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E073: Joseph Miranda
1.3k Plays5 years ago
This week Allison and Maggie bring you something unique and special-- an interview with Adrienne Miranda, whose son was murdered in the summer of 2006. We discuss with her the pain and also the hope she has experienced in her journey dealing with the loss of her son, her (and our) belief in what happened, and what YOU can do to help. Although we will be back next week with our more traditional format, please join us this week for the story of one strong woman’s fight for justice.
Website link where you may sign Adrienne Miranda’s petition and/ or donate to her cause: https://pleasedoyourjob.com/
Website link where you may purchase Adrienne Miranda’s book Scent of My Son: https://www.amazon.com/Scent-My-Son-God-Trust/dp/0692359168
Link to Buzzsprout:
If you would like to start your OWN podcast on Buzzsprout, please consider using our promo code so you can earn a $20 gift card after your second month on a paid plan: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=709643
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Transcript
Starting a Podcast with Buzzsprout
00:00:00
Speaker
Sleuthhounds, have you ever considered creating your own podcast? Have you been inspired by listening to some of your favorites and thought, I'd love to try this out on my own? Whether it's a true crime podcast like ours, a motivational podcast, or maybe one filled with tips and strategies for those interested in the same activities you are,
00:00:19
Speaker
When Maggie and I first decided to start our podcast, we knew absolutely nothing about what podcasting would entail. But when we found that the platform Buzzsprout was one for which we didn't need any special equipment, just a computer microphone, some quiet space, and each other, we knew that this was the way to go. It is intuitive to use, fun to play around with, and so helpful in getting analytical data about our number of downloads to track trends and from where our listeners hail.
00:00:48
Speaker
Best yet, Buzzsprout is affordable, even by our teacher salary standards. Buzzsprout will get your podcasts listed on every major podcasting platform. So, what are you waiting for? Fulfill that dream of yours and start today.
00:01:04
Speaker
If you use our Coffee & Cases referral code, 709-643, linked on Facebook and in our show notes, not only will you help support our show, but you will receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your second month on a paid plan. It's that easy. Podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners. Join over 100,000 podcasters already using Buzzsprout to get their message out to the world.
00:01:31
Speaker
Now it's time for the world to hear what you have to say.
Special Episode Introduction
00:01:36
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, this week we have something a little different and a little special for you.
00:01:42
Speaker
You guys know that our goal on this podcast is to bring light to as many lesser known cases as possible in order to help those families. Once in a while, Mackie and I get a request from the family or friends of a missing or murdered loved one, and we feel called to share their stories.
00:02:03
Speaker
This week is one such case and because we had the privilege of speaking with the mother of the victim at the center of our case this week, we thought what better way to share her journey with you than for you to hear her voice as part of the narrative this week. So this episode is going to sound a little different. Alison will introduce the case. Our guest Adrienne Miranda will introduce her son. We'll talk about the case as normal, but in a shortened form. And then you'll hear Adrienne explain her beliefs about the case as well as her search for justice.
00:02:33
Speaker
Instead of continuing to help her son plan his future career, instead of sharing late night conversations with him, instead of having her sweet boy to share in the joy of birthday celebrations and Christmas traditions, Adrienne Miranda found herself facing a new reality, a life without her son physically by her side.
00:03:00
Speaker
I say physically because he's never, nor will he ever leave her mind, nor her heart. You can and will hear it in her voice. But in the breaks, in the hush, you will also hear the pain and the frustration created by being and feeling beaten down, thinking that justice, something you once believed in with all your heart,
00:03:28
Speaker
is merely a myth to cloak the protection of those not listening to you, not listening to science. Her heart has been broken, but from the ashes
00:03:41
Speaker
has arisen her will, strong as ever, and bold enough to face the task at hand by not letting her voice be silenced, but instead to not stop until it is heard.
Meet the Hosts and Purpose of the Podcast
00:03:56
Speaker
This is the story of Joseph Miranda.
00:04:15
Speaker
Oh.
00:04:35
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases, where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron. We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the case will take those tips to law enforcement so justice and closure can be brought to these families.
00:04:56
Speaker
With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, and to follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast and on TikTok at Coffee and Cases podcast. Because as these families know, conversation helps to keep their missing family member in the public consciousness, helping to keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
Memories of Joseph Miranda
00:05:24
Speaker
And here is his mother, Adrian Miranda, telling us about her precious son, Joseph. I promised my son, I said, Joseph, mommy will be your voice. I will be your voice sweetheart. I said that like in prayer to him. You know what I mean? And, and I will be.
00:05:43
Speaker
I promise my son and I will be. Well, I think the way I wanted to start is just for you to tell us maybe one of your favorite memories of Joseph that just illustrates how you saw him, how others saw him. Okay. All right. Well, uh, Joseph Anthony Miranda is my precious son.
00:06:06
Speaker
And he was born on April 22nd, 1987. And April 22nd happens to be Earth Day.
00:06:15
Speaker
And he loved God's green earth. He truly did. He always did. Even as a little boy, he loved being outdoors, loved nature, the bunnies, the rabbits, the turtles, loved turtles, you know. And just as a child, and Joseph was such a sweet, sweet, loving little boy. He truly was. And he just,
00:06:42
Speaker
Joseph, when he, you know, and even as he grew up and got older and all of that, he always like, he just like sort of attracted people to him. He truly, when he walked into a room, his smile lit up a room and he had a hug, you know, and just kind words and love for everyone. He truly, truly did.
00:07:07
Speaker
And I remember again, as a little boy, he had a box turtle. He loved turtles. And we would sit out front, you know, on the porch and watch the turtle, you know, watch him crawl. He would say, mom, I love how Sammy, you know, comes out and he visits his friends and he has lunch, you know, and he takes his time. I said, yes, he does.
00:07:33
Speaker
He does do that, Joe, and he does. He likes to come out and visit his friends. And, you know, he has his lunch, eats the grass, has his lunch. You know, and he said, and then when he's done, he goes back inside. And I guess he goes back inside and that's where he sleeps and rests and relax. I said, yeah, it is. He said, Mom, do you think he has a television in there?
00:08:01
Speaker
That's so funny. I said, Joseph, mommy thinks he has everything he needs. And he said, so do I, mom. So do I. And I'm just saying, it's like, just out of the mouths of babes. That kindness and innocence that showed itself in Joseph's heart continued. You know, and like I said, he just
00:08:25
Speaker
was always a joy to be around. He truly was. I miss him terribly, and we all do. And he was always smiling. He was always smiling. I don't ever really remember Joseph being angry or mad. I'm not saying he couldn't be disappointed or upset or hurt or whatever. I mean, like all of us,
00:08:52
Speaker
But Joseph was mostly, you know, always like, you know, his class was half full. That's how he was. You know, he just, he lived to the age of 19.
00:09:05
Speaker
He sounds like an amazing person, like just listening to you talk about him. It almost, well, it does bring me to tears because I can just hear how much you love him when you talk about him. I do. I love him with all my heart. I always knew as a young girl, like 10, 12, of course, as a little girl, I liked my baby dolls, but I always knew I wanted to be a mom. I always knew that. You know, he, he just kind of like a heart with feet.
00:09:34
Speaker
He was like all heart. He truly was. He was all heart. Allison and I then asked Miss Miranda about the link between Joseph's love for nature and people and his future career.
Joseph's Passion for Landscaping
00:09:49
Speaker
Where he loved nature so much. He did. That makes sense, I guess, then why, you know, as a landscaping architect. Yeah.
00:09:59
Speaker
Exactly, Alison. Exactly. He did love nature. Born on Earth Day, he did love nature. And I mean, in the summer times, when he got to be 14, 15, 16, he would work at landscaping outlets that were like retail outlets, like there was one across the street from us called Watson's Garden Center. And he got summer jobs there. And he loved it.
00:10:27
Speaker
And he learned about everything. I mean, he learned about the trees, the shrubs, the flowers, the plants. He could name the origin of any, how high they would grow, how wide they would grow, you know, like, you know, what soil they needed to be potted in. He knew everything, everything.
00:10:47
Speaker
Um, so when he worked at outside and limited, I bet that was a huge factor because, um, I know in some of the research I've read and I said he was quickly promoted and I bet it was knowledge that helped him. Absolutely. Yes. And you're exactly correct. You're exactly correct. He knew I had always promoted like, you know, college as a mom, of course it's their decision, but I had always promoted it. Joseph was good at science and all, but he loved landscaping.
00:11:17
Speaker
And so he said, mom, I want to be a landscaping architect. That's what I want to be. And maybe one day have my own company. And he's talking about architects for like big malls and big, big buildings and stuff. You know what I mean? Like big landscaping jobs. But he said, um, but before I go to school, mom, I want to get my hands dirty and know that landscaping is what I want to study. That that's really what I want to study.
00:11:45
Speaker
And I said, OK, OK. And so they he had a good resume and he put his resume out to a couple of different like mid sized landscaping companies we thought they were. And we would see outside unlimited trucks, you know, with their logo around here all the time, all the time. You know, they were popular and and did a lot of jobs throughout the county and the state, you know.
00:12:11
Speaker
And so he went and interviewed and they offered him the job right then. And they basically said, Joseph, you have a lot of experience. So you can choose the commercial side of the company or the residential side. And he said, why choose the commercial side? Because he thought he would learn more. You know, he thought he would know more and learn more. And they said, okay, you got it. So, you know, he joined at an entry level position.
00:12:38
Speaker
But in a matter of months, he was promoted to an assistant foreman. And then in a matter of a few months after that, promoted to a foreman. And he had his own crew. They said, Joe, you're talented. You're a quick study. You know exactly what you're doing. And you've earned this. You're a quick study. You're creative. You're talented.
00:13:05
Speaker
And he was happy about that. I can see a smile right now, like at the doorway coming in. Mom, I was promoted, you know, 12 months ago. I said, that's he learned that Joe, he learned that sweetheart. And, you know, like three months later, he was murdered. Now we want to give a little backstory, Sleuth Hounds, so you can know what information Maggie and I had going into our interview.
The Incident at Outside Unlimited
00:13:35
Speaker
Maggie, the case we're covering this week took place in 2006 in Maryland. 19-year-old Joseph had been working only a little while at Outside Unlimited. And he had a new work assignment for a local school project. It was near the end of the workday. And so he asked a coworker who was driving the bobcat if he could use it. Now, I don't know, are you familiar with like bobcats and like outdoor equipment?
00:14:03
Speaker
Well, that was going to be like the thing I asked. So is this like the smaller thing that like you're in a cage?
00:14:10
Speaker
Like a little cage top thing and it has like a scoop on the front. Right, but they can be quite large. But yeah, so it's got the big scoop so you could carry, you know, lots of dirt at one time and things like that. So Joseph needed to use the Bobcat. And again, it's near the end of the work day.
00:14:34
Speaker
And Joseph went up to the driver and asked if he could borrow it. But the driver said, you know, would you mind if I just made one more pass with a load of dirt first? It's what happened immediately after that friendly conversation that left those who knew Joseph Miranda devastated and how to deal with his tragic death and leaves us hearing the story dumbfounded.
00:15:03
Speaker
But before I get to that, for hours, Maggie, everything was silent. For about seven and a half hours, Joseph's mother had no idea that anything had happened to her child. Like just assumed he had gone to visit friends after work or to shoot pool. Right, because like his typical work day ended
00:15:30
Speaker
Like I'm assuming if you're working outside would end about the time that it gets like daylight daylight goes away gets dark. Well, it actually ended a little bit before like somewhere around 330 to 430 would be the end of the work day.
00:15:47
Speaker
And remember, this is right near the end of the workday that Joseph is asking to use the bobcat. And it wasn't until that evening when his mom got home and Joseph wasn't there that, you know, again, she's like, oh, maybe, maybe he went out with friends. Maybe he went to shoot pool. And it wasn't until 11 o'clock that night that she heard any different.
Conflicting Accounts of Joseph's Death
00:16:11
Speaker
Well, that's heartbreaking, just spending the whole day like,
00:16:15
Speaker
You know, expecting your kid to walk through the door at any moment. And then you realize that that's not going to happen. Yeah. That silence to me is gut wrenching.
00:16:26
Speaker
The days after Joseph's death were filled with interviews, phone calls, investigation. But as reported in an article with NBC News by Veronica Fulton, those interviews led to conflicting information about what actually happened on that hot July day around 3.30 in the afternoon. So I'm gonna tell you about some of the conflict.
00:16:54
Speaker
And Officer Peach told Dateline that Joseph had jumped on the bobcat, like on the tracks on the side of the bobcat, while the driver, Antonio Rubio, was still using it. This was the story that was told to this Officer Peach. So this is the story Officer Peach is telling Dateline.
00:17:14
Speaker
so that Joseph had jumped on the side of the bobcat while the driver was still using it and that because the driver couldn't see him that he had fallen off of the machine and landed on the ground only to be crushed underneath the bobcat in its forward motion. So I don't know like do we know at this point
00:17:40
Speaker
who they got that information from, like who gave that testimony? So the article that I read that was by that was in NBC News by Veronica Fulton just mentioned that this is what Officer Peach told Dateline, but we do know that the officers did interview several of the co-workers. Okay and I just like I just have a hard time really
00:18:06
Speaker
believing that scenario based off what we know so far about Joseph's personality. Right. Yeah. That doesn't seem like he would, that's completely out of character that he would have jumped onto because for what purpose? Right. And also he's like,
00:18:24
Speaker
not just an average worker at this place. Like he has a team of people underneath him. So I would think he would know safety rules and regulations. And I'm pretty sure that's probably against safety code, jumping on a Bobcat. I don't think he would have done that. No, I don't think so either. Another coworker who was the spotter for the driver that day, according to records obtained by the Baltimore Sun had been quote, playing around
00:18:54
Speaker
with Joseph right before the incident. What that means playing around is obviously up for debate, but he also said the spotter coworker also said that Joseph had slipped and fallen right in front of the wheel. Well,
00:19:17
Speaker
Like you said, like the playing around part, that kind of gets me because like, you know, we spend all day with kids and one kid's version of, oh, I was just playing around. We were just messing around as another kid's version of, yeah, like they were getting ready to fight me. Right. It's all about perspective. And to me, it matters how it's taken, not necessarily how it's intended. Yes, exactly.
00:19:44
Speaker
But there are multiple problems with the story, Maggie, other than the one that you just pointed out. First, the tire markings on the ground indicated a backward motion and not a forward one. So, okay, but somebody might say like, well, that's just a case of faulty memory, right? But I feel like wouldn't you be able to determine that in your investigation? Like, oh, that statement must have been wrong because
00:20:15
Speaker
X, Y, and Z. And they were able to determine that it was wrong. But I'll get to what they did with that information here in a second. But then there's a second problem. There is this story that Joseph jumped on the bobcat, that he fell through the tracks on the machine, and that then he was crushed by the bobcat. But Joseph had no injuries on his lower body.
00:20:42
Speaker
Which, what would he have if he really had fallen through the tracks? Yeah, I mean his, I feel like his legs would have been crushed. Yeah, he would have had some sort of injury on his legs, on his lower body.
00:20:58
Speaker
And finally, Maggie, his body was lying in a prone position, face down. And if all of the events had transpired as they were reported, he would have been face up. So then you start thinking like, okay, well, what did this coworker mean by playing around then? You know, cause like you said, that could be taken in all different ways.
00:21:27
Speaker
In one police report, Maggie, the coworker told the police that he had shoved Joseph. So to me, a shove is not playing around. No. But according to an article in the Claremont Sun, that story changed in a later deposition in which the coworker said, no, I gave Joseph the old one too, and he gave like a punching motion.
00:21:56
Speaker
So either one of those options do not sound like he was playing around with Joseph. Like I don't just walk up to my best friend. I'm not going to walk up to you, Alison, and give you the old one too. And be like, oh, we're just playing around. Right. As you punch me. Yeah. I would cry. But like, first of all, which is it? You know, and I know we talk about this a lot, how stories tend to change, but to me,
00:22:24
Speaker
I guess here's my problem with it. We're talking about an action that led to a death. Yeah. Like I accidentally kicked a girl in dance practice one time and gave her a concussion. And I will never forget. Like, I mean, I can still, like I still vividly see everything that happened that day because I felt so bad. And I feel like in that situation, you would not get a detail like that confused.
00:22:52
Speaker
Yeah, and and even to me, I guess the way it's talked about by saying like, oh, I gave him the old one to to me that it just seems callous to speak so nonchalantly about some action that you took that led to the death of someone else.
00:23:12
Speaker
Yeah, that's like the Erica Baker case when they're like, well, we just left her body somewhere, threw her in the back of the van. Yeah.
Heartless Comments and Legal Implications
00:23:20
Speaker
And even more cold Maggie, wait till you hear the way Joseph's mom told me was the way that that coworker described the moment when her Joseph died. He said, and I quote,
00:23:41
Speaker
that it sound, it was the sound of a quote, squished watermelon, end quote. Can you imagine hearing that? And that is your child. And he said that in like a deposition. I'm not, she told me that he said, she heard him say that that was what the sound was like. Oh my God. That's totally heartless.
00:24:10
Speaker
completely. So combine all of that with the fact that the driver, Antonio Rubio, said that Joseph never tried to jump on the bobcat at all. And so Adrian felt like, you know, we've got these conflicting reports about what happened. Yes, right. There's conflict. But with no matter the method, whether it was a shove or this more quote unquote playful punch,
00:24:40
Speaker
We have multiple confessions of this one coworker putting his hands on her son. And so she's like, surely there's going to be some sort of charge. But the charge never came. So I said, I tell you what the police did with the information. And it was nothing.
00:25:02
Speaker
Oh, love when that happens. I know. Right. And here's the sticking point, Maggie, and it's kind of what you were talking about, even with different perspectives on how an action was intended or taken or whatever, those who will argue that a crime didn't happen in this case,
00:25:26
Speaker
they make the argument either that, well, Joseph fell of his own accord, which we know based on science can't be true. So let's just count that, cut that out. Or that this coworker, Paul Godwin's 1-2, they would argue is, it was playful and it was not done with an intent to harm Joseph Miranda. Okay, but like, if I
00:25:53
Speaker
accidentally run a stop sign and I hit a pedestrian and they die. I did not intentionally mean to harm them but I did or even if I'm just driving and they don't see me and they walk out in front of the street like I like walk out into the street in front of my car. I didn't mean to hurt them but I did so I would be responsible for that.
00:26:16
Speaker
Yep, and I am so glad you said that because that's exactly what I was getting ready to say. I did a little bit of research. And here's the thing, even those who want to support Godwin's story can't deny the fact that Joseph Miranda's life was taken that day.
00:26:34
Speaker
Right. And death, even that which is the result of an accident, a fall, a collision, all those things that you were just talking about Maggie, is still at minimum legally an accidental death which can still be classified as homicide and it can still be criminal.
00:26:57
Speaker
I mean, so we just haven't ever talked to this other guy about like, there's been no criminal charges, no criminal charges. And, you know, I started thinking about it and I, I started looking into it and this is the research that I did. Cause I was thinking, you know, what if, you know, is, is there ever like a justification for
00:27:21
Speaker
murder where it's not a criminal charge.
Reclassification as Homicide
00:27:25
Speaker
And so if somebody broke into my home with the intent to kill me and I killed them, it's still a homicide.
00:27:37
Speaker
Yep. And to avoid criminal charges myself, I would have to prove that I was in imminent and unavoidable danger. So Adrienne's questioning in this case is completely justified because if that's the case, then what about in cases like her son's where her son posed no danger?
00:28:01
Speaker
As state medical examiner, Dr. Ali stated in an August 2011 letter to state's attorney, Scott Shellenberger, quote, there is no plausible explanation as to why Mr. Miranda was in a face down position while run over by the Bobcat. As the death was caused by the action of another person, the manner of death is best reclassified as a homicide, end quote.
00:28:31
Speaker
like I just feel like that makes the most sense and I know that like this co-worker doesn't want that you know on his record doesn't want to live his whole life with that but like the fact is if you did something that caused the death of Joseph which evidence points to that like
00:28:54
Speaker
justice needs to be served. Like Joseph's family doesn't want to spend their entire life grieving the loss of their child, their brother, their friend, but they're going to because of something that happened at work and I feel like justice needs to be served in that case. Yeah and instead Maggie, Adrienne Miranda, in addition to Dr. Ali and 12 coroners
00:29:22
Speaker
who verified the evidence were all told that they were wrong, that this was an accident, a horrible and tragic accident with no motive. But again, even if it's still an accident, it was caused by another human. Right.
00:29:41
Speaker
So when we had the opportunity to speak with Joseph's mom, one of the things we wanted to know about was motive. Did she think jealousy could have played a role in what happened? We do believe it was jealousy, envy, hatred, and his impatience. And he got irritated and agitated. And he pushed Joe. He pushed and punched Joe forward.
00:30:11
Speaker
right into the oncoming, reversing Bobcat tractor to be crushed to death. And we know it. And so does everybody else. Coworker, who was a laborer at the time, Joseph, you know, there was a same age, 19, and Joseph was a foreman, same age. He was still a laborer. And they were questioning him.
Adrienne's Grief and Initial Investigation
00:30:35
Speaker
And he was standing right beside Joe when it happened.
00:30:40
Speaker
No one else was there except the driver, you know, of the bobcat who told the truth. And this Paul Godwin changed his story five times, blaming Joseph. And none of it made sense. None of it at all was impossible. Everything that he said and changed his story and manipulated and made up impossible scenarios. So
00:31:07
Speaker
The state police had Joseph's case at that time. And the polygrapher, his name is Gary Bechtel. He was ready to poly, because I ended up getting all the reports, everything. And basically how that works is that when an agency, you know, a police agency closes your son's desk saying it's an accident, you have every right.
00:31:38
Speaker
You know, it's a federal law to exercise what's called your Freedom of Information Act rights and demand everything, everything in the report in their investigation. And I did just that after they shocked us and closed my son's case, calling it an accident while they were conducting a criminal homicide investigation. The detective, Gary Bechtel,
00:32:07
Speaker
was a polygrapher and I had heard that he was asked to polygraph Paul Godwin because his stories were lies. They didn't match. There were five different stories. None of them matched. They had enough questions to polygraph him to see if he was lying or telling the truth. So they were already prepared and going to polygraph him
00:32:37
Speaker
But they never did. And I said to Gary Backtell, why? Why didn't you polygraph him? That's standard. That's a standard process. And he said, yes, Miss Miranda it is. But we were called off of it and told not to.
00:32:57
Speaker
So as you can see, there's lots of questions and we wondered how soon after the tragedy did Adrian begin to question if what happened to her son was truly an accident or not? When Joseph was first killed, of course, you know, when Joe's dad called me, we had been divorced for several years, but still, you know, we talked.
00:33:21
Speaker
You know, we raised the kids together and all like that. I mean, I did have physical sole custody of my children because I wanted to keep them in the same schools, the same church, you know, with their friends. Right. But, um, but it was his father that called me about, I guess, 11 30 at night. I mean, cause I remember it was a Thursday, July 20th, 2006. And I had come home from work. I was taking my shower.
00:33:51
Speaker
I had made some dinner and I thought, well, Joseph will be coming soon because sometimes he would like maybe go shoot pool with the guys, you know, after work, that kind of thing. And I thought he'll be coming. And, um, like I said, it's like, you know, I'm watching the news and the phone rings and I said, hello. And Bob, Joseph's dad said, aid. I said, yeah. I said, Bob, he said,
00:34:18
Speaker
Uh, yeah. And I could tell his voice was kind of like shaking. And he said, aid. He said, our beautiful baby boy is gone. I said, what? What did you say? He said, Joseph. Our beautiful Joseph is gone. I said, gone? He said, yeah. He was killed at work today. I said, what?
00:34:48
Speaker
killed at work. I said, what happened to him? Was he shot? What happened to him? He said, I don't really know something about a bobcat. And he was crushed. I just dropped the phone. I just dropped the phone. I fell on my knees. I cried. I screamed. I wailed. I just, I couldn't believe it. I was like the agony that a mother feels.
00:35:17
Speaker
There just are no words, felt like a cannonball just went through my insides. You know what I mean? Like, like it just, I, oh my God. And I grabbed Joseph's picture and I was holding it to my heart and I tried to dull my mom and my mom was crying and said, sweetheart, we're on our way. And I was just running through the house cause I was alone.
00:35:46
Speaker
I was just, I was just in shock and agony. I truly was like, I didn't even know how to process and just crying. And then the, this Maryland corporal, his name was Corporal David Kitson, the phone rang and it was him. And he wanted to speak to me. I got on the phone.
00:36:15
Speaker
And he said, Ms. Miranda, he said, you know, I'm calling to let you know that your son was killed today. And I said, I, he said about like three 45, where I said, why did it take you so long to call me? I said, it's almost midnight. And I said, where is my baby? Where is my child? He said, he's at the morgue. I said, well, I have to go see my baby. I have to go hold my baby.
00:36:45
Speaker
And he said, no, Ms. Miranda, no, no, no, no. I said, he said, you can't. I said, please don't tell me I can't. Please don't tell me I can't hold my child. I am going to hold my child. And he said, your son was involved in a very severe incident. And I said, I don't really know
00:37:11
Speaker
What happened? Do you know what happened to my job? Do you know what happened? He said, all I know is that a bobcat was involved and your son was crushed to death. And I said, well, I said, I want to say goodbye to my baby and hold him. He said his injuries are too severe. They're too severe. They're too severe, Ms. Miranda. You can't go.
00:37:38
Speaker
And I just cried and cried and cried. And I said, I need to know how this happened to my child. I need to know what happened to my child who did this to my child. He said, well, we are doing a criminal investigation. So I didn't hear anything about an accident. He said, we're doing a criminal investigation. He said, and I will be contacting you. Give me about two weeks. You know, and he gave me all his numbers.
00:38:04
Speaker
And he said, and I will be contacting you as we start processing the scene and give you updates. And he said, and I will meet with you in a couple of weeks. And I said, OK, thank you, Corporal Kitzinger. Thank you so much. And I got off the phone. We asked her how you cope with news like that, which she received.
00:38:31
Speaker
and how her suspicions grew. It's like, it's like you, you want to hope you're in like a horrible nightmare. Like you want to hope like you're going to wake up from this. Like it's a horrible nightmare, but I knew it wasn't. And I kept clutching Joseph's picture to my heart and it was getting late. I laid in the middle of my bed and I knew I couldn't sleep.
00:39:00
Speaker
The next day, the owner of the company, this Outside Unlimited Inc., his name was Joseph Patrick Medved, he called. And, you know, he said, Mrs. Miranda, he said, Mrs. Joseph Medved, he said, you know, I'm the owner of Outside Unlimited, and I'm so very sorry. I wanted to offer my condolences to you. And I'm so sorry. And I said, Mr. Medved, I said,
00:39:29
Speaker
What happened to my son? How could this have happened?" He said, I really don't know. He said, I don't know. I didn't see it. He said, and I don't know. And he said, and he started something saying like, we're going to have a bell made in Joe's honor at 12 o'clock. We're gonna ring it every day, you know, in Joe's honor.
00:39:57
Speaker
And Joseph was talented. And he said, and, you know, I'm going to pay for all the funeral expenses. For all the funeral expenses, Miss Miranda. Well, right. It's not typical. Right. You know what I mean? It isn't. But I, but I said, thank you for your generosity.
00:40:21
Speaker
Thank you for your generosity and kindness." And he said, Ms. Miranda, I want to give you every one of my telephone numbers, my work phone, my cell phone, my home phone. Please work with me, Ms. Miranda. Please work with me. Now, I thought that was strange. I didn't like, I didn't question him then, but I thought, what the heck does that mean? Please work with him. That was my question.
Suspicious Funeral Observations
00:40:46
Speaker
What does that mean? Exactly. Exactly.
00:40:50
Speaker
So I just listened and thanked him again and said goodbye. But I'll never forget that. I wrote his numbers down. I'll never forget that. And I thought it was very odd. And then Michael Martin, who's the vice president of the company, he called and offered his condolences. And he said, too, he didn't know what happened. He was there, but he didn't see it.
00:41:21
Speaker
And that Joseph was, again, talented, a quick study, creative, you know, and he was sorry. So it was the next day that Ruck's funeral home had called me and said, Ms. Miranda, we're very sorry. We tried.
00:41:49
Speaker
but we're going to have to have a closed casket." And I said, well, thank you for trying. Thank you for trying. And then my sister said, aid, you're going to have to try to pull yourself together and you and Bob are going to have to go pick out a casket. You're kind of like in a mode of you're just moving through space. You're so devastated and so broken.
00:42:18
Speaker
and like a hole inside of you is blown to bits and all you do is cry and just long for your child. And we did, we went to Rux and somehow we picked out a casket, you know, and then I remember thinking, I'm sorry,
00:42:44
Speaker
I'm sorry, but I remember thinking, how does a mother pick out the clothes for her child to be buried in? How do you do that? Then she shared with us how her suspicions grew tremendously because of an incident at the funeral.
00:43:05
Speaker
I tried my best to receive people and thank everyone for coming and for acknowledging my son and the love they had for him and to honor him. And my family of course was there and my brother and both my brothers and my sister and his dad were standing like right alongside me.
00:43:34
Speaker
And the owner of the company and his wife came in and offered their condolences. And then they sat back down like on a sofa. And then the owner got up and walked over to me and to Joseph's dad, whose name is Bob. And he said, Ms. Miranda, I want to let you know
00:43:59
Speaker
It's already been deemed an accident and all my employees have their green cards. And like my eyes just got wide eyed and so did Bob's and my sister. And we thought what? Who in the heck is asking anything about green cards? Who's caring about an immigration status or green cards?
00:44:25
Speaker
And he's telling me the next two days it's an accident, like that they all, the police haven't determined anything yet. And he hands me this MOSH, MOSH is a mirror and occupation of safety and health. That's what the acronym stands for. It's just under OSHA. OSHA is the federal occupation of safety and health. And what that means is they're the people.
00:44:56
Speaker
who are responsible, the compliance officers to go out to any business and make sure that all the safety precautions are in place for any business, whether it's a contracting company, whether it's a landscaping company, whether it's a restaurant, you know, whether it's an amusement park, you know, to make sure that all the safety compliance is intact.
00:45:22
Speaker
like as if he's met with Moshe. You know, and Moshe were the ones that said it's an accident. What does that, I'm a grieving mother bearing my child trying to receive gas about the brutal attack on my son who was crushed to death that I can't even look at my baby. And he's telling me about his workers have their green cards. What?
00:45:51
Speaker
Some of her family had gone to retrieve Joseph's belongings because Adrienne was still too weak, but she soon found hope and strength in one of the items brought back to her. And they picked up the envelope and I was just sitting at the kitchen table. It was early about 8 8 30 and the sun was shining and they came in, gave me a hug.
00:46:17
Speaker
And they said, OK, Joe's Jeep is in the driveway. Here's his keys. And here's the envelope. I said, oh, thank you so much. And I hugged them and they went off to work. And I sat at my kitchen table and I had been crying. The sun was glistening in and I had been crying. And my hands were almost trembling when I picked up the envelope. And on the envelope, it said, evidence.
00:46:46
Speaker
I don't know why, but it said evidence. And I opened up the envelope. I was sitting down, I opened up the envelope. And in the envelope was a very important blueprint that was in my son's pocket. And it was the blueprint on the job that he had worked that day, which was the landscaping for what's called the Windsor Mill Middle School in Baltimore County.
00:47:15
Speaker
And they had won the landscaping contract for that job. And that's the job and my son and his crew were working on that day. So it was still in my son's pocket. And then my son's black leather wallet still has the $10 bill that he had in it. My son's cell phone and a penny, one penny that was in his pocket.
00:47:45
Speaker
And I remember I could still smell my son. Like when his wallet, you know, I could still smell the scent of my son. And on his shirt, the last shirt that he had worn when he went out that night, I could still smell the scent of my baby. And the penny, I picked up the penny in my hand and I said, Joseph never carried change. He never did. But this penny,
00:48:15
Speaker
was in his pocket when he was killed. And I thought to myself, hmm, there's an old song called Pennies from Heaven. And I said, this penny was in my baby's pocket when the Lord came. And I looked at the penny and the first words I saw were in God we trust. And I said, yes.
00:48:44
Speaker
Indeed we do. We do trust in God. And I remember I said to myself, what's the date? What's the date of the penny? And the penny said 1972. And in my heart and my mind,
00:49:04
Speaker
19 was the age Jesus died, and the date was 720. You know, because 720 is the date he died. It was 19.
00:49:16
Speaker
So I had that penny made into a necklace. I had it made into a necklace that I never take off, and I wore it close to my heart. And I covered it like I put diamonds around it, like, like, sort of like the glow and the brilliance of Joe's smile on his heart. And I, and people will ask me, I said, this is my penny from heaven.
00:49:45
Speaker
So with the symbol of hope, it must have been hard for her to then face an investigation that seemed plagued with so many issues. We asked Adrienne about some of the red flags and the investigation from her perspective.
Investigation Inconsistencies
00:49:59
Speaker
On the day my son was killed, July 20th, 2006, about 3 40 in the afternoon on a bright sunny day.
00:50:08
Speaker
is when my son was killed. And when the police had said, you know, they were the Maryland State Police, when it first happened, and I didn't know any of this, I was still at work. I didn't learn until 1130 at night that night.
00:50:31
Speaker
And I had every one of my contact numbers in Joseph's personnel file. I watched them write them down. My home phone, my cell phone, my work phone. But I wasn't contacted until 1130 at night. And eight and a half hours after my son, they dead, crushed to death. But when it happened, the Maryland State Police arrived and the Baltimore County Police arrived.
00:50:56
Speaker
And that man who owns that company has 90 acres of property out there. When, I ended up finding this out, when the police arrived and the Baltimore County police arrived, my son lay crushed to death underneath the bobcat. And the Maryland state police said, you know, they were getting too ready to process the scene. And the Baltimore County police said, we think this is our scene.
00:51:26
Speaker
And the Maryland State Police said, I think this one good, good trooper, Stephen Hudacco, said, sir, I do think this is in Baltimore County. They didn't even do a GPS. A GPS is basic 101 for police. And the county line runs right through those 90 acres of where that man's property is. One side is Baltimore County, the other side north,
00:51:56
Speaker
is Carroll County. And in Carroll County, they didn't have a Carroll County police. Any kind of, whether it's a burglary, a crime, a murder, you know, any crime was responded to by the Maryland State Police in Carroll County. So the owner says, no, he's not. He's in Carroll County. I know my property.
00:52:24
Speaker
And that's where the young man lays. So they just listened to him. Baltimore County left, and the Maryland State Police started processing the scene. Well, first of all, that man has no authority whatsoever to determine the jurisdiction of my son's death. None. None. He is no official. He is just a civilian.
00:52:53
Speaker
like we are, but they let them, they listened to them. So the Maryland State Police conducted the investigation and I have everything now. They said it was a criminal investigation, CRI, criminal report investigation, and it was being conducted as a criminal investigation. And it's all in the reports. I have everything.
00:53:23
Speaker
Yet the paperwork was sent to the medical examiners calling it an accident. And to the medical examiners, the police had 91 crime scene photographs. And the Maryland State Police only sent one photograph to the medical examiners based on what they had, which wasn't a lot.
00:53:52
Speaker
The medical examiner has just said, okay, accident. And then I, then, well, me, not me, this detective, Richard Backtell, who was a good senior homicide detective at the Maryland State Police, you know, he, he's listening to the other detectives in the corporal. And the one they put on my son's case, his corporal David Kitsinger was a rookie.
00:54:21
Speaker
He only had like two years of homicide experience. So I guess they go into their meetings and they explain their different cases, you know, to the senior detectives and this, that, and the other. And David Kitzinger was talking about Joe's case, the one he was working on. And the senior detective, Richard Bechtel, said, well, well, wait a minute. What you're saying is not making any sense. It's not making any sense.
00:54:50
Speaker
Why are you saying this Bobcat went forward? There is no forward tread marks, you know, and you're saying he was driven over. A Bobcat we know, you know, is 7,600 pounds of steel, right? But it's not like a crane. It's not high up. It's low on the ground. And it's completely open in the front. So you're saying the driver,
00:55:19
Speaker
I saw Mr. Miranda and just drove over him and killed him. That didn't happen. Look how the young man is laying. He's flat on his stomach, prone, completely underneath the bobcat. And the left rear tire is beside, behind his left shoulder, next to his armpit. How could you say it went forward?
00:55:50
Speaker
And he said, you know, Corporal Kitzinger, you're not making sense. The good detective, Senior Guttel said, I'm going to go out there. I want you to go with me. And I'm going to interview the driver himself in the bobcat. Because on the day my son was killed, the Maryland state police never brought in a reconstructionist. That was one of my questions. Why? Why did you not bring a reconstructionist?
00:56:19
Speaker
My son was killed on a road by a vehicle and the Maryland State Police do reconstructions all day, every day on the road. Why didn't you do that for my son? We asked if she could tell us a bit more about what the driver of the bobcat Antonio Rubio said happened that day and what she believes happened to her son versus the story told about him jumping onto the bobcat.
Antonio Rubio's Testimony
00:56:47
Speaker
On that day,
00:56:49
Speaker
He said it was about 3.30, quarter of four in the afternoon. He said, I was loading dirt in a dump truck. And he said, we had already loaded seven loads of dirt, loaded it and unloaded into the dump truck. It was a repeated motion. I would go forward, fill up the shovel near the front shovel with dirt.
00:57:15
Speaker
turn the bobcat around then go to the side of the dump truck lift up the arms and dump the shovel you know tilt the shovel and empty the dirt in bring the you know back up a little bit and bring the shovel down you know the bucket the bucket you know on the end of the of the arms of the bobcat
00:57:42
Speaker
And then I would back up about three or four feet to straighten the bobcat out. Then I would go forward again to pick up the next bucket of dirt and repeat the motion. And we had loaded about seven loads of dirt. And he said, and Paul Godwin was acting as a spotter that day. And a spotter is when like,
00:58:11
Speaker
You know, like if some other trucks were coming back from work at the end of the day and they were like trying to go down to the office, you have to go down that dirt road that they were on. He would maybe stop them. If Antonio Rubio's Bobcat was in the middle of the road, you know, until he was finished, like just stop them a minute and then they could go by and the way it was clear. You know what I mean? Yeah. So, so he was acting as a spotter, which is a safety position.
00:58:41
Speaker
That's what it is, a safety position. And he says that on that day, he called Joseph Jose. He said, Jose, Jose came up the grassy, like there's a grassy area, like that you, it's just a slight incline. And he said, I saw Jose coming to the left. He was waving me down, making eye contact with me, like to let me know he was going to approach. And I nodded.
00:59:10
Speaker
Like, yes, yes, Jose, you can approach. So he said, Joe came up. He said, I leaned out. Joe slightly leaned in and said, Tono. He called him Tono. I need to use the bobcat. I have to load 20 trees for tonight, for that school tomorrow. And Antonio said, okay. He said,
00:59:38
Speaker
Joe, can we just load one more? And he said, Joe said, sure, sure. So he said, then I watched Joe walk to the left side of the cage. Like on a Bobcat, there's kind of like cages, like an enclosure on each side, like a metal, sort of looks like a metal X, if you will, like when he's right, you know, to enclose the driver because the front is all open and there's no backup view.
01:00:07
Speaker
There's like an obstructed backup view. So they're all supposed to have backup alarms. Any, any vehicle or, or, you know, truck that doesn't have a rear view, they all have beep, beep, beep, beep, you know, you hear it, you hear the right, and that's the backup alarm. And they're all by law, supposed to have it, you know, by motion law, that's a safety component. So, you know, Joe had, Joe and he had agreed.
01:00:36
Speaker
And he said, so Joe walked to the left side and I watched that he cleared the left side and he went to wait to the area where Paul Godwin was standing. So he's, he's putting Joe and Paul got, Joe's just waiting right there. Joe was even drinking a soda. I know his favorite soda was Dr. Pepper. And I just know he was drinking a soda. It was a very hot day, the hottest day of the year that year. And it ended up underneath the bobcat where my son lay dead.
01:01:06
Speaker
was a crushed plastic bottle of Dr. Pepper under the left front tire. My son was in arguing, fighting with anybody. He was just waiting to use the bobcat. So what Rubio says was that he watched Joe walk past the left side of the cage, you know, just to wait. They had agreed and he was just waiting. He was just waiting. So then I, he said, then I just, I waited a minute and then I,
01:01:35
Speaker
Backed up I like steer the turn the wheel slightly left to back up to straighten out the bobcat like he typically does before he goes forward again to pick up that last load of dirt. So he said he backed up about three, four feet, backed it up, stopped. And then he said,
01:01:59
Speaker
And just before I went to go forward, Paul Godwin comes to the left front of the bobcat and waves his hand across his neck to motion Antonio Rubio to stop. Rubio looks down to the left and sees a pool of blood. He jumps out. He screams. He pounds on his chest. He begs for a priest.
01:02:27
Speaker
And Paul Godman goes into the office and says, Joe Miranda's dead. He got irritated. He said, I got irritated and there was pushing. He says that right in the, right in the repeat police report. Yeah. The soda alone shows, you know, those stories about Joe jumping on the tracks. Oh my God. Never in a million years did that happen. It's impossible. It's impossible.
01:02:57
Speaker
And even when they asked Antonio, did Joseph ever jump a, no, did Joseph ever jump in the bucket and try to pull you out? Never. Did Joseph try to jump in the seat? That like, oh really? That's what Paul Godwin said once. Joseph tried to jump in the seat, really to sit on his lap. And he said, no, never, never, never did Jose do that.
01:03:25
Speaker
She believes she knows what happened to her son based upon forensic evidence and testimony. So we ask if there was any part of her that believes the story the coworker has told. When my attorney asked him, tell me about this pushing. He didn't know what we had. Paul Godman didn't know what we had. He didn't know I had every report or anything.
01:03:48
Speaker
And Paul Godwin says, there wasn't any pushing. And, and my attorney says, Mr. Godwin, it's right here. It's right here in the report pushing. He says, Oh, the police got it wrong. There wasn't pushing. I gave Joe the one two and he puts his fist up. And my attorney says, well, the one two, he said, you know, yeah, the old one too. He said, we were showing me that of a boxing motion. Is that correct? He said, yeah.
01:04:14
Speaker
He says, well, what did Joe do? He said nothing. I'm saying nothing. My son did nothing because my son was dead. Later in the deposition, he says, I want to get back to this one, too, Mr. Godwin. I have a couple questions. He says, I don't like what you're insinuating about the one, too. That's what he says. My attorney says, Mr. Godwin, I'm not insinuating anything.
01:04:44
Speaker
He said, I'm asking you questions, and it's my job to ask you questions, and it is your job to answer them as best you can. He said, well, the one, two, it wasn't really extreme or violent, just a little bit. When that was taken to the medical examiners, they said, there it is. There's the assault right there. And see, Detective Vactell,
01:05:12
Speaker
After he interviewed the driver and got his report, he immediately that day took his report with more pictures to Dr. Ali, who had done the autopsy on Joe. And he said, this is foul play. This is foul play, Dr. Ali. And he sent him, he gave him more pictures. He showed exactly how Joe was laying.
01:05:38
Speaker
He showed him the backup tread marks and he said, oh my God, yes, this young man was prone. He was on his stomach and he had no broken bones below his neck, none, none. There's no way you could jump on a tire and get sucked underneath a bobcat that only has 16 inches between the side left tires
01:06:05
Speaker
And an undercarriage completely under the center that sits nine inches off the ground. And the bobcat left tire ran over his face, head, and neck, crushing him to death, landing behind his left shoulder next to his left armpit. There's only backup tread marks on the dirt. The driver says he was backing up.
01:06:34
Speaker
And even in the police reports, Paul Godwin says it was backing up. So the medical examiners looked at everything. He even went out there, Dr. Ali, and did his own reconstruction and said what he's saying, what that Mr. Godwin is saying is impossible. I mean, a contortionist midget couldn't do it. It's impossible. And he said, and this is a homicide.
Petition for Grand Jury Investigation
01:07:05
Speaker
Joseph Miranda was killed at the hands of another. That is homicide, and it was by a brutal assault. Because of Adrian's resilience in her fight for justice, the cause of death was changed to undetermined with a strong possibility of homicide. However, it was then that Adrian says law enforcement stopped communicating with examiner Dr. Ali.
01:07:34
Speaker
And that was when the Maryland State Police wouldn't answer him. They wouldn't reply to him. So he went out himself and did his own reconstruction. And then he got the deposition statements. And then along with everything, Detective Bechtel took. And they said, both he and the chief and all the medical examiners, they presented the case to. And they all said, this is a homicide by a brutal assault.
01:08:04
Speaker
All of them, all 14 medical examiners, including Chief David Fowler. So yes, we got it. It was changed. We got the truth. It was changed. The facts, the evidence, the physics, the science, it all adds up, all of it.
01:08:22
Speaker
One hurdle most confusing for Adrian is that state's attorney Scott Schellenberger has said that what happened to her son Joseph in this case, the altercation with his coworker, does not rise to the level of a crime. He's saying it's not a crime. He's virtually saying it's not a crime. A homicide by an assault is not a crime. Really? Well, what the heck is it? If it doesn't rise to the level of a crime, what
01:08:51
Speaker
does it rise to the level of? He says it's an accident. He says it's an accident. And he also says the bobcat was going forward. He says that in that same article, the bobcat was going forward. So he is falsifying the evidence, falsifying the facts. Typically a prosecutor
01:09:22
Speaker
uses medical examiner's findings and rulings as the base of their very case in a crime. Always they rely on the medical examiners and they both said to me Adrian something's very wrong here.
01:09:37
Speaker
the chief file failure. And, and Dr. Ali, something was very, very wrong, terribly wrong. And I said, I know, I know, they were ready to go to court, ready to go to trial, prevent their evidence. They still are. They still are. To end, we ask that Adrian share with you sleuth hounds about the petition she has created and to share any final comments.
01:10:07
Speaker
Thank you. Thank you so much, Allison and Maggie. Thank you so much. My petition is actually, I post it, it's through change.org, but I post it often on my Facebook page. My name is Adrienne, A-D-R-I-E-N-N-E. The last name is Miranda, M-I-R-A-N-D-A. I do have a page called Also Justice for My Son, Joseph Miranda, but my
01:10:36
Speaker
my petition is always on my Facebook page. And all you have to do is clink on the link. There's usually like a flame, like a flame, like beside the link, a fire flame sort of, that's just a symbolic symbol. You just click on it and it tells you, you can read, you can read what my petition is. And my petition is basically asking that you sign
01:11:05
Speaker
in support of my quest for Scott Shellenberger to please do his job. He is violating his oath of office. He is violating his duty. He is violating our victims' rights. He is blaming the victim. He's going against the medical examiners.
01:11:28
Speaker
He's closing the case and saying it is an accident. And we are saying that we are demanding that he reopened Joseph's case and bring in a grand jury. Let a grand jury decide. That is what we're asking and it is more than fair. And today I have 18,000 signatures and God bless every heart
01:11:58
Speaker
and compassionate person that signed my petition and stands up for justice for our children and our loved ones. I have a website. It's basically just lowercase, pleasedoyourjob.com. If you go to that website, you will also see my petition. Click on the petition and it will take you again to what the petition says.
01:12:28
Speaker
about Scott Shellenberger and for him to do his job and where you can sign and you can also leave a comment, you know, why you're signing if you choose to. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for every one of you who are listening and who have the hearts of compassion and justice. I mean, it's sad to think and it's horrific to think that this could happen to anyone's child.
01:12:57
Speaker
But the reality is that it could, it could. And I pray none of you ever walk in my shoes. The pain is palpable in her voice. In her lives a very real fear that her son's case will be forgotten or that those who refuse to press on in the name of justice will be the louder voices in the room.
01:13:26
Speaker
But I know you, Sleuthhounds, will not let that happen. Because as great as that fear may be, we know, and so does Adrian, that there is a far greater power than fear, that of love. And love never gives up hope.
01:13:47
Speaker
You'll find a link to Adrienne's petition and a link to her book in the description of this episode on your favorite podcasting app as well as on our social media.
01:13:59
Speaker
Again, please like and join us on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and to see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast and on TikTok at Coffee and Cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to Coffee and Cases podcast at gmail.com.
01:14:21
Speaker
Please tell your friends about our podcast so that more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to write our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon. Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.