In 1930s Chicago, Lloyd Brenna is arrested for burglary and sent to prison, where parole hearings reveal a young man who is both highly intelligent and deeply unpredictable. Given a rare second chance with a job and housing, he quickly violates parole, returns to theft, and lands back behind bars. As Lloyd moves between incarceration and opportunity, his brother Wallace Brenna is arrested and imprisoned for crimes of his own, while a boy named Harold Pieper grows up, unaware their paths will one day cross.

The Bagpiper and His Brother is written and produced by James Wolner, with additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hanson.

Archival audio sourced from the Library of Congress, identified as public domain.

Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lloyd and Wallace Brenna are two Midwestern brothers whose outwardly ordinary lives conceal a long pattern of troubling behavior. From rural North Dakota beginnings to a 1971 bombing in South Dakota, the story moves through wiretapping, theft, and an attempted assassination. Built from years of research and original reporting, the series follows the Brennas while, in parallel, the life of the victim unfolds, carrying a quiet, growing sense of dread toward an unsettling end. A serious story, with moments of dark humor along the way.

A special thanks to Mike Wald and Derrik Dyka for their contributions to this episode. Looking for hockey pickup games, leagues, tournaments, and clinics? https://HockeyFinder.com

The Bagpiper and His Brother is written and produced by James Wolner, with additional research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hanson.

Archival audio sourced from the Library of Congress, identified as public domain.

Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bagpiper and His Brother traces two Midwestern brothers whose outwardly ordinary lives conceal a long pattern of troubling behavior. From rural North Dakota beginnings to a 1971 bombing in South Dakota, the story moves through wiretapping, theft, and an attempted assassination. Built from years of research and original reporting, the series follows the Brenna brothers while, in parallel, the life of the victim unfolds, carrying a quiet, growing sense of dread toward an unsettling end. It’s a serious story, with moments of dark humor along the way.

Binge the full season of The Bagpiper and His Brother ad-free with Spotlight PLUS. Sign up on the Dakota Spotlight show page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, on Patreon, or at https://DakotaSpotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James is joined by Dakota Spotlight researcher Mari Zoerb Hansen for a conversation with investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd about the making of Valley of Shadows, their deep dive into the disappearance of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Aujay. It’s a discussion about reporting, persistence, and what happens when a case refuses to stay buried. Following the interview, you’ll hear Episode 1 of the series.

Listen to Valley of Shadows: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/valley-of-shadows

About Valley of Shadows: How the search for a missing deputy uncovered the Mojave Desert's meth epidemic, the outlaw bikers supplying it, and the corrupt police force covering it up.

On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park. A long-distance runner and former military, Aujay felt at home in the rocky terrain, but when he didn’t return home by nightfall, his wife reported him missing. Nearly 30 years later, Aujay has yet to be found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened.

Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true… that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up.

Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd dig into what the sheriff’s department has kept hidden all these years.

Told over 8 episodes, Valley of Shadows follows the hairpin turns of the Aujay case, and breaks new ground in the search to uncover what really happened to the missing deputy.

Episode 1: The Devil's Punchbowl: Deputy Jon Aujay is former military, an ultramarathon runner, and a part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s elite SWAT unit, so when he fails to return home from a run in Antelope Valley’s Devil’s Punchbowl…no one knows what to think. The sheriff’s department launches a widespread search for him, but finds no trace. Theories of accident, suicide, and desertion swirl, but Aujay’s former boss — retired CaptainMike Bauer — is convinced there’s something darker at play.

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James sits down with award-winning filmmaker and host of Someone Knows Something, David Ridgen. We talk about his approach to storytelling, how he works with families, and what it really means to stay with a case over time. We also get into his latest investigation, the disappearance of Jaclyn Ferland-Smith, and how a simple trip to Costa Rica turned into something much more. Following our conversation, you’ll hear Episode 1 of the Jaclyn Ferland-Smith investigation from Someone Knows Something.

Jaclyn Ferland-Smith moved to Playa del Coco with her husband Sebastien to find and build a new life. But then Jackie disappears, with no trace found. Jackie's family, with David's help, begins the process of picking up the pieces. More episodes of of Someone Knows Something are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/SKS10xDSP

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Years pass, and the case remains. In this final episode, we hear from people still connected to that night, to the investigation, and to what followed. They reflect on what has changed, what has not, and the question that still lingers at the center of it all, who killed Joel Lovelien.

Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo.

If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000.

This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023.

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside the courtroom, the story is told again, through testimony, through argument, through the structure of a trial. And when it is all over, the jury returns a verdict, not guilty. A moment that resolves one question, and leaves others behind.

Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo.

If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000.

This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023.

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here, we look at the case as it was built. What investigators believed, what prosecutors brought forward, the evidence piece by piece. And the questions that come with it, not just what it shows, but what it cannot fully explain.

Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo.

If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000.

This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023.

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before all of this, there was Joel. In this episode, we step away from the investigation and spend time with the people who knew him. The stories are simple, but they stay with you, offering a picture of who he was and a quiet reminder of what was lost.

Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo.

If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000.

This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023.

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now the focus turns to Travis Stay, who was there that night, moving through the same space and crossing paths with the same people. As investigators begin to build a timeline, his name comes into sharper view. It leads from those early questions toward something more defined, and eventually, toward arrest.

Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo.

If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000.

This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023.

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the hours after Joel is found, the story begins to shift and scatter. Witnesses recall different things, a clown, a cowboy, a hunter, a lion, people arriving and leaving, a party bus pulling in and out. Detectives are left to sort through fragments of a night that feels crowded, blurred, and just out of reach.

Music by HandTurner and Wowza in Kalamazoo.

If you have information about Joel Lovelien’s murder, you can submit a tip through the tip411 app, or contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-787-8000.

This episode is part of a rebroadcast of Season 8, Unresolved: The Murder of Joel Lovelien, originally released in 2023.

Explore the full catalog: https://DakotaSpotlight.com

Listen early and ad-free with Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cw/DakotaSpotlight

Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter

Have information about a case or want to get in touch? Email: [email protected]

Join the Dakota Spotlight community on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight

Watch Dakota Spotlight on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dakotaspotlightpodcast4800

To advertise on Dakota Spotlight, contact [email protected]

Dakota Spotlight is produced by Six Horse Media: [email protected]

All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and sound design, is the property of Six Horse Media. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. For permissions, contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices