Unfortunately, crime happens in all areas of life. Our armed forces are certainly not immune. True-crime enthusiast, active-military professional, and young mom who goes by the alias of “Margot” gives us a glimpse into those transgressions with the Military Murder podcast.
Some may ask why someone who is on active duty would produce a podcast about true crime within our armed forces. “Everyone thinks I am a disgruntled military member, and that is so far from the truth,” mentioned Margot. “In fact, I love serving in the military. To me, it’s an honor to wake up every morning and serve my country.”
Margot has done so for over a decade. She has also been deployed to Afghanistan, and her husband is active duty, as well. So, she is certainly qualified to cover true crime in the military.
But why take the time to produce a quality podcast on military murder? “I saw a real need in the true-crime space for military members’ and veterans’ voices to be heard,” Margot answered. “I know how ‘secret-squirrely’ everything seems,” she said, referring to those civilians who assume the active cover-ups of crimes within the military.
(Side note: I am definitely stealing “secret-squirrely” as an adjective.)
“What a lot of people don’t know is that military court-martials are open to the public,” Margot pointed out while detailing how the military isn’t as secretive as people may think.
“I wanted to break the silence on military true-crime cases that affect everyone,” Margot said, referring back to her motivation for creating the podcast. “Those cases don’t just affect the military. A lot of the victims are civilians.”
“I also wanted to highlight some issues that affect the military community,” Margot continued. “Those like post-traumatic-stress disorder, domestic violence, depression, and marital issues. My #1 True-Crime-Army Rule is ‘Divorce is better than murder.’”
“I saw a problem that military crimes weren’t getting the airtime they deserved, so I fixed it,” laughed Margot. “What I do is piece a story together from the beginning to the end, so [my listeners] know exactly what happened. A lot of people say, ‘People get away with murder in the military.’”
Margot is here to adamantly detail that that isn’t always the case.
It’s very clear that Margot takes her role as the host and producer of Military Murder seriously. She even took time from her vacation to produce a special episode covering the missing-person case of Elder Fernandez. This was Episode 41, which went live on August 24, less than seven days after Elder went missing.
Going back to the fact that our host uses an alias, I asked if there were people close to her who were upset that she, in essence, shines a light on some of the military’s dark corners.
“I consider myself somewhat of a historian,” Margot reflected. “We need to know our history so we can prevent some of the tragedies from happening again. Shockingly, I don’t get a lot of flack from the military or people who know me.”
She continued to explain that once people listen to at least one show, they realize it’s about highlighting the case—not about uncovering anything in the military. Some people who were skeptical at first often end up coming to her later to say, “Let me tell you about another case.”
“I don’t hide that I do this. My chain of command knows. My entire family knows. This is not a secret,” added Margot. “At the end of the day, I am only telling the truth as I know it.” She continued that her family and superiors have never dissuaded her and have only encouraged.
I had to ask, as I often do, which has been the most disturbing case she’s covered so far. Ironically, her answer pointed to one of the most recent episodes: #42 Fetal Abduction Near Kirtland AFB. This was one that was actually recommended to her by her listeners, and it went live on September 20, shortly after our conversation.
“When listeners recommend cases, I do a quick Google search to determine if it is viable,” Margot detailed. “When I searched ‘Cindy Ray,’ I thought no… this isn’t real!”
Sadly, it is. On July 23, 1987, Cindy Ray, a 23-year old Air Force wife had a well-baby appointment. Her toddler was with the babysitter. Her husband, Sam Ray, was doing his normal duty in security forces. Cindy was scheduled to pick up her husband from work due to the fact that they only had one family car. But Cindy called to say she was running late. When Sam went to look for Cindy at the clinic, Cindy had seemingly vanished. I won’t give up the details here, but as someone who has watched and listened to A LOT of true crime, I can honestly say this is one of the top ten most disturbing cases to me.
“When I heard about this case, I don’t know if it’s the fact that I am a mother, or the fact that this was an 18-year old committing a crime against a 23-year old, or just the insanity of the whole thing that was the most disturbing for me,” Margot admitted.
This episode was, in essence, about a civilian on civilian crime, proving that true crime is true crime regardless of where, why, or how it happens. As Margot mentions during the openings of her show, you do not have to be in the military or in a military family to enjoy Military Murder.
If you are a true-crime fan and are looking for a quality podcast in the category that may not show up on those top-ten lists just yet, Military Murder may very well be a nice addition to your list of favorites. And if you are in the military, all the more reason to listen in, as Margot continues to bring attention to cases and issues that need to be highlighted within our armed forces.
