Episode 5: Sherri’s Sentencing
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.
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Episode 4: The Unraveling
HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story
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…
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Episode 3: Who Is Sherri Papini?
HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story
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?
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Episode 2: A Supermom Returns
HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story
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.
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A Supermom Disappears
HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story
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, jus
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HOAX Trailer
HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story
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...
info_outlineAfter 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…
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Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:
- Good Morning America interview with Sheriff Michael Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxa0wkOCEj0
3:25-3:42 and 3:59-4:37
- Sound bite from Sherri’s lawyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt8wnIP7RfM
0:54-1:02
Sources for this episode:
- Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2020/06/30/genetic-genealogy-golden-state-killer/?sh=487192cc5a6d
- Department of Justice / United States District Court: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/press-release/file/1479901/download
- Good Morning America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxa0wkOCEj0
Credits:
Created by:
Jessica Devine and Abby Schreiber
Follow Abby Schreiber at @abbyschreiber28 and Jessica Devine/CAKE Media at @cakemediastudio on Instagram
Written and hosted by:
Executive produced by:
Elena Murdock
Sound design and editing by:
Original art by:
Graphics by: