⚠️ Viewer Discretion Advised — Contains Graphic ContentIn this unedited, full-length confession, Raphael Jackson — one of St. Louis’ most dangerous and remorseless killers — describes, in his own words, why he murdered, how he chose his victims, and why he laughed afterward.His words are chilling, his demeanor calm — a window into true evil.🎙️ In our previous episode, “Inside the Mind of a Killer,” Detectives Tom Carroll and Jeff Stone walked us through how this case unfolded — from the first phone call to the shocking multi-murder confession.Now, you’ll hear the other side — the confession itself.🔹 Communities that support law enforcement are safer places to live. 🔹#TheBrighterSideOfBlue #RaphaelJackson #ConfessionTapes #TrueCrime #StLouis #HomicideDetectives #LawEnforcement #SerialKiller #TrueCrimePodcast #PoliceStories #BehindTheBadge #TBSOB

It’s our 2-year anniversary at Colombo’s Café in Dogtown, and we’re celebrating with a heavy hitter. After some bar-banter and dispatch center stories, we sit down with veteran homicide detectives Tommy Carroll and Jeff Stone to unpack the most chilling case of their careers: Rafael Jackson—a stone-cold killer whose on-camera confession has been used as a training tool for years.🎙️

Interview with Stone & Carroll starts at 40:00

🧩 How a Sunday phone call snowballed into raids, a confession, and multi-jurisdiction work

🎛️ Inside the room: managing a suspect who won’t stop talking

🚨 Why the confession still shocks seasoned cops

Content warning: graphic descriptions of violence and explicit language.

Like, subscribe, and share—Wednesday we’ll drop the full, unedited confession interview.

#TheBrighterSideOfBlue #TBSOB #StoneAndCarroll #RafaelJackson #ConfessionTape #Homicide #TrueCrime #StLouis #LawEnforcementStories #Detectives #PolicePodcast #DogtownSTL

From the basement studio at Colombo’s Café & Tavern in Dogtown, we kick off with a powerful true story from JJ—about spotting a familiar face from his childhood, Tim Osborne, living under a downtown overpass… and how a bunch of Melville grads, a good Samaritan named Ken Stevenson, and a whole lot of hustle got Tim off the street and back on his feet. It’s the Brighter Side of Blue in action.

Then we sit down with Victor Failoni and Joey Meiners—son and grandson of Alex Sr. & Rosemary Failoni—to peel back the 100+ year story of Failoni’s Bar & Restaurant. From an Ellis Island start in 1916, steel-mill shifts at Scullin, and a $9,700 leap of faith… to Thursday night sing-alongs, the legendary Round Table, Rose’s kitchen revival, and the family recipe that became Uncle Leo’s Pizza—this is pure St. Louis.

In this episode:

• JJ’s viral-worthy rescue: finding Tim, rallying help, and securing housing

• Failoni’s origin story and the “Manchester Mile”

• Police friendships and why Failoni’s became a cop-friendly home base

• Thursday nights: from accordion to Sinatra to Black Eyed Peas

• How Uncle Leo’s Pizza was born—and why the dough is still made fresh

• Keeping a neighborhood institution alive for the next 100 years

If you love St. Louis history, neighborhood legends, and real community, hit play.

Like, comment, and share to help the show grow!
Subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Brighter Side of Blue.

#StLouis #Dogtown #Failonis #UncleLeosPizza #LawEnforcement #Community #Podcast #STLHistory

They worked the streets. They built the cases.

In this episode of The Brighter Side of Blue, retired narcotics legends Tommy Murphy and Det. Leo Rice join the crew to reveal their picks for the top dope men in St. Louis of an era — names that dominated the streets, headlines, and federal dockets from the 1990s through the 2010s.

From wiretaps to Winnebagos, car chases to courtrooms, and murders to million-dollar busts, Murphy and Rice take us inside some of the most unforgettable narcotics investigations ever to hit the STL.

And of course, no episode like this would be complete without mentioning the legendary duo “Tommy & Tommy” — Tommy Murphy and Tommy Llewellyn — whose work shaped an entire era of major narcotics enforcement in St. Louis.

⏱ Guest interview begins at 36:52

It’s the ultimate double-entendre episode — the best dope men, chosen by the best dope men-catchers.

🎧 Watch, like, comment, and share to keep these stories — and St. Louis law enforcement history — alive.

#TBSOB #StLouis #Narcotics #DopeGame #TrueCrime #PoliceStories #TommyAndTommy #BrighterSideOfBlue #STLHistory #DrugWars #OldSchoolCops #StLouisPride

The Brighter Side of Blue crew—Danny, Tommy, JJ, and Producer John—teed up a phenomenal sit-down with retired STL legends Tom Carroll and Jeff Stone. Partners for ~18 years (with at least 16 in Homicide), they take us back to the now-defunct 7th District—the West Side beat where they cut their teeth in uniform, sharpened their instincts in the bureau, and lived the stories that shaped a generation of cops.

We dig into the neighborhoods, the tempo, and the players: the Horseshoe Posse, B.O.D. (Boys of Destruction), Sanchez “Psych” Smotherman, and Tron Hall—plus the kind of patrol-night chaos you can’t script (including a runaway dumpster barreling toward a brand-new squad). It’s gritty, fast, and funny—brotherhood and gallows humor intact—while we save the Homicide cases for a future part two.

We also open the show with a few notes from the week—remembering the Navy’s birthday, community shout-outs, and a somber tribute to a fallen Missouri officer. Because for us, the stories live on, and the sacrifices are remembered.

#TheBrighterSideOfBlue #STLPodcast #StLouisHistory #SLMPD #7thDistrict #Horseshoe #WestSideSTL #TrueCrime #PoliceStories #HomicideUnit #StreetCops #LawEnforcement #UrbanHistory #GangEra #PodcastEpisode

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Retired SLMPD Sgt. Tom Lake and Detective Jeff Stege walk us through the chaotic 24 hours that began with a South City carjacking, a murdered locksmith, and a suspect named George Bush—and ended with Sgt. Lake being ambushed at a red light and a city-wide hunt to stop a violent spree killer. Lake recounts the shooting, the scramble for help, and the aftermath; Stege lays out the investigative breadcrumb trail from Scanlan Ave. to the takedown. It’s brotherhood, black humor, and raw truth—told by the cop who lived it and the detective who chased it.

This week’s episode of The Brighter Side of Blue has it all — from off-the-wall laughs to hard-hitting cases.

We kick things off with one of our trademark chaotic openings (yes, it gets rowdy fast 😅) before settling in with Sunset Hills Police Lt. Brad Rainey and Det. Sgt. John Piesker. Together, we dive into the unforgettable summer of 2015, when Sunset Hills saw two murders in just one week — the disappearance and killing of Linda McLaughlin, and the tragic homicide of Terry Tobey.

Rainey and Piesker share what it was like to investigate two major cases back-to-back in a city often labeled “Candyland.” You’ll hear behind-the-scenes details, lessons learned, and the realities of police work when tragedy strikes even the quietest communities.

It’s classic Brighter Side of Blue — unpredictable laughs, serious storytelling, and a look at both the humor and heart in law enforcement.

Former FBI agent Frank Brostrom takes us inside two headline-making cases with surprising St. Louis links:

• The 1993 kidnapping of Kevyn Wynn, daughter of casino mogul Steve Wynn—how the ransom drop played out, how the suspects were tracked, and the St. Louis surveillance that helped close the case.

• The stolen Norman Rockwell painting “Russian Schoolroom”—missing for decades after a Clayton gallery heist and later discovered in an A-list collection, sparking a battle over provenance and recovery.

#BrighterSideOfBlue #FBI #TrueCrime #KidnappingCase #KevynWynn #SteveWynn #LasVegasCrime #NormanRockwell #ArtHeist #StolenArt #LawEnforcementStories #BehindTheBadge #TrueCrimePodcast #StLouis