Popular True Crime Podcast Covers Death of Middletown Teen

Information about a Hudson Valley unsolved murder is getting heard around the world thanks to a wildly popular true-crime podcast.

Fans of the true-crime genre are familiar with the podcast Crime Junkie. Every Monday, host Ashley Flowers brings a new true-crime story to light. And every week the episode tops the podcast charts. This Monday, Part 1 of a 2 part series dives into the murder of 14-year-old Shawn Edwards of Middletown, New York.

The teenager was found brutally stabbed outside of Middletown High School in January of 1986 where he sadly died from his injuries. Here's the breakdown of the episode from the Crime Junkie website:

When 14-year-old Shawn Edwards is stabbed and beaten to death outside of a high school in Middletown, NY, the whole community is shocked. Why would anyone want to hurt – let alone murder – this friendly, popular kid? As the investigation unfolds, police try to separate fact from fiction, only to come up emptyhanded. It seems like everyone’s a suspect…but no one has a motive.

Sadly, the Edwards family is still looking for answers in 2022. Family members, a neighbor, and another teenager were all looked into as suspects, however, no clear motive had been found.

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Part 2 of Shawn Edwards's story will be released to the public on Monday, June 27th, 2022. Crime Junkie fan club members can get the episode early. You can listen to part 1, here.

This is the second time in a few months that Crime Junkie has covered a Hudson Valley-based cold case. After a little research, it looks as though the popular true-crime podcast has a Hudson Valley journalist on staff. Nina Schutzman of The Poughkeepsie Journal is an investigative reporter for the podcast, according to her Twitter account.

Hopefully, this Hudson Valley connection will help solve some of these cold cases that sit in our own backyard.

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