The Letter

We’re excited to share a new podcast from KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media: Stolen Voices of Dole Valley, a nine-part series about survival, injustice, and the fight for answers. It’s the story of a predator you’ve likely never heard of — one who prowled the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s, when hitchhiking was a rite of passage for many young people. Some young women managed to escape him, but their warnings were ignored. One survivor’s account was dismissed by police, leaving the man free to kidnap and murder others.

Police believe this killer was responsible for far more than the two murders he was convicted of, and decades later, families and investigators are still determined to uncover the truth. With new DNA testing and relentless hope, loved ones are refusing to let their daughters and sisters be forgotten.

This week, we’re sharing a gripping new podcast from KSL Podcasts & Lemonada Media: Uinta Triangle. It tells the story of a solo hiker from Australia named Eric Robinson, who disappeared while on a trek. Eric’d taken steps to make sure he could travel the mountains that he loved safely, like packing a GPS beacon. So it was a real mystery when he vanished without a trace.

Turns out, the mountains where Eric disappeared are known for keeping their secrets. Uinta Triangle tells the story of the desperate search for Eric. Host Dave Cawley follows in Eric’s footsteps, and joins Eric’s wife in her worldwide hunt for answers. It’s a “lost in the woods” story, but much more. 

You’ll hear a clip from the first episode in this feed. To keep listening, follow Uinta Triangle — wherever you get your podcasts.

After years of dead-ends and rejections, Sy and Ron Snarr finally get the moment they’ve been hoping for - a chance to ask the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole to release the man who murdered their son, Zach, from prison. But their desire to ask for mercy for Jorge Benvenuto, whose spent 28 years behind bars, means hurting someone they love - the other victim in the case, Yvette Rodier. The hearing means very different things to each family - and legally, it turns out to be much different than what the Snarrs requested.

KSL Podcasts, the team that brought you The Letter also had a hand in making Ransom, a story of greif and loss and how those emotions are amplified when the person who caused them is a trusted person. Ransom is the story of the kidnapping of 12 year old McKay Everett for a demand of $500,000. It's also a story of greed and betrayal and how red flags, when ignored, serve no one. Link to the show: https://kslpodcasts.com/podcast/ransom/

If you haven’t had the chance to subscribe to our bonus content, we wanted to give you a sample of what we have been doing each week. Children exposed to trauma face challenges that often continue well into adulthood. In this Bonus episode, Amy talks with Jordan Rasmussen’s son, Dave, and a child psychologist, Dr. Matt Woolley, about some of the unresolved emotions that have come up this season. And we get some ideas for how to face the lingering impacts of trauma and how to help those struggling with loss.

In the season finale of The Letter, Michael Moore learns if he will get a parole date. But the families who forgave him and advocated for his release never expected what he did next. They are left to ask themselves if they misjudged him.


For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week. Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown. With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.

On this holiday week, we are giving you a sample of one of our premium bonus episodes. Episode 7 will be released next week.

Does everyone in our criminal justice system deserve defending? Ed Brass was on Michael Moore’s defense team. Ed is also Amy’s husband (but she didn’t realize the connection until after she started researching the case). Ed and Amy share some remarkable stories from Ed’s career, including even more unlikely tales of forgiveness.

Feelings of rage and retribution were melting away as Leslie Rasmussen drafted a letter to the man who murdered her brother, Jordan. She wrote the letter without talking to any of the family members, who nearly simultaneously came to their own conclusion. Michael Moore writes back.

For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week.

Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon.
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell.
Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.
With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson.
And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. 

A decade passes since the brutal murders of Buddy Booth and Jordan Rasmussen. As their families wrestle with loss and rage, the man who killed them, Michael Patrick Moore, readies another plea for his parole. But as the Rasmussens prepare for war, they are caught off guard by what Moore does next.

For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week.

Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon.
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell.
Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.
With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson.
And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley.

The families of Jordan Rasmussen and Buddy Booth realize the end of a trial doesn’t mean the end of their struggles. And only a year after Michael Moore is handed two life sentences, he makes a case for early release. But is the killer ready to take responsibility for the damage he caused?

For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week.

Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon. Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell. Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley. Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown. With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson. And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley. The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.

As lawyers prepare for trial, no one can make sense of Michael Moore’s motives. In the courtroom, the double murder suspect tells a paranoid story of assassins and organized crime. The widows of his victims testify at the trial, which will determine if Moore will face a firing squad.

For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week.

Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon.
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell.
Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.
With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson.
And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley.

A delivery man making his rounds finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Buddy Booth discovers the body of Jordan Rasmussen at a stop on his delivery route and is shot in the back, forcing a second young widow to raise children without their father.

For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week.

Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon.
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell.
Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.
With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson.
And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley.

When The Letter team made the first season, we never dreamed there would be a second season because the story was so unique. Join host Amy Donaldson and producer Andrea Smardon as COLD podcast host Dave Cawley gives us a behind-the-scenes-look at the new season and how it came together.

An early morning snowstorm means Jordan Rasmussen, a father of three, has to share a ride with his coworker to a meeting he expects will be tense. Jordan gets in the Jeep riddled with bullet holes. He never comes home.

For more on the Letter Season 2: Ripple Effect, including pictures, find us on social @theletterpodcast or visit our website, theletterpodcast.com. If you want to hear more and would like to support us, please consider subscribing on Apple podcasts for access to our bonus episodes. We drop a bonus episode every week.

Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon.
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon, Nina Earnest and Aaron Mason. Mixing by Trent Sell.
Special thanks to Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Feliks Banel, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown.
With Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
For WorkHouse Media, Executive Producer Paul Anderson.
And for KSL Podcasts, Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley.

Two fathers are found murdered in a van parked outside an upscale Utah restaurant in 1982. The killer confessed, but his violent choice left five children to grow up with ghosts and grief. The families were forced to wrestle with impossible questions: Who is forgiveness for? Does everyone deserve a second chance? And what if a personal decision can ripple through generations, even reaching strangers? Season 2 of The Letter: Ripple Effect premieres on April 16th. Follow us on theletterpodcast.com and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. 

The impact of the Snarr family’s decision to forgive their son’s killer continues to reverberate. Since The Letter published, Sy Snarr says she’s blown away by the responses of strangers. We talk to Sy’s grandsons about the generational impacts still rippling through the family. As for Yvette Rodier, she declines an interview, but sends an email.

When Jorge Benvenuto sat down to write a letter to the family of the boy he’d shot to death as a teenager, he had no idea the chain of events that would follow. When he penned his apology alone in a prison cell, he never imagined that it would lead to him hugging the mother of that young man. Nor did he have any inkling about the many ways the letter would reverberate through his own life - and the lives of his family members. The Letter opened a pathway for the parents of Zachary Snarr to push for his release.

The Letter team will follow and update with new episodes as developments happen.

Get more information and photos on our website, theletterpodcast.com.
Researched and reported by Amy Donaldson
Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon
Mixing by Trent Sell
Special thanks to Nina Earnest, Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown
With KSL Podcasts Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley
For Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs
And Executive Producers Paul Anderson and Nick Panella with WorkHouse Media.
The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.

This episode is a reminder that we’re all more connected than we realize. A woman named Lianne Bell agrees to do a favor for her mother and it ends up tying her to the Snarrs and Yvette in ways she never expected. Lianne delivers letters. Sy comes to Liane’s house. And in a room where the mother of the shooter once prayed for peace, Sy Snarr will find the miracle she’s been searching for since she lost her son.
Get more information and photos on our website, theletterpodcast.com.

Researched and reported by Amy Donaldson
Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon
Mixing by Trent Sell
Special thanks to Nina Earnest, Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown
With KSL Podcasts Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley
For Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs
And Executive Producers Paul Anderson and Nick Panella with WorkHouse Media.
The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.

Surviving a barrage of bullets is just the start of what Yvette Rodier will have to do to reclaim her life. The emotional damage will take far longer to heal than the physical bullet wounds. She gets married, has a child and chooses a career that allows her to use her past to help others.

Despite the looming shadow of the shooting, her life is one of beauty and generosity; of resilience and hope.

Get more information and photos on our website, theletterpodcast.com.

Researched and reported by Amy Donaldson
Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon
Mixing by Trent Sell
Special thanks to Nina Earnest, Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown
With KSL Podcasts Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley
For Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs
And Executive Producers Paul Anderson and Nick Panella with WorkHouse Media
The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.

Life after Zach’s murder is painful and complicated, but the Snarrs find a way forward through their grief. Sy and Ron try to be the parents their other children need while his siblings build lives in which he only exists as a memory. Another tragedy strikes.
Get more information and photos on our website, theletterpodcast.com.

Researched and reported by Amy Donaldson
Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon
Mixing by Trent Sell
Special thanks to Nina Earnest, Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley.
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown
With KSL Podcasts Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley
For Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs
And Executive Producers Paul Anderson and Nick Panella with WorkHouse Media.
The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.

Surviving a barrage of bullets is just the start of what Yvette Rodier will have to do to reclaim her life. The emotional damage will take far longer to heal than the physical bullet wounds. She gets married, has a child and chooses a career that allows her to use her past to help others.

Despite the looming shadow of the shooting, her life is one of beauty and generosity; of resilience and hope.

Get more information and photos on our website, theletterpodcast.com.

Researched and reported by Amy Donaldson
Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon
Mixing by Trent Sell
Special thanks to Nina Earnest, Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown
With KSL Podcasts Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley
For Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs
And Executive Producers Paul Anderson and Nick Panella with WorkHouse Media
The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.