The Dumbest Murder Conspiracy - Deerfield, New Hampshire

·1 hr 12 min·5 clips

Jack Reed surprises his would-be kidnappers by shooting at them in his yard, foiling their murder plot.

The episode begins with hosts James Pietragallo and Jimmy Whisman introducing Small Town Murder, a comedy true crime podcast. They preview the case in Deerfield, New Hampshire, describing it as a story of 'pure stupidity.' The hosts provide town details: population 4,808, median income $112,931, and history dating to 1765. They humorously review local attractions like the Deerfield Fair and odd events. The narrative shifts to John Brooks, born poor in Manchester in 1951, who built a medical supply company, Polyvac, and sold it for $46 million in 1996. In 2003, Brooks hires handyman Jack Reed to help load a trailer, which is stolen the next day. Brooks becomes convinced Reed is the thief and enlists his son Jesse and friends Andrew Carter and Michael Benton to kill Reed. The initial plan fails when Reed shoots at intruders at his home. Over 18 months, Brooks recruits more accomplices, including Joseph Vrooman and Robin Knight. Knight lures Reed to a farmhouse with a fake job offer. There, Benton attacks Reed with a sledgehammer, and Brooks strikes him in the chest. The body is dumped in a Target parking lot, where surveillance footage captures the killers. Investigation via phone records and DNA leads to arrests. Trials result in convictions: Brooks gets life without parole, Knight life, Benton 33 years, Vrooman 17.5-35 years, and Jesse Brooks 13.5-35 years. The hosts emphasize the senselessness of the crime, as Reed was likely innocent, and Brooks lost nothing financially.

As heard by us

A clumsy murder plan, a few bad props, and a brief live-show detour.

Small Town Murder Express turns a sprawling bad-decision story into a steady ride of escalating nonsense, with James Petrigallo and Jimmy Wissman keeping the murder-train bit moving as the planning circles John Brooks, Michael Benton, Andrew Carter, Jesse Brooks, and Jack Reed.

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Why you'd press play

You get a wild New Hampshire murder story built on pure stupidity, with a Maglite and an aluminum bat in the mix.

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