Elizabethton, Tennessee – A high school sociology and history teacher, Alex Campbell, took an innovative approach in his classroom in the Spring of 2018. He tasked his students with trying to solve a series of cold case slayings in hopes of identifying a suspect and spreading awareness. Little did he know that this educational project would lead to the creation of a true crime podcast six years later.
What started as an academic exercise turned into a real-life investigation that resulted in a 10-episode podcast called Murder 101. In this podcast, the students reveal how they conducted their investigation and obtained evidence. The case, dubbed the Redhead Murders, involved a series of killings of redheaded, white women whose bodies were found abandoned along major highways in the South.
Campbell’s class worked tirelessly to connect the dots and discovered a potential link between six of the victims, leading them to identify a suspect they called the “Bible Belt Strangler.” The students not only identified the victims but also built an empathetic connection to them, referring to the victims as their “six sisters.”
The dedication and maturity displayed by the students impressed Campbell, who has been an educator for 23 years. With the guidance of former FBI behavioral analyst, Scott Barker, the students learned to analyze the timeframe, geography, modus operandi, and signature of the crimes.
Their efforts led to the identification of a potential suspect, Jerry Johns, who had been previously convicted of strangling a prostitute in 1985. The late-trucker was later announced as a suspect by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
The work of these students has not only fascinated the community but has also caught the attention of law enforcement. The TBI is now investigating whether Johns can be tied to other Redhead Murders. Although Campbell’s class is not currently working on the case, he firmly believes that their efforts may eventually lead to justice for the victims.