About This Episode
Billy Jensen and Paul Holes launched Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad in 2019, creating what would become one of the most successful true crime podcasts in the medium's history. The show topped charts almost immediately, drawing audiences fascinated by its focus on unsolved murders, unidentified remains, and missing persons cases.
The partnership emerged after Jensen joined the podcast network founded by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark during a 2018 press tour for *I'll Be Gone in the Dark*, the book about serial killer Gary Ridgway that Jensen helped complete following Michelle McNamara's death. Jensen brought extensive credentials to the collaboration: an investigative journalist and author known for his work on the Long Island Serial Killer case, as well as a consultant to law enforcement since 2016. Holes brought equally serious credentials as a retired cold case investigator with high-profile experience, most notably on the Golden State Killer investigation.
The podcast's methodology proved compelling. Rather than relying solely on armchair theorizing, Jensen and Holes employed detective work, familial DNA searches, social media geotargeting, and actively solicited tips from their listener base. This approach resonated with audiences and helped generate genuine investigative momentum on cases that had stalled in official channels.
By 2022, Jensen had become a fixture in true crime circles. He appeared as a headline speaker on the Long Island Serial Killer panel at CrimeCon 2022 in Las Vegas, where he held book signings and was surrounded by fans—a position that would soon become untenable.
In May 2022, allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against Jensen. A woman accused him of intoxicated groping. Two podcasters released episodes detailing allegations of sexual misconduct, followed by a *Rolling Stone* article that documented accounts from multiple women coming forward. The revelations fundamentally altered Jensen's standing in the true crime community.
Jensen was subsequently removed from the podcast, losing the show that had defined much of his professional identity in recent years. The transformation was dramatic: he went from being regarded as a true crime darling to what observers described as a pariah in the field. The podcast itself ended in 2022.
Later that summer, Jensen entered rehab to address alcohol use—a detail that contextualizes some of the allegations but does not resolve the underlying misconduct claims.
The collapse of Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad illustrates a pattern familiar in true crime media: the vulnerability of shows built substantially around individual personalities, and the speed with which public figures in the space can lose credibility when allegations surface. While the podcast's investigative methodology and case work had earned legitimate respect, the platform ultimately could not survive the controversy surrounding one of its hosts.
For audiences who had invested in following cases through Jensen and Holes, the podcast's end left ongoing investigations without the platform that had helped bring them attention. The show's closure also underscored ongoing conversations within true crime about accountability and the gap between investigative rigor and personal conduct.
Sources
https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/147-true-crimes-fallen-star-with-billy-jensen-part-2-of-2/id1665733166?i=1000709116530&l=en-GB
https://podsearch.com/listing/jensen-and-holes-the-murder-squad.html
https://themurdersquad.com/home/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Jensen
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJtiFkYuddG/
