Small Town Big Crime cover art

Small Town Big Crime

By: Rachel Ryan Jaclyn Piermarini Courteney Stuart
  • Summary

  • A beloved couple brutally murdered in their home. Their daughter's boyfriend, Jens Soering, confessed to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. But decades later, DNA evidence tells a different story. So who really killed Derek and Nancy Haysom and why?
    © 2024 Small Town Big Crime
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Episodes
  • Introducing Small Town Big Crime
    Nov 18 2019

    In 1985 Derek and Nancy Haysom were brutally murdered in Bedford County, Virginia. Their daughter Elizabeth, a University of Virginia student, and her then-boyfriend, Jens Soering, the son of a German diplomat who was also attending UVA, were convicted of the crime in 1990 after the pair were apprehended in Europe and Soering confessed. He recanted almost immediately and insists he offered a false confession to protect Elizabeth. More recently tested DNA evidence supports his claim of innocence. It suggests two unidentified males were present at the crime scene.  Despite international pressure, Bedford officials refuse to reopen the case. Now three investigative journalists are sifting through the evidence and tracking down the key players in an effort to find the truth about who really killed Derek and Nancy Haysom. 


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    2 mins
  • Free at Last
    Nov 28 2019

    The announcement this week that Jens Soering and Elizabeth Haysom had been granted parole after spending 33 years in prison sent shockwaves across the world and surprised even Soering's staunchest supporters. This bonus episode features the phone call where Jason Flom and Amanda Knox learned of Soering's release, and reaction from a local sheriff who says he still firmly believes the murder investigation of Derek and Nancy Haysom should be reopened.

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    4 mins
  • The Crime Scene
    Dec 17 2019

    It was the bloodiest crime scene investigators in Bedford County had ever seen. Derek and Nancy Haysom were stabbed more than thirty times in their own home. There was plenty of forensic evidence to collect, but detectives had few leads. After months of dead ends in the investigation, the couples' youngest daughter, Elizabeth, aroused suspicions with her strange behavior. When detectives started questioning her and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, the young lovers fled the country.

    To support the investigative efforts of Small Town Big Crime, please visit https://www.patreon.com/SmallTownBigCrime

    Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
    Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini
    Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas

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    21 mins

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