Trace Evidence Podcast
Weekly true crime podcast focused on unsolved murders and disappearances.
239 - The Murder of John Harden
Lola Katherine Fry
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On a warm spring night in March of 1975, thirty-two year old John Harden completed an emergency call for a client and returned home. Less than an hour later, he'd be shot dead in his driveway.
After finishing his shower, John glanced out the window and saw his work truck engulfed in flames. Running outside to try and snuff out the blaze, his killer got his opening and fired a single blast from his gun. John fell to the pavement and died from his wounds less than twenty minutes later.
Investigators would later determine that the fire had been purposefully set to lure the father of five outside and into the kill zone. They recovered the murder weapon, though they could never identify it or the owner. As years wore on, the case grew increasingly cold.
In October of 1991 an episode of Unsolved Mysteries revitalized interest in the yet solved homicide. Not by focusing on the murder and investigating the case, but by chasing alleged ghosts around the house in which John had been killed.
Was John Harden the victim of a random act of violence, had he been targeted by someone he knew and trusted or was his murder arranged by local union members who grew furious watching John take contracts they felt belonged to them.
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Trace Evidence is a true crime podcast that focuses on unsolved cases, from chilling murders to mysterious disappearances. Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines each case, diving deep into the evidence and exploring the theories which revolve around them. For each unsolved case, there are the victims and their families, who want answers and the abductors and murders who hide the truth.
“To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only truth.” - Voltaire
Trace Evidence has been the recipient of multiple accolades, including being listed by Oxygen.com as one of the "7 True Crime Podcasts You Should Listen to Right Away" as well as being recognized by WhatPods.com as one of their "Best True Crime Podcasts." Most recently, Women.com listed Trace Evidence #3 on their list of the "27 Best True Crime Podcasts." In "Ad Large Strike Killer Deal," an article written by Radio Ink Magazine about the new True Crime Network, Trace Evidence was pointed out as one of the top titles in their collective. PodcastManiac listed Trace Evidence as one of the "Top 5 True Crime Podcasts I Subscribe To." WCCO News Anchor Amelia Santaniello listed Trace Evidence as one of her favorite podcasts in “Sharing their Favorite Podcasts” for TwinCities.com. Stayathomemum.com listed Trace Evidence #3 on their list of “42 Chilling True Crime Podcasts that are Just Terrifyingly Terrific.” Vox.com writer Aja Romano in her article “Netflix’s Ted Bundy documentary review: Conversations with a Killer” referred to Trace Evidence as one of the podcasts that goes above and beyond to memorialize and focus on victims.
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