On May 8, 2014, 38 year old Bobbie Jean Blacka was found unresponsive in an apartment located in Keyser West Virginia. Bobbie Jean was pronounced dead at the scene. Within several hours, it was determined she likely died of a heroin drug overdose. Another overdose in a state that was seeing more overdoses than just about anywhere else.
Was this “just another overdose” as we callously say these days?
Maybe not. Listen to then-officer Bobby McKone describe an investigation that occurred after he responded and his experience and intuition told him “something is just not right”; like so many investigators discover.
This mini-series is not only a commemoration of Bobbie Jean Blacka, a young woman battling addiction like so many other people, who lost her life and the opportunity to recover; it is a deep conversation about opiate addiction from the side of law enforcement, a snap-shot in 2014, in a state plagued with some of the highest mortality rates due to overdoses.
You will also hear how these complex investigations are handled in smaller police departments, where specialization does not exists. This is where the detective’s heart and hunger are the driving force behind justice for crime victims. This is the real world for many police officers in the United States and for that matter, around the world.
As a Murder Police Podcast mini-series, each of the 4 episodes will publish weekly, instead of the every-other-Tuesday schedule. Here are the dates. Make sure you have subscribed to The Murder Police Podcast and set your player to automatically download new episodes so you get them right away.
The Murder of Bobbie Jean Blacka | Mini-Series | Part 1 of 4 | Published: March 23, 2021
The Murder of Bobbie Jean Blacka | Mini-Series | Part 2 of 4 | Published: March 30, 2021
The Murder of Bobbie Jean Blacka | Mini-Series | Part 3 of 4 | Published: April 6, 2021
The Murder of Bobbie Jean Blacka | Mini-Series | Part 4 of 4 | Published: April 13, 2021
Press release post incident: https://wvmetronews.com/2014/06/23/four-charged-in-keyser-heroin-overdose-murder/
Press Release Indictment: https://www.times-news.com/news/locals-indicted-for-felony-murder-in-heroin-overdose-death/article_cd0d2116-33bb-11e4-8405-0019bb2963f4.html
Press Release Conviction: https://www.times-news.com/news/keyser-residents-plead-guilty-in-heroin-overdose-death-case/article_37863930-a70f-11e4-b662-8f8890be24e9.html
Your Presenter: Bobby McKone
Robert “Bobby” McKone has over 14 years of law-enforcement experience, having served as a Correctional Deputy, Sworn Patrol Corporal, and Lead Detective. Bobby has specialized training and experience in: narcotics, criminal gangs, criminal intelligence, money laundering, human trafficking, fraud, and terroristic financing.
Bobby holds a degree with academic honors in Criminal Justice and has attained the following professional achievements:
Advanced Law-Enforcement Certificate through the North Carolina Department of Justice
School Safety Advocacy Council – School Violence Prevention Award
FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award
Criminal Gang Specialist Certification -North Carolina Gang Investigator’s Association
Graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Law-Enforcement Instructor School