Less than 24-hours after Jill Well’s death, the case into her shooting was closed. No one performed an autopsy, no ballistics testing was done and no one conducted formal interviews of the last three people to see her alive, her husband Mike and their 2 young sons.  Investigators seemed to accept without question Mike Wells account of the story, that his 6-year-old son Tanner pulled the trigger. For years, dozens of people have carried a nagging doubt about that story, including 9Wants to Know investigative reporter Kevin Vaughan.

Episode 1: Accident or Murder

An unintelligible start to a 911 call begins the short and incomplete investigation of the death of Jill Wells.  There are very few official records created in the case. A two-page police report. Crime scene photographs. Several recordings, including the only two interviews with the only witnesses to the crime, Mike Wells and his son Tanner, the 6-year-old boy blamed for shooting his own mother. Mike Well’s interview lasted less than a minute. The interview with Tanner took place with the boy on his father’s lap and lasted 1 minute and 31 seconds. But those who responded to the scene say something that wasn’t recorded that day has lingered with them all of these years. Doubt.

Episode 2: Nobody Investigated It

No fingerprints, no ballistics, no autopsy. And now, 9Wants to Know uncovers several life insurance policies, one taken out just before the shooting. Jill Wells sisters have been asking questions about how their sister died for years but they’ve never heard what we are about to tell them. Investigative reporter Kevin Vaughan walks them through the evidence and the back story he’s uncovered that brings into question Mile Well’s theory that 6-year-old Tanner Wells is the one to blame.

Episode 3:  An Exorbitant Amount of Life Insurance

What did investigators really know the day Jill Wells died? Did they know enough to definitively put the blame on a 6-year-old boy? We pull the one box of evidence off the shelf of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s department to see what investigators knew and didn’t know. Then, we put a veteran law enforcement officer on the spot, does he think enough was done to investigate the death of Jill Wells?

Episode 4: He Blew That One

Jill Wells

The three people who accepted Mike Wells account of how his wife Jill died, reflect on the investigation that they left behind 15 years ago. What do they remember about that day? Did they question the story that her son pulled the trigger? Why didn’t they ask more questions? Whose ultimate decision was it to accept that 6-year-old Tanner Wells was to blame?

Episode 5: I'm calling about the Jill Wells case

They say hindsight is always 20/20. But in this case hindsight could mean the difference between an accident and murder.  Years after her death, Jill Well’s sister convinced a new investigator to look into the case. He did all the work investigators didn’t do in 2001. Ballistics. Interviews. And, an autopsy. He was ready to ask his prime suspect “the ultimate question” when the investigation changed forever. What that new investigation uncovered, and what those involved think could still happen to change, who’s to BLAME.

Episode 6: The Ultimate Question

“She was so positive, and that’s why we never knew anything was going wrong”To understand everything that was going on prior to Jill Well’s death her friends say you need to know about who she was and what she talked about in her most intimate moments with friends and family. With her faith playing a more and more important role in her life, those closest to her talk about the chasm forming in a marriage that ended with a gunshot her husband said was fired by the couple’s 6-year-old son.

“She was so positive, and that’s why we never knew anything was going wrong” To understand everything that was going on prior to Jill Well’s death her friends say you need to know about who she was and what she talked about in her most intimate moments with friends and family. With her faith playing a more and more important role in her life, those closest to her talk about the chasm forming in a marriage that ended with a gunshot her husband said was fired by the couple’s 6-year-old son.

Episode 7: For Better or Worse

If Tanner Wells is to believe he didn’t shoot and kill his mother, he needs to wrap his brain around the fact his own father may be to BLAME. We needed to know if what we were uncovering would be damaging to a young man who had already been through so much. We shared everything we’ve learned about the death of Jill Wells with a forensic psychologist. Should Tanner know about a system that failed his mother? Something we try to answer on this episode of BLAME.

Episode 8: No one's Gonna Charge a 6-year-old

Eight Episodes into BLAME and we a hearing a lot of feedback from people connected to the case. We want to hear from you too.  Who should we be interviewing?  Where should we look next? Have we missed something? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page 9Wants to Know or use #BLAMEpodcast.

Thanksgiving Minisode

In every report, every interview about Jill Wells death, her husband said she was prone on the ground, target shooting with her left index finger on the trigger. First responders to the scene say they were shocked to learn that. They’re now talking about what one described as the “Aha” moment. It’s why some of them are now talking about the case at all. Find out why on this episode of BLAME.  Join the discussion  https://www.facebook.com/groups/590724054462662/

In every report, every interview about Jill Wells death, her husband said she was prone on the ground, target shooting with her left index finger on the trigger. First responders to the scene say they were shocked to learn that. They’re now talking about what one described as the “Aha” moment. It’s why some of them are now talking about the case at all. Find out why on this episode of BLAME. Join the discussion <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/590724054462662/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/590724054462662/</a>

Episode 9 The Aha Moment

BLAME is a true-crime, investigative series by 9NEWS in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at 9news.com/blame.Season 2, "BLAME: Lost at Home,"  is a mystery about a man who was found more than a year after he was reported missing, dead in his own home.The first season focuses on the death of Jill Wells. Her son, only 6 years old at the time of her death, was blamed for shooting her.If you have something for us to investigate, email blowthewhistle@9news.com.

I can forgive the terrible sound engineering because the content and delivery is excellent. I appreciate Kevin’s realistic approach to a difficult investigation. At first I thought it was too slow moving, and the I realized this accurately reflects the pace of this type of investigation. I’m not tempted to google the case just to find out what happened. Not through it all yet but I am hoping the outcome helps Tanner and doesn’t further traumatize him.

Very good

This team did the exceptional follow up that Jill Well’s deserved and should have had at the time of her death.  I hope Tanner found some semblance of solace as a result of their efforts.

Excellent follow through.

BLAME is a true-crime, investigative series by 9NEWS in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at <a href="http://9news.com/blame" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">9news.com/blame</a>. Season 2, "BLAME: Lost at Home," is a mystery about a man who was found more than a year after he was reported missing, dead in his own home. The first season focuses on the death of Jill Wells. Her son, only 6 years old at the time of her death, was blamed for shooting her. If you have something for us to investigate, email blowthewhistle@9news.com.

BLAME

Follow Jeremy Jojola along as he first learns about Chuck Frary’s story with a visit to a house in a trendy Denver neighborhood. Jeremy takes us to the corner of W 50th Ave and Tennyson where he finds a home surrounded by overgrown trees and much debris. Inside is where this story begins with a big question: How does a man vanish for a whole year and then end up dead in his own living room?

BLAME: Lost At Home Episode 1 - Chuck’s Home

Two women are bound together by family ties –- and by an attack that made no sense when it happened. It still makes no sense, and yet they’re similarly pulled apart by the fallout they’ve lived with over all these years. For them, that snowy night 35 years ago might as well have been yesterday. Learn more at 9news.com/blame This is a 9NEWS (KUSA) production  9NEWS Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Google+

Two women are bound together by family ties –- and by an attack that made no sense when it happened. It still makes no sense, and yet they’re similarly pulled apart by the fallout they’ve lived with over all these years. For them, that snowy night 35 years ago might as well have been yesterday. Learn more at <a href="https://www.9news.com/blame" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">9news.com/blame</a> This is a 9NEWS (KUSA) production <ul> <li><a href="http://www.9news.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">9NEWS Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/9NEWS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/9newsdenver/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://plus.google.com/+9news/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google+</a></li></ul>

The Fear All These Years | Chapter 1: Haunted

Every neighborhood has that one homeowner who knows what’s happening on the street. Jeremy sits down with Kristi Petersen who lives two doors down from Chuck. She describes what she witnessed through her living room window and talks about her sole encounter with Chuck in her 15 years living next to him.

BLAME: Lost At  Home Episode 2 - The Neighbor Knows

Jeremy tracks down one of Chuck’s sons and learns a little about Chuck’s life and what the family experienced when they first realized their father was missing. Many initial questions are answered by talking with Jeff Frary, but more questions arise. Jeff reveals the confusion they experienced when a mysterious visitor came knocking, claiming Chuck was missing or dead.

BLAME: Lost At Home Episode 3 - Chuck’s Son

So much about life can be revealed by examining death. As macabre and disturbing as autopsy reports can be, they are often loaded with crucial details about a person’s life. After waiting for weeks, Jeremy finally obtains Chuck’s autopsy report. It reveals much about Chuck’s life inside his home. Jeremy also shows the autopsy report to a retired medical examiner who gives interesting insight into what the report really reveals.

BLAME: Lost At Home Episode 4 - The Autopsy Report

Chuck’s children were a bit reluctant to talk about their father, but after some convincing, Jeremy was able to get all four of them together.  They reveal what they did when they first realized Chuck was missing. Who was the stranger that knocked on their door announcing Chuck may be missing or dead? They describe what they saw in his home and also reveal Chuck’s backstory. Did they know he was hoarding? Why didn’t they have a good relationship with their father? Chuck’s kids answer a lot of questions about what they tried to do while questioning how the city handled their father’s case.

BLAME: Lost At Home Episode 5 - Chuck's Kids Reveal So Much

In Colorado, anyone can hold the job of county coroner – you don’t need a medical degree or any special work experience. Just as the family of Jill Wells found out how crucial the coroner can be in a death investigation, so have others in cases around the state – cases initially thought to be accidents or suicides that turned out to be something else.

Episode 10: You Don't Have to be a Doctor to be a Coroner?

It's been three months since we wrapped up an in-depth look at the 2001 shooting death of Jill Wells, a killing her husband blamed on the couple's six-year-old son. Now, there's an update -- one public official saw our reports and took action and another is back at work, trying to answer the lingering question: Was a boy really to blame for his mother's death?

Episode 14: We've Been Waiting A Long Time For This

At the center of the pursuit of the truth about the death of Jill Wells stands her son, Tanner.  He is the only one who knows what he thinks about this pursuit, who knows what he has thought about all these years.  Listen as he shares his thoughts on the effort to answer questions about his mother’s death. And as Dr. Max Wachtel, a forensic psychologist, discusses the fallibility of human memory. Is it possible that what Tanner remembers isn’t exactly what happened?

Episode 12: What We Think Happened Is Almost Never What Happened

The best podcast episodes on parenting. Interviewing experts and talking through common issues surrounding parenting. This topic is filled with important lessons and insights for anyone listening. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

OwlTail

Best Parenting Podcasts

What is this?
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from a carefully curated podcast episode.
Every Monday & Wednesday.

Want a 3rd insight and episode every week? Email me at curation@owltail.com.