Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes · Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Last Rites

October 22, 2025·1 hr 5 min·6 clips

The killer turns out to be the bride's father, a Methodist preacher and Klan member who opposed the interfaith marriage.

This episode of Buried Bones examines the 1921 murder of Father James Edwin Coyle in Birmingham, Alabama. Hosts Kate Winkler Dawson, a true crime journalist, and Paul Holes, a retired cold case investigator, apply modern forensic analysis to this historical case. The crime occurred on the porch of St. Paul's Catholic Church rectory shortly after Father Coyle performed a wedding for an 18-year-old woman, Ruth Stevenson, and her 42-year-old fiancé, Pedro Guzman. Two women inside the rectory heard two gunshots, a pause, and then a third shot before seeing a tall man in black calmly walking away with a gun. Father Coyle was found with a fatal gunshot wound in front of his left ear, and the scene showed bullet holes in the rectory wall. An autopsy by Dr. James Mason found no gunpowder residue on the victim, indicating the fatal shot was fired from a distance. Investigators recovered .38 caliber full metal jacket bullets, with one found on the porch and another inside the rectory, embedded in a bookshelf. Paul Holes analyzes the bullet trajectories and body placement to reconstruct the shooting, suggesting Father Coyle was initially near a porch swing before moving toward the door when he was shot. The use of full metal jacket ammunition is noted, though its significance is unclear. The hosts discuss how the shooter's calm departure could indicate premeditation or extreme confidence. A key piece of evidence is a contemporary newspaper photograph that appears to mark one of the bullet holes in the rectory wall. The conversation is analytical and educational, blending historical narrative with modern investigative techniques. Listeners interested in forensic reconstruction of historical crimes will appreciate this detailed breakdown. Those seeking a resolved narrative or faster-paced storytelling might find the technical focus less engaging.

As heard by us

A front-porch killing is reconstructed from timing, bullet holes, and careful scene work.

An episode centered on a front-porch killing, it follows deputy sheriff Fred McDuff as officers work through bullet holes and the sequence heard by Stella and Marcella: two shots, a pause, then a third.

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Why you'd press play

You get a porch, three shots, and a case that narrows as the deputy and officers inspect the bullet holes.

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