Sun Crime State Podcast

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Florida crime, reported case by case.

The gist

Sun Crime State Podcast is a Florida true-crime series built around specific cases, from unsolved murders to serial killers and espionage. Its strongest episodes pair stark case facts with voices from reporters, investigators, officials, and relatives close to the damage.

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About Sun Crime State Podcast

Sun Crime State Podcast follows Florida crime stories through a reporter's lens, with emphasis on cases that changed families, towns, investigations, and public memory. The show is specific by design. It names the road, the town, the victim, the agency, the suspect, the trial, and the lingering question. Recent episodes move from nationally known figures such as Aileen Wuornos and Gary Ray Bowles to regional cold cases involving Susan Perkins, Lillian Martin, Joshua Bryant, Rick Merrill, Dory Collier, Laralee Spear, and Mark Fike. Another episode tracks the George Trofimoff espionage case, showing that the show's definition of crime is not limited to murder scenes. The common thread is Florida as a place where criminal cases become civic stories. A Daytona Beach shooting alters the public meaning of spring break. A Deltona disappearance leaves detectives with answers they may never get. A Hernando County double murder is carried for decades by relatives still asking for justice. The series often brings in people who stood near the case rather than relying only on summary. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood appears in the Daytona serial killer discussion. Vicki Sachery recalls covering the Trofimoff trial. Alicia Caldwell describes the Martin and Bryant disappearance. Kelly Davidson speaks about Rick Merrill. Sergeant A.J. Pagliari discusses the Laralee Spear case. Those voices give the show a layered texture: official record, newsroom memory, investigative pressure, and private loss. The writing and narration stay direct, sometimes blunt, and usually anchored in chronology. It can be graphic in subject matter without needing theatrical language. That restraint is part of its value. Sun Crime State Podcast suits a listener who wants case-driven Florida true crime with reporting bones, not gothic atmosphere. It is especially strong for stories where the aftermath matters as much as the crime itself: arrests after years of uncertainty, executions after long trials, and cold cases where the public record still has gaps. The result is grim, local, and unusually grounded.

Made for: Suits a listener who wants Florida true crime told through reporting, interviews, and careful case detail. It is a better fit for procedural patience than for sensational retellings.

What sets it apart: The show stands apart through its Daytona Beach News Journal reporting base and its attention to local aftermath: police work, trials, family testimony, public reaction, and unresolved leads. It treats Florida not as a punchline, but as the setting where these cases kept unfolding.

In their own words

Outrageous and real FLORIDA CRIME stories. Join Daytona Beach Journal Crime Reporter Tony Holt each week for true crime stories from the "Sun Crime State" Florida is well know for its "unique" brand of criminal and Tony recounts the latest, craziest and most interesting crime stories. Dive deep into a classic or unsolved cold case with host Tony Holt on Sun Crime State.

Florida criminal casescold case investigationsserial killingsunsolved murderscourtroom and trial historylaw enforcement interviewsvictims' familiesDaytona Beach and Volusia County

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Episodes

  1. 1

    Aileen Wuornos: Eyes That Looked Like They Had Killed - Ep 76

    Sun Crime State examines Eileen Wuornos's connection to seven men's deaths across central Florida, beginning with Richard Mallory's 1989 shooting near Daytona Beach.

    Oct 28, 2019·1h 12m·5 clips
  2. 2

    A Fatal Escape - Ep 75

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines the Daytona Beach serial-killer investigation after Robert Hayes was arrested for Rachel Bay’s 2016 murder near Jupiter and linked by authorities to three Daytona killings.

    Oct 2, 2019·1h 9m·4 clips
  3. 3

    A Serial Killer's End - Ep. 74

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines Gary Ray Bowles, who murdered six men across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic during an eight-month stretch in 1994.

    Aug 30, 2019·1h 14m·5 clips
  4. 4

    The Soviet Spy of Melbourne - Ep 73

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State reporter Tony Holt and former Associated Press reporter Vicki Sachery examine George Trofimoff, a Melbourne-based retired U.S.

    Jul 29, 2019·40m·2 clips
  5. 5

    The Deltona Vanishing - Ep 72

    Sun Crime State Episode 72 follows the 2001 disappearance of 77-year-old Lillian Martin and 10-year-old Joshua Bryant from West Seagate Drive in Deltona.

    Jun 24, 2019·54m·4 clips
  6. 6

    The El Camino Inferno - Ep 71

    Hidden gem

    Tony Holt examines the May 9, 1981 deaths of 24-year-old Ricky Merrill and 20-year-old Dory Collier, whose bodies were found inside Merrill’s burned Chevrolet El Camino near Brooksville, Florida.

    May 13, 2019·34m·2 clips
  7. 7

    Who Killed Laralee Spear? - Ep 70

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines the 1994 murder of 15-year-old Laralee Spear after she left her school bus near DeLand.

    Apr 29, 2019·46m·3 clips
  8. 8

    The Murder That Ended Canadian Spring Break - Ep 69

    Tony Holt and four guests examine the March 15, 1996 shooting of 18-year-old Canadian high schooler Mark Fike at a Daytona Beach payphone.

    Apr 8, 2019·58m·4 clips
  9. 9

    A Woman and a Gun: The Story of Linda Cooney - Ep 68

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines Linda Cooney’s 1992 shooting of Palm Beach tax attorney Jim Cooney during a custody dispute involving their sons.

    Mar 25, 2019·58m·4 clips
  10. 10

    Unforeseen Betrayal: Death at Lake Seminole - Ep 67

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State Podcast examines Jerry Michael Williams’s disappearance during a December 16, 2000 hunting trip at Lake Seminole near Tallahassee.

    Mar 6, 2019·1h 3m·5 clips
  11. 11

    Ted Bundy, One Depraved Sinner, Part 2 - Ep 66

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State Podcast host Tony Holt traces Ted Bundy’s 1977 escape from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, to Florida, where he killed three people and seriously injured three others during four weeks.

    Feb 25, 2019·1h 11m·4 clips
  12. 12

    Ted Bundy, One Depraved Sinner: Part 1 - Ep 65

    Tony Holt’s Sun Crime State examines Ted Bundy’s Florida crimes, earlier Washington, Utah, and Colorado cases, and his 1978 capture in Pensacola.

    Feb 13, 2019·41m·2 clips
  13. 13

    Ma Barker's Last Stand - Ep 64

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State Podcast examines Ma Barker and Fred Barker, including the FBI's four-and-a-half-hour 1935 gunfight at an Ocklawaha house containing 641 bullet holes.

    Jan 21, 2019·53m·3 clips
  14. 14

    The Ninja Killer of Flagler - Ep 63

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt covers Raymond Roberts Jr.’s alleged AK-47 shooting of Daytona Beach officer Kevin Hurd and the 1989 Palm Coast murders attributed to Louis Gaskin.

    Dec 17, 2018·33m·2 clips
  15. 15

    Jupiter Thanksgiving Massacre - Ep 62

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt updates listeners on Daytona Beach’s Damon Kemp case, Biscayne Park police corruption, and the sentencing of Mickey Chardae Lewis before examining the 2009 Jupiter Thanksgiving massacre.

    Dec 12, 2018·35m·2 clips
  16. 16

    Gerald Stano: The Boardwalk Serial Killer - Ep 61

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines Gerald Stano, a former Daytona Beach News Journal employee linked by investigators to 88 homicide cases across Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

    Dec 5, 2018·57m·4 clips
  17. 17

    A Barrier Island Mystery - Ep 60

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt covers Cesar Sayoc's arrest after at least 13 explosive devices were mailed to critics of President Trump.

    Oct 29, 2018·35m·2 clips
  18. 18

    Death of a Deltona Family - Ep 59

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt reports on Luis Toledo’s conviction for killing 28-year-old Yesenia Suarez and her two children, whose bodies remain missing after searches covering roughly 90 square miles.

    Oct 22, 2018·34m·2 clips
  19. 19

    The Deltona Dollar General Double Killing - Ep 58

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt covers the arrest of 62-year-old Port Orange substitute teacher David Lee Davis and revisits the 2002 Dollar General killings of Janice Schneider and Danielle Beauregard in Deltona.

    Oct 15, 2018·32m·2 clips
  20. 20

    A Mysterious Murder of a Divorcee - Ep 57

    Oct 1, 2018·24m
  21. 21

    Who Killed Carol Lynne Sullivan? - Ep. 56

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State, hosted by Tony Holt of the Daytona Beach News Journal, examines two Daytona-area sexual assaults reported eight days apart and the 1978 abduction and killing of 12-year-old Carol Lynn Sullivan.

    Sep 17, 2018·34m·2 clips
  22. 22

    Abusive Father, Powerless Mother Killed by Bitter Son - Ep 55

    Tony Holt examines the murders of Richard and Marilyn Cunanan, who disappeared on September 10 fifteen years apart in Central Florida.

    Sep 10, 2018·36m·2 clips
  23. 23

    Fatal Fire at Stormy's - Ep. 54

    Sun Crime State examines the September 2, 1991 arson at Stormy's Seafood Restaurant in New Smyrna Beach, where firefighters Doug Sapp and Mark Allen Wilkes died during a flashover.

    Sep 3, 2018·38m·2 clips
  24. 24

    The Gainesville Student Murders - Ep 53

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines the 1990 Gainesville student murders, when Danny Rowling killed five students at the University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College and was later executed in 2006.

    Aug 27, 2018·1h 28m·5 clips
  25. 25

    'A Sheriff Got Killed, Then a Posse Got the Killer' - Ep 52

    Hidden gem

    Tony Holt's Sun Crime State examines the 1927 killing of Flagler County Sheriff Perry Hall during a moonshine arrest in Roy, Florida.

    Aug 20, 2018·41m·2 clips
  26. 26

    On the Trail of the Granny Killer - Ep 51

    Sun Crime State Podcast’s “On the Trail of the Granny Killer” examines Edwin Bernard Caprat III and five 1993 homicides plus one attempted homicide involving elderly victims in Hernando County, Florida.

    Aug 13, 2018·1h 10m·5 clips
  27. 27

    The Deltona Massacre - Ep 50

    Tony Holt of the Daytona Beach News-Journal examines the August 6, 2004 Deltona Massacre, in which six people were killed at 3106 Telford Lane.

    Aug 6, 2018·1h 6m·4 clips
  28. 28

    The Killing Cousins of Vero Beach - Ep 49

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State examines James Terry Colley Jr.'s recommended death sentence after the August 27, 2015 killings of Amanda Colley and Lindy Dobbins in Mirabella, northwest of St.

    Jul 30, 2018·57m·4 clips
  29. 29

    Mark Asay, Murderous Racist - Ep 48

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt reports on a Daytona Beach motel shooting, a St.

    Jul 23, 2018·48m·3 clips
  30. 30

    40-Year Wait For Justice - Ep 47

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State examines a Virginia arrest linked to the Orange City death of Hilda Bailey, including Matthew Barber's reported jailhouse confession and alleged attempt to flee in Bailey's car.

    Jul 16, 2018·34m·2 clips
  31. 31

    Daylight Stabbing in Gainesville - Ep. 46

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines the 2016 killing of Maria Marquez Rivera near Ormond Beach, the Boca Raton shooting of five-year-old Jacob Walsh, and the 2005 stabbing of Brian Sweat in Gainesville.

    Jul 10, 2018·37m·2 clips
  32. 32

    Convicted Rapist Charged in 1990 Murder - Ep 45

    Sun Crime State reporter Tony Holt examines the 1990 rape and killing of 88-year-old Whitney Gunn in New Smyrna Beach and the indictment of Lynn Eugene Young 28 years later.

    Jul 2, 2018·29m·1 clip
  33. 33

    Murder of a Daytona Civic Servant - Ep 44

    Tony Holt examines Paul Pryor's resentencing after he admitted killing 17-year-old Ellen Clancy in a Daytona Beach apartment on May 23, 1979.

    Jun 25, 2018·29m·2 clips
  34. 34

    Love Triangle Ends in Murder - Ep 43

    Hidden gem

    Tony Holt's Sun Crime State examines Michael Shaver's remains being found beneath a concrete slab in Claremont and the unsolved status of his wife's case.

    Jun 18, 2018·27m·2 clips
  35. 35

    Bloody Day in Okaloosa - Ep 42

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines Gloria Williams's 1998 abduction of eight-hour-old Kamiyah Mobley from a Jacksonville hospital and her 18-year sentence after 18 years missing.

    Jun 12, 2018·46m·3 clips
  36. 36

    The Sadistic Skipper - Ep 41

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt covers Heriberto Feliciano's May 29 shooting of Jesse Coggins outside a Little Caesars in Holly Hill and the 1989 Tampa Bay murders of Joanne, Michelle, and Christy Rogers.

    Jun 4, 2018·45m·3 clips
  37. 37

    Killing to Gain a Fortune - Ep 40

    Sun Crime State examines a South Daytona case in which 37-year-old Joe McCaskill was convicted of third-degree murder and aggravated child abuse after four-year-old Keandre Coleman suffered fatal injuries.

    May 29, 2018·1h·4 clips
  38. 38

    Tampa's Bloodiest Rampage - Ep 39

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines Dorothy Singer’s conviction for killing her husband, Charles “Butch” Singer, whose body was found beneath a john boat in 2017.

    May 21, 2018·1h 11m·5 clips
  39. 39

    Ex-cop Still Sits on Death Row - Ep 38

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt covers the 2000 disappearance of Michael Williams, whose wife Denise Williams was indicted for first-degree murder after authorities found his remains 17 years later.

    May 14, 2018·1h·4 clips
  40. 40

    Fatal Robbery at Taco Bell - Ep 37

    Sun Crime State examines the 1992 Daytona Beach Taco Bell robbery in which Jeffrey and Anthony Farina attacked four employees, killing 17-year-old Michelle Van Ness and injuring three others.

    May 7, 2018·38m·2 clips
  41. 41

    Chaos Killed the Band Teacher - Ep 36

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines the 1996 Fort Myers murder of band director and Marine Corps veteran Mark Schwiebes by members of the Lords of Chaos.

    Apr 30, 2018·52m·3 clips
  42. 42

    Death of a Boat Salesman - Ep 35

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt reports on the 1990 Palm Beach County killer-clown investigation, including DNA hair samples and the 2017 arrest of Sheila Keene Warren.

    Apr 23, 2018·35m·2 clips
  43. 43

    A Canadian Stuck for Life - Ep 34

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State examines Keandria Cook's reduced South Daytona carjacking sentence from 20 years to 11 after a courtroom reaction video received more than one million views.

    Apr 16, 2018·1h 13m·5 clips
  44. 44

    Weeks Found Guilty - Ep 33

    Apr 9, 2018·20m
  45. 45

    The Demise of Louie Da Lip - Ep 32

    Tony Holt covers Noor Salman’s acquittal after jurors deliberated about 12 hours over three days on charges tied to the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre.

    Apr 2, 2018·35m·2 clips
  46. 46

    Did A Cop Kill Kim Howe? - Ep 31

    Sun Crime State examines the 1988 killing of 31-year-old Kim Cherie Howe near a dirt road in Rockledge, Florida, and the investigation led by Corporal Jeff White.

    Mar 26, 2018·27m·1 clip
  47. 47

    Killer Comes To Terrytown - Ep 30

    Hidden gem

    Sun Crime State Podcast's "Killer Comes To Terrytown - Ep 30" examines the 2000 Tarrytown killings of Margarita Ruiz and Hope Wells, witnessed by Paige Wells and her one-year-old brother.

    Mar 19, 2018·52m·3 clips
  48. 48

    Virginia Larzelere, The Sexpot Slayer, Part 2 - Ep 29

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt examines Rick Crawford’s arrest on a federal charge involving an undercover operation and then revisits the 1991 killing of Edgewater dentist Norman Larzalier.

    Mar 12, 2018·44m·3 clips
  49. 49

    Virginia Larzelere, The Sexpot Slayer: Part 1 - Ep 28

    Sun Crime State host Tony Holt reports on Stephanie Peterson Ferry, a New Smyrna Beach teacher accused of sexual contact with a 14-year-old student and exchanging explicit photos.

    Mar 5, 2018·40m·2 clips
  50. 50

    Double Murder on the Beachside - Ep 27

    This episode covers the surge in school threats after the Parkland shooting and revisits a 2008 double murder case.

    Feb 26, 2018·24m