• Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery

  • By: WNYC
  • Podcast
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)
Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery  By  cover art

Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery

By: WNYC
  • Summary

  • New Jersey politics is not for the faint of heart. But the brutal killing of John and Joyce Sheridan, a prominent couple with personal ties to three governors, shocks even the most cynical operatives. The mystery surrounding the crime sends their son on a quest for truth.  Dead End is a story of crime and corruption at the highest levels of society in the Garden State. Episodes release every Tuesday.
    © WNYC
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Episodes
  • Introducing Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery
    Apr 12 2022

    New Jersey politics is not for the faint of heart. But the brutal killing of John and Joyce Sheridan, a prominent couple with personal ties to three governors, shocks even the most cynical operatives. The mystery surrounding the crime sends their son on a quest for truth. Dead End is a story of crime and corruption at the highest levels of society in the Garden State.

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    3 mins
  • EPISODE 1: Meet the Sheridans
    Apr 26 2022

    On a quiet cul-de-sac, a husband and wife of 47 years are stabbed to death in the stillness of dawn. Honest and unassuming, John Sheridan, famous for never raising his voice, played against type in the rough-and-tumble world of New Jersey politics. Could the Republican lobbyist have killed his wife Joyce—a veteran public school teacher and no-nonsense mother of four sons—then set their bedroom on fire before knifing himself? That’s the version of events authorities say happened in the early morning hours of September 28, 2014. But, in more ways than one, the theory doesn’t add up.

    Key voices interviewed in episode:

    • Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor
    • Chris Stevens, Joyce Sheridan’s best friend
    • Bob Stevens, husband of Chris’ Stevens
    • Mark Sheridan, eldest of the Sheridans’ four sons, lawyer for Governor Chris Christie's campaign and for the state Republican party for more than a decade
    • Peter Sheridan, John’s younger brother and federal judge in Trenton since 2005
    • Mary Kay Roberts, hired by John Sheridan at Riker Danzig, a New Jersey law firm. Worked with him closely for a decade in the Trenton office
    • John Farmer, a former state Attorney General and friend of John Sheridan who runs a political research center at Rutgers University
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            30 mins
          • EPISODE 2: Not Your “Typical” Murder Suicide
            Apr 28 2022

            The Sheridans’ eldest son Mark is consumed with getting to the bottom of what happened to his parents. As the lawyer for Governor Chris Christie’s election campaign, Mark is in a unique position to uncover answers. Instead, he’s met with roadblock after roadblock. The questions really pile up when he learns that detectives haven’t even interviewed several key witnesses or completed a thorough investigation of the crime scene. Not only that, a key piece of evidence is missing.

            New voices interviewed in episode:

            • Barry Jansen, retired forensic technician for the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office
            • Tom Draper, Sheridans’ neighbor
            • Michael Baden, medical examiner hired by the Sheridan brothers
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            27 mins

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