HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story

After pleading guilty to lying about being kidnapped, Sherri Papini was charged with Making False Statements and Mail Fraud. Finally, her big day in court arrives where she'll learn her sentence. After a dramatic memo from her defense lawyer and stunning statements in court, the Judge makes a shocking decision.Our Sponsors:Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAXJune's Journey Download June's Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:Sherri's 2020 interrogation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7idBeFkj84Sources for this episode:Shasta County Sheriff's OfficeDepartment of Justice / United States District Court: https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/actionnewsnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/e8/ae87fc62-3541-11ed-b4c6-df3e2430d2de/6323a0635f46c.pdf.pdfCredits:Created by: Jessica Devine and Abby SchreiberFollow Abby Schreiber at @abbyschreiber28 and Jessica Devine/CAKE Media at @cakemediastudio on InstagramWritten and hosted by:Abby SchreiberExecutive produced by:Elena MurdockSound design and editing by: Gus HurteauOriginal art by: Keitha McClocklinGraphics by: Katherine Deck

After years go by with little news about Sherri's case, law enforcement makes a huge breakthrough that blows everything wide open. When DNA from the clothing Sherri was wearing in captivity shows that it belonged to an unknown male, the police use some of the same methods used to crack cold cases like the “Golden State Killer” and ultimately trace the sample to Sherri Papini's ex-boyfriend. After authorities interview the Ex, they learn a stunning revelation: Sherri's kidnapping was all made up…Our Sponsors:Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAXJune's Journey Download June's Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:Good Morning America interview with Sheriff Michael Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxa0wkOCEj03:25-3:42 and 3:59-4:37Sound bite from Sherri's lawyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt8wnIP7RfM0:54-1:02Sources for this episode:Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2020/06/30/genetic-genealogy-golden-state-killer/?sh=487192cc5a6dDepartment of Justice / United States District Court: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/press-release/file/1479901/downloadGood Morning America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxa0wkOCEj0Credits:Created by: Jessica Devine and Abby SchreiberFollow Abby Schreiber at @abbyschreiber28 and Jessica Devine/CAKE Media at @cakemediastudio on InstagramWritten and hosted by:Abby SchreiberExecutive produced by:Elena MurdockSound design and editing by: Gus HurteauOriginal art by: Keitha McClocklinGraphics by: Katherine Deck

As investigators continue to look into Sherri's case, new details emerge about her life before she went missing. Her past includes a first husband, problems with her parents over the years, and a shocking rumor that she once posted on a white supremacist message board. With this new information, will investigators be able to track down her captors? Or will they conclude that the whole thing was made up? Our Sponsors:Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAXJune's Journey Download June's Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:Inside Edition interview with Sherri's ex-boyfriend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0gjVZRtKBU00:06-00:16, 00:41-00:57, and 1:01-02:35Sources for this episode:People Magazine: https://people.com/crime/sherri-papini-missing-racist-letter-online/Department of Justice / United States District Court: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/press-release/file/1479901/downloadThe Sacramento Bee: ​​https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article141599034.htmlCity of Redding: https://www.cityofredding.org/about-us/living-in-reddingTIME https://time.com/6729/10-cities-where-violent-crime-is-soaring/Courier-Journal: https://www.courier-journal.com/in-depth/news/crime/2021/12/17/mexican-drug-cartels-move-in-on-californias-shadow-marijuana-industry/6036056001/Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3980270/Sheriff-s-office-investigating-bizarre-blog-spewing-hatred-against-Latinos-purportedly-written-kidnapped-mom-two-Sherri-Papini-ex-husband-says-malicious-prank-isn-t-racist.htmlInside Edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0gjVZRtKBUABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-super-mom-sherri-papini-told-police-daughter/story?id=46477176The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-long-american-history-of-missing-white-woman-syndromeNew York Post: https://nypost.com/2020/11/18/convicted-killer-susan-smith-could-be-free-in-2024/Credits:Created by: Jessica Devine and Abby SchreiberWritten and hosted by:Abby SchreiberExecutive produced by:Elena MurdockSound design and editing by: Gus HurteauOriginal art by: Keitha McClocklinGraphics by: Katherine Deck

After Sherri is unexpectedly found on the side of the road, her family is overjoyed by her return. But their happiness quickly turns to horror when they see what's happened to her: she's apparently been burned, beaten up, and branded. After law enforcement interviews Sherri about her ordeal, new—and surprising—details emerge about her alleged abductors and her time in captivity.  Our Sponsors:Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAXJune's Journey Download June's Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:Dispatcher call (via ABC News): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrctetjw2g&t=118s4:01-4:10Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUMv_KoXow 07:52-08:00Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_uUk-AZ5E3:44-4:01Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Yl9rMbUEo00:35-00:57 and 2:15-3:27Anonymous donor interview with Chris Hansen and Crime Watch Daily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVNmPJycI804:31-04:42 and 05:30-05:34Sources for this episode:The Sacramento Bee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVNmPJycI8ABC News/Good Morning America: https://abcnews.go.com/US/gma-exclusive-husband-sherri-papini-speaks-familys-ordeal/story?id=43840659Yahoo: https://au.news.yahoo.com/she-lived-through-hell-sherri-papini-skips-town-with-family-after-alleged-abduction-33429788.htmlDetroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/10/25/sherri-papini-abduction-california/799533001/ABC 7 Chicago: https://abc7chicago.com/sherri-papini-branded-keith-what-happened-to/1630521/People: https://people.com/crime/sherri-papini-abduction-mystery-man-michigan/Credits:Created by: Jessica Devine and Abby SchreiberWritten and hosted by:Abby SchreiberExecutive produced by:Elena MurdockSound design and editing by: Gus HurteauOriginal art by: Keitha McClocklinGraphics by: Katherine Deck

On November 2, 2016, Sherri Papini, a young mother of two kids in Redding, California, went out for a jog…and vanished. As law enforcement begin to hunt for clues, her worried husband shares the story of her disappearance with the media, prompting a mysterious anonymous donor to come forward and offer a “reverse ransom” in an effort to get Sherri released. The donor taps a self-described “abduction expert” to negotiate with Sherri's alleged captors as days tick by and the case heats up. But, just as things look bleak, a major new twist develops three weeks after Sherri first went missing…Our Sponsors:Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAXJune's Journey - Download the app today and play for free!Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:1. Keith Papini's 911 call: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/25/sherri-papini-abduction-911-audio-sketches-released/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1656435630625589&usg=AOvVaw2clzQ5d-fBYTdyKwV57WPs0:00-01:132. Sheila Koester and Suzanne Papini interview with Redding Record Searchlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8QBYrb3gN401:24-01:49 and 02:58-03:153. Keith Papini interview with KRCR-TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym3ruN0ClDU0:09-0:194. Anonymous donor interview with Chris Hansen and Crime Watch Daily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUMv_KoXow04:31-04:42 and 05:30-05:345. Dispatcher call (via ABC News): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrctetjw2g&t=118s4:01-4:106. Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUMv_KoXow07:52-08:00Sources for this episode:1. Redding Record Searchlight: https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2022/03/03/sherri-papini-kidnapping-timeline-arrest/9368973002/https://archive.redding.com/news/crime/Sheriff-Sherri-Papinis-husband-passes-lie-detector-test-400619061.html/2. The Sacramento Bee: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article113409723.html3. The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-shady-hostage-negotiator-at-the-center-of-sherri-papinis-abduction4. Mercury News: https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/25/sherri-papini-abduction-911-audio-sketches-releasedCredits:Created by: Jessica Devine and Abby SchreiberWritten and hosted by:Abby SchreiberExecutive produced by:Elena MurdockSound design and editing by: Gus Hurteau with additional help from Jacob Stein and Jason Rabinowitz at The Pop Ups StudiosOriginal art by: Keitha McClocklinGraphics by: Katherine Deck