Carol Costello Presents: The God Hook

A Sneak Preview of Season Two! Carol Costello Presents: The God Hook Apr 08, 2025

Carol Costello Presents is back on April 29th with an all new season exploring the Ohio Craigslist killings.

Carol Costello, along with the prosecutor who put Richard Beasley on death row, are determined to tell this cautionary tale in all of its tawdry and poignant details. After 20 years reporting on domestic and international stories for CNN, Carol broke into the podcast space with Series One: Blind Rage, a multi-award winning true crime podcast in 2022 (ranked #22 on Apple) about the story of Phyllis Cottle, who survived an attack in which she was assaulted, burned, and blinded, determined to put her attacker behind bars.

Now, with an established following, Carol has uncovered a case that exposes the dark side of prison ministries who send chaplains into thousands of prisons across the country in an effort to reduce recidivism.

“This is a story about the Christian belief in redemption - and how that belief is exploited by criminals like Richard Beasley,” says host, Carol Costello.

About the Host: Carol Costello is an award-winning journalist and a former CNN anchor known for her in-depth reporting and engaging storytelling. With a career spanning several decades, Carol has become a respected voice in the news industry, covering some of the most significant historical events.

Tune in on April 29th for season two: The God Hook.

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Why That Case? An Interview with The Ohio Innocence Project Apr 18, 2024

In this episode of Blind Rage, Carol gains insight into Samuel Herring's bid for exoneration from the man who heads Ohio's Innocence Project, attorney Mark Godsey.

Despite the initial intrigue, DNA evidence led to a perplexing ending: Herring's guilt was confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Godsey, a former prosecutor turned innocence advocate, explains how and why the organization took up Herring's case, reveals how DNA evidence was discovered, shares the history of the nationwide effort to overturn wrongful convictions, and addresses the emotional toll on victims' families.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

Guest: Mark Godsey (https://law.uc.edu/faculty/directory/mark-godsey.html)

Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law

(https://law.uc.edu/real-world-learning/centers/ohio-innocence-project-at-cincinnati-law.html)

Ohio Innocence Project Application:

(https://law.uc.edu/content/dam/refresh/law/pdfs-temporary/oip-inmate-screening-application.pdf)

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Update: DNA Results | "I'm a Gun Man" Dec 12, 2023

Carol shares the results of DNA testing on newly recovered evidence in the case of Phyllis Cottle’s brutal assault.

The results are infuriating and…baffling.

The Ohio Innocence Project prompted a forensic review of evidence, raising the possibility that Samuel J. Herring, the man convicted of the crime, may be innocent.

Herring, now 67 years old and wheelchair-bound, has spent nearly 40 years behind bars. He has maintained his innocence.

Today we know the truth.

And while it leads to a man who is definitely guilty, it also raises questions.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

Cleveland Channel 5’s story on Samuel Herring: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/investigations/new-testing-shows-dna-of-akron-rapist-found-on-victims-clothing

The Marshall Project’s story on Samuel Herring: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/12/06/dna-ohio-innocence-project-conviction-integrity-unit-prison

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Update: The Unthinkable Nov 22, 2023

Carol shares a shocking development in the case of Phyllis Cottle's brutal assault, one that she knew might come.

The Ohio Innocence Project has prompted a forensic review of evidence, raising the possibility that Samuel J. Herring, the man convicted of the crime, may be innocent.

Herring, now 67 years old and wheelchair-bound, has spent nearly 40 years behind bars. He has maintained his innocence.

Now DNA testing of recently unearthed evidence may reveal the truth.

So, what if the justice system got it wrong? And if Herring is innocent, then who did it?

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

The Marshall Project’s story on Samuel Herring: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/11/09/after-nearly-40-years-behind-bars-in-ohio-dna-testing-is-finally-underway?

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Bonus: Survivors and the Media Jul 18, 2023

Phyllis and her family felt ambushed by the media during what was an incredibly difficult and delicate time in her life. The relentless pursuit of her story interrupted her recovery at home.

In this bonus episode, Carol interviews her former colleague, producer Ronni Berke, about what it’s like to interview victims.

Ronni is an award-winning journalist and producer, who spent 17 years at CNN covering some of the biggest stories, including the September 11th terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

She’s also the Director Of Development And Communications for the LAM Foundation, the leading nonprofit in the fight against lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) - a rare lung disease affecting primarily women.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

Guest: Ronni Berke (www.ronniberke.com)

The LAM Foundation (https://www.thelamfoundation.org/)

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Bonus: A Spiritual Awakening Jun 27, 2023

Phyllis Cottle nearly killed herself when she found out she would never be able to see again. She had a plan, and was about to follow through with it, until she felt a “warm hand on her shoulder,” one that she was convinced was divine. Was she right? Was God intervening? And, if so, what should she do with that sign from above?

In this bonus episode we explore those questions with Larry Vuillemin, Phyllis’ good friend who says he also heard God speak to him after a pivotal, life-changing health scare.

Larry is a former Senior Trial Attorney with the Summit County Prosecutor’s office, an Akron City Councilman, and former Adjunct Professor at the University of Akron School of Law.

In 1990, he co-founded Heart to Heart Communications, which focuses on personal and spiritual development as a foundational way empowering leaders and enriching workplaces

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

Guest: Larry Vuillemin, Attorney at Law

(https://www.ohiodefensefirm.com/about/lawrence-vuillemin)

Heart to Heart Leadership: https://www.htohleadership.org/

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Bonus: Why Didn't You Scream? Jun 06, 2023

Phyllis Cottle said if she “had just been raped,” she may not have gone to police. “I didn’t want the hassle,” she said. But it was more than that: shame, blame, disbelief — reasons that still resonate with survivors today.

In this bonus episode, host Carol Costello sits down with Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh, who has created a campaign that aims to change the way society talks about sexual assault.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

Guest: Sherri Bevan Walsh, Summit County Prosecutor

(https://prosecutor.summitoh.net/pages/About-Prosecutor-Sherri-Bevan-Walsh.html)

Start By Believing Campaign (https://startbybelieving.org/home/)

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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The Fight Continues Apr 25, 2023

The trial is over, but the hard work continues. Phyllis feels a newfound purpose in life, and manifests unexpected forgiveness. Her family continues her fight for justice, vowing to keep her convicted attacker behind bars.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Happy Birthday Apr 18, 2023

Now the defense makes its case. As witness Chili Mo enters the courtroom, prosecutor Bob Bulford notices something remarkable unfold before his eyes. Phyllis braces for the moment Samuel Herring takes the stand, a questionable move on the part of his attorney. Criminologist Casey Jordan breaks down the defense’s lines of questioning. Will Herring’s testimony be enough to convince the jury of his innocence?

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Three Ring Trial Apr 11, 2023

Phyllis steels herself for the long-awaited trial. Law enforcement reaches out to a potential star witness. And prosecutors hope Phyllis’ testimony sways the jury enough to overlook their lack of physical evidence, before she faces a rapid-fire cross examination.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

Episode Image ©Marcy Nighswander – USA TODAY NETWORK

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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What is There to Live For? Apr 04, 2023

Phyllis receives a grave medical update, and begins to question her very existence. As she searches for a way out of the darkness, the media looks for her. And at the urging of her boss, Phyllis decides to take the narrative into her own hands.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Blue House, Black Eagle Mar 28, 2023

Police continue their search throughout Akron for a blue house with a black eagle, which they hope will lead them to the scene of the crimes. But will Phyllis’ descriptions prove accurate? And detectives dig deep to learn more about their suspect’s past — but how will they link him to the crime scene?

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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A Suspect Mar 21, 2023

Detectives zero in on their suspect, Samuel Herring, whose rap sheet stretches back to childhood. But how will they confirm he’s their guy when Phyllis cannot see?

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Manhunt Mar 14, 2023

Calls flood the hotlines as Akron PD conducts a citywide manhunt to find Phyllis’ attacker. Phyllis’ description of the house fuels the search, though police cannot ask her — blinded and still recovering — to point out the location. And a particular tip leads Detective Chris Contos to a group of witnesses and his first compelling suspect.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Extended Interviews Mar 07, 2023

This week, we present a pair of extended interviews with two of the voices in our series: former prosecutor Emily Pelphry, and criminologist Dr. Casey Jordan.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

Guest: Emily Pelphry

(https://denison.edu/people/emily-pelphrey)

Guest: Dr. Casey Jordan

(https://www.drcaseyjordan.com)

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

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Who Would Do This? Feb 28, 2023

Recovering in her hospital room, Phyllis mines her memory for any details that might help apprehend her attacker. Detective Chris Contos develops theories about what kind of perpetrator the Akron Police Department is dealing with. Carol talks to criminologist Dr. Casey Jordan about the mindset of such a criminal, and discusses the question that’s on everyone’s mind: who would do this?

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Living Homicide Victim Feb 21, 2023

Police, firefighters, and reporters descend on the smoldering crime scene. In an emergency room at Akron City Hospital, medical staff tend to Phyllis while detectives attempt to interview her. The biggest question of all isn't whether she'll lose her vision, but whether her memory superpowers will be enough to catch the bastard who did this to her.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blind Rage Feb 14, 2023

Ninety minutes after her abduction, Phyllis, bound and lying down on the back seat of her car, is brutalized and left for dead. Good samaritans rush to her rescue. And host Carol Costello recounts how, as a 22-year-old reporter at WAKR/TV23, word of something strange in East Akron began to spread through the newsroom.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terror Feb 07, 2023

Phyllis’ nightmare has only just begun. Crumpled onto the floorboard of her Buick, she begins to mentally catalog every detail she can about her knife-wielding attacker as he drives toward an unknown destination where she endures horrible consequences. But a request from the assailant and an eye-catching object provide her with the ammo she needs to not only survive, but to “fry the bastard.”

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Chris Aiola

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Contributor - Nijah Golliday

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That Day Jan 31, 2023

March 20, 1984 started out as a promising spring day for a single mom from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It wouldn’t end that way. Phyllis Cottle is assaulted in broad daylight as she leaves work, forced into her car at knifepoint, and left wondering why no one came to her aid.

We recommend you first listen to the Prologue.

*2024 Update: Based on listener feedback, we've revised a portion of this episode.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Nijah Golliday

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

The History of Mass Incarceration (https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/history-mass-incarceration)

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prologue: The Phyllis Cottle Story Jan 24, 2023

Veteran journalist Carol Costello introduces the story of Phyllis Cottle, examining the case itself and its unimaginable cruelty, as well as the story of the victim who became a determined, heroic detective in the pursuit of justice.

EPISODE CREDITS

Host - Carol Costello

Producer - Nijah Golliday

Audio Engineer - Sean Rule-Hoffman

Production Director - Brigid Coyne

Executive Producer - Gerardo Orlando

Original Music - Timothy Law Snyder

For additional information about Phyllis Cottle’s case, please visit our newly-launched website (www.carolcostellopresents.com), Carol’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/CarolLMU) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/carolcostello).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming Soon! Blind Rage: The Story of Phyllis Cottle Apr 29, 2022

In 1984, Phyllis Cottle was tortured, then left to die in a burning car, yet she survived. For one reason: “To fry the son-of-a-bitch.” Detectives called Phyllis a “living homicide victim” because she could not identify her rapist, but Phyllis was no victim. Throughout her hours-long ordeal she never panicked, opting instead to channel a sort of controlled rage to, as she put it, “catch the bastard.” As a reporter and former CNN anchor, I (Carol Costello) covered every kind of vicious crime imaginable. Most stories I was able to leave at work. But not this one. Phyllis gets under your skin. She was one badass woman. You must know her name.

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