does. To all victims. It’s good work and reminds me that good work isn’t always about entertainment.

If an unsalted potato chip had a voice, this would be it.

I enjoyed the story overall, but found Kim’s overall sleuthing, interviewing, and analysis to be lacking. Who cut the phone lines? What was Fred’s relationship to Shelly? Why was he always spending time away from his wife? Why did he lie (including to his wife) that he was a Navy Seal? That interrogation was hardly browbeating, his confession sounded odd, but why dismiss it so out of hand? Just because things aren’t in the police file, doesn’t mean they didn’t happen, this is lazy and irresponsible journalism. Some things may have been innocently left out, misplaced, who knows it’s been so many years. It seems Kim just wanted to be done and tie this up with a neat bow that Fred didn’t do it. I’m not so sure. I did enjoy most of it, but it left me empty with the conclusion at the end that I thought was rushed and lazy.

They literally covered up climate change for decades, Im shocked that the times keeps peddling their lies.

Everyone has a different story. It shows that not every case is black and white.

This was a great podcast! Love the little details of this investigation and how the reporter works through the whole story. Loved it!

The series starts with the creator explaining her personal connection to Laramie and her initial feeling that her editor won’t approve her to write a story/make a podcast about this murder. After listening all the way through, I wonder why the editor did in the end approve? What was compelling? Ideas that I see as commonplace - witnesses/memory are unreliable, confessions can be compelled, racial bias can influence investigations - are presented as wild, mind bending revelations. Initial episodes seemed like a slow build to something big. The big thing never comes. Yawn. (Perhaps the "we’ll never know" point could have been made in fewer episodes and left listeners less frustrated)

I don’t think Fred did it. I think he was tired of being interrogated.

This whole podcast wants to be something it’s not. There’s no story there! There’s no police corruption there’s no wrongful conviction. There’s no suspect still out there there’s no link to another case. All this podcast has is the author or the host is from this community and she’s able to talk to some people that are polite. That’s it. That’s the show. To be honest her storytelling is actually pretty dull and non linear, I’m sorry to say I’m not even too sure what happened to the poor victim. I can’t tell if the host did or didn’t go to school with her or was this girl older? Oh also another huge complain is sometimes in the recordings, people say racist things and there’s been no trigger warnings about that. I wasn’t expecting to hear slurs for people of mixed ethnicity and or Hispanic people. The producers should think about that.

Hours of listening to learn nothing. Waste of time.

Fantastic reporting, with the added interest of Kim’s personal experience of growing up in Laramie. I liked how the show revealed how flawed memories can be, and even Kim’s own memories of the place were skewed. And that’s human nature, our memories are not fact, especially with the passage of time. Oh, I think Fred is innocent, kind of a loser, but not a killer.

Wanted to get into this, but Ms. Barker seemed to carry too much baggage from her youth in Laramie. It sounds like she had a horrid time growing up there, but painting the whole place as completely backwards, saying that it’s “improbable” that it has a vegetarian restaurant just read as reverse snobbery. It’s rotten to hear country people denigrate our great cities as modern Gomorrahs; it’s equally dreary for city folk to denigrate rural areas for flaccid reasons. I look forward to following more of Barker’s non-Laramie based work though, as she sounds like a diligent reporter.

Wish the cases was solved at the end but it was still a good listen and shows the reality of this type of case. Kim’s theory on that creepy child molester doing it seems plausible.

This is not news, Serial was never able to reclaim the magic of Adnan and season 1. Having said that, the production value for this series was terrible. Some episodes started with ads, others didn’t. No clear transition into ads. Narrator would be talking and then BOOM an ad just cuts them off entirely. Episodes would just end without any indication that the episode was over. No ending credits. BORING story and zero conclusions by the final episode. Don’t waste your time.

(Semi-spoiler?) Though I thoroughly enjoyed each episode leading up to the end and appreciate the investigative work and documenting of each personality and background, I was ultimately disappointed the series almost entirely focused on one potential outcome. Unless a sequel series came to do further investigation into what’s presented at the end, the hard-hit focus on one suspect and sudden curiosity to mention another in the final episode felt like a bait-and-switch that led to nowhere.

The type of person that would lie about being a Navy seal for that long wants friends and admiration. His response to his interrogation to the point of complimenting the detective is as much of an indication of that need for friendship/admiration than guilt to me. Interrogations can be interpreted a million different ways. There’s not really such a thing as a “normal” reaction. That’s why you need evidence in the apartment. Our justice system is designed to keep innocent people from going to prison even if that means a guilty person goes free…

The story is dull and anticlimactic. It seems the writers/producers spent a lot of time and energy trying to come up with something but in the end could not. Rather than acknowledge this and move on they decided to release this dud of a story anyway. My advice: Don’t listen.

If you like this you should definitely check out A Very Fatal Murder.

Excellent podcast. Thoroughly researched. Very well done. But who cut the phone landlines?!?! And when? Coincidence that disabled same time as fire is raging??? NB: I spent my teens and many years of adulthood before cell phones. Lots of landline experience but would have zero idea where located and how to disable. THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY BECAUSE, UNLESS IT WAS A COINCIDENCE, IT COULD BE VERY IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE WHODUNIT! Forensic awareness. Superior ability to compartmentalize if cut to delay calls to fire department. Etc. Thanks!!!

I was good until episode 7 when the podcaster- not someone who was there when the murder happened, not a detective, not a witness- convinces Michelle she didn’t receive the card she previously said she did. What the crap?? How do you know there wasn’t a second card?? The investigation obviously fell short from the get go, so how do we know there wasn’t a second card that didn’t make it into evidence. To do this was irresponsible reporting.

Really liked this podcast. Kim’s reporting style is clean & tells it like she sees it. Only complaint, would like more. & want to know more about the 18 cats :)

A story of incompetence on all parts. The so called confession does nothing but help a good defense attorney prove police incompetence. A prosecutor’s office and PD that released so much information it made a trial a defense attorney’s dream. This podcast giving out of the facts that should never be out just makes a prosecution case even harder. Fred probably did it but he played with an inept interviewer and set himself up to say he was brow beaten till he gave in. I feel sorry for the prosecutor that has to take this case based on the facts in this podcast.

Unlike a TV show, we get an opportunity to hear real interviews about a crime, some are police interviews to suspects. We hear the emotion in everyone’s voices. We have a chance to sense whether we believe the person or not. We get to hear how specific sentences have been pulled out to incriminate Fred Lamb and hear the change in attitude towards the police from a young black football player at the time of his interview and 30 years later. And, as the podcast wraps us, we learn how peoples memories may not be the same as they remember. Similarly to when you have witnesses of a car crash and people may have vastly different perceptions of what the cars and drivers were doing. Worthwhile podcast to hear the unsolved story and why it remains difficult to solve. I agree with the writer about who may really be responsible for Shelli’s murder.

Thanks for your professional & unbiased opinion, Kim Barker. RIP, Shelly.

This is an important piece of reporting, and in my opinion, a MUST listen and helpful recalibration for those of us who consume too much true crime. **potential spoilers ahead** This piece really underscored for me the power a story teller wields - whether that person is a reporter, police officer, podcaster, etc - and our responsibility as listeners and community members to be critical and open minded about the information we are presented with. As our highly capable reporter, Kim Barker, uncovers in this case, things aren’t always as straightforward as they seem. I will take this reminder with me as I listen to future accounts of true crime, especially those that aren’t handled with the same rigor and ethics that was applied to this investigation. In addition, I was humbled by the couple of well meaning people in this story who turned out to be wildly unreliable narrators. Their experiences have really made me wonder about memories of my own that I’m sure are true. My take away is not one of cynicism, but rather a renewed commitment to question the stories we are presented, so as not to potentially wrongly accuse folks in the court of public opinion.

Having lived in Wyoming, this story was both interesting to me, and consistent with my experience of Wyoming. Relationships are everything, racism is pervasive, and connected people aren’t held accountable. I really enjoyed this podcast.

Unsubbed after ep 1

Couldn’t get past the whining from the narrator because he go bullied. Most people got bullied clown, we just didn’t let it ruin our lives or turn us into sad adult who couldn’t get past kids being mean. Saying Wyoming is worse then Kabul is just exaggerated left wing propaganda

I found the narrator’s voice to be pleasant and easy to listen to. It was interesting to hear to the current interviews, and compare them to the interviews from the same people at the time of the crime, when they were younger. I plan to see if the author has other podcasts or books.

really enjoyed listening

Very insightful and I really enjoyed how much evidence Kim shared. If anything, I learned more about how these cases are solved. The ending isn’t particularly satisfying, but it feels realistic. Overall well produced

It feels like you went around convincing people who were there, they were wrong. Considering it seems clear Laramie police messed with the case from the beginning, it was an odd choice. Won’t even finish the last episode.

Interesting premise but ultimately it is sad and not satisfying at the end, only needed to be a few episodes, some interviews and information did not seem necessary

I’ve listened to countless true crime podcasts and this one is truly unique. I love how the interviews and conversations drive the narrative. Kim, your narration is poetic and beautiful! The way that this case explores the paradox of our memories is so interesting, and it brought up mixed emotions for me. It’s hard to trust others and yourself, and sometimes things aren’t straightforward. Thank you for your dedication to the Wiley family and all those involved.

Up to episode 3, I’m hooked. Loving Kim’s voice and storytelling—so matter of fact with a sharp mind. Journalists are like comedians—quietly brightest minds of us all. Cast of real life ppl is icing on the cake, with due reverence for Shelly who lived and who was stolen from this earth by the diabolical.

I am not a fan of true crime stories, but this had me captivated.