Two years ago, former Boston sports radio host and current Barstool podcast personality Kirk Minihane began working on a true crime series. This week, a South Carolina man was arrested on murder charges following the evidence uncovered by Minihane in The Case.
The true crime podcast saw Minihane and producer Steve Robinson investigate the Feb. 1989 death of 16-year-old Jennifer Lynn Fay. Fay went missing during a night of partying in Brockton, Massachusetts and was never seen again. Her disappearance was investigated by police, and Fay was eventually pronounced dead, but her remains were never found.
While working on The Case, Barstool’s first ever true crime podcast, Minihane deemed Kevin Maler a central figure in Fay’s disappearance. Minihane also determined Maler may have been a key figure in the death of several other people, including South Carolina man Kevin Craig, who died in 2019 after being injected with an unknown substance. Maler may have been motivated to murder Craig as a cover up for their roles in the 2019 disappearance of another woman, Faith Roach.
As a result of Minihane’s Barstool podcast, which was released last year, police reopened their investigation into Craig’s death after authorities previously deemed it a drug overdose. On Wednesday, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Department filed murder and kidnapping charges against Kevin Maler in the death of Kevin Craig.
Kevin W. Maler, 56, has been charged with murder and kidnapping in relation to the death of Kevin K. Craig.
Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw credited @kirkmin and @bigsteve207 for their help in investigating The Case.
cc @bostonherald @BostonGlobe @wbz @7News @WCVB pic.twitter.com/i2o6TGXnNc
— The Case (@thecasepodcast) September 7, 2022
Currently, Maler is in jail for drug-related charges, and was denied bond on his murder arrest. According to Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw, now that Maler is behind bars, authorities hope more people will be comfortable in coming forward with evidence against Maler for the death of Craig and the disappearance of Roach. While Crenshaw credited Minihane for prompting Craig’s case to be reopened, the County Sheriff also noted it has been difficult to determine who can offer first-hand evidence, not just information they learned through the podcast.
Minihane was always viewed as a talented sports radio host and a ratings magnet despite his affinity for controversy. It wasn’t surprising to see his first venture into the cold case podcast medium become successful from an entertainment standpoint. But it’s incredibly impressive to see the evidence he uncovered lead to a murder charge.
Just as authorities reopened the investigation into Craig’s death after The Case podcast, Minihane and Robinson have reopened season one to keep people updated on new information and the eventual trial. Minhane also has a second season of The Case in the works, which should be released later this year.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com