It was this weird moment, almost being sandwiched between the two [men]., Former police officer and criminal behaviorist Sarah Cailean, a friend of Calderon-Olsens who was also in attendance, recalls seeing Jensen touching Calderon-Olsens hair. And the release of his upcoming book, Killers Amidst Killers: Hunting Serial Killers Operating Under the Cloak of Americas Opioid Epidemic, , which had been scheduled for publication this summer, has been indefinitely delayed. Photo: In a sworn statement Williams gave to his friends lawyer in April 2022, which Rolling Stone reviewed, he said his friend reached out to him again a couple months after the party to talk about the alleged incident. When I was informed of the complaints, I was shocked, embarrassed, and hated to hear that I had made others feel uncomfortable, Jensen tells Rolling Stone. And of course theres the end of the Murder Squad. Stories of diehard Islanders fandom from true crime author and investigative journalist Billy Jensen. Again, all these signs pointing to, he was a good guy. She also says she reached out to him with a professional request on behalf of a production company she worked for, and acknowledges she tagged him in some social media posts. - Bj tries to excuse this by showing that they tweeted each other occasionally- Two other sources allege that there had been whispers about Jensen in the true crime community well before Murder Squad was cancelled and allegations of Jensens inappropriate touching came to light. Jensen: Also just explaining to listeners that the police dont always have the victims best interests at heart. According to Jensen, a lawyer from Exactly Right contacted him not long after the party and connected him with an investigator, who said they received complaints from three people saying that my hugs and embraces had been over the line, he says. Newell says she used to drink heavily in social situations and has since stopped, following her experience with Jensen. Bestselling author, co-host of the hit podcast and Discovery + docuseries Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer, and true-crime investigative journalist Billy Jensen goes to Columbus, Ohio, where he examines the unsolved cases of eighteen dead and missing women, whom he suspects were the victims of serial killers on the loose and operating under cover of the opioid epidemic in America's heartland. So again, to have somebody who is supposed to be well-versed in survivors and victim sensitivity, those boundaries were crossed.. I never had romantic feelings for Billy. Tisdale says that she decided to speak about the alleged slap on her podcast after she heard about allegations following a 2021 party that ultimately led to Jensens removal from his podcast. So, regarding Billy, there have been whispers for a long time, but he was just a drunk guy that hit on your friends.. In his interview BJ apologizes for some behaviour (they don't go into detail specifically), denies parts of it, and admits to a drinking problem, BJ has entered rehab to address his drinking problem and mental health issues, While I understand some might be cynical of my seeking treatment, I needed to not only address my alcohol use, but my mental health as well, he says. I didnt know that she was in this sort of cycle of taking stuff in the morning to pep herself up, taking stuff at night to calm herself down. A former friend of Jensens, who says she had a falling out with him over reporting decisions he made in one of his podcasts, says that Jensen has long been known as a missing stair as in, something you warn newcomers about so they dont trip. Michelle McNamara died from a sudden accidental overdose in 2016, her friend and fellow true crime enthusiast Billy Jensen was devastated. Chase Darkness With Me by Billy Jensen is a fascinating real-life journey of Bill Jensen; from being a crime reporter to helping authorities in solving real-life cold cases. Billy is suspected of being a serial harasser and assailant of women which has drawn a lot of attention presently. Lives are lost, cases arent solved. And the release of his upcoming book, Killers Amidst Killers: Hunting Serial Killers Operating Under the Cloak of Americas Opioid Epidemic, which had been scheduled for publication this summer, has been indefinitely delayed. ", "I dont think I could have. Combining the shoe-leather investigative tenacity and skills . McNamaras work on the case has been credited for helping to catch the killer, who pleaded guilty to the decade-spanningcriminal campaignlast month. James Renner has inserted himself into this yet again with a blog. It worked. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. These women all had hopes and dreams. to collect negative stories and criticisms about me to share to the public wholesale., Both Haynes and Tisdale strongly dispute this characterization. In the most basic sense, Billy Strings plays bluegrass. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Jensen: If the chief of police treats a lot of women the way that he does, how are we supposed to think that he cares at all about solving this case? The murders of sex workers have always been shuffled to the back of the pile. In Episode One, listeners hear from Christopher Loeb, a childhood friend of Linkletters, who tells the full story of his encounter with Burke for the first time. Jensen also came across a powerful document amongst the files in the hard drives: McNamara's ALetter to an Old Man" in which McNamara directly addressed the killer. The 100 Best Albums of 2022, The series also probes Burkes close ties with former District Attorney Thomas Spota, who was convicted in 2019 for participating in the coverup of the Loeb assault. Billy Jensen Journalist NYT bestseller "Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders," Discovery+"Unraveled," "Killers Amidst Killers coming '23 Together, Jensen and Haynes wrote part three of McNamara's book. He also said something about how he would go down on [his co-worker], she says. BJ gave an interview to Rolling stone and the article includes some of his quotes. (the first crime saga to run the media gamut from newspaper series to podcast to documentary to scripted series), she was the unlikely hero who, in 2016, stabbed her mothers scam-artist husband to death in self-defense when he attacked her in a California parking garage. Since the popularity of true crime podcasts began to soar, families of victims have begun putting their trust in amateur investigators and podcasters who they believe can help reinvigorate cases that may have languished in obscurity. "Everyone [in the news, following her death] kept referring to her as Patton Oswalt's wife and I was like, no, she was her own person," Jensen . Its important to expose the corruption of past police regimes and help explain why this case hasnt been solved. Newell says Jensen kissed her right before she got into her Uber. Producer: Unraveled: The Long Island Serial Killer. The true crime podcasts Subreddit exploded with a so-called mega thread to discuss Jensen. NYT bestseller Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders, Discovery+: Unraveled, Killers Amidst Killers coming 2023. Billy Jensen was a true crime journalist focused squarely on unsolved murders and missing persons. Jensen: The people that would go on the record talked about how, if you got on Burkes bad side or if he saw you as a threat, hed come down on you. This whole Billy thing coaxed me into one hundred percent not drinking anymore, she says. I felt honored at the time he would do something like that for me, even though I was still stewing over what had just happened a few weeks prior, she says. To all of this, I want to make clear that I was unaware I had done anything untoward, and it certainly wasnt intentional I would never want to make others feel uncomfortable in any way, and I am deeply sorry., Jensen isnt new to the true crime community; he got his start in the Nineties as a reporter on Long Island, and went on to cover crime for alt-weeklies and magazines, including. I was just trying to make excuses for his behavior, Newell says. We felt that the victims families and the public at large needs to know why this case hasnt been solved, and its because the people that were initially in charge of the investigation were setting up a lot of roadblocks. However, when these moments are presented inaccurately, all together, and without context, the result is to not only mischaracterize each of the individual events, but also fundamentally misrepresent who I am and have been as a person., Jensen alleges that Jenn Tisdale, the podcaster who claimed he slapped her, has enlisted her friends including Haynes, who Jensen claims harbors a professional grudge as part of an organized effort. McNamara struck a match when she teamed up with armchair sleuths and real detectives to track down the killer, who turned out to be retired cop Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. ignited that fire, and aimed to become the first truly collaborative true-crime show and unite citizen sleuths with experts to solve cold cases. Billy Bush, who was fired from the "Today" show over lewd Donald Trump video, believes T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach should start their own show after being ousted from ABC. And the police are being so tight-lipped with so much of the information. So if youre a dude thats advocating for women, how about dont go after the most vulnerable? At the time, though, Newell stood up for Jensen, and encouraged OBrien to move forward with a podcast episode shed recorded with him. After Michelle McNamara passed away, Billy Jensen did what he could to honor her. If you are familiar with Billy Jensen's work, you will know he is a dogged investigative . This is one of his photographs from his website. [He was] grabbing the back of my neck. I regularly listen to two other podcasts that hes on (The First Degree and Unraveled, which is between seasons right now). The company limited replies to the tweet, but that didnt stop the networks fans from demanding answers. But as soon as I pulled on that thread and realized who was responsible for Chriss beating, it just sort of led us there. In response to Jensens allegations of a smear campaign, Tisdale insists that she and others are coming together to find solace and comfort which is not a coordinated effort to spread negative information about him.. It was almost a different person when I saw him at the bar. Everyone was drinking that night, Calderon-Olsen says, including her, adding that Jensen seemed particularly intoxicated. While I understand some might be cynical of my seeking treatment, I needed to not only address my alcohol use, but my mental health as well, he says. Jensen: From talking to them, I dont think theyre close. Trending Im actually dating someone at this time so any flirty behavior with him is absolutely not OK, Newell recalls. Jensen and Holes was officially cancelled last week and announced that they will be deleting all episodes from the feed. Billy Jensen - Investigative Storytelling, Crime Solving, Citizen Sleuthing, Product Building HOME ABOUT ME THE BOOK FIELD REPORTS CITIZEN DETECTIVES PRINT STORIES Selected Works CRIME STORIES How Crowdsourcing Cracked The Case Of A Gay-Bashing Attack Last year, the family of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old who was murdered by her fianc on a cross-country van trip. to collect negative stories and criticisms about me to share to the public wholesale., I was not acting in tandem or collaboration with anyone else, Haynes tells Rolling Stone. She had seen rumors circulating online about his behavior at the Halloween party, which made her rethink her interactions with him in the past, which she says she hadnt quite yet processed. In 2016, he joined a vast community of web detectives who have been increasingly lauded for contributing to the resolution of major cases. All Rights reserved. I had never seen anything like this before. So again, to have somebody who is supposed to be well-versed in survivors and victim sensitivity, those boundaries were crossed. Jensen, for his part, claims Calderon-Olsen is part of the organized effort to spread negative stories about him, a claim she denies and calls irresponsible, saying she only came out in support of his accuser at Exactly Right. Calderon-Olsen, the podcaster who bonded with Jensen over the Bundy documentary, hasnt seen him since the alleged hair-touching incident in November 2019, but says they communicated a few times since then: once in December of that year, he let her know hed mentioned a Bundy project she was working on in an interview he did. research collaborator on her investigation. In 2017, Jensen was on the . Twitter statements since the Rolling Stone Article, Celene Beth made a public reply in a series of tweets. Calderon-Olsen, the podcaster who bonded with Jensen over the Bundy documentary, hasnt seen him since the alleged hair-touching incident in November 2019, but says they communicated a few times since then: once in December of that year, he let her know hed mentioned a Bundy project she was working on in an interview he did. As the new HBO docuseries Ill Be Gone in the Dark points out, McNamarawas using pills on a regular basis to help her complete the book and sleep. The bag, Loeb said, contained sex toys and pornography, and what he claims appeared to be a snuff film. I did not smack or grab the back of her head. Saying that Calderon-Olsen never voiced any objection to him, Jensen says that he only found out about this allegation when he received a request for comment from Rolling Stone. "As we all binge The Bundy Tapes on @Netflix and share the trailer for the Zac Efron movie, please remember the victims. for helping the case gain national attention. Again, all these signs pointing to, he was a good guy. She also says she reached out to him with a professional request on behalf of a production company she worked for, and acknowledges she tagged him in some social media posts. It was just kind of jarring because I actually had [seen] him an hour or two prior to this, and he didnt have that same interaction. It probably isn't true. While I understand some might be cynical of my seeking treatment, I needed to not only address my alcohol use, but my mental health as well, he says. To all of this, I want to make clear that I was unaware I had done anything untoward, and it certainly wasnt intentional I would never want to make others feel uncomfortable in any way, and I am deeply sorry.. At one point in the evening, Calderon-Olsen says she was talking with another man while Jensen stood behind her, when she felt him touch her head. All of this has led to the cancellation of The Murder Squad, his book and book tour, and an article by the Rolling Stone. Following McNamara's death, Oswalt connected Jensen to citizen detective Paul Haynes, who McNamara had enlisted as a research collaborator on her investigation. Are other people going to continue to listen? And if law enforcement would have been really clear about the days those people went missing and put that out there on the front page of the paper who was acting weird on those days? With the man she was dating on the way, she alleges Jensen once again began making advances on her. This article has been updated to clarify an interaction between Newell and Jensen. Linkletter: The Long Island serial killer case really does loom over Long Island. http://themurdersquad.com/contact/ Find the Podcast: Hes very familiar that Ive been outspoken about my rape. BEFORE COMMENTING IN THIS THREAD PLEASE READ THE STICKIED COMMENT AT THE TOP. Williams, the second podcaster to go public, first shared his account of that evenings events on his show, He recalls that Jensen appeared drunk and that, at one point during the party, his friend approached him and told him that Jensen had just grabbed her buttocks. In it, they includedgeo-profilingmaps andDNA evidence that McNamara was researching as well as her notes. Jensen confirmed to Rolling Stone that he was indeed the subject of a workplace investigation regarding the party. The Suffolk County Police Department is a microcosm for what goes on larger scales.. s requests for an interview and her attorney, reached for comment, declined to discuss the matter. What are you hoping that the podcast and TV special will achieve? Its a tangible demonstration of what corruption can do. #TedBundyTapes" The further you get away from it, the harder and harder it is. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (He has also posted publicly about it on his website in response to recent allegations.) Newell claims Jensen kissed her right before she got into her Uber. Tell me more about coming at this case from the angle of corruption in the Suffolk County Police Department. Jensen and McNamara would meet every month for lunch, where she would update the true crime journaliston her hunt for the Golden State Killer, according to Jensens book Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders.. Unraveled is hosted by journalists Billy Jensen and Alexis Linkletter. He was grabbing my legs that night, grabbing my thighs, grabbing me by the back of the neck, she recalls. Billy Jensen. Without running afoul of the police, of course. Feb 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration neurosciences head Billy Dunn will retire from his role effective immediately, the health regulator told Reuters on Tuesday. Now, it all seems to be crashing down. Investigative journalist Billy Jensen has heavily impacted the true crime world with his deep-dive articles, podcasts, (he's one half of the Murder Squad podcast with Paul Holes and a third of The First Degree podcast team with true crime producer Alexis Linkletter and LadyGang gal Jac Vanek), and now with his new book, Chase Darkness With Me . The show ran for three seasons, after all, and both hosts had new books on the horizon and tens of thousands of fans on social media commenting on and liking every photo and tweet. [She] told me Billy grabbed her after he came up behind her, and that she felt extremely violated by this, Williams said in the sworn statement. But after 17 years of writing hundreds of stories without endings, he was fed up--and decided to solve the murders and find the missing himself. Tisdale says that she decided to speak about the alleged slap on her podcast after she heard about allegations following a 2021 party that ultimately led to Jensens removal from his podcast. Billy has solved or helped solve ten homicides. Everyone [in the news, following her death] kept referring to her as Patton Oswalts wife and I was like, no, she was her own person, Jensen reflected to Oxygen.comin an interview. No, I did not. I felt [she] was hurt, and deeply affected by this incident., Jensen confirmed to Rolling Stone that he was indeed the subject of a workplace investigation regarding the party. Because it has really been traumatic. Does anyone think the rumors will be addressed by either team? Tennessee Ex-Cop Sues After Becoming Porn Meme, Claims She Was 'Groomed' for Sex With Coworkers. Stop listening until its addressed? Linkletter says Loeb was afraid to speak out earlier because he feared retribution. The woman in question did not respond to Rolling Stones requests for an interview and her attorney, reached for comment, declined to discuss the matter. This will help save on space and keep comments a little more streamlined. This alleged behavior seems to have come to light after an Exactly Right Halloween party in 2021, which led to a workplace investigation and the eventual end of the Murder Squad. A lthough the story you are about to read involves a fugitive, law enforcement and a six-month chase across Mexico, for Billy Jensen it was just another day on the job.