7. Immunity Granted

[00:00:19] Hello and welcome to Murder Link. This is episode 7 and we are so glad to have you with us. Hello Dad, welcome to the podcast.

[00:00:30] Hello, it's so good to be back for this next episode.

[00:00:34] And Dad, this one's a little bit bittersweet because it's actually our last episode that we're releasing this year. So today is Friday the 13th of December 2024.

[00:00:46] This episode is going to go out on the 19th and then we are actually taking a two-week holiday.

[00:00:52] So the next time that you'll hear from us will be January 9th. Are you going to miss the podcast, Dad?

[00:00:59] Yes, I am, but I have a feeling we will be working on it some anyway.

[00:01:03] Oh yeah, we've got lots of stories that require a bit more research.

[00:01:07] So we're actually taking this time to make the most of it.

[00:01:11] Although Dad, I am hoping for a bit of a break. A non-laptop Christmas is all I want for Christmas.

[00:01:17] So you're going to have to bear with me there.

[00:01:20] Simple enough. I think we can.

[00:01:23] So right, last week we released our video episode. If you haven't seen it, please do.

[00:01:29] I say last week, but it was actually yesterday. It came out on the 12th.

[00:01:32] And it's our first live episode with a guest sharing their murder link. Check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, wherever you catch your podcasts.

[00:01:42] You'll be able to click a link at the top to go to the video in YouTube if you want to see us in person.

[00:01:49] It was a great experience. We got to record at a podcast studio in London that I'm pretty sure is called the Podcast Shop Online.

[00:01:58] We had a great team of people around us. It was a wonderful day and it's really just good to have that out in the world.

[00:02:05] Yes, it was. I had such a great time in England and always do.

[00:02:10] Oh, well, we're missing you, Dad and you, Mom, if you're listening.

[00:02:14] And so, yeah, it was great to see you before Christmas.

[00:02:16] And let's go ahead and get into our last episode of 2024.

[00:02:22] So, Dad, last week, as I said, we had a different type of episode with Claire coming on and sharing her murder link.

[00:02:29] But this week we're back with you for one of your personal stories.

[00:02:33] So would you like to take it from here?

[00:02:36] Yes, I would.

[00:02:37] So, this week's story is one I want to talk about.

[00:02:43] It begins when I was a teenager.

[00:02:45] I lived in a chaotic world of dysfunction.

[00:02:48] It was a family of alcoholism, heroin use.

[00:02:52] All sorts of crime was all around me.

[00:02:55] So it's no surprise that at the age of 15, I was arrested after committing a crime with my older brother, Randy.

[00:03:02] Randy was 25 and at that time had already served three and a half years for heroin sales.

[00:03:09] Randy, myself and three other individuals went to rob some weed dealers.

[00:03:14] I had never committed any crime like this before.

[00:03:19] It all ended when the homeowners started chasing our getaway car, which rolled three times down a ravine.

[00:03:26] The five of us escaped unharmed, but four were arrested later, including myself.

[00:03:33] Randy, my brother, escaped.

[00:03:35] The police did not know where he lived, and so he was able to go on the run for two years.

[00:03:40] And he was never charged.

[00:03:43] Myself, I was eventually sentenced to a juvenile facility.

[00:03:47] So during my time in juvenile, I mostly kept to myself, you know, spending time reading.

[00:03:53] It was not a situation you would think of in the movies.

[00:03:57] But back then, you actually wore your own clothes.

[00:03:59] You were taught skills like woodworking, how to work on cars.

[00:04:04] Everything was geared to you getting out.

[00:04:06] You were also referred to as students, and you stayed at a cottage.

[00:04:11] You weren't in prison cells.

[00:04:14] Something that stood out to me back then was how many of the other students could not write or didn't even want to learn how to.

[00:04:24] They'd ask me to write letters for them, and I would agree, even though I did not know the people that I was writing the letters to.

[00:04:33] Looking back, it's real strange to think that you're helping these individuals.

[00:04:39] They're dictating letters to you.

[00:04:42] You're writing them in your own handwriting, and then they're sending them to girlfriends and family members as if it's them writing the actual letter.

[00:04:52] Also, it's really strange to think of that two of the people I helped write letters for would later commit separate murders.

[00:05:00] This is one of those stories, and this is the story of the murder of Julie Love.

[00:05:08] So, Dad, just before we talk about Julie Love, can I just ask, is it like they would tell you exactly what to say and you would just write it out verbatim?

[00:05:18] Yes, and you know, I would help them along some if they were saying something that didn't quite sound right.

[00:05:23] So, I mean, I can remember these guys having me write letters to girls that they didn't even hardly know, you know, that they met through someone else.

[00:05:32] So, they're trying to impress them with their cursive handwriting.

[00:05:37] It was sad too at the same time though, to know that they couldn't write.

[00:05:41] No one had ever taught them, you know, which meant they couldn't read also.

[00:05:45] Would you get the letters back and would you read them to them?

[00:05:49] When letters would come from their girlfriends?

[00:05:52] Yes, I would read letters to them from their girlfriends and family members.

[00:05:58] Wow, I'm just picturing it because I bet you had to read and write things that, you know, just didn't sound like you were quite peculiar.

[00:06:04] People of all different cultures, backgrounds, different ways of romancing people.

[00:06:08] I bet there were some uncomfortable moments.

[00:06:10] Not that you need to divulge them here, but yeah, just knowing you as I do, it sounds like a strange pastime.

[00:06:16] Yes, it was.

[00:06:17] Once again, what really I couldn't understand or couldn't comprehend was here you are doing time.

[00:06:23] Why aren't you learning how to read and write?

[00:06:26] And it's like they had no interest whatsoever in learning.

[00:06:30] So anyway.

[00:06:31] Right.

[00:06:32] Okay.

[00:06:32] Back to the story.

[00:06:33] So this is the story of Julie Love.

[00:06:53] This story takes place in the Atlanta area.

[00:06:56] Julie Love was last seen by her fiance, Mark Kaplan, on the morning of July 11th, 1988.

[00:07:03] Later that evening, she didn't return home, which really concerned him.

[00:07:07] He kept leaving messages for her over the next few days, but she never responded.

[00:07:13] Her family knew that she had attended a regularly scheduled meeting as she did every week.

[00:07:18] But after that, her whereabouts were just unknown.

[00:07:22] Her abandoned car was eventually found out of gas, which that alone sparked a formal investigation.

[00:07:29] Once again, it was like she had just vanished with very few leads.

[00:07:34] So the family refused to let her case go.

[00:07:38] They actually kicked it into high gear.

[00:07:41] They organized rallies, put up billboards, gave interviews.

[00:07:45] They distributed flyers across Atlanta.

[00:07:48] They all said, have you seen Julie Love?

[00:07:51] I remember this very well.

[00:07:53] The family's efforts brought in hundreds of tips, including claims from psychics.

[00:07:59] But the case remained unsolved until an unexpected tip from a lady by the name of Janice Weldon.

[00:08:07] She was a stripper in an Atlanta lounge.

[00:08:11] Weldon reported that her boyfriend, Emmanuel Fitzgerald Hammond, had tried to choke her.

[00:08:18] Once Hammond was arrested, it was then Weldon confessed to police that Hammond and his cousin,

[00:08:24] Maurice Porter, were responsible for Julie Love's murder.

[00:08:27] Hammond was one of the people I had wrote letters for when I was in juvenile.

[00:08:34] And so, Dad, do you remember him quite well?

[00:08:37] Oh, yes.

[00:08:38] I remember him very well.

[00:08:40] I mean, I didn't associate with him.

[00:08:43] I was in my own world, mainly reading.

[00:08:47] But, you know, there was just very few people.

[00:08:49] It was really, you hung around people on your intelligence level.

[00:08:53] And that's literally how it was there.

[00:08:55] So I didn't really know him personally.

[00:08:58] But, yeah, I knew him quite well.

[00:09:00] He had a certain look to him.

[00:09:02] His eyes have a very unique look.

[00:09:05] And did he seem like a nice guy?

[00:09:08] I mean, when you're in juvenile, you know, I mean, everyone's trying to not get in trouble.

[00:09:15] Those sorts of things.

[00:09:16] Yeah.

[00:09:16] As far as that.

[00:09:17] Yeah.

[00:09:18] I mean, from what I could see, yes.

[00:09:21] Right.

[00:09:21] Okay.

[00:09:22] I didn't know what he was in there for.

[00:09:24] I found out later researching this story.

[00:09:28] He was in there for kidnapping, armed robbery.

[00:09:33] It's the same thing here with Julie Love.

[00:09:36] That's what he was in juvenile for.

[00:09:39] Okay.

[00:09:40] Right.

[00:09:40] Interesting.

[00:09:41] Okay.

[00:09:41] So he's one of the people that you had written letters for in juvenile.

[00:09:45] Yes.

[00:09:46] And his girlfriend, Janice Wilden, basically turned him into police because he abused her.

[00:09:56] And then told police that he and his cousin, Morris Porter, were responsible for Julie Love's murder.

[00:10:05] Yes.

[00:10:05] And she was willing to do whatever they needed to catch him.

[00:10:09] She actually wore a wire.

[00:10:11] So, according to Weldon's testimony and Porter's confession, Julie's murder unfolded pretty much as follows.

[00:10:21] Hammond, Porter, and Weldon were driving around in Hammond's maroon Oldsmobile.

[00:10:27] When they spotted Julie walking down Howell Mill Road, I would say it's north of I-20, about four miles, if you're in the Atlanta area.

[00:10:37] Her car had broken down and she was headed home on foot.

[00:10:41] As they passed her, at Hammond's command, Porter pulled the car over and offered Julie a ride.

[00:10:47] She declined.

[00:10:48] And from what they say, she was very aggressive in saying no.

[00:10:52] That's what Weldon told them.

[00:10:54] She started pointing to a house claiming she lived there.

[00:10:57] And she even started walking up the driveway to try to convince them that she lived there.

[00:11:01] But as they went down the road, they watched her as she turned around and came back down the driveway.

[00:11:08] She wasn't aware that they had seen her do this.

[00:11:12] So since it was dark outside, Hammond clicked on his bright headlights to make the car look different and turned the car around.

[00:11:20] This time when they passed Julie, he jumped out of the car with a sawed off shotgun.

[00:11:25] And then he forced her into the car.

[00:11:27] You know she was terrified.

[00:11:30] They drove her to Grove Park Elementary School, where Hammond ordered Porter and Weldon to take Julie's bank and ATM cards and go withdraw some money.

[00:11:40] Julie gave them an incorrect PIN number.

[00:11:44] And the machine was set to retain the cards if an incorrect PIN number was used.

[00:11:49] So when they returned empty handed, Hammond became so angry because they didn't have any money that he began beating her with the shotgun.

[00:12:01] This is all according to Weldon's testimony and Porter's testimony.

[00:12:06] Porter then raped her.

[00:12:09] Julie pleaded for her life telling them she had more cards at her apartment.

[00:12:14] So they all drove to Julie's apartment complex.

[00:12:18] But once they caught sight of a security guard who was at the entrance, Weldon decided she wanted to go home.

[00:12:26] Hammond decided to take Julie back to Grove Park Elementary.

[00:12:30] There Hammond and Porter attempted to strangle her.

[00:12:34] Somehow she was able to break free.

[00:12:36] I don't know if she ran off or what, but they claimed she was able to break free.

[00:12:40] And Hammond regained control of the situation.

[00:12:43] Took Julie to a wooded area off a Grove Park place just a mile or so away from where they were.

[00:12:49] It was known for dumping trash.

[00:12:52] It was there he shot her in the face once, killing her instantly.

[00:12:57] He then hit her body in a pile of trash and covered her with a wooden board.

[00:13:03] Later, Hammond palmed Julie's earrings for $140.

[00:13:09] So dad, it sounds like Weldon left before Julie got murdered.

[00:13:14] But that she knew that Hammond and Porter were one of the last people to be with Julie Love on the night that she disappeared.

[00:13:25] Yes, and you know she had to have known when she got out of the car what they were going to do to her.

[00:13:32] Because they had already raped her.

[00:13:33] Yeah.

[00:13:34] And beat her and robbed her.

[00:13:38] Yeah, it's very interesting.

[00:13:39] We can talk about it later, but I know that she's turned Hammond in for this, but she is involved as well.

[00:13:48] Yeah, and she was involved.

[00:13:51] She agreed to cooperate with law enforcement.

[00:13:53] As I said earlier, she wore a wire and recorded incriminating conversations with Porter, which led to Porter's arrest.

[00:14:01] He confessed and revealed the location of Julie's skeletal remains.

[00:14:07] And of course, this brought closure to her family after a whole year of pain and suffering through this, not knowing where she was.

[00:14:15] So after which Hammond was charged with murder.

[00:14:19] He offered $20,000 to another inmate to kill Weldon because she knew too much.

[00:14:26] The plot failed and Weldon later testified against Hammond in court.

[00:14:32] On January 23rd, 1995, Emmanuel Fitzgerald Hammond went to trial and was found guilty of armed robbery, murder, and kidnapping.

[00:14:44] Two days later, the same jury sentenced him to death for his crimes.

[00:14:49] He was executed by lethal injection on January 25th, 2011.

[00:14:55] Maurice Porter, who turned state's evidence and testified against Hammond, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms and is still incarcerated as of 2024.

[00:15:07] Janice Weldon, the state's star witness, was not charged in the murder of Julie Love.

[00:15:14] Okay, so the elephant in the room is that Janice Weldon was not charged in the murder of Julie Love.

[00:15:23] I agree.

[00:15:25] Some will say she wasn't involved in the murder because she left the scene of the crime beforehand.

[00:15:32] But one would argue that this was a group of people that kind of knew the activities that were going on.

[00:15:39] She was complicit in the robbery or attempted robbery of Julie Love's bank details.

[00:15:46] Or money, I should say.

[00:15:48] So yeah, that must be a difficult one for the family to know that the person that was able to tell the truth and bring closure was somewhat implicated in their daughter's demise.

[00:16:01] Let's don't forget that Miss Weldon was present when Julie was raped.

[00:16:07] Absolutely.

[00:16:08] Absolutely.

[00:16:09] And this confession, I want to call it, to police that Hammond and Porter were behind Julie Love's murder came off the back of Janice Weldon being attacked by her boyfriend, who is Emmanuel Hammond.

[00:16:26] So I think, you know, without knowing the details, we also have to be aware that there must have been some kind of domestic violence going on.

[00:16:35] And I'm not saying that Janice Weldon is guilty.

[00:16:40] The courts clearly didn't think that she was or that she was given immunity in response to her testimony.

[00:16:47] But it's really hard to draw a line on that.

[00:16:50] And I can see how there would be people that are both for and against her punishment based on the fact that she was involved in Julie's disappearance.

[00:17:02] Definitely a hard call.

[00:17:05] I think it's a hard call.

[00:17:06] I think we don't have all the information.

[00:17:08] I also think it happened in a time where mental health and domestic violence and women's rights aren't championed as much as they are today.

[00:17:18] And so.

[00:17:20] I think that there's more to the story.

[00:17:22] I mean, I would hope that if she was not charged, that the state had reason to believe that she was not culpable in this murder.

[00:17:31] But with my experience of the court system, you never know.

[00:17:34] Like it might have just been an exchange for her testimony.

[00:17:38] And that's possibly all they had.

[00:17:39] We don't have any information regarding the circumstantial evidence that they had for Emanuel Hammond on Julie Love.

[00:17:46] And it could be without this testimony that the murder wouldn't have stuck.

[00:17:51] Well, she's the one that actually brought attention to it.

[00:17:54] They may not have ever found the body without her bringing this to the attention of law enforcement.

[00:18:02] Exactly.

[00:18:03] So it's just I mean, I say this about every episode, but it's just a sad case either way.

[00:18:09] When you were talking about it, Dad, one of the things that stuck out to me was that Julie gave them the wrong pen numbers and they weren't able to get the money.

[00:18:17] And at that point, I thought, oh, what if she would have given them the right pen numbers and they were able to get the money?

[00:18:23] But based on the history of Emanuel Hammond, as you know, from the juvenile days, and then also the way that this was carried out and the fact that she was raped by Porter, who's a third party.

[00:18:36] It sounds like there was no good outcome for Julie Love in this situation.

[00:18:42] And she was always going to be abused and hurt in this encounter.

[00:18:50] Yeah, it's an assumption, but it's probably correct.

[00:18:54] I think Julie Love's death was just a senseless tragedy that devastated her family.

[00:19:01] And I know you said that it brought the community together with rallies.

[00:19:04] Her fiance was the one that was first worried about her.

[00:19:07] They had only been engaged for a week.

[00:19:09] She had her whole life ahead of her.

[00:19:11] My understanding was that she was a local preschool teacher, just kind of living her best adult life.

[00:19:18] And her loved ones fought tirelessly to keep her memory alive and to bring her killers to justice.

[00:19:24] Her case remains a chilling reminder of the randomness of violence and the importance of vigilance in seeking justice.

[00:19:31] And before we wrap up, you know, this isn't the first time that we've mentioned Julie Love.

[00:19:35] So, gosh, we've only done seven episodes and it's hard to keep track of them, Dad.

[00:19:41] But in episode five, which is called Appeal Denied.

[00:19:47] I'm very proud of myself right now.

[00:19:48] That was the story of Walter Leroy Moody.

[00:19:52] And if you haven't listened to that, please do.

[00:19:55] I'm not going to give it away.

[00:19:56] But his case implicated Julie Love in a weird way.

[00:20:00] And in her murder, her murder was basically in the spotlight in the news.

[00:20:05] And he used that as part of the crimes that he was committing.

[00:20:08] And so I find it interesting that both of those murder links are through you, Dad.

[00:20:14] Yet they have nothing to do with each other.

[00:20:16] And that both murder cases are also linked to each other.

[00:20:21] Oh, believe me, when I first read this, saw it in the news, because it's been so long, I really can't remember how.

[00:20:26] But I was amazed.

[00:20:28] I could not believe the connection between the two.

[00:20:32] Yeah, so if you haven't already, make sure you check out episode five.

[00:20:35] But most importantly, if you have a murder link, we want to hear it.

[00:20:39] Send us an email at hello at murder link dot com.

[00:20:43] Let us know.

[00:20:43] We've got a few more episodes planned where we're sharing our stories, but we want to start getting the listeners involved as well.

[00:20:50] Make sure that you're following us on Instagram.

[00:20:53] And because we have a video that went out on last week's episode, we now have a YouTube channel.

[00:20:58] I'm very happy with the YouTube banner if you want to go look it up on your TV.

[00:21:01] So, yeah, make sure you check out our social channels.

[00:21:04] We'd love any support that we can get.

[00:21:06] And we're excited to bring you more episodes in 2025.

[00:21:11] Yes, thank you so much.

[00:21:13] And of course, as always, be sure to like, share, subscribe, and please leave a review.

[00:21:21] We're also always looking for people who want to tell their murder link story.

[00:21:27] That's right.

[00:21:28] And so thank you to everyone that's been a part of this project.

[00:21:31] Feels a bit weird.

[00:21:32] It's only December 13th, but this is the last time we're going to be speaking to you this year.

[00:21:36] So I want to give a big thank you to everyone that's listened.

[00:21:39] Everyone that has been in contact, asked a question, shown their support, helped us with the live episode, been involved with like different ideas that we've had both in the Atlanta area and in the UK.

[00:21:50] Me and my dad have pulled this together with the help of our networks.

[00:21:55] And we're just so grateful.

[00:21:57] We love this time that we get to spend together recording these episodes and sharing them with the world.

[00:22:02] It's been such a great project for us to work on, and it wouldn't be possible without everyone out there that's supporting us as well.

[00:22:10] Yes, true.

[00:22:11] And once again, thank you all so much.

[00:22:14] Yes, to the listeners as well, of course.

[00:22:17] Well, dad, this is it.

[00:22:19] This is the last one for 2025 or 2024.

[00:22:22] I'm a year early.

[00:22:24] Merry Christmas, everyone.

[00:22:26] Have a great new year.

[00:22:27] Have I missed anything off that?

[00:22:29] Happy holidays to everybody.

[00:22:31] There we go.

[00:22:32] Happy holidays.

[00:22:33] And yeah, we'll see you on January 9th.

[00:22:36] Take care and speak soon.

[00:22:39] Bye.

[00:22:39] Bye.