Veteran True-Crime Host and Legal Expert Revisit the Controversial Murder Case of an 11-Year-Old Girl in Southern Illinois

New Episodes Starting Jan 2 — Listen Now HERE

WHAT: iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, announces the launch of “Murder on Songbird Road.” The gripping new iHeartPodcast revisits the shocking 2020 stabbing death of 11-year-old Jade Marie Beasley in Southern Illinois and the controversial conviction of her father’s fiancée for the crime. In this series, veteran true-crime host Lauren Bright Pacheco teams up with criminal defense attorney Bob Motta to investigate whether the case — one that tore apart a rural community, pitted families against one another while raising ongoing questions about corruption and due process — was truly solved, or if an innocent woman remains wrongfully convicted.  Murder on Songbird Road sheds light on all aspects of this polarizing case, uncovering issues with the investigation and trial, exposing unexplored leads and seeking answers in a story that continues to haunt the Southern Illinois region.

WHO: Lauren Bright Pacheco is an Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and host celebrated for her work in true-crime podcasting. She has co-hosted, narrated, and produced acclaimed series such as Happy Face, Murder in Oregon, Murder in Illinois, Murder in Miami, and ongoing seasons of Lava for Good’s long-running Wrongful Conviction series. Pacheco's work explores the ripple effects of violent crimes while raising awareness for victims and advocating for a fairer legal system. With a background in news, radio, and television, she focuses on creating purposeful content that emphasizes empathy, human connection, and social justice.

Bob Motta is an accomplished criminal defense trial attorney of 20 plus years in the Chicagoland area. He graduated from Chicago-Kent School of Law, where he met his wife and law partner Alison. In 2021, Bob made the difficult choice to leave the active practice of law in order to start his popular and critically acclaimed podcast Defense Diaries. Defense Diaries is a deep dive, long form, serialized podcast which gives its listeners a “behind the curtain” perspective of the practice of law, in particular trial work.  In 2021, Bob partnered up with his wife Alison and created The Docket, which the couple co-hosts and dives into all current cases and breaking news in the true crime world.

WHEN: The first episode launches January 2, 2025, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly on Thursday.  Listen HERE now.

WHERE: “Murder on Songbird Road” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.